Session: 09-11-01: Engineering Research Innovation I
Paper Number: 73495
Start Time: Tuesday, 04:20 PM
73495 - i9Masks: From a Multidisciplinary Summer Project to a Non-Accredited Short Course: From a Multidisciplinary Summer Project to a Non-Accredited Short Course
The present study presents a research experience with engineering students at undergraduate and graduate levels, during the summer of 2020 at the School of Engineering, University of Minho, Portugal.
Following the first pandemic event in Portugal, from March to May 2020, the Foundation for promoting Science and Technology (FCT) launched a call for research projects among students and researchers at different Universities. The main aim of these projects was to motivate students to return physically to the campus during a summer course, and to promote a research environment among them.
i9Masks was one of the six projects approved for the University of Minho and its main objective was the development of innovative masks in Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for the protection of COVID-19 with the use of state-of-the-art technologies. Due to its unique characteristics, this project was aimed for engineering students.
The development of masks was at the time a very hot topic as well as a fashionable subject for research. It was also of great importance to everybody’s lives and a multidisciplinary research. Twenty students were approved into an internship by FCT and a percentage of this income was allocated for laboratory work.
In order to help the project implementation, a non-accredited course was approved at the School of engineering with four teaching modules: Seminars in Engineering Science, Introduction to Research in Engineering Sciences, Fabrication and tests of PDMS Masks, and Numerical Simulations. This course took place at the two university campi and it was involved lectures and experimental work in the labs.
During the three months period, twenty-two seminars were given by professors, researchers and PhD students, as well as, technicians from the University Library. The students were motivated to do some Systematic Reviews on different subjects related to the project with the help of five monitors also involved in the project. During the last month of the course, the students did teamwork in different labs and twelve experimental and numerical projects were implemented. Different commercial codes were used, namely EXCEL, MATLAB, COMSOL and FLUENT, as well as 3D printing techniques.
Some workshops were organized to promote students’ projects presentation and discussion.
After completing the course, there are still teams developing publications, as well as a project book being completed.
Considering the results obtained, from the final 3D printed masks, the numerical simulations, the students' presentations, their experience, as reflected in their extended summaries and their written evaluations, allow a very positive balance of the experience. The i9Masks project was a useful learning experience for engineering education, particularly in Portugal, where the opportunity to participate in this type of "learning by doing" experiences is very small.
Presenting Author: Violeta Carvalho University of Minho
Authors:
Violeta Carvalho University of MinhoCristina Rodrigues University of Minho
Graça Minas University of Minho
Rui Lima University of Minho
José C. Teixeira University of Minho
Senhorinha Teixeira University of Minho
i9Masks: From a Multidisciplinary Summer Project to a Non-Accredited Short Course: From a Multidisciplinary Summer Project to a Non-Accredited Short Course
Paper Type
Technical Paper Publication