The BRIDGE LINKING ENGINEERING and SOCIETY

Home , Kapton, Martin Cooper (inventor), Rangaswamy Srinivasan, Uma Chowdhry

Summer 2013 UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING EDUCATION

The BRIDGE LINKING ENGINEERING AND SOCIETY

The Algebra Challenge Enrique J. Lavernia and Jean S. VanderGheynst Undergraduate Engineering Curriculum: The Ultimate Design Challenge Susan A. Ambrose Opportunities in Engineering Education: Pathways to Better-Prepared Students David B. Spencer and George Mehler Aligning Engineering Education and Experience to Meet the Needs of Industry and Society Rick Stephens Entrepreneurship: Its Role in Engineering Education Tom Byers, Tina Seelig, Sheri Sheppard, and Phil Weilerstein Opening Education Richard G. Baraniuk State-Level Measures to Close the STEM Skills Gap Dennis D. Berkey and Joanne Goldstein The NAE Grand Challenge Scholars Program Tom Katsouleas, Richard Miller, and Yannis Yortsos

The mission of the National Academy of Engineering is to advance the well-being of the nation by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and by marshalling the expertise and insights of eminent engineers to provide independent advice to the federal government on matters involving engineering and technology. The BRIDGE

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING

Charles O. Holliday Jr., Chair Charles M. Vest, President Maxine L. Savitz, Vice President Thomas F. Budinger, Home Secretary Venkatesh Narayanamurti, Foreign Secretary C.D. (Dan) Mote Jr., Treasurer

Editor in Chief: Ronald M. Latanision Managing Editor: Cameron H. Fletcher Production Assistant: Penelope Gibbs The Bridge (ISSN 0737-6278) is published quarterly by the National Aca demy of Engineering, 2101 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC

20418. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, DC. Vol. 43, No. 2, Summer 2013 Postmaster: Send address changes to The Bridge, 2101 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20418. Papers are presented in The Bridge on the basis of general interest and time- liness. They reflect the views of the authors and not necessarily the position of the National Academy of Engineering. The Bridge is printed on recycled paper. C © 2013 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

A complete copy of The Bridge is available in PDF format at www.nae.edu/TheBridge. Some of the articles in this issue are also available as HTML documents and may contain links to related sources of information, multimedia files, or other content. The Volume 43, Number 2 • Summer 2013 BRIDGE LINKING ENGINEERING AND SOCIETY

Editors’ Notes 3 Note from Bridge Editor in Chief Ronald M. Latanision Ronald M. Latanision 5 Innovations and Opportunities in Engineering Education Diran Apelian

Features 7 The Algebra Challenge Enrique J. Lavernia and Jean S. VanderGheynst A fresh approach is critical for teaching algebra, which is the make-or-break moment in K–12 education that prevents countless students from pursuing STEM study or careers. 16 Undergraduate Engineering Curriculum: The Ultimate Design Challenge Susan A. Ambrose It is time to move beyond tweaking the curriculum to a coherent, encompassing approach to the redesign of engineering curricula. 24 Opportunities in Engineering Education: Pathways to Better-Prepared Students David B. Spencer and George Mehler Engineering will be well served by creatively engaging students throughout their education to make engineering a positive and rewarding experience applicable to any field of study or profession. 31 Aligning Engineering Education and Experience to Meet the Needs of Industry and Society Rick Stephens By working closely together, industry and academia can develop engineers who are not only technically strong but also creative and able to work well in teams, communicate effectively, and create useful products. 35 Entrepreneurship: Its Role in Engineering Education Tom Byers, Tina Seelig, Sheri Sheppard, and Phil Weilerstein Students in entrepreneurship programs gain insights into designing for end users, working in and managing interdisciplinary teams, communicating effectively, thinking critically, understanding business basics, and solving open- ended problems.

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The BRIDGE 41 Opening Education 68 2013 National Meeting Richard G. Baraniuk 70 Thank You Letter to National Academy of The open education (OE) movement provides Engineering new mechanisms to democratize education by 71 Global Grand Challenges Summit Held interconnecting ideas, learners, and instructors in in London new kinds of constructs that replace traditional textbooks, courses, and certifications. 71 International Scholarship Focused on Global Grand Challenges 48 State-Level Measures to Close the STEM 72 2013 German-American Frontiers of Skills Gap Engineering Held at Beckman Center Dennis D. Berkey and Joanne Goldstein 73 NAE Regional Meetings Massachusetts has created a comprehensive, collaborative model for supporting STEM education 73 Symposium on Online Learning and How in the practical context of career readiness and Technology May Change Higher Education, industry needs. Held at Stanford University 74 53 The NAE Grand Challenge Scholars Program 2013 NAE Southeast Regional Meeting Summary Tom Katsouleas, Richard Miller, and Yannis Yortsos The Grand Challenge Scholars program gives 75 Symposium on Shale Gas: Implications for students a better understanding of how their America’s Regional Manufacturing undergraduate work prepares them to face their Economies, Held at Carnegie Mellon careers and important societal challenges. University 77 An Engineer’s Oath NAE News and Notes 78 NAE Receives $500,000 Gift from W.M. Keck Foundation to Name and Endow the Simon 57 Charles M. Vest Ramo Founders Award 58 NAE Newsmakers 78 U.S. News Announces STEM Leadership Hall of 61 NAE Honors 2013 Prize Winners Fame Award Winners 61 Charles Stark Draper Prize 79 Calendar of Meetings and Events 62 Acceptance Remarks by Richard Frenkiel 79 In Memoriam 63 Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize 64 Acceptance Remarks by 80 Publications of Interest Rangaswamy Srinivasan 65 Bernard M. Gordon Prize 65 Acceptance Remarks by Richard K. Miller 67 NAE President, Treasurer, and Councillors Elected

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self- The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National perpetuating society of distin guished scholars engaged in scientific Acad emy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the author- to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility ity of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional char- has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on ter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, The National Research Council was organized by the National under the charter of the Nation al Academy of Sciences, as a parallel Academy of Scienc es in 1916 to associate the broad community of organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its adminis- science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering tration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal gov- accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the ernment. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engi- Council has become the principal operating agency of both the neering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages edu- National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engi- cation and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of neering in providing services to the government, the public, and the engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy scientific and engi neering communities. The Council is administered of Engineering. jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. www.national-academies.org FALL 2006 3 Editor’s Note

infrastructure in the United States is declining in many of the engineering disciplines that are important to this nation’s future. For example, metallurgists, ceramic engineers, welding engineers, corrosion engineers, power systems engineers, high-temperature oxidation experts, cement chemists, and others are very difficult to find among undergraduate and graduate students. We continue to build engineering systems that depend on these disciplines, but the population of students and graduates Ronald M. Latanision in such areas is declining. Part of the decline may in my judgment be attributed to the declining research support from agencies that typically fund university research in Note from Bridge Editor in Chief the United States. My years of university teaching and research con- Ronald M. Latanision vince me, in a reductionist sense, that most university With this issue of the Bridge, the NAE will be in the departments are subject to the following sequence: midst of a leadership transition as Dan Mote succeeds (1) funding sources drive research, (2) research drives Chuck Vest as president. I have had the opportunity the educational program at both the graduate and to work a bit with Dan in the context of an Associa- undergraduate level, and (3) prospective students look tion of American Universities (AAU) initiative on at the education (curriculum) that is offered and vote precollege education that I chaired on behalf of the with their feet in terms of their choice of major. This is AAU presidents. I look forward to working with him in itself not a startling observation. But I suspect that once again. Chuck was president of MIT during my engineering has taken a disproportionate hit in terms time as a member of the faculty and while it is tempting of both research funding and student interest for some to mention Chuck’s reference to me as MIT’s “educa- time. This seems to be true in many engineering disci- tion czar,” I will resist. Instead, I might just mention plines. What concerns me is that the nation’s university with fondness the bets that, as alums, we placed on the research enterprise is out of balance in terms of both Michigan–Ohio State football games: the bet included funding distribution and direction. the provision that the winner choose an artifact of the Many would argue that the above engineering dis- winning school that the loser had to publicly display ciplines are mature and that there are higher priorities on the MIT campus for some suitable period of time. for research support. It’s true that quite a lot is known Unfortunately for me, he won most of those bets! I had about the fundamentals in those disciplines, but with- to carry a maize and blue umbrella around campus— out resources for research in a given area, why would a rain or shine. But on the one occasion when OSU did department hire faculty with such interest? And with- win, he wore a Buckeye tie to a faculty meeting! These out faculty, there are no students to follow that path of were short interludes in Chuck’s characteristically research, and so the intellectual infrastructure that took full agenda. decades to develop begins to erode. This is the phenom- I also want to thank Guest Editor Diran Apelian for enon at work at this point in my view. his masterful work in assembling this issue of The Bridge I do understand the need to establish priorities and I on the subject of undergraduate engineering education. do agree that universities should be at the leading edge Education at every level has been important to me, per- in terms of their research agenda, but I do not think sonally and professionally, for a very long time. My roots the national interest is served when the priorities and are in the coal mines of northeast Pennsylvania and the research agenda are at the expense of disciplines that educational system in this country has been at the core meet the demand for a workforce that can design, manu- of my life. I am concerned now that the intellectual facture, inspect, and maintain engineering systems that

TheThe 4 BRIDGEBRIDGE literally support our daily lives. Power stations, bridges, and research are substantially driven by external fund- pipelines, buildings, airframes, and gas turbines are still ing forces that are seemingly unbalanced. integral to the American standard of living and com- NAE members, as the leaders of the engineering mercial enterprise. But US bridges and water works are enterprise, should exercise their sense of technologi- aging and need attention. Airframes and power plants cal statesmanship and take a long, hard look at the are being asked to perform beyond their original design above issues. This would require, I believe, conversa- life. The country needs not only the skills that address tions among university executives, federal agency lead- such contemporary engineering systems but also those ership, and science and technology policymakers that that are likely to evolve over the decades ahead. focus not just on ensuring that US research universities While the above litany represents a problem in my have sustained research support but that these funds are view in terms of engineering education, it represents a distributed in keeping with the national interest in the challenge and opportunity for the engineering practice. broadest sense. My concern is that with faculty and industrial practi- I welcome your comments. tioner retirements, and without the means to replenish these skills, the United States will have a serious engineering dilemma on its hands. Engineering education SUMMERFALL 2006 2013 5 Editor’s Note

and the skills that support it, create pathways to attract talent to STEM-oriented careers, and adapt the curriculum to ensure inclusive learning modalities. The curriculum of engineering schools is also beginning to change to highlight the creative nature of engi- Diran Apelian is Alcoa- neering. The schematic shown in Figure 1 is one that Howmet Professor of Mechanical my colleague Grétar Tryggvason and I have used to Engineering and director of the illustrate the creative function of engineering. It shows Metal Processing Institute at dimensions of four broad areas: the humanities, arts, sci- Worcester Polytechnic Institute. ence, and engineering. The humanities are characterized by the study of culture (e.g., literature, art, history), Innovations and Opportunities in practitioners of the arts create culture, science entails study of the physical world, and engineering involves Engineering Education creation in the physical world. The societal challenges of the 21st century are pro- found and wide-ranging. Basic needs such as energy, food and water, housing, mobility, and health will become even more acute as the world population exceeds 9 billion. The demands for sustainable development will require redefined and innovative engi- Humanities Arts neering talent and leadership. In parallel with these changes and challenges, engi- Cultural neering education is embarking on a transformation as significant as the birth of engineering as a profession in the 19th century and the establishment of scientific knowledge as the foundation of engineering in the mid- 20th century. These changes are driven by the emer- Science Engineering

gence of a connected, competitive, and entrepreneurial Physical global economy, in which successful engineers increasingly need technical competency and professional skills that differ from what worked in the past. The stage is Study Create set for a Renaissance period for engineering education. But at a time when more engineering talent is needed FIGURE 1 Schematic showing dimensions of the humanities, to address the world’s challenges, the number of students arts, science, and engineering. Reproduced with the permission who are interested in science, technology, engineering, of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. from Tryggvason G, Apelian D. 2012. and mathematics (STEM) is decreasing. This trend is Shaping Our World: Engineering Education for the 21st Century. observed in North America and Europe, the exception being the Asian countries, especially China and Korea. This issue of the Bridge focuses on engineering edu- Recent initiatives aim to reverse this trend by attract- cation and how it must evolve to prepare engineers ing the best and the brightest to engineering. As dis- to exercise creativity in developing approaches to the cussed by the authors in this issue, these initiatives teach world’s challenges. The authors take a critical look at and nurture the “soft” (people) skills, ensure that the first both the design and specific components—both exist- year of undergraduate study is an engaging one rather ing and proposed—of the engineering curriculum. than a “turn-off,” integrate and offer a holistic approach They also think broadly about the means of delivery to engineering education, introduce entrepreneurship of engineering education, taking advantage of new The 6 BRIDGE technological capacities. Moving to the larger picture, In addition to the content of engineering education, they consider the roles of the state and of industry. the means of delivery is evolving with the develop- First, to prepare students for college study of engi- ment of new technological capacities. Richard Bara- neering, Enrique Lavernia and Jean VanderGheynst niuk addresses open education and considers the needs take up “the algebra challenge,” which too often deters and opportunities for changes in methods of delivering students from further study in related subjects. They instruction. He is a leader of the open education move- explain why algebra is particularly difficult for students, ment, which aims to share knowledge and teaching and why mastery of it is crucial to STEM education and materials freely over the Internet. He launched Con- even high school and college graduation. The authors nexions, one of the first initiatives to offer free, open describe a number of innovative approaches to this source textbooks via the Web. His comments reaffirm subject that can enhance the success of both students that the world has greatly changed in the past few and teachers. decades, and those who do not adapt to new paradigms Susan Ambrose, coauthor of How Learning Works: of instructional delivery will be left behind. Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching Curricular content and delivery are not the whole of (Jossey-Bass, 2010), then assesses undergraduate engi- engineering education. Engineers must integrate and neering curriculum as the “Ultimate Design Challenge,” practice their skills in the real world. To that end, edu- describing concepts that have been tested and validat- cational collaboration beyond the classroom is essential. ed. Importantly, she makes the point that it is time to Dennis Berkey and Joanne Goldstein illustrate the stop tweaking curricula and instead be audacious and role of state government and private enterprises to embrace and implement what works. The article is well close the STEM skills gap. Partnerships between insti- documented and contains a wealth of references. tutions of higher education and the state government Rick Stephens calls for a holistic approach in engi- can address local issues that affect competitiveness and neering education, making the point that technical economic well-being. They describe state-sponsored skills alone are not enough. Engineering education must initiatives in Massachusetts, such as community col- also nurture the “soft” skills that are critical to a success- lege internships, outreach to parents and students, and ful and satisfying career. He presents four measures to workforce training and development to support both help students learn to work well in teams, communicate career readiness and industry needs. effectively, and create useful products. The final article is by three leaders in engineering David Spencer and George Mehler review education- education: Tom Katsouleas, Richard Miller, and Yan- al approaches to better prepare engineering students for nis Yortsos. Their focus is the NAE Grand Challenge the changing engineering workforce. They describe Scholars Program and how it is attracting young men opportunities in student-centered education and, inter- and women who want to contribute and want to make estingly, highlight the importance of—and the feasibil- a difference. What better way to do so than through ity of teaching—character and intuition as well as the engineering? freedom to fail. Taken together, these articles clearly show that engi- Tom Byers, Tina Seelig,1 Sheri Sheppard, and Phil neering education as it has been practiced for the last Weilerstein discuss growing interest in entrepreneurship five decades is changing—and must—to adapt to the education to prepare students for the innovation econ- new realities of the world. And it is about time. omy. In 2011, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $10 million grant over five years to launch Acknowledgments a national STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) My involvement as editor of this issue got started over Center at Stanford University for teaching innova- a lunch of a dozen oysters and a glass of Chablis with tion and entrepreneurship in engineering. The authors Bridge Editor in Chief Ron Latanision. I appreciate his review initiatives to teach entrepreneurship throughout invitation and hope I have done justice to the topic. the curriculum, and share examples and success stories. I am especially indebted to Cameron Fletcher, without whom this project would never have come to frui- 1 Byers and Seelig won the NAE Bernard M. Gordon Prize in tion. She’s the best editor I’ve worked with and helped 2009 for “developing and disseminating technology entrepre- immeasurably in the writing of this introduction and neurship educational resources for engineering students and edu- the organization of the issue. cators around the world.” A fresh approach is critical for teaching algebra, which is the make-or-break moment in K–12 education that prevents countless students from pursuing STEM study or careers.

The Algebra Challenge

Enrique J. Lavernia and Jean S. VanderGheynst

On January 30, 2013, PBS’s NewsHour devoted a segment to American schools that have introduced real-world applications to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education while at the same time Enrique J. Lavernia promoting students’ ability to “get the concepts” over the supposed “intelligence” demonstrated by raw scores on tests. The program featured 8th grade students at King Middle School in Portland, Maine, who are designing robots to gather “resources” (in this case, ping pong balls). It also showed students in a statistics class at New York City’s High School of Telecommunications Arts and Technology discussing datasets, debating the pros and cons of various polling techniques, and creating their own exit polls—their teacher intends her pupils to become producers of information, not just consumers.1 While we’re delighted by the mainstream media exposure granted to these pilot programs, we’re simultaneously dismayed by the editorial slant that,

Jean S. VanderGheynst Enrique J. Lavernia is dean and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Jean S. VanderGheynst is associate dean and professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, both at the University of California–Davis College of Engineering.

1 PBS NewsHour. Teachers Embrace “Deep Learning,” Translating Lessons into Practical Skills (January 30, 2013). Available online at www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan- june13/charter_01-30.html. The 8 BRIDGE in the 21st century, still regards such efforts as unusual The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that more examples of progressive teaching. In this article we focus than 800,000 professional information technology jobs on the specific need for innovation in the teaching of would be added during the decade ending in 2016, an algebra, which for many students is a “wall” too difficult increase of about 24 percent (Wright 2009). Although to scale and stifles their interest in even thinking about many of these jobs will not require a four-year college further study in mathematics or other STEM areas. degree, all will demand a solid background in computer science (Wright 2009). And in California a study by the The Need to Transform STEM Education Public Policy Institute indicates that by 2025 the state Many courses suffer from overly structured styles of could face a shortage of up to a million college gradu- instruction that have been the norm for half a century: ates to meet its skilled workforce demands (Johnson and styles that haven’t changed despite great technological Sengupta 2009). advances that could—should—have prompted exciting Despite all of this compelling evidence, US education new approaches to teaching. The need to transform tradi- is actually trending in the wrong direction. Classes in tional approaches to teaching STEM is well established, computer science and computer programming—a pow- as is the awareness that such approaches, particularly in a erful means to help solve the “algebra crisis”—either “gatekeeper” course such as algebra, are failing miserably. remain largely absent from many secondary schools or are declining. The portion of schools offering an introductory programming course dropped from 78 percent Traditional instruction in 2005 to 65 percent in 2012, with a corresponding drop from 40 to 27 percent in Advanced Placement methods in algebra are classes (Nagel 2009). People aren’t listening. Or, to be more precise, the failing miserably. right people aren’t listening.

Anecdotal evidence abounds in middle schools from Trends in US STEM Performance and Ranking California to Maine, all of it supported by research The 2011 California STEM Summit, which took place and statistical documentation going back at least three October 10–11 at UC Davis, assembled more than 200 decades (Tuma and Reif 1980). More recently, a 2000 K–12, higher education, industry, and nonprofit lead- study demonstrated that women and underrepresented ers and policymakers from throughout the state. Par- minority students are particularly ill served by tradi- ticipants were engaged and enthusiastic, and generated tional teaching methods (Rech and Harrington 2000), more than 350 concepts and suggestions to spark inno- and a 2008 study revealed that the pass rate for Algebra vation in STEM education (CSLNet 2011). I students was a shockingly low 39 percent nationwide Lurking behind the collaborative panel discussions (Gates 2008). A fresh approach is especially critical for that gave rise to these ideas, however, were the grim the teaching of algebra, which has been recognized as statistics that had prompted the summit. Although in the make-or-break moment in students’ K–12 educa- the 1970s California was a national leader in K–12 and tion (Gates 2008; Rech and Harrington 2000). Ameri- higher education, in 2011 it ranked 34th among all can middle schools, in particular, require innovations states in math and science proficiency in grades 4 and 8 that bridge classroom mathematics instruction with (White and Cottle 2011). The “golden dream”—which other STEM tools and activities, particularly comput- once propelled young students to careers of excellence ing (Collins and Halverson 2009; NSF 2008). in industry, academia, and politics—had become a tar- Our point: This is not fresh information, and yet nished waking nightmare (Provasnik et al. 2012). nothing has been done at a national level. Politicians, This disturbing news isn’t confined to California. The school boards, and teachers’ unions remain committed National Center for Education Statistics’ 2011 Trends to testing requirements, ignoring the increasingly obvi- in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), ous fact that a top-down realignment of STEM educa- published in December 2012, revealed the problem’s tion—starting at the university level and working down international scope (Provasnik et al. 2012). The aver- to kindergarten—may be one of the country’s most cru- age math and science scores of US 4th grade students cial challenges. ranked them 11th and 7th, respectively, among the 57 SUMMER 2013 9

countries and education systems that participated in the students would rather do chores than math homework, study. The situation is no better for US 8th grade stu- and 33 percent would rather go to bed early!4 Since dents, whose math and science scores ranked them 9th algebra is frequently taught in middle school, this find- and 10th, respectively. ing may well apply to students’ attitudes about this spe- But the rankings may actually obscure the extent of cific class. the achievement gap. Far more troubling is the fact Yet classrooms across the nation continue to teach that the average math score (509) of US 8th graders in algebra the same way it was taught in the 1950s and 2011 showed no statistical improvement from the previ- ’60s. And since California legislators made algebra a ous TIMSS, in 2007 (508), while countries such as the statewide high school graduation requirement in 2004, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and China/Taipei posted more students are failing to graduate. A January 2006 2011 scores of 613, 611, and 609 (Gonzales et al. 2009; Los Angeles Times article profiled one poor high school Killewald and Xie 2013). student who, over the course of six semesters, failed With a mere one-point improvement over the course algebra six times. Midway through her senior year, she of four years—in the wake of No Child Left Behind— returned all her textbooks to the campus book room and US students will never catch up. Indeed, they’ll never left school for good (Helfand 2006). get close to catching up. “Repeated failure makes kids think they can’t do the work,” confirmed Andrew Porter, director of the Learn- A Link Between Algebra and Dropout Rates ing Sciences Institute at Nashville’s Vanderbilt Univer- Children are dropping out of school because of alge- sity. “And when they can’t do the work, they say, ‘I’m bra (Helfand 2006) at a time when they are needed for out of here’” (Helfand 2006). the nation’s economic security. A study from Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center reported that 1.3 million high school students Algebra isn’t like the math dropped out in 2010—roughly 7,200 per school day.2 And according to a report prepared by the Massachusetts courses that come before it. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education,3 It is abstract, with variables • Dropping out of school impacts students’ self-esteem and psychological well-being as they discover that instead of integers. they lack the skills and knowledge to fulfill their desires; Why Is Algebra So Difficult? • Dropouts are 3.5 times more likely than high school Are the concepts of algebra truly harder than those graduates to be incarcerated during their lifetime; and explored in, say, fractions or percentages? We believe the answer is yes. • Earnings for students who quit school continue to Algebra isn’t like the math courses that come before decline: in 1971, male dropouts earned an estimated it. It is abstract, with variables instead of integers. Once $37,087, which decreased by 35 percent to $23,902 letters are inserted for numbers, students get lost. The in 2002. information must be presented to them in some other Furthermore, a recent survey commissioned by fashion. Raytheon revealed that 89 percent of middle-school Math is like a foreign language. It comes naturally to some people; others require lots of time and help. 2 “Progress on Graduation Rate Stalls; 1.3 Million Students Fail Some people need to see it in a context that makes to Earn Diplomas.” Education Week/Editorial Projects in Educa- sense to them in order to grasp it. It usually requires tion Research Center, June 20, 2010. Available online at www. lots of practice. edweek.org/media/ew/dc/2010/DC10_PressKit_final.pdf. 3 The report, Dropout Reduction: Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery (updated Dec. 6, 2011), is available online from the 4 “Raytheon Inspires Students with New Virtual World of Math Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Educa- Via MathMovesU.com” (January 2008). Available online at www. tion (www.doe.mass.edu/dropout/); these statistics are from the prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-inspires-students-with- Overview section on Consequences of Dropping Out. new-virtual-world-of-math-via-mathmovesucom-57528972.html. The 10 BRIDGE

