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Electrical&ComputerEngineeringECE492SeniorProjectProposal

By

StephenBeggs

AprojectproposalsubmittedtothefacultyoftheElectrical/ComputerEngineeringDepartmentat

LafayetteCollegeInpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforECE492

Courseof2017

DepartmentofElectrical&ComputerEngineering

LafayetteCollege

May2017

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Electrical&ComputerEngineeringDesignProjectProposal

Forthepastfiveyears,theelectricalandcomputerengineeringdepartmentat

LafayetteCollegetakenonthetaskofbuildingafullyfunctional,competition-

standardelectricvehicle.Asthecarnearscompletion,thereisneedforanew

project;somethingthatshouldretainthepositiveaspectsofthepreviousproject,

andinnovatewherenecessary.ThispastsemesterIhaveresearchedthevarious

avenuesinwhichthedepartmentcouldgoforitsnextbigproject.BeforeIpresent

myconclusion,however,itisfirstnecessarytounderstandtheconditionsunder

whichImademydecisions.Mycriteriawerethefollowing.Oneaspectoftheelectric

carprojectthatIaimedtokeepwastheneedfordigitalandanalogsolutions.

Becausethisuniquemajorprovidesproficienttraininginbothanaloganddigital

systems,itonlymakessensetochooseaprojectthatwouldallowstudentsto

exercisebothanaloganddigitaldesignskills.Furthermore,inanefforttomore

greatlybenefitthestudents,thefaculty,andthecollegeasawholeIaimedfora

uniqueprojectthatLafayetteCollegewouldbeproudtoadvertise,andwhichwould

serveasachallenging,industry-realisticexperienceforcollegeseniorspreparingto

entertherealworld.WiththatinmindIdesignedmydecisionaroundprojectsthatI

feltreflectedtheCollege’svaluesinsomecapacity.AdditionallyItriedtoretainthe

relevanceoftheprojectimpactthattheelectriccarhad.Electricvehiclesaredirectly

relevanttocurrentindustrytrends,andtheimpactofresearchonthemhasthe

potentialtocauseseriouspositiveimpactintheworld,whichmadetheprojectan

assettoboththestudentsandthecollege.Asasmallliberalartscollege,Lafayette

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standsaloneasoneoftheonlyinthatcategorytoboastsuchaprestigious

engineeringprogram.Impactfulseniorprojectsliketheonethatweareontheverge

ofcompletingputLafayetteonthemapnotjustamongliberalartscolleges,but

amongleadingtechnicalinstitutionsaswell.Forexample,MIThasattemptedto

submitanall-electricvehicletothesamecompetitionwehaveand,likeus,haveyet

tosucceed.Thattypeofmarketingissuretohelpthecollegeattractthebestofthe

bestastheylooktoexpandstudentpopulationinthenearfuture.Insummary,my

initialcriteriaIusedwhilenarrowingdownmyoptionsweretochooseaproject

that…

1. Requiredbothdigitalandanalogsolutions.2. Wouldserveasagatewayexperienceandpreparetheseniorsfor

graduationbyimmersingtheminanindustry-realisticenvironment3. ReflectedthevaluesofLafayetteCollege4. Heldrelevancetocurrentevents,andhadgreatpotentialimpactinthe

realworldWithallofthisinmind,Ibeganlimitingoptionsbasedonthefourthpieceofcriteria,

whetherornottheprojectwasrelevanttocurrentevents,andcouldpotentially

bearimpactfulresults.

Ourworldiscurrentlyfacinganearuncountablenumberofproblems,onlysomeof

whichhavethepotentialtobesolvedbytechnologicinnovation.OftheseissuesI

triedtonarrowdownthefewthatheldthemostimmediaterelevance.Inaninitial

listIdeterminedthatgeneralsafetyissues,environmentalissuesandsecurityissues

werethethreecategoriesunderwhichthemostrelevantopportunitiesfell.For

example,theprojectwearecurrentlyworkingonhasstrongtiestoenvironmental

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issues.Ashumanscontinuetowarmtheiratmosphere,gasoline-poweredvehicles

arealwaysnearthetopofthelistofcontributors.Researchintobuildingourown

electricvehiclehadthepotentialtobreakgroundinsuchresearch,andhelppush

theworldweliveintowardfullyswitchingoverfromgasoline-poweredvehiclesto

fullyelectricvehicles.Thefinallistofprojectscontainedopportunitiesthatallheld

similarrelevancetoissuesofsafety,security,andourenvironment.Themagnitude

ofthisrelevance,inadditiontoanalysisofmyothercriteria,iswhathelpedleadme

tomyfinaldecision.

Oncemydecisionhadbeenmade,assessingthefeasibilityofthewinningoptionwas

doneutilizingGeorgeHeilmeier’snineCriticalQuestionsforResearchProposals.

Referredtoasthe“HelmeierCatechism”,Helmeierdevelopedthissetofquestionsin

the1970’swhilehewasthedirectoroftheAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency

(ARPA)inanefforttohelpguidethoseseekingtoproperlycommunicatewhatthey

plantoaccomplishwithanygivenresearchproposal.Thequestionsareasfollows.

1. Whatareyoutryingtodo?Articulateyourobjectivesusingabsolutelyno

jargon.Whatistheproblem?Whyisithard?2. Howisitdonetoday,andwhatarethelimitsofthecurrentpractice?3. What’snewinyourapproachandwhydoyouthinkitwillbesuccessful?4. Whocares?5. Ifyou’resuccessful,whatdifferencewillitmake?Whatimpactwill

successeshave?Howwillitbemeasured?6. Whataretherisksandpayoffs?7. Howmuchwillitcost?8. Howlongwillittake?9. Whatarethemidtermandfinal“exams”tocheckforsuccess?Howwill

progressbemeasured?

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Evenifaparticularprojectfulfilledthecriteriamentionedabove,itwascriticalto

evaluatetheproject’sfeasibility.Themeaningoftheresearch,andhowLafayette’s

studentscouldpotentiallycontributearetakenintoconsiderationbythese

questions.Ifweweretoreturntoaprojectthatmerelyassessedthestudents’

abilitiestospitbackoutwhattheylearnedwithouta“why?”component,thenthere

wouldbenoneedforthesequestions.Byturningthisprojectintoaresearch

opportunity,thedepartmentwouldbeenablingthestudentsasengineersand

professionalthinkers,ratherthanjustgraduatingstudentsqualifyingforadegree.

ThusHeilmeier’sninequestionsarenecessarytoproperlyevaluatethemeritofthe

chosenproject.

