Transcript MQP in China, 2005

MQP in China
- doing projects and beyond
Yiming (Kevin) Rong
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA, USA
September 2007
Outline
WPI Introduction
MQP in China Program
– What we have done
– What we are doing
Project introduction (separate file)
Pictures from students (separate file)
Introduction
WPI
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A small private engineering school
 2,800 undergraduates, 1,000 graduates, 210
professors
 70% Engineering, ME - 30% of Engineering
 Ranked 48 in 1998, 51 in 1990, 2000, and 57 in
2001, …, 53 in 2005, 64 in 2006, 62 in 2007
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Project based education
 Sufficiency, IQP, and MQP
 Term system
 Industrial support

Global education
 Project centers world wide
Background
Vision
–Global economics
–Manufacturing outsourcing
–R&D globalization and collaboration
–Engineers with multi-culture
backgrounds
Working at different locations
Working with people with different
cultural background
Working in a way to define and solve
problems in different conditions
Background (cont.)
Engineering education at WPI
– Project based education
– Project centers and junior projects: IQP
– Expansion to senior projects: MQP
Directly define/solve technical problems in
engineering disciplines
Potential hires by companies doing global
business
Leadership in global operation
– To compare/evaluate the difference of
higher education systems
Background (cont.)
Engineering education at HUST
– Top engineering university in China
– Taking lead in education reform in ME
National committee director and general secretary
– Design creativity programs for selected students
– Plan to combine ME related majors into a more
general ME
– Strong intention to enhance the communication
with foreign universities at all levels, but
emphasized a lot in undergraduate level.
Background (cont.)
Mission
– To provide WPI and HUST students an
opportunity of experiencing global
economics, engineering, research, and
education, as well as different culture,
through
Working/living in multi-cultural environment
Teaming up with Chinese/USA colleagues
Working with companies doing global
business
Meaningful projects
Learn to respect and seek options
Background (cont.)
Implementation
– Planned four years ago
– Visits from/to HUST and WPI
– Agreement on exchange senior project
– Students exchange at their own cost
– Collaboration on project sponsoring and
advising
– Starting from manufacturing
engineering and now involve ME and IE
– Delayed due to SARS and the WAR
Implementation in 2005
Started summer 2005
– 4 WPI students working with 5 HUST students in
2 groups for 7 weeks
– Students stayed on campus and immersed into
Chinese culture with activities beyond technical
projects
– Projects were designed by HUST professors
– 3 other groups with HUST students designed
their own projects
– Co-advised with HUST/WPI professors
– Plant tour to learn about Chinese industry
– Reports and finishing up after the 7 weeks
– WPI students learned a lot about China outside
the project (a lot of pictures)
– Excellent arrangement, logistically/economically
Implementation in 2005 (cont.)
Continuation
– March-May 2006, 6 HUST students were
invited to study at WPI
2 students did not get visa
2 projects are sponsored by Saint Gobain and
New Age Technologies
No WPI students working with them
Visited a class
“Feel” about US Higher education system
Logistical support (lodging and transportation)
MQP in China, 2006
MQP in China was continued
NSF funding support
– For travel and lodging expense of students and
professors, plus one planning trip
Projects have been well designed/selected
– 8 WPI senior and 1 BS/MS students were selected
– Working together with 12 HUST students
– Sponsors of five projects
HUST Tonji Hospital (2)
Saint Gobain Shanghai Operation
American Industrial Partners at Wuxi
Paper Clips Factory in Zhejiang
Implementation
– Well supported by HUST and WPI
WPI-HUST Project Center
WPI-HUST Senior Project Center of
Mechanical Engineering
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Co-directors from WPI and HUST
Involvement of other professors
Industry support
Meaningful projects
from industry
In China and at Worcester
Education innovation
projects
– USA NSF
– China ??
