June
2004
Copyright © 2004 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. Oberst, Ph.D.
·
The
de-Russification of higher ed in former soviet countries
·
Airport
terminal collapse in Paris
·
Iraqi
universities left in decline by US and international
community
·
Doing
the sums on Africa
·
Koreans
select US physicist to lead Advanced Institute
·
·
Four
Thai technical colleges form basis for new university
·
Microsoft
fined in Canada
·
Strikes
close down all schools in Nepal
·
Sudanese
universities used as part of peace plan
·
MBA
programs under pressure in US and abroad
·
Former
·
Studies
question assumptions about foreign scientists in the US
·
·
Call
for ‘human culture of invention’
·
Budget
cuts US for research and student aid predicted for 2006
·
SEVIS
info now in hands of first line border officials
·
Boeing
hires ethics watchdog
·
Indian
elections point to greater university autonomy
·
Congress
slams NIH consulting plan
·
Report:
too many
·
Virtual
border contract let
·
Face
recognition technology questioned
·
Video
conferencing appears here to stay
·
Supercomputer
competition heats up
·
Ruling
due in battle over patents on streaming technologies
·
New
option for the Hubble telescope?
·
High-speed
network goes national
·
Spyware
on the web
·
Software
to block nosy neighbors
·
Linux
losing counterculture aura
·
Retooling
GPS
·
Monsanto
drops genetically modified wheat
·
Carnegie
Corporation head argues for integration and synthesis of knowledge
·
The
many faces of mentoring
·
Mentors
grow along with protégés
·
Why
care about women role models?
·
Protection
for pregnant drivers
·
Educating
the world’s children
·
Frank
Newman, US higher education leader, dies
·
’04
Graduates are practical in job seeking
·
US
student group ejected from Cuba
·
Say
what?
5 – Employment
·
How
engineers can fight back
·
Indian
industry consolidates
6 – Journals
·
European
Journal of Engineering Education
·
Engineering
Trends Quarterly Newsletter
The de-Russification of higher ed in former soviet countries –
A set of articles in the Chronicle of
Higher Education outlines the state of higher education in former
soviet-dominated countries which are struggling to sort out a myriad of problems
related to their past. Bryon
McWilliams attempts to sort out the language policies in countries such as
Airport terminal collapse in
Iraqi universities left in decline by US and
international community – John Agresto, a former college
president now responsible for restoring Iraq’s higher education, charges that
the US has actually accomplished little and has invested only a fraction of what
it was estimated would be needed. He
lays part of the blame on the international community, which has not join in US
efforts, with a few exceptions. The
damage done to Iraqi universities includes the consequences of persecution by
Saddam Hussein, intellectual isolation for almost two decades, then the
Doing the sums on
Koreans select US physicist to lead Advanced Institute – KAIST (the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) recently appointed Nobel Prize winner Robert B. Laughlin as its new president. KAIST is the only Korean university not under the control of the Ministry of Education, having been founded by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 1971. Laughlin, an American physicist now at Stanford, was selected over two other Korean candidates, in a deliberate effort to break ties with the current structure and politics at the institution, according to Alan Brender of the Chronicle of Higher Education. (See http://chronicle.com/daily/2004/06/2004060106n.htm)
Four Thai technical colleges form basis for new university – Four technical colleges in the southern part of Thailand will become part of a new university designed to stem the tide of Islamic militancy in that country, according to an article by Martha Ann Overland in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Government officials believe that much of the violence which has appeared in Thailand is linked to militants educated in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt, who then return to the impoverished Islamic sections of the country and incite unrest. (See http://chronicle.com/daily/2004/05/2004051906n.htm)
Microsoft fined in
Strikes close down all schools in
Sudanese universities used as part of peace plan – Three
public universities in
MBA programs under pressure in US and abroad – On May 20 The
Economist published an extended
article on MBA programs, taking as a springboard the current concern about
falling applications to such programs (minus 15 – 25% this year over 2003).
Evidence seems to point to wide-spread problems in management education
at the post-baccalaureate level in the
Former
Studies question assumptions about foreign scientists in the
US state aid increased to offset higher tuition, lower appropriations –
Faced with declining state appropriations and higher tuitions, US states
continued to increase student aid for higher education in 2002-2003.