Afterafullsemesterofresearch,thefinallistofprojectsIchosetoexamineclosely

wasasfollows.Innoparticularorder,facialrecognitiontechnology,further

investigationintoelectricvehicles,andthefacetsofimplementingelectricvehicles

thatcurrentlystandasroadblocksfordesigners,windturbinetechnology,

autonomous/self-drivingvehicles,andGPStechnologyresearch.Therewereseveral

ofthesedesignswhichwereeasilyeliminatedsimplyduetolackofcertainqualities

thatIrequired.Forconveniencesake,Iwillexplainmyevaluationofthoseoptions

first,beforeaddressingthemoreworthyopportunities.

GPSTechnologyResearch

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GPSresearchhasalotofinterestingapplications,andthedesignofafullsystem

requiresacomprehensiveunderstandingofanalogsystems,digitalsystems,and

signalsystems.Additionally,similartotheelectriccarproject,implementingaGPS

systemcanbebrokendownintosubsystems,whichcouldtheoreticallybehandled

bysub-teamsdesignedwithmemberswhowouldproducethebestresultsforthat

particularsubsystem.Unfortunately,alotoftheworkissimplytoolargescalefora

seniorclasstohandle.ThethreesubsystemsofafunctioningGPSsystemarethe

spacesegment,thecontrolsegment,andtheusersegment.Thespacesegmentisthe

organizationandoperationofmanysatellitescirclingtheearth,andoptimizingtheir

positioninrelationtoeachtoeachother,aswellastheirangleinrelationtothe

earth’ssurface.Thecontrolsegmentisthemonitoringofthesesatellitesonearth.It

goeswithoutsayingthatourdepartmentdoesnothavetheresourcestoengagein

thatkindofresearch.SoalthoughengineeringafullGPSsystemfillsmanyofthe

criteriasetearlier,itsimplyisnotfeasible.Additionally,theonlyportionthatcould

realisticallybeworkedonbyourstudentswouldbetheusersegment,thereceiver,

whichwouldnotamounttoenoughworktooccupyanentireseniorclassfora

semester.

FacialRecognitionTechnologyResearch

Ichosetolookintothepossibilityofproposingaprojectbasedarounddesigninga

facialrecognitionsystemformultiplereasons.Asaworldissue,facialrecognition

technologyhasveryserioussecurity-basedapplications,andcompanieslikeApple

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areevenonthevergeofusingthistypeoftechnologytoreplacefingerprint

identificationtechnologyintheirproducts.Famously,facialrecognitiontechnology

waspivotalinthelocationandcaptureoftheBostonMarathonbomber,butthisis

justoneexampleofthemanywaysinwhichfacialrecognitiontechnologycouldbe

usefulinthecomingyears.Inadditiontotheindustryrelevanceoftheresearch,a

largepartoftheprojectrequiresateamtofigureouthowbesttogeneralizea

humanface,i.e.whatpointsofthefacedowesampletoidentifyeyelocationand

shape,mouthlocationandshape,noselocationandshape,andsoon.Thisfacetof

theprojectoffersanopportunityforcollaborationwithartmajorsonthiscampus.

WorkingwithateamofECE’sIbelieveagroupofartand/orphotographymajors

wouldbeessential.Togethertheteamasawholewouldworkcollaborativelyto

solvewhattolookforwhenidentifyingahumanface,andthenhowbesttoengineer

thatrecognitiontechnique.Thiscollaborativeopportunitycombinesengineerswith

artists,andprovidesauniqueprojectsettinginwhichthestudentswillbeforcedto

exhibitgoodcommunicationandteambuildingskillsinordertosucceed.

Althoughfacialrecognitionresearchisrelevantandposesanopportunityto

produceimpact,thereareseveralreasonswhyIdidnotdecidetogoforwardwith

proposingthisproject.Forone,therearenorealanalogcomponentstoit.Thevast

majorityoftheworkisbasedondigitalsystemsanddigitalimageprocessing.In

ordertoreallybeathoroughassessmentforanentireclassofECEseniors,the

projectIwanttoproposehastoallowstudentstheopportunitytodemonstrate

theirproficiencyinbothdigitalandanalogproblemsolving.Furthermore,there

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simplyisnotenoughworktobedonetosupplyanentireclassofgraduatingECE’s

withasemester’s-worthofwork.Whatmadethecarprojectsuchaneffectiveand

long-lastingprojectwasthepresenceofsubsystems,andtheabilitytobreak

studentsupintosub-teamsbasedontheirrespectivestrengths.Engineeringfacial

recognitiontechnologydoesnothaveenoughseparatecomponentstobreakupinto

teamslikethat,andisprobablyaprojectbestsuitedforasmallerteam.Engagingin

aprojectlikethiswouldbeareallygreatopportunityforaCapstoneProjectwitha

smallerteam,ormaybeevenforthesiswork,butthesystemdoesnotprovide

enoughmaterialformetofeelcomfortableproposingitasthenextbigsenior

projectfortheECEdepartment.

WindTurbineTechnologyResearch

Inthespiritofsearchingforprojectsthatposedanopportunityforstudentsto

accomplishimpactfulresearch,itonlymadesensetolookintowindturbine

technology.Asarenewableenergysource,windpowerisbecomingincreasingly

desired,anditwouldbeaninterestingprojectforagroupofECE’stodelveinto

detailedresearchonhowwindenergyistransformedintoelectricalenergy.

Unfortunately,withoutsugarcoatinganything,thesolutiontowindpowersimplyis

notanelectricalengineeringproblem.Forceofwindspinsseveralpropeller-shaped

blades,whichareconnectedtoarotor.Therotorspinsanelectricalgenerator,

whichproduceselectricalenergythatcanthenbesentstraighttotheelectricalgrid

tohelppowerhomesandbuildings.Atthemost,thisprojectcouldbeacollaborative

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projectwiththeMech-E’s,wheretheECEteamwouldfocusontheoptimaldesignof

theelectricalgenerator.Evenwiththatoption,thereisnodigitalaspecttothis

project,andtheassignmentwouldalienatethosestudentswhosestrengthsliewith

digitalproblemsolving.Additionallythereisnorealsub-teamstructuretothe

project,andtheamountofworkrequiredcouldeasilybecompletedbyasmallteam

ofECE’s,asopposedtoanentireclass.Excludingthoseissues,however,buildingan

electricalgeneratorturnsouttobemoreofaphysicsproblemanyway.In

conclusion,thereisnorealopportunityhereforECE’stoproperlydemonstratethe

designskillsacquiredoverthecourseoftheircurriculum.Ithinkitgoeswithout

beingsaidthatforthesereasons,thiswouldnotqualifyasaproperseniorproject

fortheECEdepartment.

