Advanced Laboratory Course for MAE171b/MAE175b/MAE126b


Mechanical, Aerospace and Environmental Engineering Laboratory Course

Spring Quarter, 2008

Prof. Beg, Prof. de Callafon, Prof. Kleissl and Dr. Shevchenko

Outline
Print this page
course organisation
course staff
class schedule
midterm & final
picking a project
available/assigned projects

Latest Announcements and Quick Links

Project assignments will be updated regularly, so please come back.
Schedule of midterm presentations.
Reimbursement? Fill out this excel form and go see Jimmy Lee (make sure you stay within the $120/project budget)!

SEARCH TIPS:

Looking for the project you have been signed up to? Press CTRL-F (or select the find menu option in your browser) and type in your last name.
Looking for projects that are still open for sign up? Press CTRL-F (or select the find menu option in your browser) and search for `open for signup'.
Looking for a project that need a single person for signup? Press CTRL-F (or select the find menu option in your browser) and search for `signup for 1'.
 


Aim of the course


Welcome to the website of MAE171b, MAE175b and MAE126b. The aim of the MAE171b, MAE175b and MAE126b (advanced) laboratory course is to work on a mechanical, aerospace or environmental related research project that involves the research and experimental analysis of a fluid mechanics, environmental, energy or (electromechanical) control system. This lab course is an extension and more detailed design and analysis of the experimental work conducted in the MAE171a/MAE1715a/MAE126a laboratory course. The aerospace course MAE175b is an elective course for the aerospace engineering students, whereas MAE126b and MAE171b are mandatory course for the environmental and mechanical engineering students.


Course Organisation goto top


In the course you will work on a particular project to integrate the following three main aspects of engineering and science: research (small literature study), experiment design (to develop an experiment) and experimental analysis (actual experiments or computations in a laboratory environment). The course takes place mostly in a laboratory, where most of the experimental analysis of the experiments is being done. Students form groups of 4 (max 5) people that coordinate the work to be done for a specific laboratory project. For those groups using the undergraduate laboratory (UGL) and undergraduate control laboratory (UGCL) specific laboratory time will be assigned. Typically, a group will be allocated one day per week exclusive use of a research facility in the UGL or UGCL. Additional time can be arranged and coordinated with the staff.

Progress of the project will be monitored by a Project Advisor and a Course Advisor. During the laboratory times interactions with the Project Advisors and course TA's are used to deal with specifics of the particular project. Additional support will be provided in the design and installation of laboratory equipment, machining queries, parts and supplies ordering. In addition to the laboratory times there are weekly meetings with Course Advisors (either Prof. Beg, Prof. de Callafon, Prof. Kleissl or Dr. Shevchenko) to evaluate progress on project, discuss individual participant activities, group coordination, and delegation of responsibilities.

Nick Busan is available for general laboratory facilities and certain technical experimental queries. Steve Roberts is available for electronics and electrical wiring queries. All drawing for any parts that need to be machined for a laboratory experiment must be approved by both the project advisor and Tom Chalfant. The last day for drawing to be approved by Tom Chalfant will be Friday May 9, 2008. Any drawings not approved by then will have little chance to be completed by the 10th week.


Course Staff goto top


The course staff consists of Course Advisors, Project Advisors, TA's and supporting staff. The Course Advisors are Prof. Beg, Prof. de Callafon, Prof. Kleissl and Dr. Shevchenko and they can be contacted at: The supporting staff consists of Nick Busan and Steve Roberts and Tom Chalfant. They can be contacted at: For most of the experiments, Teaching Assistants (TA's) are available for additional help and guidance during the laboratory hours.


