June 2007

• NI LabVIEW Toolkit for LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT Available
  http://zone.ni.com/
  
  
• Join the Autodesk Faculty Lounge
  www.students.autodesk.com
   
• Help Students Explore Great Career Opportunities
  at Baker Hughes
  www.bakerhughes.com
   
• Explore Agilent's 7 New USB DAQ Modules
  www.get.agilent.com/
   
• Build Model Classrooms
  www.zcorp.com
   
• Free Textbook with CATIA V5 Educator’s License
  www.catiastudent.com

LabVIEW users can create and download VIs to operate and control the NXT robotics system using the LabVIEW Toolkit for LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT.
Learn more and download the toolkit today.

Join the Autodesk Faculty Lounge and get free design software, teaching tools, and more. www.students.autodesk.com

Explore Agilent's 7 New USB DAQ Modules

The NEW U2300A Series USB DAQ family consists of 7 modules - ideal for design validation and manufacturing engineers who conduct data logging, measurement or monitoring in a broad range of industries.  Click for more info or to view the online demo.

Build Model Classrooms

With the speed, power and affordability of Z Corp. 3D Printers, every student can turn digital designs into real 3D prototypes. Learn how with Z Corp.’s FREE tip sheet, 3 Secrets to Building Model Students, a quick guide to engaging student interest and advancing their educational opportunities.

Visit here.

Receive a free textbook when you purchase a CATIA V5 Educator’s License from ENGINEERING.com.

Our selection of textbooks allows instructors to quickly and easily develop a custom curriculum. Textbooks can also be stocked in the campus bookstore for resale to students.

Offer Valid June 23 – August 31, 2007

Link:
http://www.catiastudent.com

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.

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/jee/ to read it online.

It's Time Again to Go For It!

In this Issue:

I. Databytes

• Engineering Bachelor’s Degrees by Ethnicity, 2005-06
• Engineering Master’s Degrees by Ethnicity, 2005-06

• Engineering Master’s Degrees by Ethnicity, 2005-06

II. Congressional Hotline

• Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill Includes Pell Grant, NIH Increases
• Appropriators Approve Energy Development Bill
• FY08 DoD Authorization
• House Passes STEM Scholarship Act
• R&D Caucus Looks at State's Role In Technology Economy

III. Teaching Toolbox

• A Renaissance Engineer — Integrated Engineering trains students in a wide range of fundamentals, making them particularly attractive to small- and medium-sized companies.

IV. Fellowship Programs

• The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
   

I. Databytes

Engineering Bachelor’s Degrees by Ethnicity, 2005-06*

Total Bachelor's Degrees 74,186
African American 5.0%
Hispanic 6.0%
Other 8.5%
Asian American 13.8%
Caucasian 66.7%
Foreign National 7.2
Domestic 92.8
Female 19.3%
Male 80.7%

Engineering Mater’s Degrees by Ethnicity, 2005-06*

Total Master's Degrees 39,015
African American 4.4%
Hispanic 4.7%
Other 15.7%
Asian American 16.5%
Caucasian 58.7%
Foreign National 39.8%
Domestic 60.2%
Female 22.5%
Male 77.5%

Engineering Doctoral Degrees by Ethnicity, 2005-06*

Doctoral Degrees 8,351
African American 3.7%
Hispanic 3.0%
Other 15.1%
Asian American 16.6%
Caucasian 61.6%
Foreign National 61.7%
Domestic 38.3%
Female 20.2%
Male 79.8%

* Percentages by ethnicity are calculated excluding foreign nationals.

 Back to the index.

II. Congressional Hotline

LABOR-HHS APPROPRIATIONS BILL INCLUDES PELL GRANT, NIH INCREASES

A House Appropriations panel approved spending legislation in June
that would increase Education Department funding by $4.2 billion – a 7.4% increase above 2007 -- and add $2 billion to Pell Grant funding, raising the
maximum Pell grant by $390 to $4,700. The approved funding increase is
larger than that proposed in President Bush's budget, and it comes in
spite of the President's veto pledge of spending bills that exceed his
budget by more than $10 billion.

The spending bill, approved by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Labor, HHS and Education, also provides a 2.6% ($750 million) increase
for NIH-the largest single source of funds for academic research-which
would both add at least 545 research grants and increase the average
value of new grants, after a two-year freeze. Despite these increases,
the bill does not include a raise in funding for technical education,
which would get $1.2 billion in fiscal 2008.

APPROPRIATORS APPROVE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT BILL

A bill approved by the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Energy and
Water Development lays out $4.514 billion in total funding for the DOE Office of Science, $116.2 million above the budget request and $716.7 million more than the FY 2007 funding level.