A report by the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid
Programs (NASSGAP) indicated that while the aid increased, the rate of increase
appears to have slowed for a second year. Need-based
student grants rose 9.4% over the previous year, while non-need-based grants
rose 21.9%. 93.8% of need-based grants went to undergraduates.
Call for ‘human culture of invention’ – A group of leaders
convened by the Lemelson-MIT program has issued a report calling for a new
approach to invention and innovation that would serve social end environmental
goals as well as market demand, according to an article in the June Engineering
Times. The report, “Invention: Enhancing Inventiveness for Quality of
Life, Competitiveness, and Sustainability”, advocates a humane culture of
invention to address problems such as unemployment, poverty, political
instability, and environmental damage that are plaguing the developing world.
The proposed global community of invention would bring together individual
inventors, corporate stakeholders, government agencies, educational
institutions, community leaders, and citizen groups. For the report, see http://web.mit.edu/invent/report.html.
For the news article see http://www.nspe.org.
Budget cuts US for research and student aid predicted for 2006 – The administration of President Bush has warned of federal cuts in funding for research and student aid when the 2006 budget is drawn up, says Jeffrey Brainard, reporting for the Chronicle of Higher Education. The National Science Foundation, for example, would see a 2% decrease in its budget, and the US Department of Education would take a 2.6% cut. Although this sort of gloomy signal is frequently given at this time of year, critics of the administration’s plans say that this sounds more serious than usual. (See http://chronicle.com/daily/2004/05/2004052801n.htm)
SEVIS info now in hands of first line border officials – US customs officials who review the great majority of foreign students coming to the US now have access to SEVIS, the federal database that tracks these students, according to an article by Michael Arnone in the Chronicle of Higher Education. A previous Chronicle article had drawn attention to the fact that only second line customs officers had such access, and that they saw only a fraction of the students. College officials were angry because mandated compliance with SEVIS requirements had been costly. (See http://chronicle.com/daily/2004/05/2004052502n.htm)
Boeing hires ethics watchdog – According to an article in the
June Engineering Times, the Boeing
Company has hired an ‘ethics watchdog’ organization to help it deal with
several scandals related to federal contracts for defense work. The company is
being investigated for obtaining and using proprietary documents of a
competitor, and for hiring a former US Air Force procurement officer to do
business for the company before she ended her military responsibilities. The
unnamed watchdog group is responsible for overseeing the company’s ethics and
compliance programs and alerting it to any future offenses. (See http://www.nspe.org)
Indian elections point to greater university autonomy –
Shailaja Neelkantan, a reporter for the Chronicle
of Higher Education, described the consequences of
Congress slams NIH consulting plan – The consulting policies
of the National Institutes of Health have been under fire by Congress, according
to an article by Jocelyn Kaiser in the May 21st issue of Science.
It has been reported in the media that NIH scientists have served as paid
consultants to industry, some earning $300,000 or more since 1995. A blue-ribbon
panel had recommended that such consulting be allowed in order to help the
agency attract and retain good scientists. Members of Congress feel that such
consultants have crossed the line of conflict of interest. Consulting
arrangements for other federal agencies are also being reviewed in Congressional
hearings. (See http://www.sciencemag.org)
Report: too many
Virtual border contract let – The US Department of Homeland
Security has awarded a $10-billion contract to bolster US borders against
terrorist attack, according to an article by Robert Black et al in the June 2nd
Wall Street Journal. The contract, one
of the largest federal technology contracts in history, was awarded to Accenture
Ltd., a
Face recognition technology questioned – Often touted as a
promising tool in the fight against terrorism, face recognition technology has
failed recently in some well-publicized tests for picking faces out of a crowd.
