May 2005

Welcome to the May issue of Connections, the American Society for Engineering Education's free e-newsletter.

Spotlight On Our Sponsors:

• Autodesk - Higher Education Program
  www.autodesk.com/education
  
  
• NI Demo, Plug&Play USB Data Acquisition
  http:/digital.ni.com/express.nsf/
  express?openagent&code=
  aavutm
  
  
• Professional Publications FE & PE Review
  www.ppi2pass.com
  
  
• Hewlett Packard - Create-A-Calculator Contest!
  www.hp.com/calculators

Autodesk - Higher Education Programs

As the world's leading supplier of PC design software and digital content-creation tools, Autodesk wants to be your partner in preparing your students for future careers. Together we can expand the range of teaching and learning opportunities for you and your students and help build a bridge to their future. To learn more about Autodesk's programs for higher education, visit www.autodesk.com/education.

NI - Demo, Plug&Play USB Data Acquisition

Bring hands-on learning to the classroom at a very low-cost. With the advent of USB data acquisition (DAQ) devices and Sensors Plug-&-Play transducers, the time to first measurement is faster than ever before. In this online tutorial, learn how to connect, detect and configure a low-cost USB DAQ device, set up Sensors Plug-&-Play, and start taking measurements.

Start the online tutorial.

http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/
express?openagent&code=aavutm

Helping You Build Professional Engineers

Professional Publications, Inc. understands that building a successful career takes years of education, experience and growth.

Licensure is the cornerstone of an engineer's career. For over 25 years, PPI has been dedicated to helping you help your students pass the FE and PE exams. We have the resources you need:

• The #1 FE and PE review products.
• The most-visited web site, with exam info, FAQs, Instructor's Corner, and more.
• Exam Cafe (www.ppiexamcafe.com), for online exam practice and assessment tools that are fast, easy, and affordable.
• And now your support for the FE and PE exams can be especially rewarding! Join the new PPI Sales Partner Program (www.ppipartner.com) to earn commissions or discounts just for referring students to PPI books.

Visit www.ppi2pass.com today!

CHALLENGE YOUR STUDENTS TO BE INVENTORS

HP-Scholastic Create-A-Calculator Contest 2005!!
Over $39,000 in Cash Scholarship Awards and Calculators!

Hewlett Packard Company and Scholastic Administrator launched its third annual Create-a-Calculator Contest 2005 on March 1 for Universities and College students. Competing students will offer innovative ideas to complement HP's exciting calculator technology.

Criteria for Winning:
Undergraduates in university and community colleges: CAD designs, formulae, theories, practical/theoretical evidence for how these ideas will work, graphics/screen, design aesthetics/ergonomics, wireless capabilities. Additional criteria information for submissions is posted on the contest websites listed below.

Judging panel: American Society of Engineering Education, Hewlett Packard Company and Scholastic Administr@tor and Teen Network magazines.

Six winners will receive scholarship awards and prizes. Additional prizes awarded to top participating schools, faculty, and runners-up. Visit: www.hp.com/calculators, www.scholasticadministrator.com and ASEE's www.engineeringk12.org for more information. All contest entries must be received by May 31, 2005.

Welcome to the world of K-12 engineering!

Introducing engineering into the K-12 classroom connects science and math concepts to the everyday engineering that surrounds us. TeachEngineering.com helps teachers enhance learning, excite students and stimulate interest in science and math through the use of hands-on engineering. With a fully searchable, digital library of standards-based lesson plans, and a myriad of "Living Laboratories" that bring real-world engineering principles into the classroom, TeachEngineering's comprehensive curricula are hands-on, inexpensive, and relevant to children's daily lives.

TeachEngineering.com is a joint effort of the University of Colorado, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Colorado School of Mines, Duke University, Oregon State University, and the American Society for Engineering Education, and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation.

Bring the world of engineering into the K-12 classroom with TeachEngineering.com. You don't need knowledge of engineering to use these curricula!

Search TeachEngineering.com's digital library at www.teachengineering.com.

Engineering, Go For It!
2nd Edition - Coming Fall 2005!

ASEE is thrilled to announce the production of the second edition of Engineering, Go For It! The new edition is shaping up to be even bolder, fresher, and more up-to-date with today's rapidly changing technologies. It gives a fuller picture of how engineering and technology shape our lives and more tips on how to get started and succeed in engineering and technology. Opportunities to sponsor custom copies of the second edition featuring your institution's own, four-color promotional content on the back covers, are now available.

Visit www.engineering-goforit.com for sponsorship details for the second edition of Engineering, Go For It!

New and Improved Journal of Engineering Education!

The Journal of Engineering Education is a peer-reviewed international journal published quarterly by the American Society for Engineering Education. It serves as an archival record of the leading scholarly research in engineering education. Visit www.asee.org/publications/jee/ to read it online.

In this Issue:

I. Science and Technology Briefs

• Easy on the Starch, I, Robot - In Japan, expectations of humanoid robots are far from science fiction.
• Heading for a Fall? - A recent report indicates that America's future economic success depends on producing more engineers and scientists.