Class Schedule goto top


Mechanical engineering students enrolled in MAE171B, environmental engineering students enrolled in MAE126b and aerospace engineering students whom wish to enroll in MAE175B must attend the first lecture, as laboratory time and space assignment will done in this lecture. Students will be required to attend 4 additional lab hours per week. Lectures and presentations will be given in YORK 2622 from 5:00pm till 6:50pm. Only the following two lectures/classes have been scheduled:
Next to the lectures, oral presentations have been scheduled for all the groups. The presentations are part of the examination and are used to judge the progress and achievements of the research and laboratory projects. Attendance is required for everyone and the following two presentations have been scheduled:

Midterm & Final goto top


The grading of the project during course is done on the basis of a midterm and a final examination. Both the midterm and the final examination consist of a written report, an oral presentation and a poster (in case of final examination). The written reports should be completed and hand in during the presentations. Midterm presentations will be held on Monday April 28, Wednesday April 30 and Friday May 2. All midterm reports are due on Monday April 28th at the beginning of the presentations

Midterm Exam: 30% of grade and consists of

  1. an oral ten minute presentation (10%)
  2. a written 8 page max. report detailing literature survey, organisation of group, project outline & goals, work to date (20%)
Final Exam: 70% of grade and consists of
  1. final presentation (and accompanying poster, if applicable) (25%)
  2. a written 20 page max. report detailing entire project description, analysis of design and experiment, errors and limitation, accomplishments, and future work recommended (45%).

Picking a Project goto top


In order to choose a project, you must first form a group of 4 students to work together. It is the responsibility of each student to get his/herself into a group, but only groups of four students can be considered for a project. Discuss projects with project advisors if more details are necessary to determine if the project is appropriate for your group. Note that all the students in your group do not have to be signed up at the same laboratory sections on studentlink. During the first lecture we will consult with your group and the project advisor what the best time for the laboratory time and section is and you group will be accomodated as much as possible. Also, you do not have to form the same groups as in MAE171A/175A/126A.

Project Signup

To sign up for a project, e-mail Prof. de Callafon starting on Monday, March 17, 2008 at 9:00am (and not earlier). Decide on a project that you would like to work on, you should indicate up to four choices in order of priority and make sure the projects are indeed open for signup. Projects are assigned on a first come first serve. Any e-mail sent before Monday, March 17, 2008, 9:00am will be discarded. So wait until that time to send your requests.

When you e-mail your project request *you must provide the following information*:

  1. The names of each member of your group (must be four-five members).
  2. The phone number and e-mail address (if available) for each member.
  3. Assign a member of the group as Group Leader to function as lead contact for the group. This person must have an e-mail address and regularly reads their mail as most correspondence for the course will be via e-mail. Only the group leader will be contacted for messages sent to each group.
  4. Designate a member to be the parts ordering person and another to be the machining and drawing person.
  5. Provide the Name and Project Numbers for your first four choices in order of priority. Note that, obviously, projects that have already been assigned, are not open for sign up anymore.
Note again, contact Prof. de Callafon via e-mail starting 9:00 am on Monday, March 17, 2008. Any e-mail sent before that time will be discarded. For a list of projects with their corresponding project numbers, please see the available projects below.


MAE 171b/175b/126b Projects for Spring Quarter 2008 goto top


The projects proposed for Spring Quarter of 2008 of MAE171b/MAE175b/MAE126b are listed below. The project are categorized according to the specific engineering disciplines:
Each project description is accompanied with a short description and/or a link to a PDF file (click on Project number) to view the project aims and emphasis. In order to view the PDF file, you will need Acrobat Reader. Each project requires a group of 4 students. A smaller group of students (2-3) can sign up for a project only if this is explicitely mentioned in the description of the project. Projects that are particular suited for AE students (MAE175b) are indicated by AE project. However, ME students (MAE171b) or EE students (MAE126b) can also sign up for these projects if they find them interesting.


Energy and Fluid Mechanics Projects for Spring Quarter 2008 goto overview


Project B1: Creating sun and starts in the laboratory
Project Advisor:
Dr. M. Wei, email: mswei@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor: Prof. Beg.

Project members: Lorentz, Thomas David & Fan, Daniel Honghu.

Project B2: 3D Magneto-Hydrodynamic Simulation of Plasma Jets
Project Advisor:
Dr. S. Bott, email: sbott@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor: Prof. Beg.

Project members: Grothman-Pelton, Joshua Daniel (open for signup for 1 project member with simulation background)

Project B3: Optimization of Aerodynamic Aids forAutocross Racing
Project Advisor:
Chris Cassidy, email: ccassidy@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor: Prof. Beg.

