January 2007
Copyright © 2007 World Expertise LLC – All rights reserved
A periodic electronic newsletter for engineering education leaders,
edited by Russel C. Jones, Ph.D., P.E., and Bethany S. Jones, Ph.D.
5 - Employment,
competitiveness
6 - Meetings
7 – Journals
Study recommends thorough revamping of engineering education in India – The January 2007 issue of World Education News and Reviews features a major study on “Engineering Education in India: A Story in Contrasts.” It gives a short introduction to the structure of higher education in India, describes some of India’s famously strong engineering schools, then goes on to discuss the challenges to engineering education and some of the recommended solutions to systemic problems. The top tiers of engineering institutions are the seven Indian Institutes of Technology followed by the twenty National Institutes of Technology. These are followed by large numbers of public and private engineering schools which are reportedly proliferating at a rate of one per week. The top-tier schools are excruciatingly selective, relying on difficult entrance examination, then imposing heavy workloads on their students and demanding excellent performance. Nonetheless, the perception is that student quality has sharply declined over the past decades. In 2002 a five person committee headed by U. R. Rao was charged by the Ministry of Human Resources Development to review the umbrella agency governing engineering education, the All India Council for Technical Education. Their report cited the unfettered proliferation of engineering schools and programs, the scarcity of qualified faculty, and the lack of enthusiasm and organization for accreditation, as major problems facing the country. Recommendations coming from the report include reduction in the number of engineering graduates in order to increase quality, tighter coordination between manpower needs and program offerings, plans for turning out more doctorates and then incentives to keep them from abandoning higher education for industry, and more attention to accreditation, including membership in the Washington Accord. (See http://www.wes.org/ewenr/PF/07jan/pffeature.htm)
Enabling Europe to innovate – A major article in the January 19th Science by Andrew Dearling reviews European efforts to develop a supportive ecosystem for drawing the private and public sectors into the type of complex partnerships needed to produce innovations required to compete in today’s global economy. European public policy has in recent years emphasized the importance of R&D in achieving competitive knowledge-based societies, and it is now shifting toward approaches that address the broader qualities required for innovation. The desired ecosystem will incorporate the roles of market demand, public procurement, regulation, science, education, and industrial R&D, as part of determining effective innovation policies. (See http://www.sciencemag.org)
Indian PM receives report recommending more and better universities – The National Knowledge Commission reported to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the country’s current 350 universities should be expanded to 1,500 by 2015 in order to serve a great proportion of 18 – 24 year olds, writes Shailaja Neelakantan on January 16 in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The commission also recommended that government support to higher education be increased, that new means of funding universities be explored, and that an independent regulatory authority be established. The report calls for improving the quality of universities by focusing more on understanding rather than rote memory, and making better efforts to recruit and retain good faculty members. Finally, the report calls for research and teaching to be rejoined in universities. (See http://chronicle.com/daily/2007/01/2007011603n.htm)
New American-style Iraqi university planned outside of Baghdad –
A
new, American-style university is under development in Iraq, with a curriculum
taught in English, with faculty recruited internationally, and with an emphasis
on applied fields such as petroleum engineering, business and computer science.
Organizers say that the university would attempt both to stem the brain
drain from
Latest university bombing in
British university heads warn of large tuition fees – Tuition
fees for undergraduates in
Japanese education trend questioned –
Edinburgh poised to change its honorary degree criteria – Edinburgh University is taking steps to tighten up its tradition of awarding honorary degrees, and may even go so far as to revoke one or more of them, reports Murdo MacLeon in the online edition of Scotland on Sunday dated January 14. Documents released under the Freedom of Information legislation have revealed plans under consideration to stop awarding degrees to people who already have many others, to ban current politicians from getting the awards, and to consider whether to deny honorary degrees to people from countries with bad human rights records. There is even an indication that the honorary degree that Edinburgh University awarded in 1984 to Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, might be revoked, since Mugabe’s subsequent acts of human rights abuses have been a source of embarrassment to the institution. (See http://news.scotsman.com)
African ethics boards reveal complex problems for researchers –
Professor Nancy Kass has conducted a study of research ethics boards in
Japan’s universities act on misconduct – A series of outstanding scientific misconduct cases in Japan have ended suddenly and decisively in Japan, according to an article in the January 5th Science by Dennis Normile. Two leading Japanese universities have fired scientists because of questionable publications, and a researcher is reported to have resigned from a third university over alleged mishandling of research funds. Over the past year all three of the universities involved introduced codes of conduct for researchers and established offices or committees to promote good ethics and investigate allegations of fraud. But the wider scientific community may not yet recognize the need for enforcement. In a recent survey, only 13.3% of responding institutions had adopted a code of ethics, and only 12.5% had established procedures for handling allegations of misconduct. (See http://www.sciencemag.org)
NSF braces for opportunities lost – The freezing of the federal budget at last year’s levels by Congress has put many agencies, including the National Science Foundation, in a tight financial box. According to an article in the January 5th Science by Jeffrey Mervis, NSF had hoped for an 8% boost this year in its $5.6-billion budget – and it had been targeted by the Bush administration for such a significant increase as part of the American Competitiveness Initiative. The President’s budget request to Congress last February contained the first installment of what was intended to be a 10-year doubling of federal basic research spending in the physical sciences. NSF’s proposed 2007 budget contained a $25-million pot of money to fund frontier research at the intersection of engineering and a host of other disciplines, as well as significant increases in other programs. Such initiatives will now apparently be placed on hold. (See http://www.sciencemag.org)
