Abstract: By 2030, 60 percent of the world's population will live in cities. Singapore, already home to 5 million people, isn't waiting for the surge to start planning. The city-state has partnered with French 3D software company Dassault Systemes to create a $73 million, 360-degree digital model that will ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: For 20 years, the Wellcome Image Awards have offered what the Washington Post calls the "most eye-catching celebration of science, medicine, and life." For instance, the winner of one of this year's awards, bestowed by the Wellcome Trust, a British medical research charity, looks like a purple ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: PERFECT PITCHA pioneering developer of green housing projects reimagines the metropolis as one big, compassionate community, engineered for efficiency and in tune with nature.The Well-Tempered City: What Modern Science, Ancient Civilizations and Human Nature Teach Us About the Future of Urban Life ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: At 94, John B. Goodenough is a living legend in the worlds of physics and energy materials engineering. The recipient of the 2011 National Medal of Science and the National Academy of Engineering's Draper Prize in 2014, he has reinvented his career multiple times on the backs of worldchanging ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: At East Carolina University, engineering undergraduates who do well in statics early in the semester often get an emailed kudo from their professor. Skipping class or shirking online discussions at Purdue University can prompt a red or yellow stoplight-with recommended routes for getting back on ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: For years, Donald Trump accused China of "eating our lunch." Turns out that country may also be picking up the tab. The New York Times reports that a newly completed Department of Defense white paper commissioned by the Obama administration warns that Chinese companies with strong ties to their ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: ASEE salutes engineers and engineering educators who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning.Christine Bland is the senior staff engineer at Lockheed Martin's Space Systems Company. She's worked on several deep-space projects, including NASA's Juno and Mars Reconnaissance ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: While 3D printing seems to get the most press on revolutionizing the engineering classroom, I have been most excited by the growth of smart subtractive machining. At the top of the list is the laser cutter, with its ability to rapidly and accurately cut out complicated shapes with ease. No other ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the new home of the Minnesota Vikings, is an architectural marvel. The $1.13 billion, 1.75 millionsquare-foot structure features a clear plastic roof and 200,000 square feet of reflective glass. But its beauty is also lethal-to birds. The stadium sits within the ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: (This is one of a series of quarterly letters to ASEE members from the executive director.)In the 1960s, ASEE moved its headquarters from Chicago to Washington, D.C., at the encouragement of President Eric Walker, then Penn State's engineering dean, because, as he said, it's "where the money is and ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: Chalk one up for academic integrity. Disturbed by the many invitations to become editors or reviewers for publications outside their field, researchers at the University of Sussex launched a sting as brazen as the scammers they ended up exposing-starting with the nom de plume of their fake Polish ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: At the conclusion of the Engineering Deans Institute in Coral Gables, Fla., in early April, five engineering deans, the Global Engineering Deans Council secretary general, and an ASEE staffer traveled to Cuba to meet with faculty from the Havana University of Technology (commonly known as CUJAE). ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: The world's worst nuclear disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, when one of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant's reactors exploded during a stress test, killing 50 people. Russian workers spent more than 200 days erecting a steel-and-concrete sarcophagus to seal in the waste-which still emits lethal ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: Electric cars are coming into their own-so why not electric airplanes' Why not, indeed, says Wright Electric, a Massachusetts-based start-up that wants to sell battery-powered aircraft within 10 years' time. The Wright plane would carry 150 passengers on journeys of less than 300 miles-basically ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: When an elevated section of Atlanta's Interstate 85 collapsed during a fire in late March, commuters and highway officials alike predicted an apocalyptic traffic snarl. Another "carmageddon" was predicted, five years after the name was used during a shutdown of Los Angeles's I-405 for weekend ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: It has often been said that "time passes quickly when you are having fun" and so it has been in many ways for me during this year. As my predecessors have noted, the year in this role goes very fast, and so I find it a bit hard to believe that this will be my last opportunity to address ASEE ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: BOARD PROFILESIGNALS EXPERT AND WOMEN'S ADVOCATEAgnieszka Miguel is chair of the Professional Interest Council I on ASEE's board of directors, as well as an associate professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering at Seattle