Engineering Quarterly VOL.III. . . No.1
FALL 2020
mostly restricted to on-campus activities; assembling school supply packages, writing thank you cards and assembling care packages Welcome to the first is- for first responders and veterans, and other sue of Volume 3 of the projects on campus. Engineering Quarterly, a newsletter published four times a year by the University of Mary School of Engineering. In it we try to include articles from each of the five engineering majors that we currently offer on campus: Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, and Construction Management. We report on items and events of interest to engineering students, engineering companies, and now alumni of our engineering pro- The School of Engineering (SOE) has always gram. You will read about our service and out- treated the Day of Service as an opportunity reach activities in the community, the schol- to use the engineering skills of our faculty and arships our students have been awarded, de- students as an advantage. scriptions of the internships our students have In 2019, we constructed 6 planter boxes for worked at over the summer, guest speakers Apple Creek Elementary School. These boxes that have come in and enlightened us, and were meant for each grade level to plant even assignment problems and projects that small gardens/plants and learn about gardenour students have completed as part of their ing, farming, and biology in the process. In course work. We hope that you will enjoy re- 2018, we built a Gaga Ball pit for Apple Creek visiting some of the problems that you had to – a project which was immensely popular with solve back when you were studying for your the students and the envy of other local eleown engineering degree – or at least you will mentary schools. Gaga Ball is a simple game enjoy the fact that you don’t have to solve that is combines elements of dodge-ball and them! four-square, and requires an octagonal encloThe intended audience of the Engineering sure to be played properly. As a result of the Quarterly is engineers, engineering students, popularity at Apple Creek, Manning School engineering alumni, future engineering stu- reached out to the SOE to see if we could dents, and people working in fields closely build one for them. We happily obliged! related to engineering such as science, computing, and mathematics. Enjoy! Dr. Terry Pilling Dean of Engineering
University of Mary
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The plan for Wednesday was to be on-site to begin construction by 10:00am. Shortly before getting ready to leave, we were notified that not all of the Call-Before-You-Dig utilities representatives had visited the School yet. We were forced to postpone construction, but a couple of the faculty still went to make cuts to the lumber and prepare the site as much as possible. We were notified in the late afternoon that all utilities were marked, and we decided that the construction would be moved to Friday, 10/9/20.
On Friday, construction proceeded with minimal problems. We were blessed with gorgeous weather, ample engineering student volunteers, and even the help of the Manning School students.
E NGINEERING DAY ( S ) OF S ERVICE By ANTHONY WALDENMAIER
The Day of Service was scheduled for Wednesday, October 7th. However, SOE needed to begin this project the day before due to a scheduled visit from a major donor to the University of Mary on Wednesday morning.
Every fall, the University of Mary holds a Day of Service, where the student body, faculty, and staff venture into the Bismarck/Mandan community and perform acts of service. Traditionally, these projects range from doing yard work or cleanups at schools, reading stories to elementary school students, art projects, and many other things. Due to COVID-19 concerns this year, projects were
Three of the Faculty went to Menards on Tuesday evening to buy all the supplies needed for the Gaga Ball Pit construction. Much like the rest of 2020, this story is not without an impact from COVID-19... Unbeknownst to us, there was an apparent lumber shortage at the time of supply purchasing, due in part to COVID-19. There were no 1x6 green-treated boards of 10ft length, there were no green-treated 4x4s, and the supplies in-stock were scarce. However, we were able to come to a solution with in-stock lumber and we were on our way.
Construction of the pit is best done by moving from post to post around the octagon, allowing for minor changes in elevation and ensuring the pit encloses all eight sides. We began with the first post, allowing for a sufficient space for the entire pit, as roughly measured using basic geometry. After the first hole was dug and the post was pounded into place, the lower board was attached to measure to the next post placement. The process continues around the octagon until the first and last post are attached and the pit is closed. At this point, an additional hole is dug to allow for a post which will make the frame of a gate for the pit. While students and faculty added the second and third boards to each side, the gate hinges and latch were