ASEE/ELD Conference Highlights

HIGHLIGHTS - ASEE/ELD Conference – Pittsburgh, PA, June 22-26, 2008

Main Plenary Session - Engineering Education for the 21st Century, Dr. Charles Vest, President of the National Academy

Our new century will be determined by nano and bio technology issues concerning energy, water, food and sustainability:
+ Decline in share of R&D in the U.S., fewer U.S. engineering grads and
China dominating the numbers of graduating engineers
+ New connections (Thomas Friedman, “The World is Flat” -- “jobs are now just a mouse click away”), open innovation (“globally integrated enterprises” Foreign Affairs, The Globally Integrated Enterprise, IBM’s Samuel J. Palmisano, May/June, 2006) … MIT’s new Open courseware initiatives
= Engineers facing grand challenges to creative problem-solving: Energy, environmental sustainability, manufacturing and communication logistics, improving medical and healthcare, reducing vulnerability to threats (both natural and people-caused) and expanding the human capacity for joy. Engineering a prime career for today's young people and women who say they want jobs in fields where they can "help people and make the world better."





Sustainable Energy Issues in Education: Developing a Practical Applicable course in Sustainability – an Engineering Challenge.


Florida Gulf Coast University is introducing a new program (2009) in the Whitaker Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics on Sustainability in Education: Interdisciplinary studies to focus on water, energy and civic engagement , ethics, consumer communications, case studies to encourage lifelong learning and critical thinking … Partnering with Florida Solar Energy Center, University Central Florida for solar technology study and public problem solving … Four- semester course series: 1) World views and water .. 2) Energy /Shelter .. 3) Food/Agriculture … 4)Waste, Health, and Pathways to Sustainability. Lectures, small group meetings, field trips.





Engineering Librarian’s Basics Boot Camp – Engineering librarians discussed their information literacy efforts: Business tools (Company/market research, UN & Census demographic data, financial and competitor data, Yahoo Finance, executive/industry profiles, SWOT analysis, NAICS … ASME Tech Papers (Use of Linda Hall Library for Science, Engineering and Technology Information in Kansas City (http://www.lhl.lib.mo.us/) ) … Cultivating Grey Literature & Older Engineering Literature ( Be careful about tossing old engineering indexes and literature, language and terminology differences in past, older indexes, work from engineers in foreign countries useful today (i.e. Texas A&M has engineering studies about Nazi use of alternative fuel) … NTIS to introduce a new interface this summer ) … Your students are Pod People, But that’s Alright ( Handout of web links for Instructional Websites on Podcasting, Audio/video Editing Software and Further Readings.)





Millennial Behaviors and Higher Education Focus Group (Jam-Packed!) Richard Sweeney, New Jersey Institute of Technology focus group among Millennials, discussing these young people's characteristics: Direct, confident, inclusive and tolerant … Abstract thinkers, adaptive, organized and self-disciplined … READ LESS, digital natives/ gamers, want practical consumer choices and personalized/customized products … Impatient multi-taskers, experiential learners who seek balance in their lives. Focus group held among 12 college Millennials (born 1979-1994).



For more pictures in/around Pittsburgh, UPitt, the Incline and Pat, Charlott and Beth pigging out on desserts @ Monterey Bay atop the incline, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/watkinspatricia1/PittsburghASEEELDConference