Model-Based Design of Complex Systems Lab: About
About
The Model-Based Design of Complex Systems Lab has the following core goals:
- Provide an exceptional educational experience that carefully balances theory and practice to prepare students to succeed in their chosen career paths
- Provide high-quality, results-oriented research solutions to external partners
- Provide a supportive and collaborative work environment with an appropriate work-life balance
- Support the joint missions of SIMCenter and the Center for Automotive Research
- Support the overarching missions the Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, and Ohio State University
Prof. Midlam-Mohler on research:
My nearly 15 years in a successful, intensive research environment have led to what I feel is a mature view of the academic research enterprise. To borrow and adapt something from Thomas Edison, I would say “Genius research is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” In other words, great researchers certainly need to have those “1%” transformative ideas – but by definition those ideas only come knocking every so often. The rest of the time, research is about taking your ideas that fall short of transformative and making them happen – these are the “99%” ideas that bring about the perspiration. This brings to mind Edison’s lesser known quote, “Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.” Executing these ideas is what makes one ready to capitalize when the “1%” opportunity comes.
Being successful in research is about ideas, but also leadership. My model for my lab is to think of my research operation as a small, high-tech business. Project level objectives are usually easy to define as they are often spelled out in the statement of work of the funded proposal. Program level objectives are often not well-known and are actually the key to “winning the war” so to speak versus “winning the battle.” Program level objectives are what foster things like: cross-project collaboration; peer-to-peer learning; effective knowledge retention with a revolving base of students; and the recognition that my research team is working towards a common goal despite working on a portfolio of different projects.
Prof. Midlam-Mohler on Teaching:
An outsider to curriculum innovation might view teaching as a static thing – thermodynamics today is the same as it was fifty years ago, right? In many cases, we are teaching the same knowledge we did in the past but we are – or should be – teaching it in drastically different ways. Among weaknesses noted by employers of graduates are “lack of practical experience in how devices are made or work, a lack of familiarity with industry codes and standards, and a lack of a systems perspective.” My work in experiential learning is at the front-lines of this recommendation. I help shepherd hundreds of students through experiential learning activities ever year. These projects are large, interdisciplinary, system-oriented, and are made possible by extensive peer-to-peer learning networks.
External feedback from employers routinely state that students are lacking professional skills. So how does one teach project management or system engineering well in a classroom setting? My conclusion was that you don’t – these topics are too intertwined with “messy, real-life” factors. From this simple premise, the concepts for a “the world is your lab” project management, system engineering, and powertrain laboratory course were born and now alive and well in the Department of Mechanical Engineering via class I teach. These students take concepts from a discussion-based weekly lecture into the field to practice.
About
For Students
Students enroll at Ohio State University with a career goal in mind – or at least they will by the time they finish their studies. Students from the MBDCS group have nearly a 100% placement in their field of choice. Prof. Midlam-Mohler sees this as an integral part of his advising role and helps prepare students for their professional career of choice. This includes resume/CV advice, facilitating connections with potential employers, and providing recommendation letters. MBCDS Lab members are exposed to a wide variety of experiences through lab activities as well as the broader goals of CAR and SimCenter. This leaves students with a broad base or understanding. The MBCDS Team also focuses on applications and hands-on activities – students leave having marketable skills using industry standard software packages. Lastly, the emphasis on teamwork/communication leaves allows students to fit well within an organization when they graduate.
Accordions
Prof. Midlam-Mohler strives create an environment that provides a healthy work-life balance. The MBCDS culture is one of hard work tempered with a good dose of humor and camaraderie. Academic life can be very demanding which can strain the balance between your working life and your personal life. MBCDS members are certainly no strangers to hard work and without a doubt more than a few nights are sacrificed to get critical tasks completed. These situations are not the norm – but under times like this the MBDCS team pulls together and meets the challenge. Prospective team members are encouraged to contact current MBCDS team members to discuss work environment and the team culture to understand how they might fit in.
Prof. Midlam-Mohler values students who are intelligent, creative, self-motivated, hands-on, and work well in teams (a good sense of humor is encouraged as well!) If you are a current student at OSU and are interested in working with Prof. Midlam-Mohler, please send him an email with your resume/CV and a brief statement of your interests. If you are an accepted graduate student, please provide a resume/CV as well as a copy of your Statement of Purpose. If you are not yet admitted to OSU, please refrain from contacting Prof. Midlam-Mohler until you are.
