Archive for the ‘The National Interest’ Category
Posted by John Hunter on February 29th, 2008 | No Comments »
Engineering school’s growth targets societal needs
The primary role of engineering as a discipline is to use scientific knowledge to do useful things for society. So in academia, engineering serves as a bridge between the natural sciences on one hand and the humanities and the social sciences on the other. Engineers are, of course, involved very closely with natural scientists in seeking new scientific knowledge. But, engineers also work closely with humanists and social scientists in examining the implications of technology. At a liberal arts university, engineering plays a central role not only in research but also in teaching. It is our responsibility as engineering educators to make sure that all of our students, whether they are majoring in engineering or not, are technologically literate.
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The School of Engineering already has significant research programs related to human health, from the development of nanoparticles for drug delivery to innovative approaches for treating diabetes. But we have even bolder ambitions. As President Shirley Tilghman has often noted, biology is experiencing a revolutionary shift, one that calls for multidisciplinary collaboration. At the vanguard of this shift are unrivaled researchers at Princeton in the Department of Molecular Biology, the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics and the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. While we have substantial collaborations now with our colleagues in these life sciences, by deepening, expanding and leveraging these collaborations the School of Engineering can become a world-class center for biological engineering.
Filed under Education, Society, The Economy, The National Interest | Tags: engineering education, making a difference, Society
Posted by John Hunter on December 14th, 2007 | 3 Comments »
James J. Duderstadt, President Emeritus and University Professor of Science and Engineering, The University of Michigan provides an extensive report on the state of engineering in the USA. The report focusing on engineering education and the role of engineering in the economy and society. Engineering for a Changing World – A Roadmap to the Future of Engineering Practice, Research, and Education. Recommended actions include:
- Engineering professional and disciplinary societies, working with engineering leadership groups such as the National Academy of Engineering, ABET, the American Association of Engineering Societies, and the American Society for Engineering Education, should strive to create a guild-like culture in the engineering profession, similar to those characterizing other learned professions such as medicine and law that aim to shape rather than simply react to market pressures.
- The federal government, in close collaboration with industry and higher education, should launch a large number of Discovery Innovation Institutes at American universities…
- Undergraduate engineering should be reconfigured as an academic discipline, similar to other liberal arts disciplines in the sciences, arts, and humanities…
- In a world characterized by rapidly accelerating technologies and increasing complexity, it is essential that the engineering profession adopt a structured approach to lifelong learning for practicing engineers similar to those in medicine and law…
Related: The Future is Engineering – Science, Engineering and the Future of the American Economy – MIT task force report on the Undergraduate Educational Commons – Harvard Elevates Engineering Profile - Imperial outlines vision for new era in engineering education – Geeks and Chiefs: Engineering Education at MIT – Leah Jamieson on the Future of Engineering Education – Global Engineering Excellence Study – Educating the Engineer of 2020
Filed under Education, Society, The Economy, The National Interest | Tags: career, engineering education, engineers, Society, The Economy, The National Interest
Posted by John Hunter on September 14th, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Worker Shortage Called Maryland, USA Threat by Phillip McGowan, Baltimore Sun:
A shortage of workers with high-tech and other skills needed to fill defense and homeland security jobs threatens not only Maryland’s economic development but also the nation’s war on terrorism, according to a report released yesterday.
The Fort Meade Alliance, a group of business leaders that lobbies on behalf of the Army post in Anne Arundel County, argued that Maryland isn’t doing enough to steer students to engineering, math and scientific fields, and the college graduates it is producing lack basic skills in communication, teamwork and leadership.
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Though the United States produces about 72,000 engineers a year, up nearly 10,000 from the 1980s, those numbers “aren’t enough to soak up all the demand,” said Bob Black, deputy executive director of the American Society for Engineering Education.
Start them young “To get a greater supply, we have to make structural changes to our education to get more people in the K-12 science and engineer pipeline earlier,” said Black, echoing remarks of panelists in May.
