OTO Costs:

• Computer facilities upgrade (electrical and network) = $25,000
• New computers to populate identified/remodeled space = $30,000
• Manufacturing and Joining Facilities Upgrade =  $20,000
• Addition of new lab equipment = $25,000

Cost Share:

M&IE Department to provide summer salary for management and implementation of the upgrades -- $10,000.

Total OTO ($100,000)

(Estimates available upon request)

This proposal is designed to upgrade computing educational facilities, as well as laboratory equipment and facilities within the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) Department.  Current enrollment for our department exceeds 1000 students across 3 undergraduate majors (Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Industrial Engineering) and graduate programs (MS in Mechanical Engineering, MS in Industrial and Management Engineering, and PhD in Engineering).  The exponential growth in enrollment in the MIE Department has placed significant strain on the departmental resources – both personnel and facilities – to maintain the quality of education for the expanding numbers of students.  Indeed, it is that same quality which, in part, attracted the students here in the first place.  The enrollment in M&IE has outpaced the MSU average and has the highest number of majors per faculty FTE at MSU (73.4 majors/TT FTE) – more than double the MSU average (see figures at http://www.coe.montana.edu/me/faculty/june/misc/Enrollment_Data.png)! 

 Both recent and continued growth require expanding the capacity of our laboratory courses.  Currently all laboratory courses have waitlists which cannot be fully accommodated without expanding the capacity of the existing laboratory spaces. Successful completion of this proposal will help to manage these large enrollments by providing additional capacity for each laboratory.  Funds will be utilized to begin the process of revitalizing existing space, expanding computer facilities, and repairing, replacing, and modernizing laboratory equipment for meeting the demands of high enrollments.

The lab facilities that are crucial to a high level of interactive learning of advanced technical skills are limited, so lab section enrollment cannot be simply increased unless the demands on the lab facility, lab equipment, lab safety, and skilled personnel to setup and maintain the lab is fully accounted for.  The laboratory based courses have grown to the upper limit of sustainability with current equipment and methods as demonstrated by lab classes consistently enrolling to capacity with remaining waitlisted students.  Over the last four academic years, the number of M&IE lab sections has increased by 50% to a record high 73 this AY (see figure at http://www.coe.montana.edu/me/faculty/june/misc/Cap_plot.png).

 Despite continuously increasing the number of lab sections, the MIE department's unprecedented enrollment growth continues to result in enrollments beyond what current facilities and personnel can manage. (In this figure, the number of lab sections are plotted in blue, and the average enrollment as a percentage of the cap is plotted in red.)  While this enrollment data demonstrates substantial limitations, it underestimates the size of the problem, as scheduling conflicts often prohibit students from taking lab sections despite lecture availability.  The error bars indicate the upper range of cap values demonstrating that despite adding sections, we are still enrolled beyond capacity.  The dashed line is at capacity indicating that even the average lab sizes are approaching capacity.  The effects of these limitations are slower times to graduation, particularly if students fail a capped course after having to wait at least a semester to enroll.

Existing MIE space within both Roberts Hall and the Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) Building will be renovated to add additional computer facilities and create room for additional students in existing laboratory classes.  Space that is currently single and dual usage will be remodeled to be multi-use space capable of serving additional students.  Currently, MIE houses several student laboratories including the Computer Integrated Manufacturing Lab, Joining Lab, Manufacturing Lab, Design Lab, Instrumentation Lab, Fluid Power Lab, Ergonomics Lab, Computer Aided Design and Drafting Lab, and the Decision Support Systems Laboratory.  The space renovation funds will go toward (1) consolidating and combining several of these facilities to accommodate larger student enrollments and (2) revitalizing existing single and dual use space to become multi-use space capable of serving each of the 3 undergraduate programs within the department.  Faculty from all programs within the department will assist with the space renovation toward optimizing learning experiences and student throughput. 

Computer facilities will be expanded to accommodate growth in the following courses, all of which utilize the computer design labs extensively:

EMEC 103 - CAE I: Engineering Graphics Communications

EMEC 203 - CAE II: ME Computation

ETME 203 – Mechanical Design Graphics

ETME 303 – CAE Tools in Mechanical Design

EMEC 403 – CAE IV: Design Integration

The addition of more computer space will also allow larger lab sections for software-based courses such as:

EMEC 405 - Finite Element Analysis

ETME 345 – Machine Design

ETME 410 – CNC & CAM Technology

The Manufacturing and Joining Labs will be consolidated and upgraded to allow for implementation of safer equipment for student usage as well as additional fabrication machines to serve larger enrollments.  Courses benefiting from this activity include:

ETME 217 – Manufacturing Processes Lab

ETME 311 – Joining Technologies

This project will directly impact undergraduate STEM education in mechanical engineering, mechanical engineering technology, and industrial engineering.  It will also impact graduate programs in mechanical engineering.  This proposal also supports the “MSU Strategic Plan”, specifically:

• Objective A.1: Educate more students while maintaining the quality of programs
• Objective D.2: Enhance infrastructure in support of research, discovery, and creative activities
• Objective E.1: Strategically increase service, outreach, and engagement at MSU
• Objective I.1: Increase the integration of learning, discovery and engagement
• Objective L.2: Increase graduation rates at MSU
• Objective S.1: Human Resources, Attract, develop and retain the best faculty and staff to achieve the MSU mission.

Implementation of this plan will help ensure that the facilities are available to accommodate the quality education expected from Montana State University Department of M&IE.

This plan will be implemented beginning in January of 2013 when faculty will compile a list of facilities, equipment, and relevant courses.  Space-saving options will be discussed leading to a plan of which spaces will be renovated and which equipment to replace and upgrade.  New equipment will be specified, prioritized and ordered as funds allow.  A 5-year facilities upgrade plan to be developed to guide facilities upgrades in the future.

 In July and August of 2013, existing equipment will be moved, old equipment will be disposed of, and new equipment will be installed.  Relevant faculty will be trained on the new equipment.  All of this will happen prior to the start of the Fall 2013 semester.  Space renovation will be completed during this time.  The anticipated space renovations are small such as wall removal and table installations with anticipated costs less than $25,000.  Per MSU rules, renovations of this magnitude may be performed by a private contractor, which will be selected by the MIE Department from 3 external bids.

 Over the Fall semester of 2013, the space adjustments and equipment installations will be finalized.  Faculty and students will be trained on the new equipment. 

Finally, assessment of this project will occur following the 2014 Spring semester.  Assessment will determine whether laboratory capacity and safety have been increased and if the needs of the students enrolled in the program are being met.

 Project Management Plan

Success of this project will be measured via both (1) interviews with laboratory faculty and students, and (2) examination of laboratory section enrollment data conducted by the Department Head. 

The interviews will determine the effectiveness of the new equipment, larger computer labs, and space revitalization in terms of managing larger enrollments, as well as evaluating whether or not student safety has been improved.  A survey of student satisfaction with M&IE labs will be conducted early next semester to provide a baseline for comparison with survey results later in the project.  Results will be reviewed by the M&IE leadership team.

Enrollment data will be compared with data from the previous 3 years to determine if additional students are being served. 

(See Project Management above for schedule.)

If larger enrollments are not facilitated by this plan, department-wide faculty meetings will be held toward improved methods for managing large enrollments, and these results will be shared with the College of Engineering Dean and Provost.