PRi SM
A m e r i c a n S o c i e t y f o r E n g i n e e r i n g E d u c at i o n
Novemb er 2 01 2
Pacific
Overtures
Despite U.S.-Chinese political tensions,
research collaborations are thriving.
Webinar: Challenges
and Solutions for
Engineering Educators
Wednesday, November 28th, 2012 at 10:00 am ET
Register at: www.maplesoft.com/asee
Many engineering topics can be taught using a progression from theory
to computer simulations to related hardware experiments. Although this
progression can reinforce the overall understanding of the topic, unfortunately
traditional modeling tools can muddle the process. Quite often students are not
modeling the system, they are modeling the equations that define the system.
Advanced physical modeling and simulation technology, such as MapleSim
from Maplesoft, offers increased capabilities for educators, and is also easy and
intuitive enough to be used by undergrads so they can gain greater insight into
the nature of physical systems. This technology differs from traditional modeling
software in that it offers a richer and more relevant treatment of the underlying
mathematics and physics of models.
In this webinar we will illustrate how you can reinforce engineering concepts
using a combination of theory, simulation, and hardware and show how the
math can be used in a more meaningful way. Education-focused examples of
MapleSim will be demonstrated.
Presenters:
Dr. James Andrew Smith
Biomedical Engineering Program
Director, Ryerson University
Moderator:
Tim Vrablik
Manager, MapleSim Academic
Development, Maplesoft
Nathan Kahl
Director of Communications, ASEE
Register at: www.maplesoft.com/asee
A
Cyb ern et
Gro u p
Co mpany
www.maplesoft.com | info@maplesoft.com
© Maplesoft, a division of Waterloo Maple Inc., 2012. Maplesoft,
Maple, and MapleSim are trademarks of Waterloo Maple Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SolidWorks is a registered trademark of Dassault Systèmes. ©2012 Dassault Systèmes. All rights reserved.
the hot rod
baby buggy
is road ready
Pr o j e ct 3 o f Le t’s g o de sig n
In this interactive web series, SolidWorks brings together CAD fanatics from
around the world to collaborate on innovative design projects. With their help, our
host Jeremy Luchini successfully designed the first hardcore baby buggy for dads.
Watch its development from design to build - and how SolidWorks was used to
bring ideas, comments and your votes to life at LetsGoDesign.tv
Do Engineering
National Instruments provides the hardware and software
students need to experiment, move beyond theory and
simulation, and realize what it means to do engineering.
>>
Learn how NI supports the next generation of innovation at ni.com/academic
©2011 National Instruments. All rights reserved. National Instruments, NI, and ni.com are trademarks of National Instruments.
Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. 01568
800 991 9013
PRiS M
contents
Dance With
the Dragon
Research partnerships grow
alongside U.S.-Chinese competition.
+ By Mark Matthews
featur es
n ove m b e r 2 01 2 Vo l . 2 2 N o . 3
28
Cover Story
Cover
Illustration By
Kazushige Nitta
34
Grave New World
Emerging technologies with the power
to harm or help pose tough ethical
choices – and a challenge for educators.
+ By Art Pine
40
Light
Fantastic
The potential of
photonics and optics
is just starting to be tapped.
+ By Thomas K. Grose
NOVember 2012
003
3DEXPERIENCE
want desert cities to drink,
where do we get fresh water?
Harvesting icebergs
– a dream our software could bring to life.
The Antarctic continent, accounting for more
than 80 percent of the world’s fresh water,
naturally releases thousands of icebergs
every year. French marine engineer Georges
Mougin has long dreamed of towing these
ice mountains across the globe – and realizing
the massive potential of a global resource
that would otherwise simply melt away.
The 3DExperience platform from
Dassault Systèmes is helping to turn Mougin’s
dream into reality. Recreating his vision in a
scientific virtual environment, we modeled
and simulated icebergs, ocean currents and
wind, marine equipment, weather conditions
and new marine innovations. In this way,
Mougin has not only validated his idea –
he can now also share the vision with those
who can help him bring it to life.
Our software applications for the
3DExperience platform:
CATIA / SOLIDWORKS / SIMULIA / DELMIA / ENOVIA
GEOVIA / EXALEAD / NETVIBES / 3DSWYM / 3DVIA
It takes a special kind of compass to explore the
world’s future possibilities. Innovative companies
use our 3DExperience software platform to
understand the present and navigate the future.
Find out more: 3DS.COM/IFWE
P RiS M
contents
N ove m b e r 2 01 2 Vo l . 2 2 N o . 3
D e pa rtm e nts
6 From the Editor
14
10E-mail
14 First Look
20 Databytes
22 Up Close:
Anti-Status Quo
By Lucille Craft
25 Refractions:
Landing on Mars
By Henry Petroski
27 Reinvention:
Build a Pro Team
By Debbie Chachra
45
46
45 Advances From AEE:
Online in Reverse
By Matthew W. Liberatore,
Andrew W. Herring, and Charles R. Vestal
46 On the Shelf:
Why Education Matters
By ROBIN TATU
48 ASEE Today
56 Classifieds
68 Last Word
It Doesn’t Add Up
By Nicole Mendoza
NOVember 2012
005
P R i SM
From the Editor
Am e r i c an S oci e ty for En gi n e e r i ng E d uc at i o n
N o vem b er 2 012 Vo l . 2 2 N o . 3
Risk and Reward
T
hrough some of the darkest days of the Cold
War, scientific cooperation between the
United States and the Soviet Union served as “an
important rudder of stability,” a 2004 National
Academies report concluded. In the early 1980s,
Pentagon hardliners argued that the relationship
“made little sense” when the Soviets were trying
to gain a military edge. True, the Soviets pilfered
technology where they could. But a 1982 panel
found that university and scientific exchanges were
seldom the source of the leaks and that closing off
these channels would slow the advance of science
and of U.S. innovation.
Fast-forward 30 years and we hear a similar debate over American research collaboration with China, subject of this month’s
cover story. But there are big differences: Where the Soviet
Union’s economy was headed toward collapse, China’s is racing
forward. Beijing’s leaders are intent on grounding future growth in
research-based invention and ideas, long America’s strength. And
the scale of collaboration is greater this time around, bolstered
by much easier communication and professional relationships
forged by the many Chinese graduate students at U.S. institutions.
While some officials and trade groups fear China will use these ties
to gain strategic advantage, the momentum of cooperation is such
that it may be impossible to reverse.
If, as many argue, the globalization of engineering and scientific research leads to faster breakthroughs, we’ll see more stories
like Tom Grose’s “Light Fantastic,” about the dazzling potential
of optics and photonics. Think of ultrafast computers and superthin display screens as flexible as paper. But the rapid pace of
technological change in various fields, including biotechnology
and robotics, has a number of academics worried, as Art Pine describes in “Grave New World.” They say engineering schools need
to broaden ethics training so students will approach potentially
dangerous new technology responsibly.
On page 45, you’ll notice a new feature – Advances from AEE –
an excerpt from ASEE’s online journal, Advances in Engineering
Education. It will appear twice a year. In other issues, you will see
the familiar JEE Selects. We hope you enjoy this month’s Prism,
and we welcome your comments.
ASEE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Walter W. Buchanan, President
Kenneth F. Galloway, President-Elect
Don P. Giddens, Immediate Past President
Sandra A. Yost, First Vice President, Vice President, External
Relations
Ray M. Haynes, Vice President, Finance
Stephanie Farrell, Vice President, Member Affairs
Nicholas J. Altiero, Chair, Engineering Deans Council
Gary Gabriele, Chair, Engineering Research Council
Jeffrey L. Ray, Chair, Engineering Technology Council
Terri Morse, Vice President, Institutional Councils, Chair,
Corporate Member Council
Stephanie G. Adams, Chair, Professional Interest Council I
Catherine K. Skokan, Chair, Professional Interest Council II
Joseph J. Rencis, Chair, Professional Interest Council III
Bevlee A. Watford, Vice President PICs, Chair, Professional
Interest Council IV
Patricia D. Bazrod, Chair, Professional Interest Council V
Bobby G. Crawford, Chair, Council of Sections, Zone I
Barbara Bernal, Chair, Council of Sections, Zone II
Christi Patton-Luks, Chair, Council of Sections, Zone III
Nebojsa Jaksic, Chair, Council of Sections, Zone IV
Norman L. Fortenberry, ASEE Executive Director
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Brian L. Yoder, Director, Assessment, Evaluation & Institutional
Research
ASEE Prism (USPS 0007-481) (ISSN 1056-8077) is published nine times during
the year; monthly September through April, bimonthly May-June; by the American
Society for Engineering Education, 1818 N Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington,
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TO REPRINT: Address requests to Publications & Marketing Services. Individual
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Change of address must be received at least six weeks in advance. POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to ASEE Prism, 1818 N Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington,
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For guidelines for submitting a Last Word
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Mark Matthews
m.matthews@asee.org
006
Prism-Magazine.org
http://www.asee.org/prism/
submission-guidelines.
Find out what these reports can do for you
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PRiSM
Am e r i c an S oci e ty for En gi n e e r i ng E du cati o n
N o vem b er 2 012 Vo l . 2 2 N o . 3
Point.
Editor
Mark Matthews
Creative Director
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Prism Online.
www.asee.org/prism
Chief Correspondent
Thomas K. Grose (Europe)
Columnists
Henry Petroski
Debbie Chachra
Contributing Editors
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Don Boroughs (South Africa)
Joshua Brilliant (Israel)
Charles Q. Choi
Lucille Craft (Japan)
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Movies and Statics
W
ords cannot express how glad I was when I received the
September issue of Prism and it had on the cover “Lights,
Camera, Engineering.” For the past two years in my Engineering
Mechanics (Statics) class, I have given an extra-credit segment
called Screen Engineering, in which students analyze excerpts and
clips of movies using the concepts learned from Statics. Students’
interest in Statics grew, and the ones who participated performed
really well in the class because they understood the practical application of the concepts and also enjoyed the process of analyzing
movies.
Screen Engineering sparked an interest not only in my Statics
class but in engineering as a whole. Students who participated in
Screen Engineering have formed a club called Big Screen Engineering, which I serve as adviser, bridging the gap between concept application and engineering in a very educational and entertaining way.
Chris A. O’Riordan-Adjah, P.E.
Lecturer - Structural Engineering
Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering
University of Central Florida
Redesign Faulted
U
nfortunately, the new design of Prism is inferior to the old
design.
In particular, the typeface on the columns is not as professional as the old font. The first page of the Table of Contents is hard to
read due to the photos and images obscuring the page numbers.
The photo of columnist Henry Petroski is not flattering at all.
The use of three digits (e.g., “023”) for a one- or two-digit page
number is strange.
I continue to enjoy the content but prefer the old look.
Jeffrey W. Herrmann, Ph.D.
Department of Mechanical Engineering and
Institute for Systems Research
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
010
Prism-Magazine.org
powered by
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guided by
integrity
everything is possible.
We believe that by applying the highest business ethics and
visionary thinking — everything is within our reach, and yours.
Like creating systems vital to the safety and security of our nation. Like
shaping the latest technological breakthroughs that redefine defense,
information technology, and commercial business. Like delivering
countless systems and products that reflect the best ideas of people
around the globe. This is our view at Lockheed Martin. We’d like to
learn yours.
Join one of the foremost systems engineering, software, and systems
integration companies in the world.
We are now hiring nationwide in:
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Engineering
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• and other technical disciplines
Visit our Web site at: lockheedmartinjobs.com/asee
for complete details on our college recruiting program.
An equal opportunity employer.
Voted Top Industry Performer - Aerospace/Information Technology
- Universum Undergraduate Survey, 2012
Join ASEE
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my first academic position. ASEE provides me
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workshops at the conferences, updates on the
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Prism…and more. As a dean, I encourage my
assistant professors to join because I want them to
be good teachers and mentors for our students.”
Sharon Jones
Dean, Shiley School of Engineering
University of Portland
ABET Program
Evaluator
NSPE Professional Engineers
in Higher Education
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Excellence Award,” 2007
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Leadership Scholars
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and Computer Science
Learn more about the difference ASEE can make for you.
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ASEE
VCP
Virtual Communities of Practice
EXPLORE
research-based instructional approaches
while networking with peers.
ASEE’S VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE project is seeking faculty who want to explore
effective teaching strategies. Participants will work in groups with 20-30 of their colleagues, meeting as
a “virtual community of practice” in a platform provided by ASEE. The project will run during the Spring
2013 and Fall 2013 semesters, with participants expected to begin utilizing new approaches in Fall 2013.
Find out more at
www.asee.org/ASEE-VCP
This project is partially supported by NSF grant DUE-1224217.
Fi rst Look
B r eakth r o u g h s an d tr en d s i n th e wo r ld o f tec h n o lo gy
Space Instrumentation
Heavenly
View
In the race for sharper digital images, the Dark Energy Camera (right) wins, hands down. The telephone-booth-size digital
camera — the world’s most powerful — has 570 megapixels and took engineers, astronomers, and technicians on three
continents eight years to construct. Mounted on the 4-meter Blanco telescope in Chile, it recently captured its first images
from galaxies up to 8 billion light-years away. So large is the camera’s field that a single panoramic picture – like the
rectangular images here – covers an area of the heavens 20 times as big as the moon, as seen from Earth. An international
team’s five-year survey of the southern sky could unlock secrets of the dark matter and dark energy that make up 96 percent
of the universe. And it might shed light on why the universe expands at an increasing rate. – Mary Lord
Photos courtesy of The Dark Energy Survey
November 2012
015
First Look
Public Policy
Enable Talk
Channeling Lincoln
Robotics
Cheaper
Help
UCLA & iStock
Rethink Robotics & Baxter
Mysteries
of Sperm
Prizes
Stealth Project
Their deliberations cloaked in secrecy, 15 judges are sifting through hundreds of
nominations sent from around the world to decide which engineer – or group of up
to three engineers – will receive the inaugural Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. The $1.6 million prize – which aspires to be the Nobel for engineering – will
reward a “groundbreaking innovation in engineering that has been of global benefit
to humanity.” The winner will be named next March, and a student-designed trophy will be presented by Her Majesty in late spring. Judges include Frances Arnold,
a Caltech chemical engineering professor; Stanford President John Hennessy;
Calestous Juma, director of Harvard’s Science, Technology and Globalization Project; and Charles Vest, president of the National Academy of Engineering. The trophy competition, open to students ages 16 to 24, calls for a design “that represents
the wonder of modern engineering.” Applicants must use 3-D online software to
create their gong, and the finalists’ designs will be prototyped by a 3-D printer. – TG
016
Prism-Magazine.org
Sperm are among the most important
microorganisms there are. But they’ve proved
hard to study because they’re as speedy as
they are tiny. Aydogan Ozcan, a professor
of electrical engineering at the University
of California, Los Angeles, has developed
a method that for the first time allows
researchers to track sperm movements in
3-D. A tiny drop of liquid – one one-hundredth
of a milliliter – containing 1,500 human sperm
was placed on a silicon sensor chip, not unlike
the kind used in smartphones. Ozcan’s team
then shone a blue LED and a red LED light,
set at a 45-degree angle from one another,
on the sample. Each sperm cast two different
shadows of different colors. The data were fed
into a computer program that reconstructed
the sperms’ paths, allowing researchers to
see sperm movements in much greater detail
than ever before. The technology might one
day help improve male fertility testing. But it
could also be used to study other microbes,
including the one-celled organisms that
contaminate drinking water, or to monitor
treatments of microbial diseases. Meanwhile,
scientists now know that while most sperm
swim in the stereotypical squiggly paths
they’ve seen before, some 4 to 5 percent
swim in helices – and of those, only a mere 10
percent circle to the left instead of to the right.
Why? That’s a mystery yet to be solved. – TG
Hand Signals
Some engineers just can’t wait until they
graduate to start inventing. Here’s one recent
example: After watching a man with a speech
impairment struggle to make a supermarket
cashier understand him, three Ukrainian
computer science students, who call themselves
the QuadSquad, designed gloves fitted with 15
sensors that can understand the hand and finger
gestures used in sign language. Via a Bluetooth
connection, the decoded movements are sent
to a software program that translates the data
into sound, allowing a synthesizer to voice the
translation and broadcast it from a smartphone’s
speakers. Earlier this year, QuadSquad beat
out 350 students from 75 countries to win
Microsoft’s $25,000 prize, the Imagine Cup.
The EnableTalk, as the device is called, runs by a
battery that can be recharged by a built-in solar
cell or a USB port. QuadSquad hopes to sell it for
around $75. For millions of people worldwide with
speech or hearing impairments, EnableTalk could
be a communications bonanza. – TG
Sensors
Watch Your Step
One of the biggest hazards the elderly face is the risk of falling over. In Britain,
fully half of hospital admissions for those over 65 result from falls. So researchers at the University of Manchester’s Photon Science Institute have devised a
smart carpet that might predict whether someone is becoming more susceptible to dangerous spills. It’s composed of plastic optical fibers laid beneath a
real carpet that bend when trod upon. Each fiber has a sensor, and the information from the footfalls is sent to a computer that creates a real-time map of
someone’s walking pattern. The images of footprints can be analyzed for gradual changes in gait that might determine if someone is becoming more prone
to falling. Physiotherapists could also use smart carpeting to determine how
well patients are responding to therapies. The smart carpet uses a tomographic
technique that’s similar to scanners, and it maps a 2-D image of footsteps using
light propagating beneath the carpet. Researchers say the technology could easily be retrofitted beneath existing carpets in hospital wards and nursing homes,
and eventually in people’s houses. Of course, if someone does fall over, the smart
carpet immediately signals an alarm. – TG
November 2012
017
The University of Manchester
3-D Technology
Inventors
Enable Talk
Robots and humans don’t yet mix well in the workplace. But while research continues into
ways to allow people to work more closely with their industrial mechanical brethren, Boston’s Rethink Robotics has developed an early solution. In October it began shipping the first
generation of Baxter, a robot designed to do menial manufacturing and assembly tasks
while in the company of humans. The $22,000 Baxter works more slowly by design
than other industrial ’bots, is covered in thick, padded plastic, and crammed with
sensors that allow it to recognize when it’s near a human. It then can automatically
adjust its movements to avoid collision. Its relatively low price also makes it affordable for many small- to medium-size companies that previously would have found robots too costly. Baxter is trained by demonstration. Physically move its arms to show
what you want it to do, press a button, and — voilà! — it’s programmed. Like the 1980s,
when PCs dropped in price and became user-friendly, “it feels like a true Macintosh moment for the
robot world,” former Apple designer Tony Fadell told the New York Times. Rethink, founded by former MIT robotics guru Rodney Brooks, advertises Baxter as “Astute. Aware. Affordable.” – to which
we might add, “Awesome.” – Thomas K. Grose
The 1862 Morrill Act provided 17.4 million acres in federal land grants
that states could sell to fund the creation of agricultural and technical colleges. Sponsored by Rep. Justin Morrill of Vermont and signed
by Abraham Lincoln, the law is widely seen as having transformed
American higher education by opening it up to children of the working
class and small farmers, women, and African-Americans. Many landgrant schools grew to become major research universities. But as their
stature rose, they ceded to urban colleges the task of educating the
masses. So argue four engineering deans who trekked to Capitol Hill in
early fall to press lawmakers for a 21st-century equivalent of the Morrill
Act – this time aimed at colleges serving the poor and underrepresented minorities. Deans Amir Mirmiran of Florida International University;
Keith Moo-Young of California State University, Los Angeles; Peter Kilpatrick of Notre Dame; and Richard Schoephoerster of the University
of Texas, El Paso say their initiative is aimed at training more minorities
in science, technology, engineering, and math – fields the nation needs
to expand. Besides a significant federal investment (including a GI Bill
for STEM), key parts of the proposal include collaboration between urban schools and research universities, stronger involvement by industry, and improved K-12 preparation that integrates engineering. Just as
the law signed 150 years ago helped make post-Civil War America an
agricultural and industrial powerhouse, the deans contend that their
plan should bring an economic payoff. – Mark Matthews
First Look
Leadership
Brief & Turbulent
Mustafa Abushagur will go down in history as Libya’s first elected
prime minister after more than four decades of dictatorship. He’ll
most likely also have the dubious honor of having one of the shortest tenures. This former professor of microsystems engineering at
Rochester Institute of Technology was elected PM by the General
National Council about 11 months after the execution of former
Libyan strongman Muammar Qadhafi. But on October 7, the GNC
overwhelmingly voted against his proposed cabinet lineup, a move
that served as a no-confidence vote. Abushagur, who received his
bachelor’s degree from Tripoli University and advanced degrees in electrical engineering from
Caltech, joined RIT in 2002 after a stint at the University of Alabama, Huntsville. In 2008, he was
named founding president of RIT Dubai. Returning to Libya after Qadhafi’s death, he served for a
year as deputy prime minister in an interim government. He became prime minister at a particularly troubled time. The day before his election, the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other State
Department employees were killed at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. Abushagur’s first official act
was to condemn the attack. – TG
018
Prism-Magazine.org
Scientists
Favor
Men
Research shows that subconscious gender bias can
wreak havoc on the careers
of women. But surely scientists, trained to focus on hard
evidence, are an exception?
Nope. According to a new
Yale study, science professors judge women undergraduates more harshly than
their male peers, even when
qualifications are exactly the
same. Chemistry, biology, and
physics professors from six
leading research universities
were asked to rate the application of a student applying
for a laboratory manager job.