FIGURE 1 Professor Harry Cheng, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UC Davis, demonstrates an iMobot for participants in a summer youth camp session on robotics at the university. (Photo: UC Davis College of Engineering) Students attempting to learn algebra confront many ary, it’s by no means the only example of innovative unique challenges (Rakes et al. 2010). First, alge- teaching tools. Many schools around the country have bra is often the first course where students engage in used LEGO Mindstorms NXT to promote K–12 stu- abstract reasoning and problem solving (Vogel 2008). dent learning of STEM (Crowley et al. 2003; Franz Second, unlike basic mathematics—which deals sole- and Elmore 2009; Gale et al. 2007; Karp et al. 2010). ly with numbers—students must learn the language The Los Angeles Unified School District has experi- of mathematical symbols and the rules of arithmetic mentally implemented a high school computer science operations (Kilpatrick et al. 2001). Finally, algebra’s curriculum with a full-year course that includes human- structural characteristics can be too subtle for students computer interaction, problem solving, Web design, who cannot, for example, recognize the difference robotics, computer applications, and an introduction to between the expression −x2 + 5x − 6 and the equation programming (Goode and Chapman 2009). −x2 + 5x − 6 = 0 (Carraher and Schliemann 2007; Howe All of this comes as no surprise here at UC Davis, 2005; Kieran 1992). which is doing something quite similar . . . and it hap- The interaction of the three fundamental concepts pened almost by accident. of algebra—abstract reasoning, the language of mathematics, and mathematical structure—is a formidable Robotics impediment for many students trying to master algebra Dr. Harry H. Cheng came to UC Davis in 1992 as a (Rakes et al. 2010). robotics and computing researcher in the College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Innovative Approaches to Teaching Algebra Engineering. Since then he has earned numerous honors Although the PBS NewsHour segment presented the and awards, he regularly publishes journal articles and use of robots at King Middle School as revolution- book chapters, and he has chaired or served as a guest SUMMER 2013 11

speaker at dozens of conferences in the United States key point: He’s not talking about building new curri- and China. Cheng and former graduate student Graham cula, with more funding and fancy technology, solely Ryland recently invented an intelligent, reconfigurable for the benefit of top-tier students, most of whom argu- modular robot—dubbed the “iMobot” (Figure 1)—that ably don’t need such help. He worries most about at-risk earned a National Science Foundation Innovation students, the ones who often get left behind. He wishes Award grant and was featured in newspapers, magazines, to better educate all students, not just those who plan and on television5 (Anderson 2011). to attend college. The design of Cheng’s iMobot technology is affordable, anthropomorphic, and modular, so it has an immediate appeal to a wide range of learners and serves It’s important to better educate as a launch pad for their imagination and creativity. In various classrooms, iMobots have been configured all students, not just those who and programmed to represent dance troupes, soldiers, plan to attend college. felines, vehicles, and even a barista. One robotic “game” involves projectiles: if a ball is shot from a specific point and a robot must be programmed to catch it, Programs for Teachers students must deal with variables relating to where the Cheng’s passion and innovative methodology have robot will be sent, the force and arc of the projectile, drawn the attention of the National Science Founda- and so forth. tion, which in September 2012 awarded a pair of grants. The first, a two-year grant in the amount of $300,000, Tailoring Teaching for Today’s Technology will help Cheng study collaborative mathematics learn- Cheng has become most passionate about his outreach ing—specifically algebra—with robots. The second pro- activities outside the lab. As director of the UC Davis vides $950,000 over three years to study how the use K–14 Outreach Center for Integrated Computing and of robotics programs in schools can change students’ STEM Education (C-STEM), he has joined colleagues attitudes toward STEM subjects. For his research in across the country in recognizing that the computing both these areas, Cheng and his co-investigators have and robotics fields are ideal for engaging at-risk students recruited teachers from Sacramento-area schools, from in K–12 schools. His efforts initially highlighted robot- grades 6 and up, and provided them with robots, teach- ics and computing, but he learned via teacher feedback ing resources, and training. that algebra was students’ biggest problem, since they The grants have allowed Cheng to expand programs need to complete that course before moving on to he had already put in place. The Computing Research computing. He therefore shifted his focus to help K–12 Experiences for STEM Teachers (CREST) project, teachers present algebra in a manner that resonates with inaugurated in 2011, was designed to create an endur- their students. ing partnership between UC Davis faculty members and Cheng has come away with some strong opinions. local secondary school STEM teachers, to help the latter “This is the 21st century, but some of the teaching guide their students toward further C-STEM studies and methodology hasn’t been updated with the times,” he related careers. The program is supporting 45 computer notes. “Teaching skill sets learned 30 years ago won’t cut science and STEM teachers—15 per year, for three years: it; today’s kids are too tech savvy for that.” 11 in-service teachers and 4 preservice teachers each The idea is to tailor the teaching curriculum for year—as CREST Fellows. These individuals join Cheng young students whose lives are consumed by smart for six-week summer programs, augmented by follow-up phones, MP3 players, tablets, and all sorts of other seminars and discussions that continue through the par- technical gadgets. Cheng views his fields, computing ticipating teachers’ academic year. As a result, more than and robotics, as a natural fit—a way to depart from rote 30 schools from 20 districts in the greater Sacramento pencil-and-paper exercises. And he’s quick to clarify a region have adopted the C-STEM research-based algebra and computing curricula, and roughly 1,500 K–12 5 “Transforming Robots Not Just Science Fiction,” ABC-TV students have benefited. Channel 7, San Francisco (May 12, 2011). Available online at Clay Dagler, one of the participating instructors, has http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=8130456. taught algebra at Sacramento’s Luther Burbank High The 12 BRIDGE

students ages 9–14, the Junior FIRST LEGO League for students in grades K–3,6 the VEX Com- petition for high school students,7 and the Botball competition for middle and high school students.8 A Brandeis University evaluation of the FIRST Robotics Competition showed that participating students are more likely than the national average to attend a four-year university and major in engineering or computer science (Melchior et al. 2005). A workshop presentation on the Botball competition showed that participating girls became “significantly” FIGURE 2 Local high school participants at the UC Davis C-STEM Day, May 5, 2012. (Photo: more interested in robotics UC Davis College of Engineering) and STEM fields (Wein- School since 1999. Now into his first revised academic berg et al. 2007). Such studies clearly indicate that year, Dagler already sees the results. “My kids are jazzed participation in robotics activities and competitions by the robots,” he says, “which demonstrate how math is increases students’ interest in STEM postsecondary used, and where it goes in the future. The computer pro- study and careers. gramming is engaging for them, because they can ‘see’ math in action. This isn’t merely solving an equation on Collaboration a page; students actually work the problem.” Interactive programs offer a supplementary benefit: They expose children to the advantages of a shared, Competition collaborative method of “working the problem,” stim- Ancillary “marquee events” include activities such as ulating curiosity and facilitating long-term retention Robotics Academy competitions and the annual UC of the concepts. This is the desired result known as Davis C-STEM Day (Figure 2). At the C-STEM Day “deep learning,” which actively engages students, often on May 5, 2012, middle and high school students showcased their skills in robotics and problem solving, while 6 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Tech- teachers, educators, and policymakers discussed how nology) is a national nonprofit program “founded in 1989 to best to use computing, technology, engineering, and inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and robotics in K–14 education. The third annual C-STEM technology” (www.usfirst.org). Day, on May 4, 2013, featured two major activities: a 7 The VEX Robotics Competition is sponsored by the Robotics RoboPlay Challenge Competition and a Math Program- Education & Competition Foundation, which “seeks to increase ming Competition. The day concluded with an awards student interest and involvement in STEM by engaging students in…robotics engineering programs across the US and interna- ceremony honoring achievement and excellence, along tionally.” Information about the robotics competition is available with scholarships for graduating students. at www.roboticseducation.org/vex-robotics-competitionvrc/. There are many such events across the United States: 8 “The Botball Educational Robotics Program engages middle and the FIRST Robotics Competition for high school high school aged students in a team-oriented robotics competi- students, the FIRST LEGO League Competition for tion” (www.botball.org). SUMMER 2013 13

collaboratively, in a search for relevance in their school- gram into something larger. “If pilot programs are to be work. Deep learning promotes a level of long-term respected in the long term, and have a genuine impact,” retention generally absent from traditional methods says WestEd’s Jennifer Mullin, “you must have a good that are more apt to focus on memorization (Halpern research agenda and plenty of data.” and Hakal 2002; Millis 2010). But that takes time. The 854,000 new professional Additionally, collaborative learning tasks are effec- information technology jobs reported by the Bureau of tive because they encourage—even necessitate—contri- Labor Statistics need to be filled now, and the number butions from each member (Cohen 1994), compelling increases each year. Potential candidates for those jobs participants to engage with the task and each other (Bar- are already in middle or high school. ron 2000, 2003). In other words, circumstances both And yet the innovative, breakthrough—and suc- require and allow for students to function effectively as cessful—teaching methods being used at a few forward- a group, and thus more accurately mirror how STEM thinking schools from Maine to California are still careers actually function in industry. regarded as little more than pilot programs and novel- ties. They need to expand; they need to become nation- The Importance of Incentive al programs. Incentive is another variable in the equation. Even now, We at the university level—professors, department in too many schools, passing algebra means only one chairs, and deans—must become much more aggres- thing: being “allowed” to take geometry. And passing sive, much more vocal, in our demand that hidebound geometry grants entry to Algebra II. That’s not much of instructional techniques be replaced. We must insist on a carrot; children must be captivated by tempting goals. better preparation of students to fill college and uni- But even with hands-on relevance in the presence of versity classrooms with engaged and resourceful under- robotics, algebra remains a wall to be climbed. Students graduates and postgraduates, who in turn will stimulate must be encouraged to understand the exciting goals American tech industries that are desperate for inven- that await on the far side of that wall, which means tive minds. opening a dialogue about future careers at a much The few dozen K–12 teachers involved in such pro- earlier age. grams need to be given a stage from which they can Such dialogue is particularly crucial in populations share their results, so that instructors in classrooms where parents didn’t attend college, or where there across the country can experience the miracle of a once- is an absence of a supportive environment at home. failing algebra student who looks up one day and excit- Having such conversations early is important, because edly says, “I get this now!” these students aren’t exposed to college—it’s not discussed in their homes, and they may not have relatives References who went to college. Children need to be told about Anderson M. 2011. UC Davis enters patent agreement the possibility of additional, specialized education for “iMobot.” Sacramento Business Journal, July 1. after high school and the benefits of pursuing such Available online at www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/ an education. news/2011/07/01/uc-davis-patent-barobo-modular- And yet such conversations aren’t integrated into robot.html. today’s K–12 curriculum. Unless a good relationship Barron B. 2000. Achieving coordination in collaborative exists between a local college and a school, students problem-solving groups. Journal of the Learning Sciences may not get that message. 9(4):403–436. Barron B. 2003. When smart groups fail. Journal of the Learn- Moving Forward ing Sciences 12(3):307–359. Although the feedback from Cheng’s middle and high Carraher DW, Schliemann AD. 2007. Early algebra. In: Les- school teacher-collaborators is encouraging, the results ter FK, ed. Second Handbook of Research on Mathematics thus far are anecdotal, lacking the authoritative stamp Teaching and Learning. Reston VA: National Council of of carefully tabulated results over time. For that rea- Teachers of Mathematics. pp. 669–706. son, Cheng is working closely with research associates Cohen E. 1994. Restructuring the classroom: Conditions for at the WestEd STEM Education Group to gather the productive small groups. Review of Educational Research hard data that will be necessary to build his local pro- 64(1):1–35. The 14 BRIDGE

Collins A, Halverson R. 2009. Rethinking Education in the Events/2005/9/14%20algebraic%20reasoning/Howe_Pre- Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling sentation.PDF. in America. New York: Teachers College Press. Johnson H, Sengupta R. 2009. Closing the Gap: Meeting Cal- Crowley L, Dolle J, Finnegan A, Litchfield JB. 2003. Robots, ifornia’s Need for College Graduates. San Francisco: Public plants and the ten-year-old consultant: Teaming K–12 Policy Institute of California. and undergraduate students in community-based projects Karp T, Gale R, Lowe LA, Medina V, Beutlich E. 2010. Gen- to encourage STEM. Frontiers in Education Conference, eration NXT: Building young engineers with LEGOs. IEEE Westminster, Colorado (November). Transactions on Education 53(1):80–87. CSLNet [California STEM Learning Network]. 2011. The Kieran C. 1992. The learning and teaching of school algebra. California STEM Summit 2011: Sparking Innovation in In: Grouws DA, ed. Handbook of Research on Mathemat- STEM. San Francisco. Available online at http://cslnet. ics Teaching and Learning. Reston VA: National Council org/wp-content/themes/twentyeleven/pdf_upload/album/ of Teachers of Mathematics. pp. 390–419. cslnet/CSLNet%20Summit%20Findings%20Report%20 Killewald A, Xie Y. 2013. American science education 2011.pdf. in its global and historical contexts. The Bridge 43(1): Franz D, Elmore BB. 2009. Work in progress: Collaborative 15–23. outreach to “at risk” middle school students using LEGO Kilpatrick J, Swafford J, Findell B, eds. 2001. Adding It robotics. IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, San Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics. Washington: Antonio (October). Available online at http://fie-confer- National Academy Press. ence.org/fie2009/papers/1418.pdf. Melchior A, Cohen F, Cutter T, Leavitt T. 2005. More Than Gale R, Karp T, Lowe L, Medina V. 2007. Generation NXT. Robots: An Evaluation of the FIRST Robotics Competi- In: Meeting the Growing Demand for Engineers and Their tion Participant and Institutional Impacts. Brandeis Uni- Educators 2010–2020. Proceedings of the 2007 IEEE Inter- versity, Waltham, Mass. Available online at http://dev1. national Summit, Munich (November). raiderrobotix.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/FRC_eval_ Gates J. 2008. MIND Research Institute Launches National finalrpt.pdf. Readiness Intervention Program. Press release. Avail- Millis BJ. 2010. Promoting Deep Learning. Idea Paper #47. able online at www.mindresearch.net/media/pdf/press Manhattan KS: The Idea Center. Available online at www. Releases/2008/08_0630_MI-AR-Ships%20Final.pdf. humboldt.edu/institute/workshop_materials/Millis/IDEA_ Gonzales P, Williams T, Jocelyn L, Roey S, Kastberg D, Bren- Paper_47_Deep_Learning.pdf. wald S. 2009. Highlights from TIMSS 2007: Mathematics Nagel D. 2009. Computer science courses on the decline. and Science Achievement of US Fourth- and Eighth- THE Journal, August 4. Available online at http://thejour- Grade Students in an International Context. Washington: nal.com/Articles/2009/08/04/Computer-Science-Courses- Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Educa- on-the-Decline.aspx?Page=1. tion Statistics. Available online at http://nces.ed.gov/timss/ NSF [National Science Foundation]. 2008. Fostering Learn- results07.asp. ing in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Oppor- Goode J, Chapman G. 2010. Exploring Computer Science: A tunity and Challenge. Report of the NSF Task Force High-School Curriculum Exploring What Computer Sci- on Cyberlearning. Available online at www.nsf.gov/ ence Is and What It Can Do. Computer Science Equity publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf08204. Alliance, Exploring Computer Science. Los Angeles: Uni- Provasnik S, Kastberg D, Ferraro D, Lemanski N, Roey S, versity of California. Available online at http://scratched. Jenkins F. 2012. Highlights from TIMSS 2011: Mathemat- media.mit.edu/sites/default/files/Exploring%20Comput- ics and Science Achievement of US Fourth- and Eighth- er%20Science%20v3.pdf. Grade Students in an International Context. Washington: Halpern D, Hakel M. 2002. Learning that lasts a lifetime: Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Educa- Teaching for long-term retention and transfer. New Direc- tion Statistics. Available online at http://nces.ed.gov/timss/ tions for Teaching and Learning 2002(89):3–7. results11.asp. Helfand D. 2006. A formula for failure in L.A. schools. Los Rakes CR, Valentine JC, McGatha MB, Ronau RN. 2010. Angeles Times (Jan. 30). Available online at www.latimes. Methods of instructional improvement in algebra: A sys- com/news/local/la-me-dropout30jan30,0,1678653.story. tematic review and meta-analysis. Review of Educational Howe R. 2005. Comments on NAEP Algebra Prob- Research 80(3):372–400. lems. Available online at www.brookings.edu/~/media/ Rech J, Harrington J. 2000. Algebra as a gatekeeper: A SUMMER 2013 15

descriptive study at an urban university. Journal of African of Technology, Atlanta (June 30). Available online at American Studies 4(4):63–71. www.roboteducation.org/rss-2007/pres/session-1/RSS- Tuma DT, Reif F, eds. 1980. Problem Solving and Education: Workshop03.pdf. Issues in Teaching and Research. Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence White S, Cottle P. 2011. A state-by state Science and Engi- Erlbaum Associates. neering Readiness Index (SERI): Grading states on their Vogel C. 2008. Algebra: Changing the Equation. District K–12 preparation of future scientists and engineers. Ameri- Administration (May 1). Available online at www.district- can Physical Society’s Newsletter of the Forum on Educa- administration.com/article/algebra-changing-equation. tion (summer). Available online at www.aps.org/units/fed/ Weinberg JB, Pettibone JC, Thomas SL, Stephen ML, newsletters/summer2011/white-cottle.cfm. Stein C. 2007. The impact of robot projects on girls’ atti- Wright B. 2009. Employment, trends and training. Occupa- tudes toward science and engineering. Presentation at tional Outlook Quarterly (Spring):38. US Bureau of Labor Robotics Science and Systems (RSS) Workshop on Statistics. Available online at www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2009/ Research in Robots for Education. Georgia Institute spring/art04.pdf. It is time to move beyond tweaking the curriculum to a coherent, encompassing approach to the redesign of engineering curricula.

Undergraduate Engineering Curriculum The Ultimate Design Challenge

Susan A. Ambrose

Two decades ago I witnessed a dramatic event unfold in engineering education. Believing that “real impact in engineering education will be made only by looking at the curriculum as a whole” (authors’ italics, not mine), an engineering department at a major research university decided to engage in curriculum review and revision by taking what they called a “wipe the slate clean” approach (Director et al. 1995, p. 1246). At the time, I thought it Susan A. Ambrose is Vice a commonplace occurrence in higher education, or at least in engineering. Provost for Teaching and But much of what has been done in the intervening years in engineering Learning and professor of education, while promoting and deepening learning in specific courses and/ education at Northeastern or a specific year in the curriculum, has not in fact transformed engineering University. education across the country because engineering departments rarely take a “wipe the slate clean,” holistic approach. In this article, I highlight some of the most important findings from learning research that have been piloted and/or integrated into engineering courses or curricula around the country. These interconnected and interact- ing findings support the educational value of building curricula that provide • context and continual integration across time and courses that promote transfer of existing knowledge and skills to new contexts; • early exposure to engineering and engineers to lay the foundation for future learning; SUMMER 2013 17

• meaningful engagement at the most auspicious time California Polytechnic State University, email corre- to promote deep learning; spondence, January 15, 2013). Of course, other aspects of context beyond integrat- • opportunities for reflection to connect thinking and ing math, science, and engineering are important. For doing; example, the social context of engineering involves • development of students’ metacognitive abilities to understanding how the technical is shaped by the foster self-directed, lifelong learning skills; and social and how much the technical can reshape the social (Adams et al. 2011). Teaching in this context is • authentic experiential learning opportunities to put especially important to women and minorities as well as theory into practice in the real world. in battling the misconception of potential students and The work in engineering that has focused on the parents who view engineers as insensitive to social con- above is important, with results that have impacted cerns (Vest 2011). A program at Worcester Polytechnic learning, but because it is not coordinated or continual Institute (WPI) exemplifies the effort to address this I question whether it is enough. I advocate the need to concern: first-year students are engaged in solving com- do all of the above concurrently and continually across the plex technosocial problems under such broad categories curriculum, in an intentional and coherent way, which as “Feed the World,” “Power the World,” and “Heal the may require a “wipe the slate clean” approach to the World” (Tryggvason and Apelian 2012). design of 21st century engineering education.

Context and Continual Integration Promote Transfer of Knowledge and Skills The end goal of learning For many instructors, the end goal of learning is the is the ability to use ability to use knowledge and skills flexibly in novel situations. Success in meeting this goal requires learn- knowledge and skills flexibly ers to transfer what they know to new settings or prob- in novel situations. lems, which means first recognizing what is needed in a given context, then accessing and using the appropriate knowledge and intellectual skills. Integration across contexts and over time is exactly Research (Glaser 1992; Simon 1980) shows that what senior capstone courses are lauded for: They pro- knowledge remains inert unless it is “conditional- vide opportunities for students to make connections ized” (i.e., it includes conditions of applicability), and among ideas, approaches, experiences, and courses, and that students often don’t use relevant information to synthesize and transfer what they’ve learned to new in problem solving because they don’t recognize the and complex situations. Yet leading engineering edu- need for it. Hence knowledge that is overly contex- cation researchers continue to voice concern that the tualized (e.g., traditional physics, chemistry, and cal- current educational model is not effective in preparing culus courses with “context-bound” examples) can engineering students to integrate knowledge, skills (and impede transfer. identity) as developing professionals (Dall’Alba 2009; Conversely, when students are exposed to multiple Sheppard et al. 2008; Stevens et al. 2008). In other contexts (think of a physics professor using engineering words, the senior capstone course is necessary but not and architecture as well as physics examples to illus- sufficient in meeting the educational goal of integration. trate physics concepts), they are more likely to abstract Because integration and transfer are important relevant features, enabling them to recognize and use components of deep learning,1 students should be that knowledge flexibly in new contexts (Gick and Holyoak 1983). This research reinforces the notion 1Deep approaches to learning—which result in long-term reten- that transfer is an active process of its own, and does tion—require students to actively search for meaning (e.g., relat- not happen easily or automatically. It is essential to cre- ing new information to their prior knowledge, organizing and structuring information meaningfully, looking for patterns and ate a curriculum with the conditions and opportunities underlying principles, and engaging in self-explanation; Entwistle for transfer, as is being done at places such as Califor- and Peterson 2004), whereas students who use surface approaches nia Polytechnic State University (Linda Vanasupa, to learning focus on memorization, discrete elements, and the like. The 18 BRIDGE continually engaged in these intellectual processes to “thinking like an engineer” can be motivating on throughout the curriculum—not just in their final several levels, including helping to show the relevance year—and at an increasingly sophisticated level. In of the concurrent fundamental science and math cours- fact, mastery requires students to acquire component es they are taking. knowledge and skills, practice them to the point that Second, beyond learning the necessary technical they can combine them fluently, and then use them when aspects of engineering, students must learn intellectual and where appropriate (Ambrose et al. 2010). Such skills, including the approaches engineers take as they continual integrative experiences help students to engage in problem solving and design. The sooner stu- expand and deepen their “internal knowledge struc- dents begin to approach their studies with the “habits of ture” of the discipline (i.e., organized networks of mind” that professional engineers engage in the better, information stored in long-term memory), which will because these intellectual skills can provide an over- aid their eventual retrieval and use (Bransford and arching framework for the rest of the curriculum and Schwartz 1999). cocurriculum. In short, very few undergraduate engineering pro- Third, design projects in the first year get students grams provide courses each year (or at least activities into teams early (replicating “real world” engineering) within courses) that promote integration across context and connect them with engineering faculty (Agogino and time. A notable exception is the Olin College of et al. 1992). Finally, as mentioned, design projects that Engineering, where students engage in “hands-on design focus on the social impact of engineering work may projects in every year.”2 But why is this the exception address the problems of attracting more women and and not the rule? underrepresented minorities. Engineering educators know that early design courses should focus more heavily on conceptual design methods and less on discipline-specific artifacts, as first-year Introducing students to students don’t have the technical background to do the work (Dym et al. 2005; Kilgore et al. 2007). That engineering and design in the is exactly what happened in one of the most notable and long-standing programs of this nature, which first year leads to a powerful began at Harvey Mudd in 1955, where all majors were learning experience. required to take project-based freshmen engineering design courses (Dym 1994). These courses were created to reinforce the notions that design is open-ended (hence several teams working independently and in Early Exposure Lays the Foundation for Future parallel on the same project); that there are numerous Learning engineering challenges beyond domains such as aero- I’ve established the importance of learning in context, space, computing, and manufacturing (hence spon- and since many engineers engage in design, using that sors of projects are broadly representative and include context to learn both knowledge and skills makes sense. nonprofits); and that students could begin to think A myriad of additional reasons explain why introducing and work like engineers (hence introducing skills students to engineering and design in the first year leads like structuring ill-structured problems, decomposing to a powerful learning experience. problems, identifying parameters and constraints, and First, research clearly indicates that students are working in teams). more motivated to learn—and thus engage in the behav- Other universities followed suit, particularly in the iors that lead to learning—when they see value in what 1990s and especially through some of the NSF-funded they are being asked to do (Ambrose et al. 2010). Intro- coalitions, and created first-year project and design ducing them to the “big picture” of engineering and courses “as a means for students to be exposed to some flavor of what engineers actually do while enjoying an experience where they could learn the basic design ele- 2 From the college’s statement of vision on its website, www.olin. ments of the design process by doing real design proj- edu/academics/olin_history/vision.aspx. ects” (Dym et al. 2005, p. 103). SUMMER 2013 19

