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Top 3 universities for Aeronautics and Astronautics engineering postgraduate programmes – Study International

May 6, 2024 | Author: admin

Aeronautics and Astronautics, the engineering fields that propel us through the air and into the cosmos, remain ever-relevant. From the commercial airliners that crisscross the globe, like Boeings 787 Dreamliner, to the ingenuity behind SpaceXs Falcon 9 rockets launching satellites, these disciplines are constantly pushing the boundaries of flight.

Research-based graduate programmes in Aeronautics and Astronautics offer a chance to go deeper, equipping students with advanced knowledge in aerodynamics, propulsion, and spacecraft design. This specialised knowledge skillset is crucial for tackling challenges like improving fuel efficiency for aircraft or designing the next generation of deep space probes.

Graduates with these qualifications are highly sought after by industry giants such as Airbus, NASA and private spaceflight companies like Blue Origin. They play a vital role in shaping the future of transportation, communication, and scientific exploration, ensuring humanity continues its ascent to new heights. If this is something that you aspire to achieve, here are three leading universities that you can consider:

At Purdue University, students can conduct hands-on research into propulsion technologies at Zucrow Laboratories, the largest university propulsion lab in the world. Source: Purdue University

Founded in 1869, Purdue University, a top-ranked public university in West Lafayette, Indiana, is renowned for its rigorous and experiential programmes that prepare students for successful careers. The School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University is exemplary of this. It ranks sixth in US News and World Reports list of top aerospace graduate programmes.

Graduate programmes offered here include the MS non-thesis, Professional MS with Engineering Leadership focus, MS thesis, and PhD programmes. Whichever programme you choose, youll learn from world-renowned experts conducting cutting-edge research in Aerodynamics, Aerospace Systems, Astrodynamics and Space Applications, Autonomy and Control, Propulsion and Structures and Materials.

Pair that with Purdues world-class research facilities, and youll have an enriching experience and education here. The Zucrow Laboratories complex is the largest university facility in the world for studying aviation and aerospace propulsion. The school is at the forefront of hypersonics research and is expanding its facilities with cutting-edge innovations. There are also exceptional resources in composite materials, including an industrial-scale manufacturing and testing facility. One of the largest, if not the largest, indoor Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) test facilities in the world, is here too.

With such programmes and facilities, many graduates go on to make giant leaps in their careers. Purdue produces the most aerospace engineering graduates in the US with many going on to succeed in the field. For example, Sirisha Bandlas journey from a Purdue graduate to a commercial spaceflight pioneer is a testament to the career-making opportunities the school provides. Another graduate, Julie Kramer White, is now director of engineering for NASAs Johnson Space Center and was chief engineer on the Orion capsule that will send humans back to the Moon and Mars. To follow in their footsteps, apply to the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics today.

The graduate programme in the University of Tokyos aerospace engineering offers in-depth studies and advanced research across Fluid Dynamics, Structures and Materials, Flight Dynamics and Control, and Propulsion. Source: University of Tokyo

The University of Tokyos Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics boasts a rich history. Established in 1918, it was briefly closed after World War II before being reorganised and expanded in 1954 to keep pace with the rapid advancements in aeronautics and space technology. Today, the department offers robust graduate programmes that reflect the growing sophistication of the field.

Approximately 70% of graduates pursue further studies at the departments esteemed graduate school. The remaining graduates succeed in national research labs and relevant industries, including aircraft and space, automobile, and heavy industries.

Here, students can pursue a two-year Masters degree or a three-year Doctorate programme, with an intake of around 15 doctoral students per year. The department focuses on the science and engineering behind aircraft and spacecraft, encompassing fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, V/STOL vehicles, rockets, and space vehicles. Recognising the fields rapid evolution, the department offers up-to-date courses in aerodynamics, propulsion, flight dynamics, instrumentation and control, structural mechanics, materials science, and system design.

To cater to individual interests, the department provides specialised courses in Aerospace Engineering and Aerospace Propulsion. The graduate programme goes beyond classroom learning, providing opportunities for in-depth research. Students actively participate in cutting-edge research projects. The programme is further structured into four research groups: Fluid Dynamics, Structures and Materials, Flight Dynamics and Control, and Propulsion.

The departments Center for Aviation Innovation Research takes a holistic approach, examining aviation advancements from technical, policy, and economic perspectives. The centre also hosts international seminars, workshops, and symposia. Whats more, students benefit from the departments exceptional faculty and access to state-of-the-art facilities like shock tube, hypersonic wind tunnel, transonic cascade tunnel, aerospace environmental testing facilities and many more.

The Aeronautical and Astronautical engineering programmes at the University of Southampton are accredited by the Royal Aeronautical Society. Source: University of Southampton/Facebook

The University of Southampton has a rich history in aerospace engineering, offering programmes since the 1930s. This legacy extends to its graduates, some of whom made aviation history three decades later with the worlds first human-powered flight. Today, Southampton continues to produce highly sought-after graduates who significantly contribute to the space industry, aerospace, and defence sectors.

The universitys four-year aerospace engineering programme equips students with a strong foundation for future endeavours. The first two years focus on theoretical knowledge, covering subjects like aircraft aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, and structural design. As students progress, the programme transitions to a more practical approach. They gain hands-on experience through workshops, design studios, and industry visits. These opportunities provide valuable insights into potential career paths and the realities of the field.

Programmes offered here include the MSc in Aerodynamics and Computation, MSc in Race Car Aerodynamics, and MSc in Space Systems Engineering. Take the MSc in Space Systems Engineering for an example. Developed by the universitys world-renowned Astronautics Research Group and endorsed by the UK Space Agency, this programme equips you with the expertise to design entire space systems. Whats more, you will gain in-depth knowledge of how various subsystems function and interact to create a cohesive whole.

Academic rigour is just one facet of the Southampton experience. Students are actively encouraged to participate in individual and group design projects, as well as conduct their own research projects. The best part? Youll do all these honing with the support of world-class facilities that include a spacecraft propulsion laboratory, wind tunnels, an autonomous systems test bed, and a shaker table.