Thirty percent, or 127 professors, obliged. They all got the
same application form, but
half of them saw the name
John on it, the other half the
name Jennifer. On a scale of 1
to 7, John’s application got an
average score of 4, and most
professors said they would
consider hiring or mentoring
him. His suggested starting
salary averaged $30,328. Jennifer didn’t fare as well. Her
application was rated at just
3.3, fewer profs were willing
to hire or mentor her, and her
suggested salary averaged just
$26,508. And women profs
were no help to Jennifer. “Female and male faculty were
equally likely to exhibit bias
against the female student,”
according to the study. It suggests special training of science faculty to curb subconscious bias. – TG
Cooler Combustion
Internal combustion engines are marvels of efficiency. But according to Shannon
Miller in a recent Technology Review opinion piece, conventional engine designs
are “already approaching the theoretical limits of their current architecture.” So
Miller, a mechanical engineer armed with three degrees from Stanford University,
two years ago cofounded EtaGen, a California start-up that’s aiming to design and
build internal combustion engines unlike any that currently exist. Engines that operate at higher compression ratios are more efficient, but they also run very hot.
That wastes energy and adds to the amount of friction between a piston and a
cylinder. EtaGen’s reworked architecture uses a free-piston design to allow for
more compression and 25 percent less fuel than conventional generators. The
company initially wants to build diesel and natural-gas generators but thinks the
design could work for generators in hybrid electric cars, like the Chevy Volt. This
new type of engine still requires “significant development,” Miller writes, “but
progress should be faster than it will be for less established new energy technologies.” If Miller’s right, her design could breathe new life into old technology. – TG
Photo by Timothy Archibald
Solar Energy
Biomimicry
No Fish
Story
Chalk up another technological innovation thanks to
biometrics. Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs)
have been around for years, but for some tasks, their
movements are still too cumbersome. So researchers
at Boston Engineering Corp., charged with building
a more fishlike UUV, cast their eyes on the tuna for
inspiration. Why the tuna fish? Well, thanks to eons
of evolutionary development, it is one of nature’s
swiftest and most nimble swimmers. The researcher’s
solution is BIOSwimmer, an underwater drone with
a swishy tail and fins that can glide through water.
The battery-powered robotic fish is much more
propulsive and maneuverable than conventional
UUVs. Commissioned by the Department of Homeland
Security, and loaded with sensors and an onboard
computer, BIOSwimmer will not only patrol harbors
but investigate the bilge and ballast tanks of tankers
and also cargo ships – keeping an eye open for
anything that looks fishy. – TG
Companies
Like It
Corporate America has seen the light, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. In a recent report, the group says the top 20 corporate solar users are generating around $47.3 million worth of electricity a year from their panels – enough juice to power more than 46,500
homes. The entire amount of corporate photovoltaic installations in the
United States could power more than 390,000 homes. Led by Walmart,
the list also includes Costco, Kohl’s, Ikea, Macy’s, and Walgreens. Other
major names are McGraw-Hill, Johnson & Johnson, General Motors
and Crayola. Apple, Bloomberg, GE, Google, Merck, and Tiffany & Co.
also rely on significant amounts of solar power. What’s the appeal for
corporate users? Fast-falling prices for photovoltaic arrays are lowering companies’ operating costs, the group claims. Walmart, whose solar generating capacity is 65,000 kilowatts, says it’s committed to being
powered entirely from renewables and will continue to invest in solar power.
“We hope to use our scale
to drive down prices for all
renewable energies,” the
company says. Given that
Walmart knows a thing or
two about driving down
prices, that’s good news
for green power. – TG
Walmart
ecoATM
As millions rushed to buy the new iPhone 5
this fall, how many considered the fate of their
old phone? Americans have at least a billion electronic devices in their homes, many
no longer in use. Others get tossed away, so
their toxic elements end up in landfills. But for
some people, used phones or tablets are all
they can afford. And old parts can have value.
Now, San Diego start-up ecoATM offers a cool
way to stretch the life of mobile devices: a
kiosk that uses machine vision, electronic
analysis, and artificial intelligence to evaluate no-longer-wanted cellphones and tablets.
When users place their device in the kiosk, its
algorithms quickly determine what shape it’s
in and what it’s worth, based on a list of ready
buyers. The accuracy rate is 97.5 percent,
ecoATM says. Users can trade in old devices
for cash or a store credit, or they can donate
the money to a charity. The kiosk spits out the
money or credit slip on the spot. EcoATM says
75 percent of devices find a second home and
the rest are recycled to remove toxins and
rare earth elements. The first kiosks went live
in 2011, and ecoATM aims for 300 kiosks in
cities nationwide by year-end. A smart end for
smartphones. – TG
Discrimination
iStock
New Life for
Old Phones
Auto Engines
Images courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security & iStock
Entrepreneurs
November 2012
019
D ata by te s
C o m p i le d by B r ia n L . Yo d e r
Higher Raises at the Top
A
SEE conducts an annual engineering faculty salary survey. From 2007 to 2012, between 110 and 150
schools participated in the survey each year. Below are box-and-whisker plots that show approximate
distributions of faculty salaries for all engineering disciplines for all schools that participated. Salaries are
equivalent nine-month salaries for tenured or tenure-track faculty. Longitudinally, shown in the graphic
below, engineering faculty salaries increased from 2007 to 2009, decreased slightly from 2009 to 2010,
and increased from 2010 to 2012. In general, senior faculty received higher raises than their more junior
counterparts.
Assistant
Professor
Associate
Professor
Full
Professor
$156,332
$155,000
$148,271
$145,000
$153,748
$152,966
$149,443
$141,270
$135,000
$125,000
Median
$121,860
Median
$120,336
$115,000
Median
$114,318
Median
$110,314
$105,000
Median
$117,083
Median
$116,575
$102,882
$102,161
$98,745
$95,759
$75,000
$65,000
020
Prism-Magazine.org
$98,907
$92,370
$81,891
Median
$75,234
$69,842
$85,154
Median
$84,985
Median
$77,903
$95,980
$87,151
Median
$88,087
$79,218
$76,287
Median
$79,785
Median
$90,840
$81,615
2008
$98,634
$86,188
Median
$79,289
Median
$90,774
$81,706
$87,594
Median
$80,996
Median
$93,232
$83,664
$88,470
Median
$81,397
Median
$93,558
$84,134
$75,646
$75,193
$74,276
$72,385
2007
$102,262
$101,686
$95,000
$85,000
$104,382
$103,827
$73,911
2009
Infographic by Dennis P. Cummings
2010
2011
Schools that participate in the salary survey receive a set of free reports. Schools that participate and pay a fee
can generate their own reports based on a cohort of schools and a set of engineering disciplines they select.
If your school would like to participate, contact Brian Yoder, b.yoder@asee.org or 202-331-3535.
2012
november 2012
021
Up Close
I n n ovato r s at w o r k a n d i n th e cl as s r o o m
Anti-Status Quo
An outspoken academic issues a wake-up call to Japanese educators.
F
or 30 years, the gravelly voice of educator Kiyoshi Kurokawa has been
grating on Japan’s establishment. His most
recent broadside landed during a parliamentary probe into the 2011 Fukushima
nuclear accident. Besides the familiar
culprits of government-industry collusion, lax regulation, and gross corporate
mismanagement, Kurokawa fingered his
own society. “Our reflexive obedience; our
reluctance to question authority; our devotion to ‘sticking with the program’; and
our insularity,” he ticked off. “What must
be admitted – very painfully – is that this
was a disaster ‘Made in Japan.’”
It was a familiar cri de coeur for the former Tokyo University medical professor
and president of Japan’s Science Council—one he’s been leveling for years at Japanese higher education. In 1983, he returned
from a distinguished teaching career in the
United States to find Japanese universities
had stagnated. Since then, Kurokawa has
been the status quo’s worst foe. “Students
are bright, but not forced to study hard,” he
says, calling the typical Japanese college
experience a “four-year moratorium” from
education. At many of Japan’s 700 colleges
and universities, Kurokawa contends, “the
teacher is not using his brain and the student
is just taking notes. Both are not thinking!”
The Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science, and Technology apparently agrees. Statistics it released this summer show that while roughly two thirds of
American freshmen spend at least 11 hours
a week on homework, most Japanese study
five hours or less. The slacker existence
of Japanese undergraduates is so widely
acknowledged and even accepted that 10
percent of Japanese freshmen surveyed
confessed to not studying at all. The findings were consistent across all majors,
even disciplines like engineering and science. A ministry document entitled “Why
Don’t Japanese Students Study as Hard as
022
Prism-Magazine.org
Students in the West?” portrays Japanese
universities as isolated, rigid, and closed,
where performance by both students and
their professors seems almost incidental
to the larger purpose of awarding diplomas
in exchange for tuition.
Sensitive to the power of the sound bite,
Kurokawa famously urged schools to take
a page from the world of sumo, Japan’s supersize wrestling, which has been forced
by scandal and a waning pool of Japanese
recruits to globalize its talent search.
Mandating quotas of foreign students at
Japanese universities, Kurokawa has
long argued, would
breathe new life
into Japanese universities. (At 3.4
percent, Japan’s
proportion of international students is
growing, but it remains far below the
OECD average of 8
percent and America’s 16.6 percent.)
“Japanese science
and technology is
strong,” he says,
but of his country’s
10 Nobel science
laureates this century, “three of them
were [working] in the United States, so our
return on investment has been less than effective.”
Humiliated by Japan’s sliding rank
among the world’s universities, Japan’s
education ministry is in the midst of a
campaign to upgrade and internationalize
a core group of 13 institutions, an initiative spurred by critics like Kurokawa. And
a graduate-level research institute has
opened on Okinawa.
But change has been painfully slow, and
By Lucille Craft
Corporate Japan is complicit. Recruiters
often ignore a student’s GPA in favor of
sports or other extracurricular activities to
gauge whether the job candidate is a “team
player.” Academics further suffer from the
custom of job hunting during junior year,
which has effectively turned a four-year education into three. A generation after passage of equal opportunity laws, Japanese
women still suffer discrimination in hiring.
At 76, Kurokawa says he’s resigned to
the glacial pace of change. The iconoclastic
academic is focused now on promoting international student
exchange programs,
although study
abroad programs
are a tough sell to
Japanese students
in an era of job insecurity and global
economic weakness. “Parents and
kids are scared,”
he acknowledges.
But only by getting
more Japanese to
study overseas can
Japan foster the innovation needed to
rescue electronics
and other foundering industries. “If
you go up the same
ladder at the same university with the same
peers, you get no stimulation,” he notes.
“That is the weakness of Japanese companies and universities.”
Kurokawa believes that educating Japanese to be more global and competitive, to
think independently instead of bowing to
hierarchy, represents Japan’s best chance
to produce new sources of growth – and its
best defense against the next Fukushima.
Lucille Craft is a freelance writer based in Tokyo.
Articles Now
Available Online >>>
ACS Sustainable Chemistry
& Engineering is a single,
centralized resource for those
working on all aspects of green
chemistry and sustainability.
Read the first set of articles
available online from the
journal, freely accessible to all
readers for a limited time.
pubs.acs.org/acssce
David T. Allen
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University of Texas, Austin
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Heterogeneous
Sonogashira Coupling over
Nanostructured SiliaCat
Pd(0)
Rosaria Ciriminna, Valerica
Pandarus, Genevieve
Gingras, François Béland,
Piera Demma Carà, and
Mario Pagliaro
Publication Date (Web):
September 24, 2012
(Research Article)
DOI: 10.1021/sc300083v
ACS-1654 ACSSCE print PRISM.indd 1
Hierarchical GrapheneBased Material for Over
4.0 Wt % Physisorption
Hydrogen Storage Capacity
Chun Xian Guo, Yi Wang,
and Chang Ming Li
Publication Date (Web):
September 23, 2012 (Letter)
DOI: 10.1021/sc3000306
Integrated Approach for
Simultaneous Mass and
Property Integration for
Resource Conservation
Ana Carolina Hortua and
Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi ,
Denny K. S. Ng and
Dominic C. Y. Foo
Publication Date (Web):
August 28, 2012 (Research
Article)
DOI: 10.1021/sc300008n
Impact of Pseudolignin versus
Dilute Acid-Pretreated Lignin
on Enzymatic Hydrolysis of
Cellulose
Fan Hu, Seokwon Jung, and
Arthur Ragauskas
Publication Date (Web):
September 19, 2012
(Research Article)
DOI: 10.1021/sc300032j
Acetone–Heptane as
a Solvent System for
Combining Chromatography
on Silica Gel with Solvent
Recycling
Dale G. Drueckhammer,
Steven Qizhi Gao, Xiaofei
Liang,
and Junzhuo Liao
Publication Date (Web):
September 13, 2012
(Research Article)
DOI: 10.1021/sc300044c
10/19/12 1:46 PM
PRESENTED BY
Prism Readers & ASEE Members:
SPREAD THE WORD AND JOIN US FOR THE
10th Annual ASEE K-12 Workshop on Engineering Education
"Tying STEM Together with Engineering"
SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
THE GEORGIA WORLD
CONGRESS CENTER
285 INTERNATIONAL
BOULEVARD N.W.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
•
•
Learn about engineering design in the
K-12 classroom
Experience how engineering education
can enhance teaching and learning in
STEM (science, technology, engineering
and math)
•
Discover best practices in curriculum and
assessment, new contacts and practical
tools for successful STEM education in
the K-12 classroom
Who Should Attend?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
K-12 teachers
School principals
School counselors
District and state-level school administrators
Educators and policy makers seeking to learn about
the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
Race to the Top recipients
Informal and after school educators
Engineering outreach staff, educators, and advocates
ANYONE with an interest in engineering education
Online registration opens
February 19, 2013.
Register early for reduced rate.
PROPOSALS ACCEPTED NOVEMBER 5, 2012 - JANUARY 25, 2013
www.asee.org/k-12workshop/2013
For more information, please contact
LIBBY MARTIN, Manager of K-12 activities
k12workshop@asee.org.
Refractions
by H e n ry P etr o s ki
Landing on Mars
A triumph less of science than of engineering
L
ast August, after an eight-month journey through space, the NASA rover
Curiosity touched down safely on Mars.
There was elation in the control room at
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory over the
flawless landing, which employed a daring
new system to let the 1-ton vehicle down
gently onto the Martian surface. The feat
was widely reported in news media around
the world.
Just one month earlier, science and
technology news was dominated by an
achievement of another kind and scale.
At the European Laboratory for Nuclear
Research, known as CERN, a team of
physicists announced that they had found
evidence of the existence of the
elusive Higgs boson elementary
particle. With its discovery, a key
piece of the puzzle surrounding
the nature of matter may be in
hand.
In response to all the press that
the JPL rover team was getting
for its interplanetary achievement, the CERN Higgs-boson
team initiated some presumably
good-natured banter. According
to a spokesman, the Mars landing
“does not qualify as a significant
scientific achievement and should
not be getting so much of the public’s attention.”
Of course, the set-down on
Mars of the rover was not an
achievement of science; it was one
of engineering. Landing anything
on Mars is at least as difficult as
landing it on the moon. The acceleration
due to gravity on the red planet is about
twice as great, and the rarefied Martian
atmosphere provides little help from friction. In combination, these effects make it
tough to slow down an object that makes
entry at a speed in excess of 13,000 miles
per hour.
Photo by Catherine Petroski
The soft landing sequence employed
with Curiosity is a model of engineering
system design. Earlier rovers had effectively been wrapped in air bags and allowed
to bounce to a stop after free falling from
a safe speed. But the air-bag
technique was not viable for
use with the considerably
larger and heavier Curiosity.
Instead, a so-called sky crane
operation was employed.
After a parachute and
other means slowed the landing module to a target speed,
retro rockets allowed the
module to descend in a con-
CERN’s
collider,
like
NASA’s
rover,
depends on
ingenious
systems
design.
trolled manner toward the landing area.
When close to the surface, the module effectively hovered then lowered the rover to
the ground and put it down on its wheels.
When this had been achieved, the powered
module took itself a safe distance away before crash landing.
Ironically, the begrudging scientists at
CERN owed at least as much to ingenious
systems design for their detection of the
Higgs boson. Their instrument of discovery, the Large Hadron Collider, is the
world’s largest and most powerful particle
accelerator, whose guts
are contained in a circular tunnel of 17-mile
circumference that
straddles the FrancoSwiss border.
As are scientific instruments generally,
the collider is obviously
a product not of science
but of engineering. Indeed, it is arguably the
case that science depends more on engineering than engineering does on science. In its pursuit of
knowledge and understanding, especially of things as elusive as elementary particles and as remote as rocks
on the surface of Mars, science has
great need for complex engineered
systems.
It is thus unfortunate that
NASA’s most recent highly visible
space mission is named the Mars
Science Laboratory and the collection of mobile robotic instruments
is referred to as the Mars science
rover. The mission was certainly
motivated by scientific curiosity
and the goal is certainly scientific
discovery, but without creative and
careful engineering, the rover could
have neither gotten off the ground nor journeyed the 350 million miles from Earth to
Mars and landed there softly.
Henry Petroski is the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil
Engineering and a professor of history at Duke University.
His most recent books are An Engineer’s Alphabet: Gleanings from the Softer Side of a Profession and To Forgive
Design: Understanding Failure.
November 2012
025
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Reinvention
by D e b b i e C h ac h ra
Building Professional Teams
Students need both non-technical and technical training.
T
he importance of professional skills in
the education of engineering students
has gained increasing recognition. Chief
among these skills is teamwork, which
is essential to professional practice or,
for that matter, accomplishing anything,
whether building a Mars rover, raising children, or producing a novel. True, authors
can hammer out the words solo, but they
need an editor and publisher to put out the
final product.
To give students “authentic” experiences in engineering practice, schools
are building team projects and other
group learning experiences into their
curricula — especially in the first year.
Yet the term engineering educators commonly use to describe interpersonal and
professional skills – “soft
skills” – betrays a somewhat dismissive attitude.
So does the structure of
most engineering curricula, which scaffolds the
technical development of
students: Start with the
basics, assess, move on to
more complex material.
Students must master
the early prerequisites
to move on and gradually
become more proficient
at difficult tasks.
But we often expect
our students to work
in teams without much
guidance, and don’t scaffold the development of professional skills
as we do for technical content. Tolstoy
wrote that “happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own
way.” It’s easy to treat team projects the
same way: Any group that accomplishes
the end goal (building a functioning prototype, for example) is a “happy family,”
with shared tasks and good communica-
tion. But individual members may have
experienced something quite different.
Teamwork, particularly early in a student’s education, isn’t just about efficient
division of labor. Consider the first-year
design team that builds a great prototype. If
everyone in the group took on the task he or
she already knew how to do
well – the computer whiz
hitting the keyboard to
design the parts, the
lifelong builder hitting the university shop,
and the strongest writer
taking the lead on the
report – the exercise
is a failure. The point
of an engineering
There’s
nothing
“soft” about
acquiring
strong
interpersonal
skills.
Photo by Michael Maloney/Olin College
course is not what students accomplish;
it’s what they learn. If we’re focused on
teaching them to act like professionals, it’s
easy to lose sight of learning goals.
So what does it mean to help students
develop teamwork proficiency the way we
now build their technical skills? For a start,
we must provide structured opportunities
for communication that boost the group’s
effectiveness. Research from MIT has
shown that a team’s performance depends
less on the brilliance of individual members than on how well the group works
together. High-performing teams display
a willingness to let everyone speak. The
research also found that teams with females outperform all-male teams, in part
because women tend to have better
social skills.
In the first-year design
course taught at Olin College, we ask students
to decide what skills or
knowledge they want
to develop during their
team project — creating
a nature-inspired toy. We
then have them share
their learning objectives with their teammates and collectively
create a project plan that
addresses these goals.
Partway through their
project, students have
an opportunity to provide
feedback to one another, in a structured
way. Both activities are intended to help
teams work better together by uncovering
and addressing shortcomings, a process
students are more likely to encounter as
professional engineers than the end-ofcourse peer assessments commonly used
to evaluate each teammate’s contribution
and assign grades.
Ultimately, we need to help students
develop the interpersonal skills required to
be an effective member of the group. Such
tools will prove useful throughout their
academic careers and beyond.
Debbie Chachra is an associate professor of materials science at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. She
does research, speaks, and consults on engineering education and the student experience. She can be reached at
debbie.chachra@olin.edu or on Twitter as @debcha.
November 2012
027
research
partnerships
grow
alongside
U.S.-Chinese
competition.
Dragon
with the
By Mark Matthews
Illustration by Kazushige Nitta
028
Prism-Magazine.org
November 2012
029
na’s
coast lies a haven for ocean scientists. Hundreds of kilometers
wide and just a few hundred meters deep, the continental shelf in
the East China, South China, and Yellow seas presents an array of
aquatic ecosystems in gently descending depths, amid tidal flows,
reefs, a range of temperatures, and varied exposure to sunlight.
No researchers appreciate this maritime laboratory more than
experts in acoustics, “the eyes of the submarine world.” For them,
the multiple seabed, sediment, and ambient noise levels offer
abundant ways to measure how sound and vibrations travel. The
findings of these engineers and ocean scientists provide crucial
insights to the U.S. Navy in shielding harbors from terrorists, improving surveillance and mine detection, and designing stealthier
submarines for a future conflict on the seas.
Of course, this watery workshop is also a strategic prize. As oil
tankers and containerships ply commercially vital shipping channels, the People’s Republic of China and its neighbors compete
noisily for rocky islets set amid sizable undersea oil and natural
gas deposits. And while China’s expanding navy asserts regional
clout, the United States is vying to preserve its Pacific preeminence. Occasionally, tensions bring the two countries close to
blows. This happened in 1994, when China dispatched fighter
jets to intercept U.S. warplanes over the Yellow Sea and a Chinese nuclear attack submarine came within 21 miles of the U.S.
aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk.
The year following this menacing encounter, however, the U.S.
