SHM in the classroom: A unique educational opportunity

The Intelligent Sensing for Innovative Structures (ISIS) Canada Research Network, a Network of the Canadian Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Program, has now been operating for more than 10 years. Researchers within ISIS have, during this time, contributed greatly to the understanding and application of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) and structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies within the civil engineering community. However, as ISIS moves into the final four years of its mandate, the network is increasingly focusing on technology transfer as one of its key objectives. To advance this effort, in 2002 ISIS Canada formed an Education Committee. This committee's task was, in part., to develop strategies to educate and inform the engineering community about the many innovative technologies being advanced through the efforts of ISIS researchers, and others. It was recognized early on in the Education Committee's deliberations that a key component of technology transfer must include educational initiatives targeted at those who will guide the civil engineering profession in the years and decades to come; undergraduate engineering and college students. To achieve this objective, an "Educational Modules" project was created within ISIS Canada, with the goal of developing teaching resources on FRP and SHM technologies for use in engineering curricula. These modules offer unique educational opportunities, and consist of lecture notes, presentations, worked examples, case studies, and sample assignments and laboratories. This paper presents a brief overview of the educational modules that have been developed by ISIS Canada to date, with a focus on one specific module that deals with SHM technologies. The philosophy, objectives, benefits, and content of the toolkits are presented, along with examples and illustrations, in the hope that these educational materials will be taken up and used by the civil engineering education community.