FurtherElectricCarResearch

Asidefrombeingamassiveachievementforboththeengineeringprogram,aswell

astheschool,theimpactofsimplybuildinganelectriccardesignedtocompetition

standardsisquitelow.Ifwewanttotalkrelevancetotheworldwecurrentlylivein,

aseriouslyimpactfulprojectwouldneedtobebasedaroundthespecificroadblocks

thatengineersintherealworldarefacingtodayastheyattempttohelpmoveour

worldintoanerawherewecanhopefullyeliminatetheharmfuleffectsofgasoline

poweredcarsonourplanet.Backin2012,BarackObama,incooperationwiththe

EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA),introducedtheEVEverywhereGrand

Challenge(ElectricVehicleEverywhereGrandChallenge).Thisinitiativewas

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designedaspartofthecountry’s“all-of-the-above”energystrategy,andaimsto

designelectricplug-invehiclesthatareasaffordableandconvenientforthe

Americanfamilyasgasoline-poweredvehiclesaretodaybytheyear2022.The

blueprintassociatedwiththischallengeoutlinesthetechnicalrequirementsthat

needtobemetinorderforsuchagoaltobeachieved.Inthisblueprint,the

DepartmentofEnergy(DOE)outlinesseveraldifferentsubsystemsthatneedtobe

presentinabasicelectricvehicle,andthespecsthatneedtobemetforeach

respectivesubsystem.Thesesubsystemsincludethebattery,electricmotor,power

electronics,andon-boardchargers.Ibrokedownandanalyzedeachofthese

subsystemsusingthecriteriaabove.

Tobeginmyanalysis,itisimportanttorecognizethatfurtherresearchingthe

specificissueswithelectriccarsthatpuzzletoday’sengineersfulfillsthefourth

pieceofcriteriabydefault,regardlessofwhichsubsystemischosen,whichisnotto

saythatmultiplecannotbechosen.FurtheringtheEVEverywhereGrandChallenge

goalisapotentialdirectoutcomeofengaginginresearchonanyofthepreviously

mentionedsubsystems.Asmentionedearlier,gasoline-poweredvehiclesareabane

toourworld’satmosphere,andtoaidinthepushtoswitchovertopredominantly

electricvehicleswouldserveasimpactfulresearchthatstudentscouldbeproudto

puttheirnameson.Furthermore,successinanycapacityofanyoftheseprojects

wouldbeatestamenttotheprestigeoftheECEdepartment,theschool’s

engineeringprogram,andLafayetteCollegeasawhole.Thesubsystemsinneedof

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improvementasdetailedbytheEVEverywhereblueprintarethebattery,the

electricmotor,powerelectronics,andon-boardchargers.

BatteryResearch

Themainissuewitheachofthesesubsystemsisnottoachievefunctionality,butto

achievefunctionalityinacostefficientmanner.Electricvehiclescanbemade,but

untiltheyarecostefficientenoughtobesoldattheaffordablepricesthatgasoline-

poweredcarsaretoday,employingthemonamassscaleisalostcause.Forthe

battery,TheEVEGCblueprintspecifiesthatcostsmustbereducedto$125/kWh.In

ordertoachievethisgoal,thereisnecessaryresearchintoexploratorybattery

materialsresearch.Suchworkaddressesthefundamentalissuesassociatedwith

lithiumbatteriesandthematerialsoutofwhichtheyaremade.Researchisalso

neededtolookintooptimizingnewhigh-energylithiumionelectrochemistriesthat

incorporatenewbatterymaterials,andsystematicwaystoeffectivelytestthese

electrochemistries.Lastly,researchisrequiredtohelpassessthecostefficiencyof

newbatterydesigns.Currentlythereisapushtodevelopmodelsthathelp

researcherscalculatepotentialcostsofbatteriesinparallelwiththeriseofnew

batterytechnologies.AlloftheseresearchopportunitiesarewhattheDOE

determineswillhelpthemachievetheirgoalofreducingbatterycoststo$125/kWh.

Formyfirstpieceofcriteria,thesolutionfortheissueswithbatterieswouldbe

exclusivelyanalog.However,alargeportionofwhatisholdingbacktheinnovation

ofbatterieshastodowithelectrochimcalprocesses,andthematerialsusedin

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makingthebattery.Thisservesasanopportunitytocollaboratewiththechemical

engineeringdepartment.Additionally,helpcouldbeneededfrommathand

economicsmajorsinreferencetothemodelingcomponentoftheproject.Creating

statistical/mathematicalmodelstorepresentcostefficiencyandtotalcostfor

developingbatterytechnologiesisataskbestsuitedforthosewithadvancedmath

training.Bothmathandeconomicsmajorsatthisschoolaretrainedproficientlyin

datamodeling,andcollaborationwithsuchstudentscouldprovetobehelpful.Such

collaborationwouldprovidestudentswiththeopportunitytoworkinateam

environmentinwhichsuccesswouldbedependentonstrongteambuildingand

communicationskills.Thistypeofsettingistheindustry-realisticenvironmentIam

lookingtoimmerseourstudentsin.AsIseeitthemosteffectivewaytoprepareour

seniorsforpost-graduatelifeistosimulateitasbestwecan.Collaborative

opportunitiesachievethatgoalseamlessly.However,thedownsideIseetothis

projectisthelackofneedforECE’s.Thelargemajorityofthedesignworkneeded

wouldfallintotheChem-Erealm,andnomorethan2-4ECE’swouldbeneededto

workonthissubsystem.Ifthedepartmentdecidestopursueresearchonbatteries,

itwouldneedtobesupplementedbyworkonanothersubsystemofthecar.

ElectricMotorResearch

CurrentlytheVehicleTechnologiesOffice(VTO)isfundingandsupportingresearch

intoelectricmotortechnologies,asapartoftheelectricmotorcontributiontothe

EVEGC’sgoal.Inshort,anelectricmotortakestheelectricenergystoredinthe

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batteries,andconvertsthattomechanicalenergy,whichcanbeusedtomovethe

car.Anybasicelectricmotorconsistsofarotorandastator(themovingand

stationarypartsofthemotor,respectively).Theissuewithcurrentmotor

technologiesisonceagaincostefficiency,andaspertheEVEverywhereblueprint,

costsmustbereducedby50%come2022.Thereareseveralmajorareasof

researchbeingdoneonelectricmotorsinpursuitofthisgoalthatcouldpotentially

betakenonbystudentsatLafayette.Currentlyresearcheffortsarebeinglentto

discoveringlow-costpermanentmagnetsandmagneticmaterials,andimproving

electricmotorthermalmanagement,performance,andreliability.Thepositivesof

pursuingsuchresearchasapartofacollaborativeECE492projectaresimilaras

thoseforthebatterysystem.Sucheffortswouldrequirecollaboration,namelywith

geologymajors,mechanicalengineers,andpotentiallyphysicsmajors.Alarge

portionoftheproblemsfacingelectricmotorengineerstodayconcernthemagnetic

materialsusedintheconstructionofthemotors.Ateamofgeologyandphysics

majorswouldbecrucialindeterminingoptimizeddesigninthisrespect.

