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MSc
COURSE ON METROLOGY
The paper describes a new multidisciplinary curriculum for a MSc course on Metrology (MSc Course on Metrology for Industrial Quality). The curriculum is a result of a multidepartmental effort of the Center for Sciences and Technology of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. The new course has the support of RH-Metrologia (Brazilian Human Resource Program in Metrology), which is aimed at the development of the human resources needed to foster activities in metrology. The paper gives a brief explanation on the RH-Metrologia program and covers the course structure and curriculum in detail. Comments are also made on the potential for establishing partnerships with other institutions. Classes started in August 1996. The experience gained with this pioneering effort is also discussed.
THE RH-METROLOGIA PROGRAM
The urgent need to improve and develop basic metrology services, to foster competitiveness and quality in the manufacturing sectors, is a must:
Metrology, the science of measurements, understood as the technical basis for providing infrastructure services, is a priority in each industrial developed country. To implement this policy, each nation must consider at least the following actions:
Under the strong support of three Ministries ( Ministry of Education, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism and Ministry of Science and Technology ), Brazil has established a coherent program entitled Brazilian Human Resource Program in Metrology (Program RH-Metrologia). It is aimed at the development of the human resources needed to foster activities in metrology. This new program was designed because scientific and technological advances in metrology, broader knowledge and greater technical competence are urgently needed to develop and manage modern measurement systems.
The program is co-sponsored by INMETRO (National Institute of Metrology), CAPES (an agency from the Ministry of Education) and CNPq (National Research Council), on behalf of the three Ministries that are financing the program. The program was strongly supported by the Subprogram Basic Industrial Technology of PADCT, a major program designed to support science and technology in Brazil. The PADCT is financed by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT) through a loan agreement between the Brazilian Government and the World Bank (BIRD). The new program created constitutes a unique forum for the implementation of technical and scientific cooperation. It comes in response to increasingly diversified requests from the Brazilian national and accredited laboratories of metrology, particularly in the field of human resources development.
Considering that the importance of metrology is widely recognized, the Program RH-Metrologia have the following objectives:
The program will also stimulate and finance publications of technical books and specialized literature as well as cooperation with national metrology laboratories of other countries. It is also aimed to stress the importance of high-level training to meet more effectively the needs for managers of accredited metrology laboratories and industrial laboratories, providing opportunities to enhance their current technical and administrative skills.
With respect to formal academic courses, two major universities in Brazil - Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, PUC-Rio, and Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, UFSC - were recently funded by the Program RH-Metrologia, to structure and offer specialized training and graduate courses in metrology. These courses are designed for the pursuit of the degree of Master of Science. They intend not to compete with other formal courses in basic sciences. Indeed these courses have been implemented wt the following objectives in mind:
MSc Course On Metrology For Industrial Quality
The proposed contribution of PUC-Rio to the RH-Metrologia program was based on the understanding of the metrology issue under two different perspectives: horizontal and vertical. The horizontal view is a result of the multidisciplinary nature of metrology, as it covers a wide range of areas of the human knowledge. The vertical view, on the other hand, stems from the fact that metrology is present in all levels, from elementary and secondary education to the post-graduate level. This resulted in a series of actions, from PUC-Rio, that cover an interaction with elementary and secondary schools as well as the creation of a post-graduate course in Metrology.
The course is entitled "MSc Course on Metrology for Industrial Quality". It is a result of a multidepartmental effort of the Center for Sciences and Technology (CTC) of PUC-Rio, where all the existing human and laboratorial capabilities on metrology where put together to form a consistent curriculum.
Five departments were involved in the making of the program: Industrial, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Chemistry and Physics. As a result, metrology is covered in a broad manner, covering several different areas that include: Thermosciences, Solid Mechanics, Optical Metrology, Ionizing Radiation, Electricity, Chemistry, Standardization and Industrial Quality.
The course was created within PUC-Rio academic and administrative standards. This way, it was possible to readily establish a new post-graduate program based on the already existing academic structure of the University. All disciplines present the same pattern of the majority of the post graduate courses that are offered by the CTC (45 hours in one academic semester).
Course duration is two years, comprising four academic periods (semesters). Eight disciplines (five of which are mandatory) have to be undertaken in the first year. At the end of the second semester the student is required to decide about the theme for his/her dissertation. This choice should be taken with close liaison with industry and metrology related research institutions. The second year is spent on the development of the dissertation.
BACKGROUND
The CTC of PUC-Rio has initiated, in 1994, the strategic planning of its activities as part of adapting to the requirements of a new economical and social period. In fact, this exercise is just part of a broader planing strategy of the entire University.