II. Congressional Hotline

• Education Bill Encourages Careers in Engineering
• House Passes Bipartisan Energy Bill

III. Teaching Toolbox

• Leadership Loud and Clear - A communications skills center at the University of Utah molds engineering undergrads into leaders in the workplace.
• Is Diversity Taking a Dip? - Tuition hikes, budget cuts, and impressions about affirmative action may be harming diversity at colleges nationwide.

IV. Feature Articles

• A Revolutionary Approach - To build the next generation of unmanned fighters, two major tech companies are experimenting with a new design process.
• Sweating the Small Stuff - Nanotechnology offers great promise, and schools are scrambling to figure out how to teach it.

I. Science and Technology Briefs

EASY ON THE STARCH, I, ROBOT
From the Jetsons' various robotic helpers to Star Wars' endearing duo, R2D2 and 3CPO, humanoid robots have pretty much remained in the realm of science fiction. But Japan now believes humanoid robots will soon become a big industry. It's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry has formed a study group, Vision of Robots in the Future, and has made available $28 million this year for robot development. Japanese officials think that consumer-friendly bots will be in mass production by 2010. Robot expert Yiannis Demiris of London's Imperial College applauds Japan's initiative -"It's a noble goal"-but doubts that a machine that can operate among humans can be produced within six years. Safety and the bots' need to "see" and comprehend an unpredictable environment are major hurdles to overcome. The first products will be basic, Demiris predicts, like a robot that can iron shirts.

HEADING FOR A FALL?
The high-tech bedrock on which the U.S. economy is based remains firm, but increased foreign competition and changing demographics could eventually cause America's science and technology global leadership to crumble. That's the gist of Science and Engineering (S&E) Indicators 2004, a National Science Board (NSB) biennial report. "For many years we have benefited from minimal competition in the global S&E labor market, but attractive and competitive alternatives are now expanding around the world," warns Warren M. Washington, NSB chairman. The paradox is that America's economic success demands more engineers and scientists than the country is producing. To a great extent, the United States has relied on foreign-born workers to fill those jobs. As of 2000, 17 percent of bachelor's degree holders, 29 percent of master's degree holders, and 38 percent of Ph.D.'s employed in U.S. high-tech jobs were not born in the United States. But since 2001 there's been a decline in the issuing of high-skill-related visas: in part because of higher State Department refusal rates but also because of competition from other countries. Another worrying indicator: Although America-based writers produce the largest share of scientific journal articles, their output has been flat since 1992, while the number of articles from authors based in developing countries is rising.

On that sobering note, here's some good news from the report: Federal funding for academic research and development, adjusted for inflation, has grown by 66 percent since 1990. Corporate R&D spending peaked at $180 billion in 2000, but despite an economic slowdown, R&D spending didn't drop by much. It was at $177 billion in 2002, or two thirds of the total amount spent: $276 billion. A surge in R&D spending by U.S. service-sector industries helped keep corporate numbers high. Between 1997 and 2000, the service sector's share of industrial R&D spending jumped from around 20 percent to about 35 percent. And that's certainly providing a great service to the American economy.

Back to the index.

II. Congressional Hotline

Education Bill Encourages Careers in Engineering
In an effort to encourage students into math, science, and engineering careers, U.S. House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) and other congressional leaders are introducing a new student loan forgiveness program.

The bill would establish a new Education Department program, under which the government would pay the interest on a student loan in return for an individual working for five years in a job related to science, math, or engineering, including teaching in those fields at any level.

Science, State, Justice, and Commerce Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Frank Wolf (R-Va.) will be the lead sponsor in the House, and Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) will introduce it in the Senate.

"The rationale for this bill is simple and unarguable: the key to our nation's prosperity and security is in its scientific prowess, and the key to its scientific prowess is its people," Boehlert said. "So we need every conceivable tool to get American students to pursue training and careers in science, math, and engineering. This bill will give us one more tool - not only by providing a financial incentive, but also by demonstrating that these careers are highly valued by society."

To read more about the bill, visit: www.house.gov/science/press/109/109-49.htm.

House Passes Bipartisan Energy Bill
As gas prices climb, the summer travel season nears, and hybrid cars grow in popularity, the U.S. House passed a comprehensive national energy policy by a vote of 249-183.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 focuses on increasing domestic energy production, mainly by supplying America with oil from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as well as promoting American ingenuity in fostering alternative energy sources. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas) called the passage a "big vote for America's energy future."

"History proved that energy use and economic success go hand-in-hand," said House Resources Committee Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-Calif.). "Congress laid out a plan today that sets America on the right path toward energy security and the world's highest levels of economic progress by providing for increases in all forms of energy from fossil fuels to renewables such as wind and solar power. Increasing our supplies of these fuels is good for jobs, good for the economy, and great for energy independence."

Among other things, the act would aim to improve the nation's electricity transmission capacity and reliability to stop future blackouts, promote clean and renewable fuels, boost production of clean natural gas, encourage vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and increase funding for Department of Transportation work on improving fuel efficiency standards.

To read more about the Energy Policy Act of 2005, visit: http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/News/04212005_1490.htm.

Back to the index.