Furthermore,itwouldbewisetoemploythehelpofmechanicalengineers,who

wouldaidintheconstructionofthemotor.However,onceagain,theECE

contributiontothisparticularsubsystemofthecarwouldbesmall,andlimitedto

thethermalmanagementsystem.Althoughthissubsystemprovidesagood

opportunitytocollaborateinateamsetting,R&Dinthisareawouldonceagainneed

tobesupplementedbyresearchonanotheroneofthesubsystems.Icannotseea

situationinwhichmore2-3ECE’swouldbeneededtoworkontheelectricmotor’s

thermalmanagementsystem.

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PowerElectronicsResearch

InordertoreachthegoalssetintheEVEverywhereblueprint,aconsiderable

amountoffundingandsupportisbeinglenttoloweringthecost,andimprovingthe

performanceofpowerelectronicsinelectricvehicles.Asoutlinedbytheblueprint,

inanyelectriccartherearepowerelectronicstechnologiesthatfunctioninmany

differentways;fromprocessingandcontrollingtheflowofelectricalenergyto

controllingthespeedofthemotor,todistributingelectricalpowertoothervehicle

systemssuchasheating,ventilation,lighting,etc.Amongsttheseelectronicsisan

inverter,whichconvertsDCenergyfromthebatterytoACenergyusedinthedrive

motor.Aninverteralsoactsasbothamotorcontrollerandafilterinthevehicle.As

afilter,theinverterhelpsprotectthebatteryfromstraycurrent.Notonlyare

researcherstodayfocusingonreducinginvertervolumeandpartcount,buttheyare

alsolookingintotheimprovementofthespecificcomponentsthatmakeupeach

inverter,namelythesemiconductors.Researchersareworkingoninverter

topologiesthatshiftawayfromusingsilicon-basedsemiconductors,andinstead

implementwidebandgapsemiconductors(WBGsemiconductors).WBG

semiconductorsaremuchmoreresilientthantheirsilicon-basedcounterparts,and

canwithstandmuchhighertemperatures.Inthisway,inverterarchitecturesthat

implementWBGsemiconductorseffectivelyreducecostbyreducingtheneedfora

thermalmanagementsystem.Workingonproducinginverterswithsuchtechnology

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inthemcouldprovetobeagoodcollaborationprojectbetweenchemicaland

electricalengineers.

Inadditiontoinverters,improvementstoDC/DCconvertersarealsoindemand.In

thecar,theseconvertersareusedtoalterbatteryvoltagetoaccommodatethe

voltagerangesofthemotorandothersystemsinsidethevehicle.Currenteffortsto

innovateinthisareaaimtodevelopnextgenerationtopologiesthataremore

efficientandreducepartcount.Thisinparticularwouldbeagreatendeavorfora

teamofECE’s.Theneedtonotonlycreateanefficientdesignbutalsoeffectivelytest

thatdesignwouldbeanexcellentopportunityforseniorECE’stodemonstratethe

designandanalysisskillstheyaccruedoverthecourseoftheircurriculum.The

researchofpowerelectronics,unliketheprevioustwosubsystems,reliesheavilyon

contributionfromtheECEdepartment.Itisarelevantandimpactfulproject,which

thedepartmentcanassigntothestudentsknowingfullwellthatsuccessisdirectly

proportionaltothequalityoftheeducationreceivedbythestudentsinprevious

years.Furthermore,itisanexcellentopportunitytocollaboratewithchemical

engineers,asnotedearlier.Thedownsidetothisisthatthereisstillnorealwayin

whichthisprojectreflectstheidealsofthecollege.Althoughthisisnotthemost

importantpieceofcriteriaoutofthefour,Iwouldliketoreiteratethatitwas

importanttomethatitbeincluded.Asamajorpieceofcriteriainmydecision-

makingprocess,Iwashopingtohelpmaximizetheimpactandthemeaningofthe

project.AsHeilmeierwouldputit,themissionstatementofthecollegeisLafayette’s

answertohisquestionfour,“sowhat?”Iftheprojectcansomehowreflectthe

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college’smissionstatement,thentheprojecthasa“sowhat”forthedepartment,the

students,andforLafayetteasaninstitution.

On-BoardChargersResearch

Aspertheblueprint,on-boardchargingtechnologiesconvertACenergyfromthe

electricalgridintotheDCenergyneededtochargethebatteries.Currently,these

chargersarebasedontraditional,high-frequencychargercircuits.Inaneffortto

maximizecostefficiency,researchtooptimizecircuitarchitecturesisrequired.

Additionally,researchersarelookingintotheintegrationofchargingwithexisting

powerelectronicsonthecar.Allowingalreadypresentelectronicsinthecartoaid

inchargingwillinturnreducepartcountandweight,thusimprovingcostefficiency.

Althoughnotquiteitsownseparateproject,theconsiderationoftheintegrationof

on-boardchargingcouldprovetobeasupplementarytaskforanyteamsworking

onthepowerelectronicsortheelectricmotor.Thusthepositivesandnegativesfor

eachofthosesubsystemsringtrueforthisprojectaswell.

CarResearchSummary

Insummary,furtheringresearchonelectriccarshasthepotentialtotestsenior

studentsasengineers,aswellasexposethemtoacollaborativeteamenvironment

inwhichtheyareforcedtoexercisegoodteambuildingandcommunicationskills.

Inadditiontofulfillingthecriteriaofprovidinganindustry-realisticexperience,the

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workbeingdonewouldberelevant,impactful,andwouldproperlyassessthe

students’proficiencyinelectricalengineering.Insteadofsimplydesigningacar

basedonasetofcompetitionrequirements,studentswouldbestrivingtohelpthe

world’sengineersreachagoalthatstandstobenefitusall,basedonthesamedesign

specificationsbeingusedbytoday’stopengineers.Unfortunately,thereislittle

roominthisprojecttoincorporatedigitalsystemssolutions,andalthoughthe

projectpresentstheopportunityforpositiveimpactfromanenvironmental

solutionsstandpoint,thereseemstobenotrulypowerfulwaytoconnecttheproject

backtothecorevaluesandidealsofthecollege.Intheend,thisprojectrepresentsa

feasibleopportunityforanimpactfulproject,andonethatprovidesstudentsasetof

optionsforresearchdependingoneachstudent’sparticularstrength.Havingmade

thispoint,Iamconfidentthatthiswouldmakeforagreatprojecttofollowthe

currentelectriccarassignment.Thatbeingsaid,thelargestconcernisthatthese

optionsarelimitedtoanalogdesign,andtheprojectdoesnotnecessarilycaterto

studentswhoexcelindigitaldesign.Additionally,manyofthesolutionstothe

projectrequirementsaskarguablymoreofstudentsfromotherdisciplinesthanit

doesofECEstudents.Whatwasintendedtobeaninterdisciplinaryexperienceis

liabletoturnintoaprojectfortheengineeringdepartmentasawholeasopposedto

justfortheECE492course.Ifthisisadesiredavenue,thismustbetakeninto

account.