According to an article in the May 31st New York Times by Barnaby Feder, though, the technology has worked
in some simpler situations such as spotting card sharks at casino blackjack
tables. Current face recognition systems use cameras and computers to map
someone’s facial features, and collect the data for storage in databases or on
a microchip on documents like passports. Technology developers are seeking
improvements such as using three-dimensional images taken by multiple cameras
and using software to compensate for poor lighting and to take shadows off a
face. (See http://www.nytimes.com)
Video conferencing appears here to stay – After 9/11, video conferencing as an alternative to travel took off in popularity. Now that some of the pressure is off, however, it appears that it will still remain strong, according to “Being there,” a May 13 article in the Economist. Supporters say that they like virtual meetings as a time saver, not primarily because they save money. And these meetings are increasingly seen as appropriate second encounters, after participants have met once in person. A popular format is “web conferencing,” where participants are link by audio-conferencing while viewing web-based materials. No new equipment is needed for this format. However, Microsoft’s entry into the arena might threaten the market depending on the approach it takes. (See http://www.economist.com)
Supercomputer competition heats up – Two years ago a computer
funded by the Japanese government trounced
Ruling due in battle over patents on streaming technologies –
An important legal battle is engaged between Acacia Research Corporation and
hundreds of higher education institutions, reports Scott Carlson for the Chronicle
of Higher Education. Acacia
claims that it holds the patents to all online audio and video streaming
technologies and has written letters claiming that many colleges, universities,
pornography companies, mainstream companies and distance education providers
have infringed on those patents. Several
of these have signed licensing agreements, but until recently, no colleges had
done so. When
New option for the Hubble telescope? – A piece of good news for supporters of the Hubble telescope: it appears that a robot might be able to extend the Hubble’s life, according to Guy Gugliotta, writing for the Washington Post on June 2. NASA has asked for proposals to service the telescope in a robotic mission (not a shuttle mission, which has been canceled), but at the same time, any proposals must include a plan for ending the Hubble’s mission by safely bringing it back to earth to be destroyed upon impact. (See http://www.washingtonpost.com)
High-speed network goes national – The National LambdaRail
will now be truly national, following the announcement that six new members had
joined the consortium. The network
will cover most of the
Spyware on the web – According to an article in the June 3rd The Economist, spyware software that sneaks onto a PC and tracks online activities is a growing threat. Such software can harvest personal information such as credit card details, and can trigger advertisements in response to Internet use patterns. One study indicates that spyware is present in over 4% of computers. It typically enters through bundled programs, such as peer-to-peer file trading software used to swap music. Spyware that monitors every keystroke a user types is currently illegal, and is relatively rare. Much more common is advert-triggering software, or ‘adware’, which operates in a legally gray area. (See http://www.economist.com)
Software to block nosy neighbors – PC users who work in public
areas, such as on planes or trains, have a new tool to keep nosy neighbors from
reading their computer screens. According to an article by Marcelo Prince in the
June 2nd Wall Street Journal, a
new software program is available to darken the screen and reduce the viewing
angle. People not seated directly in front of the screen see only a grayish
screen, without seeing the underlying text or images. Until this development,
the best way to shield a computer from wandering eyes was to attach a plastic
filter to the front of the screen. (See http://www.wsj.com)
Linux losing counterculture aura – The free operating system once seen as a symbol of a computing counterculture, Linux, is becoming a mainstream technology and is being forced to behave more like one, according to an article in the May 25th New York Times by Steve Lohr. A step down that road came recently when Linus Torvalds, its creator, announced that software developers making contributions to the operating system would have to sign their work and vouch for its origin. This development is in response to concern among corporate users that procedures for adding new code to the evolving operating system have been too informal and lacking in documentation. Analysts say that tracing the origin of code is vital to avoiding legal challenges that Linux pilfered software. (See http://www.nytimes.com)
Retooling GPS – Current Global Positioning System technology
allows civilian users to perform geolocation to within 5 to 10 meters, while
military users can get to within half a meter. According to an article by Per
Enge in the May Scientific American, beginning
next year GPS satellites will broadcast new signals designed to make the systems
more robust and eliminate errors caused by ionospheric particles to refine
accuracy. This will be followed about three years later by additional civilian
signals with four times as much power as current signals. The civilian upgrades
