The Department of Mechanical Engineering is exploring new layouts for laboratory space and is considering transforming the three bays that make up Dana 147, 149 and 149a into a Studio for the Innovative Design of Intelligent Systems. Many students have worked with Professors Shooter, Buffinton and Kim in these labs over the years, and they may have some great ideas for laying out the space. Maybe some have experience in workplace layout and design. If you have thoughts or ideas, we want to hear from you. Contact Professor Steve Shooter at shooter@bucknell.edu.
An important evolving focus in engineering is the development and implementation of innovative methods for designing mechanisms, robots, and automated production processes that go beyond the forms and capabilities of those presently in existence. James Canton in his recent book entitled The Extreme Future, for example, places “The Innovation Economy” at number two on the list of the top ten trends of the future. Moreover, the engineers who will be developing these intelligent machines will need a range of educational experiences not currently part of most mechanical engineering curricula. The development of a design studio at Bucknell will provide an educational and research facility which will enable students and faculty to be active participants in the creative design, analysis, and development of the intelligent systems that will better serve the future needs of industry and society as a whole.
The vision for the design studio is that it will foster a more creative and effective approach to use of traditional lab space. The overall emphasis is on “user-center design” in place of the more traditional “technology-centered design”. The user-centered design approach will bring to bear the full utility of the students’ skills, knowledge, and creativity to successfully solve real world engineering problems.
The physical space is approximately 1150 square feet that has been broken into three bays. We can take down the dividing walls for the space as needed. We envision organizing the space into pods that support different activities. These pods will be equipped with tools, materials and instrumentation that will allow students to work individually or in teams on various projects. This space would be arranged in a way to promote creativity in an interactive environment in which students would be encouraged to share ideas and learn from each other. The types of activities that students would be likely to pursue could arise from coursework, senior design projects, independent study, and/or research.
Types of activities that can be organized in pods are:
- Mechanical assembly and basic fabrication,
- Electrical assembly and basic fabrication,
- Computers connected to intelligent devices,
- Configurable floor space for prototypes,
- Configurable floor space for testing,
- Collaborative group space for creative thinking.
It is also important to be able to showcase past projects with videos, slide shows and physical prototypes. We want this to be a great functional space for our students and also a living lab for exploring innovative layouts.
The development of the design studio for innovative design of intelligent systems would contribute greatly to the academic core of mechanical engineering. Design in its various forms is one of the central activities of practicing engineers and is likely to become ever more important in the “innovation economy” forecast for the future. Creating a facility that enhances students’ design experiences and creativity will directly benefit their immediate job opportunities and later careers. The design studio will additionally serve to build bridges across the university to departments that have been part of design projects in mechanical engineering in the past and would benefit from future projects. The design studio will also create the foundations upon which bridges to organizations such as the Bucknell Small Business Development Center, local and potentially national industry, and other universities.
Interested in more ways to showcase or develop your entrepreneurial skills? Join the Bucknell Entrepreneurial Network on B-Link or connect with Sam Krassenstein ’11, student liaison for the Entrepreneurial Network.