Conference Brings Engineering Faculty, Collaboration to Erie
The School of Engineering at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is hosting a national engineering conference this week from Oct. 14-16, featuring the college and the Erie community. The American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Engineering Design Graphics Division (EDGD) 64th Midyear Conference focuses on graphics in the engineering field.
“Visualization skills are important in many careers, but students often struggle with the concept. Engineers, in particular, must be able to look at a two-dimensional drawing and visualize it in a three-dimensional form,” said Kathy Holliday-Darr, conference organizer and senior lecturer in engineering graphics at Penn State Behrend. “This forum is an opportunity to share design graphics research and applications to stay current professionally, which benefits our students.”
Conference attendees are faculty members who teach drafting, graphics and CAD in engineering and engineering technology programs across the country. More than 50 faculty members plus graduate and undergraduate students from 26 institutions, including UC Berkeley, Ohio State, Arizona State, Michigan Tech, North Carolina State, and Purdue, are expected to attend.
On Wednesday, there will be a showcase at the Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel where individuals display a range of educational initiatives, computer-based programs and outreach activities for possible use in the classroom.
The conference also includes 26 technical sessions at Penn State Behrend on Thursday and Friday. Dr. Jack Burke, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, will welcome guests to campus on Thursday morning in the Samuel P. “Pat” Black III Conference Center.
Conference attendees will also tour GE Transportation, Presque Isle and the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. EMTA is donating transportation services for participants.
Events sponsors are EMTA, SolidWorks, Schroff Development Corp., Eriez Magnetics, GE Transportation, Rehrig Pacific Co., Cengage Learning, Autodesk and Siemens PLM.
Visit http://engr.bd.psu.edu/edgd_09/schedule.htm for a detailed schedule of events.