Project members: Crummett, Philip M & Blanco, Ernest Steve & Tse, Alexander Brian & Khorsandian, Behrang & Apperley, Adam James.

Project B4: Suspension Frequency Optimization
Project Advisor:
Prof. Beg.
Course Advisor: Prof. Beg
.
Project members: Anderson, Joseph H & Le, Trinh H & Leung, David T-C & Seung, Harrison.

Project B5: Design and Analysis of Brake Rotors for a Formula Car
Project Advisor:
Prof. Beg.
Course Advisor: Prof. Beg
.
Project members: Iwashita, Randall Toshiya & Mata, Cristian & Yamasaki, Taku Ellis & Niemi, Brian Matthew.

Project B6: Particle Separation Of Biomass Gasifier Sample
Project Advisor:
Prof. Cattolica, email: rcattolica@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor: Prof. Beg
.
Project members:

Project B7: Shock Absorber Tuning
Project Advisor: Prof. Beg
.
Course Advisor: Prof. Beg
.
Project members: Freerksen, Isaiah & Bloom, Neal Brandon & Molina, Norman Ner & Nguyen, Vinh Trong.

Project B8: Biometric Fin Design for Undulating Underwater Propulsion
Project Advisor:
Prof. Lauga, email: elauga@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor: Prof. Beg
.
Project members: CANCELLED

Project B9: Surface Drag Reduction Via Surface Texture for Underwater Vehicles
Project Advisor:
Prof. Tartarkovsky, email: dmt@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor: Prof. Beg
.
Project members: CANCELLED



Control and Signal Processing Projects for Spring Quarter 2008 goto overview


Project C1: Design and Control of a Magnetic Levitation System
Project Advisor:
Nima Ghods, email: nimaghods@gmail.com.
Course Advisor: Prof. de Callafon
.
Project members: Olney, Karl Liberty & Gollner, Michael John & Gray, Philippa Erin Kay & Powers, Alicia Michelle.

Project C2: Coordinated Tracking of Mobile Robot With Extremum Seeking
Project Advisor:
Nima Ghods, email: nimaghods@gmail.com.
Course Advisor: Prof. de Callafon
.
Project members: Halim, Benjamin Joseph & Howarth, Cody Charles & Xie, Yang & Gaudlitz, Erika.

Project C3: Depth Stabilization of Pneumatic Submersible Drogue
Project Advisor:
Jule Jaffe (Scripps) and Prof. de Callafon.
Course Advisor: Prof. de Callafon
.
Project members: Maghy, Scott John & Lui, Derrick Hon-Chiu & Fishler, Benjamin Edward & Harris, Mitchell Clark.

Project C4: Motor Control Experiment for MAE170 lab
Project Advisor: Mike Watson, email: mwatson@ucsd.edu
.
Course Advisor: Prof. de Callafon
.
Project members: (open for signup for 4 project members)

Project C5: Experiments on Optical Underwater Communication
Project Advisor: Steve Roberts, email: steveroberts@ucsd.edu
.
Course Advisor: Prof. de Callafon
.
Project members: Datu, Marissa Guevarra & Kim, Daniel Chang & Lu, Ken Jian & Peng, Kevin Tsuan-Yu.

Project C6: Ballast Control System for UUV
Project Advisor:
Nima Ghods, email: nimaghods@gmail.com.
Course Advisor: Prof. de Callafon
.
Project members: Dacoron, Larry Ferrer & Chen, Yi Pei & Li, Pengchong & Urquhart, Bryan Glenn.

Project C7: Modeling and Control of the Switchblade
Project Advisor: Prof. Bewley, email: tbewley@ucsd.edu
.
Course Advisor: Prof. de Callafon
.
Project members: Marshall, Kassandra Leigh & Hayes, William Joseph & Brune, Anson Eliot & Fall, Scott Alexander.

Project C8: Collision Detection System for Manned/Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
Project Advisor: Prof. Oliviera, email: mauricio@ucsd.edu
.
Course Advisor: Prof. de Callafon
.
Project members: Bequilla, Richell R & Cadavona, Brent Daniel & Lubong, Mark John & Rosano, Rossano D & Tebcherani, Rodolph Elias.