Office of Naval Research and the Chinese Academy of Sciences
began working together to probe the acoustical mysteries beneath
the Yellow Sea. Hailed as a success by both sides, the ongoing
ocean acoustics partnership held its third international conference in Beijing this past June, drawing 80 papers and nearly 100
participants from 11 countries.
Welcome to the strange yet mutually rewarding world of U.S.Chinese research collaboration, where a global superpower and
its dynamic Asian rival team up to advance fields ranging from
cyberinfrastructure to nanotechnology, electronics, clean energy,
food safety, and language translation technology. The partnership
began when the two nations renewed diplomatic relations in 1979.
Today, projects vary in size from workshops to multiyear grants
of $1 million or more. A five-year National Science Foundationbacked pursuit of low-carbon, sustainable cities in the United
States, India, and China led by environmental engineer Anu Ramaswami of the University of Minnesota, for example, will draw
researchers and students from 14 institutions in the three countries. So many major U.S. universities and corporations have links
with Chinese partner institutions that announcements of new
projects are becoming routine. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
drew scant attention in May when she expanded the U.S.-China
EcoPartnership to include joint pursuit of clean-energy solutions
030
Prism-Magazine.org
A Wary
Congress
T
he amount of cross-fertilization makes Congress uneasy.
House Republicans, in particular, suspect China of exploiting scientific exchanges to spy on America and steal intellectual
Acoustics Program for 10 years. An applied
mathematician, Simmen heads the University
of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory.
But White House science adviser John
Holdren insists that U.S.-Chinese cooperation on science and technology “strengthens
our hand in the effort to get China to change
the aspects of its conduct that we oppose.”
Moreover, America can benefit from China’s
“rapidly growing capabilities in many domains
of S&T,” he told a House panel last year, while
government-to-government cooperation can
help U.S. high-tech firms gain access to enormous potential markets and allows the two
countries to share costs of developing cleanenergy technologies.
Back in 1979, when Jimmy Carter and Deng
Xiaoping agreed to cooperate on science and
technology, Chinese academia was struggling
to recover from the purges and persecution of
the Cultural Revolution. The post-Mao Zedong
leadership recognized that scientists had to be
given freer rein if the economy was to advance,
so it encouraged exchanges and overseas studies. But in the early years, Chinese university
research was weak and the relationship was
“highly asymmetrical,” according to Richard
Suttmeier, a University of Oregon expert.
The Chinese research landscape was still
decades behind the West when Jeffrey Simmen was recruiting partners in 1995. At that
time, he found relatively few researchers and
archaic equipment. But the nation’s recent
– Jeffrey Simmen
headlong modernization rush has since carried
Director of the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington.
university researchers along with it. Changes
property. A report this year by ITIF said China’s theft of U.S. intel- have been “beyond description,” Simmen says: vibrant laboratories
lectual property costs almost 1 million U.S. jobs and caused $48 with state-of-the-art equipment and “so many young, energetic, exbillion in U.S. economic losses in 2009 alone. Wary that Beijing cited researchers.” “Mind-blowing,” is how Michael Pecht, direcis acquiring the capacity to destroy U.S. satellites, Congress has tor of the University of Maryland (UMD) Center for Advanced Life
barred NASA from space cooperation. GOP lawmakers also accuse Cycle Engineering and an expert on the global electronics industry,
the Obama administration of getting too cozy with China and at describes China’s development of science parks – some the size of
one point slashed the White House Office of Science and Technol- the District of Columbia – in just the past five years.
“What the Chinese have is a remarkable ability to channel their
ogy Policy’s budget to punish it for hosting Chinese officials.
Such reactions are not new. Congressional limits imposed a efforts in one direction,” marvels Robert Parker, executive dean of
decade ago chilled Air Force research cooperation. Today, some the University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint
schools that perform sensitive defense research, such as Embry- Institute, a six-year-old engineering school in Shanghai. “When
Riddle Aeronautical University, are still reluctant to join aerospace they decide they want to turn, they can turn.” China’s science agenresearch projects with China. And although the ONR-backed un- cies act accordingly in how they direct funding, says Emily Ashderwater acoustics collaboration is considered basic research and worth, whose office facilitates connections between NSF-funded
therefore unclassified, it has, from time to time, raised eyebrows scientists and students and Chinese institutions. “It is goal-oriinside the Pentagon, says Jeffrey Simmen, who led ONR’s Ocean ented – more top down.”
iStock
Off Chi
by the University of California, Los Angeles and Peking University.
In part, such collaborations reflect the growth of international
university and industry research-and-development partnerships,
facilitated by ever faster communication networks like the AsiaPacific Advanced Network (APAN) and efficient data-sharing
organizations such as PRAGMA, the Pacific Rim Application and
Grid Middleware Assembly. As Emily Ashworth, head of NSF’s
Beijing office, puts it, “Scientific research is global. When you find
the right partner, you do business.”
But China’s size, ambition, and emphasis on engineering put
the U.S.-Chinese collaboration in a special category. It is propelled
by the PRC’s drive to upgrade from a manufacturing to an innovation economy; by multinational companies eager to tap Chinese
R&D talent; by faculty and student exchanges; and by partnerships
forged among and with a burgeoning population of U.S.-trained
Chinese engineers and scientists. While China’s own universities
now award more natural science and engineering Ph.D.’s than do
American schools, the United States remains a favored destination for Chinese graduate students, with applications increasing
at an annual rate of close to 20 percent. Indeed, while international collaboration represents a declining proportion of China’s
research output, coauthorship with Americans has been rising.
China’s production of engineering articles has been growing at an
annual 16 percent clip, and the country now outpaces Japan in U.S.
research collaborations. Overall R&D spending in China grew 28
percent between 2008 and 2009.
“What is American in all this is much more difficult to discern,”
says Denis Fred Simon, a vice provost at Arizona State University
and coauthor of China’s Emerging Technological Edge. “People
don’t realize how embedded China’s research system and our research system are.”
And there’s the rub. Some China-watchers fear that, aided by
the United States, the world’s most populous nation is modernizing so fast it could devour America’s technological lunch, with dire
results for the U.S. economy and national security. “China doesn’t
want to make some things and buy others; they want to make virtually everything, especially advanced technology products and
services,” warned Robert D. Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, in May.
“The
Chinese
have done
it right:
They
invested
in their
people
and
infrastructure.”
November 2012
031
Green
Pioneers
W
hen U.S. and Chinese policymakers share the same goals,
they can mount a formidable joint effort. Take clean energy,
which is driving perhaps the most ambitious government-funded
collaboration to date. The U.S.-China Clean Energy Research
Center, funded on the American side by the Department of Energy (DOE), brings together researchers from academia, national
laboratories, and industry to speed inventions in advanced coal
technology, energy-efficient buildings, and clean vehicles.
The five-year coal effort, led in the United States by West Virginia University and in China by Huazhong University of Science
and Technology, recognizes that coal is “central to the energy systems and growth aspirations of both countries.” Beyond trying to
improve existing methods for cutting CO2 emissions, like carbon
capture and sequestration, the teams will try to demonstrate how
algae can be used both to absorb C02 from coal combustion and to
become its own “rich source of renewable energy.”
The Clean Vehicles Collaboration, led by the University of
Michigan and Beijing’s Tsinghua University, conducts research
leading to novel battery designs, advanced biofuels, lighter-weight
materials, more efficient electric vehicles, and vehicle-grid interaction. It also offers an opportunity to build on existing research
links between American universities and Tsinghua. One member
of the team is Ohio State’s Yunmi Wang, an expert on engines and
powertrains who holds mechanical engineering degrees from
Tsinghua and the Universities of Minnesota and Texas.
The U.S. relationship with Tsinghua on energy comes together
in the person of Chung K. (Ed) Law. A mechanical and aerospace
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engineering professor at Princeton and a member of the National
Academy of Engineering, he runs the DOE-funded Combustion
Energy Frontier Research Center – a consortium of seven universities and two national labs. Recently he took on a second role,
directing Tsinghua’s Center for Energy Combustion.
Government-sponsored collaborations reach well beyond
energy. NSF and China’s National Natural Science Foundation
are funding joint research on advanced sensors and bio-inspired
technologies. The two agencies have also joined forces to support
development of software that can spur scientific discovery and research productivity. Already-funded researchers who collaborate
with China-based researchers can get a funding supplement.
Beyond these incentives, U.S.-based engineers tap into the
growing number of Chinese researchers whose training in the
United States makes them attractive recruitment targets for China-based companies, as well as Chinese universities. Graphene
specialist Rodney Ruoff, a mechanical engineering professor at
the University of Texas, Austin, has continued collaborations by
phone and email with two Chinese postdocs in his research group
who were recruited by Chinese universities. Weiwei Cai, now a
physics professor at Xiamen University, joined Ruoff in publishing research on the isotope effects on the thermal properties of
graphene. Yanwu Zhu, now a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China, worked with Ruoff on a new carbon material, chemically activated graphene. “What we’re working on now is an extension of what had been going on in my lab
here,” Ruoff says.
Complementary
Skills
T
hat distinguished American researchers are reaching out
to Chinese collaborators is itself a sign of China’s growing
strength in science and engineering. Ray Baughman, a University
of Texas at Dallas materials scientist, nanotechnology trailblazer
and member of the National Academy of Engineering, can attract
collaborators from a number of countries – and does. “Any collaboration has to combine unique skill sets of different partners,”
he says. A visitor to China since 1987, he started conducting research with Chinese only a few years ago. Among emerging skills
he’s noticed: high-resolution imaging, chemical synthesis, and an
understanding of structures at the atomic level. Many Chinese researchers bring a solid foundation in physics, chemistry, and math.
“They have a lot of very good scientists,” says the NSF’s Ashworth.
University researchers aren’t the only ones taking notice of
Chinese talent. As U.S. and multinational companies establish
research and development centers in China – the better to meet
the particular demands of the huge local market – they’re trying to
recruit the best and brightest young Chinese engineers. U.S. training is a big plus.
One place these companies turn is the UM-SJTU Joint Institute, which offers an undergraduate-through-doctoral-level curriculum, taught in English, as well as opportunities for students to
spend time both in Ann Arbor and Shanghai. Parker, the executive
dean, says General Motors, General Electric, Phillips, Covidien,
which makes medical equipment, and John Deere are among the
firms that have come through the institute to meet Chinese faculty
and seek access to students. A mechanical engineer specializing
in vehicle noise and vibrations, Parker has himself conducted research for GM’s China subsidiary.
Concern about China’s space threat hasn’t prevented U.S. space
agencies from tapping Chinese talent. Both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA have employed
Chinese electrical engineer Feng Xu, winner of a 2011 National
Natural Science Award of China. As a postdoc visiting scientist in
NOAA’s satellite oceanography division, Xu is credited with developing a quality monitoring system. Now holding a green card, he
works both at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, where he has
published imaging research, and at Intelligent Automation Systems Inc., which conducts research sponsored by U.S. military and
civilian agencies.
Aeronautics is a growing area of joint U.S.-Chinese research
and development, one where experts say China is catching up
rapidly. “At the current rate of progress it is likely that most sectors China will be able to compete on broadly equal terms with the
West by 2020,” predicted a 2010 article in Aerospace America, published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
The AIAA signed a memorandum of understanding last November
with the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics to promote what then AIAA Executive Director Robert Dickman called
“meaningful scientific exchanges in the fields of aeronautics and
astronautics.”
In May 2011, the National Academy of Engineering and the
Chinese Academy of Engineering jointly sponsored a workshop
to improve collaboration on global satellite navigation systems,
the international utility known as GPS. Opening that workshop,
Chinese Academy President Zhou Ji summed up China’s current
challenge in science and engineering. The most critical task, he
said, “is to improve an independent innovation capability.” Besides
enhancing the overall scientific and technological quality and integrated competitiveness of its industries, “China will have to
cultivate and develop new industries of strategic importance and
foster new sources of economic growth while taking innovation
as a driving principle.”
Whether China can become an “innovation economy” is a source
of dispute – with important competitive implications for the United
States. A number of Americans, including Vice President Joe Biden,
argue that China’s repressive regime inhibits new ideas. NSF’s
Emily Ashworth notes that despite China’s heavy investment in
research and engineering skills, “they don’t have many world-class
breakthroughs. Creativity needs nurturing.” But she says that Chinese returning from U.S. graduate schools could change this picture. The University of Maryland’s Michael Pecht, who both teaches
and consults in China and has followed the growth of the country’s
electronics industry, notes that the Chinese are “rethinking education.” At universities, “a lot of higher-level people – deans, provosts,
presidents – were educated in the United States,” he says. As with
the technology and managerial skills transferred from Western to
Chinese companies, Chinese academic institutions are liberalizing
and encouraging innovation and creativity, he says.
What the Chinese lack in innovation, they seem to make up in
being fast followers, especially in engineering-based innovation,
where China is showing real strengths. ITIF’s Atkinson told the
U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission that “the
bottom line is that America ignores China’s innovation policies
and growing innovation capability at its own peril.” In electronics,
China’s momentum “is such that any past shortages in experience
and intellectual capital have been overcome,” write Pecht and coauthor Leonard Zuga in their 2009 paper, “China as Hegemon of
the Global Electronics Industry: How It Got That Way and Why
It Won’t Change.”
In ocean acoustics, the advantage the United States once held
in research capacity — one that once led Simmen and his colleagues to be greeted by the Chinese “like royalty” — has passed.
Now China can collaborate with many countries. “They do it bigger,” says Simmen. “Eventually, it will be better.”
Mark Matthews is editor of Prism.
iStock
China’s current Five-Year Plan – its 12th – stresses science
education, greater environmental awareness, and higher-value
products. The country is now embarked on 16 R&D “mega-projects,” as Suttmeier calls them, including manufacturing technology, Earth observation systems, and water pollution control.
Seven strategic emerging industries – clean energy technology;
next-generation information technology (IT); biotechnology;
high-end equipment manufacturing; alternative energy; new materials; and clean-energy vehicles – all suggest a need for highly
trained engineers and strong R&D.
“The Chinese have done it right: They invested in their people and
infrastructure,” says Simmen. “The only thing they don’t have is experience.” Because many academics never returned after the Cultural
Revolution, researchers are mostly in their early 50s and younger.
Shanghai, China
Emerging technologies with the power to harm or help
pose tough ethical choices – and a challenge for educators.
BY ART PINE
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o
ver the past decade, the burst of new technologies has been breathtaking—and often revolutionary. Pilotless drones track human footprints to help locate
bombing targets. Tiny molecular robots made from DNA seek out
and destroy cancer cells, leaving healthy cells intact. Brain implants enable humans to control prosthetics by merely thinking
what they want them to do. Driverless cars are just around the
corner.
But with these breakthroughs have come disturbing new ethical questions that challenge traditional ways of training conscientious citizen-engineers. No longer is it enough for students to
be taught how to respond if a boss ignores safety standards. The
engineers of tomorrow must grapple with technology that not only
empowers humans with spectacular new tools but also threatens
to break free of human control. How should they, for instance, view
the use of drones that can mistake their targets and kill civilians?
Who should control DNA robots — and decide how they’re used?
Who is responsible when a driverless car runs over a pedestrian?
Should hands-free cellphone use be required in designs of new
cars?
Such questions call for “more than just ethics-as-usual,” says
James Moor, a Dartmouth College philosophy professor who has
studied the issue closely. What is needed, Moor argues, is “better
ethical thinking that is more proactive, with more interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists, engineers, and ethicists.” Past
game-changers – gunpowder, the steam engine, the airplane, the
atomic bomb — also posed ethical dilemmas. The big difference
between those earlier breakthroughs and today’s is “the incredible
pace” and sophistication of scientific development, says Brookings
Institution scholar Peter Singer. Technologies produced now raise
“questions about issues of right and wrong which we did not have
to think about before.”
Potential Abuses
Adding to the complexity is the potential for enormous impact and
a convergence of technologies, with achievements in one field paving the way for advances in others. Computerization, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and robotics have changed the way naval
architects and marine engineers design and build ships, for example. Nano- and biotechnology are also altering modern medicine.
While promising dramatic progress in fighting disease, they have
heightened fears about potential abuses across a wide range of applications, from genetic engineering of human beings to manufacturing self-changing materials that could create new creatures or
cause serious damage to humans and animals.
Many new ethical issues enter a gray area between personal
responsibility and public policy. Cyber technology enables governments (and individual hackers) to send out viruses that can prowl
036
Prism-Magazine.org
the Internet and ultimately destroy corporate files and disable
nuclear facilities, as occurred when the United States and Israel
reportedly developed and unleashed the Stuxnet program against
Iran. Should such actions now qualify legally as acts of war? The
explosion in cyber technology has raised gnawing concerns about
individual privacy that weren’t even imaginable a few years ago.
These range from intrusive access to personal information to
techniques for state control and manipulation that conjure dystopian societies imagined by George Orwell and Aldous Huxley.
“There now are trajectories that can lead to such things, and
they are plausible,” says Ronald Arkin, a computer science professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Already, certain technologies, such as camera-equipped pills that explore the stomach
or colon, touch human lives as never before, notes Michael Mumford, an industrial psychologist who teaches ethics to engineering
students at the University of Oklahoma.
Narrowly Structured
Courses
Incorporating ethics training into the nation’s established
engineering curricula has never been a scientific process. Since
2000, ABET, the accrediting group, has required that engineering graduates be able to demonstrate “an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.” Professional societies have
set up codes of ethics to self-police their members. Engineering
schools and societies have introduced ethics centers whose missions include promoting ethics instruction, gathering data, and
serving as an information exchange.
Understandably, however, many of the courses and codes
of ethics are narrowly structured, designed to deal mainly with
workplace-related dilemmas that engineers may encounter. Although leading professional societies have talked about ethics
in the context of emerging technologies, there’s no clear trend of
where ethics education is going.
Keith Miller, a professor of computer science at the University
of Illinois, Springfield, says that while ABET has encouraged engineering departments to expand ethics education, the accrediting
agency has also relaxed specific requirements, such
as prescribing the minimum number of hours
that schools must devote to ethics courses. “I
worry a bit that these look better on paper
than as they have actually been implemented,” he says.
With technology racing forward upredictably and with engineers operating in a
global environment, revamping engineering
ethics courses to deal with the new world of
Illustrations by Dennis P. Cummings & iStock/Leontura
emerging technologies won’t be easy. Professors breaking most
sharply with previous curricula have been those with backgrounds
in computer science and robotics. Leaders in the ethics field say
faculty members who have been trained in other engineering disciplines often seem least willing to change.
Deborah Johnson, a University of Virginia professor active in
the search for ways to adapt ethics training to emerging technologies, notes that many of the questions they raise are issues for society as a whole to decide, not just engineers. “Engineers have a
lot to contribute,” she says, “but it’s only a small part” of the whole.
She cites other, more practical challenges: Students already must
master a jam packed engineering curriculum, with little time for
additional electives; teaching ethics classes holds little prestige
for either engineering professors or philosophy professors; and
students resist ethics classes because they’re an elective. Nevertheless, “it’s a growing field,” she says. Joseph Herkert, an Arizona
State University ethics and technology professor who has been
one of the leaders in expanding current ethics training, suggests
that pressing engineers to become more publicly involved in ethics
decisions would encourage them to learn more about the subject
and interact more with communities beyond engineering.
Institutions Respond
While many educators appear slow to adapt, there are signs
of change. So far, the biggest drivers have been the National
Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, which
require ethics training for professors and graduate students
who are seeking grants. The world’s largest technical professional association, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), regularly sponsors conferences at which ethics
education is a key topic for discussion. The National Society of
Professional Engineers has established a National Institute for
Engineering Ethics, while the National Academy of Engineering’s Center for Engineering, Ethics, and Society has begun
a major effort to address broad ethical issues. ASEE’s ethics
division played a key role in developing a new Code of Ethics for
Society members. (See Page 55)
Earlier this year, the European Commission launched the
RoboLaw Project, which brings together specialists from engineering, philosophy, law,
regulation, and human enhancement to explore whether — and how — law and ethics
standards should be revised in the face of advances in robotics, bionics, neural interfaces,
and nanotechnology.
To Arizona State’s Herkert, the major
question that engineers must help resolve is
one of responsibility: Who should be held ac-
countable for the impact of the emerging technologies? How far
does an engineer’s responsibility extend? When you get to autonomous technology, he says, “it goes up an order of magnitude larger.”
Brookings’s Singer lists questions not often included in professional societies’ listings: From whom is it ethical to take research
and development money? What attributes should you design into
a new technology? What organizations and individuals should be
allowed to buy and use the technology? Which shouldn’t? “What
kind of training or licensing should they have?” he continues.
“When someone is harmed as a result of the technology, who is responsible? How is this determined? Who should own the wealth of
information that the technology gathers? Who should not own it?
‘All Too Human’
“We must own up to these challenges, face them, and overcome
them. And we had better act soon,” Singer says. “For the threat
that runs through all of this is how the fast-moving pace of
technology and change is making it harder for our all-too-human
institutions, including those of ethics and law, to keep pace.”
Dartmouth’s Moor says the engineering profession should develop a new set of ethics for the emerging technologies gradually,
neither rushing to put them into place at the start nor saving the
job until “after the damage is done.” At the very least, “we need to
try to be both more proactive and less reactive in doing ethics,” he
says. “We need to learn about the technology as it is developing and
to project and assess possible consequences of its various applications. Only if we see the potential revolutions coming will we be
motivated and prepared to decide how to use them.”
Donald Gotterbarn, director of the Software Engineering Ethics Research Institute at East Tennessee State University, says
universities don’t need to redesign their entire ethics programs
to deal with the emerging technologies; they just need to recognize the ethics questions they pose early in the game and keep up
with the challenges as the technology advances. “At the bottom, the
ethical questions of engineers haven’t changed,” Gotterbarn says.
