T5-C: Mercer Engineering Partnership With The United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot: Internships, Senior Design Projects, and Educational Outcomes
Location
Bill France C
Start Date
6-3-2018 10:20 AM
Description
In 2015, Mercer University’s School of Engineering began a unique partnership with the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD), a part of the United Nations World Food Programme. The partnership thus far has consisted of student internships at UNHRD’s research lab and capstone design projects for senior engineering students. This paper begins by briefly describing the partnership and then focuses on the first senior design project developed through the partnership. The UNHRD senior design project centered on the design of a thermal shield for temperature control of specialized nutritious foods (SNF), with the aim of developing a cost-effective, passive insulation solution that will keep SNF from overheating (which results in risk of loss of their nutritional value) during extended shipping and storage. Specific examples that emphasize the experiences, successes, and lessons learned from the course are provided, as well as how outcomes of the partnership are being incorporated into teaching in upper-level engineering classes at Mercer. The paper concludes with the senior design team sharing that their senior design experience promotes more than an engineering educational experience - it fosters the development of worklife skills such as: communication, accountability, time management, leadership, and even crosscultural exchange.
T5-C: Mercer Engineering Partnership With The United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot: Internships, Senior Design Projects, and Educational Outcomes
Bill France C
In 2015, Mercer University’s School of Engineering began a unique partnership with the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD), a part of the United Nations World Food Programme. The partnership thus far has consisted of student internships at UNHRD’s research lab and capstone design projects for senior engineering students. This paper begins by briefly describing the partnership and then focuses on the first senior design project developed through the partnership. The UNHRD senior design project centered on the design of a thermal shield for temperature control of specialized nutritious foods (SNF), with the aim of developing a cost-effective, passive insulation solution that will keep SNF from overheating (which results in risk of loss of their nutritional value) during extended shipping and storage. Specific examples that emphasize the experiences, successes, and lessons learned from the course are provided, as well as how outcomes of the partnership are being incorporated into teaching in upper-level engineering classes at Mercer. The paper concludes with the senior design team sharing that their senior design experience promotes more than an engineering educational experience - it fosters the development of worklife skills such as: communication, accountability, time management, leadership, and even crosscultural exchange.