Project C9: Foot Pressure Sensor for Physical Therapy with Children
Project Advisor: Dr. Delson, email: ndelson@ucsd.edu
.
Course Advisor: Prof. de Callafon
.
Project members: Abnoosian, Edmond & Ang, Paulo B & Castillo, Eduardo Alejandro & Guevara Jaramillo, Leonel.

Project C10: Multi-Touch Display: Improvement of the Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Project Advisor: Dr. Delson, email: ndelson@ucsd.edu
.
Course Advisor: Prof. de Callafon
.
Project members: Robinson, Evan Kendal & Miller, Joshua James & Nguyen, Truong Binh & Zhang, Yupeng.

Project C11: Coordinated Tracking of Mobile Robot With Extremum Seeking
Project Advisor:
Nima Ghods, email: nimaghods@gmail.com.
Course Advisor: Prof. de Callafon
.
Project members: Choi, Chun Fai Jeffrey & Aung, Zaw Win & Lau, Hing Lawrence & Law, King Yiu & Madeira, Eugenio Bettencourt Gregor.




Environmental Engineering and Fluid Mechanics Projects for Spring Quarter 2008 goto overview


Project E1: Jack in the Box Goes Green
Project Advisor: Prof. Linden, email: pflinden@mae.ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Tang, Erik E & Thai, Diana Connie & Chow, Chi Wai & Zvanut, Gregory Albert & Wong, Mariel Christine.

Project E2: Mobile Environmental Sensing Platform on the UCSD Shuttle
Project Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Hsi, Eddy H & Lawson, Jonathan P & Kerins, James J & Lau, Ka Shing.

Project E3: Mobile Environmental Sensing Platform for RIMAC Water Use
Project Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Sangel, Jonathan Harris & Pogue, Michael Tyson & Keller, Samuel Edward Julian & Kromsky, Yuri.

Project E4: Indirect environmental turbulence measurements using a model airplane
Project Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Sankur, Michael Derin & Patel, Ambrish Pramod & Taylor, James Zachary Belyea & Rosenberg, Charles Geoffrey & Khandekar, Kunal Chandrashekhar.

Project E5: Mobile Environmental Sensing Platform or Autonomous Environmental Data Aquisition
Project Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Dutton, Justin James & Hay, Shawn G & Taylor, Nathaniel Elliot & Vonplaten, Darren Lane.

Project E6: A remote sensing platform for airborne measurements
Project Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: project cancelled: closed for signup.

Project E7: Reduction of vehicle drag through slipstreaming: Consequences for CA fuel consumption
Project Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Whitmore, Alexander Jason & Worobec, Spencer T & Adams, Drew Anthony & Gregory, David John.

Project E8: Smart Grids for Renewable Energy
Project Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl and Nick Lieven.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Harper, James Patrick & Rodriguez, Andrew S & La Marche, Jean-Paul Pinamonti & Malkonian, Hayik Agob.

Project E9: Solar Photovoltaic Performance
Project Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Lieu, Kimberly L & Lynch, Kevin Michael & Chang, Amy Elizabeth & Nguyen, Chau Ngoc

Project E10: Temperature, Humidity, and Trace Gas Calibration Chamber
Project Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Andeck, Michael D & Jara, Gary & Kim, Edward Young-Whan & Na, Jacob & Hassanein, Ahmed Esmat.

Project E11: UCSD Building Energy Use
Project Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Henderson, Michelle Lynn & Denton, Megan Aileen & Victorino, Chad Lewis & Fujiyoshi, Christopher Kotaro.

Project E12: Measuring Urban Heat Islands
Project Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Nguyen, Lamson Vu & Kim, Daniel Kyungmin & Lee, Robin Hahn & Bui, Thuy Nguyen.

Project E13: Particulate Matter
Project Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Hill, Melissa & Wick, John Charles & Ripley, Barry S (open for signup for 1 project member)

Project E14: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) at UCSD
Project Advisor:
Margaret Souder.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Haar, Eric Kenneth & Munoz, Jorge Alberto & Ochoa, Monique Nicole & Rahman, Mohammad Arafater & Volberding, Benjamin Todd.

