EA Electives Overview

THE ENGINEERING ACADEMY ELECTIVES

ea1: INTRODUCTION TO SOLID MODELING & ENGINEERING DESIGN

There are three main focal points for the first engineering elective:

(1) engineering drawing & solid modeling

(2) the engineering design process

(3) the requirements associated with the Career Preparedness course

Students are initially introduced to basic drawing principles, including two-dimensional principal views obtained through orthographic projections and three-dimensional isometric views. These principles are learned through some simple hand drawing exercises. These techniques are a critical prerequisite for learning to create three-dimensional solid models on the computer. The students will develop expertise in creating solid models using SolidWorks, which is an industry-standard Computer-Aided Design (CAD) package.

Students will also be introduced to the Engineering Design Process and apply what they learn in the context of several open-ended design projects. Students will also be required to develop solid models of their designs.

The requirements for the Career Preparedness course are embedded in this course. Students who successfully complete the course will also meet the Career Preparedness graduation requirement for the State of Alabama.

ea2: ENGINEERING INSTRUMENTATION & ANALYSIS

The second engineering elective is fast-paced and covers a lot of ground. The course is fairly evenly split between classroom teaching, computer-based applications, and hands-on activities. The units of study include:

Public Speaking

Data Analysis

Technical Writing

Materials Engineering - Material Properties

Civil Engineering - Truss Analysis & Design

Electrical Engineering - Digital Signal Processing

Electrical Engineering - Electrical Circuits

Mechanical Engineering - Energy Transfer

Projects include:

univariate and bivariate analyses of data sets

designing, modeling, and constructing of an original truss bridge

theoretical, computational, and experimental analysis of electrical circuits

experimental development of calibration curves for analog sensors

designing, building, and analyzing an original ping pong ball launcher

ea3: ENGINEERING COMPUTATIONS WITH MATLAB & LABVIEW

All engineering majors are required to take a computer programming course. The third engineering elective is much more than a head start on that collegiate requirement. Students learn programming principles and logic that are common to all programming languages.

During the first semester, they apply what they're learning using MATLAB, a text-based programming language. MATLAB is also becoming the language of choice for the required programming course at the undergraduate level for most engineering students. MATLAB is also an industry-standard enviromental for modeling engineering systems.

During the second semester, students learn to program using LabVIEW. LabVIEW is a graphical programming environment that uses data-flow programming. While LabVIEW has been used for years in industry and research laboratories, it is being used more and more in undergraduate engineering courses.

ea4: Engineering Design & Entrepreneurship

The senior elective is equal parts business/entrepreneurship and engineering design. Students learn basic principles of business and entrepreneurship, including project management tools and agile development. These concepts are then integrated into a long-term engineering design project in which students work in teams to design and prototype new products. Each team is also tasked with building a company around the product and developing a marketing plan and website.

The Engineering Academy

at Hoover High School