Experiential Learning at U.Va. Engineering

Enthusiasm for experiential learning has always run high at the Engineering School. Thanks to a generous gift from Linwood A. Lacy Jr. (ChE ’67, Darden ’69) students now have the space to build projects and funds to buy materials and pay for transportation and entrance fees for competitions.

Student experiential activities, giving those who wish an opportunity to practice the engineering profession, provide both educational benefits and advantage in obtaining future employment. They help students recognize their true passion in engineering and give them a head-start when entering their careers.

National and international competitions in programs like the Society of Automotive Engineers Mini Baja event, the Department of Energy's Solar Car racing, and the Virginia Genetically Engineered Machine team's creations in synthetic biology also bring together students, faculty, and technologists from a number of different institutions, industries, and agencies providing experiences that are not available in the traditional classroom. These events add to our existing formal engineering classes being offered and provide topical matter for senior theses and departmental capstone projects. And they provide hands-on opportunities that bring insight to the topics taught in the engineering curriculum.

For information on getting involved in an experiential activity, contact George L. Cahen, Jr, professor and director, SEAS Experiential Programs, glc@virginia.edu. For information on how to support Experiential Learning at SEAS, contact Jeff Sands, assoc. dean of development and vice president for development, js8zf@virginia.edu.

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	Belize           One of the Engineering School's international service learning projects took place in La Gracia, Belize. The project was designed to solve a need for increased water quality which was expressed to U.Va. students on previous trips. The team formed relationships with many of the families and completed preliminary testing of the local water sources.
	Cameroon        Another Engineering School international service learning project involved a team of students who are constructing a water purification system in Cameroon that could save hundreds of lives. This is the largest water project initiated by U.Va. to date, and will bring sustainable drinking water to 50,000 people.
	ChemE Car           The ChemE Car team works to build and calibrate a homemade model sized car that drives a set distance using a prescribed chemical reaction. In 2010, a hydrogen fuel and iodine clock reaction was used to move the car and stop it at the designated travel distance. The team is now working on the design for the 2011 ChemE Car national competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
	ecoMOD           ecoMOD is a research and educational project at the University of Virginia that involves students and faculty from the Engineering School and Architecture School, working together to create sustainable, prefab housing units in partnership with affordable housing organizations. READ MORE
	First Partnership      This project involves serving as a mentor to Charlottesville/Albermarle Robotics, a competitive high school FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics team. The students are offered help and guidance as they design, build, and troubleshoot large robots for yearly competitions. READ MORE
	Global Ingenuity     As part of the Volkswagen Global Ingenuity Program, 17 U.Va. Engineering students worked from the car company's Wolfsburg/Braunschweig research and development facility to solve the design challenge. At the end of the program, they presented a design for a system that integrates a customized Internet application into vehicles. READ MORE
	Nancy's Pantry       Nancy's Pantry is a group of students that work to bring accessible technologies to the visually impaired. The team is working on an Android smartphone application that presents restaurant menus in a personalized order for the visually impaired user without requiring the user to be able to see the screen. The team's faculty adviser is computer science professor Paul Reynolds. READ MORE
	PURA           Another Engineering School international service learning project was led by Team Pura. This was a multi-disciplinary project with the goal of working with families in Tzununa, Guatemala to improve the health standards of their drinking water. The original project group identified 21 potential families for a trial hygiene education program and a HydrAid BioSand filter installation. Follow up teams will evaluate the effectiveness of that project.
	Ride Forward        This group was formed in 2009 to inspire sustainable automotive design through research relating to electric vehicle conversions, solar race cars, waste oil vehicles, photovoltaic chargers and ultra light vehicles. READ MORE
	Rodman Sustainability Grants     With the sustainability grant from Lockheed Martin, the Rodman Program was able to launch its first Sustainability Research Grant program. The program awarded five grants to fund research projects exploring a subject related to sustainability. The recipients are listed in the Rodman Fall 2010 Newsletter.
	SAE Aero Team       "Hoos Flying" is an aerospace design team that competes in the annual SAE Aero Design Competition. Each year the team designs, builds, and flies a remote controlled airplane. Each team in the competition must use a standard engine and abide by a set of rules governing overall dimensions and materials used; beyond that, the planes are designed from scratch to carry as much weight as possible.
	SAE Mini Baja      Virginia Baja Racing SAE is a group of undergraduate students at the Engineering School who are passionate about automotive design and racing. The group forms yearly to design, build, and race an open-wheel off road racecar inspired by the Class 1 Buggies competing in the Baja 1000. The year culminates in multiple International Baja competitions sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). READ MORE
	Solar Car        The Solar Car Team exposes students to the challenges facing practicing professionals through the design, funding, and construction of a solar-powered vehicle. The interdisciplinary nature of this project provides students with a realistic look at engineering ventures from both a business and industry perspective. READ MORE
	VGEM           The Virginia Genetically Engineered Machine (VGEM) Team is an on-going research group formed in 2006 at U.Va. In 2010, the team worked in collaboration with students at four other Virginia and West Virginia academic institutions under a team named "Virginia United" on a synthetic biology project. READ MORE
	W4UVA           The Amateur Radio and RF Communications Club at the University of Virginia is a club dedicated to the advancement of Amateur Radio at the University, as well as public service, emergency communication, and fun activities for club members. READ MORE