III. Teaching Toolbox

Leadership Loud and Clear
Most engineering schools have programs in place to help students improve their communications skills. Unfortunately, many of these programs require additional classes in an already packed curriculum and do not engage students until their senior year, when they are on the verge of graduation. The Center for Engineering Leadership at the University of Utah is unique in that it engages students in their freshman year. "We work with engineering faculty," Director April Kedrowicz says, "in students' core classes-[of which there is] one required course at every level, freshman through senior-and develop their writing, speaking, and team skills."

To read the rest of this story, visit www.prism-magazine.org/oct04/tt_on_campus_leadership.htm.

Is Diversity Taking a Dip?
In the fall of 2003, an American Council on Education Report noted that minority enrollment at the nation's colleges and universities soared 122 percent between the academic years of 1980-81 and 2000-01, rising from just under 2 million to 4.3 million. But is that impressive record in danger? This year, many top universities report that applications from African-American students have slumped. They were down 28 percent at Ohio State University, 25 percent at the University of Michigan, and 12 percent at the University of California-Berkeley. Several issues may be at play. Affirmative action programs are still alive at most schools, despite last year's Supreme Court ruling that said that although race can be a factor in admissions, it cannot be the deciding factor. That perhaps led to the false impression that affirmative action programs have ended when they've only been modified. Another factor: There have been a lot of big tuition hikes, and many grants for minority students now fall short of students' needs. Budget cuts have also meant less recruitment in low-income neighborhoods. Sam Agronow, Berkeley's director of policy, planning, and analysis, says that headlines last year warning that the University of California system would be cutting back on enrollments, coupled with less money for recruitment, might have discouraged many black high school seniors and caused a drop in applications. And money available for outreach programs remains tight at Berkeley, Agronow adds. It's worrisome, he admits, but it may not portend a trend. "It's too early to use the T word."

Back to the index.

IV. Feature Articles

A Revolutionary Approach
By Stephen Budiansky

Vehicles that guide themselves without human control are a staple of futuristic visions. More recently, they have been the subject of some serious, if still modest, experiments: keeping traffic moving safely on "smart" highways, for one; or the Mars Rovers for another, which were equipped with a limited autonomous capability to plan their own routes across the Martian landscape and use their own onboard cameras to avoid obstacles.

But a team of hundreds of engineers at Boeing and Northrup Grumman are now working under a high-pressure deadline to turn what's been mostly a dream up until now into a system that in a few years will be able to perform this feat for real-and in one of the most dangerous environments that exist anywhere. The goal of the Joint Unmanned Combat Aerial System ("J-UCAS") program is to field a whole network of unmanned fighter planes that will be able to destroy enemy air defenses, attack deep targets, and conduct high-risk reconnaissance missions. And to do that, the planes will need to be able to make split-second decisions without any help from ground controllers. "The Mars Rover, it moves inches at a time," says Kevin Wooley, mission software manager for Boeing's X-45, one of two unmanned combat airplanes being built under the J-UCAS program. "We're traveling at jet aircraft speeds and dropping weapons and trying to react to pop-up targets that arise."

To read the rest of this story, visit www.prism-magazine.org/sept04/feature_revolutionary.htm.

Sweating the Small Stuff
By Corinna Wu

Nowadays, the word "microscopic" is no longer sufficient to describe all things smaller than the eye can see. In some cases, only "nanoscopic" will do. It's not hyperbole: Scientists and engineers know how to build and manipulate structures smaller than a millionth of a millimeter in size. At that scale, tiny bits of material-whether they are gold or gallium arsenide-behave differently than identical materials do in bulk. The chemical and physical properties change, requiring researchers to think in new ways about compounds that they've understood for decades.

To read the rest of this story, visit www.prism-magazine.org/oct04/feature_sweating.htm.

Back to the index.

4th ASEE/AaeE Global Colloquium

ASEE, partnering with the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AaeE), will hold the 4th Global Colloquium on Engineering Education in Sydney, Australia, from September 26-30, 2005. The colloquium will have the following themes: globalization of engineering education, the K-12 pipeline, and the transformations of the disciplines. It will provide an excellent opportunity for international leaders and policy makers from industry, academe, and government to gather and discuss the major challenges in preparation for the next generation of engineering innovators. For more information, visit www.gcee2005.com.

Connections is brought to you by the American Society for Engineering Education.

Over 12,000 engineering and engineering technology faculty members and administrators enjoy the many benefits and services that ASEE offers. The Society's award-winning magazine ASEE Prism and academic publications (Journal of Engineering Education and Profiles of Engineering Colleges) keep members up to date with the best and latest in engineering education, engineering research trends, and academic issues, while 47 professional interest groups and a varied selection of meetings provide professional development and networking opportunities that no other society can offer within the engineering education community. Members also receive reduced rates at local and national conferences, discounts on ASEE products, money-saving members-only discounts on financial, insurance, and travel programs, plus an ever growing variety of online services. Our goal is to focus on issues that matter the most to you in our publications, meetings, and on-line services, and to enable you to interact with others who share your specific engineering and educational interests. To join online, just go to www.asee.org/members, or contact our member services department at 202-331-3520 for further information.

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