For Oliver Hitchens, a graduate of the Aeronautics and Astronautics / Spacecraft Engineering (MEng) course, however, the best thing about Southampton was meeting a diverse range of people that I can now call my friends.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International

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Eric Brey named dean of the UTSA Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design – The University of Texas at San Antonio

May 6, 2024 | Author: admin

A professor of biomedical engineering and chemical engineering, Brey joined UTSA in 2017 as professor and department chair after 13 years at the Illinois Institute of Technology. As department chair he oversaw a time of unprecedented growth in faculty, research expenditures and new programs. In addition to his teaching and administrative roles, Brey is co-director of the UTSA Institute for Regenerative Medicine and directs research focused on the fields of tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and biomaterials. He holds the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. Endowed Chair in Mechanics.

Brey is recognized internationally for his innovative research approach to engineering vascularized tissues, and for developing novel imaging methods to analyze and monitor engineered tissues. His research has culminated in more than 150 publications and over 7,600 citations, and he has received more than $25 million in grant funding to support his research from organizations like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense and the San Antonio Medical Foundation.

Brey is also dedicated to engineering education, especially how undergraduate research and disciplinary cultures impact a students career trajectory. He has contributed to innovative training programs, including in his current role as associate program director for the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD), a three-year research professional development program backed by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences that guides PhD students as they adjust to doctoral training and advance in their scientific careers.

He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Rice University, B.S. and M.Eng in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville and was a NIH post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Surgery at Loyola University Medical Center.

I am honored and excited about the opportunity to lead the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design into its next chapter of growth and innovation, Brey said. Klesse College is an incredible environment with exceptional students, faculty and staff. I look forward to collaborating on the development and implementation of a vision focused on being a role model of an urban-serving college with excellence in research, distinctive educational programs, collaboration across disciplines, and service to the community.

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Eric Brey named dean of the UTSA Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design - The University of Texas at San Antonio

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STAX Engineering Partners with AMPORTS to Offer Emissions Capture Services – The Maritime Executive

May 6, 2024 | Author: admin

[By: STAX Engineering]

STAX Engineering, a pioneer in maritime emissions capture and control, is proud to announce an exclusive service agreement with AMPORTS, a major player in the North American auto processing industry. This landmark agreement will bring STAX's cutting-edge services to all auto carriers at berth at the Port of Benicia, marking the fourth such agreement signed by STAX in just eight weeks.

The Port of Benicia is a critical point of entry for vessels from Asia, Europe and Mexico and exporting vessels bound for Asia. At the Port, AMPORTS handles roughly 260,000 imported vehicles annually, about 20% of the vehicles imported by sea into California.

Addressing at-berth exhaust emissions is an opportunity for many vessel owners and operators, as well as the greater Benicia port community, to be environmentally responsible, Vee Kachroo, Chief Executive Officer, AMPORTS. We are excited to announce this partnership with STAX and offer accessible, no maintenance emissions capture and control services so that all stakeholders can bring their environmental goals within reach.

STAX, a grantee of theCalifornia Air Resources Board(CARB), is the only provider authorized to service both container vessels and auto carriers in California; service for auto carriers began in early April 2024 and is available everywhere STAX has a presence. International shipping leader,NYK Line,recently announced its partnership with STAXto service its auto carrier vessels at the Port of Benicia and other ports around the state. STAX currently provides service at the Ports of Benicia, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Oakland.

As a readily available and environmentally friendly option, STAX offers land- and barge-based, mobile emissions capture and control technology to shipping terminal and fleet operators for a nominal hourly fee. STAX's patented, flexible exhaust capture system is designed to fit all ships without modification, even in the most congested ports. The exhaust is filtered once it is captured and funneled into the STAX system. STAX removes 99% of particulate matter (PM) and 95% of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) before being released as purified gas. To date, STAX has treated 62 at-berth vessels for a cumulative of 3,200 hours and 23 tons of pollutants controlledand counting.

Weve seen so much success in such a short time because our partners recognize that STAX technology makes maintaining compliance and improving local air quality accessible and straightforward, says Mike Walker, Chief Executive Officer, STAX. Every port and port community in the world stands to benefit from affordable, accessible emissions capture and control services. While our sights are set on California in the near term, we hope to expand our presence across North America and abroad as quickly as possible.

The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.

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Engineering Students Share Yearlong Research Projects During Senior Design Demo Day – UConn Today – University of Connecticut

May 6, 2024 | Author: admin

Cameron Hubbard 24, Kanisha Desai 24, Hailey Tam 24, and Ethan Krouskup 24 shared their project Spirit of Sobriety: Of Non-Alcoholic Brews during Senior Design Demo Day.

While chemical engineers may more commonly be known for working in areas of pharmaceutical development, materials processing, and petroleum industries, Kanisha Desai 24 (ENG) is brewing up her own innovative idea for putting her chemical engineering degree to use.

Desai, along with engineering classmates Cameron Hubbard 24 (ENG), Hailey Tam 24 (ENG), and Ethan Krouskup 24 (ENG), debuted their projecta non-alcoholic beer brewing processduring Senior Design Demonstration Day on April 26 in an energy-buzzed Gampel Pavilion. (View the photo gallery online here.)

We wanted to solve a problem that most people wouldnt normally classify as an engineering problem, Desai says. Brewing has always been a fascinating topic to us as chemical engineers, and since many people love the taste and creative flavors of craft beers, but dont want the added alcohol, this project allows us to help small breweries develop a thriving alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer brewing business.

The teams project, Spirit of Sobriety: Of Non-Alcoholic Brews, was among 242 student-led endeavors showcased during the 2024 Senior Design Demo Day. Sponsored by the College of Engineering (CoE) and under the mentorship of Associate Professor in Residence Jennifer Pascal, the project took first place of all senior designs from the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department.

Senior Design is two-semester capstone course where faculty and industry engineers mentor students as they work to solve real-world engineering problems for university and company sponsors. Through the experience, students learn about the principles of design, how ethics affect engineering decisions, and how professionals communicate ideas. In addition, they acquire valuable teamwork skills and professional skills while interacting with industry professionals and other mentors.

Each year, dozens of leading manufacturing companies, pharmaceutical and medical firms, consulting practices and utilities present the College of Engineering with design challenges or problems they are encountering in their business, explains CoE Dean Kazem Kazerounian. For a modest fee, the companies suggest a particular problem and our senior engineering students, under the joint mentorship of engineering faculty and practicing experts from the sponsoring entities, work to properly frame the problem and develop meaningful solutions.

