"Inside the Box: Teaching Engineering Design through Theatrical Special Effects"

P. Paxton Marshall, Benjamin W. Kidd Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical

and Computer Engineering

University of Virginia

Goals of ENGR 162

Enthusiasm for engineering Leadership and team skills, Design skills: creativity and

discipline, Resourcefulness, Critical thinking: problem

definition and solution, Social consciousness of the

impact of engineering Hands-on skills

Inside The Box Participating Classes

ENGR 162-12 – Introduction to Engineering Instructor: Paxton MarshallTA: Benjamin Kidd

DRAM 351 – Directing and Stage Management Instructor: Betsy Tucker

DRAM 372 – Playwriting II Instructor: Doug Grissom

The Project:

Playwriting students will choose three (3) effects

Directors will choose two (2) effectsEngineer teams will design and build five

(5) special effects5 minute setup and strike time10 minute performanceEffects must be controlled from a

minimum distance of 20 feet

The Five Effects

1. Balloon popping

This effect is purposely left open-ended. The balloon popping may be an effect unto itself, or a means of accomplishing another purpose.

2. Falling objects

Objects must fall for a duration of not-less-than five (5) seconds. Falling items are subject to approval for safety purposes.

Examples of objects that might fall:a. Feathersb. Paperc. Leavesd. Ping-Pong ballse. Rice

The Five Effects (Continued)

3. Light moving across an actors face

This effect is also purposely vague. A light, however, must be seen to be moving across an actors face, either side to side, up or down, or some combination thereof.

4. A flying effect

An object or objects must fly though all or part of the acting space. Movement must be predominately horizontal, in contrast to effect number 2, which is predominately vertical. Flying objects are subject to approval for safety purposes.

5. A weather effect

Create one of the following weather conditions. Weather conditions not listed shall be acceptable upon approval. Rain, Snowfall, Fog, Thunder Storm

Structuring the Teams

Nine teams Four to five engineering students (40

students total), playwright, director and stage manager.

Engineering teams formed using a self-evaluation of leadership, technical, and theater experiences, which the students completed during the first week of classes. An attempt was made to create teams with strengths in all three areas.

The “Grid”

Structural support of effects

Safe and convenient electrical hookups

Confines theatrical action to manageable area

Portability and fast setup

Provides “TheatricalRigging” for engineers:

Grid Components

ElectricalConnections(120 VAC &12 VDC)

1” ConduitClamps(Back-to-back)

1” EMTConduit

Standard PASpeaker Stand

The “Acting Space”

5’ Margin around front and sides of Grid

Effects shall originate from within this space

Control shall be from 20’ from front of grid

The Acting Space in Action

Photographs from Inside the Box“Weather or Not” (left) and “Weare Both Hypnotized” (below)

Creating Red Tape

Technical Topics

Basic ElectricityCircuit ProtectionElectromagnetism (Solenoids, Motors,

Relays, Transformers)Mechanics (Torque, Gears, Belt Drives,

Pulleys)PneumaticsLighting and Optics

Structured Design Methodology

problem definition establishing objectives and

user-requirements identifying constraints establishing design functions

and specifications generating design alternatives preliminary design and test final design, documentation design presentation

Course Text:Engineering Design:

A Project Based Introductionby Dym and Little

Class discussion

Adjusting to college, the engineering profession

and disciplines, team dynamics and

communication, case studies in engineering

ethics, time-value of money, safety and environmental

considerations in design, customer relations.

Some Required Assignments

Proof of Concept Demonstrations“Interviews” of both assigned

playwright and (later on) director and subsequent documentation of the interview

Design Options ReportFinal ReportFinal Presentation

Group 4 Final Report Cover (Right)

Proof of Concept Demonstrations

Preventing last-minute projects Allowed Professor and TA to keep track of

individual group’s progress Provided opportunities of idea sharing (or

steeling) and peer review

Financial

$1k each from E-school, A&S, Provost$100 allotted for design and build

materials per group$50 of personal funds were allowed in

addition to the provided $100Teams were required to keep detailed

records of their expenditures

Project Costs

Project Costs

Grid Structure Costs $ 625.16

Student Materials for building Effects $ 1,242.12

General (Miscellaneous) Costs $ 132.55

Soldering Stations and Tools $ 139.79

Tower Contest (1 Day Team Building Activity) $ 29.18

Teaching Supplies (Demonstrations, Etc) $ 24.48

Video Tapes $ 97.47

Total: $ 2,290.75

Popping a Balloon

Group 4 Title: “Mario and Lugi

on Sabatical” Context: Balloon pops

as a sound effect when the game ends

Basic Operation: Solenoid pulls pin releasing screw which falls and pops balloon

Falling Objects

Group 8 Title: “We are Both Hypnotized” Context: Leaves fall vertically, one at a time. Basic Operation: Motor winds up a string threaded

alternately through eyehooks and leaves

The Flying Effect

Group 1 Title: “Sugar Rain” Context: Cupid’s Arrow

flies across the stage and hits a love smitten actor squarely in the chest.

Basic Operation: Arrow slides down a guide wire after being released by a motor with a movable stop.

Panning a Light Across an Actors Face

Group 2 Title: “Maybe Prague” Context: In a

melodramatic moment, a fortune teller cast in an eerie, swirling light.

Basic Operation: A MR-16 lamp projects through a cardboard pattern wheel rotated by a small motor.

The Weather Effect

Group 3 Title: “All of Me” Context: Snow is seen falling outside of a door on the

set Basic Operation: A cardboard mailing tube punctured

throughout the tube is loaded with “snow” (ground up Styrofoam) and rotated using a small AC motor.

Control Systems

Group 5 Needed to Control:

(2) AC Motors (2) 12VDC Motors (2) 12V Solenoids (1) “Hot-Wire”

resistance wire for puncturing a balloon

(1) 60W Lamp (Dimmed for intensity control)

Setup Planning

Example Setup Procedure List from Group 5

More Setup Planning

Setup Diagram from Group 9

Evaluation

56% of students reported working 7 or more hours/week outside of class (vs. 7% in all first year courses)

78% strongly agree or agreed “I learned a great deal in this course.”

The Inside the Box Website

Students’ final reports Students’ final

presentations Power-point

presentations from the technical lectures

A brief description of the project

www.seas.virginia.edu/academic/insidethebox

Future Plans for the Website

Addition of resources to assist in creating a similar project at any engineering school.

Student resources and documents such as “How To’s”, Schematics, useful websites, practical building tips, etc.

Websites of Interest

Project Webpagewww.seas.virginia.edu/academic/insidethebox

University of Virginia Webpagewww.virginia.edu

UVA School of Engineering and Applied Sciencewww.seas.virginia.edu

UVA Department of Dramawww.virginia.edu/drama

All Electronics (A source of many of the components used for the students’ effects)www.allelectronics.com

Acknowledgments

Doug Grissom, Department of DramaBetsy Tucker, Department of DramaR. Lee Kennedy, Department of DramaDeborah Park, SEAS Graduate StudentThe Actors, Directors, Stage Managers,

Playwrights, and Engineering Students who participated in Inside the Box