SBIR Phase I: Engineering Principles Demonstrator

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase (SBIR) Phase I project will develop and demonstrate a low cost, multi-disciplinary Engineering Principles Demonstrator based on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) on-chip experiments. The Demonstrator is designed to address a critical need in engineering education of more directly integrating experiments into engineering classrooms and curricula. MEMS technology can be effectively used to demonstrate most of the physical phenomena that engineering students must understand and become proficient at applying in their professions. Unlike conventional technology, which requires separate, cumbersome and often marginalized laboratory courses, MEMS experiments can be performed on a time scale consistent with direct integration into lectures, they are intrinsically safe, as well as environmentally efficient. The Demonstrator software can be used to integrate explanation of relevant principles as well as to provide designed experiments and analysis assistance within the product. The primary innovation in this proposal revolves around the use of MEMS technology to teach engineering fundamentals to undergraduate engineering students. The proposed demonstrator is broadly applicable across a variety of engineering curricula. The potential advantages to society with a technology- and knowledge-based economy follw from the quality of engineering students graduating with skills and knowledge to solve national challenges. With the economy of the United States and its standard of living predicated on high technology innovation, the benefits to the US economy would be expected to be significantly higher relative to other, less technologically oriented economies. The outcomes of this project is expected to impact a large number of students who graduate from US engineering schools without the fundamental grasp of physical phenomena which is critical for innovating new solutions and products.