University. She received her M.S. and B.S. in electrical ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: In January 2012, my fourth graders and I were featured in Prism's cover story, "A Deeper Partnership." The article communicated the many ways that engineering was being incorporated into the ground levels of education even before the Next Generation Science Standards debuted. My journey as an ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: Commuting can be a hellish experience, but some researchers are devising ways to help pedestrians and drivers avoid snags:* A team of student engineers and computer scientists at the University of Washington has developed an online, customizable travel planner to help pedestrians, particularly ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: The number of international students studying engineering in North America at the undergraduate and master's levels rose sharply from 2006 to 2015, ASEE data show. While the number of doctoral students also rose (but not at quite the same rate), these numbers illustrate a continued trend of growth ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: All birds can morph their wings to change their aerodynamic properties, but only the peregrine falcon-the world's fastest creature-can do it during dives that reach 240 mph. Christoph Bruecker, an aeronautical engineer at City, University of London is working with researchers at aerospace giant BAE ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: MEET YOUR STAFFIt was Cupid's random arrow, and not a carefully laid plan, that led ASEE's Tom Walker to the United States from his home in southeast England.A friend had suggested Tom play host to a visiting Yankee. The two hit it offand met again when Tom took a previously scheduled trip to the ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: Tesla and SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk has long raised alarms about risks posed by artificial intelligence. Now he's one of at least two Silicon Valley visionaries who think the best line of defense may be thought-conveying electrodes that will let humans communicate with superintelligent ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: Artificial limbs continue to get more lifelike. Eschen, a suburban New York prosthetics manufacturer, hopes to commercialize the world's first fully functional swimming leg. As a recent New York Times article notes, while waterproof artificial legs already exist, Eschen's prototype is unique in ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: Seven years ago, the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, releasing millions of gallons of oil. Much of the spill stayed below the surface in a drifting underwater plume, which couldn't be skimmed or burned off. Researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois now have ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: Undergraduate faculty members are well positioned to help correct a stubborn gender imbalance in engineering by promoting equity and women's persistence. Yet they often receive little comprehensive training in gender equity or institutional incentives to advance engagement and learning among all ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: Take two sheets of paper. Cut one into a letter M, and cut a hole in the middle. Roll the second to form a tube and insert it into the hole. Voila! Art! Aboard the International Space Station, where gravity is nearly nonexistent, this paper sculpture comes to life, retaining its shape while it ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: A common explanation for the continuing underrepresentation of women in engineering is that they hold a stereotypical view of the field as masculine and therefore avoid it. We often hear that women reject engineering because they are more interested in people-centered or helping professions and ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -040
Abstract: With the growing need for technically knowledgeable sales professionals, it is imperative that colleges effectively and efficiently prepare students for these jobs. Sales engineering or technical sales programs bridge engineering and business disciplines to educate students in sales techniques and ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Completing its third year, ASEE's P-12 Engineering Education Committee (PEEC) is pursuing ambitious aims. It wants to see engineering taught widely and well in pre-K through 12th grade classrooms and integrated within a system of engineering education. It also wants to increase respect in academia ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Can't visit Antarctica to watch penguins frolic? The Detroit Zoo has you covered- literally. Attracting record zoo attendance following its opening last April, the Polk Penguin Conservation Center features a 326,000-gallon pool laced with swimming channels up to 25 feet deep, underwater ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: More than 80 years ago, two physicists predicted that if hydrogen could be squeezed with enough pressure, it would turn into a super metal: atomic metallic hydrogen. Now in a recent Science paper, two Harvard researchers-Isaac Silvera, a professor of natural sciences, and his postdoctoral fellow, ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: For years, Bitcoin was thought to be an entirely anonymous way to exchange money, which explains why some users were criminals. In reality, the system records every transaction in a public "blockchain" ledger that anyone can look at and learn a user's entire financial history. Now researchers at ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Tomaso Poggio, the physicist who directs MIT's Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines, has for the past few years been building computational models of human brains to better understand human intelligence-ultimately down to the level of the circuitry of each neuron. The overarching purpose of this ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: In an era of segregation, sexism, and Sputnik, an unsung group of African-American women calculated how to put astronauts into orbit.Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race By Margot Lee Shetterley. William Morrow, ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: In last year's March-April issue of Prism, Henry Petroski took issue with the credit given to science for engineering's advances in aviation. He suggested that engineering educators should "emphasize how much of engineering is independent of math and science" as well as impress upon students that ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Robert Langer, an MIT professor of chemical engineering and a pioneering bioengineer, has been working with Giovanni Traverso, a gastroenterologist and bioengineer at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, to develop small, ingestible devices that could be used to monitor physiological conditions, ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Some fruits, such as tomatoes, self-pollinate. But three-quarters of all crops, including almonds, apples, lemons and squash, require birds and insects-particularly bees-to spread pollen from one flower to another. Such cross-pollination increases genetic diversity. Thus, for many farmers, the ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Seeing in the dark is about to get easier. Night-vision, or infrared, goggles have been in use for 80 years, typically by the military and people observing the nocturnal behavior of wild creatures. The gadgets are cumbersome, however. Now a team led by Dragomir Neshev, a professor in the Nonlinear ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: The fall in global oil prices may please American drivers and resurrect sales of gas-hungry SUVs, but for Saudi Arabia, home to one of the world's largest oil reserves, the economic impact is dire. Two years of budget deficits and growing domestic energy needs has sent the kingdom's royal family ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Missions to our nearest neighbor in the solar system are exceedingly rare. There have been only four, and all were conducted in the early- to mid-1980s by the Soviet Union. Why has Venus gotten the cold shoulder? Extreme heat: Surface temperatures reach 878 degrees Fahrenheit, far hotter than the ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Providing access to clean drinking water is one of engineering's 14 "grand challenges" for the 21st century. That includes planning for and managing supplies during times of drought, such as the one New York experienced in the mid-1960s.Until recently, the solution to municipal water scarcity was ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Navid Kazem fits neatly into the research-driven, entrepreneurial culture that has helped turn Pittsburgh from a decaying steel town into a high-tech hub. Now in his final year pursuing a Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University, the Tehran-raised civil and environmental engineer is part of an ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Bill Dunne is the chair of ASEE's Engineering Research Council and associate dean for research and facilities at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's college of engineering. A geologist by training, Dunne came to ASEE in a roundabout way. After 22 years as an associate professor of geology, ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Great Britain's controversial exit from the European Union could curb an unusual import: high school STEM teachers. Faced with the nation's worst shortage of educators since the mid-1970s, the Conservative government quietly solicited bids from recruitment agencies to hire math and physics teachers ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Most chemotherapy drugs are platinum-based and not only costly but are also now more than 40 years old. So researchers are looking at other precious metals to treat cancer. Investigators at Britain's University of Warwick recently found a new organo-metal compound, Organo-Osmium FY26, which ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: The most common complication following orthopedic implant surgery is bacterial infection. When it occurs, the only treatment is surgical removal of the implant and infected tissue, and a lengthy course of antibiotics. Researchers in India, however, have come up with a nanoscale treatment of ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Of the 127,697 graduate degrees awarded to women between 2006 and 2015, nearly one-third were in just three fields: computer science (inside engineering); electrical engineering; and civil engineering. By contrast, women earned just 2,633 graduate degrees in engineering science and engineering ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Jennifer Michaeli has sea water in her blood. A fourth-generation boat builder, whose forebears left England's shipyards to set up shop in Newport News, Va., she grew up "hearing about projects in the yard and culture in the yard" while sailing with her father and brother on boats they handcrafted ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: There's a subtle but important difference between these two statements:* I'm learning about engineering.