Proactive Engineering Two real bottom-up approaches

Cândido Duarte*, Hélder P. Oliveira*, Filipe Magalhães*, Vítor Grade Tavares*, Aurélio C. Campilhoǂ, and Pedro Guedes de Oliveira*

* INESC TEC (formerly INESC Porto) and Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Campus FEUP, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 378, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal ǂ Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica – INEB, Faculty of Engineering,

University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 823, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal

Abstract—This paper presents two initiatives run by groups of engineering students at the University of Porto: the Microelectronics Students’ Group and BioStar. These groups are student-led initiatives that promote different scientific fields through self-guided projects. Both experiences have proven to be very successful in increasing the undergraduate student’s interest in science and technology. This work reports the activities, organization and main methodologies employed by these groups, which can be seen as successful approaches to enhance the technical curriculum of students.

Keywords-component; project-based learning; student-led initiatives;

I. INTRODUCTION

Modern pedagogical methodologies place students at the center of the teaching-learning process. This is a paradigm that has recently been introduced in most Universities across Europe through the Bologna Process [1]. Shifting from a classical teaching model towards a participative model required substantial modifications in just a few years. While teaching procedures for assessments and the way subjects are delivered have already suffered significant changes, the effectiveness of this approach mostly depends on how students accept their individual responsibility to guide their learning, as they are encouraged to take an active role in defining their curriculum. This work reports student-guided experiences that have had a valuable impact on such learning-teaching processes. Based on engineering projects in two different scientific domains, microelectronics and image processing and analysis, these initiatives provide students with the adequate skills to allow them to better shape their own learning.

At the University of Porto, Portugal, the number of students enrolled in the three-cycle degrees has been significantly increasing, especially in engineering programmes. Such a large community comprehends a potential diversity where multidisciplinary knowledge and innovative work can be developed if the adequate conditions are established. Under such circumstances, two student-led initiatives were created,

the “Microelectronics Students Group” (µSG) [2] and “BioStar” [3]. These groups of students managed to independently achieve interesting results as part of extracurricular activities. The faculty members and staff at the university quickly recognized the value of such initiatives. They willingly supported both groups, providing them with the essential tools to maintain their endeavors, while allowing them to remain autonomous. This paper addresses the main activities conducted within each group. The results presented are from a set of projects that represent the work conducted by the students, together with a description of how the activities are structured.

II. OVERVIEW AND METHODOLOGIES OF THE GROUPS

Both μSG and BioStar are extracurricular student-led initiatives that have not been running for very long. μSG was created in 2008 as a collaborative initiative by seven undergraduate students from the Masters Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). The initiative was led by a Ph.D. student who started by providing the students with the environment where they could design microelectronic circuits. The main goal of the initiative was to develop and stimulate the interest of ECE students in the areas of semiconductor technologies and integrated-circuit (IC) design. At the beginning of 2010, the group BioStar was formed to encourage cooperation between students that are interested in the field of bio-related image processing and analysis. BioStar aims to establish a framework where undergraduate and graduate students can acquire and exchange knowledge, while developing their own research activities. The group includes undergraduate students from Masters Degrees in subjects such as ECE, Computer Sciences and Bioengineering. This diversity creates a heterogeneous range of scientific interests that cover biometrics, bio-imaging, bio-robotics, bio-informatics, and other bio-related fields. Two Ph.D. students lead the activities of this group.

Despite the distinct topics of interest, the two groups share interesting features. Both are led by Ph.D. students who deal with integrating new students in research activities. Most undergraduate students do not have prior scientific experience. Therefore, BioStar organizes workshops in which students are introduced to several fundamental topics. Three of these

This work has been partially supported by Portuguese FCT (Fundaçãopara a Ciência e Tecnologia) under project CMU-PT/SIA/0005/2009 in the ambit of COMPETE program with FEDER contribution, and by FCTindividual Grants BD/28163/2006, BD/45380/2008 and BD/43772/2008.

workshops are: “Introduction to image processing and analysis using MATLAB

®,” “Introduction to C language programming,” and “Introduction to C++.” These introduce the students to numerous subjects that complement their curricula and are useful for the research activities offered in the group. In μSG, the students work in an organizational model that closely resembles the real-life organization of an IC design center. To make this a reality, the most experienced students have built a suitable network infrastructure [4].

A considerable amount of time and effort is typically required to guide students during the initial training phases. Nonetheless, the success of this activity is crucial to keep them motivated. Students easily lose enthusiasm when confronted with minor but time consuming issues in their work. Furthermore, in many cases the software tools they have to deal with are not very user friendly. It has been noted that less studious students tend to leave the groups due to the absence of immediate results during this stage. Due to the extracurricular nature of these initiatives, it is also hard to keep them actively interested and ensure their regular attendance. However, none of these factors is typically responsible for keen students losing interest. Indeed, as most keen students improve their skills over time, new members can then be invited to join the groups and the experienced students can take on the roles of tutors. In order to efficiently support individual training, the groups develop their own documentation. Figure 1 shows an example of a tutorial for µSG, which is available on their website [2]. These tutorials are typically made public as long as the contents do not violate nondisclosure agreements between the University and third parties.

