Dear colleagues,

Thanks to all of the PSE professors who have contributed to the open-source / open-hardware TCLab project with MATLAB/Simulink & Python. I just completed the annual bulk order of the TCLab (1000) based on the need from the past couple years. Please let me know how many you need this year for bulk classroom orders or they are also available with Amazon Prime ($30). The Temperature Control Lab is a plug-and-play Arduino device to teach process dynamics and control. Two heaters and an LED are adjusted. Two temperature sensors have a multi-variate and dynamic response to heater changes. Thermochromic pigment turns pink when hot and black when it cools off. The take-home lab gives data so that theory and methods are reinforced with concrete and tangible examples. There is course material available to students and instructors thanks to efforts by many PSE professors.

TCLab Homepage: https://apmonitor.com/heat.htm

The National Science Foundation sponsored a report on Chemical Engineering Academia-Industry Alignment for Expectations about New Graduates. The report identifies a strong industrial need for practical understanding of process control and system dynamics. Industry feedback also suggested more weight on translating theory to practice in a way that is scalable for large class sizes. Instructors from 40 universities have adopted the lab, primarily for process dynamics and control education.

More information (video): https://youtu.be/E5747TUHVmQ

Best regards,

John Hedengren
Associate Professor
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602