* I'm learning to be an engineer.The first is about engineering knowledge- learning about engineering as a discipline separate from oneself. The second describes engineering being-a discipline ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: When the Georgia Institute of Technology teamed up with Udacity to launch an all-online master's program in computer science (OMS CS) in 2013, organizers knew they were doing something new and possibly radical: offering a complete graduate degree from a U.S. News top-10 program for the rock-bottom ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Joining ASEE's diverse and international staff last summer was nothing new for Yessica Yang Choy, a research analyst in our Assessment, Evaluation, and Institutional Research Office. She comes from Panama City, Panama, a robust collection of nationalities, languages, and ideas.Though she was born ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: The United States currently hosts just about one-fourth the number of Iranian students who were here in November 1979, when militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Yet even the current number-12,269-is remarkable given the near-constant tension between the U.S. and Iranian governments in the ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Brandy gets much of its distinctive color, aroma, and flavor from spending years-at least two and often more-fermenting in in oak casks, where bioactive compounds in the wood, or congeners, are slowly released into the alcohol. But now, according to Discovery, Spanish researchers have found a way ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: A team led by University of California, Berkeley, architect Maria Paz Gutierrez is working on a device that could help homeowners in drought-prone areas curb water use while also heating their homes for less money. The focus is on the hundreds of gallons of graywater that the typical family ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Only about half the trash in Egypt is collected and taken to landfills. The rest remains in plastic bags piled along roadsides. And some of the waste in those bags is shrimp shells. So Nicola Everitt, an associate professor of materials engineering at the University of Nottingham, is working with ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: A centrifuge is basic equipment in most medical labs. By spinning blood, urine, or stool samples, it allows for the isolation and detection of infections, pathogens, and parasites. But the machines are too costly and require too much electricity for use in remote areas of poor countries. So ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Last month, the Pentagon released a video of its successful October 2016 test of a swarm of leaderless drones that work collectively, like swarms of birds or insects. The 103 miniature Perdix drones, each with a wingspan of just one foot, were unleashed by three F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets in ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Move over Hulk, Goliath, and the BFGMethod-2 is joining your towering ranks. The manned, South Korean-built bipedal robot stands 13 feet tall, weighs 1.5 tons, and can walk like a human- shaking the ground with each step. Its movements are humanlike because its torso houses a cabin for its human ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: One of the futuristic devices in the Jetsons, the '60s TV cartoon show about life in the space age, was the family's flying car. That's no longer a fantasy. Airbus, the European aerospace giant, expects to begin flight-testing a semiautonomous flying taxi by the end of the year. The firm's Silicon ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Today's fighting men and women are swathed in body armor that does a pretty good job of protecting them from shrapnel in explosions. But armor cannot protect them from blast pressure, the shock waves from bombs that can cause traumatic brain injury. TBI victims often show no obvious physical ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Data presented here show little change over five years in the demote ^«graphic breakdown of engineering technology students. Caucasians represented 79-81 percent; African Americans, 8 percent each year; Asian-Americans, 4-5 percent; Hispanics, 5-7 percent; Native Americans, 1 percent each year; and ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Eva Castelo is on ASEE's IT team, previously as lead developer for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Her work is now distributed across many projects, including mentoring several new junior staffers.Eva hails from the Galicia region in the northwest of Spain, an area known for its ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: In the annals of blue-sky research, the National Science Foundation's gamble on the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory in the early 1990s ranks as a doozy. Designed to detect ripples in the fabric of space-time that Albert Einstein predicted would result from cosmic cataclysms, the ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: FROM THE ALE TRAIL AND MOUTH-WATERING DESSERTS TO A TOUCH-EVERYTHING KIDS' MUSEUM, ART MAKER SPACE, AND BOTANICAL TREASURES, OHIO'S CAPITAL GIVES 'LOCAL FLAVOR' A WHOLE NEW MEANING. BRING AN APPETITE.A buckeye is a small brown nut from a tree native to Ohio. The tree is famously hard to kill and ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Iraq's Mosul Dam, erected across the Tigris River to irrigate farmland and generate electricity, has been a catastrophe waiting to happen almost since it began operating in 1986. Built on porous gypsum and limestone, it keeps hundreds of workers busy round the clock, six days a week, pumping tons ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: As the world's lightest yet strongest material, graphene-a two-dimensional, single layer of carbon atoms first isolated nearly 13 years ago at Britain's University of Manchester-has great potential to revolutionize electronics, energy storage, and materials