Project E15: Acoustic Propulsion
Project Advisor: Prof. Lauga, email: elauga@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor:
Prof. Kleissl.
Project members: Cheng, Mu-Hua & Lew, Eric Richard & Phan, Linda Do & Tse, Jessica Ga-Yee.

Project E16: Elastic Swimming
Project Advisor: Prof. Lauga, email: elauga@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor: Dr. Shevchenko.
Project members: Ly, Jacky & Ashur, Dor Yisrael & Tay, Sonny Mun & Nikaiyn, Damoon M.

Project E17: Swimming torus
Project Advisor: Prof. Lauga, email: elauga@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor: Dr. Shevchenko.
Project members: Zargaran, Sammy & Martinez, Derrick.



Material and Physics Projects for Spring Quarter 2008 goto overview


Project M1: Mechanical Properties of Demineralized/Deproteinated Bone
Project Advisor: Prof. McKittrick, email: jmckittrick@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor:
Dr. Shevchenko.
Project members: TBA (open for signup for 4 project members)

Project M2: Fracture Toughness of Bone and Antlers
Project Advisor: Prof. McKittrick, email: jmckittrick@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor:
Dr. Shevchenko.
Project members: Sadr, Ideen & Rayatparvar, Ali T & Sheppard, Frederick Alonzo & Nguyen, Chieuduong.

Project M3: Mechanical Properties of Ram Horns
Project Advisor: Prof. McKittrick, email: jmckittrick@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor:
Dr. Shevchenko.
Project members: Peppe, Patrick Kevin & Collier, Mark & Szijarto, Steven & Baumgart, Bryce Gantt & Fischman, Guy.

Project M4: Mechanical Properties of Turtle Shells
Project Advisor: Prof. McKittrick, email: jmckittrick@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor:
Dr. Shevchenko.
Project members: Thou, Tittya & Ouyang, Eric Hsu & Danh, Rosi & Quan, Long T.

Project M5: Fabricating bone minerals from solution
Project Advisor: Prof. McKittrick, email: jmckittrick@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor:
Dr. Shevchenko.
Project members: Goon, Kevin David & Shiao, Stephen Conway & Yoshida, Reo Tony & Toubi, Jacob.

Project M6: Measurement of the Corneal Tensile Stress Under Applied Loads
Project Advisor: Dr. Schanzlin.
Course Advisor:
Dr. Shevchenko.
Project members: Yoo, Aram & Rebollo, Kelvin Oswaldo & Roshandell, Melika & Weiller, Robert Claude.

Project M7: Design and Analysis of Inline Skating Wheels
Project Advisor: Prof. McKittrick, email: jmckittrick@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor: Dr. Shevchenko.
Project members: Shehab, Kareem Gamal & Kuo, Shao-An & Wang, James Chun-Cheng & Wang, Pangli

Project M8: Silicon Carbide Reinforced Composites
Project Advisor: Prof. McKittrick, email: jmckittrick@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor: Dr. Shevchenko.
Project members: Youtsey, Sean Paul & Machado, Morgan Reed & Rose, Brian Douglas & Yee, Zachary Allan.

Project M9: Turbulence Flow Stimulation for Bioluminescence
Project Advisor: Dr. Michael Latz, email: mlatz@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor:
Dr. Shevchenko.
Project members: Burrell, Kelsey L & Eib, Andrew Paul & Sjobom, Leslie Dawn & Sutterley, Tyler Clark.

Project M10: Sufrboard Material Testing and Correlation to Finite Element Model
Project Advisor: Nick Busan, email: nbusan@ucsd.edu.
Course Advisor:
Dr. Shevchenko.
Project members: Abadie, Charles Hedrick & Kaluzny, Joel V & Olivieri, Simon Jonas & Schwartz, Kenneth Ian.



Maintained by Prof. R.A. de Callafon, last revision: 9:00 AM 06/03/2008
Department of MAE (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) at UCSD