Senior Design Demo Day provides the soon-to-be UConn graduates an opportunity to share the results of their independent research projects with fellow students, faculty, alumni, and community members.

For our students, this experience is the culmination of their undergraduate education, and an opportunity to showcase their skills and education as they venture into the next steps of their careers, says Daniel Burkey, associate dean for undergraduate education and Castleman Term Professor in Engineering Innovation. Even after Demo Day, some students continue working on their project, especially if they accept a job with their project sponsor.

While the Spirit of Sobriety team also implemented a pasteurization process on a home-brewing scale to ensure the safe drinkability of the non-alcoholic beer, materials science and engineering majors Charlotte Chen 24 (ENG), Sanjana Nistala 24 (ENG), Jenna Salvatore 24 (ENG), and Allison Determan 24 (ENG) designed a Joint-On-A-Chip to emulate the in vivo environment of a knee joint affected by osteoarthritis. The chip mimics the immune response and mechanical strain that cells in an affected joint experience in the human body.

Through their Senior Design project, Deblurring of Digital Images, electrical and computer engineering majors Andrew Feliciano 24 (ENG) and Colby Powers 24 (ENG) evaluated blur reduction or removal algorithms that could be implemented on imaging systems found on United States Coast Guard ships and naval vessels.

And Gary Zhu 24 (ENG), Jack Crocamo 24 (ENG), Ryka ChandraRaj 24 (ENG), Alicia Chiu 24 (ENG), Ryan Mercier 24 (ENG), and Donny Sauer III 24 (ENG) completed a systems engineering project titled, Data Collection and Analysis for an Autonomous Electric Vehicle System. With the support of sponsor Pratt & Whitney, the team developed a data analysis framework capable of precisely predicting a self-driving vehicles reactions to input directives. The foundation of this initiative rests upon a data-driven control system tailored for electric vehicles, harnessing the power of machine learning algorithms.

Solving Problems Statewide

One of the goals of Senior Design is to help solve problems on a local level.

In Madison, Conn., the Connecticut Department of Transportation wants to expand a rest stop along the heavily traveled Interstate 95. Environmental engineering majors Rory Cavicke 24 (ENG), Kelsey DiCesare 24 (ENG), and Alexander Brita 24 (ENG) worked with industry sponsor CHA Consulting to design a septic system and stormwater infrastructure for an expanded tractor trailer rest stop. The team developed their designs in accordance with the CT Public Health Code 2023 Technical Standards and the CT Stormwater Quality Manual.

And in Woodstock, residents are working to restore and preserve the historic Chamberlin Mill, which produced wood shingles in the 19th and early 20th centuries. For their senior design project, mechanical engineering majors Alexander Guzman 24 (ENG), Will Goss 24 (ENG), and Vinicius De Souza 24 (ENG) conducted a mechanical analysis and working CAD model of the mills 1860s shingle machine, which will be used by the mill to teach future STEM students.

Catalyzing Campus

Other projects focused on benefiting UConn itself.

Under the guidance of faculty advisor Shinae Jang, civil engineering majors Joshua Maccione 24 (ENG), Christian Maignan 24 (ENG), Connor Behuniak 24 (ENG), Ryan Baj 24 (ENG), and Darren Lin 24 (ENG) designed a multi-story, modernized building to accommodate the expanding engineering programs within the newly designated College of Engineering. The team obtained geotechnical data from past construction projects and identified an optimal new location for this proposed facility on campus. The design incorporated composite and non-composite beams, along with a combination of steel and braced frames. Their project, Proposed College of Engineering Building at the University of Connecticut, took second place of all civil engineering senior designs.

Also, mechanical engineering majors Christian Bjork 24 (ENG), Alanna Barzola 24 (ENG), and Nicholas Trottier 24 (ENG), along with electrical engineering majors Patrick Place 24 (ENG) and River Granniss 24 (ENG), collaborated on the design, development, and analysis of a scaled-down, concentrated photovoltaic/thermal system (CPV/T) that could be integrated into a greenhouse roof at UConn. Photovoltaic and thermal systems are considered conventional green energy methods used to power a greenhouse, however combining them is relatively new concept. Because photovoltaic systems can become inefficient when they reach high temperatures, for this project, the team proposed cooling the photovoltaic system with a combined thermal system while simultaneously producing thermal energy to heat the greenhouse.

Their project, Design and Development of PV/Thermal System for Greenhouses was advised by Wajid Chishty, Nathan Lehman, and Ravi Gorthala and sponsored by Sonalysts, Inc. It received first place in systems engineering projects and third place in mechanical engineering project.

For Grannis, the senior design process proved to be challenging, but rewarding. With his electrical engineering knowledge, Grannis was tasked with making the systems sun tracking device operate correctly, in a minimal amount of time.

The tracking system design we ended up using was not finalized until about a month into the second semester of senior design. After that, I spent all of my time working on the electronics and software for the tracking system pretty much until Demo Day, Grannis says. The biggest thing I learned was coding in C++ for Arduino. In many cases the hardest parts of the project were not the most interesting to present, so learning to show off what is interesting while continuing to work on the hard stuffwhile also informing sponsors and advisors about what difficulties there areis a balance that needs to be found early on. The most important thing Senior Design reinforced is how important interpersonal communication is, even in engineering where things are heavily results-driven.

A Little Competition

Demo Day isnt the only venue students share their novel projects. For Senior Design, Ashley Sciacca 24 (ENG), Nathan Garala 24 (ENG), Ryan Maguire 24 (ENG), and Spencer Alsup 24 (ENG) fabricated a fully electric-powered, waterproof boat. Along with other members of UConns Promoting Electric Propulsion team Christopher Capozzi, Andrews Marsigliano, Ian Pichs, and Xavier Purandahthe group competed in a five-mile course in Virginia, sponsored by the American Society of Naval Engineers. Students designed the boat using a simulation software and combined this data with test results to determine power requirements.

This was the first year of competition for the UConn team, and of 39 schools, we finished in the top 10, which is a great accomplishment, said project advisor Vito Moreno, professor in residence of mechanical engineering.

