Dartmouth Engineering Expands Use of Design Software
The
Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth
College is now using design software as part of its undergraduate core
curriculum, as well as for graduate and doctoral research.
SolidWorks is 3D computer-aided design (CAD) software from
Dassault Systèmes. Dartmouth's school of
engineering, one of the oldest in the country, standardized on SolidWorks five
years ago in part because it was easy to learn and use.
"It's important to provide an environment that is fun and exciting, and
design tools that facilitate problem-based experiential learning," said Solomon
G. Diamond, associate professor of engineering at Dartmouth, in a prepared
statement. "SolidWorks is a vital part of our students' learning experience.
Because of our approach, students don't have much time to be trained on design
software, so the short learning curve of SolidWorks is critical for students to
undergo an innovation process that's similar to industry."
With this expansion, Dartmouth is now teaching Solidworks as part of the core
curriculum for all engineering majors and integrating it into more courses and
research programs at all levels. Even non-engineering majors receive training in
SolidWorks through the college's Introduction to Engineering course, which is
open to all Dartmouth students.
According to information from the company, the students are taught
engineering principles of analysis, experimentation and design, and then they
use SolidWorks to solve real-world engineering problems by identifying and
studying the problem in the field, proposing solutions, building prototypes,
testing and refining their solution and presenting their recommendations to a
panel of faculty members. Meanwhile, doctoral students and Dartmouth's
Multimodal Neuroimaging
Laboratory have used SolidWorks to create a magnetically shielded room to
conduct noninvasive studies of human brain function.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].