With so much evidence supporting an early integra- Finally, there are simulations, problem-based learn- tive approach to engineering education, why aren’t ing activities, collaborative and cooperative learning these types of courses universal by now? activities, the flipped or inverted classroom, and other classroom-based practices that can be done in real Meaningful Classroom Engagement Leads to time to provide the same kind of practice and feedback Deeper Learning opportunities as peer instruction and case studies A critical component of learning is deliberate prac- (Prince and Felder 2006; Smith et al. 2005). tice coupled with targeted feedback (Ambrose et al. With so many sound examples of meaningful 2010); in fact, students learn what they practice and classroom engagement in engineering education only what they practice. Yet this important learning publications and proceedings, why aren’t such engag- activity is typically relegated to out-of-class time, ing activities embedded in every course across the ensuring that students do not get the immediate and curriculum? constructive feedback they may need early in the learning process when the material is new, or when Reflection Connects Thinking and Doing they are dealing with novel, complex problems. This When students engage in meaningful and frequent lack of feedback has led, over many years, to the call reflection about what they are learning, they are less for more in-class opportunities for students to prac- likely to “have the experience but miss the meaning,” tice and get feedback in real time from instructors and because reflection provides a “continual interweaving of peers, a practice some call “pedagogies of engagement” thinking and doing” (Schön 1983, p. 280). It generates, (Smith et al. 2005). This type of pedagogy provides deepens, and documents learning (Ash and Clayton opportunities in class for students to apply concepts or 2004). In fact, studies show that students who “repeat- principles, consider alternative approaches or designs, and engage in other learning activities that enable the instructor to detect and address errors in students’ thinking. Students learn only what While there are numerous effective ways to accom- plish meaningful engagement during class, one of the they practice, and targeted most notable is the “peer instruction” strategy developed feedback is a critical by Mazur (1997). In this model, after a short presentation, students are asked a conceptual question, given component of such learning. time to formulate and record their answer individually, discuss their answer with a peer, and, if necessary, revise their answer. This approach gets students talking about edly engage in structured reflection…are more likely to the problems, leading to deeper information process- bring a strategic learning orientation to new challenges” ing, and enables peers and instructors to identify and (Eyler 2009, p. 28; Eyler and Giles 1999), reinforcing address misconceptions on the spot and respond to gaps the end goal of learning as the ability to use knowledge in understanding. and skills flexibly in novel situations. An equally effective and much used method in There is no better way to get students to reflect on higher education, the case study, typically presents their learning than through writing. A rich literature a realistic, complex, and contextually rich problem focused on “writing to learn” (Fulwiler and Young 1982; situation that requires connecting theory and prac- Parker and Goodkin 1987) establishes the theoretical tice (Barkley et al. 2005; Richards et al. 1995). If links among writing, thinking, and learning across a structured effectively, in-class case analysis provides variety of disciplines. Embedding writing across the cur- an opportunity for analytical and integrative think- riculum can help to promote deeper processing (enhancing with the added bonus of immediate feedback from ing students’ ability to retrieve and use knowledge peers and the instructor. There are examples from as flexibly) by, for example, prompting students’ reflection early as the 1960s of case-based teaching and learn- about what they are learning, how it connects to what ing in engineering education (Raju and Sankar 1999; they already know, and how they might use that knowl- Yadav et al. 2010). edge in the future. Incorporation of reflection across the The 20 BRIDGE curriculum may be easier now because of the emergence • planning their approach in a way that accounts for of technologies such as e-portfolios (which allow stu- the current situation; dents to assemble and showcase electronic evidence of • applying various strategies to enact the plan and their learning), which some institutions are using as a monitoring their progress; and foundation for student reflection on their learning and performance; and it has indeed found its way into engi- • reflecting on the degree to which their current neering education (Adams et al. 2003; Heinrich et al. approach is working so that they can adjust and 2007; Knott et al. 2004). restart the cycle as needed (Ambrose et al. 2010). So, yes, students learn by doing, but only when they This cycle might seem like “common sense” to many have time to reflect on what they are doing—the two go faculty members, but research reveals that, while experts hand in hand. Why, then, don’t engineering curricula engage in these processes, often unconsciously, novices provide constant structured opportunities and time to do not (Ambrose et al. 2010). Furthermore, metacogni- ensure that continual reflection takes place? tion is rarely formally or explicitly addressed in courses Metacognition Supports the Development of or curricula. But students must be “quickly disabused of Lifelong Learning Skills the notion that scientists and engineers work mostly on problems that can be solved using memorized facts and The vast majority of institutions of higher education in procedures” (Felder and Brent 2004, p. 283). They need the United States articulate the need to prepare stu- to learn how to learn. dents to be lifelong learners so they can thrive in the As noted above, reflection and writing can help stu- current and future workforce. Numerous studies project dents become more cognizant of their own learning pro- the number of different jobs current students will have cess and can promote their ability to continue to learn over their careers. Today’s students will work in jobs throughout life (Ash and Clayton 2004). Again, a few that don’t yet exist. Information quickly becomes obso- engineering educators are exploring how to prepare stu- lete. For all these reasons, it is essential to ensure that dents for lifelong learning (Heinrich et al. 2007; Jiusto students can continue to learn independently, which and DiBiasio 2006), but why aren’t all focused on this requires engaging in metacognition, often defined as the critical intellectual skill? process of reflecting on and directing one’s own thinking (Bransford et al. 2000). Experiential Learning Opportunities Connect Theory and Practice in Authentic Settings Experiential learning is, simply put, learning by doing. In-class engagement can As Eyler (2009, p. 28) notes, “theory lacks meaning outside of practice.” Experiential learning naturally provide an opportunity integrates theory and practice. And it happens in the classroom or lab (e.g., in design projects, cap- for analytical and integrative stone projects, case studies, simulations), although thinking, with immediate many would argue that it is much more powerful and robust when students have opportunities to use their feedback from peers and knowledge and practice their skills in off-campus, real-world situations (e.g., co-ops, internships, service the instructor. learning). Furthermore, experiential learning opportunities prompt learning when students are put in unfamiliar The iterative cycle of self-directed learning requires situations for which they are not prepared and yet must students to engage in a number of processes: act in order to get a job done. In other words, it provides • assessing the task at hand, including goals and practice in using self-directed learning skills and trans- constraints; ferring what they know across contexts and over time to novel situations, as described above. • evaluating their own knowledge and skills, including Over the past decade, because of increasing con- strengths and weaknesses; cern about the quality of higher education (Arum and SUMMER 2013 21

Roksa 2011; Bok 2006), scholars have sought to under- Conclusion: Putting It All Together—A Systems stand what experiences correlate to “the most power- Approach 3 ful” learning outcomes (Kuh 2008). They have used The examples discussed here, and many more doc- their data to call for, among other things, the design umented in engineering education journals and of more “high-impact courses” as well as “greater elsewhere, show that the engineering education com- fluidity and connection between the formal curricu- munity has accumulated a rich body of knowledge over lum and the experiential co-curriculum” (Bass 2012, the past 20 years and implemented many successful edu- p. 26). Bass (2012, p. 28) also suggests that the optimal cational innovations that have had impact on student way to learn is “reciprocally or spirally between prac- learning. Why, then, haven’t there been major changes tice and content,” a reverse of typical curricula that in engineering curricula and more students flocking to are built from content and eventually engage students the field? in practice. The best-case scenario, according to Bass (2012), is an educational environment that weaves the connections back and forth across the formal and experiential curriculum. This strongly speaks to expe- Students report a steep riential learning in general, and specifically to coop- learning curve in their erative learning. Experiential learning also enables university stu- first job when hands-on dents to bring back and integrate into the classroom both the authentic applications of their knowledge extracurricular experience is and skills and the new knowledge and skills they have missing from their education. gained. Thus experiential learning not only strengthens and deepens what students already know and can do, but also provides an expanded platform for future One answer is that we (faculty) rarely reflect on learning. In short, experiential learning opportunities the larger context. Rather, we focus on what we have and formal academic programs can inform and comple- immediate control over, our courses. However, to effect ment each other. significant change, we must redesign by leveraging and Many engineering programs engage students in integrating continually across the curriculum the results experiential learning activities such as co-op or service of the solid work done by engineering education and learning, and some engineering faculty members have learning sciences researchers. No one knows better than tried to assess the impact of these experiences on self- engineers the importance of systems thinking in prob- directed, lifelong learning (Jiusto and DiBiasio 2006). lem solving and design, and yet much of the wonder- The perceived value of such experiential programs is ful work that has been done in engineering education validated by engineering education research indicating has focused on pieces of the curriculum rather than the that students see extracurricular experiences such as whole of the curriculum and beyond. Since we oper- co-ops and internships as more representative of what ate in a dynamic system—that includes student expec- it means to be an engineer than their in-class experi- tations, faculty beliefs, departmental norms, college ences, and they report a steep learning curve in their resources, university culture, societal needs, and global first job when this element is missing from their educa- challenges—we must recognize that curricular change tion (Korte et al. 2008). takes place in a broader context and requires, for exam- Why should students wait until they enter the work- ple, faculty buy-in, departmental leadership, and neces- force to apply what they have learned? sary resources. This brings me back to the story I alluded to at the beginning of this paper. Let me end with that experience and the main lessons I draw from it. 3 High-impact practices include undergraduate research, study abroad, service learning, internships, learning communities, and It was the Electrical and Computer Engineering capstone courses. According to Kuh’s research, these practices cor- (ECE) Department at Carnegie Mellon University that, relate with high retention and persistence rates as well as student in 1989, adopted a “wipe the slate clean” approach to behaviors that lead to meaningful learning gains. curriculum review and revision, a two-year process that The 22 BRIDGE resulted in a radically different curriculum that proved Adams R, Evangelou D, English L, Dias de Figueiredo A, to have many long-term advantages (Director et al. Mousoulides N, Pawley AL, Schiefellite C, Stevens R, 1995). The transformative process first required recog- Svinicki M, Martin-Trenor J, Wilson DM. 2011. Multiple nition that “real impact in engineering education will perspectives on engaging future engineers. Journal of Engi- be made only by looking at the curriculum as a whole” neering Education 100:48–88. (p. 1246; authors’ italics). It also required acknowledg- Agogino AM, Sheppard SD, Oladipupo A. 1992. Making ing that knowledge in the field of ECE was expanding connections to engineering during the first two years. Pro- rapidly, but the time to degree was not, so some difficult ceedings of the 1992 Frontiers in Education Conference, decisions needed to be made. Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Nashville. As a result, the new curriculum addressed some of Ambrose SA, Bridges MW, DiPietro M, Lovett MC, Norman the issues discussed above—for example, the need for MK. 2010. How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based students to (1) see the big picture, i.e., the connected Principles for Smart Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. view of the ideas that define the discipline; (2) integrate Arum R, Roksa J. 2011. Academically Adrift: Limited Learning across courses rather than experience the curriculum as on College Campuses. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. a set of discrete courses; and (3) come into contact with Ash SL, Clayton PH. 2004. The articulated learning: An engineering faculty and engineering ideas during the approach to reflection and assessment. Innovative Higher first year. This revision resulted in, among other things, Education 29:137–154. new courses at the freshman level and more flexibil- Barkley EF, Cross KP, Major CH. 2005. Collaborative Learn- ity for students in the curriculum (e.g., a smaller core ing Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. San of required classes, area requirements instead of course Francisco: Jossey-Bass. requirements, free electives). These were major changes, Bass R. 2012. Disrupting ourselves: The problem of learning not minor tweaks. But more importantly, the approach in higher education. EDUCAUSE Review 47(2):23–33. spread to the entire engineering college as other depart- Bok D. 2006. Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look ments followed suit. at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Why is this story so instructive? First, it happened Learning More. Princeton: Princeton University Press. almost 25 years ago and, although a few other univer- Bransford JD, Brown AL, Cocking RR, eds. 2000. How People sities took a similar radical approach to reengineering Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington: engineering education both before and after CMU (e.g., National Academies Press. Drexel, MIT), this type of revision has been the excep- Bransford JD, Schwartz D. 1999. Rethinking transfer: A tion, not the rule. Second, such transformation required simple proposal with multiple implications. Review of leadership and support at the department and college Research in Education 24:61–100. levels, as well as collaboration among the entire faculty Brown JS, Adler RP. 2008. Minds on fire: Open education, because “everything was up for grabs.” Finally, it took the long tail, and learning 2.0. EDUCAUSE Review time and resources, provided by the department head 43(1):16–32. (and when it spread to the college, the dean), which Dall’Alba G. 2009. Learning to Be Professionals: Innova- signaled the importance of the endeavor. tion and Change in Professional Development. New York: Where does this leave us in 2013? We have bold Springer. models (both old and new) to follow; we know a lot Director SW, Khosla PK, Rohrer RA, Rutenbar RA. 1995. about how learning works; and what we know has been Reengineering the curriculum: Design and analysis of a new applied at a “micro” level to engineering education. It undergraduate electrical and computer engineering degree is time to move beyond tweaking individual courses or at Carnegie Mellon University. IEEE 82(9):1246–1269. revamping one year of the curriculum. We need to be Dym CL. 1994. Teaching design to freshmen: Style and con- audacious enough to put the pieces together in a coher- tent. Journal of Engineering Education 83(4):303–310. ent, encompassing way across engineering curricula. Dym CL, Agogino AM, Eris O, Frey DD, Leifer LJ. 2005. Engineering design thinking, teaching, and learning. Jour- References nal of Engineering Education 94:103–120. Adams R, Turns J, Atman C. 2003. Educating effective engi- Entwistle N, Peterson ER. 2004. Learning styles and approaches neering designers: The role of reflective practice. Design to studying. In: Spielberger C, ed. Encyclopedia of Applied Studies 24:275–294. Psychology. New York: Academic Press. pp. 537–542. SUMMER 2013 23

Eyler J. 2009. The power of experiential education. Liberal NAE [National Academy of Engineering]. 2005. Educating Education 95(4):24–31. the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to Eyler J, Giles DE. 1999. Where’s the Learning in Service- the New Century. Washington: National Academies Press. Learning? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Parker RP, Goodkin VH. 1987. The Consequences of Writ- Felder R, Brent R. 2004. The intellectual development of sci- ing: Enhancing Learning in the Disciplines. Upper Mont- ence and engineering students, part 1: Models and chal- clair NJ: Boynton/Cook. lenges. Journal of Engineering Education 93:269–291. Prince M, Felder R. 2006. Inductive teaching and learning Fulwiler T, Young A. 1982. Language Connections: Writing methods: Definitions, comparisons, and research bases. Across the Curriculum. Urbana IL: NCTE. Journal of Engineering Education 95:123–138. Gick ML, Holyoak KJ. 1983. Schema induction and analogi- Raju PK, Sankar CS. 1999. Teaching real-world issues cal transfer. Cognitive Psychology 15:1–38. through case studies. Journal of Engineering Education Glaser R. 1992. Expert knowledge and processes of thinking. 88(4):501–508. In: Halpern DF, ed. Enhancing Thinking Skills in the Sci- Richards LG, Gorman M, Scherer WT, Landel RD. 1995. ences and Mathematics. Hillsdale NJ: Erlbaum. pp. 63–75. Promoting active learning with cases and instructional Heinrich E, Bhattacharya M, Rayudu R. 2007. Preparation modules. Journal of Engineering Education 84(4):375–381. for lifelong learning using eportfolios. European Journal of Schön D. 1983. The Reflective Practitioner. New York: Basic Engineering Education 32(6):653–663. Books. Jiusto S, DiBiasio D. 2006. Experiential learning environ- Sheppard SD, Macatangary K, Colby A, Sullivan WM. 2008. ments: Do they prepare our students to be self-directed, Educating Engineers: Designing for the Future of the Field. life-long learners? Journal of Engineering Education Indianapolis: Jossey-Bass. 95:195–204. Simon HA. 1980. Problem solving and education. In: Tuma Kilgore D, Atman C, Yasuhara K, Barker T, Morozov A. 2007. DT, Reif R, eds. Problem Solving and Education: Issues in Considering context: A study of first-year engineering stu- Teaching and Research. Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum dents. Journal of Engineering Education 96:321–334. Associates. pp. 81–96. Knott TW, Lohani VK, Griffin OH, Loganathan GV, Adel Smith KA, Sheppard SD, Johnson DW, Johnson RT. 2005. GT, Wildman TM. 2004. Bridges for Engineering Educa- Pedagogies of engagement: Classroom-based practices. tion: Exploring EPortfolios in Engineering Education at Journal of Engineering Education 94:87–101. Virginia Tech. Washington: American Society for Engi- Stevens R, O’Connor K, Garrison L, Jocuns A, Amos D. neering Education. 2008. Becoming an engineer: Toward a three-dimensional Korte R, Sheppard SD, Jordan W. 2008. A qualitative study of view of engineering learning. Journal of Engineering Edu- the early work experiences of recent graduates in engineer- cation 97(3):355–368. ing. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Tryggvason G, Apelian D. 2012. Shaping Our World: Engi- Education Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, PA. neering Education for the 21st Century. Hoboken NJ: John Kuh G. 2008. High Impact Educational Practices: What They Wiley & Sons. Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter. Vest CM. 2011. The image problem for engineering: An over- Washington: American Association of Colleges and Uni- view. The Bridge 41(2):1–7. versities. Yadav A, Shaver G, Meckl P. 2010. Lessons learned: Imple- Mazur E. 1997. Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual. Upper menting the case teaching method in a mechanical engi- Saddle River NJ: Prentice Hall. neering course. Journal of Engineering Education 99:55–68. Engineering will be well served by creatively engaging students throughout their education to make engineering a positive and rewarding experience applicable to any field of study or profession.

Opportunities in Engineering Education Pathways to Better-Prepared Students

David B. Spencer and George Mehler

Engineering is an integral part of daily life and can provide a strong foundation for almost any career path. Teaching about the wondrously engineered world and drawing on everyday existence for teaching examples can make David B. Spencer learning fun and relevant. Yet engineering faces a number of challenges, many of them rooted in education: • Engineering educational approaches are stale and need updating (Tryggvason and Apelian 2012). • The proportion of US college graduates in engineering is low and dropping (NSF 2006). • Dropout rates are much higher in engineering than in other areas of college study (Dodge 2008). • Girls and young women do not see engineering as a pathway to multiple career choices (Wang et al. 2013). George Mehler • Engineering education at the high school level, let alone lower grades, is virtually nonexistent.

David B. Spencer is founder and chairman of wTe Corporation, a high-tech plastics and metals recycling company in Bedford, Massachusetts. George Mehler is K–12 Science Supervisor of the Central Bucks School District in Pennsylvania and an adjunct professor at Temple University College of Education. SUMMER 2013 25

Is it any wonder that most young students have mis- to (i) know, use, and interpret scientific explanations conceptions of engineering? Among critical factors to of the natural world; (ii) generate and evaluate scien- attract young students into engineering are: tific evidence and explanations; (iii) understand the nature and development of scientific knowledge; and • Training in math, science, and engineering, which (iv) participate productively in scientific practices and should begin at an earlier age; discourse. This approach to science teaching will require a shift from the teacher-centered instruction common in science • Teacher training and new curricula to help students classrooms to more student-centered methods of instruction. learn in a way that is fun and exciting; and The defining feature of these instructional methods is • Hands-on learning opportunities, such as field trips who is doing the sense-making. In teacher-centered instruc- and camps that focus on science, technology, engi- tion the sense-making is accomplished by the teacher and neering, and mathematics (STEM), to show the val- transmitted to students through lecture, textbooks, and confirmatory activities in which each step is specified by ue of engineering and correct misconceptions about the teacher. In these classrooms, the instructional goal both academic and professional engineering. is to help students know scientific explanations, which Doing these things effectively at the K–12 level should is only part of the first aspect of scientific proficiency. increase the number of high school students who pursue In student-centered instruction, the sense-making rests engineering in college—and afford them a glimpse of the with the students, and the teacher acts as a facilitator to support the learning as students engage in scientific social and monetary value of an engineering degree. practices. [Emphases added.] Student-Centered Education How should engineering education change over the next 20 years? The practice of lecturing to impart knowledge Learning can be practical, should change to a model in which the teacher asks key questions and acts as a coach, and students develop relevant, and fun. their own individual learning program to address the questions, working alone or in groups. Examples of Student-Centered Education Growing Interest in Student-Centered Education The Birches School in Lincoln, Massachusetts, dynami- In a great TED talk in 2010, Sugata Mitra, winner of cally incorporates STEM and art (thus “STEAM”) in the 2013 Ted Prize, argued that teaching does not equal teaching grades K–2 (with the addition of a grade a learning. He has gone on to make a compelling case for year it will become a K–6 school). The Birches School the benefits of a “self-organized learning environment” children are learning math, biology, physics, chemistry, along with “encouragement.” His hypothesis is that the materials, computers, reading, and writing—all as an teaching curriculum should be one of asking questions, integrated knowledge base. They don’t study individual standing back in awe, and letting education happen, subjects as such but rather learn them by working on particularly in a small group environment. While his their own and in small groups with the guidance and approach may not be fully appropriate for all aspects encouragement of their teacher. of future engineering education, it certainly provides This past winter, for example, the children decided much-needed food for thought about the effective- they wanted to learn more about birds, so the teach- ness of past and present engineering teaching methods ers adjusted the curriculum accordingly. The children and practices. became “citizen scientists,” part of ProjectFeederWatch An article entitled “The Efficacy of Student-Cen- administered by the Lab of Ornithology at Cornell Uni- tered Instruction in Supporting Science Learning” versity. They observed three bird feeders for 15 minutes (Granger et al. 2012, p. 105) cites numerous studies on a day on two consecutive days a week, counting and the need for a different approach to teaching science, then graphing the number of birds of different species including one study by the National Research Council that they saw. They made scientific drawings of birds, that synthesized research and suggested that measured wingspans, and learned from recordings the calls of various local birds. They dissected pellets spit up the goal of science instruction should be to help students by owls to discover the fur and bones of ingested prey, develop four aspects of scientific proficiency, the ability The 26 BRIDGE

then sorted the bones in categories, identified them, National Standards and Opportunities to and mounted them. They each chose a bird to research, Introduce STEM in K–12 reading age-appropriate materials, and wrote a report Very few young students are exposed to STEM, let alone and presented their findings to classmates. Finally, they engineering, at an early age. In the 20th century, most created collages of birds and papier mâché birds. public and private schools in the United States focused Learning for the Birches School students is practi- on topics and skills that were important to their school cal, relevant, and fun. Surely there is some wisdom in or school district. Few states had developed standards this program that could be applied to middle school, for their schools, and on the national level there were high school, and undergraduate engineering teaching no content standards that might help focus a K–12 pro- methods. gram or particular courses. This lack of curricular focus At the undergraduate level, Worcester Polytech- meant that there was, and still is to a large extent, large nic Institute (WPI) sets up three qualifying projects variability in the content and skills that students are for students as they begin their studies (described in expected to master. Tryggvason and Apelian 2012, p. ix): This situation started to change with the develop- • The interactive qualifying project (IQP) engages ment of national standards—in mathematics (1989), small teams of students in addressing complicated, English language arts (1996), and science (1996). broad-based problems of societal importance, many Developed by experts and exceptional educators in each carried out in other countries; field, these standards were groundbreaking. But US education policy is set mostly by states and local school dis- • The major qualifying project (MQP) is essentially a tricts rather than by the federal government. So many team-based capstone project; and schools did not adopt these standards, if they developed • The sufficiency project demonstrates mastery of sub- or used standards at all. ject matter in the humanities and arts. In 2001, the federal government passed the No Child Left Behind Act, requiring states to develop assessments in basic skills, establish levels of achievement, and assess students each year. In the absence of an estab- Students will pursue that which lished national level of achievement, each state was free is fun to learn even if it involves to determine its own. In 2009, the National Governors Association devel- significant hard work. oped curricular standards for literacy (English language arts, or ELA) and mathematics, usually referred to as the Common Core standards. But there is an important dif- The approach at WPI encourages self-learning, work- ference from the earlier standards movement: this time ing in teams, communication, and collaboration, in part 45 states have said they will adopt these standards. For by allowing students to choose a topic tied to perceived the first time the United States will have a national set social needs. of education standards in ELA and mathematics. Individual engineers, working in isolation through But what about new science education standards? what might be called constructive dissonance or indi- Building on the Common Core movement, the vidual genius, may in some cases germinate better National Research Council, with support from the ideas than teams and foster pursuit of out-of-the-box Carnegie Corporation, is developing the Next Genera- approaches, but working in teams is extremely impor- tion Science Standards (Schweingruber et al. 2013). tant in much of an engineer’s professional life. Further, Hopefully, states will adopt these new science education many students want a career that is both challenging standards just as they have adopted the Common Core and provides social interaction. in ELA and mathematics. As a first step, the National In short, engineering schools need to modernize their Research Council released A Framework for K–12 Sci- messages and their curriculum. If not, students will choose ence Education Standards in July 2011. In December 2012 another field of study that seems more relevant and cre- the NRC published A Framework for K-12 Science Edu- ates higher value for them. They will pursue that which cation: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas, is fun to learn even if it involves significant hard work. and in summer 2013 a consortium of states together SUMMER 2013 27

with the American Association for the Advancement the Internet can change the playing field in a manner of Science and the National Science Teachers Associa- not possible in the past. tion will release the actual standards. In particular, the Internet can be a source of free, One of the exciting additions to the new standards is, research-based, high-quality professional development for the first time, the inclusion of engineering concepts for teachers (free access is the best way to reach finan- and principles. The Next Generation Science Stan- cially disadvantaged schools and teachers). Beyond sci- dards build on the three “core idea” areas—physical scientific facts, teachers need a resource that shows them ences, life sciences, and earth-space sciences—and add how to teach the skills, concepts, and practices of sci- a fourth, engineering, technology, and the applications ence and engineering, to enable students to understand of science. what makes these fields different from other forms of America’s future leaders, pioneers, entrepreneurs, human endeavor. Access to such learning also shows dreamers, and citizens need to understand the beauty, students that everyone can do science. wonder, and power that are unleashed through experience and knowledge of science and engineering, and this understanding must start at a young age. The Next Generation Science Standards make engineering prin- America’s future leaders, ciples an important part of education for even very young students. This is an important breakthrough for pioneers, entrepreneurs, engineering education. dreamers, and citizens need The Internet and Open, Interactive, Personal to understand the beauty, Teaching Opportunities If the new national standards are adopted (and at this wonder, and power of science point there is no certainty that they will be), there will and engineering, and this remain other challenges in creating world-class science education in the United States. understanding must start at Many schools provide little or no time for science education until students enter high school. A recent a young age. study of elementary science education in the San Fran- cisco Bay Area—home to much US innovation in science and technology—reported that 80 percent of K–5 Many US schools have many hurdles to overcome— teachers spend 60 minutes per week or less on science, poverty, inadequate resources, collapsing facilities, and that 16 percent of them spend no time at all on the lack of qualified teachers. Technology can help in one subject (Dorph et al. 2007). In the same study, teach- area: the delivery of world-class curricula and profes- ers reported feeling that they were ill prepared to teach sional development for teachers, which they can learn science and had few opportunities to improve their in an asynchronous manner. The recent proliferation preparation. Lesson plans and experiments are avail- of MOOCs (massive open online courses) may help able on the Internet, and teacher camps exist, but more (evidence indicates that only about 10 percent of stu- is needed. dents complete these courses, but use of this educational Nurturing an interest in science early in life is impor- resource is still in its early days). tant for students to learn about its wonder and beauty Through the skilled use of open-source, interactive, as well as opportunities and careers in science. But the and supportive technology the United States has the necessary funding, teacher time, and training are not opportunity to empower teachers to improve their own available. The engineering community needs to give capabilities and those of their students, including raising thought and energy to how that can be changed. their level of science knowledge to meet the national Technology and expanded use of the Internet may standards. Such technology can—and should—be made help in efforts to address this problem. The past 10 years available to all students and teachers, not just those that have seen an explosion of web tools for interactivity, can afford it. But teachers will continue to be a critical collaboration, support, and individualized learning. So influence on successful learning. The 28 BRIDGE