Similarly, electrical and computer engineering majors Matthew Silverman 24 (ENG), Spencer Albano 24 (ENG), and Nicholas Wycoff 24 (ENG) participated in a Software Defined Radio (SDR) university challenge in Ohio with their Senior Design project, Physical Layer Network Slicing. They created an access point that can establish a network and communicate across both Wi-Fi and Zigbee (a Wi-Fi alternative) devices. The competition, hosted by the Wright Brothers Institute (WBI) and Air Force Research Laboratory, encouraged hands-on skill building and explore experimentation through SDR hardware. UConns team was among the top 8 finalists and received the Most Outstanding Project Award. Shengli Zhou, professor of electrical and computer engineering, served as the teams advisor.

There are some routers that can communicate over both Wi-Fi and Zigbee but are typically two separate devices bundled in the same enclosure, Albano explains. Having one device that communicates across both standards provides ease to a network administrator that can manage devices in both standards. The benefits include efficiency, flexibility, and security.

And the Winners Are

Senior Design Demo Day began more than 40 years ago. Today, it features the projects of students majoring in biomedical engineering, chemical and biomolecular engineering; civil and environmental engineering; electrical and computer engineering; environmental engineering; materials science and engineering; systems engineering; management and engineering manufacturing; multidisciplinary engineering; the School of Computing; and the School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering.

Each CoE department and school awarded prizes for the best poster presentations. The 2024 winners are:

Biomedical Engineering

1st place: Joint-On-A-Chip Osteoarthritis Disease Modeling for Evaluating Anti-Inflammatory Drug Performance, by Charlotte Chen (MSE), Sanjana Nistala, Jenna Salvatore, and Allison Determan. Advisor: Syam Nukavarapu. Sponsor: UConn Biomedical Engineering Department.

2nd place: Singular Part 3D-Printed External Prosthetics for Mastectomy Patients Without Reconstruction, by Yukti Ummaneni, Ashwini Patel, Mia Haynes, and Jamie Trinh. Advisor: Liisa Kuhn. Sponsor: Beekley Lab for Biosymmetrix

3rd place (tie): Circuit and Sensor Design for Smartphone-Based Electroretinography, by Rory Harris, Rodrigo Tuesta, and Yuexi Hao. Advisor: Hugo Posada-Quintero. Sponsor: UConn Biomedical Engineering Department.

3rd place (tie): In Vitro Model for the Study of Traumatic Brain Injury by Mark Cristino, Rudin Lloga, and Kaiya Pringle. Advisor: Kazunori Hoshino. Sponsor: UConn Biomedical Engineering Department.

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering 1st place: Spirit of Sobriety: Of Non-Alcoholic Brews, by Cameron Hubbard, Kanisha Desai, Hailey Tam, and Ethan Krouskup. Advisor: Jennifer Pascal. Sponsor: UConn College of Engineering.

2nd place: Design And Optimization Of A Multi-Effect Desalination Unit Integrated With A Gas Turbine Plan, by Wasif Zaman, Katelyn Honegger, Alanna Smith, and David Gan. Advisor: Burcu Beykal. Sponsor: UConn College of Engineering.

3rd place: Redefining How to Process Body Wash: Creating A More Efficient and Agile Supply Chain, by Aadil Shahzad, Samantha Miel, Megan Shiring, and Matthew Silver. Advisor: Anson Ma. Sponsor: Unilever.

Civil Engineering 1st place: Blue Line Extension, by Anson Lau, Yuanlong Dai, Helen Pruchniak, Nicholas Vestergaard. Advisor: Wei Zhang. Sponsor: Construction Industries of Massachusetts-Labor Relations Division (CIM-LRD).

2nd place: Proposed College of Engineering Building at the University of Connecticut, by Joshua Maccione, Christian Maignan, Connor Behuniak, Ryan Baj, and Darren Lin. Advisor: Shinae Jang. Sponsor: Slam Collaborative.

3rd place (tie): Design of Pedestrian Walkway For The Gold Star Memorial, by Shaun McGuire, Kayla Turner, Steven Anderson, Juan Javier Mejia. Advisor: Manish Roy. Sponsor: HNTB Corporation.

3rd place (tie): Worcester Union Station Center Island Platform Project, by Conor Murphy, Harley Jeanty, Jakub Patrosz, Benjamin Ragozzine. Advisor: Wei Zhang. Sponsor: HDR, Inc.

Environmental Engineering

1st place: Remedial Design of a PFAS Contaminated Site in Connecticut, by Valentine Falsetta, Wilmalis Rodriguez, and Nicola Bacon. Advisor: Alexander Agrios. Sponsor: Amine Dahmani.

2nd place: Stormwater/Septic Design, by Rory Cavicke, Kelsey DiCesare, and Alexander Brita. Advisor: Alexander Agrios. Sponsor: CHA Consulting, Inc.

3rd place: Stones Ranch Road Drainage Upgrades and Erosion Control, by Grace Carravone, Amanda Jacobson, Sara Makula, and Jason Contreras. Advisor: Manish Roy. Sponsor: Connecticut National Guard.

School of Computing 1st place: Solubility Data Management, by John Bogacz, Connor Brush, Maniza Shaikh, Jianhua Zhu, Walson Li, and Peter Filip. Advisor: Qian Yang. Sponsor: Boehringer Ingelheim.

2nd place: Light Scattering Automation, by Zachary Hall, Nikolas Anagnostou, Alden Dus, Jacob Montanez, Avaneesh Sathish, Zakarya Zahhal, and Nikolas Kallicharan. Advisor: Qian Yang. Sponsor: UConn School of Computing.

3rd place: Responsive Multimodal Care Coordinator (MCC) Development, by Randy Yu, James Frederick, Betul Agirman, Cameron Ky, Quincy Miller, and Mir Zaman. Advisor: Suining He. Sponsor: University of Connecticut and Bastion.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Projects 1st place: Robotic Perception Sensor Characterization Platform, by Hritish Bhargava and Samuel Gresh. Advisor: Shan Zuo. Sponsor: Draper Laboratory.

2nd place: Air Force Research LaboratorySoftware Defined Radio(SDR) University Challenge: Physical Layer Network Slicing, by Spencer Albano, Matthew Silverman, and Nicholas Wycoff Advisor: Shengli Zhou. Sponsor: UConn Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

3rd place: Automated Angle Table for AS5, by Alexander ReCouper and Mitchell Bronson. Advisor: Liang Zhang. Sponsor: OEM Controls.

