The development and implementation of a freshman engineering project in energy scavenging

Energy scavenging from the environment is a contemporary topic that positively benefits society. This paper describes the development and implementation of an energy scavenging project that uses piezoelectric material. In the fall of 2009, this project was implemented in an introduction to engineering course with over one hundred students from four different engineering disciplines: civil, computer, electrical, and mechanical. Survey results and students´ reflection papers showed that the project was appealing to the students and helped them understand several basic concepts as well as principles of the engineering design process.