Browsing by Author "Zusack, Steven Anthony"

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    Capstone Design Project Experience: Lunar Ice Extraction Design
    (American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-01) Zusack, Steven Anthony; Patil, Raveena; Lachenman, Sean; Johnson, Chanel Antoinette; Schubert, Peter J.; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and Technology
    A group of senior undergraduate students came together as part of a non-traditional capstone design project. The assignment was to take part in the NASA RASC-AL competition and required adjustment to the class curriculum. Two examples are that a direct point of contact from the customer would not be possible as there is no specific person at NASA meant to act as the customer and the submission deadline was after the semester concluded. The students were all from the mechanical engineering department and had a fascination with space technology but came from vastly different demographic backgrounds representing multiple spheres of diversity. This diversity brought unique and unexpected approaches to the project. The project required close interaction of the group throughout and after the semester to accomplish a very difficult goal: the design of a full scale lunar ice extraction facility capable of running autonomously and producing at least 100 metric tonnes of ice per year. The operational plan is to be accompanied by a detailed budget and launch plans to begin taking effect in 2025. Having no experience working with one another prior to this project, the group was required to quickly develop a productive team ethos to address such a large challenge. The aim of this study is to assess the outcomes and reactions during a project from a diverse group of students attempting to complete an unusual capstone design. Accompanying this are pre-, intra-, and post-project surveys to assess effectiveness of the group on key project issues. The primary research questions to answer are: does the perception of the group regarding effectiveness positively correlate with the feelings of ownership of the project and feelings that the individual students’ passions are being considered. Further, because the competition is staged and set to go on the full academic year, the students are interviewed regarding plans on continuing the project beyond the current semester when the majority of the team will have graduated.
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    Problem-based Multidisciplinary Participation in Aerospace Design
    (American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-06) Elkhatib, Wiaam; Zusack, Steven Anthony; Schubert, Peter J.; Schaffer, Brock; Akmayeva, Emiliya V.; Proctor, Patrick John; Wiss, Guy Nicholas; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology
    This work explores the knowledge development of a diverse team of undergraduate students in pursuit of a RASC-AL engineering challenge by NASA to develop a 1-G deep space station. This habitat would need to be fully self-sufficient within five years of its initial launch and have a 20-30 year operational time span. The breadth of considerations is well-suited for a large team with a broad range of skills. Factors considered include potential fuel sources, location in space, materials, radiation hazards, purpose of construction, physiological and psychological concerns, sustainable agriculture methods, as well as an efficient rotation and docking system. Teams then collectively collaborated to present and successfully justify the most unique, practical, and cost-effective 1G space station design. Self-run by a student organization open to all majors, this design activity builds upon a multi-year history of aerospace project work. Student leadership developed a framework within which each participant can find a useful task and feel part of a larger whole. The aim of the study is to assess effective means for attracting and retaining a large, diverse team in ways which are sustainable during leadership turnover, and to reach for ever more-challenging goals. Past successes within the organization helped to attract and retain a range of interested and motivated students. Student educational outcomes were assessed both before and after the design project. Multiple choice and ranking questions with on-line surveys allow for tracking of perceptions and motivation, and identifying factors contributing to sustained involvement. Individual passions were woven into the overall design approach to provide a sense of ownership and a feeling of contribution which are hypothesized to be strongly correlated with overall success of the team. In this work the extent to which each student’s degree program is utilized is characterized, as well as their particular area(s) of interest, and compared with measures of output and contribution to the final result.