Knowledge Tuesday: Undergraduate Program Projects

As is already a tradition, Knowledge Tuesday was held at the Santa Anita campus.  Last July 22nd it was Pablo Moreno’s turn.  Pablo Moreno is Academic Quality and Innovation Coordinator and a firm believer that the foundation of learning at UTEC is based active learning as a methodology.Putting ingenuity into action from the very first day of classes is an essential component of the identity of the UTEC student, since the idea is to propose undergraduate degree level projects, offering solutions to the community. Classes at our university are activity-based, and follow a dynamic in which a certain structure is used to design a class: initial motivation, comprehension and content automation, and finally, assessment.Students and their projectsFor UTEC students, living engineering is an opportunity to make a connection with their community.  They keep adding more and more technological knowledge to solve problems or contribute to solving them.   During the last academic semester, 239 projects have been submitted, among which we can highlight the knee rehabilitator; the space saver desk furniture; a project that seeks to obtain essential oils through steam distillation; the design of a prototype blade for a Pelton turbine; a carbon nanotube filter; a project that enhances WiFi signal reception using antenna reflectors; another called the zapacelular, a system for charging cell phone batteries while walking; and a pet feeder.We must clarify that these projects are in some instances completely original, some are inspired, improved or follow a pre-existing technology.  Engineering is not only a contest of invention; it can also be a process of improvement. For example, a device can be improved with the same technology, or progress and be perfected using another technology. It is possible for it to become something different, something lighter, or different functions can be added to it.  It is possible to abandon one type of solution for another.What takes precedence is not the invention, but rather the need.The students propose solutions and choose one.  We aspire that every project contains a feature of differentiation, in which students assume the role of engineer from semester one, solving real life problems, and not those suggested on the last page of some manual.For this second semester, a project invitation has already been sent out, having started on July 22nd, and we are positive that it will be hit.