The CTC is now trying to convey its efforts into solving those problems of the Brazilian society for which competence for the proposal of solution exists. At the same time, excellence has to be maintained in the process of undergraduate and postgraduate education. The following actions are part of the CTC strategic planning:
With these actions the CTC intends to integrate the University to the elementary and secondary education levels as well as to the productive sector, thus becoming an active agent of approximation between these segments of society. The fully committed participation of PUC-Rio in the nationwide REENGE Program (a restructuring program for engineering education, described elsewhere in this conference) is another example of PUC-Rio move in the direction established back in 1995.
The MSc Course in Metrology for Industrial Quality contains multidisciplinary aspects that characterize the internal coalition that today exists in the University. Contrary to the traditional vision of postgraduate courses, usually heavily related to the sole departmental organization of the University, the multidisciplinary point of view allows activities to be organized in a way that takes advantage of the resources of all departmental units, working on a single line of action.
In addition, the course intends to be an instrument of integration between university and accredited metrology and industrial laboratories. These will put efforts together in seeking solutions for specific metrology problems. Proximity of PUC-Rio with other metrology related centers, like the Institute of Dosimetry and Radioprotection (IRD), the National Observatory, the Federal University Fluminense (UFF), not to mention INMETRO itself, is an additional encouragement for the creation of the course.
In addition to this postgraduate course, the CTC of PUC-Rio is also engaged in other activities that pursue the dissemination of a "metrological culture". These include:
With the latter, the enrollment of technical instructors in the MSc course is envisaged. Additional funding is being sought for all areas related to metrology, in particular with subjects related to Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineering.
Topics Covered
The course encompasses five areas of research, as described below:
1) Thermosciences
It involves the determination of adequate methods for the measurement of thermophysical parameters and the development of instrumentation and sensors that provide information on fluid mechanics, heat transfer, mass diffusion and thermodynamics. It also covers the assessment of uncertainties and standards analysis for the testing of internal combustion engines and refrigeration systems.
(2) Solid Mechanics
It is related to the development of adequate methods for the measurement of parameters that best characterize the mechanical behavior of materials and their interaction with a gaseous medium. It also involves the development of instrumentation and sensors that will describe the dynamic behavior of structures and materials.
(3) Optics, Ionizing Radiation and Electricity
This area is concerned with the study of properties and measurement involved in the generation, propagation and transport of luminous radiation through solid media, in order to better characterize standards and sensors. Electrical parameters and related physical principles, to determine the behavior of equipment operating under different conditions, are also covered.
(4) Chemical Processes
Analytical methods are studied in order to characterize substances, reactions and chemical processes. Operational principles of equipment that make use of these methods are described, in order to obtain a better metrological interpretation of the experimental results.
(5) Standardization and Industrial Quality
Quality control techniques, reliability and technology administration are studied in order to improve industry efficiency and productivity. Existing standards are studied in detail.
COALITION AND PARTNERSHIP
It is expected that several other institutions may benefit from this course. The CTC of PUC-Rio has a tradition of maintaining partnership and coalitions, both on national and international basis. For instance, it maintains an interchange agreement with the Military Institute of Engineering (IME) which allows students from both institutions to freely undertake postgraduate courses as well as to carry out research in laboratory of either campi. Some of the CTC laboratories are accredited by INMETRO, so that calibration services can be performed. The following areas are covered by this service: temperature, pressure, force and dimension.
Another interchange agreement has just been signed between PUC-Rio and UFF. It is specifically related to the metrology area. UFF has a postgraduate program on production engineering that will benefit directly from this agreement. As mentioned before, a cooperation with the technical school SENAI is under way. The idea is to establish the basis for projects of mutual interest. The close link that SENAI maintain with industry (they are responsible for the training of industry technicians in several different areas) makes them the perfect partners for a continuous assessment of the suitability of the course to the ever-changing conditions of the market.
In future, cooperative work is planned to be extended to other institutions. Within Brazil, talks have been initiated with the Federal Universities of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and of Pernambuco (UFPE). PUC-Rio maintains a large number of international cooperation agreements, with institutions from the United States, the European Union and Latin America, in particular, from the countries of MERCOSUL (the South American Economic Community). Some of these agreements will, in the near future, be naturally extended to the metrology area. Equally important is the close relation that is kept with NIST and PTB, the national authorities in metrology, in the United States and Germany, respectively.
COURSE STRUCTURE
The main characteristics of the course are presented below.
Admission:
Candidates must hold a degree in Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or Chemistry. Approval will be decided by a committee, based on the curriculum vitae of the candidate, his/her undergraduate grades, recommendation letters and an interview.
Pre-enrollment courses:
At the committee discretion, based on the candidate curriculum, grades and interview result, pre-enrollment summer (January and February) courses will have to be attended. Mathematics and Statistics are taught, during a total of 45 hours. Exams are taken at the end of these courses and candidate admission will be decided upon his/her results.
