National Science Foundation
C. Richard Cassady
University of Arkansas
07/01/07
05/31/08
At the University of Arkansas, the teacher(s) will learn about engineering logistics and its applicability to mathematics curriculum in the 6th through 12th grade environments. During this time, progressive project and class materials will be developed that creatively integrate interesting applications to logistics engineering. Specifically, efforts will focus on enhancing the IE Challenge competition planned for the Fall 2007 semester. The 2006 RET project involved reaching out to all the middle school and high schools in the State of Arkansas inviting them to compete in an IE Challenge to design a manufacturing process for a simple product. Interested schools submitted an entry paper about their project which included relevant information and research to support ideas, analysis of layout design and worker productivity, cost, safety, discussion of assembly process, speed of manufacture, quality control, use of an ergonomically sound workstation, and mathematic procedures to solve the problems given. A flow chart for the production process and layout of the workstation area was included. Student teams traveled to University of Arkansas in Fayetteville for the final competition. Each team provided an oral presentation along with a poster. In addition, the teams performed demonstrations of product assembly for a panel of judges. Prizes were awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place. The IE Challenge allowed students to learn fundamental concepts of industrial engineering (i.e. queuing, economic analysis, maintenance, reliability, etc..). Furthermore, the teacher(s) will make contributions to the research agenda of a current research project within CELDi that is of mutual interest to the teacher(s) and the PI.