“The problem is, with every new technology there are surprises,
and we need to worry about them early. Convergence adds another
layer of complexity and makes it more difficult for us to anticipate
the consequences of a particular technology.”
Gotterbarn says engineering schools need to provide students
with a broad ethical framework that they can use as those consequences begin to become clear. “We need to keep bringing up the
ethics framework with every new development,” he says, “ . . . to
ask, ‘Is this the right thing to do?’”
What Schools Are Doing a
Art Pine is a Washington-based freelance writer and former correspondent for several
major newspapers.
november 2012
037
What Schools Are Doing...
Here are some of the varied approaches to engineering ethics:
Cornell University:
The school offers a one-semester “icebreaker” course, Ethics in Engineering Practice, for undergraduate juniors. Issues posed by emerging technologies are highlighted. As a follow-up, Prof. Ronald Kline and Lecturer Park Doing help
guide ethics discussions in various engineering departments. The pair updates examples and case studies regularly,
drawing from news articles, scholarly journals, and court cases. Doing, whose own Ph.D. is in philosophy, says the
emerging technologies “really have brought the old principles to the forefront.”
Georgia Institute of Technology:
Undergraduates take a one-semester ethics course focusing on the effects of robotics and related technology on society. Professor Ronald Arkin says the idea is to get students up to speed on developments in the emerging technologies, provide them with a background in traditional ethics and philosophy, guide them through the new ethical dilemmas, and teach them how to write and speak effectively so they’ll be able to communicate their ideas and concerns.
Arkin formally revises the course every two years and updates it continually from research papers, scientific articles,
and his own observations as a widely known researcher. “This is not a course that remains static,” he says. “New issues are constantly cropping up.”
Texas A&M University:
All engineering students must take Engineering Ethics, a one-semester, large-class course that deals primarily with
traditional professional ethics and standards and has recently begun covering “aspirational” ethics — the use of engineering to help improve society through green technology, environmental sustainability, and the like. Professor Ed
Harris says the school “frankly has not done that much” to cope with the emerging technologies because “we may not
be totally convinced yet that they really do introduce new ethical issues” rather than just “raising them in a new form.”
University of Oklahoma:
Graduate students take a two-day class in how to think about ethical issues, a broad class that includes non-engineers and even art students, and then are pressed to confront specific ethical questions in their regular engineering
classes and projects. Professor Michael Mumford, a specialist in industrial and organizational psychology, says the
major goal is to teach students how to “think downstream. If you learn to do that, you’re going to have fewer issues”
to contend with.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:
Undergraduate students take a formal engineering ethics course with an added section on emerging technologies.
The new section has meant condensing or replacing some issues that used to be covered. In addition to this course,
some standard engineering courses include a one-week component that deals specifically with ethics. Professors
Colleen Murphy and Paolo Gardoni are developing a new anthology on engineering ethics that focuses specifically on
new technologies.
University of Virginia:
The school has a multiyear ethics requirement for engineering students. During the first year, everyone must take a
large-class introductory course that focuses on emerging technologies. In their second or third years, students must
take one elective course that touches on ethics along with other engineering-related topics. And finally, in their senior
year, they must take two ethics courses and write a thesis on ethical or social policies related to their major discipline.
Prof. Deborah Johnson says the first-year course has changed significantly over the past five years, but mostly in
the way it’s presented rather than the strategy or the curriculum. There’s more emphasis on teamwork and hands-on
learning, with simulation technology, online discussions, and social media.
038
Prism-Magazine.org
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September 2012
041
“It affects nearly all things in our lives,” says Saleh, who predicts
Researchers say that consumer electronics could soon give
optics will spawn myriad wondrous devices and products, from
way to consumer photonics, given ongoing efforts to create opultrafast computers to cheaper solar cells and superthin display
tical chips. Today’s microprocessors use electricity to transfer
screens as flexible as paper “that will kill the print industry within
data, which means all information that now flows into computers
the decade.”
as pulses of light via optical fibers must be converted to current.
Such is the field’s industrial and job-growth potential that a
But electrons move at only 10 percent the speed of light, creatNational Academies panel has
ing bottlenecks that slow
called for a National Photonics
computations. To speed
Initiative to develop a coherent,
things up, researchers
multiagency research-and-dewant to build optical silivelopment strategy and keep the
con chips that transmit
United States ahead of the curve.
data via lasers, so the
– Bahaa Saleh, dean of the College of Optics and
The economic impact of optics
entire process operates
Photonics at the University of Central Florida
has been hard to measure, in part
with photons.
because the technology is “used
MIT’s Caroline Ross, a
in devices to facilitate the objective of the end device, rather than
professor of materials science and engineering, is at least partbeing an end device,” explains Xi-Cheng Zhang, director of the
way there with a crucial piece of a silicon optical chip: a “diode for
Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester. But the White
light.” The diode ensures that the light from lasers will travel in
House Office of Science and Technology Policy has reported that
only one direction. “You need that to protect the laser from having
in 2009 and 2010, for instance, some $4.9 billion worth of lasers
light going back into it,” Ross says. “If there’s a lot of reflection
were sold in the United States; their deployment in the transportaback into the laser, it becomes unstable.” Her team uses garnet,
tion, biomedical, and telecommunications sectors ultimately conwhich transmits light differently depending on which direction it
tributed $7.5 trillion to America’s GDP.
comes from. Light coming into a chip the wrong way gets diverted
by the thin film of garnet to a loop outside the light transmission
channel. Acknowledging that “lasers are at the primitive stages
right now,” Ross nevertheless remains optimistic that optical
chips are in our future.
“Once we had lasers, we
had concentrated power.”
Galileo to Einstein
Optics and photonics are generally interchangeable terms. Technically, optics is the science of generating and propagating light.
Photonics is the engineering application of that science, or the
detection, transmitting, and processing of light. The field dates
back to ancient Egypt and has fascinated many of the greatest
names in science, including Galileo, Newton, and Einstein. In the
1940s and ’50s, it was mainly associated with lenses: microscopes, telescopes, cameras. That changed in 1960 with the first
laser beam. “Once we had lasers, we had concentrated power,”
Saleh says. Since then, the field has grown to include optical fibers and solid state electronics, key to the creation of ever faster,
smaller computer chips as well as the long-lasting LED and OLED
lights that soon will largely replace the incandescent bulb.
Meanwhile, the concentrated power of lasers was quickly put
to use in a variety of ways. Manufacturers initially used lasers
to cut metal. Today, some of the 3-D printers used in additive
manufacturing are laser based — as are the short pulses of light
that zip data through optical fibers. Laser light also is crucial to
unlocking the mysteries of the atom. Zenghu Chang, a professor
of physics and optics at Central Florida University whose team
achieved the world’s shortest laser pulse, created an even faster
camera to measure it, allowing scientists to see quantum mechanics in action.
042
Prism-Magazine.org
‘Trillion, trillion,
trillion’
So are quantum computers, thanks in part to Nobel laureates
Wineland and Haroche. Computers today perform calculations
using binary sequences of 0s and 1s, represented by electrons.
Quantum computers instead manipulate atoms or molecules to
take advantage of such quantum mechanical properties as superposition, which means a particle can be in two states at the same
time. (Even Einstein found the phenomenon “spooky.”) Superposition means quantum bits, or qubits, can run almost endless
calculations simultaneously while an electronic computer runs
one, because each additional qubit doubles the amount of possible states. According to Rochester physicist Adam Frank, writing recently in the New York Times, a machine using 300 qubits
“would be a million, trillion, trillion, trillion times faster than the
most modern supercomputer.”
What’s that got to do with optics? A team at the University of
Bristol’s Center for Quantum Photonics in England recently developed a breakthrough quantum chip using photons. “Light is
Gas cell where the attosecond
light is emitted.
Courtsey of Dr. Zenghu Chang
a very good information carrier,” explains Mark Thompson, the
center’s deputy director. Because a mere 100 photons could do
trillions of calculations simultaneously, a quantum computer
could complete in six months a problem that would take a classical supercomputer “the age of the universe,” Thompson says.
That’s so fast that a quantum computer just one tenth that size
would still be speedy. In fact, Thompson’s team—which has
“demonstrated all the key elements” working with three or four
photons at a time—expects to have a 10-photon computer that
can work at room temperature ready to “challenge” electronic
supercomputers within three years. Thompson predicts 30- to
100-photon quantum computers lie just a decade away, though
most estimates put the time frame at 25 to 30 years. The next big
hurdle: regenerating photons on a single chip. Once built, quantum computers would be powerful tools to simulate molecules,
as well as pharmaceuticals and materials that now remain out of
reach of today’s supercomputers. They particularly would excel
at pattern recognition and database searches.
Medicine already depends heavily on optics: X-rays and CAT
scans, for instance. And lasers are quickly becoming the therapy
of choice for treating kidney stones. But optics is poised to grow.
Paul French, head of the Photonics Group at London’s Imperial
College, is working on imaging technologies based on spectrometers that one day could differentiate between cancerous and
healthy tissue, a key to targeting treatments. While progress is
being made, scattering and absorption of optical radiation by tissue can cause images to degrade. Rochester’s Zhang, who leads
his institute’s terahertz (THz) R&D program, sees many potential
medical and homeland security uses for THz signals. Researchers
believe THz time-domain spectroscopy might also be used to pick
out characteristics unique to explosives and narcotics.
To a generation familiar with cartoon characters brandishing ray guns, a weapon under development by the Army might
look familiar. It literally shoots bolts of lightning by manipulating
ultra-short laser pulses. The Air Force wants to develop drones
— unmanned aerial vehicles — that take inspiration from insects,
crustaceans, and spiders. Current drones use optical sensors
that work like human eyes, which limits their capability. Bug eyeinspired vision systems that take advantage of more of the light
spectrum could allow for better detection, recognition, and tracking of targets.
Optics and photonics research is also directed at improving
technology that transforms sunlight into electricity and cutting
the costs of solar cells. Paul McManamon, technical director of
the Ladar and Optical Communications Institute at the University of Dayton, predicts that solar power will cost no more than
electricity generated from coal, gas, or oil-fired plants by 2020.
“Eventually, we won’t have to subsidize” the industry, he says.
Increasing reliance on optics and photonics technology is not
cost free. One problem the nation will soon face is strain on communications networks that depend on optical fibers. “Initially with
optical fibers we had almost unlimited bandwidth,” French says,
“but now we’re running out.” McManamon says bandwidth capacity must expand by a factor of 100 over the coming decade. “Right
now, we don’t know how to do that,” he says, “but I think we’ll
manage to keep it going. I’m an optimist.” And why not? When it
comes to optics and photonics, the future seems so bright we’ll
all need to wear shades.
Thomas K. Grose is Prism’s chief correspondent, based in London.
november 2012
043
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A d v a n c e s f r o m A EE
I nn ovati o ns in Ed u cati o n P ractic e
Online in Reverse
Students generate and solve problems based on videos they select.
By Matthew W. Liberatore, Andrew W. Herring, and Charles R. Vestal
concepts, such as phase behavior, energy
balances, and convective heat transfer. The
students also created and solved homework
problems based on the activity within the
video, giving them the opportunity to engage in problem solving on open-ended,
course-related questions. These problem
sets were typically “engineering estimates,”
requiring students to estimate one or more
important values. Example estimates include calculating the amount of energy
stored in bacon,
which, in the
video, is seen
being turned
into a torch, or
determining
the heat from
combustion of
the cream of a
Cadbury egg. In
one pilot study,
both videos and
problems were
posted online,
and student
groups, given
a set amount
of time for the
work, posted
their solutions
to be shared and discussed by the group.
The challenge of determining whether
a video is fact or fiction became a popular
theme of student-directed YouTube Fridays. The video “Big Water Slide + Jump!”
for example, featured an individual going
down a slip-n-slide ramp, flying through the
air, and landing in a kiddie swimming pool.
The student-authors posed the problem of
whether this outcome was feasible based on
conservation of energy principles – or was
the video a fraud? Based on their estimations (mass of the individual, height of the
slide, angle of the ramp), team members
used a projectile analysis obtained from
Wikipedia to calculate the distance the individual would travel and ultimately concluded that the video was a fraud. Several
months later, Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters also attempted to experimentally
prove or disprove the same YouTube video.
A comparable slide was built, tested, and
determined to be fake.
The course has proved to be a fun, student-led activity that reinforces concepts.
In student
evaluations,
more than 40
percent of the
class thought
YouTube Fridays helped
them learn the
course material, while a majority felt they
gained a better
understanding
of the course
topic of thermodynamics. A
majority could
relate thermodynamics to
real-world phenomena and feel confident solving engineering estimate problems. The technique
subsequently has been adapted for use in
courses in a variety of areas at the School
of Mines, including thermodynamics, fluid
mechanics, and heat transfer.
istock
Y
ouTube Fridays is a popular program
used in introductory engineering
thermodynamics classes at the Colorado
School of Mines as one effective means of
engaging students in active learning using
popular new media tools.
Today, most students in higher education have grown up with access to computers, the Internet, and many other daily use
electronics. As digital natives, most believe
their engineering education should be as
personalized as their Facebook page or
iPod’s playlist. At the same time, the advent of for-profit, online-only universities,
as well as free online resources, is changing the accessibility of higher education.
Professors strive to keep up by exploring the uses of online resources, such as
screencasts – mini digital lectures that can
be posted to a course website to allow students to watch an instructor step through
relevant examples. Another way to interact effectively with today’s students is to
integrate their habits into the classroom,
through texting, wikis, or social media.
While such approaches can be innovative, they are still strongly instructorcentric, with the professor continuing to
dictate the “new” content. Larger learning
gains have been demonstrated using activeengagement and student-centered pedagogies instead of traditional teacher-centric
techniques, such as lecturing. In addition,
recent findings show that vision trumps
the other senses in creating short- and longterm memory. Therefore, the YouTube Fridays approach, which engages sophomore
engineering students in searching for, identifying, watching, and translating YouTube
videos, offers a helpful pedagogical model.
In the several pilot studies conducted
in the introductory engineering courses
employing YouTube Fridays, students
were assigned to find, present, and discuss
online videos that support important class
Andrew W. Herring and Matthew W. Liberatore are associate professors and Charles R. Vestal is a teaching
professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological
Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. This is excerpted from “YouTube Fridays: Student-led Development
of Engineering Estimate Problems” in the Winter 2012
Advances in Engineering Education. http://advances.
asee.org/vol03/issue01/02.cfm. Links to the hundreds of
student-selected videos are compiled regularly at http://
rheology.mines.edu.
November 2012
045
On The ShElf
R evi ew e d by R o b i n Tatu
Why Education Matters
A humanities scholar builds a persuasive case for learning for the sake of learning.
College: What It Was, Is, and
Should Be
by Andrew Delbanco, Princeton
University Press 2012, 229 pages
I
n this slender volume, author Andrew
Delbanco offers an eloquent and persuasive argument for the importance of a
liberal arts education. At a time when others are challenging the so-called economic
viability of a college diploma – or even, like
mega entrepreneur Peter Thiel, offering
money to bright kids to drop out – Delbanco
seeks to remind us of the enduring existential value of higher education; of its ability
to enrich experience, deepen intellectual
ability, and enhance one’s own humanity.
To build this seemingly lofty case, Delbanco, a longtime humanities professor at
Columbia University, revisits the origins
of American higher education. The earliest colleges established in the Colonies,
he tells us, were closely connected to the
religious principles of their chartering
churches or heavily influenced by clergymen, who served as the principal instructors (think: Harvard, William and Mary,
Yale, Princeton, and Brown). Puritan belief in the moral uplift of postsecondary
education continued to resonate in the
19th century, when Ralph Waldo Emerson
expressed that “the whole secret of the
teacher’s force lies in the conviction that
men are convertible” and awaiting “awakening.”
Yet those few young people fortunate
enough to receive such schooling were
expected to put their experience into the
service of society. And while belief in the
“spiritual authority” of college has long
since dwindled, Delbanco believes that
the transformative potential of education
should be recognized – and nurtured.
Although his experience clearly lies
more with select schools, such as his alma
mater, Harvard, and home institution, Co-
046
Prism-Magazine.org
lumbia, Delbanco is
no snob. Nor is he
unrealistic about
what higher ed has
become, the topic
that concerns the
second half of this
book. He not only examines the current
crushing financial
burden of college on
ordinary families
but also digs into
hypocrisies of “blind
admissions,” university sports programs,
and a trending shift
toward students who
don’t need financial
aid. Consider that the majority of students
who land at selective colleges based on
academic achievement are from wellheeled families who can afford to finance
tutors, SAT prep courses, and personal advisers, he writes.
Delbanco addresses myriad troubling
realities about education today, including
a growing presence of foreign students,
who may soon outnumber Americans on
campus. The reality is that foreigners provide U.S. institutions with much-needed
financial support and skills – but how does
their increased number affect American
students, and American achievement?
While his solutions are few and he does
not attempt to be comprehensive in his
discussion, Delbanco offers serious exploration of issues. He also floats some
intriguing propositions, such as core curriculum seminars – as professors conduct
at Columbia – that encourage students to
reflect upon their shared academic experience. He staunchly rejects the idea that
such engagement is the privilege of an
elite few, excoriating a former director of
the for-profit University of Phoenix for
suggesting that sitting down and thinking
is “very expensive… not everyone can do
that.”
Engineering is given scant notice in
this book, yet science and technology educators should read Delbanco to deliberate upon his conception of what college
should be: “an aid to reflection, a place and
process whereby young people take stock
of their talents and passions and begin to
sort out their lives in a way that is true to
themselves and responsible to others.”
Engineering educators and students alike
may recognize in that description the very
core of their commitment to the field – the
belief that applications of science can help
create a better world.
Ultimately for Delbanco, college is important not just because it helps one develop “a well-functioning bull**** meter,”
but also because it is a place, in the words
of Judith Shapiro, former president of Barnard, where one can work to ensure that
“the inside of your head [will be] an interesting place to spend the rest of your life.”
An inspiring message, indeed.
Robin Tatu is Prism’s senior editorial consultant.
c o l l e g e o f e n g i n e e r i n g , a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d t e c h n o l o gy
W.W. Allen Scholars Program
ceat.okstate.edu
A premier engineering scholArship progrAm
The W.W. Allen ScholArS ProgrAm develops
the nation’s top engineering graduates. It is designed
to accelerate students’ leadership and professional
development, stimulate their intellectual growth, develop
interpersonal skills and career perspectives while
preparing them for global forces and opportunities.
W. Wayne Allen, former chairman and CEO of Phillips
Petroleum Co., established this premier program. The
value of this OSU-exclusive program exceeds most other
national engineering awards with $86,000 given per
student in scholarships, enrichment activities and studyabroad experiences. The program is highlighted by the
opportunity to pursue a Master’s of Philosophy degree at
one of the world’s foremost universities, the University of
Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
Applications are due by Dec. 1, 2012. Visit wwallen.okstate.edu to apply.
current
aLLen
schOLars
Lashun OakLey
aLex WhiteWay
eric GiLbert
eric ruhLmann
mechanical engineering
electrical engineering
mechanical engineering
mechanical engineering
current
aLLen
schOLars
at the
university Of
cambridGe
nick cOPeLand
mark neLsOn
PhiLiP White
stePhen OGLe
seth cLeary
cLay neWtOn
aerospace engineering
chemical engineering
biosystems and
ag engineering
chemical engineering
A S E E T o d ay
2013 Nominations for
asee board election
2012 asee Awards
Outstanding Zone Campus
Representative Award
Candidates for the
office of PresidentElect
Nicholas Altiero
Dean
College of Science & Engineering
Tulane University
Pat Fox
Clinical Assistant Professor,
Organizational Leadership and
Supervision
Department of Technology
Leadership and Communication
Purdue School of Engineering and
Technology
Indiana University/Purdue University,
Indianapolis (IUPUI)
John Mason
Vice President for Research
Auburn University
Candidates for the
office of Chair,
Professional Interest
Council I
Gene Dixon
Associate Professor
Department of Engineering
East Carolina University
Adrienne Minerick
Associate Professor
Chemical Engineering Department
Michigan Technological University
Missouri University of Science &
Technology
Candidates for the
office of Chair-Elect,
Zone II
Ruby Mawasha
Assistant Dean
College of Engineering & Computer
Science
Wright State University
Gary Steffen
Associate Professor and Chair
Computer & Electrical Engineering
Technology and Information
Systems & Technology
Indiana University-Purdue University,
Fort Wayne
Candidates for
the office of Vice
President, External
Relations
Candidates for the
office of Chair,
Professional Interest
Council IV
Grant Crawford
Director, Mechanical Engineering
Program
Civil and Mechanical Engineering
Department
U.S. Military Academy
Maura Borrego
Associate Professor
Engineering Education
Virginia Tech
Amelito Enriquez
Professor, Engineering and
Mechanics
Science and Technology Division
Canada College
Beth Holloway
Director, Women in Engineering
Program
Purdue University, West Lafayette
Eric Wang
Associate Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department
University of Nevada, Reno
Bevlee Watford
Associate Dean, Academic Affairs
Professor, Engineering Education
Virginia Tech
Candidates for
the office of Vice
President, Finance
Terri Morse
Engineering Operations & Technology
Program Director
External Technical Affilizations
The Boeing Co.
048
Prism-Magazine.org
Candidates for the
office of Chair-Elect,
Zone IV
This award was initiated by the Campus
Liaison Board to honor outstanding
ASEE Zone Campus Representatives.
