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Technical Communication Project EGR 186 Fall 2015

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Task: You are asked to identify, research, and present (in both written and oral formats) a topic in engineering that is currently the focus of ongoing research, investigation, and/or development (within the past 5 years). The topic must come from the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenges for Engineering: http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/.

Rationale: Technology is developing at a rapid pace: computers and information systems are advancing at astonishing rates, new energy conversions are in the development phase, crushing transportation issues require solutions, and new manufacturing methods are revolutionizing consumer products. As a professional engineer, you will need to continually educate yourself about advances in technologies to remain competitive. This project introduces important information literacy skills to aid in your ability to educate yourself. This project also shows different ways of defining and solving complex problems depending on the perspective of the team.

Process

1. Read the NAE Grand Challenges of Engineering and select one of the 14 challenges to research in more detail. To investigate the challenge, use the library database Compendex (Engineering Village) – see HW05 for details.

2. During your research, select at least two journal articles and/or conference papers that approach the challenge using different strategies. The main subject of the journal articles/conference papers should be related (similar specific topics).

3. Read the articles and take notes. Specifically look at the problem identification, proposed solution, methods, data, conclusions, and/or future work identified in both articles/papers.

4. Write a short compare and contrast memo informing the audience how the authors approach the complex problem stated within the NAE Grand Challenge, again focusing on problem identification, proposed solution, methods, data, conclusions, and/or future work.

5. Repeat the process of selecting and researching a separate Grand Challenge for an individual presentation delivered at the end of the semester.

Content of Submissions (both written and oral):

1. Briefly, describe the NAE Grand Challenge, focusing on the need for this research or development. 2. Compare and contrast the approaches presented in your sources (problem identification, proposed solution,

methods, data, conclusions, and/or future work). 3. Identify your sources with properly formatted citations. A minimum of three sources are required; two must

be journal articles/conference papers. The third reference may be the NAE Grand Challenges website; additional sources (but not Wikipedia) may be used. You must use the IEEE citation style.

Technical Communication Project EGR 186 Fall 2015

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Written Format Requirements: Prepare a compare/contrast paper.

 500 to 600 words

 1” margins

 Double space

 Font: 12 pt. Times New Roman or 11 pt. Calibri

 include graphics, figures or tables Oral Format Requirements: Prepare and practice.

 5 minutes (no substantial videos)

 Use PowerPoint

 Submit slides evening before

 Graphics required

Note: You will be selecting two Grand Challenges. The first will be used in the writing assignment; the second

will be used for the presentation.

Grading Scheme (15% of total grade):

Complete Assignment

Points Possible

Memo #1 75

Paper #1a 150

Peer Critique 300

Paper #1b 375

Reflection 150

Memo #2 75

Presentation 375

SUBTOTAL 1500

Bonus 100 (max)

TOTAL

Paper / Presentation

Points Possible

Format 50

Writing Quality 75

Organization & Clarity

100

Technical accuracy 150

TOTAL 375

Technical Communication Project EGR 186 Fall 2015

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Schedule: This assignment has several milestones.

Date Due Description Deliverables

Writing Topic #1

9/29 Technical Writing & Presentation

Assignment N/A

9/22 or 9/24 Library Visit (Cline Library, room

200) HW5 - BBLearn

10/1 Memo #1 – Due BBLearn Submission

10/8 Paper #1a – Due 2 hard copies + BBLearn

submission

10/13 Peer Critique – Due coversheet & drafts with feedback

10/20 Paper #1b – Due 1 hard copy & BBLearn

submission; both drafts with peer feedback

10/20 Technical Communication

Reflection BBLearn submission

Presentation Topic #2

11/12 Memo #2 – Due

memo (see details below) Developing Presentation Schedule (in class)

11/24, 12/1- 12/8

Presentations upload slides by midnight the

night prior to your presentation

Descriptions of Deliverables:

Memos: You will select two different topics (NAE Grand Challenges) for this project (due dates are

posted in the table): one for the written portion and a second for the presentation. In memo format,

provide the following information:

1. List the NAE Grand Challenge selected.

2. A short description (paragraph) about the NAE Grand Challenge selected:

i. How does it relate to engineering (what field(s))?

ii. Why is it important?

3. A list of the 2 journal articles/conference papers you will analyze (upload both to Bb

Learn).

i. Use proper citation format following IEEE guidelines.

ii. Indicate the type of publication (journal article or conference paper).

Technical Communication Project EGR 186 Fall 2015

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Paper #1a: Paper #1a will be peer reviewed by your classmates; the grade is dependent upon a

complete submission by the deadline. Full credit is earned by submitting an electronic copy on Bb

Learn and bringing two hard copies to class on the due date. In class, Paper #1a will be traded with two

individuals for peer review.

Peer Critique: Each student will peer review two papers and will be graded on the quality of their

critique and completion of a coversheet. Examples of poor and excellent critiques and a coversheet

template will be provided on Bb Learn.

Paper #1b: Paper #1b is a revision of Paper #1a based on the feedback provided by your peers. In

addition to Paper #1b, you will also submit both peer reviewed copies of Paper #1a.

Reflection: Answer a list of questions about the library visit / resources and your research process for

the written portion of the assignment. The list will become available after Paper #1b has been

submitted.

Presentation: For the presentation, a second topic is required. The purpose of researching a second

topic is to further develop your abilities to find technical publications and then organize that

information for an audience. You should apply the critiques from the paper when preparing and

practicing the presentation, specifically those comments regarding: 1) format, 2) grammar and spelling,

3) organization and clarity, and 4) technical accuracy. Lastly, you should practice your presentation

several times to make sure you know what you are saying and stay within the five minute range.

Practicing alone may be beneficial, but the nervousness, anxiousness, and/or excitement of presenting

in front of a group can be a source of many mistakes.

Bonus: Up to 100 points may be awarded to individuals that provide evidence of preparing the

presentation at least 1 week prior to the scheduled presentation date. A generic outline will be

awarded little to no bonus points whereas a completed presentation with a script may be awarded the

full bonus points.

Technical Communication Project EGR 186 Fall 2015

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Tips for an excellent paper:

 The 500-600 word limit will require concise writing. In technical writing, the emphasis is on being brief,

clear, and concise – not poetic. If you have done your research properly, you should have a very

difficult time reducing your writing down to a single page – shorter is harder than longer.

 The paper should be technically accurate – use good sources and good information. Popular media

and Wikipedia are often unreliable sources.

 The paper should be presented in your own words – nothing should be quoted from another source or

student (if copied text is found, you will receive a 0 on the report).

 Your paper should be free from spelling and grammatical errors.

 Your paper should not be written in the first person (using pronouns such as: I, we, my, our).

 Your paper should be free from slang, colloquialisms, and informal language.

 Use appropriate headers (i.e., Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusion)

 Pictures are worth 1000 words… use graphs, pictures, drawings, etc. to help elaborate the text of your

paper.

 Make sure to use appropriate figure/table captions and reference them in the body of the paper.

 If you have a difficult time reading your own paper (out loud), resulting from awkwardly written

sentences and unclear statements, it will be near impossible for the audience. Your grade will reflect

this.

Tips for an excellent presentation:

 Practice, practice, practice!

o Practice what you want to say by yourself.

o Practice with a video recording device.

o Practice with a small audience.