Materials Science and Engineering 1st place and Student Choice Award (tie): Joint-On-A-Chip Osteoarthritis Disease Modeling for Evaluating Anti-Inflammatory Drug Performance, by Charlotte Chen, Sanjana Nistala, Jenna Salvatore, and Allison Determan. Advisor: Fiona Leek. Sponsor: UConn Biomedical Engineering Department.

2nd place and Student Choice Award (tie): Citric Acid Passivation Process Development, by Kevin Li and Matthew Maramo. Advisor: Alexander Dupuy. Sponsor: ARKA.

3rd place: Bio-Based Material Commercial Door Components Footprint, by Yuexuan Gu and Jaclyn Grace. Advisor: Fiona Leek. Sponsor: ASSA ABLOY.

Management and Engineering for Manufacturing 1st place: Enhancing Smartfood Popcorn Line Efficiency to Reduce Downtime And Boost Production Performance, by Anna Lidsky, Valeria Nieto, Isabelle Bunosso, and Lauren Hart. Advisor: Craig Calvert. Sponsor: PepsiCo Frito-Lay.

2nd place: Modernizing Raw Material Marking and Inventory System To Enhance Traceability, by Nimai Browning, Quinn Reelitz, Steven Jaret, and Austin Muzzy. Advisors: Craig Calvert and Rajiv Naik. Sponsor: HORST Engineering.

3rd place: Reliability Testing and Design Risk Assessment to Enhance Product Quality and Business Sustainability, by Alex Domingo, Madeline Corbett, Brett Pierce, and Alexander Pearl. Advisor: Rajiv Naik. Sponsor: Belimo Americas.

School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering Professors Award: Designing and Operating An Experimental Facility To Study Non-Premixed Flames Of Pre-Heated (And Pre-Vaporized) Reactants, by Al-Yaman Zoghol and Tyler Dickey. Advisor: Francesco Carbone. Sponsor: UConn College of Engineering.

1st place: Multifunctional Metamaterial to Attenuate Acoustic and Elastic Waves, by Evan Kluge and Lindsey Japa. Advisor: Osama Bilal. Sponsor: ACC Masters.

2nd place (tie): Improved Performance of Magnetic Speed Sensor Analyzer, by Kristen Angeli and Emily Root. Advisor: Farhad Imani. Sponsor: AI-Tek Instruments.

2nd place (tie): Belt Based Continuously Variable Automatic Transmission Prototype, by Ajeeth Vellore, Luka Ligouri, Ethan Wicko, and Ryan Zwick. Advisor: David Pierce. Sponsor: Transcend Bicycle LLC.

3rd place: Design and Development of PV/Thermal System for Greenhouses, by Christian Bjork, Alanna Barzola, Nicholas Trottier, Patrick Place and River Granniss. Advisors: Wajid Chishty, Nathan Lehman, and Ravi Gorthala. Sponsor: Sonalysts, Inc.

Systems Engineering 1st place (tie): Robotic Perception Sensor Characterization Platform, by Isabella Fabrizi, Liam Mohan, Samuel Gresh, Aveline Mills, Gerardo Robles-Luna, and Hritish Bhargava. Advisor: Osama Bilal. Sponsor: Draper.

1st place (tie): Design and Development of PV/Thermal System for Greenhouses, by Christian Bjork, Alanna Barzola, Nicholas Trottier, Patrick Place and River Granniss. Advisors: Wajid Chishty, Nathan Lehman, and Ravi Gorthala. Sponsor: Sonalysts, Inc.

Multidisciplinary Engineering In addition to the Demo Day awards, six seniors were honored for being among UConns first multidisciplinary engineering majors: Edward Wilkinson, Matthew Koniecko, Sean Tan, Patricio Salomon-Mir, Josephine Luby, and Kelly Russell.

Distinguished Educator Engineering Award (nominated by students) Jasna Jankovic, associate professor of materials science and engineering, and Manish Roy, assistant professor in residence of civil and environmental engineering.

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Engineers Will Explore Green Future for Food Processing at WSU-hosted Conference – Morning Ag Clips –

May 6, 2024 | Author: admin

When you make food on an industrial scale, you need a wide range of technologies, from drying and freezing to pasteurization and packaging, to bring it from the field to final product to the consumer, said CoFE 24 co-organizer Shyam Sablani, professor at WSUs Department of Biological Systems Engineering. Food engineers create these technologies for everything from dairy products to pasta to ready-to-eat meals. (Photo: Wes Lewis, Unsplash)

PULLMAN, Wash. Food engineers from Washington State University will host the upcoming Conference of Food Engineering (CoFE 24), August 25 to 28 in Seattle, Wash., to spark new ideas for a more efficient, sustainable global food industry.

Launched in 1991, the biannual conference brings together food engineers and technologists from across industries, academic institutions, and government to discuss emerging challenges and potential solutions for delivery of safe, nutritious, and sustainable foods. The WSU-hosted event is CoFEs first visit to Washington.

When you make food on an industrial scale, you need a wide range of technologies, from drying and freezing to pasteurization and packaging, to bring it from the field to final product to the consumer, said CoFE 24 co-organizer Shyam Sablani, professor at WSUsDepartment of Biological Systems Engineering. Food engineers create these technologies for everything from dairy products to pasta to ready-to-eat meals.

This years conference, to be held at Seattles Westin Hotel, explores a green future for the food industry, including the goal of achieving zero net emissions, under the theme Advancing Science and Engineering for Sustainable Food Manufacturing and the Supply Chain. Experts from within and beyond the engineering community will discuss university and industry developments that boost efficiency, minimize emissions and waste, and are on the road to adoption.

Products are generally sold in large quantities in retail markets, and the profit margins for the food industry are low per item, Sablani said. But consumers are increasingly more willing to pay for healthier and more environmentally friendly products. That could help offset the costs of adopting new machines and materials.

Food companies have begun the transition from fossil-fuel-driven steam boilers to electric devices that can be powered from renewables. Sablani and colleagues around the world are experimenting with electricity-based technologies such as microwaves and electric pulses, instead of using natural gas, that can more efficiently cook or pasteurize products with minimal loss of eating quality.

At WSU, Sablani studies coatings, films, and semi-rigid packaging that combine biodegradable materials. Utilization of high oxygen barrier polymers and incorporation of oxygen-scavenging chemicals into packaging could reduce the volume of synthetic packaging. Other coatings help paper and cardboard cups, trays, and meal boxes stand up to hot beverages or moist foods.