A recent ExxonMobil initiative called Let’s Solve should expand to include the arts and humanities—and This reports on its website that research shows the respect for intuitive skills. importance of investing in teachers and concludes: Philosophers through the ages have pondered the human liability to ignore intuition, resulting in deci- If we want to improve our schools, what should we invest in? . . . [R]ecent research shows that nothing transforms sions and actions guided by overrationalization—even schools like investing in advanced teacher education. in the knowledge that those decisions and actions are . . . Let’s invest in our teachers so they can inspire our wrong. Because engineers’ work—their decisions and students. actions—directly affects millions of everyday lives, it is crucial that they heed their intuition at every stage. Properly trained and equipped teachers are needed Those who have read the book Blink: The Power of as mentors, coaches, and encouragers. To paraphrase Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell (2005) Rachel Carson (1965), will understand how much faster the right brain can be If children are to keep alive an inborn sense of wonder, at taking in data, both consciously and unconsciously, they need the companionship of at least one adult who than the more deliberate left brain. Gladwell (2005, can share it, rediscovering with them the joy, excite- 265) observes that ment, and mystery of the world we live in. The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is If better professional development can help more understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are teachers become that “one adult,” more children will desperately lacking in the latter. understand science, the world, and their place in it. Knowledge is the purview of the analytical left brain; understanding draws on the intuitive right brain to make sense of that knowledge. Effective engineers can We urge teachers to seek ways to incorporate intuition in their curriculum, as it is a critical character- draw on their intuition to istic of a fine engineer. In assembling and evaluating discern among fact, opinion, “big data,” for example—where it is hard to know all the details, and the outcomes may not feel right even and motive to arrive at though the data and the processes or theories appear correct—it is important to heed one’s intuition to per- sound judgments. form “fallacy” checks. Attention to intuitive instincts can prevent big mistakes from big data. Opportunities to Incorporate the Arts and Young engineers need to learn the arts, to trust their Encourage Intuition intuition, and to listen, in order to understand and art- fully apply their engineering knowledge to solve the Engineers are human beings first and engineers sec- problems they confront. ond—or they should be. They must deal not only with the facts and laws of science and engineering but with Opportunities to Impart Good Character and people, so they must also have a sense of the arts, char- the Freedom to Fail acter, and positive purpose and integrity. They need The New York Times, in the Education issue of its maga- sensitivity and empathy. They must be able to piece zine in September 2011, ran an article entitled “What together sparse information, conflicting data, and if the Secret to Success Is Failure?” (Tough 2011). The distinguish truth from perception. With attention to article discussed the joint endeavors of two headmas- people’s facial expressions and intonations, effective ters, one at a rich, white private school and the other at engineers need to draw on their intuition to discern a low-income, largely black and Latino private school. among fact, opinion, and motive to arrive at sound Their goal was to get their students into top-tier col- judgments. They need to appreciate that, although leges, keep them there, and prepare them for life. After engineering examinations often require a single right looking at test scores, IQ, and the like, both headmas- answer, many real-world situations are characterized ters concluded that what they needed in their curricu- by shades of grey and may not have just one right lum was the “science of good character.” answer. For all these reasons, engineering education SUMMER 2013 29

In seeking to define “good character,” 24 character ciencies in both academic and human knowledge may strengths were identified as important and common to be overcome through thoughtful education, hard work, all cultures and times. The list includes bravery, citizen- and persistence. ship, fairness, wisdom, and integrity; emotional aspects It is easier to teach knowledge than it is to change such as love, humor, zest, and appreciation of beauty; someone’s character. But a good engineer in the 21st traits related to social intelligence, described as the century needs both. ability to recognize interpersonal dynamics and adapt quickly to different social situations; and kindness, self- Conclusion regulation, and gratitude—values emphasized in many Engineering faces serious challenges, and education religious traditions. is a pathway toward solving them, especially if new What was so interesting in this article was that stu- methods of teaching and learning are evaluated with dents who persisted in college were not necessarily the an open mind. ones who had excelled academically. They were the The Next Generation Science Standards put greater ones with exceptional character strengths, like opti- K–12 emphasis on STEM and for the first time add mism and persistence and social intelligence. They engineering to a national education standard. As engi- were the ones who could recover from a bad grade and neers, we should support implementation of these new vow to do better next time and get extra help after class standards at the state level and locally. to improve. The Internet can contribute to cost-effective instruction for both teachers and students, but teachers People who accomplished great things often combined a passion for a single mission with an unswerving dedica- play the most critical role in student learning through tion to achieve that mission, whatever the obstacles and their encouragement, example, companionship, and however long it might take. . . . [T]his quality [is called] knowledge. “grit.” (Tough 2011) Engineering education should train students to work effectively in groups, through collaboration and the The article goes on to observe that development of interpersonal relationships. Good we have an acute, almost biological impulse to provide engineers also need to have character—integrity, for our children, to give them everything they want and social intelligence, and grit—and the ability to trust need, to protect them from dangers and discomforts, their intuition. These character traits and skills can be both large and small. And yet…what kids need more taught and learned through discipline, example, and than anything is a little hardship: some challenge, some opportunity, and will lead to more effective engineers deprivation that they can overcome, even if just to prove with a more productive and fulfilling life. to themselves that they can. (Tough 2011) If they can, parents protect their children from expe- References riencing failure for many reasons, but usually to be help- Carson R. 1965. The Sense of Wonder. New York: Harper ful and minimize their pain and suffering. But protecting & Row. students and children from failure does not make them Dodge D. 2008. The Next Big Thing: Thoughts on busi- smarter or stronger: it disables them and undermines ness and technology. November 10. Available online their personal growth and the development of responsi- at http://dondodge.typepad.com/the_next_big_thing/ bility. Quoting one of the headmasters, 2008/11/50-of-us-engineering-students-dropout ---why.html. The idea of building grit and building self-control is that Dorph R, Goldstein D, Lee S, Lepori K, Schneider S, Ven- you get that through failure, and in most highly academic environments in the United States, no one fails katesan S. 2007. The status of science education in the anything. (Tough 2011) Bay Area: Research brief. Lawrence Hall of Science, Uni- versity of California, Berkeley. Available online at www. Thus the engineering student with a score of 800 on lawrencehallofscience.org/rea/bayareastudy/pdf/final_to_ the math SAT and straight As in math and science may print_research_brief.pdf. not be the best student for either academic success or Gladwell M. 2005. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without long-term contributions to society. Academic skill must Thinking. New York: Little, Brown. be enhanced by character and relationship skills. Defi- Granger EM, Bevis TH, Saka Y, Southerland SA, Sampson V, The 30 BRIDGE

Tate RL. 2012. The efficacy of student-centered instruction Pyle E. 2013. Ohio university presidents urge immigration in supporting science learning. Science 338:105–108. reform. The Columbus Dispatch, March 28. Mitra S. 2010. The child-driven education, TED Global, Schweingruber HA, Quinn H, Keller TW, Pearson G. 2013. September. Available online at www.ted.com/talks/sugata_ A framework for K–12 science education: Looking toward mitra_the_child_driven_education.html. the future of science education. The Bridge 43(1):43–50. NRC [National Research Council]. 2011. A Framework for Tough P. 2011. What if the secret to success is failure? New K–12 Science Education Standards. Washington: National York Times Education Issue, September 11. Academies Press. Tryggvason G, Apelian D, eds. 2012. Shaping Our World: NRC. 2012. A Framework for K–12 Science Education: Prac- Engineering Education for the 21st Century. Hoboken NJ: tices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington: John Wiley & Sons. National Academies Press. Wang M-T, Eccles JS, Kenny S. 2013. What exactly is draw- NSF [National Science Foundation]. 2006. Science and Engi- ing young women away from STEM fields? Huffington Post, neering Degrees: 1966-2004. Arlington VA: Division of March 27. Available online at www.huffingtonpost.com/ Science Resources Statistics, NSF. mingte-wang/women-stem-education_b_2967180.html. By working closely together, industry and academia can develop engineers who are not only technically strong but also creative and able to work well in teams, communicate effectively, and create useful products.

Aligning Engineering Education and Experience to Meet the Needs of Industry and Society

Rick Stephens

Industry and society depend on engineers for the design and production of goods that meet customer needs and are safe, reliable, efficient, and competitive in the global market. Given the dynamics of the global economy and changing US age demographics (specifically, in this context, the large number of engineers approaching retirement), much has been written about whether there will be a sufficient number of engineers to meet industry and Rick Stephens retired societal needs. in March from the Furthermore, although colleges and universities produce technically com- Boeing Company as petent graduates who understand engineering concepts and demonstrate the Senior Vice President of ability to apply them in the real world, they often lack the people skills (also Human Resources and called “soft” skills) that enable them to meet their full potential. Today’s Administration. engineers need to be not only technically strong but also creative and able to work well in teams, communicate effectively, and create products that are useful in the “real world.” Industry, society, and engineering schools can—and should—collaborate to ensure a sufficient number of such qualified and capable engineers to meet industry and society needs. In this article I discuss measures to achieve these goals. The 32 BRIDGE

Engineering Education and Employment: in 2013 is in engineering, with an average starting salary Recent Facts and Figures of $62,535 (up 4 percent from 2012) and starting sala- The road to an engineering degree has long been char- ries as high as $93,500 (NACE 2013). And since only 5 acterized by challenging courses, a heavy course load, percent of all undergraduates complete an engineering long hours of study, and high failure rates. It was not degree (Newman 2012), there is substantial demand. uncommon for some of the best and brightest who With low unemployment, excellent salaries, and entered engineering school to drop their pursuit of an rewarding work, why is industry concerned that there engineering degree and move to an easier course of won’t be enough qualified engineers to meet its needs? study. Some even dropped out of college altogether. In Why is it that many students see engineering as a dif- 2011 it was reported that 40–60 percent of science and ficult degree to achieve? And what can be done to engineering majors change their major because “it’s just address these concerns? so darn hard” (Drew 2011). The Importance of Soft Skills There are at least two significant areas for enhancement in engineering education to address the concerns cited Engineering graduates above: often lack the people skills 1. ensuring that engineering students can not only achieve their degree objectives but also apply their (also called “soft” skills) that skills in the real world, and 2. increasing graduation rates for students pursuing enable them to meet their engineering degrees. full potential. It turns out that progress in both areas requires the development and use of soft skills. In fact, many in business have observed that the factors that improve gradu- The good news is that, notwithstanding these facts ation rates are the same as those that support success in and figures, the United States has actually seen a recent industry. increase in the number of undergraduate engineer- There are few reports from industry that students don’t ing degrees. From 2003 to 2009 the annual number of have the right technical competency to succeed—the engineers graduating from US colleges and universities engineering school accreditation process has ensured remained relatively flat (degrees awarded rose by only the acquisition of technical competencies. Rather, engi- 3,000 during those seven years, from 71,000 to 74,000; neering majors who fail in industry are those who have Yoder 2012). But in 2010 there was a jump of 4,000, to all the right technical competencies but not the soft 78,000 new degrees, and in 2011 another jump of 5,000, or people skills to be successful. Specifically, they tend to 83,000.1 to lack the ability to work well in teams, communicate Moreover, the unemployment rate for engineers is effectively, define problems, and consider alternative just 2 percent (Gearon 2012), even as the national rate and creative solutions. They also tend to rely too heav- has averaged 9 percent since 2009.2 Even when national ily on digital tools in their efforts to develop solutions unemployment was nearly 10 percent, the unemploy- that can be delivered in the real world. ment rate for engineers peaked at 6.4 percent. In addi- Four Measures to Develop Engineering tion, the highest-paying salary for a new college graduate Students’ Soft Skills To address the need for students to acquire soft skills, 1 These recent dramatic increases correlate with general under- many engineering school deans have enlisted the help graduate enrollment growth that began early in the decade. After of industry and technology leaders to understand the remaining flat at about 375,000 between 2003 and 2006, under- factors associated with soft skill development. These graduate enrollment in 2007 began a steady rise, with an average annual increase of more than 22,000 students, bringing total deans have created an environment that fosters the undergraduate enrollment in 2011 to 471,000 (Yoder 2012). development of students’ soft skills through their work 2 Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, available online at in teams, on hands-on projects, and in industry, all as http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000. part of an engineering curriculum that is already achiev- SUMMER 2013 33

ing excellent results. Following are four examples of First- and Second-Year Engineering Student Projects such measures. Engineers want to solve problems. At many schools, however, the approach has been to use the first two Assignment of New Students to Cohorts years of the engineering curriculum to ensure that stu- As mentioned, engineering students face the challeng- dents have a solid foundation of concepts and practices es of a demanding curriculum, long study hours, and a before they get to solve problems. high course load. These are particularly daunting for Fortunately, colleges are finding that engaging first- first-year students, most of whom must also adapt to the year engineering students in hands-on projects bolsters challenge of being away from home for the first time and retention and performance. One obvious option is the being responsible for more than just their academics. involvement of these early undergraduates in support- One successful model for helping students not only ing graduate students and their projects. In addition, cope but also thrive involves assigning a cohort of up to 50 strong relationships in the community and with indus- students to an engineering professor, preferably one who try can provide opportunities to engage first-year stu- teaches an engineering introductory course and is clearly dents. For example, Columbia University works with interested in the students’ success. The cohort provides the community to identify and define projects for first- an environment for students to develop relationships year students, who work in teams to develop soft skills, with others who are experiencing the same challenges, are able to use their newly learned engineering tools, and it ensures that a professor monitors their progress and solve problems for “customers,” and begin their trans- can quickly address issues that may arise. Early evidence formation from student to engineer in a way that is very indicates that students who have such additional over- useful to industry. sight and support move from the at-risk population (at risk of quitting their engineering studies or of dropping out altogether) to successful first-year students. The use of real-world Engineering Professors Teaching Mathematics and Physics engineering examples to Two of the most challenging courses for new engineering students are the introductory mathematics and physics translate mathematical courses. Some colleges and universities have considered them “weed-out” courses for engineering majors. But as concepts into practice colleges are in a position to select the best and brightest significantly increases students from the many who apply, courses designed to cut out underachievers are no longer warranted. student success rates. For most engineering students, understanding and applying mathematical concepts is critical to their success in the classroom and eventually in the workplace. Internships (And as one with an undergraduate degree in math- Like student projects, internships have become a criti- ematics, I also appreciate the elegance that the field cal tool for preparing students for the workforce. One can bring to engineering.) A number of engineering model that is gaining traction is to work with students schools have enlisted engineering professors to teach to line up internships after their second year in engi- mathematics and physics, using real-world engineer- neering school. Duke University makes it a point to ing examples to translate mathematical concepts into meet with second-year students to ensure that they are practice. The approach is associated with significant taking the right steps to participate in an internship, improvement in student performance and thus better and then discuss the experience with them afterward to 3 retention and degree attainment rates. get feedback on how it went. For many students, an internship is their first real 3 While some have claimed that ABET requires mathematics and physics to be taught by the professors from those fields, engineer- experience with industry and their first opportunity to ing deans who have adopted the approach of engineering profes- see what it means to be a practicing engineer in the field sors teaching math and physics indicate that it has not affected they are pursuing. If the internship experience is good, their ABET accreditation. then the student continues in the selected field of study. The 34 BRIDGE

If, however, an electrical engineering student decides The key to ensuring that engineering graduates are after the internship to become a civil engineer instead, ready for the future rests in how they are educated, there is time to refocus her studies. which must involve more than the right technical con- Internships are also an opportunity for colleges and tent. An effective education in engineering must also industry to work closer together. Experience at the Boe- include development of soft skills. Programs that cul- ing Company showed that those with internships are far tivate both demonstrate high retention and graduation more successful as employees. The internships also pro- rates that also ensure students become employees that vide a way to observe potential employee performance design and help produce goods that are safe, reliable, as well as get real-time feedback from students. As a efficient, and competitive in the global market. Industry measure of Boeing’s confidence in the benefits of these and engineering schools working closely together with engineering internships, the company recently doubled students in a true partnership make it happen. the number available from 600 to 1,200. These are great examples and a strong start, but there is more to do. Tracking and reporting (1) the number Conclusion of internships that businesses provide and (2) engineer- The four measures described above are just a sampling of ing school retention and graduation rates will go a long options, but colleges and universities where engineering way toward enhancing accountability and continuing to school leaders and faculty have implemented them (or achieve the results needed for US engineering students, measures similar to them) have seen steady increases in industry, and the national economy. student retention and graduation rates. For example, at Duke, Columbia, Olin, and the University of South- References ern California, 85 percent of entering engineering stu- Drew C. 2011. Why science majors change their minds (it’s dents graduate with engineering degrees—a dramatic just so darn hard). New York Times, November 4. improvement over the figures cited in the New York Gearon CJ. 2012. You’re an engineer? You’re hired. US News Times article (Drew 2011). and World Report, March 22. These schools show that creating opportunities for NACE [National Association of College Employers]. students to engage as engineers makes a huge difference 2013. Salary Survey: April 2013 Executive Summary. in their graduation rates and ensures that they meet the Available online at www.naceweb.org/uploadedFiles/ needs of industry. Students with access to such program NACEWeb/Research/Salary_Survey/Reports/salary-survey- enhancements do not drop out because “it’s so darn april-2013-executive-summary.pdf. hard” because, although they face the same challenges Newman R. 2012. Where the jobs are, and the college grads as their peers in other college or university engineering aren’t. US News and World Report, May 14. programs, they receive critical support and early oppor- Yoder BL. 2012. Engineering by the Numbers. Washington: tunities to develop both engineering and people skills. American Society for Engineering Education. Available online at www.asee.org/colleges. Students in entrepreneurship programs gain insights into designing for end users, working in and managing interdisciplinary teams, communicating effectively, thinking critically, understanding business basics, and solving open-ended problems. Entrepreneurship Its Role in Engineering Education

Tom Byers, Tina Seelig, Sheri Sheppard, and Phil Weilerstein

Tom Byers Tina Seelig Sheri Sheppard Phil Weilerstein

It is an exciting time to be an engineer. In recent decades, the engineering workforce has helped the United States make substantial advances in communications, health, defense, infrastructure, and manufacturing (Blue et al. 2005), and the time between the emergence of new technologies and their implementation has steadily declined (Kurzweil 2001). Opportunities and challenges continue to require engineers to literally invent the future by developing breakthrough technologies that solve global problems and enhance the quality of life.

Tom Byers and Sheri Sheppard of Stanford University are principal investigators at the National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter); Tina Seelig is the director of Epicenter and executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program; and Phil Weilerstein is executive director of the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). The 36 BRIDGE

Ongoing innovation is required to address pressing Entrepreneurship education teaches engineering stu- problems and to maintain America’s global competi- dents in all disciplines the knowledge, tools, and atti- tiveness, and engineering is the foundation of much tudes that are required to identify opportunities and of that innovation. To be prepared to enter the work- bring them to life. Students who take part in entrepre- force and thrive in this ever changing global economy, neurship programs as undergraduates gain insights not engineers need to be able to collaborate effectively as available from traditional engineering education, such leaders, in teams, and with their peers. In addition to as understanding and designing for end users (“empa- their technical and analytical expertise, they need to thy”), working in and managing interdisciplinary teams, be flexible, resilient, creative, empathetic, and have the communicating effectively, thinking critically, under- ability to recognize and seize opportunities (NAE 2004; standing business basics, and solving open-ended prob- Sheppard et al. 2008). All of these skills can and should lems (ABET 1995; NAE 2004). be taught to engineers as part of their formal education. It is thus the responsibility of engineering educators to Expanding Support for Entrepreneurship instill these qualities in students to enable them to be In many universities, entrepreneurship is no longer more innovative and entrepreneurial. confined to business schools. In fact, it is one of the fastest growing subjects in undergraduate education overall, with formal programs such as majors, minors, and certificates quadrupling from 1975 to 2006 (Brooks It is the responsibility of et al. 2007). engineering educators And interest in entrepreneurship extends beyond higher education. In recent decades, technology entre- to teach their students to preneurs have become American heroes, and the entrepreneurial process has been embraced as a key element be more innovative and of the country’s future success and global leadership. entrepreneurial. The White House has emphasized entrepreneurship as a means of driving innovation: in addition to improving STEM education, President Obama’s strategy for Amer- In this article, we examine the importance of entre- ican innovation calls for an investment in high-growth preneurship efforts in engineering education, national and innovation-based entrepreneurship to drive the US support for entrepreneurship, student and faculty atti- economy (NEC 2011). tudes and engagement, noteworthy programs, and early The National Science Foundation has also invested research on these initiatives. We then offer our perspec- in entrepreneurship and innovation with programs tive on the future landscape for innovation and entre- such as Innovation Corps (I-Corps), which prepares preneurship in engineering education. scientists and engineers to consider broader opportunities for their technology and research, and the The Importance of Entrepreneurship Education National Center for Engineering Pathways to Inno- It is no longer enough to come out of school with a purely vation (Epicenter). Managed by Stanford University technical education; engineers need to be entrepreneur- and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators ial in order to understand and contribute in the con- Alliance (NCIIA), Epicenter was established in 2011 text of market and business pressures. For engineers who to expand the infusion of entrepreneurship into under- start companies soon after graduation, entrepreneurship graduate engineering education. It sponsors initiatives education gives them solid experience in product design that inspire engineering students to envision possibili- and development, prototyping, technology trends, and ties and create viable, innovative products, services, market analysis (Nelson and Byers 2010). These skills and processes.1 are just as relevant for success in established enterprises as they are in startups; students with entrepreneurial training who join established firms are better prepared to become effective team members and managers and 1 Information about Epicenter programs and resources is available can better support their employers as innovators. online at http://epicenter.stanford.edu/. SUMMER 2013 37

Student and Faculty Attitudes toward characteristics are drive, passion, resourcefulness, Entrepreneurship Education and the belief that one can be successful. Unlike other changes to the engineering curriculum • The characteristics of an entrepreneurial mindset can that have been implemented with little student input, be learned, including the ability to act on opportuni- there is substantial and growing student demand for ties, learn from failures, and solve problems, as well as entrepreneurship education. In an annual survey of technical, business, interpersonal, and communica- American college freshmen, 41 percent of respondents tion skills. said that “becoming successful in a business of my own” is an objective they considered “essential” or “very • The way educators teach entrepreneurship is deeply important” (Pryor et al. 2012). In a study of engineer- influenced by their own career experiences as well as ing students by Duval-Couetil and colleagues (2012), their beliefs about how people become entrepreneurs. two-thirds of the respondents agreed that entrepreneur- Understanding the beliefs of those who currently ship education would broaden their career prospects teach entrepreneurship is useful in defining the edu- and choices. cational outcomes for entrepreneurial learning. These Among faculty and administrators, according to a beliefs also suggest that more work is needed to enhance recent ASEE survey, about 50 percent of respondents understanding of the relationships between teaching reported that access to entrepreneurship programs is strategies, personal experience with entrepreneurship, important for their engineering undergraduates (Peter- and effectiveness in achieving learning outcomes. freund 2013). While this might be interpreted as a discouraging statistic for the expansion of entrepreneurship in education, we view it as an opportunity. Working with faculty members will help the Epicen- About half of faculty and ter team understand their points of view and give us administrators report that tools for influencing others. For example, it may be that some faculty members do not have experience in entre- access to entrepreneurship preneurship and do not really understand it (Zappe et al. 2013). For others, it may be that their perception programs is important for their of their students’ needs and challenges puts entrepre- engineering undergraduates. neurship low on the priority list of learning objectives. Furthermore, survey findings suggest that faculty perceptions about overcrowded engineering curriculum, Faculty Engagement and Impacts and their belief that faculty peers and administrators The integration of entrepreneurship and innovation in are unsupportive of including entrepreneurial learn- engineering education will require a shift in thinking ing objectives in engineering education, contribute to and willingness on the part of faculty to participate in, or making these objectives a low priority for engineering at least accept changes in, the engineering curriculum. undergraduate programs (Peterfreund 2013). Recent experiences in introducing new approaches to Both in and outside the classroom, learning to be an engineering education are a good indicator of the chal- entrepreneur requires a complex set of knowledge, skills, lenges and a guide to which approaches will be effective. and abilities (Nelson and Byers 2010). The recent work In a study of adoption of several major educational of Zappe and colleagues (2013), which examined the innovations in engineering education, Borrego and col- beliefs of faculty who teach entrepreneurship to engi- leagues (2010) found that a combination of approach- neering students, is a first step toward understanding es was needed to build awareness, support practical faculty perspectives on entrepreneurial skills and codi- adoption, and enable institutionalization. Developing fying, organizing, and advancing engineering under- well-defined and proven materials is necessary but not graduate entrepreneurial learning objectives. Their sufficient. Best practices and training opportunities need study found that educators who teach entrepreneurship to be complemented by awareness and buy-in among to engineering students believe that: faculty and administrators, and the provision of resourc- • The defining characteristic for an entrepreneur es and incentives for implementation. Importantly, the is the ability to act on opportunities. Other key highest adoption rates were found for innovations that The 38 BRIDGE could be implemented by individuals or small teams takes place in the context of a business opportunity. without a great deal of departmental coordination. The emergence of online learning resources has been Engaging traditional engineering faculty is, however, particularly useful for delivering digital content both only part of the picture, since many of those who teach in and out of the classroom. For instance, the Stanford entrepreneurship are clinical, adjunct, or nontraditional Technology Ventures Program’s Entrepreneurship Cor- faculty. Therefore, curricular and noncurricular program ner (ECorner) offers thousands of video clips that are development needs to take account of the advantages easily incorporated in classroom discussions, student and challenges in terms of a school’s faculty makeup. research, and presentations. Epicenter is building on the success of ECorner and creating small learning modules Models of Engineering Entrepreneurship with entrepreneurship-related content. Online courses Education on entrepreneurship also allow faculty and students A mixture of approaches to entrepreneurship education far removed from vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems is necessary to deliver the experiences and knowledge to access a wide range of instructors and content, and that lead to innovative and entrepreneurial graduates. enable faculty to spend more time nurturing innovation. Fortunately, with high interest in entrepreneurship Another high-impact approach involves creating among students, there is an opportunity to catalyze intensive entrepreneurship programs and experiences student awareness and interest through short, engag- for highly motivated students. Successful examples ing experiences. To that end, Epicenter is building on include the University of Texas at Austin’s Idea to Prod- the success of NCIIA’s Invention to Venture workshops uct (I2P) competition, the NCIIA’s E-Team program for launching student ventures, and a growing number of entrepreneurship-themed “living-learning” communi- Successful student innovators ties (combining student residence with curricular and extracurricular activities) at universities around the become powerful role models country (Inkelas et al. 2008). Students report that these for their classmates. programs put their engineering education in context and provide opportunities to learn about leadership in emerging and existing enterprises. by training and deploying “student ambassadors” at a It is also important to explore commonalities between number of institutions, where they hold events, run entrepreneurial skills and ABET guidelines to see how competitions, and exemplify the path toward becom- entrepreneurship can fulfill key ABET requirements. ing an innovator. Alignment with these requirements can influence uni- Also key will be thinking in new ways about how to versity leaders who are motivated to maintain their approach entrepreneurship education. Some engineer- ABET accreditation. ing schools have formal certificate and minors programs in entrepreneurship for their undergraduates, and 50 per- Analysis of Existing Programs cent of faculty respondents to the ASEE survey reported A number of engineering schools have already made that extracurricular programs are a prevalent means for significant investments in programs to help their engineering students to gain experience in entrepreneur- undergraduate students become skilled in entrepre- ship (Peterfreund 2013). The proportion of students neurship, and the recent work of Besterfield-Sacre and participating in these experiences is still small, but their colleagues (2011; Shartrand et al. 2010) is an impor- impact on the participating students and in inspiring tant step toward comprehensive analysis of such courses their peers is important. Successful student innovators and programs in the United States. Their preliminary become powerful role models for their classmates. study found that the primary differentiators among Neck and Greene (2011) call for expanding con- these programs are “density of offerings” (coursework, cepts of teaching entrepreneurship from a process-based extracurricular activities, minors/certificates, concen- approach with known inputs and outputs to a methods- based approach that supports iteration and creativity. 2 The Carnegie Classification tracks institutional diversity in US Others are thinking about the incorporation of entrepre- higher education. Information is available online at http://clas- neurship modules in which engineering problem solving sifications.carnegiefoundation.org/. SUMMER 2013 39

