Student Experiential Learning Through Design and Development of a Subsurface Melting Head for NASA RASCAL-Special Edition Competition

In order for students to enhance their understanding of engineering concepts, hands-on experience proves to be essential. Incorporating the design component in undergraduate engineering education has been an immediate and pressing concern for educators, professional societies, industrial employers and agencies concerned with national productivity and competitiveness. It is crucial to enhance undergraduate design and research experiences to meet both societal needs and the growing job-market demands. The University of the District of Columbia (UDC), the District of Columbia’s only public institution of higher education, and a historically black college and university (HBCU), had recently modernized its undergraduate curricula in engineering to meet that need. This paper presents a case study of recent implementation of student experiential learning approach through undergraduate research experience course (MECH 302). This student group participated in the 2019 US National Aeronautics and Space Administration Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkages (RASC-AL) Challenge, in which they will develop concepts that may provide full or partial solutions to specific design problems and challenges currently facing human space exploration.