Filed under Education, The Economy, The National Interest, Work
Posted by John Hunter on August 25th, 2007 | 3 Comments »
Baucus proposing free college tuition for math and science majors:
Sen. Max Baucus wants free college tuition for math and science majors as part of a $25 billion education incentives package that also includes help for rural teachers and more money for pre-kindergarten programs. Baucus, D-Mont., told The Associated Press he hopes to introduce his Education Competitiveness Act in the coming months.
The goal, he said in an interview last week, is to better prepare children for school and get more of them into college to make the United States more globally competitive, particularly with countries like China and India.
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The first provision calls for providing a full scholarship to any high school graduate majoring in math, engineering, science or technology. The scholarship would apply to any university, but students must work or teach in a related field for at least four years after graduation to qualify, Baucus said. Another provision would create 25,000 merit-based scholarships for teaching students in those fields, with a similar caveat that they must teach in that subject for at least four years.
An interesting proposal. There has been quite a bit of talk the last few years about increasing government incentives to support students studying science, engineering and math. View the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act (COMPETES) Act, which, if I read the web site correctly, is now law (Public Law 110-69). The provisions include:
Requires the NSF Director, during the four-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, to expand the NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program so that an additional 1,250 fellowships are awarded during such period to U.S. citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent residents. Authorizes appropriations.
That language was in the bill passed by the House. I can’t tell if it is in the law though.
Related: Graduate Scholar Awards in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math – ASEE Science and Engineering Fellowship Blog
Filed under Education, The Economy, The National Interest
Posted by John Hunter on July 5th, 2007 | 2 Comments »
Follow the “Green” Brick Road?
Each year, roughly 25 million tons of fly ash from coal-fired power plants are recycled, generally as additives in building materials such as concrete, but 45 million tons go to waste. Fly ash bricks both find a use for some of that waste and counter the environmental impact from the manufacture of standard bricks.
“Manufacturing clay brick requires kilns fired to high temperatures,” said Henry Liu, a longtime National Science Foundation (NSF) awardee and the president of Freight Pipeline Company (FPC), which developed the bricks. “That wastes energy, pollutes air and generates greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. In contrast, fly ash bricks are manufactured at room temperature. They conserve energy, cost less to manufacture, and don’t contribute to air pollution or global warming.”
Supported by NSF’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, Liu has been working since 2004 to develop the bricks. The first phase of support enabled him to make fly ash bricks more durable by engineering them to resist freezing and thawing due to weather. Liu is now working from a second-phase SBIR award to test the brick material’s safety and prepare it for market.
Filed under Future, The Economy, The National Interest | Tags: green engineering, manufacturing, materials engineering
Posted by Kristen Farole on November 30th, 2006 | 3 Comments »
Beyond the obvious health implications associated with obesity, scientists have concluded that all this excess weight results in a drastic increase in American’s gasoline usage, to the tune of 39 million gallons per year. This study, to appear in the upcoming issue of The Engineering Economist , stemmed from Professor Sheldon H. Jacobson’s (Virginia Commonwealth University) desire to
“quantify the effect of being overweight on fuel consumption. “
Using publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Jackson determined that the average American had increased their weight by more than 24 pounds between the period of 1960 to 2002. After examining three scenarios to account for both larger drivers and passengers, as well as number of people in the vehicle and their age, Johnson concluded that approximately 938 million gallons of gasoline annually can be attributed to this increase in weight. Based on current driving habits this amounts to
“nearly three times the total amount of fuel consumed by all passenger vehicles each day…”
Filed under The National Interest
Posted by Sydney de Lapeyrouse on June 8th, 2006 | No Comments »
Engineers and scientists in many fields of research may have a new reason to worry. After a National Academies of Science report last year warned that America’s future security and economic strength were at risk for lack of funding of basic research in engineering and the physical sciences, President George W. Bush responded with the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI), a plan to double funding over the next decade.
And his budget reflects that promise. However, most of the total amount earmarked for R&D is going to weapons development and development of a space vehicle to replace the Space Shuttle. Strip those dollars out�as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) analysis has done�and money available for basic and applied research totals $54.8 billion. That�s a slide of 3.3 percent and represents the third year in a row that research financing has taken a hit. Many research universities that specialize in areas outside aerospace and defense may be hard pressed to find funds to support many of their projects.