trations, and entrepreneurship majors), Carnegie Clas- to engineering and business practice? How might your sification,2 and physical and virtual spaces dedicated students benefit from seeing this larger context for their to entrepreneurial activities (incubators or business technical learning? accelerators, web portals for campus resources, entre- Academic administrators: Talk with your faculty, preneurship research institutes, and design and proto- students, and alumni about their attitudes about entre- typing spaces). preneurship. How have elements of entrepreneurship Building on this research, Epicenter has launched a and innovation added to their professional success? study of 41 engineering schools that offer certificates or How might additional training in these elements con- minors in entrepreneurship. The schools range in size tribute to future success? from very small (13 engineering bachelor’s degrees per Industry leaders and representatives: Reflect on year) to large (more than 1,700 such degrees). Some pro- how your operations use engineers with an entrepre- grams are housed in the engineering department or school neurial approach and mindset. How can you engage (e.g., University of Pennsylvania), some are offered by academic program faculty in discussions about the key the business school to students across the entire campus entrepreneurial skills and abilities you need in your (e.g., University of Connecticut), and still others are engineering workforce? partnerships between departments such as engineering Beginning these conversations with your peers and and business (e.g., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). other stakeholders can expose connections between A primary aim of the Epicenter study is to develop motivated individuals and groups and yield opportuni- a multifaceted analysis of these offerings as a resource. ties for expanding the innovative and entrepreneurial Those who are designing entrepreneurship programs ecosystem at your institution. With the growing support will be able to build on the models and experiences of entrepreneurship in the engineering community, we of others and to engage the larger engineering educa- are confident that 21st century engineering graduates tion community in discussions about how and why to can and will be equipped with the ability to address the include entrepreneurship in engineering education. challenges of the coming decades in innovative and economically generative ways. Looking Ahead There is reason to be optimistic about the potential for Acknowledgments infusing opportunities for entrepreneurship and innova- We acknowledge the contributions and support of our tion into engineering education. The NSF, NAE, and Epicenter colleagues: Leticia Britos Cavagnaro, Babs other engineering education supporters have invested Carryer, Emanuel Costache, Kathleen Eisenhardt, significantly in spurring innovation in engineering edu- Humera Fasihuddin, Shannon Gilmartin, Laurie Moore, cation, and a growing field of engineering education Alan Peterfreund, and Angela Shartrand. researchers is studying and documenting what works, The work of the Epicenter is supported under Nation- how, and why. Coupled with a well-supported approach al Science Foundation grant number DUE-1125457. that empowers faculty across the nation and engages both institutional leaders and accreditation bodies, this References change is under way. ABET [Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technol- To continue building a movement to create more ogy]. 1995. The Vision for Change: A Summary Report of entrepreneurial engineers, we urge stakeholders in the ABET/NSF/Industry Workshops. Baltimore MD. undergraduate engineering education to consider the Besterfield-Sacre M, Ozaltin NO, Shartrand A, Shuman LJ, following questions and actions. Weilerstein P. 2011. Understanding the technical entre- Students: Ask questions of your professors, adminis- preneurship landscape in engineering education (AC trators, and fellow students. Where does entrepreneur- 2011-1729). Presented at the 2011 Annual Conference ship fit into the educational picture at your school? and Exposition of the American Society for Engineering What opportunities already exist for you? How can you Education (ASEE), June 26–29, Vancouver BC. help build more opportunities? Blue CE, Blevins LG, Carriere P, Gabriele G, Kemnitzer S, Engineering faculty: Consider the role of entrepre- Vittal R, Ulsoy G. 2005. The Engineering Workforce: Cur- neurship in all facets of your work, from teaching to rent State, Issues, and Recommendations. Arlington VA: research. How might the subjects you teach connect National Science Foundation. The 40 BRIDGE

Borrego M, Hall TS, Froyd JE. 2010. Diffusion of engineering Neck HM, Greene PG. 2011. Entrepreneurship education: education innovations: A survey of awareness and adoption Known worlds and new frontiers. Journal of Small Busi- rates in US engineering departments. Journal of Engineer- ness Management 49(1):55–70. doi: 10.1111/j.1540- ing Education 99(3):185–207. 627X.2010.00314.x. Brooks R, Green WS, Hubbard RG, Jain D, Katehi L, McLen- Nelson AJ, Byers T. 2010. Challenges in University Technol- don G, Plummer J, Roomkin M. 2007. Entrepreneurship in ogy Transfer and the Promising Role of Entrepreneurship American Higher Education. Report from the Kauffman Education. Kauffman: Emerging Scholars Initiatives. Panel on Entrepreneurship Curriculum in Higher Education. Pryor JH, DeAngelo L, Blake LP, Hurtado S, Tran S. 2012. Duval-Couetil N, Reed-Rhoads T, Haghighi S. 2012. Engi- The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2011. neering students and entrepreneurship education: Involve- UCLA Higher Education Research Institute. ment, attitudes and outcomes. International Journal of Peterfreund AR. 2013. Epicenter Baseline Survey: Report Engineering Education 28(2):425–435. of Findings. Available online at http://sagefoxgroup.com/ Inkelas KK, Szelényi K, Soldner M, Brower AM. 2008. epicenter. National Study of Living-Learning Programs: 2007 Report Shartrand A, Weilerstein P, Besterfield-Sacre M. 2010. Tech- of Findings. Available online at http://drum.lib.umd.edu/ nology entrepreneurship programs in US engineering bitstream/1903/8392/1/2007%20NSLLP%20Final%20 schools: An analysis of programs at the undergraduate level Report.pdf. (AC 2010-666). Presented at the 2010 Annual Conference Kurzweil R. 2001. The law of accelerating returns. Essay, and Exposition of the American Society for Engineering March 7. Available online at www.kurzweilai.net/the-law- Education (ASEE), June 20–23, Louisville KY. of-accelerating-returns. Sheppard SD, Sullivan WM, Macatangay K, Colby A. 2008. NAE [National Academy of Engineering]. 2004. The Engi- Educating Engineers: Designing for the Future of the Field. neer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Washington: National Academies Press. Zappe S, Hochstedt K, Kisenwether E, Shartrand A. 2013. NEC [National Economic Council]. 2011. A Strategy for Teaching to innovate: Beliefs and perceptions of instruc- American Innovation: Driving Towards Sustainable tors who teach entrepreneurship to engineering students. Growth and Quality Jobs. Washington. International Journal of Entrepreneurship Education 29(1):45–62. The open education (OE) movement provides new mechanisms to democratize education by interconnecting ideas, learners, and instructors in new kinds of constructs that replace traditional textbooks, courses, and certifications.

Opening Education

Richard G. Baraniuk

The clamor surrounding the high cost, limited access, static nature, and often low quality of the world’s education systems is reaching a crescendo. Many observers claim a serious threat to the future of youth, the training of workforces worldwide, and even the democratic process. In addition, education is out of reach for many in the developing world, widening the gap between rich and poor people and countries. Richard G. Baraniuk The statistics are alarming. As Figure 1 shows, since 1978 textbook costs is Victor E. Cameron in the United States have risen 812 percent, more than three times the Professor of Electrical and consumer price index (Perry 2012). No wonder that US student debt has Computer Engineering topped $1 trillion and that a recent California study found that 7 out of at Rice University and 10 college students now choose not to purchase textbooks (Redden 2011). founder of the Connexions Adjusted for inflation, tuition costs at US colleges rose over 25 percent in open education publishing the past decade. Besides cost, there is also the challenge of inadequate edu- platform, the OpenStax cational facilities. At a South African university in 2012, 11,000 desperate College free textbook ini- applicants vying for 800 openings induced a stampede that left one person tiative, and the OpenStax dead and 22 injured. Tutor personalized learn- Now imagine a world that has forestalled this crisis: a world where textbooks and other learning materials are free for all on the web and low-cost ing system. in print, adapted to many backgrounds and learning styles, interactive and immersive, translated into numerous languages, continually updated and cor- rected, and never out of print. A world where computers assist in teaching so The 42 BRIDGE

In this article I describe developments on four fronts that promise to reinvent the way educators produce and disseminate educational materials and fundamentally change students’ relationship with content. These four “frontline” areas are textbooks, courses, personalized learning, and certification. While the timescale of education transformation has until now been measured in decades, even cen- turies, OE has the potential to radically alter the way authors, instructors, and FIGURE 1 Percent changes from 1978 to 2012 in three Bureau of Labor Statistics’ consumer price students interact worldwide index (CPI) categories—educational books and supplies, medical services, and an aggregate of all virtually overnight. goods and services (designated Consumer Price Index in the graph)—as well as the median price for new homes from the Census Bureau. Since 1978 textbook costs have risen more than three times the Open Textbooks average increase for all goods and services. Reprinted with permission from Perry (2012). The textbook was the that instructors can spend more time teaching concepts answer to the educational challenges of the 19th cen- and values, giving insights, and providing inspiration. tury, but it is the bottleneck of the 21st century. The A world where courses can be taken from anywhere at textbook of today is static, linear in organization, time- any hour of the day or night. A world where a student consuming to develop, soon out of date, and expensive. study group encircles the globe. A world of “living” (i.e., Moreover, it provides only “one-size-fits-all” learning constantly updatable) certifications and degrees that that doesn’t cater to the background, interests, abilities, continuously document students’ and lifelong learners’ and goals of individual students. accomplishments. While this world was just a dream even a decade ago, Open Educational Resources the open education (OE) movement that aims to create Communication and information technologies provide it is coalescing and gaining momentum. The movement a golden opportunity to reinvent the textbook. Open is based on a set of intuitions shared by a remarkably educational resources (OER) include text, images, wide range of academics and students: knowledge audio, video, interactive simulations, problems and should be free and open to use and reuse; collaboration answers, and games that are free to use and reuse in new should be easier, not harder; and people should receive ways by anyone around the world. The key elements of credit for what they’ve learned and demonstrated. OER are: The OE movement is rapidly gaining momentum • open copyright licenses, like those of Creative Com- because of a “perfect storm” comprising two converg- mons, that turn educational materials into living ing factors. First, the global financial downturn is forc- objects that can be continuously developed, remixed, ing education systems worldwide to dramatically reduce and maintained by a worldwide community of authors costs on every front by updating their business models. and editors; and Second, powerful telecommunication and information technologies are providing new, cost-effective ways to • information technologies, like the Internet and web, distribute content, support personal interactions, and that enable easy digital content reorganization and store information. virtually free content distribution. SUMMER 2013 43

The OER approach to textbooks has several impor- Chinese, Vietnamese, and Afrikaans. In South Africa, tant benefits: Siyavula (cnx.org/lenses/siyavula), a nonprofit resource for technology-powered learning based in Cape Town, • It brings people back into the educational equation. is developing a complete K–12 curriculum. Vietnam Those who have been “shut out” of the traditional is using Connexions as a faculty development tool publishing world—talented K–12 teachers, commu- (voer.edu.vn). Professional societies such as the IEEE nity college instructors, and scientists and engineers are advancing their global educational outreach and in industry—can add tremendous diversity and depth inreach through content development and peer review to the educational experience. (ieeecnx.org; Kelty et al. 2008). Indeed, because the • It reduces the high cost of teaching materials. In many Connexions founders and early adopters were signal states, college students now spend more on textbooks processing faculty and IEEE members, there is a strong than tuition. extant signal processing foundation to build on. To help busy college instructors adopt OER and save • It reduces the time lag between the production of students money, Connexions recently partnered with learning materials and their delivery to students. a consortium of philanthropic foundations to launch Many books are out of date by the time they are print- OpenStax College (openstaxcollege.org) to provide free ed. This is particularly problematic in fast-moving textbooks for today’s highest-impact college courses. areas of engineering, science, and medicine. Textbooks are authored by professional domain experts • It enables reuse, recontextualization, and customiza- and peer reviewed by practicing college instructors, and tion such as translation and localization of course the library also offers lecture slides, image libraries, and materials in myriad languages and cultures. This step test banks. is critical for reaching the entire world’s population, where clearly one size does not fit all for education. Open educational resources “Connexions” at Rice University Several OER projects are already attracting millions (OER) include text, images, of users per month. Some, like MIT OpenCourseWare (ocw.mit.edu), are top-down-organized institutional audio, video, interactive repositories that showcase their institutions’ curricula. simulations, problems, and Others, like Wikipedia, are grassroots organized and encourage contributions from all comers. games that are free for In addition, there is Connexions (cnx.org), which I founded in 1999 with three primary goals: (1) to con- anyone to use. vey the interconnected nature of knowledge across disciplines, courses, and curricula; (2) to move away from The initial reaction to the project has been very posi- a solitary authoring, publishing, and learning process to tive. As of April 2013, more than 150 institutions had one based on connecting people in open, global learning formally adopted the library’s College Physics, Introduc- communities that share knowledge; and (3) to support tion to Sociology, Biology, and Concepts of Biology texts. personalized learning (more on this below). Connex- College Physics now exceeds 3 percent market share. On ions has grown into one of the largest and most used an annual basis, more than 23,000 students are saving OER platforms—each month millions of users access more than $2.3 million. When completed, every year over 20,000 educational “building blocks” and 1300 the initial 25-book OpenStax College library will ben- e-textbooks (as of April 2013). In addition to web and efit over 1.2 million students at a 10 percent market e-book outputs, a sophisticated print-on-demand system share, saving students an estimated $120 million. Com- enables the production of inexpensive paper books for pared to the philanthropic investment required to build those who prefer or need them, at a fraction of the cost the library, the return on investment in terms of student of books from a conventional publisher. savings is approximately 600 percent per year. And a Content contributions come from all over the number of planned translation/localization projects aim world in more than 40 languages, including Spanish, to make a further global impact. The 44 BRIDGE

Open Courses guages, and more than 23,000 students completed the A student transported from 1900 to the present would course. Adding a human element to the course, thou- feel quite at home in one of today’s typical lecture sands of study groups formed spontaneously via social courses. Lectures remain a primarily passive experience networking sites, some grounded locally and others dis- of copying down what an instructor says and writes on tributed globally. a board (or projects on a screen). Such “teaching by The success of this initial experiment spawned a telling” is effective for conveying information, but inef- menage of educational MOOC enterprises, such as the fective for imparting knowledge and actively engaging for-profit Coursera, Udacity, and Google CourseBuilder students. and the nonprofit edX and Class2Go. A related enter- Communication and information technologies make prise is TED-Ed, a new education arm of the successful it possible to do much more. Schools have offered dis- TED franchise that enables the remix of video lectures tance learning courses for decades. New technologies (not unlike the work of Connexions with textbooks). now make it straightforward to replace in-person lec- Like OER, MOOCs democratize access to high-qual- tures with YouTube videos, paper-based homework with ity learning experiences and provide a large and wide- web pages, and graders with computer algorithms. OE spread potential audience for enterprising instructors. is taking the concept even further by opening access to They also enable students to form long-lasting social any student, anywhere. bonds with students from around the world, which The Khan Academy (khanacademy.org) advanced bodes well for the increasingly global economy. The OE by demonstrating the power of freely distributed ability to replay online course material as many times short (10-minute) videos of mini-lectures and worked as needed makes it possible to move away from com- problems, thus enabling students anywhere to learn a petition in education (competition for access to cours- new subject, solidify their understanding, or clear up es, for the instructor’s time, against each other due to their misconceptions. Moreover, the videos enable curve-based grading) toward a world where everyone teachers to “flip the classroom” by having students view eventually masters the material and gets a good grade. the lecture materials online on their own and then using Finally, MOOCs and other online courses will afford an valuable class time to discuss and work problems. The unprecedented opportunity to observe and analyze stu- flipped classroom aligns with the philosophy of Confu- dent learning experiences, and the resulting quantities cius, who famously remarked: “I hear and I forget. I see of data can be used to improve and eventually personal- and I remember. I do and I understand.” ize the learning process.

Personalized Learning At all levels of education, students typically receive Massive online open courses instruction and activities as a group, regardless of dif- (MOOCs) open up access ferences in aptitude, prior knowledge, motivation, or interest. This one-size-fits-all approach forces students by transporting lectures, into artificial timelines for learning that often cause them to become bored or fall behind. Recent advances examples, homework, tests, in technology provide the opportunity to revolutionize and office hours to the web. education by gathering data on student learning interactions and using the information to tailor instruction and activities to the needs and characteristics of each 1 Massive open online courses (MOOCs) take this student in order to maximize learning outcomes. concept a step further by transporting all the compo- Limited but promising progress on computer-based nents of a course—not just lectures and examples, but personalized learning has built on a content-centric also homework, tests, and office hours—to the web and approach in which human domain experts tease apart opening up access to all. The canonical success story of a MOOC is Stanford University’s fall 2011 Artificial 1 Such personalized education is one of the NAE’s Grand Intelligence course that enrolled over 160,000 students Challenges for Engineering (www.engineeringchallenges.org/ from 190 countries. Volunteers translated it into 44 lan- cms/8996/9127.aspx). SUMMER 2013 45

and exhaustively encode (using ontologies, rule-based replicable; generalize themselves across differ- systems, etc.) the relationships among content, con- ent types of learners, materials, and contexts; and cepts, misconceptions, problems, solutions, and poten- increase long-term retention and transfer of learning. tial feedback in a subject. Although successful, this To maximize learning efficacy, the learning plan care- approach to facilitate learning has been extremely fully sequences content and practice opportunities to difficult to realize without major investments of time, allow retrieval practice and spacing while providing money, and expertise. For instance, my discussions with detailed, timely, and appropriate feedback. a number of commercial providers of personalized learn- • Open community. We expand the universe of learning systems have revealed that developing a single per- ing content, problems, solutions, and feedback avail- sonalized learning course requires a multimillion-dollar able to the learner by bringing together materials and investment and several years of work by disciplinary metadata generated by an open community of con- specialists. Progress in this area will entail not only low- tributors, including conventional authors, educators, ering the costs and complexities of developing person- and even learners. In particular, we leverage Connex- alized learning systems but also increasing their range ions and QuadBase (quadbase.org), an open-source beyond that provided by hand-coded rules. repository of homework and test questions founded A promising alternative to the content-centric at Rice University. approach to personalized learning is a data-centric approach. In contrast to the years needed for humans to estimate how an individual student might interact with the content, a data- centric personalized learning system gathers data from actual learner interactions with the content and uses the data to tune the presentation and feedback to students. For the last four years, I have led a multidisciplinary team of researchers in machine learning, computer systems, cognitive psychology, and education from Rice University and Duke University in developing a data-centric personalized learning system called FIGURE 2 The result of applying a sparse factor analysis (SPARFA; Lan et al. 2012) learning/con- OpenStax Tutor (openstax- tent analytics algorithm to data from a grade 8 science course in STEMscopes, an online science cur- tutor.org). Its three central riculum program. The data input to SPARFA consisted solely of whether a student answered a given elements are: potential homework or exam question correctly or incorrectly. From these limited and quantized data, SPARFA automatically estimates (a) a collection (in this case five) of abstract “concepts” that • Cognitive science. We underlie the course (“Concept 3” is illustrated here); (b) a graph that links each question (rectangular leverage three cognitive box) to one or more of the concepts (circles), with thicker links indicating a stronger association with science principles— the concept; (c) the intrinsic difficulty of each question, indicated by the number in each box; (d) descriptive word tags drawn from the text of the questions, their solutions, and instructor-provided retrieval practice, spac- metadata that make each concept interpretable (as shown for Concept 3); and (e) each student’s ing, and feedback—that knowledge profile, which indicates both estimated knowledge of each concept and concepts ripe for are robust and highly remediation or enrichment. Reprinted with permission from Lan et al. (2012). The 46 BRIDGE

• Machine learning. We increase the flexibility, gen- Clearly, students and lifelong learners need a more eralizability, and scalability of OpenStax Tutor by flexible system for certifying their skills acquired both in eschewing hand-coded rule-based systems for provid- and out of school. Again, communication and informa- ing feedback in favor of data-driven machine learn- tion technologies offer a solution. ing algorithms that adapt and optimize feedback Recently developed “stacked credentials” record and and learning plans by analyzing the content, prob- track learning achievements in subjects such as web lems, and solutions plus data from a large number of design, welding, and calculus. In particular, Mozilla’s learner interactions. For example, Figure 2 illustrates Open Badges project (mozilla.org/badges) has devel- a concept graph that was automatically generated oped tools to make it easy to earn, issue, and display by a sparse factor analysis (SPARFA) learning/con- “badges” (a simple kind of credential) on the web. Badg- tent analytics algorithm using only the course “grade es allow people to provide a more complete picture of book” matrix indicating which students answered their skills and competencies to potential employers, which questions (in)correctly (Lan et al. 2012). mentors, peers, and collaborators. They acknowledge the fact that learning happens everywhere (not just in In beta testing, Rice University electrical and com- school) and document much more than a report card puter engineering students who used OpenStax Tutor about people’s acquired skills and competencies. The during the 2011–12 academic year improved their beauty of badges is that, like OER, they are modular learning outcomes by one-half to one letter grade com- and thus enable learners to build a career ladder over pared to those who relied on the standard practice of time, transforming the learner from a passive consumer weekly homework without retrieval practice, spacing, in a constrained system to an active participant in a and timely feedback. Beta testing is continuing with lifelong process. engineering students at Rice, Georgia Tech, the Uni- MOOC and badge-based certification are nascent versity of Texas at El Paso, and the Rose-Hulman Insti- but gaining momentum, as illustrated in the following tute of Technology (Terre Haute, Indiana). examples: Personalized learning systems like OpenStax Tutor can both enhance the learning experience for students • The major MOOC providers all offer a certificate of and provide college instructors and K–12 teachers accomplishment for students who successfully com- with immediate data to better inform their instruc- plete their courses online. tion and forge a more direct connection with their • The American Council on Education is reviewing students. They enable teachers to immediately under- MOOCs offered by several elite universities and may stand not only how their students are performing on recommend that other colleges grant credit for them the core course concepts but also what they are doing (Young 2012). that influences their students’ success (and failures) in their learning. Significantly more efficient and effective • Industry associations, such as the Manufacturing learning should result. Institute, are developing badges that recognize skills highly sought after by manufacturers. Credit and Open Certification • Peer-to-Peer University (p2pu.org), a grassroots OER and MOOCs enable flexible new ways to learn, OE project, is offering badges for the completion of but how do students (of any age) get credit for what online courses. they’ve learned? Today, in order to get credit, one typically enrolls in a rigid, often multiyear program that The Open Road Ahead measures learning achievement in terms of “seat time.” The world is increasingly connected, yet educational sys- Such rigidity is no longer practical in the modern tems cling to the disconnected past. The OE movement knowledge economy, as more and more careers require provides new mechanisms to democratize education by constant training on new knowledge and skills. As John interconnecting ideas, learners, and instructors in new Seely Brown (2005, p. 4.3) put it, “As [workers] move kinds of constructs that replace traditional textbooks, from career to career, much of what they will need to courses, and certifications. OE has the potential to real- learn won’t be what they learned in school a decade ize the dream of providing not only universal access to earlier. They will have to be able to pick up new skills all the world’s knowledge but also the tools required to outside of today’s traditional educational institution.” SUMMER 2013 47

acquire it. The result will be a revolutionary advance in • How does OE impact academic freedom? the world’s standard of education at all levels. • What measures may be necessary to safeguard a stu- But OE is also a disruptive force in the academic world dent’s lifelong electronic learning record? (Christensen and Horn 2011). OER promises to disin- termediate the scholarly publishing industry, rendering • How can OE enterprises be financially sustained some current business models unviable and inventing over the long term while remaining as accessible as new viable ones. Furthermore, MOOCs, badges, and possible? personalized learning systems have the potential to dis- Clearly the education world is in for a turbulent, yet aggregate schools and colleges, enabling new efficien- fruitful, next decade. cies but also devaluing certain aspects. Thus, however exciting, the OE movement raises References many questions, most of them revolving around ways to Brown JS. 2005. New learning environments for the 21st cen- maximize the impact of OE while mitigating undesired, tury. In: Devlin ME, ed. Aspen Symposium 2005: Exploring unintended consequences. Research and experience are the Future of Higher Education. EDUCAUSE. pp. 4.1–4.54. needed to address the following questions: Christensen C, Horn M. 2011. Colleges in crisis. Harvard • What measures may be necessary to prevent OE from Magazine, July-August. “regressing to the mean” and providing only an aver- Kelty CM, Burrus CS, Baraniuk RG. 2008. Peer review anew: age education to an average student? Three principles and a case study in post-publication quality assurance. Proc IEEE 96(6):1000–1011. • What is the balance between the (inexpensive) mas- Lan AS, Waters AE, Studer C, Baraniuk RG. 2012 (preprint). sive online aspect of OE and the (expensive) face-to- Sparse factor analysis for learning and content analytics. face contact that defines current education systems? Submitted to Journal of Machine Learning Research. • Will the future of education be dominated by a few Available online at http://goo.gl/V8Jrg. massive “university networks” with “talking head” Perry MJ. 2012. The college textbook bubble and how the instructors? “open educational resources” movement is going up against the textbook cartel. Carpe Diem Blog, American Enter- • What is the utility of a final exam or high-stakes test prise Institute, 24 December. Available online at www. when machine learning analytics can accurately pre- aei-ideas.org/2012/12/the-college-textbook-bubble-and- dict a student’s score from the regular coursework? how-the-open-educational-resources-movement-is-going- • How much does teaching improve with the use of up-against-the-textbook-cartel/. learning analytics to track both student and instruc- Redden M. 2011. 7 in 10 students have skipped buying a text- tor performance? book because of its cost, survey finds. Chronicle of Higher Education, August 23. Available online at http://chronicle. • Can the use of analytics transform the educational com/article/7-in-10-Students-Have-Skipped/128785/. system from one where time is held constant and the Young JR. 2012. American Council on Education may amount of learning is variable to a system where the recommend some Coursera offerings for college credit. amount of learning is held constant and time is the Chronicle of Higher Education, 13 November. Available variable? online at http://chronicle.com/article/American-Council- • Are there risks or tradeoffs if companies looking to on-Education/135750/. hire prefer a solid collection of industry-approved badges over a college degree? Massachusetts has created a comprehensive, collaborative model for supporting STEM education in the practical context of career readiness and

industry needs.