Course duration:
Minimum time to obtain the MSc degree was established in 12 months. On the other hand, the student is expected not to exceed 24 months to conclude the course. Classes start on March, with two terms (semesters) per year. The first goes from March to June, and the second, from August to November.
Disciplines:
The student must attend 8 disciplines in the first year, five of which are mandatory. The remaining three are chosen out of a group of 14 courses. Each discipline represents a total of 45 hours, distributed over 15 weeks. Four courses (all mandatory) are attended in the first semester, and the remaining four (one mandatory and three electives), in the second.
Seminars:
The student will also have to attend, in the first two semesters, weekly seminars. At the end of each semester, a report, summarizing these seminars, must be presented.
MSc Dissertation:
The second year of the course is dedicated to the development of a dissertation. It should be related to a subject of relevance to metrology, in both academic and industrial aspects. The dissertation work is presented, in written form and orally, before a board of examiners.
CURRICULUM
First Semester (mandatory disciplines):
Second Semester (mandatory discipline):
Second Semester (three elective disciplines to be chosen):
Special Topics on Metrology for Industrial Quality: I and II
COURSE EVALUATION
All postgraduate courses in Brazil, those leading to MSc and Ph.D./D.Sc. degrees, are evaluated by CAPES. Based on several different criteria courses are ranked from A to E. The MSc course on Metrology for Industrial Quality has some peculiarities (mainly for being less academic and more industry oriented) that required some adaptation of the traditional criteria that CAPES has been using, and improving, over the years. Criteria for the present course evaluation are here proposed.
Faculty
Faculty should be evaluated by its dimension in relation to the number of students enrolled, qualification, status and technical and academic production. The latter criterion may pose some problems to this course, due to its multidepartmental nature. All professors are equally involved with some other postgraduate course in PUC-Rio, which means that his/her academic production should be either counted twice or split into the two courses. In either case, academic production should stable and equally distributed over the faculty. The question is still open and the full allocation of faculty production to the traditional courses are now being favored.
Areas of Research
Areas of research should be evaluated in relation to their importance to Metrology. Technical and academic production, including the Dissertations, should be consistent with the established areas of research.
Technical Production
Technical production should be evaluated, due to the very nature of the course, by its contribution to the improvement of the development of metrology in the country, influencing the metrological reliability in industry and laboratories as well as guaranteeing the improvement on industrial quality.
Participation in Undergraduate Courses
Integration with and contribution to the undergraduate courses of the institution should not be overlooked. The activities of faculty in the planning, teaching or research initiation should be observed.
Student Production
The production of dissertations should be evaluated by the duration and quality, with priority given to Dissertations of sufficient quality that lead to a published work, preferably in a refereed journal or conference. In particular, the capacity of the course in placing graduates industrial or metrological laboratories, thus fulfilling its objectives, should be observed. More important, the relevance of each dissertation on meeting the needs of accredited laboratories and industries alike should be carefully assessed.
Institution
The institution capability of hosting the course is, of course, an important point in the evaluation. Laboratories, libraries, computational facilities should all be assessed.
Evaluators
Evaluators of postgraduate courses have been traditionally been taken from other institutions (peer review). In the specific case of this course, specialists from industrial and metrological laboratories would be in an equally privileged position to assess if the program succeeded in providing human resources to metrology.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
A new multidisciplinary curriculum for a MSc Course on Metrology for Industrial Quality has been presented. The course started on August 1996 with 9 students enrolled. A new class started in March 1997, with 13 new students enrolled. For a new course, these figures are quite encouraging.
A great effort has been put by the CTC of PUC-Rio in order to make this course a reality. It was the first postgraduate course on metrology to be offered in Brazil and its multidepartamental nature poses new challenges. All the faculty is involved with some other traditional postgraduate course in the same Center, which means that care should be taken to make this an effort that does not subtract from the others. This has a lot to do with the evaluation criteria which to be used. Discussion within the CTC of PUC-Rio and with the funding agencies (CAPES mainly) is to be continued.
Experience with the first two classes has shown that more effort should be put in improving liaison with industry, trough the choice of dissertation themes as well as through the organization of invited seminars.
The MSc course in Metrology for Industrial Quality is a new venture that is innovative, in Brazil, in many ways (first course on metrology, multidisciplinary, in close cooperation with industry). Its progress should be followed closely.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are indebted to CAPES, CNPq and INMETRO for the financial support. Thanks are also due to Prof. F. L. Freire Jr, Department of Physics, PUC-Rio, Prof. G. Salcedo Munhoz, Department of Mechanical Engineering, PUC-Rio, Prof. Maria Isabel Pais, Department of Chemistry, PUC-Rio, and alll other lecturers of PUC-Rio involved with metrology, for their effort in building the curriculum for this course.