Read more about the state of the U.S. R&D budget in PRISM, ASEE‘s award-winning magazine.
Image courtesy of PRISM Magazine
Filed under The National Interest | Tags: Research, The Economy, The National Interest
Posted by Sydney de Lapeyrouse on April 19th, 2006 | No Comments »
“Starbucks coffee shops have mushroomed in China’s cities,” said Chinese President Hu Jintao, in Seattle, WA, his first stop on his U.S. visit. “If I were not serving in this office, I would certainly prefer to go into one of the coffee shops run by Starbucks.”
President Hu’s visit is not all jokes, however. Hu, an engineer by training, seeks to ease rising U.S. tensions over China’s software piracy practices. During a visit to Redmond, Washington, Hu spoke with Microsoft officials about increased ties between China and Microsoft.
Tim Chen, corporate vice president and chief executive officer of Microsoft Greater China Region says that:
Microsoft is committed to growing together with China’s IT industry, helping local Chinese customers develop strong, sustainable IT infrastructures and a clear road map for future development. With the recently announced cooperative engagement agreements with computer manufacturers to pre-load genuine Windows® operating systems, we see even greater opportunities in China and the chance to build long-lasting relationships with customers and partners in China.
Read more about President Hu’s U.S. visit in the Seattle Times and at Microsoft.com.
Filed under The National Interest
Posted by Sydney de Lapeyrouse on April 13th, 2006 | No Comments »
Both England and Ireland are taking great strides to improve their hi-tech workforce by increasing the number, quality, and perception of their engineers.
Over recent years, Ireland completely overhauled its economy. It lured investment and jobs from high-tech and pharmaceutical multinationals by offering low corporate taxes (12.5 percent) coupled with a young, well-educated, flexible and English-speaking workforce. Now Ireland wants to cultivate its own domestic engineering talent, putting forth goals of doubling both the number of engineering doctorates awarded each year and their budget to fund R&D, primarily in the areas of biotechnology/ bioengineering, and information and communications technology.
England has taken a more covert approach, investing in an Engineering Technology Board (ETB) and a strategic PR campaign. According to the Financial Times,
The ETB’s aim is to “get under people’s radar” by positioning engineering as a lifestyle choice. To do this, the body has devised a three-pronged campaign, launched [at the beginning of April], for which it has adopted the role of both media owner and marketing agency for the entire engineering industry.
The campaign involves articles in publications such as Marie Claire; a new magazine, called Technology Horizons, aimed at British youth; and Scenta, an online portal dedicated to all aspects of engineering.
Read more about what England and Ireland are doing to improve the face of engineering in the Financial Times (login required) and PRISM, ASEE’s award-winning magazine.
Filed under The National Interest
Posted by Sydney de Lapeyrouse on March 24th, 2006 | No Comments »
As concerned as the U.S. with its international competitiveness, we are not the only ones. China and India are also worried about how their innovative talent will stack up in a global economy.
From Thomas Friedman’s March 24th op-ed in the New York Times:
“We need to encourage more incubation of ideas … to make innovation a national initiative,” said Azim Premji, the chairman of Wipro, one of India’s premier technology companies. “Are we as Indians creative? Going by our rich cultural heritage, we have no doubt some of the greatest art and literature. We need to bring the same spirit into our economic and business arena.”
But to make that leap, Indian entrepreneurs say, will require a big change in the rigid, never-challenge-the-teacher Indian education system. “If we do not allow our students to ask why, but just keep on telling them how, then we are only going to get the transactional type of outsourcing, not the high-end things that require complex interactions and judgment to understand another person’s needs,” said Nirmala Sankaran, C.E.O. of HeyMath, an Indian-based education company. “We have a creative problem in this country.”
My guess is that we’re at the start of a global convergence in education: China and India will try to inspire more creativity in their students. America will get more rigorous in math and science. And this convergence will be a great spur to global growth and innovation. It’s a win-win. But some will win more than others — and it will be those who get this balance right the fastest, in the most schools.
Filed under The National Interest