James Andrew Brino Project Lead the Way® Program Graduate

Southington High School

Southington, CT

jamesabrino@gmail.com

860.329.5865 (Cell)

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Table of Contents

Project Lead the Way® Program Outline 13

Projects

Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) - 3D CAD Train 17

Digital Electronics (DE) – Date of Birth Circuit 19

Principles of Engineering (POE) – Truss Bridge 21

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) – Syringe Bot 23

Engineering Design and Development (EDD) – The Fruit Saver 25

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Project Lead the Way® Course Descriptions

Project Lead the Way is a nonprofit organization that provides transformative learning experiences for K-12 students and teachers across the U.S. Through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science, students learn problem-solving strategies, critical and creative thinking, and how to communicate and collaborate. We are shaping the innovators, creators, and designers of today and tomorrow.

PLTW’s success in empowering students with in-demand knowledge and transportable skills has been recognized by colleges and universities, Fortune 500 businesses, and numerous national organizations including Change the Equation, the Social Impact Exchange, and more. (Retrieved from pltw.org/about-pltw)

Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) – Freshman Year

This course emphasizes the development of a design. Students use computer software to produce, analyze and evaluate models of project solutions. They study the design concepts of form and function, then use state of the art technology to translate conceptual design into reproducible products. This course teaches students to:

• Understand and apply the design process to solve various problems in a team

setting;

• Apply adaptive design concepts in developing sketches, features, parts and

assemblies;

• Interpret their own sketches in using computer software to design models;

• Understand mass property calculations-such as volume, density, mass, surface

area, moment of inertia, product of inertia, radii of gyration, principal axis and

principle moments-and how they are used to evaluate a parametric model;

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• Understand cost analysis, quality control, staffing needs, packing and product

marketing;

• Explore career opportunities in design engineering and understand what skills

and education these jobs require; and

• Develop portfolios to display their designs and present them properly to peers,

instructors and professionals.

Digital Electronics (DE) – Sophomore Year

This course introduces students to applied digital logic, a key elements of careers in engineering and engineering technology. This course explores the smart circuits found in watches, calculators, video games, and computers. Students use industry standard computer software in testing and analyzing digital circuitry. They design circuits to solve problems, export their designs to a printed circuit auto-routing program that generates printed circuit boards, and use appropriate components to build their designs. Students use mathematics and science in solving real-world engineering problems. This course covers several topics including:

• Analog and digital fundamentals;

• Number systems and binary addition;

• Logic gates and functions;

• Boolean algebra and circuit design; and

• Decoders, multiplexers and de-multiplexers.

Principles of Engineering (POE) - Junior Year

This course provides and overview of engineering and engineering technology.

Students develop problem-solving skills by tackling real-world engineering problems.

Through theory and practical hands-on experiences, students address the emerging

social and political consequences of technological change. The course of study

includes:

• Overview and Perspective of Engineering. Students learn about the types of

engineers and their contributions to society.

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• Design Process. Students learn about problems solving and how products are

developed to include how engineers work in teams.

• Communication and Documentation. Students collect and categorize data,

produce graphic representations, keep and engineer’s notebook and make

written and oral presentations.

• Engineering Systems. Students learn about the mechanical, electrical, fluid and

pneumatic and control systems.

• Statics. Students learn about measurement, scalars and vectors, equilibrium,

structural analysis, and strength of materials.

• Materials and Materials Testing. Students learn the categories and properties of

materials, how materials are shaped and joined, and material testing.

• Thermodynamics. Students will learn about units and forms of energy, energy

conversion, cycles, efficiency and energy loss, and conservation techniques.

• Engineering Quality and Reliability. Students will use precision measurement

tools to gather and apply statistics for quality and process control. Students

will also learn about reliability, redundancy, risk analysis, factors of safety,

and liability and ethics.

• Dynamics. Students will be introduced to linear and trajectory motion.

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) – Junior Year

This course teaches the fundamentals of computerized manufacturing technology. It builds on the solid-modeling skills developed in the Introduction to Engineering design course. Students use 3-D computer software to solve design problems. They assess their solutions through mass property analysis (the relationship of design, function, and materials), modify their designs, and use prototyping equipment to produce 3-D models. The course includes these integrated concepts:

• Computer modeling: Students use 3-D software for mass property analysis.

• Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Equipment: Students develop an

understanding of the operating procedures and programming capabilities of

machine tools.

• Computer-aided Manufacturing (CAM): Students convert computer-generated

geometry into a program to direct the operation of CNC machine tools.

