Signal Processing - May 2017 - 72

and opportunity of engineering through
an ample menu of hands-on activities in
engineering with particular focus on the
field of electrical and computer engineering. Whenever possible, tasks related to
signal and information processing and
data analysis are included as part of the
activities. The general learning objectives include: 1) understanding and gaining appreciation for what engineers do,
and, in particular, what electrical and
computer engineers do; 2) learning basic
theoretical and practical concepts related
to the electrical and computer engineering fields; and 3) learning how to analyze
an engineering challenge both qualitatively and quantitatively, how to design a
solution for a problem by breaking it
into smaller pieces, and how to evaluate and test the proposed solution.
The activities have been created and
initiated by SBU faculty in engineering,
physics, and science education with the
assistance of staff and graduate students
and with the support of both internal and
external funding. Industry experts guide
and advise on topics of interest for the
activities and STEM teachers affiliated
with SBU provide pedagogical and curriculum insights. The activities have a
class size of 20-24 students.
There are different ranges of difficulty
for the activities depending on students
grade levels and backgrounds. In all activities, students are assessed on their knowledge, practical application of engineering
skills, justification of designs based on
data, and their ability to engage effectively
in the peer-review process. Activities
involve different engineering disciplines in
general, but as mentioned previously, the
greatest focus to date has been on electrical and computer engineering as well as
computer science, leveraging the expertise
of the College of Engineering and
Applied Sciences faculty. As we shall
see, many projects incorporate sensing
or signal/data analysis, whereby students
are introduced to elementary forms of
signal processing techniques and basic
concepts. The pedagogical design of each
activity is currently aligned with the
NGSS with the following guiding
principles:
■ Each performance expectation must
combine a relevant practice of sci72

ence or engineering with a core disciplinary idea and cross-cutting
concept [4]. The activities combine
science concepts with engineering
design; for example, students learn
about basic electromagnetism principles when building metal detectors.
■ Students engage collaboratively in
argumentation from evidence [22].
They advocate for their chosen
designs by explaining their reasoning
and associated evidence for their
claims. For example, when building
a pilotable helium balloon, they present their prototype in a peer-review
process and debate various design
components. They respond to diverse
perspectives and assess the merits of
counter arguments [4].
■ When developing models, students
have the opportunity to revise the
designs based on evidence to optimize performance [4]. Students consider the relationships among the
components of their system when
making modifications.
In addition to academic activities, the
programs include presentations by engineers from local industry and the Office
of Admissions and Career Center at SBU
to discuss career opportunities and
requirements for engineering programs.
This is consistent with research that suggested students career expectations are
important when choosing pathways to
specific postsecondary careers [47], [69].

experts. Figure 1 shows some students
participating in the 2012 camp. Here
we briefly describe four activities that
have been offered over the years,
although more than 20 different ones
have been developed and instructed.
Most of them have a duration of one
camp day (about six hours of instruction) although there are some exceptions that require up to two days.

Understanding sonar, radar, and GPS
This activity consists of a series of experiments to highlight the simplicity of measurement of the speed of sound (which is
the key to sonar operation) and object
localization [which is the fundamental
principle used in sophisticated applications like radar and global positioning
system (GPS)]. We briefly describe two
experiments related to the activity.

Experiment 1-Measuring the speed of sound
The speed of sound is measured using
an experimental setup consisting of a
speaker and two microphones. The
speaker generates a pulse waveform,
which is recorded on each of the microphones. The time delay between the
subsequent arrivals of the waveform at
the microphones is measured using a
PC-based software oscilloscope and the
sound card. Based on the known distance between the microphones and the
measured delay, the students can calculate the speed of sound.

Engineering Summer Camp

Experiment 2-Object localization

The Engineering Summer Camp was
developed for high school students in
their sophomore and juniors years [70].
This residential two-week universitybased program was offered from 2009
to 2015 and is currently being redesigned for broader implementation. A
total of 93 students have attended the
camp (23 female), 16 of whom were
totally or partially awarded scholarships
to attend the camp based on their socioeconomic status.
The menu of activities has changed
over the years and has been modernized and adjusted according to students' and instructors' feedback as well
input from a board of advisors comprising teachers and social science

Students learn the concepts of trilateration and multilateration. These methods
allow determination of an object location
in a sonar or radar system using time of
flight or time difference of arrival,
respectively. Multilateration is also used
to determine location in GPS receivers.
The effect of measurement errors is
also discussed, along with some techniques to optimize the solution in that
case. The students calculate the algebraic solution for the location of an
object using trilateration in a noise-free
case. The data for this case can either
come from oscilloscope measurements
performed by the students (in which
case there is some small error), or the
students can be given synthesized data.

IEEE Signal Processing Magazine

May 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signal Processing - May 2017