Diet is part of our health, Sablani said. If we develop more efficient technologies, we can produce foods with minimal processing that are free of chemical preservatives. That could contribute to better health for all people.

Organizing the conference, Sablani, conference chair Gustavo Barbosa-Canovas, fellow WSU food engineer Juming Tang, and Oregon State University colleague Yanyun Zhao won a $50,000 grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and AgriculturesAgriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)to enhance the upcoming event. Grant funding will pay for travel by national and international experts in sustainability, circular economies, public policy, nutrition, and other fields.

The grant also funds travel by students and early career scientists, allowing these learners to take part in the discussion.

This conference is our platform to discuss major needs, current developments, and solutions for tomorrow, Sablani said. Its a way for food engineers to promote research across our different disciplines and inspire the next generation to pursue new ideas. We are excited to make this first CoFE experience in Washington happen.

To learn more about CoFE 24, contact Shyam Sablani, professor, WSU Department of Biological Systems Engineering, at ssablani@wsu.edu or visit theconference website.

WSU CAHNRS

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Can the TruckBot change the way we do warehousing? – Interesting Engineering

May 6, 2024 | Author: admin

Warehouse unloading has long been a task handled by human workers, reflecting a tradition steeped in history. However, the landscape of warehouse operations is on the brink of transformation with the emergence of innovative solutions like the TruckBot from Mujin Corp.

The TruckBot represents a significant leap forward in warehouse automation, offering an integrated picker and conveyor system that streamlines the unloading process. By combining these functions seamlessly, the TruckBot not only enhances efficiency but also reduces the physical strain on human workers. Its advanced technology allows for precise movements and handling, ensuring the safe and swift unloading of goods. This innovation is poised to revolutionize warehouse logistics by optimizing workflows and minimizing downtime.

As the TruckBot paves the way for a new era in warehousing, it highlights the ongoing evolution of automation in industries traditionally reliant on manual labor. With its capabilities to improve efficiency and safety, the TruckBot heralds a future where human-machine collaboration redefines the boundaries of productivity and innovation in logistics.

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Engineering firm issues ‘instruction manual’ to deploy its innovative floating solar technology: ‘A stamp of quality’ – The Cool Down

May 6, 2024 | Author: admin

Moss Maritime now has the guidebook for the best way to install its innovative Xolarsurf offshore platform in the high seas.

It's essentially an "instruction manual" from Norway-based risk management firm DNV on best practices for how to place these sun-catching contraptions in open water, taking up no land, as DNV official Hans Kristian Danielsen said in a press release.

The manual provides Moss, also from Norway, the blueprint to "design and develop floating solar power that can withstand rough sea conditions," Danielsen said.

As part of the assessment, DNV's investigation looked at how to "reduce errors, deficiencies, and weaknesses." A focal point in the 31-page document is how wind, waves, and currents impact offshore installations. The document was crafted for wind turbines, but schematics for anchoring the solar setup at sea are apparently applicable.

"Compared to floating wind turbines, floating solar power technology is simpler, engineering costs are lower, and structures are easier to build. Floating solar power is also well-suited for mass production, which will have a positive impact on price and deployment," Moss Engineering Vice President Alexander Minge Thgersen said in the press release.

He views DNV's signoff as a "stamp of quality," providing confidence in the road ahead. Moss plans to have a prototype on the water by June.

Join our newsletter Good news, green hacks, and the latest cool clean tech straight to your inbox every week!

Xolarsurf is a 968,000-square-foot floating solar array designed to operate in harsh conditions, via a flexible frame that can absorb wave contact while the unit continues to produce sustainable solar power.

Offshore renewable power generation could be key to our cleaner energy future. India's HTF Market Intelligence estimates global offshore solar to be worth nearly $85 billion. The business insight firm expects that value to balloon by more than $268 billion by 2029, according to a report posted on LinkedIn.

In fascinating work off the coast of Denmark, developers are planning to make energy islands that serve as hubs to manage offshore wind, allowing for the electricity to be more efficiently sent to the coast.

The solar developers envision arrays being placed in tandem with turbines, utilizing some of the same infrastructure, including the electricity export cables.

"This provides both good area utilization and the possibility of cost reduction through the sharing of infrastructure," Danielsen said in the statement.

It might be hard to envision how projects far from home can impact your energy supply. But better battery-storage tech is paving the way for intermittent renewable power to be stored for longer periods, helping to supply the grid during peak hours. Offshore wind farms are already running off the East Coast, supplying tens of thousands of homes with clean energy.

And thanks to community solar programs, you can utilize sun power without installing home-based panels. This could save money on your monthly power bill, not to mention cutting thousands of pounds of air pollution.

So, while the solar work in Norway may seem distant, it's part of an overall trend among energy developers to harness renewables wherever possible. With the help of DNV's insight, the Moss work should be implemented with less risk.

"By verifying their design brief, DNV helps enable Moss Maritime in the deployment of their technology in a safe and reliable manner," Prajeev Rasiah, a DNV executive for Northern Europe, said in the release.

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Unique Group acquires Subsea Innovation to strengthen engineering and consulting expertise – energy-pedia

May 6, 2024 | Author: admin

Unique Group, global innovators in subsea technologies and engineering, has announced the strategic acquisition of subsea technology and equipment manufacturer, Subsea Innovation. The deal elevates Unique Groups global engineering capabilities, enhances its portfolio and further strengthens the organizations focus on engineering excellence and technology development.

Headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, Unique Group has a global workforce of over 600 employees across 18 locations. Renowned over three decades for the companys excellence in subsea technologies including Survey Equipment, Diving & Life Support, Buoyancy & Water Weights, Unmanned Surface Vessels, and Lifting & Mooring solutions. This new acquisition transforms the UK into a major engineering hub for Unique Group, complementing existing manufacturing locations in South Africa, the Middle East, and Isle of Wight, in the UK.

Subsea Innovation, based in Darlington (UK), which was part of Tekmar Group plc, has a strong global track record of delivering technically complex projects for four decades, excelling in engineering, building and delivering over 450 complex engineered equipment, specializing in offshore deck equipment including launch and recovery systems, engineering consulting, emergency pipeline repair systems and tailored solutions for subsea and renewable solutions. This acquisition fits seamlessly with Unique Groups offerings, thus significantly boosting the technology growth focus for the Group, along with its ability to provide an integrated package for clients.