FY08 DoD AUTHORIZATION

The Senate Armed Services Committee reported its FY08 Defense
Authorization Bill (S.1547) to the full Senate. According to the Committee's press release, the bill would add over $450 million for defense science and technology (S&T) programs (for a total authorization of $11.2 billion) and increase funding for development of advanced technologies by nearly $65 million for defense related research performed at our nation's universities.

HOUSE PASSES STEM SCHOLARSHIP ACT

The National STEM Scholarship Database Act (H.R. 1051), passed by the
U.S. House of Representatives on June 6, would direct the Secretary of
Education to establish an online database of public and private financial aid information available for the study of post-secondary and graduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. Introduced by Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), the legislation would create a one-stop portal organized by field of study and searchable by category, with links and contact information provided. Meanwhile, the House Committee on Science and Technology, Subcommittee on Research and Science Education convened on June 6 to hear from several federal agencies (NSF, NASA, DOE and NIH) on how the federal government is contributing to STEM education. Led by freshman Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) - a Math PhD - and seven-termer Vern Ehlers (R-MI), a former physics professor, the panel discussed agency coordination with states and school
districts, and ideas for improving curriculum development and
evaluation.

In particular, the need for a one-stop shop for grant seekers to apply
for, interact with, and evaluate federal STEM programs was mentioned.
Determining appropriate methods and metrics for evaluating the
effectiveness of federal STEM programs was cited as an area in need of
serious attention.

R&D CAUCUS LOOKS AT STATES' ROLE IN TECHNOLOGY ECONOMY

The Congressional R&D Caucus hosted a June 7 briefing to discuss ways
to promote technological innovation at the state and regional level.
Speakers from the Georgia Research Alliance and Pennsylvania's Economic
Development Department led a wide-ranging discussion of how states can
customize their economic development "business models" and team with
industry and universities to create an environment conducive to
technology development.

Back to the index.

III. Teaching Toolbox

A Renaissance Engineer

By Barbara Mathias Riegel

There’s a new breed of engineering coming out of the rural West that with time may catch on in other parts of the country. Southern Utah University (SUU) is the first to offer an ABET-accredited bachelor of science degree in integrated engineering (IE), an interdisciplinary, generalized field of engineering studies originally designed to meet the needs of small- to medium-sized rural industries that can’t afford to hire scores of specialized engineers. “We teach our graduates a wide range of engineering fundamentals that interweave with each other,” says Blair McDonald, associate professor of integrated engineering at SUU. “We teach them to try not to solve a problem as a mechanical, civil or materials problem; it’s just a problem. They learn what tools are needed to fix the problem and where to get them.”

McDonald gives the example of a typical small manufacturing company where the integrated engineer would be expected to do everything from managing the facility’s power to maintaining the production line. Says McDonald, “The integrated engineer has to have enough foundation and fundamentals that when something starts to go wrong or when the company expands their line, he recognizes which engineering consultants to look at and hire and then can understand the reports he gets back from the consultants.”

According to William Pratt, chairman of the integrated engineering and technology department at SUU, a degree in integrated engineering is not the end of the road for most graduates. “We require that the students take and pass the fundamentals of engineering exam even before they get their IE degree. So that when they leave here all they need is the four years of experience under a professional engineer; then take and pass the exam in their specialty of choice.”

Which is exactly what Nolan Gray, a senior at SUU’s IE program is doing. After taking the fundamentals of engineering exam a year ago, he’s been going to school and working for a civil engineering firm in Cedar City, Utah, where he’s involved in projects from land development to water systems. Eventually, he plans to sit for the civil exam. “Right now I’m not the engineer. But I do engineering work for an engineer. I like being able to say, ‘I can do anything.’ I understand that might sound a little bit cocky, or overconfident, but I enjoy being able to say that.”

What Gray especially likes about the integrated engineering program is its small size, though at times it can be a double-edge sword, he says. “This year, my largest engineering class is 15 students and the professor knows every single one of us by name. If I have a question, I’m not intimidated because I know the professor. But because the program is so small, you have one class to choose from and if that class doesn’t fit your schedule, you don’t have a choice.”

Indeed, SUU’s integrated engineering is a comparatively small program with four faculty members and 115 students; yet it has grown immensely since its inception in 2001 with only seven students. Next year, it is aiming for 200. One reason for its success is a freshman cohort system where students who are committed to the four-year IE program and are taking Calculus I or higher are mandated to study together one night a week under the mentorship of a professor. Another bonus: Freshmen in the cohort program are given free laptops.