Zone I
Kanti Prasad
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Section Outstanding
Teaching Award
Zone II
Larry G. Richards
University of Virginia
This award, given by each ASEE section,
recognizes the outstanding teaching
performance of an engineering or engineering technology educator. The award
consists of a framed certificate and
an appropriate honorarium presented
by the local section. Following are this
year’s award recipients.
Zone III
Walter W. Buchanan
Texas A&M University
Zone IV
Agnieszka Miguel
Seattle University
ASEE Council
Awards
ASEE Corporate Member
Council
CMC Excellence in
Engineering Education
Collaboration Awards
Cal State L.A. College of ECST
Professional Practice Program
The Boeing Co.
Northrop Grumman Corp.
Candidates for the
office of Chair,
Professional Interest
Council V
The Aerospace Corp.
Linda Krute
Director
Engineering Online Program
North Carolina State University
ASEE Engineering Research
Council
Lea-Ann Morton
Assistant Vice Chancellor
ASEE Section
Awards
California State University-Los Angeles,
College of Engineering, Computer
Science and Technology
Curtis W. McGraw Research Award
Ali Khademhosseini
Harvard University
Illinois/Indiana Section
Suleiman Ashur
Indiana University/Purdue University,
Fort Wayne
Middle Atlantic Section
Yacob Astatke
Morgan State University
Midwest Section
Edgar C. Clausen
University of Arkansas
Northeast Section
Kanti Prasad
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
North Central Section
Karinna M. Vernaza
Gannon University
Pacific Northwest Section
Craig Johnson
Central Washington University
Pacific Southwest Section
Taufik
California Polytechnic State University
Southeast Section
Tanya Kunberger
Florida Gulf Coast University
Section
Outstanding
Campus
Representative
Award
ASEE’s Campus Liaison Board initiated
this award to recognize those ASEE
campus representatives who have demonstrated staunch support for ASEE on
their campuses. The award consists of
a framed certificate of recognition and
is presented at each section’s annual
meeting. Following are this year’s award
recipients.
Gulf Southwest Section
Walter W. Buchanan
Texas A&M University
Illinois/Indiana Section
R. Thomas Trusty II
Trine University
Midwest Section
Kevin Drees
Oklahoma State University
Northeast Section
Kanti Prasad
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
North Central Section
P. Ruby Mawasha
Wright State University
North Midwest Section
M. Ashgar Bhatte
University of Iowa
Pacific Northwest Section
Agnieszka Miguel
Seattle University
Rocky Mountain Section
Abraham Teng
Utah Valley University
November 2012
049
A S E E T o d ay
Southeast Section
Larry G. Richards
University of Virginia
Other Section
Awards
Illinois-Indiana Section
Outstanding Service Award
Sharon G. Sauer
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Outstanding Paper Award
G. Scott Duncan, Eric W. Johnson, and
Michael J. Hagenberger – Valparaiso
University
Paper: “A Seminar Course for FirstYear Engineering Students”
Midwest Section
Person, Mile Award
Wichita State University
Outstanding Paper Award
First Place
Sohum Sohoni, David Fritz, and Wira
Mulia – Oklahoma State University
Paper: “Transforming a
Microprocessors Course Through the
Progressive Learning Platform”
Second Place
Edgar Clausen, Roy Penney, and
Megan Dunn – University of Arkansas
Paper: “Bernoulli Balance
Experiments Using a Venturi”
Third Place
Eric Specking and Edgar Clausen
University of Arkansas
Paper: “Engineering Outreach: A
Summer Program Approach”
Outstanding Service Award
Francis Thomas
University of Kansas
North Central Section
Best Paper Awards
First Place
Margaret Pinnell – University of
Dayton
Suzanne Franco – Wright State
University
Sandi Preiss – Dayton Regional STEM
Center
Rebecca Blust – University of Dayton
Renee Beach – University of Dayton
Paper: “Engaging K-12 Teachers in
050
Prism-Magazine.org
Engineering Innovation and Design:
Lessons Learned From a Pilot NSF
Research Experience for Teachers
Program”
Outstanding Community College
Educator Award
Dominic Dal Bello
Allan Hancock College
Second Place
Dick Colbry and Katy Luchini-Colbry
Michigan State University
Paper: “CyberGreen: HandsOn Engineering Research in
Sustainability and Supercomputing”
Rocky Mountain Section
Best Presentation Award
Yaneth Correa-Martinez
Colorado State University-Pueblo
Title: “Southern Colorado STEM
Community of Practice Pilot Project:
Engaging Families to Increase STEM
Awareness and Promote Community
Interest in the STEM Fields”
Third Place
Norb Delatte – Cleveland State
University
Paper: “A New Course on Engineering
History and Heritage”
Student Best Paper Awards
First Place
Kevin Petsch and Tolga Kaya – Central
Michigan University
Paper: “Design, Fabrication, and
Analysis of MEMS Three-Direction
Capacitive Accelerometer”
Second Place
Stephen Sherbrook and Tolga Kaya
Central Michigan University
Paper: “Development of a Physiological
Activity Monitoring Platform”
Third Place
Paul Miles and Mark Archibald – Grove
City College
Paper: “Experimental Determination
of Operational Pedal Cycle Frame
Loads”
Pacific Northwest Section
Best Paper Award
Steven Zemke
Gonzaga University
Paper: “Freshman Engineering
Seminar Course at Gonzaga
University”
Pacific Southwest Section
Best Paper Award
Helene Finger, Jane L. Lehr,
Beverley Kwang – California
Polytechnic State University, San Luis
Obispo
Paper: “When, Why, How, Who –
Lessons From First-Year Female
Engineering Students at Cal Poly for
Efforts to Increase Recruitment”
Student of the Year Award
Andrea Ferris
California State Polytechnic University,
Pomona
Best Paper Award
Ananda Paudel
Colorado State University-Pueblo
Paper: “Fostering Diversity and
Educational Learning Among
Engineering Students Through GroupStudy: A Case Study”
Southeast Section
Outstanding New Teacher Award
Amir H. Behzadan
University of Central Florida
New Faculty Research Award
First Place
Prabir Barooah
University of Florida
Second Place
Jason Hayward
University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Outstanding Mid-Career Teaching
Award
Philip T. McCreanor
Mercer University
Thomas C. Evans Instructional
Paper Award
Mary Katherine Wilson, Caroline
Noyes, and Michael Rodgers – Georgia
Institute of Technology
New Faculty Research Award
First Place
Prabir Barooah
University of Florida
Second Place
Jason Hayward
University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Outstanding Mid-Career Teaching
Award
Philip T. McCreanor
Mercer University
Thomas C. Evans Instructional
Paper Award
Mary Katherine Wilson, Caroline
Noyes, and Michael Rodgers
Georgia Institute of Technology
Professional
and Technical
Division
Awards
Electrical Engineering Division
Frederick Emmons Terman Award
Ali Niknejad
Associate Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering
and Computer Sciences
University of California, Berkeley
This award is conferred upon an outstanding young electrical engineering
educator in recognition of contributions to the profession. The award,
established in 1969, is sponsored by
the Hewlett-Packard Co. and consists
of a $4,000 honorarium, a gold-plated
medal, a bronze replica, a presentation scroll, and reimbursement of
travel expenses for the awardee to
attend the ASEE Frontiers in Education Conference, where the award will
be presented.
Mechanical Engineering Division
Ralph Coats Roe Award
Sheri Sheppard
Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department
Stanford University
This award honors an outstanding
mechanical engineering teacher who
has made notable contributions to
the engineering profession. Financed
from an endowment established by
Kenneth A. Roe of Burns and Roe
Inc. in honor of his father, Ralph
Coats Roe, the award consists of a
$10,000 honorarium, a plaque, and
reimbursement of travel expenses to
attend the ASEE Annual Conference.
Other Division
Awards
Biological and Agricultural
Engineering Division
Best Paper Award
Kumar Mallikarjunan
Virginia Tech
Paper: “Development of Learning
Modules to Teach Instrumentation
to Biological Systems Engineering
Students Using MATLAB”
Biomedical Engineering Division
Theo C. Pilkington Outstanding
Educator Award
Arthur Johnson
University of Maryland, College Park
Biomedical Engineering Teaching
Award
Eric Kennedy
Bucknell University
Best Paper Award
Steve R. Marek, William Liechty, and
James W. Tunnell – University of
Texas, Austin
Paper: “Controlled Drug Delivery From
Alginate Spheres in Design-Based
Learning Course”
Chemical Engineering Division
CACHE Award
Stanley Sandler
University of Delaware
William H. Corcoran Award
Authors: Margot Vigeant, Michael
Prince, and Katharyn Nottis– Bucknell
University
Paper: “Fundamental Research in
Engineering Education Development
of Concept Questions and InquiryBased Activities in Thermodynamics
and Heat Transfer: An Example for
Equilibrium vs. Steady-State”
Chemstations Chemical
Engineering Lectureship Award
John Ekerdt
University of Texas-Austin
Ray W. Fahien Award
Keisha Walters
Mississippi State University
Award for Lifetime Achievement in
Chemical Engineering Pedagogical
Scholarship
John Prausnitz
University of California, Berkeley
Joseph J. Martin Award
Erick Nefcy, Philip Harding, and Mio
Koretsky
Oregon State University
Civil Engineering Division
George K. Wadlin Distinguished
Service Award
Wilfrid A. Nixon
University of Iowa
Glen L. Martin Best Paper Award
Harry G. Cooke
Rochester Institute of Technology
Paper: “Use of Soil Behavior
Demonstrations to Increase Student
Engagement in Elementary Soil
Mechanics”
Gerald R. Seeley Award
Michelle R. Oswald– Bucknell
University
Paper: “Integrating the Charrette
Process into Engineering Education:
A Case Study on a Civil Engineering
Captstone”
College/Industry Partnerships
Division
CIEC Best Session Award
“Marketing the University/Corporate
Relations”
Presenters: Linda Thurman and
William Heybruck – University of North
Carolina, Charlotte
Moderator: Cath Polito – University of
Texas at Austin
CIEC Best Presenter Award
Joy Greig
Overwatch
“Leadership Training: What
Companies Really Think, Part 1”
CIEC Best Moderator Award
Nelson Baker
Georgia Institute of Technology
“Leadership Training: What
Companies Really Think, Part 1”
Computers in Education Division
John A. Curtis Lecture Award
Marcial Lapp, Jeff Ringenberg, Kyle J.
Summers, Ari S. Chivukula, and Jeff
Fleszar – University of Michigan
Paper: “The Mobile Participation
November 2012
051
A S E E T o d ay
System: Not Just Another Clicker”
Woody Everett Best Poster Award
Oscar Antonio Perez, Virgilio
Gonzalez, Michael Thomas Pitcher,
and Peter Golding – University of
Texas, El Paso
Paper: “Work in Progress: Analysis
of Mobile Technology Impact on
STEM-Based Courses, Specifically
Introductions to Engineering in the
Era of the iPad”
Continuing Professional
Development Division
CIEC Best Session Award
“Comparing Online and Blended
Programs”
Presenters: Candace House –
University of Southern California,
George Wright – Georgia Institute
of Technology, Marty Ronning –
University of Maryland, Scott
Mahler – University of Michigan,
Wayne Pferdehirt – University of
Wisconsin-Madison, and Ellen J.
Elliott – Johns Hopkins University
CIEC Best Conference Presenter
Award
Pamela Dickrell
University of Florida
“Using University Distance Learning
Programs in Professional Education
Across Multiple Generations of
Engineers”
CIEC Best Moderator Award
Frank E. Burris
IACEE
“Continuing Professional
Development Programs: Best
Practices From Around the Globe”
Cooperative and Experiential
Education Division
Lou Takacs Award
Dan Parker
Trane (an Ingersoll Rand company)
Alvah K. Borman Award
Susan Matney
North Carolina State University
CIEC - Best Presenter Awards
Presenters: Karen Kelly and Lorraine
Mountain – Northeastern University
“Enhancing Development of Career
Portfolios Using E-Tools”
CIEC – Best Moderator Award
Moderator: George F. Kent,
Northeastern University
052
Prism-Magazine.org
Session: “Best Practices in Co-op:
Something Old and Something New”
of Mines
Matthew Ohland – Purdue University
CIEC – Best Session Award
“Effective Use of Co-op Evaluations
and Feedback/Program Assessment
and New Co-op Student Preparation”
Presenters: Paul Plotkowski – Grand
Valley State University and Alison
Nogueira – Northeastern University
Helen L. Plants Award
Senay Purzer – Purdue University,
West Lafayette
Jonathan C. Hilpert – Indiana
University/Purdue University, Fort
Wayne
Co-op Student of the Year Award
Melissa McPartland
Clemson University
CEED Intern of the Year Award
Kody Ensley
Salish Kootenai College
Division of Experimentation and
Laboratory Oriented Studies
(DELOS)
Best Paper Awards
Jean Jiang and Li Tan – Purdue
University, North Central
Paper: “Teaching Adaptive Filters
and Applications in Electrical and
Computer Engineering Technology
Programs”
Jeremy John Worm, John E. Beard,
Wayne Weaver, and Carl L. Anderson –
Michigan Technological University
Paper: “A Mobile Laboratory
as a Venue for Education and
Outreach Emphasizing Sustainable
Transportation”
Sushil K. Chaturvedi, Jaewon Yoon,
Rick McKenzie, Petros J. Katsioloudis,
Hector M. Garcia, and Shuo Ren – Old
Dominion University
Paper: “Implementation and
Assessment of a Virtual Reality
Experiment in the Undergraduate
Thermo-Fluids Laboratory”
Per Henrik Borgstrom, William J.
Kaiser, Gregory Chung, Manda Paul,
Stoytcho Marinov Styochev, Jackson
Tek Kon Ding – University of California,
Los Angeles, and Zachary Nelson –
National Instruments
Paper: “Science and Engineering
Active Learning (SEAL) System:
A Novel Approach to Controls
Laboratories”
Educational Research and
Methods Division
Distinguished Service Award
Jennifer Karlin – South Dakota School
Ronald J. Schmitz Award for
Outstanding Contributions to the
Frontiers in Education Conference
Susan Lord
University of San Diego
Benjamin Dasher Award
Kristi J. Shryock, Arun R. Srinivasa,
and Jeffrey E. Froyd – Texas A&M
University
Best Paper Award
David Knight
Pennsylvania State University
Paper: “In Search of the Engineers of
2020: An Outcome-Based Typology of
Engineering Undergraduates”
Apprentice Faculty Grant
Maria-Isabel Carnasciali – University
of New Haven
Morgan Hynes – Tufts University
Alejandra Magana – Purdue University,
West Lafayette
James Pembridge – Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University
Electrical and Computer
Engineering Division
Meritorious Service Award
Stephen Goodnick
Arizona State University
Distinguished Educator Award
Patricia D. Daniels
Seattle University
Energy Conversion and
Conservation Division
Best Paper Awards
Teodora R. Shuman and Gregory
Mason – Seattle University
Paper: “Novel Approach to
Conducting Labs in an Introduction to
Thermodynamics Course”
Jose Colucci, Miriam del Rosario
Fontalvo, and Effrain O’Neill-Carillo –
University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez
Paper: “UPRM CHEM E Sustainable
Energy Demos, Workshops, Town Hall
Meetings, Etc., Working the Pipeline”
Lawrence Holloway – University of
Kentucky
Paper: “Addressing the Broader
Impacts of Engineering Through a
General Education Course on Global
Energy Issues”
Kenan Baltaci – University of Northern
Iowa, Ulan Dakeev – University of
Northern Iowa, Reg Recayi Pecen –
University of Northern Iowa, Faruk
Yildiz – Sam Houston State University,
and Bekir Yuksek – University of
Northern Iowa
Paper: “Design and Implementation of
a 10 kW Wind-Solar Distributed Power
and Instrumentation System”
Jonathan M.S. Mattson, Bryan
Anthony Streckert, and Nick J.
Surface – University of Kansas
Paper: “Small-Scale Smart Grid
Construction and Analysis”
Distinguished Lecturer Award
Patrick Tebbe
Minnesota State University
Engineering Design Graphics
Division
Oppenheimer Award
Kevin Devine
Illinois State University
Presentation: “Dimensional
Tolerances: Back to the Basics”
Chair’s Award
Diarmaid Lane and Niall Seery
University of Limerick
Session: “Examining the Development
of Sketch Thinking and Behaviour”
Editor’s Award
Andrew C. Kellie – Murray State
University
Article: “Hard Copy to Digital Transfer:
3D Models that Match 2D Maps”
Media Showcase Award
M. Kelly, M. Campbell, A. Stauble, J.
O’Donnell, and Nicholas Bertozzi –
Daniel Webster College
Ted J. Branoff – North Carolina State
University
A. Varricchio – Pratt and Whitney
Timothy Sexton – Ohio University
Presentation: “Development of an
Inverted Classroom Module for
Multiview Drawing”
Payne Award
Marie Planchard
Dassault Systèmes
Engineering Economy Division
Eugene L. Grant Award
Kati Brunson – Rockwell Collins,
Betsy DeLee – Lockheed Martin
Space Systems Co., Joshua Nachtigal
– Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Co., Bradley Hill – Kennedy Space
Center, and Joseph C. Hartman – The
Engineering Economist
Paper: “Case Study: Transport
Carrier Replacement Analysis” (The
Engineering Economist, Volume 56, 4,
Pages 354-384)
Best Paper Award
Ted Eschenbach – University of
Alaska, Anchorage, Neal A. Lewis –
University of Bridgeport, Yiran
Zhang – University of Bridgeport,
Paper: “When to Start Collecting
Social Security: Designing a Case
Study”
Engineering Libraries Division
Homer I. Bernhardt Distinguished
Service Award
Maliaca Oxnam
University of Arizona
Best Publication Award
Jacob Carlson, Michael Fosmire, C.
C. Miller, and Megan Sapp Nelson –
Purdue University
Paper: “Determining Data Information
Literacy Needs: A Study of Students
and Research Faculty”
Engineering Management
Division
Bernard R. Sarchet Award
Gary Teng
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Merl Baker Award
Gene Dixon
East Carolina University
Best Paper Award
Maxwell Reid
Auckland University of Technology
Paper: “Engineering Management
Within an Undergraduate Bachelor of
Engineering (Honours) Programme”
Best Presentation Award
Craig Downing
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Paper: “Using Design for Six Sigma
Practices to Develop a ‘Rose’ Belt
Course”
Engineering Technology Division
CIEC – Best Presenter Award
Anand Gramopadhye
Clemson University
“Integrating Visualization and
Simulation Technology to Support
Electronic Learning: The Aviation
Inspection Case Study”
CIEC - Best Session Award
Session: “Technical Innovation–What
Should Technology & Engineering
Departments Be Doing With It?”
Moderator: Michael Dyrenfurth –
Purdue University
Presenters: H. Fred Walker –
Rochester Institute of Technology,
Lueny Morell – Hewlett Packard,
Michael Dyrenfurth – Purdue
University
Environmental Engineering
Division
Best Paper Award
Major Andrew Pfluger, Major DavidMichael P. Roux, and Michael
Butkus – U.S. Military Academy
Paper: “A Hands-on Experience in
Air Pollution Engineering Courses:
Implementing an Effective Indoor Air
Pollution Project”
Best Student Paper Award
Sarah Bauer
Rowan University
Paper: “Weaving Sustainability into
Undergraduate Engineering Education
Through Innovative Pedagogical
Methods: A Student’s Perspective”
Early Career Grant
Sudarshan Kurwadkar
Tarleton State University
Paper: “Undergraduate Environmental
Engineering Research Experiences
in a Predominantly Undergraduate
Teaching Institute”
Industrial Engineering Division
Best Paper Award
Ana Vila-Parrish – North Carolina
State University, and Dianne
Raubenheimer – Meredith College
Paper: “Integrating Project
Management and Lean-Six Sigma
Methodologies in an Industrial
Engineering Capstone Course”
Distinguished Service Award
Kim LaScola Needy
University of Arkansas
New IE Educator Outstanding Paper
Award
November 2012
053
A S E E T o d ay
Ivan Guardiola, Elizabeth Cudney, and
Susan L. Murray – Missouri University
of Science and Technology
Paper: “Using Social Networking
Games to Teach Operations
Research and Management Science
Fundamental Concepts”
Heidi A. Taboada and Jose F.
Espiritu – University of Texas
at El Paso
Paper: “Experiences While
Incorporating Sustainability
Engineering into the Industrial
Engineering Curricula”
Graduate Studies Division
Donald Keating Award
Duane D. Dunlap
Purdue University
International Division
Global Engineering & Engineering
Technology Educator Award
Robert Parker
University of Michigan and Shanghai
Jiao Tong University
K-12 Division
Best Paper Award
Malinda S. Zarske, Janet L. Yowell,
Jacquelyn F. Sullivan, Angela R.
Bielefeldt, and Daniel W. Knight
University of Colorado, Boulder
Travis O’Hair
Skyline High School
Paper: “K-12 Engineering for
Service: Do Project-Based ServiceLearning Design Experiences Impact
Attitudes in High School Engineering
Students?”
Liberal Education Division
Sterling Olmstead Award
Donna Riley
Smith College
Mathematics Division
Distinguished Educator and Service
Award
Anton J. Pintar
Michigan Technological University
Best Paper Award
Amelito Enriquez
Canada College
Paper: “Improving the Participation
and Retention of Minority Students
in Science and Engineering Through
Summer Enrichment Programs”
054
Prism-Magazine.org
Mechanical Engineering Division
Outstanding New Mechanical
Engineering Educator Award
Brent Houtchens
Rice University
Mechanics Division
Archie Higdon Distinguished
Educator Award
Jwo Pan
University of Michigan
Ferdinand P. Beer and E. Russell
Johnston Jr. Outstanding New
Mechanics Educator Award
Julie Stahmer Linsey
Texas A&M University
Best Paper Award
Brianno D. Coller
Northern Illinois University
Paper: “Preliminary Results on Using
a Video Game in Teaching Dynamics”
Overall Best Presentation Award
Brianno D. Coller
Northern Illinois University
Paper: “First Look at a Video Game for
Teaching Dynamics”
Physics Division
Distinguished Educator
and Service Award
Bahaeddin Jassemnejad
University of Central Oklahoma
Systems Engineering Division
Best Paper Award
Robert Reid Bailey – University of
Virginia, Joanne Bechta Dugan –
University of Virginia, Alexandra E.
