Session F3B INTEGRATING "SMART" MATERIALS INTO A FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING CURRICULUM: A CASE STUDY

Developments in materials science are creating new possibilities for engineering designs. For example, multifinctional materials, such as shape memory alloys (SMA) arpiezoelectric materials are referred lo as 'Smart" materials since designers can use Properties of these materials to construct components of adaptive mechanisms. For example, researchers are using shape memory alloys (SMA) to build biomimetic systems that mimic the behavior ofbiological organisms such asfish or insects. The abili@ ofSMA components to change shape in response to thermal or electrical stimuli considerably simplifies construction of biomimetic systems. As multifirnctional materials me changing the practice of engineering, providing undergraduate students with exposure and experiences with these materials and their potentialfor new design options should be seriously explored. The proposedpaperpresents a narrative description ofhow material on SMA was integrated into a first-year engineering course and a first-year engineering project. Key partners, including an undergraduate engineering student working on a research experience and a first-year graduate student, will describe their roles in integrating material info ajirst-year engineering course that was taught in Fall 2001. Also, data describing the impact on students andfacul@ will be presenied.