Based on tutorials, the students are advised to accomplish a structured sequence of procedures on their own. Supervision can gradually be reduced over time, and individual schedules can be relaxed and easily adapted. The competencies acquired over these training periods can be attested by the participation in international design competitions [5]–[7]. Once the students have acquired the competencies to be able to autonomously deal with the design software (in µSG), or algorithm implementations (in the group BioStar), a specific set of tasks can then be proposed for small work teams.

This approach targets numerous goals. First, the students need to learn how to closely study a specific subject matter. This means they must review scientific literature and critically assess what is relevant to complete their tasks. Secondly, advanced topics are strategically chosen to motivate interpersonal practices. As a consequence, this approach promotes student interaction and in-depth discussion of technical topics. In addition to improving their knowledge, this also establishes best working practices. A smoother and natural integration is then accomplished and students become more aware of their responsibility to and in the group. Subsequently, this promotes group cohesion over time, which is crucial for the development of complex projects.

Figure 1. Tutorial example for the simulation of a output characteristic of a transistor.

III. GROUP ACTIVITIES

A. µSG

Since its creation, μSG has been successful in sparking the interest of young students in microelectronics and particularly in the design of integrated circuits and systems. It already represents an enthusiastic experience that has been running for almost 4 years. The group’s first works focused on the design of microelectronic circuits for wireless radio-frequency IC applications. The development of these systems is cumbersome and commonly known for the technical difficulties associated with it. As a result, the first projects required a lot of persistence and strong commitment from all of the students

involved. The financial support from projects sponsored by the University of Porto also greatly contributed to this student-led initiative, since it made it possible to produce the first ICs. Figure 2 shows the block diagram for one of these ICs that has been sent for tape-out. It consists of a radio-frequency front-end for a wireless receiver system operating in the 2~3-GHz range [8].

Figure 2. Block diagaram of a wireless frequency-shift-keying receiver.

This project took nearly 2 years to conclude. It involved more than 20 students working in a directly collaborative team, which made it possible for 2 ICs to be manufactured during this time. A first IC comprised separate subsystems and circuits to be analyzed and tested independently, while the second IC already comprised the complete receiver chain.

Despite being challenging, this project has efficiently increased the interest on IC design. Since it covers a wide range of levels of complexity in terms of technical issues, it allowed students with different levels of knowledge and experience to be allocated in the team.

The work has recently evolved towards new topics of interest, addressing emerging applications, for instance the case of ultra wideband (UWB) technologies. An UWB front-end transmitter has been designed for impulse-based communications at low energy-per-bit consumption. Figure 3 depicts the structural layout and micrograph of the respective IC that has been manufactured. This UWB transmitter finds suitable applications in biomedical systems where power demands are daunting, e.g. subcutaneous implants.

Figure 3. UWB transmitter – structural design (left) and micrograph of the IC manufactured (right) – dimensions 1.1×1.1 mm2.

In addition to the design of wireless circuits, other activities and topics of interest include: mixed-signal baseband circuits, the bio-inspired implementation of self-test circuitry for associative memories and CMOS image sensors.

Even though the student work runs on a voluntary basis, the group succeeded in achieving several IC designs. The students are constantly encouraged to share their work though scientific contributions, either in scientific meetings promoted by the University, or through publications in international conferences in which their work is subject to scientific reviews. Some of these works evolved into final M.Sc. theses and continued later with support from research scholarships, e.g. the development of the readout circuit shown in Figure 4.

μSG has already involved more than 40 prospective engineers in their projects. Some former members of the group are now professionals in international semiconductor-related industries. According to most testimonials, their experience as group members has added considerable value in their present professional roles in addition to the technical skills acquired. These include improved teamwork methodologies and communication skills.

Figure 4. CMOS realization of a MEMS capacitive readout – packaged

prototype (left) and IC micrograph (right) – different scales.

B. BioStar

BioStar encompasses a wide-range of scientific interests and has been running several different projects. Some of these arose from cooperation with other University departments as well as research institutes, namely in the field of breast cancer, biology, biometrics and pharmaceuticals. From the group projects, 4 M.Sc. theses [9]–[12], have already been completed and 2 papers have been presented in a conference held by the University of Porto [13], [14] that was dedicated to junior research activities (IJUP). BioStar’s various scientific activities are briefly described next.

1) Biology

Different projects can be mentioned in the field of biology, regarding the problem of cell segmentation and respective morphometric analysis in optical microscopy images [9] –Figure 5. These projects generally aim to propose fully automated methods that make it possible to separate, count and measure cell structures and extract useful characteristics for the researchers, reducing the effort of these tasks, which can be time consuming.

Figure 5. Examples of microscopy images related with biological problems.

2) Biometrics

Advances in the field of information technology have made information security an inseparable part of it. Biometrics plays an important role in security. It can be used to identify the user when compared to inputs in a database or specific people using certain characteristics.