WPI-HUST Center Operation
Exchange programs
– Ten WPI students to HUST
Currently in summer, E-term
Senior/graduating projects
Five real world projects
Best project award
– Ten HUST students to WPI
Currently in March – May, D-term
Possible mix with WPI students
Industry projects
Co-advisor at HUST
MQP in China - 2007
HUST students at WPI
– Seven HUST WPI students at WPI
– From March 5 to May 10, 2007
– Three projects
Sponsored by Amphenol TCS, and Saint Gobain
Working with WPI students and graduate students
Sitting-in a class
WPI students at HUST
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Fifteen WPI students went to HUST
From June 12 to August 3
Working with 22 HUST students
Seven projects
One additional project – 9 HUST students
Projects in summer 2007
Develop a design process for slide lock mechanism using
graphical, analytical, and computer-based synthesis tools,
Sponsored by CIS Wuxi, China
Value stream map for lean manufacturing implementation,
Sponsored by CIS Wuxi, China
Production report system improvement, Sponsored by
Saint Gobain Shanghai Operations, China
Lean manufacturing implementation for high volume
Connector and Backplane Production , Sponsored by
Amphenol TCS Changzhou, China
Humanoid robot development, Sponsored by Huazhong
University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Welding fixture with active position adapting functions,
Sponsored by Huazhong University of Science and
Technology, Wuhan, China
Walking robot development, Sponsored by Huazhong
University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Final Presentation
Hosted on July 31, 2007 at HUST
– by Co-directors: Professors L. Gao and Y. Rong
Participants besides the students
– Teck Lim and Jun Xiao, Project sponsor: CIS Wuxi
– Professors Young Kim and Gyu Man Kim from
Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea
– Professor Lucy King, Kettering University, MI, USA
Dr. Francis King, Ford Motor, Dearborn, MI, USA
– Professors Zhikun Hou and Amy Zeng, WPI
– Professors, Lab engineers, and students at HUST
MQP in China – typical schedule
PQP - From March 12 to May 1
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Communication with project partners, sponsors, and advisors
Technical background preparation
Problem definition
Project planning
June 10, WPI students arriving at Shanghai
– Visiting companies at Shanghai, Wuxi, and Changzhou
– Arriving HUST on June 14
Project meetings
– Project lectures
– Weekly presentation and discussion
– Final presentations at HUST and in Shanghai
Project hint
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Early communication
Multiple “bosses”
Design justification
Project and non-project activities
Education effectiveness assessment
How to measure the success of the
center/projects
How to measure student ability enhancement
How to measure project quality
How to target on students batch / market need
How to measure the impact on education
Assessment procedure
– At the end of projects
– Follow up
Could be education research projects
Learned by WPI students
Chinese culture
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Economic development
Working/living environment
HUST/Tsinghua campus/higher education
People and communication
Sight seeing (Beijing, Wuhan, Wudang Mountain)
Food (a lot of beer)
Team up with HUST students/professors
Taste culture – much beyond the projects
Technical skill/learning style of HUST students
Confidence
WPI students said
Doing a project in China was an unbelievable learning
experience, not just on the school front, but also on the
cultural front. I learned a lot about the design process
and how you need to change things depending on what
equipment you have to manufacture the parts. ……
Overall, it was a wonderful and eye-opening experience
that I would recommend to anyone who gets the
opportunity to go. I only wish we had time to have seen
more of the country, but I can always go back.
The best part was working with students from another
culture and learning from them about their country. This
was a once in a lifetime opportunity to catch a glimpse of
what China is really like and to see how they view our
own country. I gained an entirely new perspective of
Chinese life, culture, and ideas that I never would have
expected. My only regret about the trip was that we
couldn’t stay longer.
Learned by HUST students
Exploration of new ways of thinking
Team work and leadership role
The process to start and conduct a project
Design justification is as important as the
design itself.
The way to work with US students,
particularly the way of communication,
understanding, and coordination.
“Feel” about the life of US students
HUST students said
My biggest gain in this project is to know a good
procedure of doing a project
– How to start, how to discuss with people, how to come
up with initial idea of a new design, and how to present
the idea/results of the project
Particularly, I learned how to represent myself
– My idea, the work we have done, the results and
conclusion of the project, and more importantly, the
person I am.
I am impressed by the WPI students on
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Their intention to take the leadership;
Their confidence on what they are doing;
Their quick way to implement the ideas we may have;
Their curiosity on finding new things they do not know,
not necessary to be project related.
Benefit for sponsoring a project
Study the problem from a different view
angle and fresh idea
Introduce a scientific way for problem
solving – build-up a company culture
– Systematic study of problem
– Based on survey of existing technologies
– Comparison of alternatives
Direct impact
Recruiting
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Particularly for MQP in China - 2006
CIS, Wuxi
– Students helped the company to establish a
standard materials test procedure
– Used by company to successfully reject the
raw materials from a vender – avoid quality
accident
St. Gobain, Shanghai
– Established a scientific procedure to analyze
and design production flow and layout
Both sponsor projects for 2007
MQP in China - 2007
CIS, Wuxi (two projects)
St. Gobain, Shanghai
Amphenol TCS, Changzhou
Future potential sponsors in 2008
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All three above
Kaystone, Wuxi
Al Barry’s new company in Wuxi
More ??
Assessment and dissemination
Student satisfaction
– More and more popular at WPI
– More popular at HUST
School satisfaction
– Support from WPI
– HUST ??
Parent satisfaction
Company satisfaction
– More companies involved
Interests from other schools
– At China, In Korea
– Others
Potential to expand
– Need devotion and support
Assessment procedure establishment
The end
Thanks
Question ?