Coso – Georgia Institute of Technology,
and Matthew E. McFarland –
University of Virginia
Paper: “ECE/SYS Integration: A
Strategy for Evaluating Graduates
from a Multiyear Curriculum Focused
on Technology Systems Integration”
Women in Engineering Division
Mara H. Wasburn Apprentice
Educator Grant
Katerina Bagiati – Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
Rachel Louis – Virginia Tech
The ASEE Code of Ethics
Approved this summer by the Board of Directors, the ASEE Code of Ethics delineates ethical responsibilities and obligations for ASEE individual and institutional members, both academic and corporate. The code is intended to help
formalize expectations of engineering educators’ academic and professional behavior and aligns ASEE with common
practice in other professional organizations.
Developing the code was an 18-month process spearheaded by then Engineering Ethics Division chair, Doug Tougaw of Valparaiso University. Committee members included Joseph Herkert, Arizona State University; George Catalano, SUNY, Binghamton; Dennis Fallon, The Citadel; Marilyn Dyrud, Oregon Institute of Technology; Bill Jordan, Baylor
University; Rebecca Bates, Minnesota State University, Mankato; and Claire McCullough, University of Tennessee.
All committee members are active in the ethics division.
The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is a nonprofit organization committed to furthering education in engineering and engineering technology. ASEE members, including educators and the industry partners who
work with them, occupy positions of significant authority, and that authority is accompanied by significant ethical
responsibilities. Those members who perform professional work in a technical discipline are bound by the code of
ethics of their professional society, including the requirement to hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of
the public. In addition, all ASEE members shall:
1. Ensure all graduates have an understanding of their professional and ethical responsibility.
2. Encourage students to use their knowledge and skills for the enhancement of human welfare.
3. Encourage students to be aware of the environmental and social impact of their solutions.
4. Maintain and improve their expertise by continuing professional development and provide opportunities
for colleagues to do the same.
5. Undertake professional responsibilities only in the areas of their competence.
6. Be honest and impartial, with no tolerance for bribery, fraud, corruption, and academic dishonesty, and
instill those same principles in their students.
7. Respect the intellectual property of others by properly attributing previous works and sharing appropriate credit with coauthors, including students.
8. Avoid actual or apparent conflicts of interest.
9. Build their professional reputations on the merit of their own work and the professional partnerships
they form.
10. Treat all persons fairly regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, or national origin.
11. Demonstrate respect for students and professional colleagues, never tolerating harassment.
12. Protect confidential information concerning students and professional colleagues.
13. Provide fair evaluations of students and professional colleagues that reflect the true merit of their work.
14. Support other professional colleagues in following this code of ethics.
November 2012
055
Classifieds
How To Place An Ad
Placing an Ad
You have the option of either submitting your ad
electronically or you can send it via e-mail to get a price
quote. Price quotes and confirming e-mails include
the cost of the ad per month, though you may want to
run your ad consecutively when choosing preferred
publication month(s). If you have a question regarding
this policy, please feel free to contact the advertising
manager.
Rates
Standard ads appear in single-column format and are
charged at $3.95 per word if received by e-mail. Ads
either mailed or faxed are $4.20 per word.
Display ads are set in larger type, have enclosed
borders, and may also include logos. Logos are free,
and we ask that you send your logo in a separate file
from your ad text. Your logo must appear in either JPEG
or TIF high resolution format at 300 dpi.
Please contact Paula Whitley, Classified Advertising
Manager at: (202) 331-3528 for dimensions of display
ads and prices.
Ads can be sent via:
E-MAIL:
classifieds@asee.org or p.whitley@asee.org
IN MEMORIAM
A new section of Prism Classifieds will allow ASEE
community members and others to note the death of
a friend, colleague, or family member, and celebrate
the deceased’s professional achievements. For more
information, and for ad rates, contact Paula Whitley
(p.whitley@asee.org).
Job Bank
ASEE members can access classified advertisements
on the Internet 30 days prior to publication in ASEE
Prism. The ads are accessible to the public the first
day of the issue month. That means you get 60 days of
valuable advertising coverage! The URL to access the
classified ads is www.asee.org/classifieds
Methods of Payment
We accept purchase orders and credit cards (Visa or
MasterCard) as methods of payment. If you submit your
ad by e-mail, please include your contact information,
which includes: a contact person, billing address, phone
number, and fax number. Ads, including those running
in consecutive issues, are billed monthly unless your
credit card payment or purchase order is generated
to cover the total amount of your ad appearing in your
chosen issues.
Classified Advertising Deadline
for January 2013 issue
December 14, 2012
(However deadline dates are subject to change and
are posted on the web at: www.asee.org/classifieds)
Please see website for updates.
056
Prism-Magazine.org
Faculty
perience after doctorate, relevant
tions for two positions. The first
ENGINEERING
teaching experience at the college
is a tenure/tenure-track faculty
level, and relevant research expe-
position in water with emphasis
rience after doctorate. Required
on interactions among hydrol-
TWO FACULTY POSITIONS.
T he A merican U niversity of
I raq -S ulaimani (AUIS) seeks
documents, including a cover let-
ogy, ecology, and public health. See
ter, a resume/CV, a statement of
job description and apply online
teaching and research interests,
at
applications for two open-rank po-
and contact information of five
ce/watersearch2012.
sitions in engineering, specializing
professional references, should be
is the Harold H. Short Endowed
in the broad area of engineering
sent to
Chair of Engineering, Ameri-
Chair Professorship in Infrastruc-
mechanics and material science
can University of Iraq-Sulaimani
at
ture. Candidates must have proven
with knowledge of and ability to
auis.engr@gmail.com.
Rank will be
track records of funded research
teach thermo-fluid courses. Re-
determined by previous employ-
in areas pertaining to the nexus of
sponsibilities include teaching up
ment history. Faculty members
water, energy and climate, aging
to 12 credits per semester of in-
at AUIS receive competitive pay
water-related infrastructure, sus-
troductory and advanced courses
and an attractive benefits package.
tainability of the build environ-
and laboratories in undergradu-
Positions are open until filled with
ment, urban storm water manage-
ate engineering and related fields;
preference to early applicants.
ment, or other related areas. See
developing and teaching courses
Screening of applications begins
job description and apply online at
and laboratories in engineering
Nov. 18, 2012, and continues until
http://www.engr.colostate.edu/ce/
mechanics, materials, thermo-flu-
the positions are filled. The Ameri-
haroldshort2012.
id areas, engineering economics,
can University of Iraq-Sulaimani
deadline is Dec. 15, 2012. CSU is an
transport phenomena, and CAD;
(AUIS) is a young institution in
EO/EA/AA employer and conducts
being actively engaged in teaching,
the safe and welcoming city of Su-
background checks on all final can-
research, advising, professional
laimani, in the Kurdistan region
didates.
development, and service activi-
of Iraq. AUIS was established in
ties; participating in professional
2006 and has developed rapidly.
activities, including meetings,
Enrollment currently exceeds 500,
workshops, and other relevant ac-
with students drawn from all re-
tivities, such as establishing ap-
gions of the country, and AUIS is
propriate relationships with in-
poised for steady growth in future
dustry; participating in activities
years. New buildings and facilities
related to ABET accreditation; and
have been constructed on a small
advising senior project teams in
portion of a new campus of more
related fields. Required qualifica-
than 400 acres. AUIS is Iraq’s only
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR.
M issouri U niversity of S ci ence and T echnology . T he D e partment of Chemical and Biochemical E ngineering invites
tions include a Ph.D. in mechanical
private, nonprofit university based
applicants and nominations for
engineering or a closely related
on the American model of higher
one position at the Assistant Pro-
engineering field from a U.S. or
education, with all classes taught
fessor tenure-track level (Position
Western European institution
in English. For more information
#31318). Applicants are expected
(candidates will be considered if
on AUIS, please visit http://www.
to have a Ph.D. degree in chemical
degree completion is assured be-
auis.edu.iq/.
engineering. The applicant should
ten communications skills; demonstrated strong commitment to
teaching; and demonstrated ability
to develop and teach courses and
laboratories in the engineering
mechanics, material science, ther-
Faculty
Tenure-Track
CIVIL AND
ENVIRONMENTAL
ENGINEERING
qualifications include an earned
B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from an ABET-accredited
program, relevant industrial ex-
Full consideration
CHEMICAL AND
BIOCHEMICAL
ENGINEERING
tential or record. Biochemical and
related engineering fields are preferred. Responsibilities include
teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and establishing an
externally funded, nationally and
internationally recognized scholarly research program. Note: All
mo-fluid systems areas, engineering economics, and CAD. Preferred
The second
show outstanding research po-
fore duties commence); demonstrated excellent verbal and writ-
http://www.engr.colostate.edu/
FACULTY POSITION AND
CHAIR. C olorado S tate U ni v e r sity . T h e D e pa r t m e nt
of C ivil and E nvironmental
E ngineering invites applica-
application materials must have
a position reference number for
the position that you are applying
for in order to be processed. Applications will be accepted until
Biomedical Engineering
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Multiple Faculty Positions
The Department of Biomedical Engineering is pleased to invite applications for at
least two new faculty positions that will be available as early as Autumn 2013. To add
expertise to our growing department, we seek to fill all positions with established faculty members at the Professor or Associate Professor level.
One position is part of a cluster hire in the area of spine research, and we seek expertise with the role of cytokines in spine degenerative processes. The faculty member will
work closely with colleagues in the Biodynamics Lab and the new Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cell-based Therapies. The successful candidate will have a nationally
funded research program in immunoinflammatory biomarkers relevant to spinal tissue injury and back pain, including injury to spine-associated soft tissues (ligaments,
tendons, joint capsules, etc.). Biomarkers of interest include not only chemokine and
cytokine biomarkers classically associated with spinal injury, but also other pro- and
anti-inflammatory immunomodulators, immunoregulatory substances, and metabolites associated with back injury and pain.
A second position is in the area of medical device design, and the ideal candidate
would be able to establish and promote collaborations between Engineering, Medicine,
Business, and our Technology Transfer office. The successful candidate will have a record of leading a successful research team and have demonstrated the ability to establish and secure multimillion-dollar financial support for advanced medical device
design. Areas of device design research of interest include, but are not limited to, tissue
engineering and advanced therapeutics devices. The candidate will work within BME
and with other units on campus to enhance, organize, and catalyze expertise for the
advancement of medical device translation to the clinic, including commercialization.
Apart from the two positions described above, we also welcome applications from
exceptional candidates who augment our existing domains of bioengineering expertise
and who can establish translational research collaborations with our health sciences
colleagues. Ohio State has an NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA)
grant with exciting opportunities to strengthen and expand BME’s applications that
currently emphasize cardiovascular/pulmonary, musculoskeletal, neural, and ocular
systems, along with cancer research and new efforts focused on regenerative medicine.
In addition to a strong record of research accomplishment, high-impact publications,
and current extramural peer-reviewed funding, applicants must also demonstrate interest and accomplishment in teaching and have an earned doctoral degree and experience with medical science applications. We plan to invite selected applicants for
interviews as early as December 2012. However, the search will continue until the position is filled. Rank and salary are commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications.
Applicants are asked to send PDF versions of their CV, a brief description of research
and teaching interests and plans, and names and addresses of three references to one
of three email addresses (we will be working with multiple search committees). Please
submit to only one of these addresses: bmespine@bme.ohio-state.edu, bmedesign@bme.ohio-state.edu, or bmeother@bme.ohio-state.edu.
More information about the Department of Biomedical Engineering can be found at
http://bme.osu.edu/.
The Ohio State University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity employer. Women,
minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Ohio State
is an NSF ADVANCE Institution.
november 2012
057
Classifieds
Polymer and Fiber Engineering
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
Department Chair
The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering invites applications
for the position of Chair of the Department of Polymer and Fiber Engineering. The initial appointment is for a five-year term,
renewable for consecutive terms. The Department Chair is responsible for providing leadership in research, teaching, and outreach. Successful candidates must possess a distinguished record of
teaching, research, and scholarship, as well as excellent interpersonal skills and leadership qualities.
Consistent with the goals of the College of Engineering, applicants must articulate a clear vision and demonstrate the qualities necessary to lead a dynamic faculty toward a higher level of excellence. The Department Chair must have the academic and professional
qualifications to be awarded tenure at the rank of Associate or Full Professor. A substantial record of research and scholarly achievements with a national reputation is essential, along with a strong commitment to teaching and service. The successful candidate
should have a record of research excellence and demonstrated leadership in an area that enhances current and emerging strengths
of the department including (but not limited to): advanced polymeric systems and processing, composites, nanostructured materials,
and biomedical materials. Research approaches that integrate modeling and experimentation are highly desired.
The Department of Polymer and Fiber Engineering has nine faculty members and offers undergraduate degrees in two tracks: polymer and fiber, as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in polymer and fiber engineering. The Polymer and Fiber Engineering faculty have a
strong track-record of scholarly research and publications.
Review of applications will begin on Jan. 15, 2013, and continue until the position is filled. The candidate selected for this position
must be able to meet eligibility requirements to work in the United States at the time appointment is scheduled to begin and continue
working legally for the proposed term of employment.
To assure full consideration, applications should be submitted as a single PDF file via email to pfenchairsearch@eng.auburn.edu,
and must include a curriculum vitae, a letter of interest providing a summary of qualifications for the position, and the names and contact information for three references.
Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Auburn University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer.
apply online at
Technologies (NASCENT), which
tion, including laboratory instruc-
will develop innovative nanoman-
tion, and their own continued pro-
a cover letter, a curriculum vitae,
ufacturing, nanosculpting, and
fessional development. Targeted
teaching philosophy, a research
nanometrology systems that could
areas of specialization comprise
plan, and a copy of transcripts for
lead to versatile mobile computing
communications, signal processing,
highest degree earned (all official
devices such as wearable sensors,
and a field of computer engineer-
transcripts required upon hire) at
foldable laptops, and rollable bat-
ing that could foster collaboration
the time of application. Submis-
teries. Applications from women
with the Department of Computer
partment is seeking a tenure-track
sion of materials is the applicant’s
and minorities are especially en-
Science and Software Engineering.
Assistant/Associate Professor be-
responsibility. Applications with-
couraged. A successful candidate
Although we prefer to hire in the
ginning Fall 2013. Candidates must
out all required documents are in-
is expected to teach chemical engi-
specializations listed, exceptional
hold a Ph.D. in engineering manage-
complete and will not be consid-
neering undergraduate and gradu-
applicants in any area will be con-
ment or a closely related technical
ered. Screening will begin on Nov.
ate courses, develop a sponsored
sidered. A doctorate in electrical or
discipline. Areas of specialization
1, 2012. Open until filled. TTU will
research program, collaborate with
computer engineering or a related
of particular interest to this search
hire only U.S. citizens and aliens
other faculty, and be involved in
discipline is required, and indus-
include complex systems, design
lawfully authorized to work in the
service to the university and the
trial experience is desirable. Ap-
for x, entrepreneurship, healthcare
U.S. All new employees will be re-
profession. Interested persons
plications must be submitted online
systems, and sustainability. Appli-
quired to complete an employer’s
should submit in electronic form as
at https://jobs.rose-hulman.edu/ and
cants must have a strong commit-
verification form, I-9, no later than
a single PDF document a detailed
must include a CV/resume, a cover
ment to undergraduate and graduate
three days from date of hire. Ten-
curriculum vitae, including aca-
letter, a statement of teaching that
engineering education, both on- and
nessee Technological University,
demic and professional experience,
describes your teaching philoso-
off-campus. Industrial experience is
located in Cookeville, Tenn., is an
statements regarding their teaching
phy, and a statement of professional
desired, but not required. Interested
Affirmative Action/Equal Oppor-
philosophy, and research plans; a
development/research. Additional
candidates should submit a letter
tunity employer (AA/EEO). Index
list of peer reviewed publications
information about Rose-Hulman’s
of application, a curriculum vitae,
210436, Position 135030.
and other technical papers; and the
ECE department is available at
a statement of teaching and profes-
names, addresses, and telephone
http://www.rose-hulman.edu/ece/.
sional development philosophy, and
numbers of three or more referenc-
Screening will begin January 2013.
contact information for three refer-
es to Chair,
AA/EEO.
ences to
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING (cont’d)
the positions are filled. The final
ogy’s Human Resource Office
using
strong communication skills; and
DOE, etc.) would match the exist-
candidate is required to provide
the following address: hrsinfo@mst.
the ability to develop and main-
ing philosophy and achievements
official transcript(s) for any col-
edu.
Acceptable electronic formats
tain an effective working relation-
within the department. An earned
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR.
U niversity of T exas -A ustin .
T he D epartment of C hemical
E ngineering seeks outstanding
lege degree(s) listed in applica-
that can be used include PDF and
ship with students, faculty, staff,
bachelor’s degree in chemical engi-
applicants for tenure-track faculty
Please apply by Nov. 20, 2012, for
tion materials submitted. Copies
Word documents. Missouri S&T
administrators, and the internal
neering from an ABET-accredited
positions at the Assistant Professor
primary consideration. However,
of transcript(s) must be provided
participates in E-Verify. For more
and external constituents of the
university is preferred. The area of
level. A Ph.D. is required and appli-
the positions will remain open until
prior to the start of employment.
information on E-Verify, please
department. Evidence of potential
research of successful candidates
cants must have an outstanding re-
filled. A security sensitive back-
In addition, the final candidate
contact DHS at 1-888-464-4218.
excellence in teaching and schol-
must be compatible with one or
cord of research accomplishments
ground check will be conducted on
may be required to verify other
Females, minorities, and persons
arly activities is required as dem-
more of the College of Engineering
and a strong interest in undergradu-
selected applicants. The University
credentials listed in application
with disabilities are encouraged
onstrated through peer-reviewed
research focus areas found at the
ate and graduate teaching. Candi-
of Texas is an Affirmative Action/
materials. Failure to provide offi-
to apply. Missouri S&T (formerly
publication and teaching or similar
following link: http://www.tntech.
dates with research and teaching
Equal Opportunity employer.
cial transcript(s) or other required
University of Missouri-Rolla) is an
experience. Must be qualified to
edu/engineering/home/Research-
interests in all areas relevant to the
verification may result in the with-
Affirmative Action/Equal Oppor-
teach undergraduate and graduate
FocusAreas. Further information
field of chemical engineering will be
drawal of the job offer. Applicants
tunity employer.
courses in chemical engineering;
can be found at http://www.tntech.
considered. There are two potential
develop a nationally recognized re-
edu/che/graduresearch. Essential
faculty positions. For the first posi-
search program; engage in scholarly
Functions of the position include
tion, researchers with interests in
activities; and be willing to partici-
teaching of undergraduate and
the areas of energy sciences, ma-
pate in college, university, profes-
graduate courses in chemical engi-
terials, polymers, and catalysis are
sional society, and community ser-
neering; having strong communica-
particularly encouraged to apply.
vice. The successful applicants will
tion skills; developing a nationally
The second position is broadly in
three references. All application
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR.
T ennessee T ech U niversity .
T he C ollege of E ngineering
have a desire and commitment to
recognized and externally funded
the area of nanomanufacturing, and
materials, including resume/vita,
seeks
applications for a tenure-
live at the forefront of scholarship
research program; engaging in
the faculty candidate is expected
cover letter, reference letters, port-
track Assistant Professor position
in education and research. Those
scholarly activities; and being will-
to participate and complement the
FACULTY POSITION. R ose Hulman Institute of Technology . T he E lectrical and C om put e r E n g in e e r in g D e pa r t ment , a recognized leader in
undergraduate engineering education , invites applications for
folio, etc., must be submitted elec-
to begin August 2013. Qualifica-
who are supporters of both active
ing to participate in college, univer-
expertise in the newly funded Engi-
tenure-track position(s) that will
tronically referencing the position
tions include an earned Ph.D. in
techniques in the classroom (col-
sity, and community service. Salary
neering Research Center on Nano-
begin in the Fall 2013. Applicants
number (#31318) to the
Missouri
chemical engineering or related
laborative learning, etc.) and exter-
is commensurate with education
manufacturing Systems for Mobile
must have a strong commitment to
University of Science and Technol-
field by start date of employment;
nally funded research (NSF, NASA,
and experience. Applicants must
Computing and Mobile Energy
undergraduate engineering educa-
should submit curriculum vitae,
a detailed research plan including both short-term and long-term
CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING
plans and goals, a description of
teaching interests and capabilities,
and contact information for at least
058
Prism-Magazine.org
ENGINEERING
MANAGEMENT
http://www.tntech.
edu/jobs/ and electronically upload
Department of Chemical
ASSISTANT/ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR. R ose -H ulman
I nstitute of T echnology . T he
E ngineering M anagement D e -
https://jobs.rose-hulman.
Engineering, The University of Texas
at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-0231,
chefaculty-search@che.utexas.edu.
ELECTRICAL
AND COMPUTER
ENGINEERING
MILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
FACULTY
Milwaukee School of Engineering invites applica�ons for a faculty posi�on at
the Assistant or Associate Professor level for Fall 2013 teaching in the Industrial
Engineering program within the Mechanical Engineering Department.
