Interdisciplinary
course spurs students to take a challenge sitting down
CBU students don’t take a back seat to anyone… unless it’s
in one of the “paper chairs” they produced as part of an interdisciplinary
course called “Technology and Human Values.” The course, offered
this spring through the Department of Religion and Philosophy, is team-taught
by Dr. Peter Limper (Philosophy) and Dr. Fred Terry (Civil and Environmental
Engineering).
The 14 students in the class worked in teams of two on the project to
design and develop seven chairs made entirely of paper products and glue.
Each chair was required to be functional and able to support a person
weighing more than 200 pounds.
“The
class is designed to deal with the human implications of technology and
with important ethical and social issues related to technology,”
says Dr. Terry. “It considers the special ethical responsibilities
of engineers and other technological professionals, as well as the responsibilities
of all persons as citizens of a technological society. Ethics are both
as involving the application of basic philosophical concepts, and as a
special kind of problem-solving activity with analogies to engineering
design.”
The chairs were required to generally meet the requirements for a task
or work chair.Total cost of the materials used for constructing the chair
was restricted to $30.01. The chairs had to meet safety and usage codes
and be able to accommodate a sitting adult regardless of gender or age.
The students were also asked to adhere to the principles of good design
and keep aesthetics in mind. “Life is too short to sit in an ugly
chair,” Dr. Terry says.
Guest judge Tom Lee, an associate professor of sculpture at the Memphis
College of Art, was less than commital on the aesthetic success of the
projects, but congratulated the students on overcoming the first hurdle
of 3D design. “At least they’re all standing up,” he told
the students. “You beat gravity.”
The specified target weight for each chair was ten pounds and point rewards
were offered for those coming in lighter. All got extra points—the
heaviest chair weighed only eight pounds, the lightest four. Most of the
structural materials came from “dumpster diving” with a few
dollars spent on glue. Raw materials ranged from computer keyboard boxes
to cardboard tubes and raffia. One design was modeled after the chairs
in the Plough Library. Another team produced an “office suite”—a
chair, small table, and foot stool— all built from FedEx shipping
packages. During the presentation of their projects, one student team
composed of a philosophy major and an engineering major recounted a few
trials and errors in the design process.
“So, I’m curious,” Dr. Terry said. “What does it take
to get a philosopher to listen to an engineer?”
“Apparently, it takes three failed attempts,” Dr. Limper replied.
After the presentations came the critical weight/stress test. One after
one, the student teams stacked 220 pounds of weights onto the seats of
the chairs. Despite a few tense moments, all projects passed the test.
A couple of confident students even climbed atop the weights and took
a well-deserved rest. back to top of page
Crossover coursework
focuses on human factors
Someone perusing a list of academic minors offered at CBU might be excused
for wondering if one department was training its students to analyze the
students of another. But, contrary to how it might sound, “Engineering
Psychology” will not explain why certain people think good interpersonal
skills involve a decimal point.
“It’s also called Human Factors Psychology,” explains Dr.
Rod Vogl, assistant professor of behavioral science and a researcher in
the field. “Sometimes it’s referred to as ergonomics or usability
engineering.”
Put into course-syllabus terminology, Engineering Psychology is the science
that explores human capabilities and behavior and how these characteristics
are incorporated into the design, evaluation, operation, and maintenance
of products and systems that are intended for safe, effective, satisfying
use by people.
“It really encompasses a broad range of human interactivity,”
Vogl says. “It’s not just concerned with consumer products.
It could involve things we take for granted, such as highway and traffic
signage. Areas of study could range from warning labels to medical devices,
from office furniture to aerospace engineering.”
In his classroom projects, Dr. Vogl has assigned his students to devise
a better automobile dashboard, study the design of bathrooms on campus,
hypothesize on virtual-reality simulators for the Department of Defense,
and critique the traffic flow of the Buccaneer snack bar. He lists other
subjects that lend themselves to examination: technology for the disabled
or aged; agricultural equipment; and training materials, methods, and
procedures.
“This is really an area of study for people with both interests,
engineering and psychology,” Vogl says. “In the professional
world, the human factors psychologist is an important member of the design
team. He or she is the intermediary between the engineer and the final
user, the one who anticipates human error and analyzes ease of use.”
Dr. Rena Durr, chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences, points
out that students opting for this minor are required to take both psychology
and engineering courses. Aside from basic psychology courses and the course
in Engineering Psychology, students must take classes in Biological Psychology,
Cognitive Psychology, and Industrial and Organizational Psychology. They
are also required to take lower-level classes in physics and the various
engineering disciplines.
“They require a good working knowledge of the engineering basics,”
she says. “They need to understand concepts and terminology relating
to such things as the properties of materials, field measurements, structural
design, thermodynamics, instrumentation, and computer hardware. They need
a good working knowledge of computer technology.”
Dr. Vogl points out that CBU is somewhat ahead of the curve by offering
Engineering Psychology on the undergraduate level. “Most people in
the field have a Master’s degree and most universities only offer
courses on the graduate level. Since this is a growing and potentially
lucrative professional field, our students are getting a great headstart.”
Firms employing human factors psychologists on their design teams include
Boeing, Rockwell, Apple Computer, Sun Microsystems, Xerox, IBM, Hewlett-Packard,
Nissan, Ford, Toyota, General Motors, AT&T, GTE, General Electric,
and Westinghouse. Government agencies, research centers, and military-related
projects are other major employers. back
to top of page
NEWS FROM THE FIELD
Buc baseball team honors Negro League veteran
In a fitting follow-up to Black History Month, the CBU Buccaneer baseball
team honored a Negro League baseball great by proclaiming March 2 “Joe
B. Scott Day” at Buc Field.
Joe B. Scott played outfield for nearly 20 seasons in the Negro Leagues
with the Chicago American Giants, the New York Black Yankees, the Pittsburgh
Crawfords and the Memphis Red Sox. During his tenure, he played alongside
baseball great Satchel Paige. Scott was the first African-American player
ever to play at Wrigley Field in Chicago. In 1999, the Milwaukee Brewers
inducted Scott to County Stadium’s “Wall of Fame,” dedicated
to players of the Negro Leagues. Other 1999 inductees included Henry Aaron,
Jimmy “The Original” Dean, Jim “Big Jim” McCurine,
John “Mule” Miles, and Jim “Zapper” Zapp.
Along with the proclamation, the Buccaneers also named Scott as Honorary
Team Captain. Senior captains Joey Perry and Zac Clements presented Scott
with a team hat, a team-autographed baseball, and a #28 uniform.
A banner proclaiming Mr. Scott as Honorary Team Captain will hang in a
prominant place at Buc Field for the duration of the 2002 season.