Sahil Gandhi, Chief Executive Officer at Unique Group commented: 'This acquisition underlines our commitment to innovation and engineering expertise. We have ambitious development plans, along with our existing solutions to our wider customer base. Subsea Innovations impressive track record, combined with Unique Groups strengths, positions us to deliver unparalleled solutions in the dynamic landscape of offshore energy and subsea sectors.'

Dave Thompson, Subsea Innovations Managing Director, and his engineering design team, has a wealth of experience in developing leading engineering solutions and products for some of the worlds most challenging environments. Following the acquisition, Thompson will assume the role of Group Engineering Director at Unique Group, bringing his hands-on expertise to steer the company toward new heights in product development and engineering. He added: 'We are excited to become a part of Unique Group, and this is a significant leap forward in our journey to redefine industry standards. With the combined technical and commercial synergies of Unique Group and Subsea Innovation, we are poised to significantly grow globally and develop new solutions, that can make subsea operations efficient and safer for clients.'

Unique Group and Subsea Innovation are positive about the prospects this strategic acquisition brings and together, they look forward to charting new standards in the global subsea industry.

View the Subsea Innovation range to get to know our extended portfolio.

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Source: Unique Group

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S&T Steel Bridge Design Team wins sixth consecutive competition – Missouri S&T News and Research

May 6, 2024 | Author: admin

Posted by Laura Studyvin On April 30, 2024

Members of Missouri S&Ts Steel Bridge Design Team pose with their bridge on April 20, 2024. Photo by Blaine Falkena/Missouri S&T.

The Missouri S&T Steel Bridge Design Team won first place at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Mid-America Student Symposium for the sixth consecutive time. The competition was held at Missouri S&T April 18-20, with 18 universities represented and over 470 students attending.

Students on the Steel Bridge Design Team design and build a one-tenth scale model bridge according to a real-world problem set by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC). In this years competition, the bridge was designed to cross a man-made river in Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston, Louisiana. For an extra design challenge, no piers were allowed within the river either during or after construction.

After timed construction, the bridges were tested with weight loaded at a point determined by a die roll. Teams were judged in eight categories including construction speed, efficiency and the weight of the bridge. Missouri S&Ts team placed in the top two for all eight categories.

The team will travel to the national competition May 31-June 1 at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. The team is advised by Dr. Nick Libre, associate teaching professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering.

Members of the Steel Bridge Design Team are:

About design teams

Design teams are registered student organizations that operate as 501(c) non-profit businesses. The teams work like small start-up companies, bringing together students from different disciplines to work on large-scale projects. In addition to hands-on design and manufacturing experience, students gain experience in project management, fundraising, public relations and more. For more information, visit design.mst.edu/designteams.

About Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nations top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit http://www.mst.edu.

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Prompt Like a Data Scientist: Auto Prompt Optimization and Testing with DSPy – Towards Data Science

May 6, 2024 | Author: admin

We will spend some time to go over the environment preparation. Afterwards, this article is divided into 3 sections:

We are now ready to start!

They are the building blocks of prompt programming in DSPy. Lets dive in to see what they are about!

A signature is the most fundamental building block in DSPys prompt programming, which is a declarative specification of input/output behavior of a DSPy module. Signatures allow you to tell the LM what it needs to do, rather than specify how we should ask the LM to do it.

Say we want to obtain the sentiment of a sentence, traditionally we might write such prompt:

But in DSPy, we can achieve the same by defining a signature as below. At its most basic form, a signature is as simple as a single string separating the inputs and output with a ->

Note: Code in this section contains those referred from DSPys documentation of Signatures

The prediction is not a good one, but for instructional purpose lets inspect what was the issued prompt.

We can see the above prompt is assembled from the sentence -> sentiment signature. But how did DSPy came up with the Given the fields in the prompt?

Inspecting the dspy.Predict() class, we see when we pass to it our signature, the signature will be parsed as the signature attribute of the class, and subsequently assembled as a prompt. The instructions is a default one hardcoded in the DSPy library.

What if we want to provide a more detailed description of our objective to the LLM, beyond the basic sentence -> sentiment signature? To do so we need to provide a more verbose signature in form of Class-based DSPy Signatures.

Notice we provide no explicit instruction as to how the LLM should obtain the sentiment. We are just describing the task at hand, and also the expected output.

It is now outputting a much better prediction! Again we see the descriptions we made when defining the class-based DSPy signatures are assembled into a prompt.

This might do for simple tasks, but advanced applications might require sophisticated prompting techniques like Chain of Thought or ReAct. In DSPy these are implemented as Modules

We may be used to apply prompting techniques by hardcoding phrases like lets think step by step in our prompt . In DSPy these prompting techniques are abstracted as Modules. Lets see below for an example of applying our class-based signature to the dspy.ChainOfThought module

Notice how the Reasoning: Lets think step by step phrase is added to our prompt, and the quality of our prediction is even better now.

According to DSPys documentation, as of time of writing DSPy provides the following prompting techniques in form of Modules. Notice the dspy.Predict we used in the initial example is also a Module, representing no prompting technique!

It also have some function-style modules:

6. dspy.majority: Can do basic voting to return the most popular response from a set of predictions.

You can check out further examples in each modules respective guide.

On the other hand, what about RAG? We can chain the modules together to deal with bigger problems!

First we define a retriever, for our example we use a ColBERT retriever getting information from Wikipedia Abstracts 2017

Then we define the RAG class inherited from dspy.Module. It needs two methods:

Note: Code in this section is borrowed from DSPys introduction notebook

Then we make use of the class to perform a RAG

Inspecting the prompt, we see that 3 passages retrieved from Wikipedia Abstracts 2017 is interpersed as context for Chain of Thought generation

The above examples might not seem much. At its most basic application the DSPy seemed only doing nothing that cant be done with f-string, but it actually present a paradigm shift for prompt writing, as this brings modularity to prompt composition!

First we describe our objective with Signature, then we apply different prompting techniques with Modules. To test different prompt techniques for a given problem, we can simply switch the modules used and compare their results, rather than hardcoding the lets think step by step (for Chain of Thought) or you will interleave Thought, Action, and Observation steps (for ReAct) phrases. The benefit of modularity will be demonstrated later in this article with a full-fledged example.