Self-Driving/AutonomousVehicleResearch

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MyfinaltopicforconsiderationinmyproposalfortheECEdepartment’sproject

followingthecompletionoftheelectriccarisresearchintoself-drivingvehicles.Not

onlyareautonomousvehiclesystemsayoungtechnologywithserioustechnologic

andethicalimplications,butalsothesystemitselfisintricateenoughtoprovidean

entireclassofECEseniorstudentssufficientworkformanyyearsinthesameway

theelectriccardid.Inreferencetomyinitialcriteria,thisprojecthitsallfourmajor

points.Aswillbeexplained,designingaself-drivingsystemforacarrequiresthe

implementationofbothanaloganddigitalsolutions.Additionally,thesheeramount

ofwork,supplementedbytheinterdisciplinarycollaborationopportunitiesthatthis

projectwouldprovideoffersanindustry-realisticsetting,whichwouldmorethan

preparethegraduatingstudentsinvolvedfortheirprofessionalendeavorsinthe

realworld.AsIwillexplaininmysummaryoftheprojectopportunity,thisproject

reflectsdirectlythevaluesoftheschool,andthusinherentlyanswersHeilmeier’s

“whocares?”question.Finally,self-drivingcarresearchisnotonlyincredibly

relevantintheworldweliveintoday,butalsoitholdsaparticularrelevancetothis

school.Withtechnologylikethisonthevergeofcommercialization,manyare

curiousastothesubsequentimpactonvehicleaccidentsandassociateddeaths.In

referencetotheLafayetteCommunityasawhole,embarkingonanin-depth

researchprojectofself-drivingvehicleswouldbeanobleandproactivegesturein

responsetothetwovehicle-relatedstudentdeathsthatLafayettehasseeninthe

pasttwoyearsalone.

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Self-drivingvehiclesneedtobeabletosense,evaluate,andrespondtothe

surroundingenvironmentthewayahumandriverwould.Toaccomplishthis,any

self-drivingcarshouldbeequippedwithaGPSsystem,aninertialnavigation

system,andaseriesofsensorsthathelpthecarperceiveitssurroundings.These

sensorsrangefromlaserrangefinderstoradarsystemstovideocameras.Allof

thesesystemscooperatingwitheachotherallowthecartoperceiveitslocation,and

refineitspositioninrelationtoitssurroundings.Datafromthecarsabilityto

perceiveitspositionisfilteredthroughtoacontrolsystem,whichmakes

navigationalandreactivedecisionsbasedontheincomingdata.Therearealotof

movingpartstothissystem,andtheaboveexplanationwassimplyawatereddown

versionofwhatitwouldtaketoimplementasystemlikethis.Togetabettersense

ofhowfeasiblesuchaprojectwouldbe,weneedtotakeacloserlookatspecific

components,andhowtheytranslateintoaseniorprojectsetting.

MappingandLocalizationFunctionality

Inordertomakeanavigationdecision,thecarmustknowwhereitisandwhatits

surroundingslooklike.Todothislaserrangefindersandcamerasarevital.Laser

rangefindersscanthesurroundingareausingswathsoflaserbeamstocalculatethe

distanceatwhichthecarisfromnearbyobjects.Someformsofradarsystems

performsimilarlyandcanbeusedforthispurposeaswell.Engineeringsuchradars

couldprovetobeanexcellentprojectforagroupofECEseniors.Tosupplement

theseradars,videocamerasareidealforextractingcolorandimagefromthe

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surroundingarea.Aggregatingthedatafromthesetwomethodsofperceptionallow

thecartocreateathreedimensionalmapofitssurroundings.Creatingasensor

drivenmappingsystemwouldonitsownbeahefty,yetfeasibletaskforthis

school’sECEseniors.Mappingsystemslikethisareusedtohelplocalizethevehicle

withtheaidoftheGPSunit.GPSreadingscanbeoffbymanymetersduetosignal

delay,andmappingsystemsliketheonedescribedabovearevitaltotheproper

functionalityofthewholesystem.Ofcourse,asthecarmoves,itmustreacttonew

incomingdata.Designingasystemthatseamlesslyandreliablyupdatesthecontrol

systemwithnewinformationisarealproblemplaguingself-drivingvehicle

researcherstoday.WhosetosaytheECE’satLafayetteCollegearenotequipped

withtherighttoolstotacklesuchaproblem?Havingreceivedacomprehensive

educationinsignals,signalsystems,andcommunicationssystems,Iseenoreason

whysuchataskwouldbetoodifficultforourdepartment’sseniors.

ObstacleAvoidance

Althoughthecarcanperceiveitssurroundings,itstillneedstobeabletoreactas

quicklyaspossibletokeepitspassengerssafe.Unfortunatelysimplyreactingtonew

andincomingdataisnotsufficienttoguaranteesafedriving.Inordertotrulyreact

toitsmovingsurroundingsthevehiclemustbeabletopredict,similarlytothewaya

humandriverwould.Thevehiclemustimplementaninternalmapsystemthat

containsboththecurrentandpredictedlocationsofallidentifiedobjectsinits

immediatesurroundings.Theseobjectsarecategorizedbasedonhowwellthey

21

matchupwithadatabaseofpre-determinedshapedescriptors.Aprobabilistic

modelwouldthenneedtobedesignedtotrackthepredictedfuturepathofeach

object.Thismodelwouldmakeitspredictionbasedonthepriorposition,and

trajectoryoftheobject.Thisisthepartoftheprojectwheredigitalsolutionsbecome

necessary.Theneedforaprogramimplementingaprobabilisticmodelwouldcall

fortheexpertiseofbothdigitallyinclinedECE’sandpotentiallymathmajors.Using

aprobabilisticmodellikethishasstrongtiestoAIandmachinelearning,andwould

beanincrediblyrelevantandhelpfulendeavorforanygraduatingseniorwishingto

takeonsimilarproblemsintherealworld.Usingthisinformation,thevehicle’s

controlsystemcanreactmuchquickertoitsmovingsurroundings,maximizing

safety.Thispredictivedecision-makingprocessallowsthevehicletoreactjustas

quickly,andinmostcasesmorequicklythantheaveragehumandriver.Thisis

wherethetechnologybeginstohaverealimpact.Assoonasthecarbeginsdriving

moresafelythantheaveragehuman,thentheresearchhasmerit;ithasa“sowhat?”

