Thursday, March 24 th , 2011 1:00pm – 1:50pm Reinventing the Electric Car

1. Thursday, March 24th, 20111:00pm – 1:50pmReinventing the Electric Car Dr. Mark Mahoney

2. Mark Patrick Mahoney, PhD Berea College Reinventing the Electric Car

3. Reinventing the Electric Car • Not a new idea!

4. Reinventing the Electric Car • Electric Vehicle at Berea College • Previous undergraduate research project • Summer 1993 • 1984 Ford Escort EXP • GE Electric Motor • 90 V, 184 A, 20 Hp, 6500 Rpm • 10 – 12V deep cycle lead acid batteries

5. Reinventing the Electric Car • The purpose of this project • Design and build an electric vehicle • Flexible research platform • Interchangeable power sources • i.e. batteries, motors, engines, etc. • Adjustable suspension and payload arrangement • Open cockpit and frame design • Allows for easy modifications for various research applications

6. Reinventing the Electric Car • The purpose of this project (cont.) • A Long-term research investment • Utilized in current departmental courses • Available to other departments across campus • Can and will be utilized for years to come; not a one time shot

7. Reinventing the Electric Car • Some possible designs

8. Reinventing the Electric Car • Current issues in undergraduate education • Graduates lacking critical “21st century skills” • Critical thinking • Complex reasoning • Written communication • Graduates entering employment will require: • higher levels of learning and knowledge • the capability to face challenges that are more complex today than previous generations

9. Reinventing the Electric Car • Current issues in undergraduate education (cont.) • Several students are not completing their original program of study • These students are: • Changing their major • Extending the date of graduation • Dropping out completely • About 50% of students intending to major in STEM careers do not complete program of study

10. Reinventing the Electric Car • Benefits of undergraduate research • Students involved in various forms of undergraduate research reported increased: • Educational experience • Writing and oral presentation skills • Confidence in research skills (current and future) • Awareness and interest in post-secondary education • Retention in undergraduate and graduate programs • Interactions between faculty and students

11. Reinventing the Electric Car • Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects Program (URCPP – Berea College) • Goals of the program: • Enhance student learning • Foster student-faculty interaction • Enhance students’ communication skills • Help students’ pursue subsequent research and learning opportunities

12. Reinventing the Electric Car • The student researchers will: • Review the historical and future implications of the electric vehicle • Explore the foundational elements of: • chassis design • electrical components • power transmission • Design and build an electric vehicle for various research applications

13. Reinventing the Electric Car • The student researchers will (cont.): • The electric vehicle must be: • Flexible in function and design • Capable for research across campus • Functional for everyday tasks around the college • Develop a series of performance tests for the electrical vehicle • Collect performance data for all future research • Control data will be compared against various regenerative and/or alternative energy applications

14. Reinventing the Electric Car • The student researchers will (cont.): • Summarize research experience and data • Prepare for research presentations • URCPP fall presentations and poster session • Various state, national, and/or international conferences • Aid in the production of publications to share student research experience

15. Reinventing the Electric Car • Products • Students completing this undergraduate research project will have: • Conducted extensive research • Critically examined and reasoned solutions to various problems • Implemented writing and oral presentation skills • Cooperated extensively with faculty and other students • Explored various areas of STEM interest

16. Thank You

17. Reinventing the Electric Car • References • Arum, R. & Roska, J. (2008). Learning to reason and communicate in college: Initial report of findings from the longitudinal CLA study. Social Science Research Council, New York NY • Business-Higher Education Forum. (2010). Increasing the Number of STEM Graduates: Insights from the U.S. STEM Education & Modeling Project. Washington, D.C.: Author. • Business-Higher Education Forum. (2007). An American imperative: Transforming the recruitment, retention, and renewal of our nation’s mathematics and science teaching workforce. Washington, D.C.: Author. • Business-Higher Education Forum. (2005). A commitment to America’s future: Responding to the crisis in mathematics & science education. Washington, D.C.: Author.

18. Reinventing the Electric Car • References (cont.) • Nagda, B. A., Gregerman, S. R., Jonides, J., von Hippel, W., & Lerner, J. S. (1998). Undergraduate student–faculty research partnerships affect student retention. The Review of Higher Education, 22(1), 55–72. • Lopatto, D. (2007). Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning. CBE Life Sci. Educ. 6, 297–306. • Lopatto, D. (2004). Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE): first findings. Cell Biol. Educ. 3, 270–277. • Russell, S. H., Hancock, M. P., McCullough, J.(2007). Benefits of undergraduate research experiences. Science, 316, 548-549. • Seymour,E., Hunter, A.-B., Laursen, S.L.,& DeAntoni, T. (2004).Establishing the benefits of research experiences for undergraduates in the sciences: First findings from a three-year study. Science Education, 88(4), 493 – 534. • Zydney, A. L., Bennett, J. S., Shahid, A., & Bauer, K. W. (2002). Impact of undergraduate research experience in engineering. Journal of Engineering Education, 91(2), 151–157.