science. Now it's been used to construct ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Many a 1990s youngster was thrilled by the wild adventures of science teacher Ms. Frizzle and her students in The Magic School Bus. The science-based animated show-in which the eponymous bus morphed into a variety of vehicles, including a submarine and a spaceship-debuted on PBS in 1994 for four ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Printed electronics already have many uses. For example, they are used in the anti-theft radio frequency identification (RFID) tabs stuck to the backs of DVD packages. But use of printed electronics is limited by heat-it requires a fair amount of it to melt all of the nanoparticles in the ink into ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: During World War One, Britain created a National Council of Women to get women to take on traditional male jobs-like engineering-so more men could join the armed forces. Rachel Parsons, the daughter and granddaughter of famous inventors, was an engineer and leader of women in factories during the ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: It is hard to believe that as of this writing I am just over halfway through my ASEE presidency I have enjoyed the opportunity to represent you and lead our Board of Directors as we set the course for ASEE's future. It's been an active year so far.Making a more diverse, welcoming environment in our ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: On February 1, 2017, ASEE's Board of Directors issued the following statement on the Trump administration's order regarding immigration by nationals of seven countries:The U.S. Presidential Executive Order on immigration enforcement, issued on Friday January 27, may have a significant potential ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: PRESIDENT'S LETTERIt was a great honor to serve as your president during the 2015-2016 Society Year. ASEE has been central to my professional career for many years, and being President has allowed me to experience the Society and enjoy interactions with fellow members in new and rewarding ways.ASEE ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: As this is written, the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health-both major funders of engineering research-are the only big federal science agencies outside the Pentagon whose top leaders are still at their desks. With vacancies at the White House Office of Science and ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Trains operated by NS, a Dutch railway company, make 5,500 journeys a day and carry 600,000 passengers. That consumes 1.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity a year-enough juice to keep all the households in Amsterdam running. NS partnered with Eneco, a Netherlands energy company, in 2015 to find ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: The cosmic web is a vast network of streams of gases between the galaxies. Christopher Martin, a professor of physics at Caltech, says that for the past 30 years he's been consumed by the question: What is that gas doing? He's now helped design and build an instrument that may provide the answer: ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Last spring, an academic in Algeria alerted ASEE to an email from an online, open-access publication using the name Journal of Engineering Technology (JoET): "With Ref. to your manuscript Ref. 67-2016-JoET, yes journal publish all papers under open access policy to support online publishing and ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: A SEE's ties with peer organizations overseas have deep roots. As Japan sought to rebuild its economy after World War II, for instance, ASEE in 1951 sent a 15-member mission to visit universities and industrial sites. Led by Harold Hazen, then head of MIT's electrical engineering department, the ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Before Hurricane Matthew barreled up the East Coast last fall, Dartmouth engineering graduate Anna Stork prepared to help hundreds of thousands of people who were about to lose power. Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Stork and business partner Andrea Sreshta had founded LuminAID, which ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: The mainstay of pharmaceutical companies remains small-molecule drugs. The traditional way of finding molecules that might be turned into useful therapies is to screen large numbers of them to lo ok for ones that might prove effective, using a series of costly tests and trials. It's a process, as ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: This year marks the centennial of the birth of one of the 20th century's softest-spoken but deepest-thinking engineers, Walter G. Vincenti.Vincenti was born on April 20, 1917 in Baltimore and grew up in Pasadena, Calif., just three blocks from Caltech. Not wanting to go to college so close to home, ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: My most disappointing moments after joining Duke's engineering school in 2004 came in seeing our graduates join investment banks or management consultancies. Instead of solving important engineering problems, they chose to engineer our financial system, which I considered a waste of talent. We ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Leadership is important for advancing both the field of engineering and the careers of individuals. With increasingly complex problems embedded within an expanding technology-driven environment, there is a greater need for individuals who have technical expertise and who are capable of developing ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Blueberries, yum. Who doesn't like them generously sprinkled on cereal, baked into muffins, or just eaten by the handful? Moreover, they're crammed with antioxidants and plenty of vitamins, especially Vitamin C. But raw blueberries also provide a welcoming home to the human norovirus, which can ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: A new robotic jumping champion has been created by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley. Salto (which is short for the much more tongue-twisting "saltatorial locomotion on terrain obstacles") can jump five times within four seconds to reach a combined height of8.56 meters, or 27.9 ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: BYTE BACK A journalist extols the virtues of vinyl, handwritten letters, and other old-fashioned tactile experiences that enrich our digital lives. The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter By David Sax. