Ronald Rockland

Incorporation of pre-engineering lessons into secondary science classrooms

The Pre-Engineering Instructional and Outreach Program (PrE-IOP) has been established to enlarge the future pool of qualified high-tech workers, including those who have been historically underrepresented (minorities and women). This is being accomplished through two components: (1) the implementation of pre-engineering curriculum in middle and high schools; and (2) a comprehensive information campaign about the rewards of science, engineering, mathematics and technology (SMET) professions. Engineering faculty are working with science teachers to create connections between the science used in engineering applications in the modern workplace and standards-based science. The curriculum materials are grade specific and fit the instructional classroom needs of grades 6-12 teachers by addressing the content standards in science, mathematics and technology. Most importantly, it focuses on teaching the pre-engineering skills of design and problem solving needed to convey the skills and knowledge required for successful admission to undergraduate engineering education programs. Summer institutes are designed to familiarize the teachers with the curriculum and the associated pedagogy. The development of integrated curriculum modules for middle and high schools and the teacher-training program for the first year are described.

Voice activated wheelchair controller

The Voice Activated Wheelchair Controller (VAWC) project was designed to develop a feasibility model for activating a wheelchair using a low-cost speech recognition system. A microcontroller was programmed to provide user control over each command, as well as to prevent voice commands from being issued accidentally.

Reducing the information overload: a method on helping students research engineering topics using the Internet

Students are using the Internet as a primary source of information when researching topics for reports, presentations, or research. Because of the vast amount of data currently available, students need assistance developing an approach to gather this information. Without a proper plan on how to obtain information, they will waste countless hours, and become very frustrated at the process. This paper describes several methods for searching for technical information on the Internet, as related to both electrical engineering and electrical and computer engineering technology (ECET). These methods were presented to students in several ECET classes at New Jersey Institute of Technology. The students were then required to develop presentations on technical topics within their discipline, using several of the sites described in this paper. This paper also suggests a hierarchy in using these various methods, depending on the type of search required. While the initial concept in developing these techniques was to present a method for student information gathering on the Internet, the author has used many of these techniques for class lectures, as well as research topics. Therefore, the techniques presented in this paper are also pertinent to faculty research and teaching.

Influence of the Maximum Heart Rate Attained during Exercise Testing on Subsequent Heart Rate Recovery

Background: Abnormal heart rate recovery (HRR) following exercise testing has been shown to be a predictor for adverse cardiovascular events. The actual maximum heart rate (MHR) attained during the exercise test does not however have a distinct significance in traditional HRR assessment. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of MHR in HRR.

Failure modes of American pacemakers—in vitro analysis

Abstract Diagnosis of impending cardiac pacemaker failure by non-invasive techniques is widely practiced in pacemaker clinics. In these clinics various parameters of the pacemaker wave form are measured by means of external electrodes, and certain changes in these parameters are regarded as an indication of impending battery depletion. The authors have participated in such a clinic for a number of years. 1 During that time, it has become apparent that the sensitivity of the parameters to battery voltage varies considerably between different models. This paper represents an attempt to quantitate externally measurable parameters of cardiac pacemakers for 19 different models manufactured by four American companies. These pacemakers are listed in Table I; effects of changing battery voltage and load resistance were measured and are shown in the table.

Utilizing simulation software in a transform analysis course

While many of the courses in the ECET (Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology) program at New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA, have a laboratory component, there is one course that is strictly lecture. This course, EET 300, is similar to a second term circuit analysis course, and covers topics such as graphical differentiation and integration, Laplace transform, Fourier analysis and Bode plots. To incorporate a laboratory experience in this course, a demonstration version of PSpice (version 8.0) was used, in conjunction with a laboratory manual written by the author. This demonstration version of PSpice (MicroSim Corporation, Irvine, California, was a fully functional package that was sent free of charge. The limitations of this demonstration version were not a factor in applying the software to the course. In this paper, the author describes a variety of experiments that can be performed with PSpice to reinforce concepts that are taught in this course. It also discusses the students assessment of this material.

Comparative analysis of Internet search methodology for electrical engineering technology

The Internet has become an invaluable tool for research in a wide variety of topics, both for students and faculty. Researching topics for a term paper or gathering new information for next weeks lecture can be very time efficient if done properly on the Internet. However, information overload can result due to an overabundance of potential sources, many of which are not effective. Attempting to narrow the information obtained to the most relevant part is a challenge, and can prove very frustrating and time consuming. This paper describes how, in conjunction with other members of the Electrical Engineering Technology faculty at New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA, ten topics were identified to be searched on the Internet to evaluate various search methods. These topics were relevant to courses they are teaching, topics that are being researched, or topics that were used for student presentations in class.

Are the results correct? - An application of wavelets to analyze heart rate variability

This paper addresses the process to validate research results by illustrating with an example of applying wavelet analysis to heart rate variability.

Baroreflex sensitivity index in chronic fatigue syndrome

This paper provides a graphical evaluation of continuous cardiac baroreceptor measurement during a 45-minute 70-degree head-up tilt (HUT) of five groups of subjects suffering the following: chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), CFS with fibromyalgia (CFS-FM), CFS with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (CFS-POTS), controls with POTS (CON-POTS), and controls (CON). The full duration of the test was 56-minutes, and included supine five-minute baseline and six-minute recovery periods. A comparative time analyses of weighted BRSI averages as well as the combined total number of sequences and ramps for lags 0,1 and 2 is presented.