Reduction in earmarks will impact minority-serving colleges –
The crackdown on congressional “earmarks” proposed by US House and Senate
Democrats would be a blow to the large research universities which lobby heavily
for such funds, but it would also affect smaller African American-serving
institutions and tribal colleges. Already
in doubt are numerous proposals caught between the last session of Congress,
dominated by the Republicans, and the forthcoming session, dominated by the
Democrats, writes Charles Dervarics in Diverse
Online on January 10. Examples
include $100,000 destined for
Increase in federal agency support of US R&D – The latest statistics from the US National Science Foundation Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development reveal that federal agencies provided $109.7-billion for research and development activities in 2004, part of a decade-long average increase of 4.7% each year. The survey also shows that research accounted for 48.6% of total federal R&D money in 2004, with 42.5% of those research dollars going to universities and colleges. (See Press Release 06-178 at http://www.nsf.gov)
Another front on accreditation – After months of uncertainty, the US Department of Education has decided to begin a process in which it will explore possible changes to the federal rules that govern the higher education accreditation process, according to an article in the January 17th Inside Higher Ed by Doug Lederman. The decision offers yet another sign that the department plans to move aggressively, on many fronts, to carry out the recommendations of the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education. The rules on accreditation were last revised in 1999, and department officials have made a variety of interpretations of those rules that have confused and at times confounded accreditors. According to the education department, the upcoming review is at least partly intended to provide greater clarity and consistency in the rules governing accreditation. Accreditors will be involved in the negotiated rule making process. (See http://insidehighered.com)
NAE 2007 top awards – The engineering profession’s highest honors for 2007, to be presented by the National Academy of Engineering during E-week in February, recognize three achievements that have revolutionized how people use information, opened new frontiers of medical research, and guided promising engineers into leadership roles. Timothy J. Berners-Lee will receive the prestigious Charles Stark Draper Prize – a $500,000 annual award that honors engineers whose accomplishments have significantly benefited humanity – “for developing the World Wide Web”. The Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize – a $500,000 biennial award recognizing engineering achievement that significantly improves the human condition – will go to Yuan-Cheng “Bert” Fung “for the characterization and modeling of human tissue mechanics and function leading to prevention and mitigation of trauma”. The Bernard M. Gordon Prize – a $500,000 award issued annually that recognizes innovation in engineering and technology education – will be awarded to Harold S. Goldberg, Jerome E. Levy and Arthur W. Winston of Tufts University “for the development of a multidisciplinary graduate program for engineering professionals who have the potential and desire to be engineering leaders”. (See http://www.nationalacademies.org)
Congress to take up Net’s future – Senior lawmakers, emboldened by the recent restrictions on AT&T and the change in control of Congress, have begun drafting legislation that would prevent high-speed Internet companies from charging content providers for priority access. According to an article in the January 10th New York Times by Stephen Labaton, proposals for “net neutrality” face significant political impediments, and no one expects that they will be adopted quickly. Giants like Google, Yahoo, e-bay and Amazon support such legislation, while it is opposed by telecommunications giants like Verizon, AT&T, and large cable companies like Comcast. Supporters of such legislation contend that without it some content providers would be discouraged from offering services while others would be forced to increase prices to consumers. But the telephone and cable companies say that efforts to limit their ability to charge for faster service would discourage them from making billions of dollars in investments to upgrade their networks. (See http://www.nytimes.com)
Grand challenges for engineering – The US National Academy of Engineering has convened a committee of leading technical thinkers to create a list of the grand challenges and opportunities for engineering facing those born at the dawn of this new century. According to an NAE press release, this blue-ribbon committee will then look at research and innovation – either already being explored or which should be considered – that might help address aspects of each challenge. Input is being sought from a wide range of sources, ranging from experts in science and engineering to the broader general public. Details on this NSF funded project can be found at its web site. (See http://www.engineeringchallenges.org)
“Nature” editors pull the plug on open peer review experiment – The editors of Nature have ended their attempt to solicit open peer review, reports Susan Brown in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Last year the editors told authors of articles undergoing traditional confidential peer evaluation that they had the option of posting the papers online for comment by signed spontaneous reviewers. Once a paper was either accepted or rejected, the entire posting was removed. About 5% of authors accepted, higher than expected, since such public posting are risky in terms of competition. The results were disappointing. Nearly half of the posted papers received no comments, and most of the comments that were made were cursory. Linda J. Miller, Nature’s executive editor, speculates that when the MySpace and Facebook generation of scientists begin publishing, they may be more attuned to such processes. (See http://chronicle.com/daily/2007/01/2007011102.htm)
Apollo Group moves into online secondary education – The
Apollo Group, owner of the
New report emphasizes increased relevance of liberal education –
The Association of American Colleges and Universities issued a report based on a
survey of what business leaders want from college graduates.