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• Robotics: Students program robots to handle materials in assembly-line

operations

• Flexible Manufacturing Systems: Teams of students design manufacturing work

cells and tabletop factories to solve complex problems that arise in integrating

multiple pieces of computer-controlled equipment.

•

Engineering Design and Development (EDD) – Senior Year

This course allows students apply what they have learned in academic and pre-

engineering courses as they complete challenging, self-direct projects. Students work

in teams to design and build solutions to authentic engineering problems. An engineer

from the school’s partnership team mentors each student team. Students keep

journals of notes, sketches, mathematical calculations and scientific research.

Student teams make progress reports to their peers, mentor and instructor and

exchange constructive criticism and consultation. At the end of the course, teams

present their research paper and defend their projects to a panel of engineers,

business leaders and engineering college educators for professional review and

feedback. This course equips students with the independent study skills that they will

need in postsecondary education and careers in engineering and engineering

technology.

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Projects

Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) – Freshman Year

This train assembly was the final project for the Introduction to Engineering

Design class, where the basis of sketching, drafting and 3D modeling were covered.

Each part of this train and track assembly were created and assembled together.

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Constraints were placed on the final assembly, so the train could move around the

track and stop after one full rotation.

This project taught the foundations of 3D computer aided design, and assembly

and helped extremely in the next three years of the Project Lead the Way Program.

Each year is a new concentration, but knowledge and skill from each needs to be

applied. Through the Introduction to Engineering Design class, I was able to

understand and convey the ideas and designs more successfully.

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Digital Electronics (DE) – Sophomore Year

This project, titled, Date of Birth, was the final end of the school year project

in the Digital Electronics class. After learning about AOI (And, Or and Inverted) Logic,

this projects use of And Gates, Or Gates, Inverter Gates, along with seven segment

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displays and resistors, it cumulated into one of the largest and more difficult projects

of the school year. This circuit is designed to display one digit of your date of birth

on each combination of three switches. The seven segment display showed one digit

at a time, as well as the dashes where appropriate.

This activity gave me the real world connection to the paper and pencil

activities throughout the year. It was also beneficial in that all the instructional

material throughout the year could be incorporated into this one activity. Digital

Electronics helped in the Principles of Engineering and Computer Integrated

Manufacturing classes, as well as in the senior capstone course, Engineering Design

and Development.

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Principles of Engineering (POE) – Junior Year

The Truss Bridge project was to design a bridge that could withstand a large

amount of downwards force, and bow as little as possible. This project required many

truss calculations, utilizing a computer stress analyzer, MDSolids. After inputting the

desired amount of weight to withstand, the software would calculate which members

would be in tension versus compression, and the exact amount of force on each. This

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information was then used to decide which type of wood stick would be used on each

member.

This project taught me a lot about working in a design team, and how the work

would be distributed among each member. Although, my team relied entirely on me

for construction and design, the main lesson from this project was time management.

If each design step is followed, and adequate time is given for each, the process

would be rendered successful, but if not, then the project would be a learning

experience.

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Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) – Junior Year

In this activity, SyringeBot, the concept of fluid power was under investigation,

more specifically, hydraulics. The teams were given a maximum or 12 syringes to

incorporate, six axes of motion. The overall goal was to be able to lift three cylinders

in a box in the least amount of time required. The design team decided to spend a

majority of time strategizing and practicing for the final testing, as they decided

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practice would be more beneficial than constantly tweaking. All the wood parts for

this project were cut with the laser cutter, which allowed for easy construction and

build.

This project was the best experience for me overall, within all the years in the

Project Lead the Way, as the construction was the easiest. The decision to laser cut

all parts cut down on the construction time considerable, and gave me and my

partner ample time to practice for the final testing, which ranked us number one out

of all groups speed wise, as well as the best overall design.

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Engineering Design and Development (EDD)

The Fruit Saver, was the final capstone project that was completed over an

entire year, cumulating to a final Senior Night presentation in front of a panel of

judges and the entire town. The three concept sketches were three of nine that were

developed. The academic justification and research was a huge part of the project,

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which consumed about a month of the project time. At the midpoint of the year, the

project proposal was developed, which proposed The Fruit Saver and the justification

to the problem.

Overall, the capstone course taught me a lot about time management and

working together in a team. Another concept was document management and control,

which took up a lot of time and energy during the project as well. The long nights

each week payed off in the end, when the final design and prototype came to life.