This full-�me faculty posi�on requires teaching primarily in the areas of applied
sta�s�cs, quality, Six Sigma, and reliability. Secondary areas of interest include
opera�ons research, data mining, and lean manufacturing.
This posi�on requires an earned doctorate in Industrial Engineering (or a related
field), relevant industrial experience, and a strong interest in effec�ve undergraduate
teaching integra�ng theory, applica�ons and laboratory prac�ce. In addi�on to
teaching du�es, the successful candidate will be expected to become involved
with academic advising, course/curriculum development, supervision of student
projects, and con�nued professional growth through a combina�on of consul�ng,
scholarship, and research. Excellent communica�on skills are required. The review
of applica�ons will begin as they are received and con�nue un�l the posi�on is
filled.
Interested candidates should submit a resume/CV, statement of teaching philosophy,
and names of three references to:
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Human Resources
1025 North Broadway
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Email: work@msoe.edu
MSOE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER
november 2012
059
Classifieds
Computer Science and Computer Engineering
OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY
Two Faculty Positions
Ohio Northern University (ONU) is proud to be a place where the learning,
development, and welfare of its students are the highest priorities of the
institution. ONU offers programs and experiences that prepare graduates to
excel in a competitive global economy, while nurturing values and character
traits that make graduates good citizens of a diverse world.
The T. J. Smull College of Engineering offers an environment that encourages the development of new initiatives and opportunities
for its students, gives faculty and staff a sense of worth and job satisfaction, and offers faculty the chance to make a difference
by educating the professionals of tomorrow. The mission of the college is to engage students through personal relationships and
balanced educational experiences to maximize their success. If you would like to be part of a professional and collaborative team
devoted to providing a dynamic environment where faculty members can make a significant and lasting impact on the lives of
young engineers and computer scientists, the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science at Ohio
Northern University is pleased to invite you to apply for a faculty position to begin Aug. 15, 2013. There are two open positions.
The appointment to either of the open positions may be made at the Assistant, Associate, or Professor level, commensurate with
qualifications and experience.
Computer Science - Candidates with expertise in one or more of the following areas will be given preference: computer security,
game development, mobile computing, and robotics. A Ph.D. in computer science by date of employment is required.
Computer Engineering - Candidates with expertise in one or more of the following areas will be given preference: embedded
systems, computer architecture, and/or VLSI. A Ph.D. in computer engineering or a related field by date of employment is required.
The applicant must be committed to teaching excellence in undergraduate education and must possess excellent verbal
and written communication skills. Expectations include actively pursuing scholarly research and professional development
opportunities.
All application materials must be submitted online at https://jobs.onu.edu/ and must include an application letter, curriculum
vitae, statements of teaching and research experience, transcripts, and the names and contact information of three professional
references. The search will continue until the position is filled. Questions concerning the position should be referred to Dr. Khalid
Al-Olimat, P.E., Professor and Chair, ECCS Department, k-al-olimat@onu.edu.
Further information about the University is available at http://www.onu.edu/.
research interests, and the contact
2012, but later applications may
Commonwealth of Virginia, uni-
and submit all materials can found
information for three references to
be reviewed. Applications should
versity partners around the state,
under “Posting Details” for this
Dr. Vedaraman Sriraman, Search Com-
include a cover letter, a curricu-
and several other member com-
position on the website. Review
mittee Chair, Texas State University-
lum vitae, a statement of research
panies. Additional information on
of applications will begin on Jan.
San Marcos, 601 University Drive RFM
and teaching interests, and four
this center can be found at http://
4, 2013. Applications submitted
2240E, San Marcos, Texas 78666.
names of references with contact
www.ccam-va.com/. Additional
after this date may not be consid-
Application materials may also be
information. Applicants should
information on Virginia Tech’s
ered. Virginia Tech has a strong
submitted via e-mail attachment
apply electronically at https://jobs.
role in this partnership can be
commitment to the principle of
sent to
umd.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/
found at http://www.eng.vt.edu/
diversity and inclusive excellence
engtech@txstate.edu.
Can-
didate selection will begin Nov. 12,
Welcome_css.jsp,
position number
overview/clusterhire.php. The
and, in that spirit, seeks a broad
2012, and continue until position
116995. Questions should be re-
second position is in management
spectrum of candidates, includ-
is filled. Please send resumes to Dr.
ferred to Ms. Janet Alessandrini,
systems engineering (posting
ing women, minorities, and people
Vedaraman Sriraman, 601 Univer-
Department of Civil and Envi-
number 0122393). Appointment
with disabilities. Virginia Tech
sity Dr RFM 2240, San Marcos, TX
ronmental Engineering, Univer-
will be at the Assistant Professor
is the recipient of a National Sci-
78666, engtech@txstate.edu. Please
sity of Maryland, College Park, MD
level. Management systems engi-
ence Foundation ADVANCE In-
visit http://facultyrecords.provost.
20742,USA. Phone: 301-405-1974.
neering is concerned with the de-
stitutional Transformation Award
txstate.edu/faculty-employment/
Fax: 301-405-2585. Email: jales-
sign and implementation of com-
to increase the participation of
faculty-employment.html for more
san@umd.edu. The University of
plex management systems. Exam-
women in academic science and
information. Job Posting # 2013-33.
Maryland is an Affirmative Action
ple focus areas include complex
engineering careers.
and Equal Opportunity employer.
socio-technical management sys-
Women and underrepresented mi-
tems, enterprise transformation,
nority candidates are particularly
lean work systems, management
encouraged to apply.
decision and learning support
ENVIRONMENTAL
ENGINEERING
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR.
U niversity of M aryland . T he
Department of Civil and Environmental E ngineering seeks
Assistant Professor
The Department of Electrical Engineering seeks to fill
a tenure-track position, starting Fall 2013, at the Assistant
Professor level. A Ph.D. in EE
or a closely related field is
required. The department
is looking for candidates in
the areas of power systems,
power electronics, and/or motor drives. Strong candidates
in the areas of controls and/
or digital signal processing
will also be considered. For
complete position description, requirements, and application procedures, please go
to the website: http://www.
uwplatt.edu/pers/employ.
htm. AA/EEO employer.
060
Prism-Magazine.org
cess improvement, performance
measurement and business analytics, new product development,
Additional information about
agement of concrete products. In
universities. The candidate will
tion in environmental engineering,
the Engineering Management De-
addition to teaching concrete in-
also cooperate with colleagues in
preferably at the Assistant Profes-
partment is available at http://www.
dustry management and related
program development, collabora-
sor level, but appointment at other
rose-hulman.edu/emgt/. Screening
construction courses, the individual
tive research efforts, curriculum
ranks will be considered. We are
ing invites
applications for two
turing, healthcare, security, and
will begin January 2013. AA/EEO.
selected will be expected to support
initiatives, conducting learning out-
especially seeking candidates with
tenured/tenure-track positions
energy). Successful candidates
the wider teaching mission of the
comes assessment, maintaining ac-
an academic background in water
starting in the 2013-14 academic
will develop a strong program of
department. Other responsibilities
creditation, and providing career
sustainability and biological pro-
year. The first position is in ad-
funded research and high-impact
will include the securing of external
counseling and academic advising
cesses, possibly including biologi-
vanced manufacturing systems
scholarship and will be commit-
edu/.
UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSINPLATTEVILLE
systems, organizational and pro-
T HREE F A C U L T Y P O S I TIONS. V i r g inia T e c h . T h e
G rado D epartment of I ndus trial and S ystems E ngineer -
applicants for a tenure-track posi-
Electrical Engineering
INDUSTRIAL
ENGINEERING
ENGINEERING
TECHNOLOGY
and other common engineering
ASSISTANT/ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR. O ld D ominion
University. The Department of
Mechanical and Aerospace En-
management topics. Research
application areas may include
diverse domains (e.g., manufac-
funding, conducting and publishing
to CIM majors. Required qualifica-
cal energy conversion processes.
and technologies (posting num-
ted to excellence in teaching un-
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR.
T exas S tate U niversity -S an
M arcos . T he D epartment of
Engineering Technology in the
C ollege of S cience and E ngi -
research relevant to concrete indus-
tions include a doctoral degree in
Candidates should demonstrate
ber 0122400). Appointments at
dergraduate and graduate courses
try management and appropriate for
civil engineering or a closely related
the ability to teach effectively at
all ranks will be considered. For
in the management systems en-
an emerging research institution,
field that focuses on concrete; an
the undergraduate and graduate
particularly well-established Full
gineering area. The candidate
and engagement in departmental
undergraduate degree in civil en-
levels, guide an active scholarly
Professor candidates, an Endowed
must have obtained, or expect to
and university service activities.
gineering or a closely related field;
research program, and obtain
Professorship may be available.
obtain shortly, a Ph.D. degree, with
a tenure-track,
The selected candidate will serve as
and excellent English speaking and
funding from competitive external
Applicants should have achieved,
at least one degree in industrial
Assistant Professor-level faculty
the likely faculty sponsor of the ACI
writing skills. Preferred qualifica-
funding agencies. Of specific inter-
or show potential to develop, a
engineering, engineering manage-
member in the area of Concrete
student chapter. In this capacity,
tions include professional licensure
est is expertise that would comple-
strong program of research and
ment, systems engineering, or a
Industry Management (CIM). The
the candidate would travel with stu-
or certification, field experience
ment existing research programs.
scholarship. The position requires
related field. Applications must
selected candidate is expected to
dents to many academic conferenc-
in the concrete industry, and prior
UMD has a strong Engineers With-
a Ph.D. degree, with at least one
be submitted online at
be an excellent instructor and to
es, student competitions and indus-
teaching experience; and research
out Borders program, and EWB
degree in industrial engineering
vt.edu/
teach several undergraduate/gradu-
try trade shows throughout the year.
interests in one or more of the fol-
experience is a plus. All appli-
or a closely related field. The suc-
current curriculum vitae, research
ate courses from some of the fol-
The selected candidate will also
lowing areas: concrete durability,
cants must hold a Ph.D. in civil or
cessful applicant will be expect-
statement, teaching statement, up
lowing areas: concrete properties
join with other members of the CIM
concrete pavements, modeling of
environmental engineering or a
ed to take a leading role working
to three relevant research publi-
and testing, concrete construction
faculty to represent departmental
concrete performance, and ad-
related field by September 2013
with the Commonwealth Center
cations, and names of three ref-
methods and systems, prevention
interests to the local and national
vanced concrete materials. Send a
for appointment in Fall 2013. For
for Advanced Manufacturing, a
erences (recommendation letters
and diagnosis of concrete problems,
concrete industry, the National
letter of application, resume, state-
best consideration, applications
new research center developed in
to be submitted separately, by the
concrete applications, and man-
Steering Committee, and other CIM
ment of teaching philosophy and
should be received by Dec. 20,
conjunction with Rolls-Royce, the
writers). Details on how to prepare
neering is seeking
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
http://jobs.
and include a cover letter,
Engineering
OREGON
STATE
UNIVERSITY
Two Assistant
Professor Positions
The School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental
Engineering is currently advertising for two tenure-track
Assistant Professors. The first
position maintains a chemical
engineering focus while the second is environmentally geared.
Responsibilities include teaching at the undergraduate and
graduate levels, and developing
a sustainable research program
in an area compatible with school
strengths. Other duties and required qualifications are listed
in the position description found
within the job posting. To review
posting and apply, go to http://
jobs.oregonstate.edu/ and
search postings #0009790 and
#0009803, respectively. To be
assured full consideration, applications should be received by
Jan. 14, 2013. OSU is an AA/EEO
employer. The deadline for applications is Jan. 14, 2013. Please
visit http://cbee.oregonstate.
edu/ for more information.
november 2012
061
Classifieds
(MAE)
appli-
related to their discipline, as well as
an email attachment) to
ataylor@
ure-track Assistant Professor in
The third is an Assistant Professor
levels). Exceptional applicants in
est include (but are not limited
mesearch@engr.wisc.edu ).
cations for a tenure-track position
to develop an externally funded re-
odu.edu.
The cover letter should
one or more areas of mechanical
(job ID 11856) position special-
any area of specialization and at
to) solid mechanics and mechani-
tional contact information is avail-
to begin Fall term 2013 in the area
search program in the energy field.
be addressed to Chair, Faculty
design, solid mechanics, material
izing in the broad areas of mechan-
all levels will be considered. Ap-
cal systems for micro and nano
able at http://www.engr.wisc.edu/
of energy and thermal sciences at
In addition, they are expected to
Search Committee, Department of
science, or machine dynamics.
ics, materials, and manufacturing
plicants must have a strong com-
applications, biomechanics and
me/. Unless confidentiality is re-
the Assistant or Associate Professor
contribute to existing research and
Mechanical and Aerospace Engi-
This appointment will be effective
systems. For full consideration,
mitment to undergraduate engi-
biofabrication, dynamics and con-
quested in writing, information re-
level. Candidates must have a Ph.D.
service activities in the MAE De-
neering, Old Dominion University,
August 2013. A successful candi-
apply by Dec. 9, 2012, and for more
neering education, including lab-
trols, computer-aided engineer-
garding applicants and nominees
in mechanical or aerospace engi-
partment and to establish collabo-
Norfolk, VA 23529. Review of ap-
date must have an earned Ph.D. in
information visit http://apptrkr.
oratory instruction and lifelong
ing and cyber-mechanical systems,
must be released upon request.
neering or a related discipline. Pre-
rations with government agencies,
plicants will begin on Jan. 15, 2013,
mechanical engineering or equiva-
com/278079. For all positions,
personal professional develop-
electro- and thermal-mechanical
Finalists cannot be guaranteed
vious postdoctoral research and/or
industry, and with other depart-
and continue until the position is
lent and exhibit a strong commit-
applications will be accepted and
ment. A Ph.D. is required. A B.S.
systems, and energy systems and
confidentiality. UW-Madison is
teaching experience are both highly
ments at Old Dominion University
filled. Old Dominion University is
ment to undergraduate teaching
reviewed until the positions are
degree in mechanical engineer-
combustion systems. Applicants
an Affirmative Action/Equal Op-
desirable and preferred. A candidate
(and with other universities, as
an Affirmative Action, Equal Op-
and instructional laboratories.
filled.
ing and industrial experience are
must have earned a Ph.D. in me-
portunity employer. We promote
should have research experience/
well). Information about the MAE
portunity institution and requires
For further details on the position,
desirable. For full consideration,
chanical engineering or a related
excellence through diversity and
interests in one or more emerging
Department and Old Dominion
compliance with the Immigration,
please visit http://www.bradley.
please apply online at
https://jobs.
discipline and demonstrated a po-
encourage all qualified individuals
areas, including renewable energy,
University can be found by visit-
Reform, and Control Act of 1986.
edu/offices/business/humanre-
rose-hulman.edu/. Additional infor-
tential for excellence in research
to apply. The deadline for applica-
fuel-cell technology, power genera-
ing our website at http://www.eng.
The deadline for applications is
sources/opportunities/faculty/.
mation is available at http://www.
and teaching. Applicants should
tions is Feb. 1, 2013. Please send
tion, etc. Candidates competent in
odu.edu/. The complete application
Jan. 15, 2013. Please send resumes
Review of applications will begin
rose-hulman.edu/me/. Screening
send a curriculum vitae, a state-
resumes to Search Committee,
propulsion systems and/or combus-
package should include a very brief
to ataylor@odu.edu. Please visit
immediately and continue until
will begin January 2013. AA/EEO.
ment of teaching and research ex-
mesearch@engr.wisc.edu. Please
tion would have additional appeal.
cover letter; a detailed resume, i.e.,
http://www.odu.edu/ for more in-
the position is filled. Full consid-
MULTIPLE FACULTY POSITIONS. R os e -H ul m an I n stitut e of T echnolo gy . T he
M echanical E ngineering D e partment , a recognized leader
perience and interests, a research
visit http://www.engr.wisc.edu/
Appointment at the level of Asso-
a CV; a statement of research inter-
formation.
eration will be given to all appli-
in undergraduate engineering
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (cont’d)
plan, and names and contact in-
me/ for more information.
ciate Professor requires a record
ests, objectives, and plans; a state-
cations received by Jan. 1, 2013.
education , invites
formation of four references to
of substantial accomplishments in
ment of teaching philosophy and
teaching and/or research. The suc-
interests; and a list of at least three
cessful candidate will be expected
professional references, including
MULTIPLE FACULTY POSITIONS. U niversity of W is consin -M adison . T he M echani cal E ngineering D epartment
to teach core undergraduate and
names and complete contact in-
applications for faculty
versity Ave., Madison, WI 53706-
graduate courses in areas of mechanical/aerospace engineering
gineering
invites
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (cont’d)
applications
Candidates should send a cover
for tenure-track positions begin-
letter, curriculum vitae, one page
ning fall 2013. Targeted areas of
statement on teaching interests,
specialization are mechanics and
one page statement on research
materials (Assistant Professor)
invites
formation. All application material
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR.
B radley U niversity , P eoria ,
I ll . T he D epartment of M e chanical E ngineering invites
interests, and contact information
and manufacturing and design (all
positions. Research areas of inter-
should be electronically sent (as
applicants for the position of ten-
for at least three references to
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (cont’d)
edu.
Visiting Faculty Position – Electronics
The successful candidate will teach undergraduate electrical and computer engineering courses primarily in the
electronics area, but ability to teach semiconductor physics preferred. Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree
in Electrical and Computer Engineering or closely related field and must demonstrate a strong commitment to
undergraduate education and research.
Tenure-Track Faculty Position – Computer
Engineering and Embedded Systems
Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering and must demonstrate a strong
commitment to undergraduate teaching, mentoring, and research along with potential for multidisciplinary
collaboration. The successful candidate will teach courses covering digital systems, microcontrollers, FPGAs,
embedded systems, computer organization/architecture, and other courses that contribute to the College’s
Common Course of Study. Exceptionally qualified candidates may be considered at the Associate Professor level.
Lafayette College’s ABET-accredited ECE program features small class sizes, hands-on laboratory experiences,
and strong faculty-student interaction. Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and the names
of three references and should be submitted by email (preferred) at ecesearch12@lafayette.edu. Consideration of
applications will begin in January 2013.
Lafayette College is committed to creating a diverse community: one that is inclusive and responsive, and is supportive of
each and all of its faculty, students, and staff. All members of the College community share a responsibility for creating,
maintaining, and developing a learning environment in which difference is valued, equity is sought, and inclusiveness is
practiced. Lafayette College is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from women and minorities.
MULTIPLE ASSISTANT
PROFESSOR POSITIONS.
C alifornia S tate U niversity F resno (F resno S tate ). T he
Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Lyles College
of E ngineering invites applica-
Prism-Magazine.org
1572
(or email documentation to
TWO ASSISTANT PROFESS O R P O S I T I O N S . B aylo r
U niversity . T he D epartment
of M echanical E ngineering in
UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON
Two Assistant/Associate Professor Positions
The Department of Engineering Management & Systems invites applications for two tenure-track faculty
positions at the Assistant and Assistant/Associate professor levels. Candidates must have expertise and
interests that support the department’s master’s programs in engineering management and management
science. Those who could also support offerings in industrial, systems, and/or human factors engineering are
particularly encouraged to apply.
tions for three faculty positions
All applicants must have an earned doctorate in an appropriate discipline and demonstrate strong written
beginning January 2013 and/or
communication skills. Successful candidates at the Assistant Professor level will demonstrate the potential for excellence in teaching and for
August 2013. The first is an As-
developing a distinguished record of scholarship. Candidates at the Associate Professor level must document accomplishment in these areas and
sistant Professor (job ID 11855)
position specializing in the broad
areas of thermo-fluids, heat-mass
transport, and energy systems. For
full consideration, apply by Oct.
15, 2012, and for more information
visit http://apptrkr.com/277629.
The second is an Assistant Profes-
demonstrate service to their students, colleagues, and/or professions.
Preference will be given to candidates with strong oral communication skills and demonstrated teaching success in both a traditional classroom
setting and via distance learning. Experience in guiding student projects and in teaching and advising students from diverse backgrounds is
desired. Because of potential collaboration with U.S. government agencies and the need to access those facilities, U.S. citizenship or permanent
resident status is preferred. Experience in business, industry, or government is also a plus.
The University of Dayton, founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, is a Top Ten Catholic research university. The university seeks outstanding,
diverse faculty and staff who value its mission and share its commitment to academic excellence in teaching and research, the development of
the whole person, and leadership and service in the local and global community.
Information about the Department and its programs can be found at http://www.udayton.edu/engineering/engineering_management_and_
sor (job ID 11879) position special-
systems/index.php, while a complete listing of qualifications is available at http://jobs.udayton.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=53742.
izing in the broad areas of thermo-
Applications should be submitted via the preceding link and include a CV, cover letter, statement of teaching and research interests and expertise,
fluids, mass transport phenom-
and contact information for three references. Review of applications will begin in November and continue until the positions are filled.
ena, and fluid dynamics. For full
consideration, apply by Dec. 9,
2012, and for more information
visit http://apptrkr.com/278078.
062
sity of Wisconsin-Madison, 1513 Uni-
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (cont’d)
Engineering Management
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (cont’d)
Lafayette College is currently seeking applicants for 2 positions available within our Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering for the 2013-2014 Academic Year.
of Mechanical Engineering, Univer-
Dr.
Paul Mehta at MEsearch@bradley.
Lafayette College is a selective, private, liberal arts college of 2,400
undergraduates. Our 110-acre campus is located one and a half hours
from both New York City and Philadelphia. Degree programs are
offered in the liberal arts, sciences and engineering.