“College Learning for the New Global Century” first listed skills
that employers want colleges to emphasize more: 82% of employers, for example,
are called for more emphasis on “concepts and developments in science and
technology.” Other results: 73%
for more “more effective oral and written communication”; 72% more
“understanding global issues and their impact”; 70%, more “ability to
locate, organize and evaluate information from multiple sources”; 60% more
“understanding the role of the
Affirmative action dropped at U of
Profiling the American freshman – Researchers at UCLA have
reported on their annual survey of 270,000 entering freshmen at roughly 400
colleges across the country. According to a summary of the report written by
Elia Powers in the January 19th Inside
Higher Ed, this year’s data show that the first-year students are
increasingly politically minded and moving away from the center of the political
spectrum. They are far apart on many social issues, and appear mixed on
affirmative action. They are concerned about financing their educations and are
fully confident in their academic abilities. Making more money and getting a
better job were two of the top reasons students cited for choosing to go to
college. And
Women made substantial advances in science and engineering – The Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology released a report showing that women have made substantial progress in earning degrees in science and engineering over the past four decades, reports Paul D. Thacker in Inside Higher Ed. In 1966 women earned 24.8% of bachelor’s degrees in these fields, 13.3% of master’s degrees and 8% of doctorates, while in 2004 they earned 50.4% of bachelor’s degrees, 43.6% of master’s, and 37.4% of doctorates. Women now constitute 25% of the labor force in science, engineering and technology fields, but the disaggregated figures show continued problems with women turning away from careers where math is important. Underrepresented minorities have not made the same progress that women have. African Americans, for example, are 13% of the population but earned 8.4% of bachelor’s degrees, 6.3% of master’s and 2.8% of doctorates. (See http://insidehighered.com/news/2007/01/09/science)
Higher ed and the high schools – Speakers at a recent “Advancing College Readiness” summit outlined the role higher education should play in ensuring that high school graduates learn the right skills and graduate ready for college and the workforce. According to an article by Elizabeth Redden in the January 23rd Inside Higher Ed, longstanding challenges in effecting needed change within a seemingly intractable system include: low respect and pay for teachers, and the poor job higher education has often done in preparing them; the failure of higher education leaders to agree on standards among themselves, let alone dictate them to high schools; and minimal incentives and opportunities for dialogue between the K-12 and higher education sectors. One speaker estimated that 40 to 45% of recent high school graduates report experiencing significant gaps in the skills they need for success in college and the workplace, and outlined a four-part agenda for college leaders: involve professors in identifying the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college; work with state policy makers to ensure that their graduation requirements are consistent with the demands of college-level work; collaborate with the K-12 sector to ensure that the assessment measures they use adequately measure college readiness; and initiate a feedback loop to send information about first-year students’ performance back to high schools. (See http://insidehighered.com)
21st Century Professors – The cover story in the January ASEE Prism, written by Thomas Grose, explores what it is like to be starting an academic career today – expected to raise lots of money to fund research projects and be a superstar in the classroom. The article points out that money for basic and applied research is tight today, and that many young academics – whose workweeks can range from 50 to 80 hours – can easily spend nearly half their time writing grant proposals, often with minimal results. In addition, one dean is quoted as saying: “There was a time when, if you were a strong researcher and a mediocre teacher, you could survive. Today, that’s impossible. You have to be great at everything you do.” (See http://www.ase.com/prism)
Study more: live longer – A health economist at the RAND Corporation, James Smith, was recently quoted by Gina Kolata in the January 3 online edition of The New York Times as saying that “health insurance . . . ‘is vastly overrated in the policy debate.’” What really matters in terms of increasing longevity is education. In study after study conducted around the world, education is linked to longevity, playing a much more important role than race, income and availability of health insurance. Why this is true is not clear. Dr. Lleras-Muney, a researcher at Princeton who did some of the most powerful analyses of the link between education and longevity, suspects, along with Smith, that more education is tied to the important ability to defer gratification in order to prepare a better future. (See http://www.nytimes.com)
Study recommends single standard for certifying math, science teachers – The Commission on 21st Century Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, reporting to the National Science Board, (the policy making group for the National Science Foundation) has approved a draft of a report for review by the Board in February. The fifteen commission members, five of which are academics, have proposed a national standard for certification of math and science teachers and increased incentives to draw science and math majors into education as a career. They understand that the problems of fragmentation of the teaching of math and science cannot be solved without the cooperation of higher education, but have not tackled the problem of science faculty members’ resistance to having their students become teachers rather than scientists, writes Jeffrey Brainard in The Chronicle of Higher Education. (See http://chronicle.com/daily/2007/01/2007012403n.htm)
Affirmative action for men? – The Chronicle of Higher Education featured a major article on “The
New Gender Divide,” written by Robin Wilson.