should benefit the farming, mining, transportation, telecommunications, electric
power, mapping and construction industries, while military gains will include
automatic landing of aircraft in zero-visibility conditions. (See http://www.sciam.com)
Monsanto drops genetically modified wheat – Herbicide-resistant
wheat has become the latest casualty in the GM wars, according to an article in
the May 21st Science by
Erik Stokstad. It is one of a string of new genetically modified products, such
as insect-resistant potatoes, that have been shelved because of fear of consumer
objections. This cancellation is not a huge setback for the company – in 2003
68 million hectares in 18 countries were planted with GM crops, a 15% increase
from 2002. But the decision reflects an industry trend, shying away from risky
projects and sticking with tried-and-true moneymakers such as varieties of corn,
soybeans, canola and cotton. (See http://www.sciencemag.org)
Carnegie Corporation head argues for integration and synthesis of
knowledge – Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation of
The many faces of mentoring – Everyone benefits when engineers teach and counsel their younger (and older) colleagues, according to an article by Erica Vonderheid in the June IEEE The Institute. The author notes that mentoring today is more than job training – it involves counseling, guiding and teaching students and young professionals how to become successful engineers. Mentoring can take many forms, from a casual conversation about a project during a coffee break to formal programs that match mentors with protégés who are not at the same company or even in the same city. Mentoring is not only a one-way street, and the more senior engineer may learn about technological advances and trends from the younger one. Some current engineering mentoring programs even reach down to the high school level, providing guidance for high school students interested in a technical profession. (See http://www.ieee.org/theinstitute)
Mentors grow along with protégés – An article in the June MentorNet
News chronicles the experience of a senior engineer in mentoring an
engineering student. Taking part in a corporate program to nurture and support
highly motivated female students in science and engineering, senior engineers
note several benefits for themselves: enhanced professional skills such as
communication, management, and coaching; and increased job satisfaction and
commitment. (See http://www.mentornet.net)
Why care about women role models? – Writing in the May issue of ASCE News, current ASCE President Patricia Galloway cites famous historical women such as Emily Roebling and Emilia Earhart whose contributions to engineering were extraordinary. She points out that young people – particularly girls – need role models and mentors to give them hands-on guidance and encouragement. Several engineering societies have formed a coalition to inspire young women to choose engineering as a career, and give them the help they need to remain in that career. (See http://www.asce.org)
Protection for pregnant drivers – A recently graduated female
mechanical engineer has designed a computer-modeled crash-test dummy to better
protect pregnant women and their unborn babies, according to an article in the
June 7th Wall Street Journal by
Miriam Jordan. Now an employee of Volvo, Laura Thackray began her work as an
engineering student at the
Educating the world’s children – In an article in the May Today’s
Engineer, Dr Sylvia Wilson-Thomas provides a call for action to address the
needs of some 100-million children worldwide who are deprived of an education.
She notes that economic, intellectual, and innovative prosperity depend on
worldwide implementation of high-quality education – particularly for girls in
developing counties. The UN millennium development goals of attaining education
for all and promoting gender equity are applauded by the author, and she reviews
current programs aimed at meeting them. (See http://www.todaysengineer.org)
Frank Newman,
’04 Graduates are practical in job seeking – Corporate recruiters going to college campuses this spring have noticed a new maturity among applicants, according to an article by Eduardo Porter and Greg Winter in the May 30th New York Times. Job candidates now often come on like hard-nosed investors, with questions about the company’s layoff prospects and its plans to combat foreign competition. Thorough preparation for careers after college is shaping up as a defining characteristic of the class of 2004. The days are gone when a college graduate could expect to go to work for a paternalistic employer and spend an entire career there, with a set of generous benefits and a comfortable pension upon retirement. Today, fears are growing about job instability and increasing competition, here and abroad, for the best white-collar jobs. University officials say that this year’s graduates are the most prepared they have ever seen. (See http://www.nytimes.com)
Say what? – The
5 – Employment
How engineers can fight back – Well known engineering writer
Samuel C. Florman has
Indian industry consolidates – In
6 – Journals
European Journal of Engineering Education – The June 2004 issue is focused on assessment of learning results, with some 16 articles on the topic. (See http://www.tandf.co.uk)
Engineering Trends Quarterly Newsletter – The Spring 2004
issue reviews engineering bachelor’s degrees awarded by state, changes in
disciplinary preferences by graduates, and undergraduate enrollments. It also
describes new studies underway:
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