Search Committee at the Department
Addi-
To attain its Catholic and Marianist mission, the university is committed to the principles of diversity, inclusion and Affirmative Action and to
Equal Opportunity policies and practices. We act affirmatively to recruit and hire women, traditionally under-represented minority groups, people
with disabilities, and veterans. UD is also the recipient of a National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant to promote the advancement and
representation of women in STEM fields.
november 2012
063
Classifieds
the School of Engineering and
Computer Science seeks dynam-
related field, outstanding English
area including on-site high-per-
information, including official
to discovering new knowledge as
enrolls approximately 2,100 under-
Randy Jayne, 303 Peachtree Street
communication skills, a commit-
formance computing facilities for
transcripts, will be required of fi-
Baylor aspires to become a top
graduate and 100 graduate students
NE, Suite 4300, Atlanta, GA 30308.
ic scholars to fill two tenure-track
ment to teaching excellence, dem-
the support of numerical model-
nalists. Additional information for
tier research university while re-
and has 175 faculty members dedi-
Phone:
faculty positions in specific pro-
onstrated research achievement,
ing, a motion capture system, and
applicants is available at http://
affirming and strengthening its
cated to undergraduate education.
577-4048,
Email: rhit@heidrick.com.
DEPARTMENT CHAIR. U ni versity of M ount U nion . T he
Engineering Department seeks
gram areas, including solid me-
and a commitment to profession-
a full suite of equipment for the
www.ecs.baylor.edu/mechanica-
distinctive Christian mission as
The average Rose-Hulman class size
Affirmative Action and Equal Op-
an outstanding chair to implement
chanics/materials, and biomateri-
al activities. In light of Baylor’s
characterization of engineering
lengineering/. Send materials to
described in Pro Futuris (http://
of 24 students and a 12:1 student-
portunity employer.
an innovative engineering program
als/biomechanics. The positions
strong Christian mission, the suc-
and biological materials, includ-
Dr. Carolyn Skurla, Baylor Univer-
www.baylor.edu/profuturis/).
professor ratio demonstrates the in-
will begin in August 2013 at the
cessful applicant must have an ac-
ing polymers and polymeric com-
sity, One Bear Place #97356, Waco,
Baylor is a Baptist university af-
stitute’s commitment to undergrad-
Assistant Professor level. Those
tive Christian faith. Baylor offers
posites. The successful candidates
TX 76798-7356 ,
Carolyn_Skur-
filiated with the Baptist General
uate education. The environment
interested in a higher position
ABET/EAC-accredited B.S. pro-
will help the department increase
la@baylor.edu.
Chartered in 1845
Convention of Texas. As an Affir-
of rigorous, hands-on education at
are strongly encouraged to apply,
grams in mechanical engineering,
research activity, develop a Ph.D.
by the Republic of Texas, Baylor
mative Action/Equal Employment
Rose-Hulman encourages the cre-
and applications from candidates
electrical and computer engineer-
program, and maintain teaching
University is the oldest university
Opportunity employer, Baylor en-
with appropriate levels of experi-
ing, and engineering. Five new en-
excellence. Applications will be
in Texas and the world’s largest
ence will be considered for higher
gineering master’s programs were
accepted until the positions are
rank. Responsibilities include ac-
established in 2004. Hallmarks of
tive research, undergraduate and
or
404-682-7400/ Fax: 404-
ENGINEERING
ENGINEERING (cont’d)
addressing the latest professional
recommendations for engineering
education. The department consists of mechanical and civil en-
ation of innovative problem-solvers
DEPARTMENT CHAIR. Temple U niversity . T he C ollege
of E ngineering invites applica-
courages minorities, women, vet-
who are aware of the complexity of
tions for the position of Chair in
providing leadership for ongoing
Baptist university. It is a mem-
erans, and persons with disabili-
the world around them. Additional
the Electrical and Computer Engi-
program development, administra-
filled. Consideration of applica-
ber of the Big XII Conference and
ties to apply.
information can be found at http://
neering Department. The college
tive oversight, student interaction
Baylor engineering include a com-
tions will commence Dec. 1, 2012.
holds a Carnegie classification as
www.rose-hulman.edu/about/
is expanding its doctoral, master’s,
and recruitment, curriculum over-
graduate teaching, course curricu-
mitment to engineering education
To ensure full consideration, ap-
a “high research” institution. Bay-
leadership/presidents-office/
and ABET-accredited undergradu-
sight and development, accredita-
lum development, student advis-
in a supportive Christian environ-
plications must be received by
lor’s mission is to educate men
presidential-search.aspx. Reporting
ate degree programs, and the Chair
tion, and outreach to industry and
ing, and professional service. A
ment, faculty collegiality, small
Jan. 1, 2013, and must include a
and women for worldwide lead-
to the Board of Trustees, the Presi-
will provide leadership in academic
alumni. Teaching responsibilities
competitive start-up package is
class sizes, a near-100% pass rate
current curriculum vitae, an indi-
ership and service by integrating
dent is the chief executive officer
matters, chart the future growth of
will be within the mechanical en-
offered for both positions as the
on the FE examination, and a high
vidualized statement of academic
academic excellence and Chris-
of Rose-Hulman and collaborates
the department, promote externally
gineering program and occasion-
Department of Mechanical Engi-
U.S. News and World Report peer-
interests related to Baylor’s pro-
tian commitment within a caring
with the board and a wide range of
funded research, and value teaching
ally in Mount Union’s Integrative
neering moves toward offering a
group ranking. The Department
grams and plans, a statement of
community. Baylor is actively re-
internal and external constituencies
excellence. The successful candi-
Core. Additional responsibilities
doctoral program. Requirements
of Mechanical Engineering has
Christian faith, and contact in-
cruiting new faculty with a strong
to provide leadership and direction
date will be a dynamic individual
will include academic coordina-
include an earned doctorate in me-
state-of-the-art research facilities
formation for at least three pro-
commitment to the classroom and
for the institution. This individual
with leadership experience and an
tion, program evaluation, scholarly
chanical engineering or a closely
in the mechanics and materials
fessional references. Further
an equally strong commitment
must have an understanding of and
established history of excellence in
activity, and faculty governance
passion for the education-focused
research and education, be active
involvement. It is anticipated that
mission of Rose-Hulman and the
with externally funded research
the successful candidates will
ability to articulate and execute a
programs, and have an earned Ph.D.
have an earned Ph.D., from insti-
clear vision of the academic and
in electrical/computer engineering
tutions offering ABET-accredited
Civil Engineering
BOISE STATE
UNIVERSITY
Please see the ad for Virginia
T e c h G r ado D e pa r t m e nt of
I ndustrial and S ystems E ngi neering under Industrial Engineering.
Management
sponsibilities of the Chair include
Electrical Engineering
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
larger world and Rose-Hulman’s
or a related discipline. Salaries are
degrees in mechanical engineer-
place within it. A candidate for this
highly competitive and substantial
ing or a closely related discipline.
Department Chair
PRESIDENT. R os e -H ul m an
I nstitute of T echnology . T he
Board of Trustees invites nomi-
role should have a successful track
resources have been allocated for
Professional and academic experi-
nations and applications for the
record as a senior leader in higher
start-up funding. Please submit
ence in mechanical engineering is
UNIVERSITY OF
NORTH DAKOTA
Two Assistant Professor Positions
SYSTEMS
ENGINEERING
gineering programs. Primary re-
The Department of Civil Engineering plans to hire two tenure-track
The Department of Electrical Engineering invites applications for
position of President. Founded in
education or industry, leading or-
your application or nomination,
required, and preference will be
faculty at the Assistant Professor level. Highly qualified candidates
a Department Chair beginning on or before Aug. 16, 2013. UND is a
may be considered for an appointment at a higher rank. Successful
Ph.D.-granting research university with a student body of 15,250
1874, Rose-Hulman is committed
ganizations to progressive accom-
consisting of a curriculum vitae; a
given to candidates with strong
candidates will be highly collaborative, contribute significantly to
located in Grand Forks, N.D. A Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering or
to providing an undergraduate sci-
plishments. A record of effective
statement describing leadership
teaching competencies at the un-
both graduate and undergraduate research, and make contributions
a closely related field is required. Strong evidence of leadership and
ence, engineering and mathemat-
leadership in organizations with a
and management style, research ob-
dergraduate level. To apply, send
to teaching, research, and service. Candidates are being sought
administrative capabilities is required, as is experience in developing
ics education in an environment of
wide range of constituencies and
jectives, teaching philosophy; and
a detailed cover letter describing
with expertise in geotechnical, structural, and sustainable materials
a sustainable research program. A passion for teaching excellence
individual attention. The institute
the ability to develop resources will
contact information for four indi-
qualifications and interest in the
for transportation infrastructure. Applicants must have earned
in core electrical engineering undergraduate and graduate courses
offers bachelor’s and master’s de-
also be critical. A graduate degree
viduals who may serve as references
engineering program, a one-page
a doctorate in civil engineering or closely related discipline and a
is necessary. The candidate should have a clear vision, strong
grees in 16 different programs re-
in a science, engineering, or math
to Saroj
Biswas, Ph.D., Interim Chair,
statement on teaching philosophy,
bachelor’s in civil engineering. The College of Engineering was ranked
communication skills, and experience with collaborative projects
lated to engineering, mathematics,
(SEM) discipline is preferred, or a
Department of Electrical/Computer
and a current resume to the atten-
13th in the 2013 U.S. News & World Report’s list of best undergraduate
and consensus building. Research areas are open. Preference will
and physical science. For the past
successful track record in an SEM-
Engineering, Temple University, 1947
tion of Human Resources, University
engineering programs among comprehensive public universities. The
be given to those that support/complement biomedical, energy,
13 years, Rose-Hulman has been
related field of endeavor should be
N. 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122.
of Mount Union, Engineering Search,
college is experiencing tremendous growth and receives a high level
communications,
ranked number one by its peers in
evident. Review of candidate ma-
SBiswas@Temple.edu.
of support from the high-tech industry in Idaho and the intermountain
aerospace systems.
west. With nearly 20,000 students, Boise State is the largest
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled with
the U.S. News & World Report com-
terials will begin immediately and
versity is an Affirmative Action/
or via email (preferred method)
university in Idaho.
screening to begin Nov. 19, 2012. Salary is commensurate with
pilation among engineering schools
continue until a new President is
Equal Opportunity employer and
to
Review of applications will begin Nov. 1, 2012, and will continue until
experience. The University of North Dakota is an Affirmative Action/
that offer a bachelor’s or master’s
selected. Heidrick & Struggles, Inc.
specifically invites and encourages
edu. UMU is an EEO employer. For
the position is filled. Interested applicants should submit a cover
Equal Employment Opportunity employer and women and minorities
degree as their highest degree. Rose-
is assisting the Board of Trustees
applications from women and mi-
more information, please contact
letter, CV, statements of teaching and research interests, and a list of
are encouraged to apply. North Dakota veterans’ preference does
Hulman is well-funded with an en-
with this search. Applications and
norities. Information about Temple
Dr. Patricia Draves, Engineering
three professional references to CEsearch@boisestate.edu.
not apply to this position. Please visit http://engineering.und.
dowment of $166 million and an ap-
nominations should be directed to
University is available at http://
Search Chair, by phone at 330-823-
AA/EEO institution, veterans preference.
edu/electrical/ or email connie.larson@engr.und.edu for further
proved budget of $71 million for the
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
www.temple.edu/, and about the
2690, or by email at dravesph@
2012-13 academic year. Located east
Presidential Search, Heidrick & Strug-
department at http://www.temple.
mountunion.edu, or go to http://
of Terre Haute, Ind., Rose-Hulman
gles, Inc., Attn: Ellen Brown Landers/
edu/engineering/.
www.mountunion.edu/.
Please visit http://hrs.boisestate.edu/careers/searchcareers/
assistant-professor-6/ for more information.
064
Prism-Magazine.org
computer
science,
and
avionics/unmanned
qualifications, application instructions, and to view the complete
posting.
Temple Uni-
1972 Clark Ave., Alliance,
OH 44601
humanresources@mountunion.
november 2012
065
Classifieds
PROFESSIONAL
SCHOOLS
budget management and fiscal over-
of progressively increasing admin-
and Director of Student Services.
sight; hiring and mentoring faculty;
istrative experience at the depart-
The Director of Student Services
supervising and evaluating school
ment chair level or above; a clear
will have an academic appointment
DEAN. N orwich U niversity ,
nestled in the beautiful Green
Mountains of Vermont, invites
directors; fostering faculty develop-
leadership vision for the college; a
in the School of Industrial and Sys-
ment; assessing learning outcomes;
record of effective teaching, includ-
tems Engineering and will teach one
curriculum mapping for interna-
ing experience in mentoring under-
to two ISyE courses per semester;
applications and nominations for
tionalization; facilitating interdis-
graduate research, and of scholarly/
manage the daily operations of the
the position of Dean of the College
ciplinary teaching and research;
creative/experiential accomplish-
Academic office; and assist the ac-
of Professional Schools to start in
maintaining academic standards;
ments that support appointment as
ademic Associate Chairs with key
Fall 2013. The college has 11 tradi-
supervising harmonious gover-
a tenured Associate or Full Profes-
office functions. For complete job
tional degree programs within four
nance in the college; and participat-
sor; a solid understanding of cur-
description, visit http://isye.gatech.
schools: the David Crawford School
ing in fundraising. The Dean will
rent trends and practices in higher
edu/. Ph.D. degree preferred. M.S.
of Engineering, the School of Archi-
serve as a key advocate for under-
education, including traditional and
considered in industrial engineering
tecture & Art, the School of Nursing,
graduate research. The dean reports
online education; a familiarity with
or related field and having supervi-
and the School of Business & Man-
to the Senior Vice President for Ac-
sponsored research, including a re-
sory experience. ABET expertise,
agement (including computer sci-
ademic Affairs and Dean of the Fac-
cord of successful grant procure-
industry/business/government ex-
ence and engineering management).
ulty, sits on the Deans’ Council, and
ment; a clear understanding of and
perience, and/or professional licen-
The Dean is the chief administrative
will be actively engaged in formu-
experience in assessment and ac-
sure are a plus. Candidates should
and academic officer of the college
lating and executing the strategic
creditation processes; experience
submit via email to
and will provide the direction and
initiatives of the university, as well
in attracting philanthropic gifts,
isye.gatech.edu
leadership necessary to promote its
as those of the College of Profes-
developing new partnerships, and
application, and contact informa-
continued advancement. Respon-
sional Schools. A successful candi-
nurturing external relationships
tion for three references. Review of
sibilities include, but are not lim-
date should have qualifications that
with the community, private do-
applications will begin Nov. 1, 2012.
ited to, leading and maintaining pro-
include an earned doctorate or ter-
nors, and alumni. Candidates must
Georgia Tech is an Equal Educa-
gram accreditations; short-range
minal degree in a field aligned with
have current authorization to work
tion/Employment Opportunity in-
and long-range academic planning;
the college; a minimum of five years
in the United States for any em-
stitute.
ployer. Women and members of underrepresented groups are strongly
academicprof@
a resume, a letter of
TECHNOLOGY
encouraged to apply. Screening of
AssistAnt Professor, AerosPAce engineering
DePArtment of mechAnicAl & AerosPAce engineering
chArles W. DAviDson college of engineering
Applications are invited for a tenure-track faculty position at the
rank of Assistant professor in the Aerospace Engineering Program
in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at
San Jose State University starting in Fall 2013. Qualified individual
must have an earned Ph.D. degree in Aerospace Engineering or
closely related field, and specialization either in flight vehicle
dynamics/controls or structures/materials with multidisciplinary,
emerging technology applications.
applications will begin on Dec. 14,
2012, and continue until the position is filled. Interested candidates
should email an application letter
For
cations for Chair, School of Tech-
materials that cannot be emailed,
nology, a twelve-month position
please direct them to the
Office of
beginning July 1, 2013. Located in
Human Resources, 158 Harmon Drive,
Charleston, in central Illinois, East-
Norwich University, Northfield, VT
ern Illinois University enrolls 10,500
For questions about the po-
traditional and non-traditional bac-
Salary range is commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Starting date is August 19, 2013. Employment is contingent
upon proof of eligibility to work in the United States. For full job
announcement including qualifications and responsibilities, please
visit our website at http://apptrkr.com/280325 (JOID 22437).
For full consideration, please send a letter of application, complete
curriculum vitae, statement of teaching and research interests, and
academic leadership experiences, and at least three original letters
of reference with contact information by February 1, 2013 to:
sition, call 802-485-2025. Norwich
calaureate and master’s students
University is an Equal Opportunity
and is engaged in a rigorous array of
employer offering a comprehen-
activities that integrate academics
sive benefit package that includes
and personal student development.
medical, dental, group life, and long-
Qualifications and application in-
term disability insurance; flexible
formation can be found at http://
spending accounts for health and
castle.eiu.edu/~civil/home/index.
Chair, AE Faculty Search Committee
Department of
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
San Jose State University
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192-0087
dependent care; a retirement annu-
php. Look under “Employment Op-
ity plan; and tuition scholarships for
portunities” and “Lumpkin College
eligible employees and their family
of Business & Applied Sciences.”
members.
The deadline for applications is
San Jose State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative
action employer committed to the core values of inclusion, civility,
and respect for each individual.
066
Prism-Magazine.org
and CV to
05663.
jobs@norwich. edu.
DEPARTMENT CHAIR. Eastern I llinois U niversity . T he
Lumpkin College of Business and
Applied Sciences invites appli-
STUDENT SERVICES
Jan. 15, 2013.Please send resumes
to
Dr. Jeanne Snyder, amhallowell@
eiu.edu. Please visit http://castle.eiu.
DIRECTOR. G e o r g ia T e c h
seeks
an Academic Professional
edu/~civil/home/index.php for more
information.
2013
A p r i l 1 4 -1 6 , 2 0 1 3 + G ra n d H ya t t N ew Yo r k , M a n h a t t a n , N Y
www.asee.org/conferences-and-events/conferences/edi/2013
Last Word
By N i c o le M e n d oz a
It Doesn’t Add Up
High schools and universities must work together to narrow the preparation gap.
R
etaining incoming engineering students through graduation continues to
be an important issue. Doing so benefits the
lives and careers of young professionals, the
strength of the American workforce, technology development and innovation, and
national competitiveness and security.
There are many reasons students leave
engineering as a first major, but in my experience, two resound clearly: the difficult
social aspects of being a first-year engineer,
including the lack of a support structure and
a sense of not “being an engineer,” and the
huge disparity among students in precollege math education. At many institutions,
High School for Health Professions, a magnet school in Houston. DeBakey offered a
variety of pre-AP and AP courses, including Trigonometry, non-calculus-based
Physics, Calculus AB (I) and BC (II), and
Statistics. With these opportunities, I completed high school with Calculus I and II
AP credits. Yet in my first year at college,
I discovered that most of my peers had
not taken Trigonometry and a few hadn’t
taken Algebra II. That means that coming out of high school, these students experienced an up-to-four-year gap in math
education, compared with students from
DeBakey. This completely took me by sur-
Many students leave
engineering after
stumbling in their first
college math course.
both problems affect students most prominently in the first two years. Data from my
alma mater, Texas A&M, show that some
90 percent who leave engineering do so as
freshmen or sophomores.
Universities across the nation are making impressive progress in addressing the
social aspects. Support networks have been
catalyzed by clustering classes by subject
and major, and through group tutoring sessions, improved mentoring and advising,
and engineering living-learning communities. To help students identify themselves
as engineers, programs offer early handson design projects, undergraduate research,
and discipline-specific team projects.
Gaps in math education remain a problem, however, and one that I have witnessed
in Texas. I graduated in 2003 from DeBakey
068
Prism-Magazine.org
prise! I also discovered that other Texas
high schools, particularly those in small
rural towns, didn’t offer advanced math
courses, much less AP or dual-credit versions.
Up until 2006, Texas required three years
of math credits and mandated only Algebra
I and Geometry for high school graduation.
Since then, the state government has increased the level of math required for a high
school diploma to four years, with Algebra
II prescribed for students entering high
school in the 2007-2008 school year. This
still-low requirement ensures that many
students enter college engineering with inadequate preparation.
The Texas “Top 10 Percent Rule” – guaranteeing admission to state institutions to
students who graduate in the top 10 percent
of their high school class – only exacerbates
the problem. This rule was implemented to
encourage equal access to higher education. It evaluates all students – whether
from small rural, large city, or magnet high
schools – based on rank. This results in students with different levels of math education being placed in the same pool. At Texas
A&M, first-year calculus-based physics
courses require Calculus I and II as corequisites. This combination flummoxed the
majority of my peers in 2003, directly resulting in lower grades or having to repeat
one or both subjects. It also lowered morale,
delayed graduation, and encouraged them
to switch majors. At Texas A&M, the grade
students earn in their first math
course is a significant indicator
of whether they will continue to
study engineering.
Time and again I watched
friends struggle through repeat
math courses and then abandon engineering in despair.
Even professors in upper-level
courses had to walk students
through basic math concepts
before addressing the course
material. Together with the Department
of Mathematics (DoM), the College of Engineering has taken steps to mitigate the
problem: Incoming freshmen must now
take a math placement exam, and the DoM
offers online math prep the summer prior to
the freshman year, as well as help sessions
and recitations. But is it enough?
My goal is not to cast blame on high
schools, but instead to increase awareness
of the significant disparities that exist
in math preparation for prospective
engineering students. A huge gap exists,
one that high schools and universities must
work together to bridge.
Nicole Mendoza is a doctoral candidate and graduate research assistant in aerospace engineering at Texas A&M
University. This past summer she participated in the National Science Foundation Engineering Innovation Fellowship Program, interning at Boeing.
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