With regard to this specific matter, activities have been conducted relating to biometric recognition based on palmprint principal lines [10], hand geometry [11], and the iris, as well as for the detection of singular points in fingerprint [15] and ear images – Figure 6.

The final aim is to combine the best of the different modalities in a global system, therefore increasing the identification accuracy and its robustness.

Figure 6. Examples for the detection of characteristic hand geometric points and fingerprint singular points.

Biometrics related projects led to the organization of two international competitions, the “Fingerprint Singular Point Detection Competition” [6] and the “Hand Geometric Points Detection Competition” [7]. This also led to the creation of 2 biometric related public databases.

3) Pharmaceutical

In the pharmaceutical area, BioStar directed efforts towards the problem of segmentation and the morphometric analysis of gold nanoparticles in surface electron microscopy (SEM) images – Figure 7.

This project has proved to be extremely successful. It results in saving time for pharmaceutical researchers, as conventional segmentation can be avoided. Instead, the proposed methodologies can completely replace the manual procedure using an automated or semi-automated approach.

Figure 7. Examples of SEM images of gold nanoparticles.

4) Breast Cancer

The BioStar group has also been working on the detection of masses and calcifications in mammograms [16] and on the aesthetic evaluation that follows the conservative surgical procedure [17] – Figure 8. Regarding the mammograms, the main objective is to support radiologists with automatic, semantic based search methods used directly with medical images. This aids in the early detection of lesions that might cause malignant tissues. With respect to the aesthetic evaluation that follows the conservative surgical procedure, the goal is to overcome the limitations of the reproducibility and objectivity of the methods currently used to evaluate the aesthetic result of Breast Cancer Conservative Treatment (BCCT). This work is based on comparing the treated and non-treated breast in frontal photographs of the patients. Several indices related to the surgical aesthetic result are automatically obtained from the image, making the evaluation fast, easy and reproducible.

Figure 8. Mammogram (left) for the detection of masses and calcifications and a screenshot of the software for the aesthetic evaluation (right).

5) Human-Computer-Interaction (HCI) for users with disabilities

The growth of HCI has made it possible to help individuals with disabilities communicate. In comparison with traditional HCIs (keyboard, mouse, etc.), modern HCIs play an important role in the area of rehabilitation. BioStar developed a system to automatically translate the Braille alphabet into the Latin alphabet and a system that controls the mouse using facial detection.

Figure 9. Example of a word written in the Braille alphabet.

IV. DISCUSSION

Grouping students in extracurricular activities in a format that resembles a professional working environment, is increasingly becoming a potentially new paradigm that can complement regular course work. Students cannot participate in distinct extracurricular activities during their degree, principally due to the level of involvement, commitment and time needed to acquire the necessary skills to develop a subject further. However, it is an extraordinary opportunity for students to develop proficient skills that are relatively difficult to cover in a course. Consecutively, it gives students the opportunity to get involved in activities in the area of their greatest interests, increasing their ability to use tools and practice subjects with possible real-life applications. At the same time, soft skills are developed. This aspect is strongly encouraged and promoted by the methodologies implemented. The need to work in a team, to communicate ideas and understand peer reasoning in order to find a common ground solution, motivates the students to be more attentive to how they present their ideas. Students have the opportunity to practice their communication skills through regular presentation sessions to their colleagues or to a broader audience. In particular, regular public presentations at IJUP [18] have been encouraged and generally well accepted by the students, with about 15 presentations having been performed so far. The writing of papers for conferences and posters have also been stiulated Therefore, this has helped students practice structural reporting on technical issues for dissemination. It is a motivational incentive and helps to assess the effectiveness of the method since the papers are evaluated by independent reviewers. In this respect, more than 6 articles have been published, attesting the usefulness and quality of the program implemented in these groups. About 10 Masters theses have sprung from projects proposed under the groups’ activities invariably with relevant results, representing another good indicator of the efficacy of the methodology. The progression has been steady with increasing visibility, and new partnerships with research institutions and companies are now being assessed. These are factors that help to conclude that initiatives like those presented in this paper are effective and help to improve the skills of undergraduate students.

V. CONCLUSION

Extracurricular activities are proving to be an excellent vehicle to exercise competencies and knowledge in areas of particular interest for students. As highlighted by the two experiences presently running at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, the level of student integration and commitment is very high. To a great extent, the main reason behind such success can be found in the students’ sense of belonging and ownership. This is granted by an organization structure that is autonomous in nature. The students are made part of the decision-making process for the activities and midterm group policy. A sense of duty and responsibility in the group is implemented from the beginning, for example in the need for compliance with interdependent and mutual consequent tasks in teamwork. This elevates the respect and dependability among peers, which is fundamental to generate a

healthy and productive environment for teamwork. The activities and outcomes have proven successful in the achievement and development of both personal and professional competencies, such as teamwork, scientific writing, bibliographic research, leadership and other proficiencies related to interpersonal relationships in a team environment.

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