ENGINEERING

Pennsylvania State University has purchased 2,000 licenses of SolidWorks Education Edition software, including COSMOSWorks, COSMOSMotion, and COSMOSFloWorks analysis applications, to teach 3D mechanical design and analysis at 18 campuses throughout the Penn State System, SolidWorks announced today. Students will use SolidWorks and COSMOS software to learn design skills in multiple disciplines, including engineering design, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, and manufacturing technology. The university system's college of engineering chose SolidWorks and COSMOS for their advanced functionality, ease of use, and SolidWorks Education Edition's supporting instructional materials, including tutorials and exercises that help educators teach the role that 3D computer-aided design (CAD) and finite element analysis (FEA) play in the design process. The college deployed and manages the software at the main campus in University Park, Penn., where an average of 350 students use SolidWorks and COSMOS every semester. Varying numbers of students at the other 17 campuses use the software as needed over the university network. Instructors use SolidWorks to teach first-year students the basics of drafting and design. Students at all levels sharpen their design skills by using SolidWorks on real-world projects provided by companies such as Kimberly Clark, IBM, Ingersoll Rand, and Procter & Gamble. The projects range from designing low-cost disposable rain slickers, to satellite wireless networks, to folding campers and nuclear waste disposal systems. Students choose a project and work in teams to learn the benefits of peer-to-peer assessment and collaboration. SolidWorks' short learning curve allows students to spend less time learning the technology and more time developing skills. Ease of use and a flexible interface have also made SolidWorks and COSMOS popular with the Penn State University System's faculty. "We reviewed four software packages, and SolidWorks is the only one that gained widespread consensus from the faculty. More faculty said they wanted to use SolidWorks in their courses than any other software," said Gül Kremer, an assistant professor of engineering design in the college's School of Engineering Design, Technology and Professional Programs. Kremer is also technology coordinator for the department of engineering design, and was given the responsibility of leading the faculty committee that evaluated and chose a 3D application for the entire Penn State University System. "We needed a combination of powerful design functionality for the faculty and a short learning curve for the students, which the other software packages didn't provide. SolidWorks gives us both so we can focus on learning objectives, not on the software, but still have the functionality to do demanding projects." Kremer also uses SolidWorks as the primary design tool in an entrepreneurship course she teaches to non-engineering students. Kremer said even these students find SolidWorks easy enough to learn on their own, so she doesn't have to spend weeks on practical instruction and can readily move into the business aspects of the course. "The fact that students are successfully learning SolidWorks with no formal instruction underscores our philosophy that learning to use software should never take time away from learning theories, concepts, and processes," said Rosanne Kramer, director of worldwide education markets for SolidWorks Corporation. "The Penn State System has become one of the largest SolidWorks academic customers in the world, and we are honored to have all of its campuses in the SolidWorks academic community. We look forward to a dynamic and rewarding partnership."