Sergio Marchionne Visits the EcoCAR Team
Carbon Fiber Composites
There are many ways for students interested in MBCDS related activities within OSU. Some of the most popular are:
- OSU Motorsports:
- Capstone Senior Design:
- Honors Research:
- Independent Study:
- Applied Project Management and Systems Engineering:
- Partnership for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering:
Students Presenting to Visitors
HIL Tests
Automotive Concentrations
Advanced Propulsion Systems
ME 7384 Energy Modeling, Simulation, Optimization and
Control of Advanced Vehicles
ME 7383 Electrochemical Energy Conversion and
Storage Systems for Automotive Applications
Powertrain Modeling and Control
ME 7236 Powertrain Dynamics
ECE 5554 Powertrain Control
ME 8312 Diesel Powertrain Systems Control
ME 8372 Fault Diagnosis in Dynamic Systems
Internal Combustion Engines
ME 5530 Internal Combustion Engines
ME 5531 Automotive Powertrain Laboratory
ME 5527 Introduction to Turbomachinery
ME 7440 Internal Combustion Engine Modeling
ME 7520 Wave Dynamics in Fluids
Noise, Vibration and Harshness
ME 7260/1 Automotive Noise and Vibration Control I
ME 7262/3 Automotive Noise and Vibration Control II
Electric Power Conversion
ECE 5025 Power Electronics Devices, Circuits and Applications
ECE 5041 Electric Machine Fundamentals
ECE 5541 Sustainable Energy and Power Systems
Vehicle Systems
ME 5234 Vehicle Dynamics
ME 8322 Vehicle System Dynamics and Control
ME 8372 Fault Diagnosis in Dynamic Systems
ECE 5553 Autonomy in Vehicles
ECE 7855 Large Scale and Cyber-Physical Systems
ECE 5400 Instrumentation, Signals, and Control in Transportation Applications
Courses - Subject Areas
Power Electronics and Electric Machines
ECE 5025 Power Electronics: Devices, Circuits, and Applications
ECE 5042 Power Systems
ECE 5041 Electric Machines
ECE 5541 Sustainable Energy and Power Systems
ECE 7842 Advanced Topics in Electric Machines
Dynamic Systems, Measurement and Control
ME 5665 Reliability Engineering I
ME 5666 Reliability Engineering II
ME 7370 Measurement Systems and Experimental Techniques
ME 5372 Design and Control of Mechatronic Systems
ME 7290 Digital Control Engineering
ME 7380 Lumped Parameter Modeling and System Analysis
ECE 5551 State-Space Control Systems
ECE 5553 Autonomy in Vehicles
ECE 5754 Nonlinear Systems Theory
ECE 5557 Control System Implementation Laboratory
ECE 7854 Nonlinear and Adaptive Control
ECE 7858 Intelligent Control
ECE 5465 Advanced Microcomputers
ECE 5400 Instrumentation, Signals, and Control in Transportation Applications
ECE 5554 Powertrain Control
ECE 7855 Large Scale and Cyberphysical Systems
ME 5234 Vehicle Dynamics
ME 5339 Simulation Techniques for Dynamic System Analysis and Design
ME 8312 Diesel Powertrain Systems Control
ME 8322 Vehicle System Dynamics and Control
Signal Processing
ECE 5200 Introduction to Digital Signal Processing
ECE 6200 Signal Processing
ECE 6202 Stochastic Signal Processing
ME 8320 Digital Signal and Random Data Analysis for Mechanical Systems
ME 5320H Digital Signal Processing with Mechanical Engineering Applications
Mechatronics
ME 7752 Mechanics and Control of Robots
ECE 5463 Introduction to Real Time Robotics Systems
ECE 6101 Computer Communication Networks
ME 8372 Fault Diagnosis in Dynamic Systems
Noise, Vibration and Dynamics
ME 5240 Vibration and Acoustic Design
ME 7250 Vibration of Discrete Systems
ME 8230 Nonlinear Dynamics
ME 8250 Vibration of Continuous Systems
ME 5168 Introduction to the Finite Element Method
ME 5139 Applied Finite Element Method
ME 8260 Advanced Engineering Acoustics
Computer Aided Design, Engineering & Manufacturing (CAD/CAE/CAM)
ME 5682 Fundamentals of Product Design Engineering
ME 7761 Optimum Design of Machines and Structures
ME 5680 Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing
ME 5682 Fundamentals of Product Design Engineering
ME 7751 Advanced Kinematics and Mechanisms
Thermodynamics, Combustion Processes, and Emissions
ME 5502 Engineering Thermodynamics
ME 8503 Statistical Thermodynamics
ME 8514 Optical Techniques for Flow Measurements
ME 6526 Combustion
ME 7440 Internal Combustion Engine Modeling
ME 7526 Advanced Combustion
ME 5530 Internal Combustion Engines
ME 5531 Automotive Powertrain Laboratory
ME 5427 Introduction to Turbomachinery
ME 7440 Internal Combustion Engine Modeling
Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer
ME 6501 Gas Dynamics
ME 6505 Intermediate Fluid Dynamics
ME 6507 Intermediate Numerical Methods
ME 6510 Intermediate Heat and Mass Transfer
ME 8506 Advanced Fluid Dynamics
ME 7511 Computational Fluid Dynamics
ME 7513 Turbulence
ME 7163 Advanced Strength of Materials and Elasticity Theory
ME 7701 Experimental Methods in Movement Biomechanics
ME 5144 Engineering Fracture Mechanics
ME 8043 Advanced Elasticity
ME 5139 Applied Finite Element Method
ME 7163 Advanced Strength of Materials and Elasticity Theory
ME 7765 Principles and Applications of Tribology
ME 7520 Wave Dynamics in Fluids
Contacts and Location
Please feel free to contact any of the members of the MBCDS team to get a better understanding of the group’s activities. Prof. Midlam-Mohler can be contacted directly at midlam-mohler.1@osu.edu.
Directions to the SIMCenter can be found here.
Directions to the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) can be found here.