A Note About MEE 390 Individual Projects (Prof. M. Kostic)

Your individual experimental projects should emphasize quality rather than quantity. For example: if you investigate a dependence on temperature, take no more than three temperature levels, even two if we know (with certainty) that relationship is linear. If you are taking different kind of samples, then two samples will suffice (to show the difference). However the experiments (process control and measurement of physical variables) need to be taken care of at the college-level engineering-student, not just like show-and-tell demonstration you have used to at elementary/high school. Using all your knowledge from all relevant courses is necessary as well as your professional judgment. I expect every student to do a "small research" about his/her project. In addition to our textbooks, I expect that you will have at least one extra reference listed (from library: specialty book, technical paper; Internet, etc.), and possibly a characteristic item(s) (diagram, table, etc) from it included in your project report as an appendix. (Un)certainty of obtained results must be assessed using the error/uncertainty analysis. By studying physics of the process you should be aware of all variables influencing the results and try to minimize and account for major influences that produce errors (that's uncertainty analysis).

First draft of the project report is due a week after the project is approved. For the first draft, the form and esthetics are not important, but understanding and substance. By then you have to complete all readings about your project and make detailed specifics: what, why, and how exactly you plan to do your experiments. Usually, some pre-calculations are needed to decide on an optimal range of parameters, sizing of the samples and apparatus, etc (it’s called design!). All of these have to be put in writing for the first draft of the report.

And remember, the project is your personal choice, so please no excuses. You’ve probably chosen the topic of your project in your strongest area of interest/expertise. You are expected to fully understand (be aware of) the physical process(es) behind your experiment, still to make it simple. You have to interpret/justify your results and compare them with a corresponding (closest to your case) available (theoretical) predictions or available reference data. On another hand, nothing is perfect, but please do your best and enjoy in making a progress and looking for a successful completion of a "real-life experiment."

Relevant Project Links:
They include general and partial instructions. Some may not apply to you. Any change is and will be given and clarified in class.

The following link to a paper about a measurement experiment with detailed uncertainty analysis (I wrote with our Graduate Assistants) is an example to study, and it could have been done for your individual project:

Kostic, M., Vijay Kumar Sankaramadhi, and Kalyan Chaitanya Simham, “ New Educational Lab: Measurement And Uncertainty Evaluation Of Nanofluid Particle Concentration Using Volumetric Flask Method,” ASEE-2006 IL-IN Section Conference, American Society for Engineering Education, Fort Wayne, IN, March 31-April 1, 2006.