Abstract

1. Enhancing Environmental Awareness of Freshman Engineering Students through Real-Time Monitoring with LabVIEW Software ParhumDelgoshaei Chelsea Green DivyangPrateek Michael SadowskiVinod K. Lohani Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Abstract Assessment Real-Time Water Quality Data in Classroom Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, Specific Conductivity Internet • LabVIEW programming language gradually integrated in a freshman engineering course, EngE 1024, Fall ’07 – Spring ’10 • LabVIEWEnabled Watershed Assessment System (LEWAS) developed to remotely monitor water and weather quality parameters in real-time • Monitoring takes place in real-time through a web-based interface and system parameters such as sampling time can be changed remotely • Collected data used to raise awareness of environmental sustainability • System indoor function verified: real-time streaming to EngE 1024 students (Fall ’10) and outdoor deployment to impaired stream (to be completed S’11) • It is anticipated that LEWAS would raise students’ environmental awareness • Access to real-time environmental data can enhance my awareness and curiosity about environmental issues such as the state of an impaired stream that runs through campus. ENGE 1024 Lecture LabVIEW Web Publishing Water Quality Sonde Temperature, Barometric Pressure, Relative Humidity,Precipitation, Wind Speed compactRio embedded computer: processing, storing, transmitting data (wireless) LabVIEW Dataflow Programming • My knowledge of watersheds and local water quality problems was enhanced by the "Know your Watershed" worksheet. LabVIEW output of temperature probe readings • Data flow programming approach is suitable for many engineering applications • Data Acquisition (DAQ) activities demonstrate how data can be collected from physical phenomena such as temperature and processed in dataflow • In-Class activity allows students to derive Newton’s law of cooling by applying regression on collected data to arrive at equation relating temperature and time • DAQ extended to processing environmental data Weather Station Velocity, Flow, Volume • Rate the LabVIEW programming activities done in this course (in-class, workshop, and homework) in conveying basic programming concepts. LabVIEW program loaded on compactRio Live Demonstration in EngE 1024: Virtual Instrument front panel shows real-time data from a multi-probe sonde in an indoor laboratory Flow Meter Data from impaired stream: outdoor Lab Equipment Setup for DAQ Activity Applications in Environmental Monitoring • LabVIEW dataflow is well suited for collection, processing and communication of environmental data and can be used to teach sustainability concepts. • A new module for EngE 1024 focusing on water quality monitoring of an impaired on-campus stream and its applications in environmental sustainability was introduced in fall ‘09 • Water quality monitoring will enable us to explore answers for questions such as: • What are the natural ranges and the storm, seasonal and annual variability in water quality parameters? • What locations do parameters fall outside the natural range and to what duration and extent? • What are the pollutant loadings from controllable and uncontrollable sources and in the watershed? Conclusion and Future Directions • LabVIEWcan be used to provide students with real-time environmental data from an impaired on-campus stream and enhance their environmental awareness • The impact of access to environmental data in real-time on student interest and motivation will be investigated when the system is fully functional in the field. • Showing the value of environmental monitoring • Showing that students have the ability to apply the programming language (LAbVIEW) in real-world application Future site of deployment (planned completion, May ‘11). Mounting poles in place, solar panel, batteries and wireless to be installed Virginia Tech’s campus; site indicated by star Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy, Feb 3rd – Feb 4th 2011, Virginia Tech, National Science Foundation DLR Grant 0431779 and NSF-REU Site Grant 0649070 Contact: pd1352@vt.edu, seagreen@vt.edu, divyang@vt.edu, michas2@vt.edu, vlohani@vt.edu