Summer Sandbox Grants 2022 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Pradeep Radhakrishnan (ME) Software for Kinematics, Dynamics, and Statistics

The project aims to develop and test tools that can be used by students to verify their work in courses such as Kinematics (ME 3310 and RBE 2001), Statics (ES2501) and Dynamics (ES2503). Two software tools, PMKS+ (Planar Mechanism Kinematic Simulator Plus) for linkage analysis and GearTrain for gear analysis are being developed. These tools can be used to verify analytical equations, numerical solutions, and free body diagrams. Besides, the programs can generate CAD models to enhance student understanding.

Gizem Arslan Yunt (HUA) German for Professional Purposes

This project’s goal is to integrate career readiness into the German program at WPI by finalizing a new course in development titled “German for Professional Purposes,” as well as developing shorter modules that can be integrated into first-year German language courses. Through interactive projects and tasks in which students apply their language and intercultural competence to professional situations, the five-week course and the shorter modules will prepare students to study abroad, work and intern in German-speaking contexts.

Joseph Cullon (HUA) Jumpstarting the HUA Experience: Building Summer HUA Courses for Incoming First Year Students

Co-PI Althea Danelski, Esther Boucher-Yi, Emily Gioielli, Abigail Koo, Joshua Rohde.

While increasing numbers of incoming first year students started taking HUA summer courses during the pandemic, these courses had not been consciously designed to initiate student to college-level HUA work. This project seeks to create a coherent experience for incoming FY students by redesigning and running introductory courses to explicitly meet the academic needs of first years, initiating them into a culture of care and resilience where durable faculty-student relationships can be formed.

Buddika Peiris (MA) Designing STAT labs

Co-PI Fangfang Wang

The Math Department is seeking this grant to support the modernization of the Statistics labs for two undergraduate applied Statistics courses, specifically MA 2611: Applied Statistics I and MA 2612: Applied Statistics II to establish a foundation in statistical software essential to understand the statistical concepts practically.

Ahmet Can Sabuncu (ME) Remote Controlled Camera Assistant System

Any live or recorded experimental demonstration in teaching requires a camera system. This proposal seeks to design and validate an automated camera assistant in the Mechanical and Materials Department courses. The camera system employs multiple cameras with zoom and focus capabilities to provide varying depth of view and multiple viewpoints. The cameras are motorized along different axes. Finally, we use an automation system for remote control of cameras.

Farley Chery (CS) Studio tool for rapid creation and adoption of Diversity in animated media

Building on the theme of diversity, representation and technology, this projects goal is to finalize the development of an auto-rigging tool with advanced features not seen in commercially available character rigs. Programmers will code the methods and procedures researched throughout 2021 to create a rapid development interface, bringing students’ diverse characters to life at a level beyond what today’s industry standard.