“The students have a sense of community; they start to lean on each other,” McDonald says. Every Tuesday night, whether they are working in the library, study or a conference room, it’s a beehive of activity, with one student or professor at the blackboard explaining a problem, while a small group is working on chemistry off in a corner.

To McDonald, it’s obvious that the success of the program depends on faculty putting in extra time, yet it’s well worth it. Eventually, he says, the students pick up the responsibility of teaching others. “There is no one weak link in the group. Every student takes a turn at teaching a subject. Next year we’re hoping to include upperclass mentors.”

Heather Jackson, one of four women in her class, can’t say enough about the cohort program. Now a sophomore, she’s remained loyal to her IE group, which still meets after class, along with several new members. “I’ll keep meeting with them as long as I can,” predicts Jackson.

SUU’s IE degree program is rigid with 120 hours and few electives. The first two years are typical of most engineering programs, but the last two years are different, with a four-semester design sequence that ends up with two semesters of capstone in the students’ senior year. While the students don’t go into as much depth in one particular area, such as mechanical or civil structural analysis, they are still shown the basic concepts to be familiar enough with them so they can do design work.
Communication is also essential to IE training. As Gray points out, “For each lab experiment, we are required to come up with a lab write-up that is presented in such a way that a person with no engineering background could read it through and understand what happened during that experiment.”

“The main thing is that they get a chance to practice, hands-on,” Chairman Pratt explains. In their junior year, they have to go into the machine shop and build an engine; in the second semester, they redesign and optimize that same engine for performance.” Finally, in their senior year, the integrated engineering students work with industry on a real-world project.

On-the-Job Training
Last year, Smead Manufacturing Co., an office supply manufacturing company in Cedar City, Utah, with 280 employees, offered internships to four of SUU’s students, three of whom were in the integrated engineering program. “One of the IE students came up with an idea that would allow us to automate a portion of our packing and inspection process,” says Dave Luthan, a manufacturing engineer with Smead. “He also proposed that they design that section of machinery for their senior project. We thought it was a good idea, and it became a pretty good joint effort: The university helped with the project management end of it, and we supported the technical and financial involved. The machine is up and working.”

According to Gordon Goodall, general manager at Smead, the improved machinery is going to reduce manufacturing costs and allow Smead, a 100-year-old company, to be more competitive in the marketplace. The automation has also made huge gains ergonomically. Previously, the packing process caused injuries, while the new machine makes the employees’ jobs easier and less stressful on their bodies.
Goodall emphasizes that there were hundreds of smaller projects that the three IE interns were involved with along the way. “It’s a great situation for us as well as for the students.”

The gains of hiring an integrated engineer aren’t necessarily limited to small- and medium-sized businesses. Richard Murdock, rotational engineer co-coordinator for Utah’s department of transportation, says they have hired one SUU integrated engineering graduate and they’re hoping to hire more in the future. “We have an awful lot of highways that we’re maintaining in the southern part of the state, and we don’t really have the pipeline from one of our traditional civil engineering schools, so we’re hoping to build a relationship with SUU. Hopefully, with our relationship, they will put out some engineers who are looking toward the transportation area. We are quite excited about the IE program.”

Blaine Leonard, former vice president of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a member of SUU’s integrated engineering advisory board in its beginning stages, notes how over the past 100 years, the engineering profession has specialized or splintered and will probably continue to do so to some degree. “Integrated engineering is kind of a counter to that trend. In theory, the integrated engineer would have the ability to understand the big picture and might be well-suited for some managerial kind of roles in an engineering operation.”

One question remains: Is there a risk in an integrated engineer being a jack-of-all-trades, master of none? “The answer is yes and no,” Pratt says. “In the eyes of human resource people, their first cut is to sort by degree title. If it doesn’t say mechanical, they toss it.”

But Pratt says SUU has surveyed and studied what industries want in the region. “They told us they expect someone to have a good grasp of the basics of engineering. The companies will train them on the specifics; it’s on-the-job training. For example, one of our graduates is working in a civil firm doing surveying, but he doesn’t have the training. He is, however, versed on the math and trigonometry, and most importantly, he’s a fast learner.”

“Perhaps our students may be a little behind in terms of a few months in specifics,” Pratt continues, “but they catch up very fast and excel in broader knowledge areas where others have little or no exposure.”

 Back to the index.

 

IV. Fellowship Programs

Postdoctoral

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.  This program is open to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents and offers a competitive stipend as well as insurance, relocation, and travel allowances.  The program offers one to three-year postdoctoral fellowships designed to increase the involvement of scientists and engineers from academia and industry to scientific and technical areas of interest and relevance to the Navy.  The program has a rolling admission.  Go to: http://www.asee.org/resources/nrl/ .

 Back to the index.

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