The power of DSPy is not only limited to modularity, it can also optimize our prompt based on training samples, and test it systematically. We will be exploring this in the next section!

In this section we try to optimize our prompt for a RAG application with DSPy.

Taking Chain of Thought as an example, beyond just adding the lets think step by step phrase, we can boost its performance with a few tweaks:

Doing this manually would be highly time-consuming and cant generalize to different problems, but with DSPy this can be done automatically. Lets dive in!

#1: Loading test data: Like machine learning, to train our prompt we need to prepare our training and test datasets. Initially this cell will take around 20 minutes to run.

Inspecting our dataset, which is basically a set of question-and-answer pairs

#2 Set up Phoenix for observability: To facilitate understanding of the optimization process, we launch Phoenix to observe our DSPy application, which is a great tool for LLM observability in general! I will skip pasting the code here, but you can execute it in the notebook.

Note: If you are on Windows, please also install Windows C++ Build Tools here, which is necessary for Phoenix

Then we are ready to see what this opimitzation is about! To train our prompt, we need 3 things:

Now we train our prompt.

Before using the compiled_rag to answer a question, lets see what went behind the scene during the training process (aka compile). We launch the Phoenix console by visiting http://localhost:6006/ in browser

In my run I have made 14 calls using the RAG class, in each of those calls we post a question to LM to obtain a prediction.

Refer to the result summary table in my notebook, 4 correct answers are made from these 14 samples, thus reaching our max_bootstrapped_demos parameter and stopping the calls.

But what are the prompts DSPy issued to obtain the bootstrapped demos? Heres the prompt for question #14. We can see as DSPy tries to generate one bootstrapped demo, it would randomly add samples from our trainset for few-short learning.

Time to put the compiled_rag to test! Here we raise a question which was answered wrongly in our summary table, and see if we can get the right answer this time.

We now get the right answer!

Again lets inspect the prompt issued. Notice how the compiled prompt is different from the ones that were used during bootstrapping. Apart from the few-shot examples, bootstrapped Context-Question-Reasoning-Answer demonstrations from correct predictions are added to the prompt, improving the LMs capability.

So the below is basically went behind the scene with BootstrapFewShot during compilation:

The above example still falls short of what we typically do with machine learning: Even boostrapping maybe useful, we are not yet proving it to improve the quality of the responses.

Ideally, like in traditional machine learning we should define a couple of candidate models, see how they perform against the test set, and select the one achieving the highest performance score. This is what we will do next!

In this section, we want to evaluate what is the best prompt (expressed in terms of module and optimizer combination) to perform a RAG against the HotpotQA dataset (distributed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 License), given the LM we use (GPT 3.5 Turbo).

The Modules under evaluation are:

And the Optimizer candidates are:

As for evaluation metric, we again use exact match as criteria (dspy.evaluate.metrics.answer_exact_match) against the test set.

Lets begin! First, we define our modules

Then define permutations for our model candidates

Then I defined a helper class to facilitate the evaluation. The code is a tad bit long so I am not pasting it here, but it could be found in my notebook. What it does is to apply each the optimizers against the modules, compile the prompt, then perform evaluation against the test set.

We are now ready to start the evaluation, it would take around 20 minutes to complete

Heres the evaluation result. We can see the COT module with BootstrapFewShot optimizer has the best performance. The scores represent the percentage of correct answers (judged by exact match) made for the test set.

But before we conclude the exercise, it might be useful to inspect the result more deeply: Multihop with BootstrapFewShot, which supposedly equips with more relevant context than COT with BootstrapFewShot, has a worse performance. It is strange!

Now head to the Phoenix Console to see whats going on. We pick a random question William Hughes Miller was born in a city with how many inhabitants ?, and inspect how did COT, ReAct, BasicMultiHop with BoostrapFewShot optimizer came up with their answer. You can type this in the search bar for filter: """William Hughes Miller was born in a city with how many inhabitants ?""" in input.value

These are the answers provided by the 3 models during my run:

The correct answer is 7,402 at the 2010 census. Both ReAct with BootstrapFewShot and COT with BootstrapFewShot provided relevant answers, but Multihop with BootstrapFewShot simply failed to provide one.

Checking the execution trace in Phoenix for Multihop with BootstrapFewShot, looks like the LM fails to understand what is expected for the search_query specified in the signature.

So we revise the signature, and re-run the evaluation with the code below

We now see the score improved across all models, and Multihop with LabeledFewShot and Multihop with no examples now have the best performance! This indicates despite DSPy tries to optimize the prompt, there is still some prompt engineering involved by articulating your objective in signature.

The best model now produce an exact match for our question!

Since the best prompt is Multihop with LabeledFewShot, the prompt does not contain bootstrapped Context-Question-Reasoning-Answer demonstrations. So bootstrapping may not surely lead to better performance, we need to prove which one is the best prompt scientifically.

It does not mean Multihop with BootstrapFewShot has a worse performance in general however. Only that for our task, if we use GPT 3.5 Turbo to bootstrap demonstration (which might be of questionable quality) and output prediction, then we might better do without the bootstrapping, and keep only the few-shot examples.

This lead to the question: Is it possible to use a more powerful LM, say GPT 4 Turbo (aka teacher) to generate demonstrations, while keeping cheaper models like GPT 3.5 Turbo (aka student) for prediction?

The answer is YES as the following cell demonstrates, we will use GPT 4 Turbo as teacher.

Using GPT-4 Turbo as teacher does not significantly boost our models performance however. Still it is worthwhile to see its effect to our prompt. Below is the prompt generated just using GPT 3.5

And heres the prompt generated using GPT-4 Turbo as teacher. Notice how the Reasoning is much better articulated here!

Currently we often rely on manual prompt engineering at best abstracted as f-string. Also, for LM comparison we often raise underspecified questions like how do different LMs compare on a certain problem, borrowed from the Stanford NLP papers saying.

But as the above examples demonstrate, with DSPys modular, composable programs and optimizers, we are now equipped to answer toward how they compare on a certain problem with Module X when compiled with Optimizer Y, which is a well-defined and reproducible run, thus reducing the role of artful prompt construction in modern AI.

Thats it! Hope you enjoy this article.

*Unless otherwise noted, all images are by the author

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