Fun with Fluid: An Innovative Assignment in Fluid Mechanics

Publication date: Available online 18 November 2019Source: Education for Chemical EngineersAuthor(s): Sachin MandavganeAbstractFluid mechanics (FM) is a core course of the Chemical (ChE), Mechanical, Civil, and Aerospace Engineering programs. The general expectation is that students should be able to demonstrate the fundamentals learnt in theory and get hands-on experience during the lab course. In this regard, the author of this paper organized an assignment plus competition entitled “Fun with Fluid” (FwF). The event had the following four segments: (1) fun with fluid, (2) frugal lab, (3) design of a thought problem, and (4) a PowerPoint presentation of the FM concepts. The author of this paper had two cabin meetings with each group (registration/guidance in selecting topic and presentation rehearsal). Through this assignment, students were able to design and conduct experiments. Additionally, it gave them a chance to assess their communication ability, work with multidisciplinary teams, and understand contemporary issues. Each exhibit was evaluated in three stages. Before the event, instructor and teaching assistants assessed projects while for evaluation during the event three experts from outside the institute were invited. Evaluation was based on scientific content, novelty, presentation and questions-answer session. Since 2015 FwF is an annual activity. Videos of exhibits are available on YouTube.
Source: Education for Chemical Engineers - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research