PathPlanning

Nowthatthevehiclecanperceiveitssurroundingsandavoidobstacleswhile

moving,itistimetoengineerawayforthevehicletotellitselfwheretogo.No

matterhowourengineerschoosetodesignit,apath-findingalgorithmmustbe

developedtohelpthevehicleplanitstripsfrompointAtopointB.Thistask,

however,ismoreintricatethanjustimplementingashortestpathalgorithm.The

algorithmmusttakeintoaccountallfeasibleshort-termpathsandmaneuverswhile

22

analyzingthefeasibilityofitslongtermplantomovefrompointAtopointB.Sucha

problemwouldbeasufficientassessmentforasmallsub-teamofECE’s.Any

studentswhopassedCS150andCS205shouldmorethansufficientlytrainedto

tacklethisalgorithmicallybasedproblem.

Interconnect

Allofthesesubsystemsneedtobeabletocooperatewitheachother.Similartothe

interconnectteamcurrentlyworkingontheelectriccar,thisprojectcallsforatam

ofECE’stofigureouthoweachsystemisgoingtophysicallyworkwithoneanother.

Inmanycasesthisisgoingtorequirenotjustthebuildingofwires,butalsothe

designofcablesmadespecificallytosendcertainsignalstocertainpartsofthe

system.CurrentlyProfessorWallaceteachesanentirecoursededicatedtothe

designofthesetypesofcables,andthiswouldbeawonderfulopportunityforthe

department’sstudentstoexercisetheskillslearnedinthatcourse.

CollaborativeOpportunity

Oneveryexcitingcharacteristicofthisprojectinparticularisthecollaborative

opportunityitprovides.Themassproductionofaffordableself-drivingvehicleshas

aconsiderableamountofbaggageassociatedwithit.Thereareseriouspolicy-based

implicationsassociatedwithcarcompaniesofferingcarswhichoperatewithouta

driver.Shouldtherebedifferentrulesoftheroadnowthatwerelyonelectrical

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systemstomakedecisionsontheroadforus?Whattypeofregulationsshouldbe

imposedonthedesignspecificationsofthesevehicles?Forexample,shouldtheynot

beallowedtotravelovercertainspeeds?Furthermore,themostcommonwaythat

carsarehackedisviasatelliteconnectiontothevehicle.Withvehiclesthatrelyon

GPSunitsandconnectedelectricalsystemstooperate,whatkindsofpoliciesshould

beimplementedtokeepthesevehiclessafefromhackers?Thedeploymentofthese

vehiclespresentsawholenewrealmofproblemsforpolicymakers,andthiswould

beafantasticopportunityforthecollegetoencourageseniornon-engineering

studentstoworkwiththeECEteamandresearchtheindustryandpolicy

implicationsofsuchtechnologies.Additionally,withcompaniesandfederal

institutionscreatinghighdemandforresearchrelevanttoself-drivingcars

currently,itwouldbeadvantageousforLafayettetoproactivelyrecognizethis

economicandsocialtrendandbeginaddressingpotentialsolutionstothese

industrytrends.Mostimportantly,thesesolutionscouldfeasiblybeseenasboth

opportunitiesforstudentsandassetstoouracademicinstitution.Thecollaboration

ofanengineeringdisciplinewithaliberalartsdisciplinetransformsthewhole

endeavorintoanincrediblyuniqueresearchopportunityunlikethevastmajorityof

undergraduateexperiencesofferedinthiscountry.Currently,Lafayette’sIDEAL

Centerisfocusedaroundcreatinguniqueresearchopportunitiesverysimilartothe

oneIamproposing.TheIDEALCenterboaststhebenefitsofitsprogramswhich

allowengineeringandnon-engineeringstudentstocombinetheirskillstosolvereal

worldproblems.Unfortunately,theseprogramsalltakeplaceoutsideofthe

classroom.Thisresearchpresentstheschoolwiththeopportunitytointernalizethis

24

kindofexperiencebyembeddingitinthecurriculumoftheElectrical/Computer

EngineeringMajor.Thisprojectopportunitywouldserveasadirectrepresentation

ofeverythingtheIDEALCenterstandsfor,anditwouldnotbeoutofthequestionto

appealtothecenterforfundingonthisproject.

ThiscollaborationopportunityalsofulfillsarequirementthatnootherprojectI

haveresearchedhasmet,whichisthatitdirectlyreflectsthecollege’svalues.

LafayetteCollege’smissionstatementreadsasfollows.

“…TheCollegestrivestodevelopstudents’skillsofcriticalthinking,verbal communication,andquantitativereasoningandtheircapacityforcreative endeavor;itencouragesstudentstoexaminethetraditionsoftheirown cultureandthoseofothers;todevelopsystemsofvaluesthatincludean understandingofpersonal,social,andprofessionalresponsibility;andto regardeducationasanindispensable,lifelongprocess.”

Whatthisresearchopportunityprovidesisachanceforengineeringstudentsto

attackanengineeringproblemthathasseriousethicalimplications,thusaffording

themthechancetonotjustcompleteanassignmentthewaymoststudentsare

encouragedto,butratherthinkabouttheimpactandimplicationsofsuchdesign

work.Thistypeofworkwouldtestnotonlyourstudents’quantitativereasoning

anddesignskills,butalsoassesstheirabilitytoanalyzetherealworldresultsof

theirwork.Paraphrased,themissionstatementessentiallystatesthecollege’s

desiretoproduceprofessionaladultswhotakeprideintheirwork,andutilizethe

quantitativeskillsthey’vegainedtoattackproblemsthattheydeemworthybased

ontheirownsetofvalues.Theintegrationofthepolicypieceofthepuzzleachieves

25

thatgoalseamlessly.ThisallowsLafayettetomoreproudlyadvertisethestrengthof

theirengineeringprogram,aprogramwhichisalreadyabnormallyprestigiousfora

liberalartsinstitution.Lastly,allofthisworkisbeingdoneinacollaborativeteam

environment,whichwouldbedesignedtoexerciseourstudents’teambuildingand

communicationskills.Thisisauniqueundergraduateproject,whichbreaksground

inmultipleareas,andprovidesanexperiencethatthedepartment,theengineering

program,andtheinstitutionasawholecanproudlyadvertise.