It is a study of the implications of the fact that women now constitute
58% of undergraduates in the
Florida agencies approve bachelor’s degrees from community colleges – The Florida Board of Governors of the state university system and the Florida State Board of Education have agreed to permit the state’s community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees in fields where there are shortages of graduates. The community colleges already offer bachelor’s degrees: this agreement defines and restricts them to nursing, teaching and technical fields, writes Karin Fischer in The Chronicle of Higher Education. (See http://chronicle.com/daily/2007/01/2007011905n.htm)
Small research universities move to expand – The
Reality TV show for engineering education – A new half-hour weekly television program, “Design Squad”, will use the formula of reality television to introduce children and families to engineering design processes. As described in an article by Jason Laday in the January IEEE The Institute, the show is being produced by WGBH Boston in partnership with the sponsors of US National Engineers Week. The show will feature two competing teams of high school students plucked from real life and follow their progress as they design, build and test fun yet practical machines such as an automatic pancake maker and a motorized wagon. Chosen through audition the eight contestants have minimal engineering experience, though for many working with technology is an after-school hobby. The show premiers on Public Broadcasting Service stations during E-week, 18-24 February 2007. (See http://www.theinstitute.iee.org)
Sacré bleu! – A British-born Australian academic, Stephan
Charters, has recently been appointed “professor of champagne” at the
5 - Employment,
competitiveness
Immigrants big in tech startups – Foreign-born entrepreneurs
were behind one in four
Plenty of jobs for class of ‘07 - Employers are diving back into the fountain of youth, according to an article in the January 23rd Wall Street Journal by Erin White. This year is shaping up as the strongest for college recruiting since the downturn earlier this decade, colleges report. Employers plan to hire 17% more graduates from the class of 2007 than from the class of 2006, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. More than half of the surveyed employers said they planned to increase hiring, with only 5% planning a decrease. Salaries were forecast to rise 4.6%, according to another survey by the same group. Traditionally heavy recruiters such as management consulting firms, investment banks, and accounting firms are intensifying college recruiting efforts. And they are facing increased competition from other employers in such fields as technology, consumer products, government, and even nonprofits. (See http://www.wsj.com)
6 – Meetings
Global Colloquium on Women in Engineering and Technology
– Abstracts are sought for a conference to be held in
ASEE Global Colloquium on Engineering Education – The sixth in
a series of global colloquia organized by the American Society for Engineering
Education will be held in
7 – Journals
International Journal of
Engineering Education – The final 2006 volume of IJEE contains a
special issue on Trends in Agricultural, Biosystems and Biological Engineering
Education, edited by Joel Cuello of the
Issues in Science and Technology
– The feature articles in the Winter 2007 issue include one on
understanding the psychological and emotional processes of aging, two on
domestic security – one on transportation security and one on public safety
communications – and a final article on deep international competitiveness
challenges. (See http://www.issues.org)
The Bridge – The winter 2006 issue of the journal of the US National Academy of Engineering contains six papers from the 12th Frontiers of Engineering Symposium. Topics include video gaming, synthesizing materials at the molecular level, the capabilities of biological systems, world travel demands, urban transportation, and managing disruptions in supply chains. (See http://www.nae.edu/TheBridge)
Global Journal of Engineering
Education – Volume 19 Number 2 of the GJEE contains papers that won
Best Paper Awards at international conferences organized by the
International Journal of
Technology and Globalization – The final issue of IJTG for 2006 is a
special issue edited by Calestous Juma on Science and Innovation in
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