State-Level Measures to Close the STEM Skills Gap

Dennis D. Berkey and Joanne Goldstein

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts enjoys a citizenry highly educated in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as well as thriving high-tech and life sciences industries. Yet there is a shortage of Dennis D. Berkey workers appropriately trained and educated for what are often referred to as middle-skills jobs in these industries. Such jobs—lab technician, computer specialist, advanced manufacturing technician, radiation therapist, airplane mechanic, and EMT professional, among others—account for 45 percent of US employment (44 percent in Massachusetts) (Holzer and Lerman 2009). To address this shortage, business and political leaders across the country have called for an increase in the number of students receiving bac- calaureate and advanced degrees in STEM fields. But employers point to a shortfall of employees with basic competencies appropriate to functioning in the technology-intense environments of today’s workplaces. For instance, a 2005 report by the National Association of Manufacturers found that, although 35 percent of manufacturers anticipated a shortage of scientists Joanne Goldstein and engineers in the coming decade, more than twice as many anticipated a dearth of skilled production workers (NAM 2005). That situation has

Dennis D. Berkey is president and CEO of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Joanne Goldstein is Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. SUMMER 2013 49

not changed. In January 2012 Massachusetts Gover- nor Deval Patrick reported that 240,000 people were seeking employment while 120,000 jobs sat unfilled.1 Many of these jobs do not require advanced degrees but rather the skills and knowledge of a two-year associate’s degree or specialized training available in technical/ vocational high schools. The responsibility to prepare young citizens for a productive and fulfilling life means providing them with a quality education and the know-how to use that education for personal and professional achievement. This is especially true during times of economic stress, when unemployment is high and opportunities are in short supply. It’s even more imperative when there is a disconnect between growth industries and the skilled workers needed to advance that industry. Governor Patrick and his administration are addressing these challenges through their commitment to edu- FIGURE 1 A Worcester Technical High School student prepares his project for an upcoming class. cation at all levels, and they are doing so in a highly collaborative way. Massachusetts has established a entity for promoting study and achievement in STEM number of public-private partnerships among industry, subjects, reaching out to students and their parents as academia, and government. The governor also called well as the general public. on his secretaries of Economic Development, Labor Early on, the STEM Council, in an effort called and Workforce Development, and Education to coor- @Scale, identified and promoted programs that were dinate their efforts to prepare the state’s youth and working well and could be scaled up for broader impact. adults for middle-skills jobs that are in demand. And One such program, the Mass Math + Science Initia- he created the position of Director of Education and tive (MMSI; part of the National Math and Science Workforce Development (who reports to all three sec- Initiative), has increased enrollment and outcomes in retaries) to engage high schools and community col- advanced placement (AP) classes in STEM and in Eng- leges in building career pathways that correspond to lish language courses, especially among minority and industry demand, beginning with advanced manufac- low-income students. MMSI combines rigorous study turing, life sciences, health care, and information tech- with multiple levels of academic support, including nology. As described below, these efforts are already extended-day and weekend tutoring, and professional producing impressive outcomes that offer students development for teachers. more educational choices, better career readiness, and The attention paid to these areas has influenced Mas- greater access to employment. sachusetts schools, particularly the commonwealth’s vocational and technical high schools. An example Strategic Partnerships of such is the recent high achievements at Worcester Massachusetts has made significant investments in lead- Technical High School (Figure 1). Under the visionary ership for STEM education across the K–12 spectrum. leadership of principal Sheila Harrity, and with strong For example, the governor’s STEM Advisory Council, support from the business community, Worcester Tech established in 2009, is a dynamic forum for meaningful has gone from the lowest- to the highest-performing collaboration among STEM advocates from business, school in the Worcester Public School System on the government, and education. It is the state’s principal Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System in just six years. In 2012, 88 percent of the students scored in either the “advanced” or “proficient” categories in 1 Massachusetts 2012 State of the Commonwealth Address, English/language arts and 78 percent in mathematics, January 23, 2012. Available online at www.mass.gov/governor/ pressoffice/speeches/23012012state-of-the-commonwealth- compared to 27 and 35 percent, respectively, just six address.html. years earlier. Moreover, Worcester Tech is enrolling The 50 BRIDGE increasing numbers of students in honors or AP courses, although parents are prime influencers in a student’s and more than 70 percent of its graduates go on to four- education, they are often unaware of the educational year colleges or universities.2 requirements associated with specific career opportu- Worcester Tech has also engaged community partners nities. It is therefore important to educate and inform to develop new career-oriented programs. One exam- parents as much as students. ple is a partnership with Tufts University’s Cummings Among the pertinent findings of the task force was School of Veterinary Medicine, which runs the Tufts that there is significant overlap between the courses at Tech Community Veterinary Clinic, a student-run and experiences that lead to success in both college clinic at the high school. This innovative learning facil- and careers, and that students who pursue studies in ity, using students from both schools, gives high school math and science have an advantage in both. More- students an opportunity to learn from veterinarians, and over, many growth industries require technical know- offers citizens in the greater Worcester area affordable how and at least a basic familiarity with mathematical veterinary care. The Tufts program is just one of a range and scientific thinking, so continuing engagement in of offerings at Worcester Tech that combine career read- these areas strengthens a student’s preparedness. Thus iness with strong academic skills. the task force emphasized the value of (1) continued study in STEM subjects throughout high school and (2) internships, engagement with mentors from the business community, and other practical means of enabling There is significant overlap students to understand the nature and requirements between the courses and of the world of work. This finding raises worthwhile concerns about persistent distinctions made in some experiences that lead to both schools between “college prep” and “general” tracks of study. college and career readiness. To further enhance student preparedness, Massachu- setts adopted a high school program known as MassCore that requires four years of English, four years of mathe- Education of Students and Parents matics, and three years of a lab-based science. MassCore Another goal of the Massachusetts K–12 initiatives is designed to ensure that all students graduate with the has been to educate both students and their parents basic knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in about the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college, career, and citizenship. the 21st century. To that end, education and business leaders from across the commonwealth came Community Colleges and Internships together in a special task force, Integrating College Massachusetts recognizes that community colleges are and Career Readiness (ICCR), which was established vital to closing the skills gap, especially through coor- in 2011 by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary dination of their curricula and learning outcomes with and Secondary Education and completed its work in the needs of growth industries. July 2012.3 To that end, the Massachusetts Life Science Educa- The mission of the ICCR task force was to propose tion Consortium (MLSEC) designated subcommittees, ways to increase student and parent awareness of the composed of leaders from business, higher education, advantages of early thinking about career plans, to and the MLSEC staff, to study the life sciences curricula determine whether or not they involve college-level at community colleges along with the skills requirements preparation, and to ensure the acquisition of neces- for middle-skills jobs in that industry. The study showed sary knowledge and abilities. The task force noted that that 8 of the commonwealth’s 15 community colleges meet or exceed the defined criteria for an effective program, while also identifying opportunities to enhance the 2 These results are available online at www.golocalworcester.com/ remaining programs. The 8 selected programs, designat- news/the-secret-formula-at-worcester-technical-high-school/. ed “gold” or “silver” depending on whether they include 3 Information about the task force’s mission, work, and members is an internship opportunity, earn a three-year endorse- available online at www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=6919. ment from the MLSEC, which in turn posts information SUMMER 2013 51

online so that students can identify the community college programs best suited to their interests.4 The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is a quasi-public agency created to administer Governor Patrick’s 2008 commitment to $1 billion in funding for the life sciences industry over the next 10 years. The MLSC facilitates collaboration between industry leaders and two- and four-year colleges to promote the alignment of curricula with life sciences industry sec- FIGURE 2 Instructor Ed Davis (left) of Bristol-Myers Squibb works with a student at the tors experiencing worker Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center (BETC) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. shortages. The MLSC also works to ensure that students postsecondary education training programs and facili- receive not only the education and training needed to ties. The commonwealth helps adults remap their skill succeed in the life sciences but also professional mentor- sets through a system of services and tools overseen by ing and guidance on how best to enter and navigate this the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Develop- rapidly growing field. ment. For example, the online One-Stop Career Cen- One of the MLSC’s most successful programs is its ter helps thousands of job seekers access education and Internship Challenge, which offers Massachusetts col- training opportunities in STEM and other fields. lege students opportunities for real-world experience In addition, the state’s Workforce Training Fund in the life sciences industry.5 The Challenge strength- ensures that resources are available to employers to train ens the talent pipeline for the industry by offering their incumbent workforce. Since its inception in 1998, companies—large and small, startup and established— the fund has awarded grants totaling nearly $214 mil- funding for paid internships to be awarded to the lion to train over 301,000 workers at over 4,000 com- strongest applicants. These internships expand the pool panies in the manufacturing, professional, technical, of prospective employees, enabling more students to services, and other industries critical to the common- explore career opportunities while learning firsthand wealth’s economic growth. how their knowledge gets applied. Since the program Massachusetts colleges also strengthen the STEM launched in 2009, MLSC has placed over 900 interns at workforce in a variety of ways. One example is the nearly 300 companies throughout Massachusetts. state’s partnership with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Both partners have invested in a new, state-of- Workforce Training and Development the-art Biomanufacturing Education and Training Cen- Massachusetts recognizes the need for labor force devel- ter (BETC; Figure 2), located on the WPI campus. The opment for its adult population and has invested in MLSC gave $2.9 million to fund the facility’s build-out costs as well as a $250,000 equipment grant. Similar- ly, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth broke 4 The community colleges and descriptions of their bio- ground last year on a biomanufacturing facility that will tech programs are posted on the MLSEC website, www.mass- offer real-world training opportunities for students. bio.org/public_policy/state_issues/workforce_development/ These are just a few of the wide range of programs massachusetts_life_sciences_education_consortium/biotechnology_ programs. developed through collaborative efforts and funded by 5 Information about the MLSC Internship Challenge is available the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its leading online at www.masslifesciences.com/grants/challenge.html. industries. The 52 BRIDGE

The Way Forward at community colleges to distance learning and massive Massachusetts has enjoyed a long and distinguished open online courses, students and professionals have history of innovation. From the birth of the American more choices and opportunities to gain the education Industrial Revolution to life-changing medical break- they need to position themselves for rewarding careers. throughs to the rise of the computer industry to the Ensuring that these new forms of learning are widely parsing of the human genome, Massachusetts has been known and accessible is just one way that the state has home to some of the nation’s most dynamic innova- leveraged the power of its STEM education system. tions, in large part because of its exceptional system of In our positions at the Worcester Polytechnic Insti- higher education, both public and private. tute and the state’s Office of Education and Workforce Today, however, it is no longer viable to view postsec- Development, we are proud to help Massachusetts ondary education solely through the prism of undergrad- benefit from the expertise and interest of academia, uate and graduate degree programs. With a large portion industry, and government, collaborating to identify of students falling outside that category, and with the and implement strategies that strengthen workforce increasing need for development initiatives that target development while providing young people with better- the middle-skills workforce, Massachusetts has created informed educational choices, stronger outcomes, and a comprehensive and collaborative model for support- greater access to careers in rapidly growing sectors of ing STEM education in the practical context of career the economy. We hope that the report of these achieve- readiness and industry needs. This model has flourished ments will be useful to others with similar aspirations. thanks to a series of policy initiatives invoking public- References private partnerships and investments in STEM education, from K–12 through community colleges, four-year Holzer RJ, Lerman RI. 2009. The Future of Middle Skills Jobs. universities, and workforce development programs. Washington: Brookings Institute. Massachusetts colleges and universities have long Monfredo J. 2012. Raising the bar with more AP courses. championed lifelong learning, which has never been GoLocalWorcester, October 27. Available online at www. more relevant than today. The pace of innovation and golocalworcester.com/news/john-monfredo-south-high- discovery makes continuous learning essential for the raising-the-bar-with-more-ap-courses/. modern workforce. And advances in technology are NAM [National Association of Manufacturers]. 2005. 2005 changing not only the way people work but the way Skills Gap Report: A Survey of the American Manufactur- they learn. From online colleges to certificate programs ing Workforce. Washington. The Grand Challenge Scholars program gives students a better understanding of how their undergraduate work prepares them to face their careers and important societal challenges.

The NAE Grand Challenge Scholars Program

Tom Katsouleas, Richard Miller, and Yannis Yortsos

Tom Katsouleas Richard Miller Yannis Yortsos

In 2007 the National Academy of Engineering, with support from the National Science Foundation, convened a panel of leading thinkers from academia, policy, and business with the charge of identifying a small number of grand challenges for engineering in the 21st century. Their extraordinary list of 14 representative challenges (Box 1) spans the need for sustainability, health, security, and joy of living. The challenges are remarkable because they both convey in very human terms what engineering is and will be about, and clearly show that these concerns are global in nature (e.g., manage the nitrogen cycle), necessarily connected to behavior and policy as well as business (e.g., make solar energy economical), and tap into social consciousness (e.g., provide clean water).

Tom Katsouleas is Vinik Dean of Engineering at the Duke Pratt School of Engineering. Richard Miller is president of Olin College of Engineering. Yannis Yortsos is dean of the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering. The 54 BRIDGE

BOX 1 BOX 2 The 14 NAE Grand Challenges for Active Grand Challenge Engineering in the 21st Century Scholars Programs

• Make solar energy economical • Duke University, Pratt School of Engineering • Provide energy from fusion • The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering • Develop carbon sequestration methods • University of Southern California, Viterbi School of • Manage the nitrogen cycle Engineering • Provide access to clean water • Arizona State University, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering • Restore and improve urban infrastructure • Louisiana Tech University, College of Engineering • Advance health informatics and Science • Engineer better medicines • North Carolina State University, College of • Reverse-engineer the brain Engineering • Prevent nuclear terror • University of Iowa, College of Engineering • Secure cyberspace • Lafayette College, Division of Engineering • Enhance virtual reality • University of Tennessee, College of Engineering • Advance personalized learning • Bucknell University, Bucknell College of • Engineer the tools of scientific discovery Engineering • Western New England College, School of Available online at www.engineeringchallenges.org. Engineering • St. Louis University, Parks College of Engineering, We view the NAE Grand Challenges as a call to Aviation & Technology action—for the profession and, more specifically to this • University of Texas at Austin, Cockrell School of article, for engineering education. Engineering

What’s Different about the Grand Challenge Upon completion participating students receive the Scholars Program designation of NAE Grand Challenge Scholar on the The NAE Grand Challenge Scholars program (http:// transcript from their home institution with the impri- grandchallengescholars.org) was announced at the first matur of the NAE. NAE Grand Challenges Summit in Durham, North It is worth noting that the Grand Challenge Scholars Carolina, in 2009.1 It is designed to prepare engineer- program leverages and complements existing research ing undergraduates with the skills and mindset to tackle and programs in modern engineering education peda- the challenges over the course of their careers. It is now gogy. Indeed, most top engineering schools already under way at 13 leading universities (Box 2). offer some or all of the five components listed in some In addition to the engineering requirements for their form or another. What, then, is the value of bringing degree, students who complete the program create a them together in this program? That there would be portfolio with the following five components: an answer was not certain to us when the initiative was conceived but student response so far indicates 1. Global education experience that there are several answers to the question “Aren’t 2. Service learning engineering schools already doing this?” First, the 3. Entrepreneurship Grand Challenge Scholars program compels students 4. Broad general education, including behavior, to stretch to do all five rather than a few of the compo- economics, and policy nents. Second, it is one of the few programs that recog- 5. Hands-on research or project related to one of the nizes in the transcript the value (demonstrated through Grand Challenges research and experience) of out-of-classroom learning. Third, and more significantly, the overwhelming feedback is that the process of creating their portfolio, as 1 Information about the Grand Challenges Summit Series is avail- much as the experiences themselves, helps students able online at http://summit-grand-challenges.pratt.duke.edu. appreciate the value of those experiences. They gain a SUMMER 2013 55

better understanding of how everything they have been for the distinction Grand Challenge Scholar are sub- doing in their undergraduate work comes together to mitted for selection and recognition at graduation. At prepare them to face their careers and important soci- Duke, students attend information sessions in their etal challenges. sophomore year and apply in their junior year; financial support (about $5,000 per student) is provided primarily Evidence of Impact for the hands-on component, thanks to an endowment In 2008, the NAE report Changing the Conversation: from generous donors.3 Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineer- ing urged a reframing of what engineering involves to Incorporating the Grand Challenges in K–12 connect with a new generation of students, not to men- Education tion the public at large, who are more motivated than At a 2010 meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida, engineer- ever to change the world and to help people. The Grand ing deans were polled for their views as to whether and Challenges and Scholars program respond directly to why Grand Challenges for Engineering should be intro- that call in a most powerful way. duced at the K–12 level. The majority (65 percent) In 2009, an independent survey conducted for the responded that teaching about the challenges in K–12 organizers of the first NAE Grand Challenges Sum- was important for educating and motivating the public mit measured the responses of several demographics to be a part of their solution. About a third (31 percent) to questions about the importance of engineering rela- responded that the most important reason to teach the tive to medicine, business, and law before and after the Grand Challenges was to increase the interest in and respondents heard a brief description of the NAE Grand pipeline for engineering. (Only 4 percent responded Challenges. The results were dramatic. After hearing that the Grand Challenges were not important to or the description, the respondents who rated engineer- were too hard for K–12 students.) ing as more important/more interesting than the other fields increased from 40 percent to 54 percent, and the number who rated it much more important/interesting rose from 18 percent to 27 percent. Moreover, the increas- K–12 teaching about the es were largest among women and underrepresented Grand Challenges can both groups.2 As a further data point, at one of our institutions (USC), since the recruitment materials for high motivate the public to be a school seniors was modified to include the Grand Chal- lenges the enrollment of women in the entering class part of their solution and has risen to 38 percent. The Grand Challenge Scholars increase the pipeline for program then continues to foster that interest once the students are on the college campus. engineering. All of the Grand Challenge Scholars programs have in common the five components above, but differ in their implementation. At Olin College, the development of Later that year a program aimed at bringing the a comprehensive student portfolio integrating the five Grand Challenges to K–12 education (www.grand Grand Challenge elements (and often other elements challengek12.org) was announced, at the Regional involving projects of various kinds) is the primary meth- Grand Challenge Summit in Raleigh, North Caro- od of implementation of the Scholars program. Other lina, cohosted by Duke and North Carolina State engineering schools offer freshman seminar or overview courses that incorporate the Grand Challenges. In most cases, admission to the program is highly 3 These donors are Susie Simon and the Niarchos Foundation. selective and takes place later in the undergraduate It is worth noting that the Niarchos Foundation supports social career. At USC, for example, portfolios of candidates causes and the arts primarily, and originally did not see a connection between its mission and an engineering school. After learning about the NAE Grand Challenges, foundation represen- 2 The survey results are available online at http://summit-grand- tatives were enthusiastic that this kind of program is exactly in challenges.pratt.duke.edu/national-survey. line with the foundation’s mission. The 56 BRIDGE

University (NCSU) under the leadership of NCSU a follow-on to the US summits and identify the need Engineering Dean Louis Martin-Vega. Dubbed the and opportunities for global cooperation to address NAE Grand Challenges K–12 Partners Program, this the Grand Challenges. That meeting took place in national effort attempts to address the two priorities London, March 12–13, 2013. To support research and reflected in the deans’ survey. It translates the five the role of graduate students, eight universities active components of the Grand Challenge Scholars pro- in Grand Challenges education announced a PhD gram to a pedagogy appropriate for K–12 students, scholarship program, called the Charles M. Vest NAE creating a resource for teachers with ideas for lesson Grand Challenges for Engineering Scholarships (the plans that tie to Common Core and state standards. It Vest Scholarships for short; http://vestscholars.org). also connects undergraduate Grand Challenge Schol- The Scholarships are intended to be something like ars to area schools where they can bring the excite- a reverse Rhodes Scholarship; they provide resources ment of the challenges and their own experiences to for a PhD student from abroad to study for a year at school children. one of the eight schools, working with faculty on a Another novel application of the Grand Challenges Grand Challenge topic and then returning to their in K–12 pedagogy is being employed with success at home institution to complete their degree. The hope a new magnet high school in the Wake County Pub- is that the scholarships will (1) enrich the participants lic School System on the NCSU campus. The Grand through their overseas experience, (2) enhance global Challenges are infused throughout the curriculum. For collaborations that will lead to Grand Challenge solu- example, the challenge “provide clean water” involves tions, and (3) form a network of scholars, with a com- an integrated engineering and social studies project mon determination to tackle the world’s most difficult comparing water quality at two watersheds in North and important problems, on which the students will Carolina. Students perform hands-on water filtration draw throughout their careers. studies and examine the geological and political factors In summary, the NAE Grand Challenges for Engi- that result in very different water quality in each case. neering in the 21st century are a powerful framing of what the field of engineering is and will become, one Expanding and Moving Forward that excites and engages young people and the public There have been efforts to broaden the use of the Grand alike. Moreover, they are an opportunity to “change the Challenges approach to disciplines beyond engineering. conversation” about engineering and to enhance engi- For example, discussions are under way to explore the neering education to give students at all levels the skills possibility of creating a Grand Challenge Scholars pro- and mindset to solve them. gram for business and liberal arts majors at Babson Col- lege and Wellesley College. Reference Internationally, the NAE recently partnered with NAE [National Academy of Engineering]. 2008. Changing the the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) and the Conversation: Messages for Improving Public Understand- Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) to sponsor ing of Engineering. Washington: National Academies Press. SUMMER 2013 57

NAE News and Notes Charles M. Vest NAE President 2007–2013 Charles M. Vest was elected in 2007 Grand Challenges for Engineer- to a six-year term as president of the ing, a set of 14 critical challenges National Academy of Engineering for engineers in the 21st century, and will complete his tenure on which, if achieved, will improve the June 30, 2013. He is also president quality of life for humankind. This emeritus of the Massachusetts Insti- effort spawned a number of Grand tute of Technology. Challenges Summits at universities Dr. Vest earned a BS in mechani- around the country and has contrib- cal engineering from West Virginia uted to better public understanding University in 1963 and MSE and of the value and importance of engi- PhD degrees in mechanical engineering advances to the well-being neering from the University of of the nation and the world. Michigan in 1964 and 1967 respec- Dr. Vest presided over the inter- tively. In 1968 he joined the faculty national expansion of the NAE’s of the University of Michigan as Frontiers of Engineering (FOE) pro- an assistant professor; he taught in gram to include partnerships with Charles M. Vest the areas of heat transfer, thermo- China and the European Union. In dynamics, and fluid mechanics, and that position until December 2004, 2009, he launched the annual NAE conducted research in heat trans- when he became professor and Frontiers of Engineering Education fer and engineering applications president emeritus. As president symposium series, aimed at identi- of laser optics and holography. He of MIT, he was active in science, fying and propagating innovative and his graduate students developed technology, and innovation policy; approaches to engineering teach- techniques for making quantitative building partnerships among aca- ing and learning. He also initiated measurements of various proper- demia, government, and industry; a major new NAE effort to under- ties and motions from holographic and championing the importance of stand and address changes in global interferograms, especially the mea- open, global scientific communica- manufacturing-design-innovation surement of three-dimensional tem- tion, travel, and the sharing of intel- value chains and their implications perature and density fields using lectual resources. During his tenure, for US employment, education, and computer tomography. He became MIT launched its OpenCourseWare competitiveness. And under his an associate professor in 1972 and (OCW) initiative; cofounded the leadership the NAE in 2011 devel- a full professor in 1977. In 1981 Alliance for Global Sustainability; oped a novel partnership with the he turned much of his attention to enhanced the racial, gender, and US Institute of Peace to consider academic administration and served cultural diversity of its students and how the application of technology as the university’s associate dean of faculty; established major new insti- and of knowledge and methods from engineering (1981–1986) and dean tutes in neuroscience and genomic engineering and science can serve of engineering (1986–1989) before medicine; and redeveloped much of the goals of conflict prevention, becoming provost and vice presi- its campus. peacemaking, and peacekeeping. dent for academic affairs. Dr. Vest began his term as presi- In addition to strengthening and In 1990 Dr. Vest was elected pres- dent of the National Academy of augmenting the strategic programs ident of the Massachusetts Institute Engineering in 2007. Under his of the NAE, Dr. Vest exercised his of Technology (MIT) and served in leadership, the NAE promoted the visibility as NAE president to great The 58 BRIDGE effect, playing a prominent role sors on Science and Technology and technology. He has authored a both nationally and internation- (PCAST) during the Clinton and book on holographic interferometry ally in illuminating forces reshap- Bush administrations, the Commis- and two books on higher education. ing the landscape of engineering sion on the Intelligence Capabili- He has received honorary doctoral research, practice, and education, ties of the United States Regarding degrees from 17 universities, was and in defining the attributes future Weapons of Mass Destruction, the awarded the 2006 National Medal engineers will require to compete Secretary of Education’s Com- of Technology by President Bush, and lead in the emerging global mission on the Future of Higher and received the 2011 Vannevar economy. Education, the Secretary of State’s Bush Award from the National Sci- Dr. Vest was a director of DuPont Advisory Committee on Trans- ence Board. for 14 years and of IBM for 13 years, formational Diplomacy, and the We greatly appreciate Dr. Vest’s and vice chair of the US Council Rice-Chertoff Secure Borders and thoughtful guidance and signifi- on Competitiveness for 8 years. He Open Doors Advisory Committee. cant contributions in bolstering the also served on various federal com- He serves on the boards of several NAE’s national leadership during mittees and commissions, including nonprofit organizations and founda- his term, and wish him all the best the President’s Committee of Advi- tions devoted to education, science, in his future pursuits.