Self-Driving/AutonomousVehicleResearchSummary

Along-termresearchprojectonthedevelopmentofself-drivingtechnologyfor

vehicleswouldofferanintricate,impactful,anduniqueopportunityfortheECE

department,andLafayetteCollegeasawhole.Notonlywouldthisprojectoffer

studentsthechancetoexhibittheirproficiencyinbothanaloganddigitalproblem

solving,butitdoessoonatopicthatisincrediblyrelevanttocurrentsocialand

technologictrends.Itsrelevancedoesnotendthere,however.Lafayettehasseen

twovehicle-relatedstudentdeathsinjustthepasttwoyears,anditwouldbea

positivegestureinresponsetothosedeathsforthecollegetoengageinresearch

likethis.Thecollaborativeopportunitythatthisprojectofferswouldallowour

engineeringandnon-engineeringstudentstoworktogetherinanindustry-realistic

setting.Thismeetingofthemindswouldcreateaprojectsettingthatencouragesthe

developmentofcommunicationskills,aswellasanunderstandingofsocialand

professionalresponsibility.Studentswouldperformreal,impactfulresearch,allthe

26

whiledevelopinganunderstandingoftheconsequencesofthatworkasitpertains

totherestoftheworld.Thiswillpreparestudentsforthechallengesofthereal

world,andallowthemtotakeawaylessonsthattheycancarrywiththemforthe

restoftheirprofessionallives.Thesebenefitsallaccompanythisprojectevenifthe

researchfailstobearfruits.However,ifLafayettestudentscouldachieve

improvementsofcurrentself-drivingtechnologyorevenjustimprovethecost

efficiencyofsystemsalreadyinuse,Lafayettewouldstandamongaselectfewof

academicinstitutionscontributingtothisparticulartypeoftechnology,whichhas

thepotentialsaveanimmensenumberoflives.Inanefforttostrayawayfroma

staticandunoriginalseniorproject,thisresearchopportunitywouldstronglyreflect

thevaluesofthecollege,andhighlightthevalueofaliberalartseducation.Asforthe

issueofprojectfunding,thedepartment’smonetarycontributiontotheproject

couldpotentiallybesupplementedbyfundsfromLafayette’sownIDEALCenter,

whichencouragestheschool’sstudentstoengageinexperiencesexactlylikethis

one.

InsummaryIproposethattheElectrical&ComputerEngineeringdepartmentbegin

puttingfortheffortstorealizetheactivestudentresearchofself-drivingvehicle

technology.NoneoftheotherprojectsthatIhavepreviouslyresearchedhave

fulfilledasmanyofthecriteriaasthisopportunity.Inaddition,thisprojectisoneof

theonlyprojectsIresearchedthatprovidesenoughworktooccupyanentireECE

classformultipleyearssimilartothewaytheelectriccarprojectdid.Whatreally

separatesthisprojectfromtherest,however,isitsrelevancetotheLafayette

27

Community.Oneofthecentralmotivationsfordecidingtodepartfromtheelectric

carprojectwastoengageinmoremeaningfulwork.Thecarprojectculminatedin

simplyracingacaragainstothercars,whichinpracticeallowedthestudentstotake

ownershipofadesignandcompareitagainstotherdesigns.Beyondthat,however,

theprojectreallydidnotpresentanyadditionalsignificance.WiththatinmindI

wantedtodesignaprojectthathada“sowhat?”forthestudents,thefaculty,andthe

schoolasawhole.Consideringthisproject’ssignificancetoboththevaluesofthe

schoolanditsstudentbody,whichhasfacedtwovehicle-relateddeathsinasmany

years,theresearchanddevelopmentofthistechnologyservesasthesinglemost

relevantprojectidea.

Heilmeier’sNineCriticalQuestionsforResearchProposals

Indefenseofmychoiceofproject,IwillnowanswertheHeilmeierCatechismin

referencetotheproject.Answeringthesequestionsshouldhelpmakeclearthe

feasibilityofactuallyimplementingtheproject.

1. Whatareyoutryingtodo?Articulateyourobjectivesusing

absolutelynojargon.Whatistheproblem?Whyisithard?Whatwe

aretryingtodoisbuildasystemforautonomousvehiclesthatallowsthe

cartodriveitself.Inadditiontosimplydesigningthetechnology,the

focusistoworkwithnon-engineeringstudentstodesignbothasystem

andasetofpoliciesthatwouldmaximizefunctionalityandsafety.

Secondarily,theaimoftheengineeringsideisresearch.Thistechnology

28

isveryyoung,andhasyettobereleasedtocommercialmarketsfor

consumerstouse.Withthisinmind,Ihopethatourstudentswouldbe

abletocontributeinsomecapacitytothefurtheringofR&Donsuch

technology.Theissuesthatplaguetoday’sautonomousvehicleengineers

willdothesameforourstudents.

2. Howisitdonetoday,andwhatarethelimitsofthecurrentpractice?

Thenumberoneissueassociatedwiththistypeoftechnologyis

reliability.Itonlytakesasplitsecondoferrorforsomeonetodieina

vehicle,andthusboththehardwareandsoftwareinsidethevehicleneed

tooperateatascloseto100%ofthetimeaspossible.Currently,

engineersarehavingtroublewithsoftwareglitchesandcircuitryissues,

bothofwhicharepreventingcompaniesfromplacingdriversinsidethese

vehicleswithfullconfidenceintheirsafetyandwellbeing.Currenttesting

hasyieldedresultsthatshowautonomousvehiclestravelingover

630,000mileswithonly124disengagements(momentsinwhichthere

wasanerrororthedriverneededtomanuallytakeoverthesystem).

Whilethisonlyyieldsa0.2disengagementrateperthousandmiles,there

isnotellinghowmanymoreerrorswillariseoncethesecarsbegin

travellingroadspopulatedbypredominantlyotherselfdrivingvehicles.

Furthermore,thereissimplynotenoughautonomousvehicletesting

currentlytakingplacetoproperlyassessthatsituation.Inshort,while

thistechnologyisimprovingdaybyday,therestillremainsalongwayto

gobeforeengineerscansignoffonaproducttheyfeeliscompletelysafe

29

fortheaverageconsumer.Myhopeisthatastudentperspectiveonsuch

problemsmayproduceabreakthroughinthisarea.

3. What’snewinyourapproachandwhydoyouthinkitwillbe

successful?Theapproachissimple.Theleadinginstitutionscurrently

researchingthistechnologyaremadeupofworkingengineers,mostof

whomhavelongsinceendedtheiracademiccareers.Ifanything,a

studentperspectiveontheproblemshouldprovideafreshviewpoint

fromthemindsofthosewhohaveveryrecentlybeentrainedinboththe

fundamentalsanddetailedaspectsofelectricalandcomputer

engineering.Sometimesthemosteffectivesolutionsarethesimplest,and

tendtostemfromarelapsetothefundamentalcomponentsofthe

solution.Ibelieveallowingastudentbodytoattacktheproblemfrom

scratchcouldprovideaninterestingangleontheresearchand

developmentofautonomousvehicletechnology,andpossiblyeven

producemeaningfulandinnovativeresults.