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016. 396 pages.The rustle of newspaper in your ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: There's a lot of junk in space. It's estimated that 100 million pieces of debris orbit Earth, traveling at speeds up to 17,500 mph. It's a problem because it places satellites and the International Space Station (ISS) at risk of damage. To help collect and destroy some of that junk, Japan recently ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Wind turbines not only provide clean power but may also give some crops a boost- thanks to the air turbulence they create. Gene Takle, a professor of agronomy at Iowa State University, erected research towers on a 200-turbine wind farm and, between 2010 and 2013, collected data on wind speeds and ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: The American company Rapiscan makes a huge X-ray machine that can take images of what's inside each of the more than 8,000 shipping containers passing daily along a track at Holland's Port of Rotterdam at speeds of just over 9 mph. Trouble is, the humans employed to read the scans and look for ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Solving problems that are complex and illstructured is a central activity of engineering practice. Graduates of engineering programs accredited by ABET are expected to be able to solve problems requiring consideration of "realistic constraints," including: "economic, environmental, social, ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Pricking a finger to check blood-sugar levels could be a thing of the past for Type 1 diabetics if a group of former science and engineering students at Canada's University of Waterloo has its way. Harry Gandhi and his team at Medella Health, a medical tech start-up formed in 2013, have created a ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Militaries have long used sandbags as fortifications, but until recently there's never been much research into understanding how well sand resists impacts. A team of civil and environmental engineers at the National University of Singapore has taken a close look at the ability of sand to withstand ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: The accompanying graphics compare trends over the period 2005-15 in enrollment and research funding of four engineering disciplines that figure in quantum engineering, the topic of this month's cover story: computer engineering, computer science (inside engineering), engineering science and ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: How hot is it?" That question, which teed up many of Johnny Carson's late-night riffs, is no laughing matter to California farmers grappling with record drought or victims of lethal heat waves in India. Extreme weather events-heat waves, droughts, wildfires, heavy rainstorms, blizzards, and ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: This month, ASEE is launching Engineer Your Career-Success for Up-and-Coming Faculty and Professionals, a four-part professional development webinar series for students and new and up-and-coming engineering professionals. Each webinar will feature thought leaders and subject matter experts and is ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Inside a wire-festooned lab in College Park, Md., engineers and physicists are experiencing something like the pioneering days of computing in the late 1940s. That was a time when inserting a program was a laborious process, and success in factoring a small number stood out as a "moment to ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Sustainable development and sustainability have played an increasingly important role in engineering education over the past 20 years, but more needs to be done. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer educators an ideal platform to inspire engineering students at all levels ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Back in 2011, Prism reported on the eventual expiration of Moore's Law, the 1965 observation by Intel cofounder Gordon Moore that computer chip performance doubles approximately every two years. Industry was nearing the physical limit on the number of transistors that could be crammed onto a single ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: "Sweat is a rich, chemical broth containing a number of important chemical compounds with physiological health information." So says John A. Rogers, a bioengineer at Northwestern University, whose team has developed a one-use, adhesive device that measures a person's sweat and can relay medical ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050
Abstract: Battery technology, which our current mobile devices depend on, hasn't advanced much in 150 years. The last big leap in rechargeable batteries was the lithium-ion battery developed by Sony 25 years ago. And while they're pretty efficient, they're also prone to catching fire. That's because they're ... (Publication: ASEE Prism) PubDate: Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -050