KEENzine5

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 Light aircraft Whydo jets fly at 35,000 ft? Air density. And it's optimal for the engines. Howdo they create thrust? It’s a law, Newton’s2nd. So is it legal tomake jet enginesmore efficient? It’s certainly fuel for thought. Everest 29,030 ft Commercial Jet 35,000 ft 7,000 ft Most ducks andgeese 8,000 ft Helicopters GettingEML Off theGround WhyDoJets FlySoHigh? J et engines capture the imagination of young and old people alike. For years, hobbyists have experimented with jet engines to propel everything from lawn tractors, to bicycles, to go- karts. For commercial purposes, jet engines have dominated the skies as a means of propulsion for 65 years. The de Havilland Comet became the first commercial jet, carrying passengers from London to Johannesburg in 1952, shortly followed by the Boeing 707 in 1958 in the United States. At the University of Dayton, Assistant Professor Sidaard Gunasekaran (Sid) teaches students about propulsion and flight. His course, Introduction to Flight, is designed for sophomores pursuing a degree in aerospace engineering. Because Sid believes that engineering is the artful use of resources and scientific understanding to create value, his instruction relies on concepts taken from the KEEN Framework. Sid is methodically incorporating entrepreneurially minded learning (EML). In addition, he’s found methods of assessing KEEN student outcomes, both for assignments and the entire course. This article walks through how he does it. 8