4. Whocares?Asoneofthequestionsthatguidedmeinmydecision,itwas

imperativethatmyanswertothisquestionbethorough.Technically

anybodywhodrivesacarshouldcareaboutthisresearch,considering

vehiclerelateddeathsroseby10.5%lastyear.However,asstated

previously,thisresearchhassignificancenotjusttothestudents,faculty,

andadministrationfromanacademicperspective,butalsotothe

LafayetteCommunityasawhole.Fromanacademicstandpoint,the

studentsandfacultygettheopportunitytoworkinanimmersiveand

30

collaborativesettingonmeaningfulresearch,whichwillhelpserveasa

majorstepping-stoneinthetransitionfromstudenttograduate.Froman

administrativeperspective,thisprojectreinforcestheschool’svaluesas

describedbythecollege’smissionstatement,producingstudentswho

excelbothintheirquantitativereasoningabilitiesandtheirabilityto

assumemoralandsocialresponsibility.Finally,fromtheviewpointofthe

LafayetteCommunity,agroupwhichhaslosttwoofitsmembersto

vehiclerelatedaccidentsinthepasttwoyearsalone,thisresearchwould

serveasbotharelevantandmeaningfulexperience.

5. Ifyou’resuccessful,whatdifferencewillitmake?Whatimpactwill

successeshave?Howwillitbemeasured?Themeasureofsuccessful

researchwillcomedowntotesting.Putsimply,ifthesystemsdesignedby

theLafayettestudentssurpasscurrentleadingsystemsinthisfield,then

theresearchhasbeensuccessful,whetheritisthefunctionalityofthe

systemasawhole,orjusttheindividualcomponentsofthesystem.Of

courseextensivetestingwillbeneededforallsubsystemstodrawany

sortofconclusiveargument.Ifresearchissuccessfultheimpactisthe

contributiontotheresearchanddevelopmentoftechnologythatIam

confidentwillsavehundredsofthousandsoflivesinthefuture.

6. Whataretherisksandpayoffs?Oneparticularlyattractiveaspectof

thisprojectisthelackofrisk.Letusassumetheworstcasescenario,in

whichthedepartmentundertakesalargescaleprojecttoresearch

autonomousvehicletechnology,whichculminatesinfailedresearch.

31

Eveninthisscenario,thestudentshavestillgainedauniqueand

memorableexperiencefromwhichtheycantakemanylessonsasthey

transitionintopost-gradlife.Evenfurther,failedresearchcaninsome

casesbealmostasimpactfulassuccessfulresearch.Particularlywhen

workingwithnew,incompletetechnology,knowingwhatdoesnotwork

canbejustasvaluabletoengineersasknowingwhatdoes.Thisisnotto

saythatIcanguaranteeapositiveresultfromtheresearchand

developmentofthistechnologyatLafayette,becauseIcannot.Evenifthe

researchdoneattheschoolcontributesnothingtotheR&Dofthis

technologyaroundtheworld,whatreallymattersisthatwehave

providedanamazingopportunityforourstudentstoengageinaproject

thatforcesthemtoexercisetheirdesign,teambuilding,communication,

andcreativethinkingskillsinanindustry-realisticenvironment.

7. Howmuchwillitcost?Unfortunately,therereallyisnotellinghow

muchthisprojectwouldcost.Untilateamofengineerssitsdownand

worksoutthedesignthattheywishtopursue,thereisnorealwayof

gaugingwhatkindoffundswillbeneeded.Whatisknowniswhatgoesin

anybasicself-drivingsystem,andfromthatwecanmakerough

estimates.

8. Howlongwillittake?Asstatedpreviously,withoutadesign,thereisno

waytotellhowlongitwilltaketoengineer.Especiallybecauseour

studentswouldessentiallybestartingfromscratch,toevenestimatea

timelinefortheprojectwouldbefoolish.WhatIcanprovideislikely

32

boundsbutnothingmore.Afterseeingwhatkindofworkcangetdonein

asemesterof492,Icannotseethedepartmentproducingafully

functionalsysteminlessthan5years.However,thatdoesnotmeanthat

impactfulresearchcannotbeachievedonthesystemssubsystemsinthat

timeframe.Oncethestudentssitdownandhashouttheirdesignsforthe

system,amoreaccuratetimelinewillbegintotakeshape.

9. Whatarethemidtermandfinal“exams”tocheckforsuccess?How

willprogressbemeasured?Assumingthisprojectworksthesameway

theelectriccarprojectdid,themidtermandfinal“exams”forthisproject

willbedifferentforeachteam.However,eachsemesteranATP-style

assessment,demonstrations,posterpresentations,PowerPoint

presentations,andweeklymeetingswillbeusedintheevaluationofthe

progressoftheproject.

Conclusion

Therearemanyavenueswhichthedepartmentcouldtaketorealizeaperfectly

suitableseniorprojectforECE492.Itwouldbesufficientfromanacademic

standpointtosimplychooseaprojectwhichproperlyevaluatesthestudents’

engineeringanddesignabilities,qualifyingthemfortheirdegree.Ithinkitisclear

thatbyLafayette’sstandardsasanacademicinstitution,however,thatthiswould

notbeenough.Boththeschoolandthedepartmentwanttoproducewellrounded

studentswhocanthinkquantitatively,andinteractwiththeworldtheyliveinonan

33

intellectuallyandsociallymaturelevel.Inlightofthatgoal,whynotimplementa

projectthathighlightsthosequalitiesinourstudents?Whynotchallengeour

studentstoaccomplishrealresearchinacollaborativegroupenvironment?Why

notprovideourstudentswithuniqueandhelpfulexperiences,fromwhichtheycan

growasindividualsandasprofessionals?Intherealworld,professionalwork

alwayshasa“sowhat”,soitonlymakessensethatweshouldbetrainingour

studentstoattacktheirworksimilarly.Ifwearetoproperlyprepareourstudents

forpost-graduatelifeweneedtobeprovidingmoreforthemthanjustthe

opportunitytoraceacar;Ifeelthatthereneedstobemoretoitthanthat.

Iwouldliketotakethistimetothankthefacultyfortheirtimeaswellasfortheir

considerationofmyproposal.Myworkthissemesterwassupplementedbyaidand

supportfromProfessorChrisNadovich.

34

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