NAE Newsmakers

David D. Awschalom, professor of the field of communications and in San Francisco. The award rec- physics and of electrical and com- information science. Mr. Cooper, a ognizes personal contributions by puter engineering at the Univer- wireless visionary and serial entre- young scientists and system devel- sity of California, Santa Barbara, preneur, is credited with develop- opers to a contemporary innovation has been elected to the European ing the concept of the handheld that exemplifies the greatest recent Academy of Sciences. The acad- mobile phone. He led the team achievements in the computing emy, which elects relatively few that put Motorola at the forefront field. Drs. Dean and Ghemawat led non-European scientists, bases its of a burgeoning new industry and the conception, design, and imple- selections on new research fields he helped reshape and point the mentation of much of Google’s that have substantial scientific global telecommunications industry revolutionary software infrastruc- impact. Professor Awschalom is in a new direction. The $100,000 ture, which underlies the company’s known for his pioneering research Marconi Prize, to be presented at a web search and indexing as well as in spintronics and quantum infor- ceremony this fall in Bologna, Italy, numerous applications across the mation science. Spintronics special- is given each year to one or more industry. The technology has been ists manipulate the spin of electrons scientists and engineers who, like emulated by virtually every major and nuclei to devise new methods radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi, Internet company in the world. The for advanced computing, medi- achieve advances in communica- scalable infrastructure they created cal imaging, subatomic memories, tions and information technology was also pivotal to the burgeoning encryption, and other technologies. for the social, economic, and cul- field of cloud computing, which His patents include one for quan- tural development of all humanity. delivers resources over the Internet. tum computing, an experimental The Association for Computing An endowment from the Infosys computer technology that would Machinery (ACM) and the Infosys Foundation provides financial sup- greatly outperform modern digital Foundation announced that Google port for the $175,000 annual award. computers. Fellows Jeffrey Dean and Sanjay ACM selected Shafi Goldwas- The Marconi Society has Ghemawat are the recipients of ser, professor of computer science announced that Martin Cooper, the 2012 ACM–Infosys Foun- and artificial intelligence at the chairman of Dyna LLC, is the recip- dation Award in the Computing Massachusetts Institute of Technol- ient of the 2013 Marconi Prize, Sciences, presented at the annual ogy (MIT) and the Weizmann Insti- considered the highest honor in ACM awards banquet on June 15 tute of Science, and professor Silvio SUMMER 2013 59

Micali, also at MIT, as the recipients Chenming Hu, TSMC Distin- mentor, inspiration, and role model of the 2012 ACM A.M. Turing guished Professor of the Graduate for other scientists and engineers; Award. Working together, they pio- School at the University of Califor- and her lifetime of public service to neered the field of provable security, nia, Berkeley, has been selected by government, professional institu- which laid the mathematical foun- the Electronic Design Automation tions, academia, and industry. She dations that made modern cryptog- Consortium and the IEEE Coun- received the award on February 15 raphy possible. By formalizing the cil of EDA to receive the 2013 at a ceremony and reception during concept that cryptographic security Phil Kaufman Award for Distin- the association’s 179th annual meet- had to be computational rather than guished Contributions to Elec- ing in Boston. absolute, they transformed cryptog- tronic Design Automation (EDA). Jay Keasling, Hubbard Howe Jr. raphy from an art to a science. Their The award was presented June 2 at Distinguished Professor of Biochem- work addresses the protection of the opening ceremony of the largest ical Engineering at the University of data from being viewed or modified, EDA event, the Design Automa- California, Berkeley, is the winner providing a secure means of commu- tion Conference, in Austin, Texas. of the 2013 Promega Biotechnol- nications and transactions over the Dr. Hu was recognized for his con- ogy Research Award presented by Internet. The ACM Turing Award, tributions in device physics, device the American Society of Microbiol- widely considered the “Nobel Prize modeling, and device reliability ogy. The award honors significant in Computing,” carries a $250,000 through BSIM and BERT models contributions to the application of prize, with financial support provid- that have transformed the semi- biotechnology through fundamen- ed by Intel Corporation and Google conductor manufacturing and elec- tal microbiological research and Inc. ACM presented the award at its tronic design automation industries. development. Professor Keasling is annual awards banquet on June 15 His team invented the revolution- a pioneer and international leader in San Francisco, California. ary 3D FinFET transistor structure in engineering microorganisms Maurice Herlihy, professor of that simultaneously achieves size to produce active pharmaceutical computer science at Brown Univer- and power reduction to enable ingredients, commodity chemicals, sity, has been named the 2013 recip- continued scaling of the microelec- specialty polymers, and biofuels. ient of the Institute of Electrical tronic chips. The Phil Kaufman His research focuses on engineer- and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Award honors individuals who have ing microorganisms for environ- Computer Society’s prestigious W. had demonstrable impact on the mentally friendly synthesis of small Wallace McDowell Award for his field of EDA through technology molecules or degradation of envi- contributions to multiprocessor innovations, education/mentoring, ronmental contaminants. computation. Dr. Herlihy, whose business or industry leadership. It Sangtae Kim, executive direc- research focuses on practical and was established as a tribute to Phil tor of the Morgridge Institute for theoretical aspects of concurrent Kaufman, the late industry pioneer Research, has received the 2013 and distributed computing, was rec- who turned innovative technolo- Ho-Am Engineering Prize from ognized for his “fundamental contri- gies into commercial businesses that South Korea, the highest engineer- butions to the theory and practice have benefited electronic designers. ing research award issued by that of multiprocessor computation.” His The American Association for the nation. The prize recognizes Dr. early work on wait-free synchroniza- Advancement of Science (AAAS) Kim’s influential scholarship in the tion showed that different synchro- has chosen Anita Jones, Univer- field of chemical engineering for nization operations have different sity Professor Emerita, School of the past three decades. The award computational power, but that any Engineering and Applied Science, includes a prize of about $265,000, a operation that can solve consensus University of Virginia, to receive gold medal, and a laureate diploma. is universal. The McDowell Award its highest honor, the 2012 Philip Cato T. Laurencin, University is given to individuals for out- Hauge Abelson Award. A special- Professor; Albert and Wilda Van standing recent theoretical, design, ist in computer security systems, Dr. Dusen Distinguished Professor of educational, practical, or other Jones was honored for her scientific Orthopaedic Surgery; professor of innovative contributions in the and technical achievements in com- chemical, materials, and biomolecu- field of computing. puter science; her contributions as a lar engineering; CEO, Connecticut The 60 BRIDGE

Institute for Clinical and Transla- (AIAA), the American Society of understanding of radiation effects tional Science; and Director, Insti- Mechanical Engineering (ASME), in materials and for advancing the tute for Regenerative Engineering, the American Helicopter Society scientific basis of performance limits University of Connecticut, received (AHS) International, and the Soci- for structural materials in advanced the 2012 AAAS Mentor Award ety of Automotive Engineers (SAE) nuclear energy systems,” Dr. Zinkle “for his transformative impact and International. was formally recognized during the scientific contributions toward The Carnegie Science Center spring MRS meeting in April. No mentoring students in the field of has announced that the prestigious more than 0.2 percent of the current biomedical engineering.” The award Chairman’s Award of the 2013 MRS members are elected fellows. honors AAAS members who have Carnegie Science Awards will go On April 29, six NAE members mentored significant numbers of to Ralph J. Cicerone, president of were elected to the National Acad- underrepresented students (women, the National Academy of Sciences; emy of Sciences. They are Kristi S. minorities, and persons with dis- Charles M. Vest, president of the Anseth, Distinguished Professor and abilities) toward a PhD degree in National Academy of Engineering; HHMI investigator, Department of the sciences, as well as scholarship, and Harvey V. Fineberg, president Chemical and Biological Engineer- activism, and community build- of the Institute of Medicine. It ing, University of Colorado Boulder; ing on behalf of underrepresented was conferred at the Carnegie Sci- Juris Hartmanis, Walter R. Read groups in science, technology, engi- ence Awards ceremony at Carnegie Professor of Computer Science and neering, and mathematics fields. Music Hall in Pittsburgh on May 3. Engineering Emeritus, Cornell Uni- It was presented during a February Dr. Cicerone accepted the award on versity; Stephen R. Quake, HHMI 15 ceremony at the 2013 AAAS behalf of all three recipients. investigator and Lee Otterson Pro- Annual Meeting in Boston. On March 8, C.P. Wong, Dean of fessor, Departments of Bioengineer- Roderic Pettigrew, director of Engineering at the Chinese Univer- ing and Applied Physics, Stanford the National Institute of Biomedi- sity of Hong Kong, on unpaid leave University; John H. Seinfeld, cal Imaging and Bioengineering from Georgia Institute of Technol- Louis E. Nohl Professor, California (NIBIB), received the 2013 Pierre ogy, was awarded the International Institute of Technology; James A. Galletti Award from the American Dresden Barkhausen Award 2012 Sethian, professor of mathematics, Institute for Medical and Biological by the Materials Research Network University of California, Berkeley; Engineering (AIMBE) at the 2013 Dresden, Fraunhofer IZFP Dresden, and Éva Tardos, Jacob Gould Schur- AIMBE Annual Event in Wash- and Technische Universität Dres- man Professor of Computer Science, ington, DC. It is the highest honor den. Dr. Wong received the award Cornell University. that AIMBE, a nonprofit organiza- “for outstanding scientific results in On May 1, the US Department tion that provides leadership and applied research and development of Commerce’s Patent and Trade- advocacy in medical and biological at frontier areas between physics, mark Office and the National engineering for the benefit of soci- materials science, and electrical Inventors Hall of Fame inducted ety, bestows on an individual. engineering, particularly for his four NAE members. Arthur Ash- Frank D. Robinson, founder and seminal contributions to the dis- kin, retired member of the techni- retired president of Robinson Heli- covery and understanding of novel cal staff, Bell Laboratories, Lucent copter Company, has been selected physical properties of graphene and Technologies, for optical trapping: to receive the 2013 Daniel Gug- its applications in nanoelectronics.” Ashkin invented optical trapping, genheim Medal for his “conception, The award includes prize money of also called optical tweezing, a pro- design, and manufacture of a family €10,000. cess that traps molecules and mac- of quiet, affordable, reliable, and Steven Zinkle, chief scientist, roscopic particles by using laser versatile helicopters.” Established Nuclear Science and Engineering light. The technique utilizes radia- in 1929 to honor notable achieve- Directorate, Oak Ridge National tion pressure, when light or other ments in aeronautics, the Daniel Laboratory, has been named a 2013 forms of radiation exert force on an Guggenheim Medal is awarded Fellow of the Materials Research object. The process has allowed for jointly by the American Institute Society (MRS). Acknowledged for the study of small particles in many of Aeronautics and Astronautics his “pioneering contributions to the fields. Donald L. Bitzer, Distin- SUMMER 2013 61

guished University Research Profes- ing system that had been created by technology: Drs. Jacobs and Viter- sor, Computer Science Department, Bitzer because traditional displays bi, two of Qualcomm’s cofounders, North Carolina State University, for had no inherent memory, lacked were major contributors to CDMA plasma display: In the mid-1960s, high brightness and contrast, and technology that is used in cellular Don Bitzer and Gene Slottow, fac- flickered. Irwin M. Jacobs, direc- telephone networks. CDMA now ulty at the University of Illinois at tor, Qualcomm Incorporated, and supports over 1.6 billion subscrib- Urbana-Champaign, and graduate Andrew J. Viterbi, Presidential ers in developing and developed student Robert Willson worked Chair Professor at the University of countries with voice and high-speed together to create the first plasma Southern California and president Internet access. It was standardized display. A new display was needed of the Viterbi Group, LLC, for code for North America in 1993. for the PLATO computerized learn- division multiple access (CDMA)

NAE Honors 2013 Prize Winners

The NAE honors outstanding Stark Draper Prize, the Fritz J. and assisting in the presentations were individuals for significant innova- Dolores H. Russ Prize, and the Ber- James D. Shields, president and tion, leadership, and advances in nard M. Gordon Prize accepted CEO, Charles Stark Draper Labo- engineering. The 2013 award win- their awards before an audience of ratory, Inc.; Roderick J. McDavis, ners were honored at a black-tie more than 350 guests, with NAE president, Ohio University; and dinner on February 19 at historic President Charles M. Vest and Harold S. Goldberg, advisor, Ber- Union Station in Washington, NAE Council Chair Charles O. nard M. Gordon Prize Committee. DC. The recipients of the Charles Holliday Jr. at the podium. Also

Charles Stark Draper Prize

nicate from virtually any location and access a myriad of information at the touch of a button. It connects people, provides security, and bridges information gaps. The first limited form of mobile telephone service was provided by AT&T in 1946, and the initial ideas for cellular systems emerged at Bell Labs a year later. A lack of channels inhibited further explo- ration of these ideas until the late 1960s, when Bell Labs began planning activities for a “high-capacity” Left to right: Dr. Yoshihisa Okumura, Dr. Thomas Haug, Mr. Richard H. Frenkiel, Dr. Joel S. Engel, and Mr. Martin Cooper. mobile telephone system. Engel and Frenkiel, with the late Phil Porter, Martin Cooper, Joel S. Engel, Rich- to the world’s first cellular telephone were the earliest engineers involved ard H. Frenkiel, Thomas Haug, and networks, systems, and standards.” in this work. They developed a Yoshihisa Okumura were awarded Cellular telephony is an excep- plan for a network of low-power the 2013 Charles Stark Draper Prize tional technological achievement transmitters and receivers spread “for their pioneering contributions that has enabled people to commu- throughout a region in small cov- The 62 BRIDGE erage areas that came to be called that spanned cities, valleys, and In 1960 several Nordic countries cells, which allowed the expansion mountains. In 1979, the NTT net- had their own local mobile systems, of service to millions of users with work became the world’s first fully but cell phone users were not able to a limited number of channels. This integrated commercial cell phone transfer calls between towers. From plan resulted in a technical report, system and had the most advanced 1970 to 1982, Thomas Haug worked filed with the US Federal Commu- electronic switching. to develop the Nordic Mobile Tele- nications Commission in 1971, pre- Shortly after the cellular network phony (NMT) system, which pro- senting the design for what would was developed, Martin Cooper, vided analog service across the become the Advanced Mobile who was working at Motorola at region’s countries. In 1982, inspired Phone System (AMPS), the first the time, unveiled the first portable by the successful Nordic example, cellular telephone system in the hand-held cellular phone. After he formed a research group to cre- United States. conducting in-depth research and ate a system that would enable users At the same time, at Nippon filing several patents on technolo- to place and receive calls anywhere Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) gies needed for the device, Coo- in the world. By 1992 Haug and his Research Laboratories in Japan, per and his team produced a fully colleagues had successfully devel- Yoshihisa Okumura was laying the functional phone that utilized radio oped the new digital high-quality groundwork for a network system for waves and frequency reuse to enable and high-security mobile commu- widespread simultaneous cell phone mobility and operability over a wide nication system called Global Sys- use in that country. Through the area. In 1973, Cooper made the first tem for Mobile Communications investigation of precise propagation mobile telephone call on his cell (GSM), which permitted users of radio waves in a high-frequency phone prototype from a New York to make and receive calls in and range, he found data that provided City street to a landline phone at between any countries where the the foundation for a mobile model Bell Laboratories. The phone call system was installed. that could be used over wide areas was answered by Engel.

Acceptance Remarks by Richard Frenkiel

come here tonight to share this tecture; and part pamphleteer, send- moment with us. ing passionate prose to the FCC. I The creation of cellular tele- worked with him on the architecture phony that we celebrate tonight and the passionate prose, and then was always more of a journey than went on to the details—things like a destination—a wide and winding locating and handoff, and cell split- road of creation and conflict trav- ting, and standards. Thomas Haug eled by thousands of pioneers doing had an international vision. He led many types of work over more than the way to the Nordic Network, and half a century. then got all of Europe to agree to We five reflect that diversity rath- the Global System for Mobile Com- er well. Yoshihisa Okumura provided munications (GSM)—a remarkable the propagation data that we desper- achievement in the days before the ately needed to create the first cellular European Union. Marty Cooper had plans, and he pioneered a statistical a vision of portability. He took the approach that was perfect for a mul- cell phone from the trunk of his car Richard H. Frenkiel ticell system. Joel Engel was what to the palm of his hand, and start- Our thanks to Dr. Vest, the Acad- the philosophers call a polymath— ed us on the path to truly personal emy, and the Draper Laboratory for part researcher, worrying about delay communications. this great honor, and to our families, spread and diversity; part systems And then a new generation of friends, and colleagues who have engineer, shaping the cellular archi- pioneers created 3G systems with SUMMER 2013 63

Internet access, and smartphones, road with hundreds of cellular pio- and to dream that someday the work and thousands of those useful neers. More than a few of them were you are doing will change the world. “apps.” Thanks to their vision and giants in our field, and too many of We are blessed to have walked with skill, there are now 6 billion cell them are now gone. In our hearts, we those early pioneers—those old phones in a world of 7 billion peo- share this moment with all of them. friends—and to have shared with ple, and the cell phone has become We know that for an engineer, the them that powerful dream and that an important part of daily life. best life is to work with brilliant and wonderful work. Even in those early days when we creative colleagues, on problems Thank you. were young, we walked that winding that are fascinating and difficult,

Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize

procedures under controlled conditions, measuring the laser’s effect and the number of pulses used to produce incisions. In parallel studies, Wynne conducted a comparable experiment using pulsed laser radiation at 532 nm from a Q-switched, frequency-doubled, Nd:YAG laser (532 nm), which did not result in a clean incision like that of the excimer laser. Instead, it left a burned and damaged region of tissue. In 1982 and 1983, Srinivasan Left to right: Dr. Roderick J. McDavis, Dr. James J. Wynne, Dr. Rangaswamy Srinivasan, Mr. Charles O. Holliday Jr., and Dr. Charles M. Vest. and Wynne began to study the effects of the ultraviolet excimer The 2013 Fritz J. and Dolores H. Blum. In 1981 while working at the laser on human tissue through col- Russ Prize is awarded to Rangas- IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, laborations with cardiologists, oph- wamy Srinivasan, James J. Wynne, they discovered that pulsed laser thalmologists, dermatologists, and and Samuel E. Blum “for the devel- radiation at 193 nm from an argon dental anatomists. Together with opment of laser ablative photode- fluoride (ArF) excimer laser could coworkers, the two men obtained composition, enabling LASIK and etch animal tissue with submicron fresh arterial tissue from a cadaver PRK eye surgery.” precision. Just as important, the at New York Hospital (now New The development and applica- laser caused no thermal damage to York–Presbyterian Hospital) and tion of ablative photodecomposi- the adjacent tissue. irradiated a segment of the aorta tion in corrective eye surgeries, The initial discovery was made with 193 nm light from the ArF known today as PRK and LASIK, on November 27, 1981, when Srini- excimer laser and, separately, with has given millions of people vasan brought leftovers from his 532 nm pulses from the Nd:YAG throughout the world better vision. Thanksgiving meal into the lab. He laser. The experiment yielded the At the end of 2011, approximately irradiated turkey cartilage with puls- same results as the turkey experi- 25 million people had undergone es of light from the ArF (193 nm) ment: the excimer laser left no pulsed ultraviolet laser surgery to excimer laser, and found it made a detectable evidence of thermal improve their eyesight, a procedure clean “incision” in the tissue. On damage to the underlying and adja- made possible by the collaborative subsequent days, he and Blum car- cent tissue while the 532 nm pulses efforts of Srinivasan, Wynne, and ried out additional turkey cartilage caused visible thermal damage. The 64 BRIDGE

In 1983, Srinivasan, his IBM col- eye surgery in the American Journal eyes, which yielded excellent results league Bodil Braren, and ophthal- of Ophthalmology. The publication and is regarded by the ophthalmic mologist Stephen Trokel published detailed an excimer laser experi- community as a seminal paper on a paper on the potential for laser ment on several enucleated calf laser refractive surgery.

Acceptance Remarks by Rangaswamy Srinivasan

time that the prize is being awarded. thermal damage. Dr. Wynne then I bring up this bit of history because carried out the control experiment, of the three winners this time: one which used a focused visible (green) was trained as a laser physicist and laser at a similar fluence on the same the other two as a crystal chemist animal tissue. It created excessive and a photochemist. thermal damage. The experiment Our discovery in 1981 of the phe- established that the excimer laser nomenon of ablative photodecom- wavelength and fluence were key to position of tissue by short, energetic the striking results we observed. pulses of far-ultraviolet radiation It is not surprising that it has tak- was not entirely an accident. It came en many years for our experiments about because it happened in a laser to be translated into a viable process group that was pioneering the use of for the etching of the human cor- an excimer laser—a novelty at that nea. In the beginning, we needed time. I, the photochemist, noticed to educate the practicing ophthal- that a commercial polymer called mologists in the chemical physics Rangaswamy Srinivasan Kapton, which resisted smooth of ablative photodecomposition. I am delighted that Dr. James etching by chemical solvents or Then a lot of engineering exper- Wynne and I, along with the late solutions, could be easily drilled tise was required to build a working Dr. Samuel E. Blum, have been precisely and rapidly by a succession machine, which was tested on rab- selected to receive the Fritz J. and of focused laser pulses of 193 nm bits, monkeys, and eventually on Dolores Russ Prize for 2013. This wavelength. It occurred to me that human eyes, with FDA supervision, prize is notable for its emphasis on just as Kapton has a series of poly- of course. Today the reshaping of the impact of an engineering inven- imide groups along its backbone, a the human cornea by this process is tion on a field of biology/medicine. protein is characterized by a succes- widely practiced in developed coun- (Let me add parenthetically that the sion of polyamide or peptide groups tries. There you have the merging of field of bioengineering was not even along its backbone. It was natural to physical science, biology, and engi- identified as a separate discipline 50 try and see how well this relation- neering science—the synergy that years ago.) In 1999 when the Russ ship would enable the same laser the Russ Prize demanded! Prize was established, the National at that wavelength to drill or etch Needless to say, we are truly over- Academy of Engineering ruled that solid animal tissue. We observed whelmed by this honor. Thank you it would be dedicated to this field that the tissue was etched remark- one and all! exclusively. This is only the seventh ably smoothly without any sign of SUMMER 2013 65

Bernard M. Gordon Prize

America and throughout the world.” To ensure a fresh approach, Olin does not offer tenure, has no academic departments, offers degrees only in engineering, and provides substantial merit-based scholarships to all admitted students. Richard Miller, as the college’s president and first employee, provided the strategic vision and overall leadership of all aspects of the process of developing this new institution, including the shaping of its academic and institutional mission. David Kerns, founding provost, Left to right: Mr. Charles O. Holliday Jr.; Mr. Harold S. Goldberg, Advisor, Bernard M. Gordon Prize Committee; Dr. Sherra E. Kerns; Dr. David V. Kerns Jr.; Dr. Richard K. recruited Olin’s faculty and deans, Miller; and Dr. Charles M. Vest. led the establishment of the collaborative faculty process resulting in Richard K. Miller, David V. Kerns for innovation in undergraduate Olin’s three program curricula, and Jr., and Sherra E. Kerns were award- engineering education with the goal established employment relations ed the 2013 Bernard M. Gordon of preparing the next generation for for faculty in an environment with- Prize “for guiding the creation of the complex, global challenges of out tenure. Sherra Kerns, as found- Olin College and its student-cen- the 21st century. ing vice president of innovation tered approach to developing effec- The F.W. Olin Foundation estab- and research, ensured the establish- tive engineering leaders.” lished Olin College to literally start ment of a gender-balanced com- Franklin W. Olin College of Engi- over in higher education and devel- munity, led the efforts to achieve neering was founded in 1997 to op a new paradigm for engineering accreditation for the new programs, prepare “students to become exem- education, addressing at once all the and was instrumental in creating a plary engineering innovators who concerns raised about engineering culture of innovation and intellec- recognize needs, design solutions, education at the time. Furthermore, tual vitality throughout the institu- and engage in creative enterprises the purpose of the new institution is tion. All three also contributed to for the good of the world.” Since the to “become an important and con- specific dimensions of the academic first students enrolled 10 years ago, stant contributor to the advance- program, together with the faculty Olin has become a significant agent ment of engineering education in and students.

Acceptance Remarks by Richard K. Miller

First, we would like to express our and the selection committee. This their pioneering work in developing deepest appreciation to Mr. Gor- award means a lot not only to us technologies that have changed and don for his generosity and com- but also to the entire Olin commu- will continue to change our world. mitment to advancing the field of nity and many other educators in Olin College is unique in higher engineering through innovations in the field who are at the forefront of education. It was the vision of Larry education. It is a humbling experi- educational reform. I would also like Milas, former president of the F.W. ence to accept this award and our to add my congratulations to the Olin Foundation and our first chair- deep gratitude goes to the Academy Draper and Russ Prize Awardees for man of the board, who is here with The 66 BRIDGE

Kerns to leave their leadership posi- We owe any success we have had tions at Vanderbilt to join me. We to many other institutions. In this all walked away from tenured posi- sense, our success is your success, tions at respected institutions in and we are deeply grateful for your order to create an institution that, support. We simply would not be by design, will never offer tenure here tonight without you. to its faculty. We also concluded However, the heavy lifting of con- that we would not create academic ceiving, integrating, experimenting, departments, in order to promote balancing, and implementing the interdisciplinary thinking—like many new ideas that form the Olin Bell Labs, 3M, Google, and Ideo. learning model is the result of the We concluded that design thinking endless hard work and innovation and entrepreneurship would play a of our passionate faculty and student central role in the academic pro- body. They deserve the lion’s share gram. In fact, Olin is located adja- of the credit for what exists today at Olin. Students, in particular, have Richard K. Miller cent to Babson College to enable mixing the DNA of gifted engineers played the key role in seeing what us tonight. As he declared in our with the most entrepreneurial new others did not see and showing us founding precepts, “Olin College is business leaders. that we frequently underestimate intended to be different, not for the This Olin College project was so what they are capable of doing. mere sake of being different, but to important that we all felt we must Without the help of our students, become an important and constant seek the help of the best minds we would no doubt have a patch- contributor to the advancement of everywhere in order to make the work quilt of traditional courses engineering education in America most of this opportunity—an oppor- instead of the holistic, integrated and throughout the world.” tunity that, incidentally, occurs learning culture that now defines Olin was started from a blank much less frequently than once in the Olin program. slate in order to rethink engineer- a lifetime. As a result, I formed the There is one person notably ing education from the ground up, President’s Council to provide stra- missing tonight and that is the late and to address simultaneously all tegic advice. The first member of Michael Moody, founding dean of of the concerns about engineer- this council was Bill Wulf, who was faculty at Olin College and a cen- ing education known at the time. then president of the NAE. Many tral figure in the development of You see, Larry and the other three other members of the NAE have Olin’s academic program. We lost foundation directors (including Bill since become engaged, and 20 per- him three years ago to cancer but Norden, our current board chair) cent of our current trustees are NAE he remains alive in the pedagogy believed that a new mindset is need- members. at Olin and in the hearts of his ed in higher education, not simply In addition, we visited 30 other colleagues. a new course or academic program universities and many corporations In the next decade, we are on a here and there. He felt that higher to seek advice on what changes in very deliberate mission to lead in education was too set in its ways and education they would recommend. the transformation of undergradu- not sufficiently open to new ideas. We also shamelessly recruited fac- ate engineering education. We have When I was selected in 1999 as ulty members away from many of been visited by more than 200 uni- Olin’s first employee, I was nearly the most respected universities in versities in the last three years, by overwhelmed by the responsibil- America. As you know, excellent those who are interested in innova- ity to deliver on these enormous universities—without exception— tion in education. We aim to gradu- expectations. My first task was to are always fundamentally about ate more engineering innovators recruit an experienced and vision- excellent people. So Olin College and leaders to address the grand ary leadership team to help shape is, to a large extent, the result of challenges our world now faces and this unique institution. Somehow contributions of the best ideas and to drive the creation of jobs requir- I persuaded both David and Sherra people from around the nation. ing imagination, innovation, and a SUMMER 2013 67

deep knowledge of engineering and And finally, I know I speak for Again, we are enormously grate- science. This prize could not have David, Sherra, and the members of ful to the Academy for this great come at a better time to accelerate the greater Olin community when I honor. Thank you. our efforts in this cause. thank our families for their support.

NAE President, Treasurer, and Councillors Elected

C. D. (Dan) Mote, Jr. Martin B. Sherwin Paul Citron Uma Chowdhry David E. Daniel

C. Paul Robinson Charles M. Vest Linda M. Abriola Ruth A. David Charles Elachi

This spring, the NAE elected its dent of technology policy and aca- four-year term of service as trea- president and treasurer, reelected an demic relations at Medtronic, Inc., surer. Linda M. Abriola, dean of incumbent councillor, and elected was reelected to a three-year term as engineering at Tufts University; three new councillors. All terms councillor. Newly elected to three- Ruth A. David, president and chief begin July 1, 2013. year terms as councillors were Uma executive officer of ANSER (Ana- Elected to a six-year term as Chowdhry, senior vice president lytic Services Inc.); and Charles NAE president was C. D. (Dan) and chief science and technology Elachi, director of the Jet Propul- Mote, Jr., Regents Professor and officer emerita of the DuPont Com- sion Laboratory and vice president Glenn L. Martin Institute Profes- pany Experimental Station; David of California Institute of Technol- sor of Engineering in the A. James E. Daniel, president of the Univer- ogy, will complete six continuous Clark School of Engineering at the sity of Texas at Dallas; and C. Paul years of service as councillors, the University of Maryland (UMD) and Robinson, president emeritus of maximum allowed under the Acad- past president of UMD. Elected to a Sandia National Laboratories. emy’s bylaws. Dr. Vest, Dr. Mote, four-year term as NAE treasurer was On June 30, 2013, Charles M. Dr. Abriola, Dr. David, and Dr. Martin B. Sherwin, retired vice Vest will complete a six-year term Elachi were recognized in May for president of W.R. Grace. of service as NAE president. C. D. their distinguished service and oth- Paul Citron, retired vice presi- (Dan) Mote, Jr., will complete a er contributions to the NAE. The 68 BRIDGE

2013 National Meeting

NAE members and guests gathered versity of California, Irvine (UCI) Grand Challenges: An Inspiration at the Beckman Center in Irvine, California Alliance for Minority Par- for Our Times,” Dean Yortsos not- California, on February 7 for the ticipation (CAMP) Program. ed that the concept of engineering 2013 NAE National Meeting, which NAE chair Charles O. Holliday Grand Challenges was formulated was held in honor of Charles M. Jr. welcomed the members, guests, by an NAE committee in 2007 and Vest. After the morning’s business and students to the symposium with has proven to be an effective vehi- session, the members were joined brief remarks encouraging the stu- cle to inform policymakers, the pub- by 155 students from the following dents to consider the impact they lic, students, and their parents and local schools: Firebaugh and Lyn- can have on the world through a advisors on the critical importance wood High Schools in Los Angeles career in engineering. Vice Presi- of engineering to solving significant County; High Tech High (HTH) and dent Maxine L. Savitz chaired challenges that face society. Togeth- High Tech Middle (HTM), HTH the technical session and began by er with partners at Duke University International, and HTH and HTM introducing keynote speaker Yan- and Olin College, Dr. Yortsos has Media Arts, all in San Diego; HTH nis C. Yortsos, Dean of the Vit- helped promote the Grand Chal- and HTM Chula Vista; and HTH and erbi School of Engineering at the lenges by cohosting the inaugural HTM North Country in San Marcos, University of Southern California NAE Grand Challenges Summit as well as students from the Uni- (USC). In his talk on “The NAE at Duke University in 2009 and its follow-up at USC in 2010. The first summit led to the creation of the Grand Challenge Scholars Pro- gram for undergraduate engineering schools across the nation. The program continued with Gil- breth Lectures on issues related to the Grand Challenges, presented by young engineers who had participated in the NAE’s Frontiers of Engi- neering symposia. Ronald Azuma, Augmented Reality Leader, Intel IXR, spoke on “Augmented Real- ity: Meaningful Connections and Dr. Mote with UCI students Compelling Experiences.” Manu Parashar, Principal Power Systems Engineer, Alstom Grid, spoke on “Synchrophasor Wide-Area Mea- surement and Control.” Sossina Haile, Carl F. Braun Professor of Materials Science and of Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, spoke on “Material Solutions for Energy Conversion and Storage: Fuel Cells and Solar Fuel Generators.” And Riley Duren, Chief Systems Engineer, Earth Sci- ence and Technology, Jet Propulsion Roger McCarthy talking with students Laboratory, spoke on “Geoengi- SUMMER 2013 69

Brian Morey, another UCI student, wrote: I found the NAE symposium to be a great experience and an excellent networking opportunity…. I found the presenters to be wel- coming and more than willing to talk about their current projects after they gave their presentations. One of the presenters, Dr. Ronald Azuma, even provided me with a paper that detailed how computers tracked objects with their Maxine Savitz with students camera after I asked him several questions about his presentation. I talked with several other attendees as well and was surprised at how approachable they were and their willingness to share their experiences in the field of engineering. Unlike conferences where I always felt a disconnect between representatives and students, I found it refreshing to meet professors that were willing to just talk and share their knowledge and experiences. And Sharon Tamir, a student of the Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs The High Tech High Group HTH Graduating Class of 2016, neering and Climate Intervention: technology. For example, I talked sent a letter (reproduced on page What We Need to Know.” to engineers that helped with the 70) detailing the highlights and The day ended with a reception design of a challenger spacecraft lasting impressions of her experi- for members and guests. and an engineer that helped with ence at the meeting. Students were invited to com- the design of the first interconti- The NAE National Meeting is an nental ballistic missile. Engineers ment on their experience at the opportunity to inspire and encour- like them shaped the world and… meeting. UCI student Walter Cis- age students, especially those from our country. The opportunity to local high schools, to become engi- neros observed: meet engineers of such…magni- It was a great opportunity to neers. The next National Meeting tude has radically changed my per- is scheduled for February 6, 2014, at approach individuals that have spective on how important it is to the Beckman Center. Mark your cal- accomplished their educational become a successful engineer and endar now and plan on coming and and career goals. It was amazing to make a positive impact in our to spend time with the innovators society. reaching out to the students about of the bases of what now we call your experiences in engineering. The 70 BRIDGE SUMMER 2013 71

Global Grand Challenges Summit Held in London

In March, the NAE and the engi- its proposal before a panel of expert neer J. Craig Venter and Microsoft neering academies of the United judges and the winner, TeleHealth chairman Bill Gates, presentation Kingdom and China, with princi- Express aimed at streamlining of the Global Grand Challenges pal support from Lockheed Martin, medical care, was showcased at the Video Contest winners by NASA’s cohosted the first Global Grand Summit. Charles Elachi and entertainer Challenges Summit (GGCS) in GGCS panel sessions focused on Will.i.am, and announcement of London. More than 400 people par- six themes: sustainability, health, the Vest Scholarships in honor of ticipated in the 2-day event with the education, technology and growth, NAE President Charles M. Vest. goal of identifying opportunities for enriching life, and resilience. Sum- Also announced at the event was a global cooperation on engineering mit speakers included Caltech’s new joint project between the US innovation and education to address Frances Arnold, Imperial Col- National Science Foundation and common technological goals. lege professor Lord Darzi, former the UK Engineering and Physical Also in attendance were 60 stu- DARPA head and current Google/ Sciences Research Council to fund dents from around the world who Motorola executive Regina Dugan, transatlantic research with the goal were invited to attend Student Day Stanford University president John of providing all people with access just before the GGCS. They were Hennessy, prolific inventor Dean to clean water. asked to choose one of six NAE Kamen, and economist Jeffrey The Video Contest was cospon- Grand Challenges for Engineering Sachs, among others. sored by IBM and Genentech, and and develop a pitch for one way of Additional highlights included the Student Day by Microsoft. addressing it. Each team presented plenary addresses from genome pio-

International Scholarship Focused on Global Grand Challenges

On March 13, 2013, at the inaugu- blue-ribbon committee of leading education at all levels—including ral Global Grand Challenges Sum- technological thinkers and doers. an undergraduate Grand Challenge mit (GGCS) in London, eight US The challenges are the inspiration Scholars Program at several US universities announced the estab- for the GGCS. colleges and universities—and Dr. lishment of Vest Scholarships at “The NAE Grand Challenges for Vest has been influential in raising their institutions. The new scholar- Engineering address global issues their visibility. ship program, named after outgoing that transcend national boundar- “All of the sponsoring schools NAE President Charles M. Vest, ies,” said Yannis C. Yortsos, dean of were unanimous in naming the will foster international collabo- the University of Southern Califor- scholarships for Dr. Vest,” said Tom rations among graduate students nia Viterbi School of Engineering. Katsouleas, dean of engineering at whose studies focus on tackling “They are timely, inspirational, and Duke University. “His leadership some of the world’s biggest chal- interdisciplinary. Their solutions and championing of the Grand lenges. The scholarship has been are also within reach in this time of Challenges, and the role of the engi- endorsed by both the NAE and the exponential technology gains. The neering profession, has been inspi- UK Royal Academy of Engineering. Vest Scholarships will provide the rational.” The participating universities are glue that will enable the engage- In the first year, applicants from leaders in research to address the NAE ment of the international engi- schools whose students attended the Grand Challenges for Engineering neering and scientific communities Global Grand Challenges Summit (www.engineeringchallenges.org), in pursuits that will benefit all of will be eligible for the scholarships. 14 goals with the potential to dra- humanity.” In later years, the program will be matically improve life in the 21st The Grand Challenges are expanded to additional schools. century, identified in 2008 by a already being incorporated into “This is like a reverse Rhodes The 72 BRIDGE

Scholarship,” said Katsouleas. “It versity of Southern California, the 14 NAE Grand Challenges gives select international graduate University of Washington, Illinois for Engineering at one of those students the opportunity to pursue Institute of Technology, Massa- institutions. potentially world-changing ideas at chusetts Institute of Technology, Additional information about top US universities.” and North Carolina State Univer- the Vest Scholarships is available at Participating schools are Duke sity. Selected students will receive vestscholars.org. University, California Institute of an expense-paid year to pursue Technology, Olin College, Uni- research opportunities related to

2013 German-American Frontiers of Engineering Held at Beckman Center

The 2013 German-American Fron- and US companies, universities, and of green hydrogen, and innovative tiers of Engineering Symposium government with the goal of provid- biomimetic materials inspired by (GAFOE) took place April 26–28 ing a forum for them to learn about plants. The program, list of attend- at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman leading-edge developments in a ees, and presentation slides are Center in Irvine, California. The range of engineering fields and thus available at the GAFOE link at NAE partners with the Alexander facilitating interdisciplinary trans- www.naefrontiers.org. von Humboldt Foundation to orga- fer of knowledge and methodology. As is typical with bilateral FOE nize this event, the first of the bilater- The bilateral Frontiers symposia also meetings, there was a poster ses- al Frontiers of Engineering programs, help build cooperative networks of sion on the first afternoon where started in 1998. The symposium younger engineers across national attendees presented their research organizing committee was cochaired boundaries. or technical work to each other. by Cynthia Barnhart, associate dean The four topics covered at this The posters remained on dis- of engineering and professor of civil year’s GAFOE were additive man- play throughout the meeting and and environmental engineering at ufacturing, transport in complex prompted many conversations and the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- systems, biomass conversion, and continued exchanges. nology, and Peter Moser, head of materiomics. Presentations by two The dinner speech was deliv- innovative power plant technology Germans and two Americans in ered by Frances H. Arnold, Dick R&D at RWE Power AG. each area covered topics such as and Barbara Dickinson Professor Modeled on the US Frontiers of design for additive manufacturing, of Chemical Engineering, Bioen- Engineering Symposium, GAFOE collective motion from active mat- gineering, and Biochemistry at the brings together emerging engineer- ter to swarms in natural engineered California Institute of Technology. ing leaders ages 30–45 from German systems, production and utilization It was particularly meaningful for SUMMER 2013 73

her to give the dinner address as she Funding for the meeting was pro- pants, including speakers and orga- was the first speaker at the very first vided by The Grainger Foundation nizers, are 30–45 years old). The US Frontiers of Engineering sympo- and the National Science Founda- meetings provide an opportunity for sium in 1995. She spoke about how tion. The next GAFOE meeting them to learn about developments, the ability to synthesize genomes will take place in 2015 in Germany, techniques, and approaches at the will enable researchers to “compose” and Drs. Barnhart and Moser will forefront of fields other than their in the biological world and create continue to serve as cochairs. own, something that has become useful things that can alleviate some The NAE has additional bilateral increasingly important as engineer- of the world’s grand challenges. Frontiers of Engineering programs ing has become more interdisciplin- On the second afternoon, attend- with Japan, India, China, and the ary. The program also facilitates the ees took a beach and nature walk European Union. In 2014, a joint establishment of contacts and col- and learned about local marine life Frontiers of Science and Engineer- laboration among the next genera- and the history of Laguna Beach. ing symposium organized with the tion of engineering leaders. Everyone enjoyed the opportunity National Academy of Sciences will For more information about this to experience firsthand the beauti- be held in Brazil. All the FOE sym- activity, go to www.naefrontiers.org ful weather and views of southern posia bring together outstanding or contact Janet Hunziker in the California’s Pacific coast as well as engineers from industry, academe, NAE Program Office at (202) 334- the chance for interactions in an and government at a relatively early 1571 or [email protected]. informal setting. point in their careers (all partici-

NAE Regional Meetings

Symposium on Online “It’s like 1993 in the history of the But opinions varied widely about Learning and How Technology World Wide Web,” agreed David the future of MOOCs, how learning May Change Higher Education, Patterson, a University of Califor- will evolve as a result of new tech- Held at Stanford University nia, Berkeley, computer science pro- nologies, and whether technology is Massive open online courses fessor who cotaught one of the early even a driving force behind current (MOOCs) were front and center at a MOOCs. shifts in higher education. symposium held in conjunction with Patterson was one of six panelists Technologies like broadband the National Academy of Engineer- discussing “Online learning: Will Internet and social media that have ing (NAE) regional meeting March technology transform higher educa- helped make MOOCs possible 5 at Stanford University’s School of tion?” Most agreed that MOOCs, “reduce the friction that is hold- Engineering. NAE Vice President which have expanded from three ing together the building blocks” of Maxine L. Savitz opened the meet- classes offered by Stanford in 2011 higher education, said panel mod- ing, noting that the NAE is prepar- to hundreds offered by dozens of uni- erator Bernd Girod, Senior Associ- ing to celebrate its 50th anniversary versities, offer unprecedented oppor- ate Dean for Online Learning and in 2014, and Stanford Engineering tunities for people who would not Professional Development at Stan- Dean Jim Plummer followed, intro- otherwise have access to high-qual- ford Engineering. “MOOCs could ducing the often-controversial topic ity higher education. Panelists also be to higher education what Nap- of online learning. said they are encouraged by wide- ster was to the music industry,” he “I’ve heard fear expressed that spread faculty interest in examining said, referring to the music-sharing higher education as we know it is ways to improve their teaching. system that helped change how coming to an end. I’ve also heard “People are thinking about the music is purchased and consumed. that online learning is going to classroom experience in a more He added that online technologies reinvent higher education in a new careful and meticulous way,” said have repeatedly enabled unbun- and better form,” said Plummer. “It’s panelist John Mitchell, Vice Provost dling and disrupted traditional busi- clearly a rapidly evolving field.” for Online Learning at Stanford. ness models. The 74 BRIDGE

Mitchell Stevens, an associate her Stanford course, she and others in Atlanta. Scheduled adjacent to professor of education at Stanford, question whether the MOOC model a cyber security–related conference said the move to online education is in its current form is sustainable. the next day, featuring university driven not by technology but by fac- Some wonder how the numer- CIOs and the FBI, the two events tors such as contracting state bud- ous businesses that have sprung were jointly billed as the Georgia gets, which put pressure on many up around MOOCs will stay afloat Tech Cyber Security Symposium. colleges to reduce costs even as they while delivering a free product. Georgia Tech President Bud face growing scrutiny of their per- Others point out the potential chal- Peterson and Provost Rafael Bras, formance. But he added that digital lenges of verifying student identity together with NAE Vice President educational delivery mechanisms and preventing cheating, especially Maxine Savitz, welcomed a capac- enable college educators to measure if course credit is offered. Some wor- ity crowd to the meeting, which was and improve performance. ry that the growth of online educa- free and open to the public. Col- At the same time, MOOCs tion could endanger small colleges; lege of Computing Dean Zvi Galil pose new challenges for educators others see an opportunity for insti- served as emcee. because of the lack of one-on-one tutions offering top-tier programs to The afternoon was devoted to faculty-student interaction. Tina license course content to others and a critically important issue facing Seelig, executive director of the improve the quality of education on both the United States and the Stanford Technology Ventures a large scale. world: cyber security. Gen. Keith Program who recently taught her Most agree, however, that online Alexander, director of the National second online session of “A Crash education in some format holds Security Agency, chief of Central Course in Creativity,” said the big- enormous promise. “There are lots Security Service, and commander gest challenge she faced was the of opportunities ahead,” said Girod. of US Cyber Command, delivered a extreme precision the online class “This is an exciting time for higher wide-ranging keynote address titled required. “When you’re teaching education.” “US Cyber Security: Key Issues for an online class, if you’re not exactly Our Future.” clear about what you want [from 2013 NAE Southeast Regional He touched on the variety and students], you don’t get exactly what Meeting Summary nature of cyber threats facing gov- you expect,” she said. ernment and industry, as well as oth- Another challenge is that only er challenges facing those charged a small percentage of students who with protecting digital assets, such enroll in a MOOC actually com- as the need to balance effective plete it. One way to change that is security with individual and organi- to offer students course credit for zational privacy rights. The general successful completion, said David also offered strong encouragement Stavens, president and cofounder to security students in attendance. of online education startup Udacity. “We need a significantly larger The company recently partnered workforce in cyber security,” Alex- with San Jose State University ander said. “That’s where you— to offer three classes for credit for Georgia Tech—come in. This is $150 each, the first such agreement going to be one of the biggest growth between a MOOC provider and a areas for the next several years. For university. all of you [studying cyber security] Jennifer Widom, chair of Stan- here today, you’re in the right place. Gen. Keith Alexander delivering the ford’s computer science department, keynote speech at the March 28 NAE If you are good in this area, you’ll recently taught her second “Intro- regional meeting on cyber security. have no problem getting a job.” duction to Databases” MOOC. Attendees then got an inside Although she said she finds it grati- The Georgia Institute of Technol- look at cyber security from several fying to be able to reach tens of thou- ogy hosted the NAE’s 2013 South- perspectives. First was a session sands of people who can’t enroll in east regional meeting on April 28 featuring startup companies and/or SUMMER 2013 75

research efforts that originated at enterprise data through a single which a stable and adequate regula- Georgia Tech: sign-on portal tory environment is required. It was especially timely, then, that • Pindrop Security (Mustaque Aha- The regional meeting concluded the National Academy of Engineer- mad and Patrick Traynor, School with an entertaining exchange ing and Carnegie Mellon Univer- of Computer Science), which is on cyber security policy, featuring sity’s Willard E. Scott Institute for dedicated to “securing the con- two White House veterans. Argu- Energy Innovation convened a verged telephony infrastructure” ing from the right side of the aisle symposium on Shale Gas: Implica- was Stewart Baker, partner in the • BISmark (Nick Feamster, School tions for America’s Regional Manu- Washington law firm of Steptoe of Computer Science), which facturing Economies on April 4, and Johnson and a former head of promotes Internet transparency 2013. Carnegie Mellon’s Pittsburgh the Department of Homeland Secu- through effective home network campus provided an excellent and rity Policy Directorate under Presi- monitoring fitting venue in light of the rapid dent George W. Bush. On the left and dynamic development of gas • Damballa (Wenke Lee and Mer- was Peter Swire, C. William O’Neill resources in the western Pennsylva- rick Furst, School of Computer Professor of Law at Ohio State Uni- nia portion of the Marcellus Shale Science), which conducts Inter- versity, who has served as an advisor Formation. net-scale monitoring of cyber on cyber security to Presidents Bill David Dzombak, Carnegie Mel- attack command-and-control Clinton and Barack Obama. The lon’s Walter J. Blenko Sr. University infrastructures session was moderated by Annie Professor of Civil and Environmen- Anton, chair of Georgia Tech’s • Apiary (Andrew Howard, Geor- tal Engineering, welcomed 275 School of Interactive Computing. gia Tech Research Institute), attendees and served as moderator. The keynote speech and meeting which performs automated and NAE Vice President Maxine Savitz sessions are available online at www. correlated malware analysis for welcomed participants on behalf of cc.gatech.edu/events/2013-cyber- the corporate community the Academy. security-symposium. Jared Cohon, Carnegie Mel- • Whisper Communications (Steve lon’s president, set the stage for the McLaughlin, School of Electri- Symposium on Shale Gas: remainder of the symposium with cal and Computer Engineering), Implications for America’s an overview of the technical, eco- which focuses on security of Regional Manufacturing nomic, and political complexities mobile payments Economies, Held at Carnegie Mellon University of shale gas development as well as Next were presentations on cyber the uncertainties faced by industry, Shale gas production in the United security startups with more tangen- regulators, local communities, and States is increasing at a rapid rate tial relationships to Georgia Tech, landowners. He stressed the impor- and is expected to provide half of either with significant contribu- tance of finding balanced solutions, the country’s natural gas supply tions by current or former students which are more likely to be produced by 2040. This low-cost, abundant or, in the case of Social Fortress, through collaboration and coopera- resource has already stimulated having progressed through an Insti- tion in pursuing shared goals. a petrochemical manufacturing tute business development program The first of three panels focused renaissance in the United States, called Flashpoint: on industrial development. Moder- and there is the hope and expecta- ated by Andrew Gellman, Head and • Bluebox (David Dewey), which tion that more benefits will be real- Lord Professor of Chemical Engi- focuses on protecting corporate ized in other manufacturing sectors neering at Carnegie Mellon and information on mobile devices and in transportation. However, codirector of the Scott Institute, adequate infrastructure is essential • CodeGuard (David Moeller), the panel featured Gerald Holder, if the downstream benefits of shale which provides cloud-based web- US Steel Dean of Engineering and gas are to be realized. And every site backup professor of chemical and petro- stage—from extraction to distribu- leum engineering at the Univer- • Social Fortress (Adam Ghetti), tion, processing, and end use—cre- sity of Pittsburgh; Anthony Cugini, which controls personal and/or ates environmental impacts, for The 76 BRIDGE director of the US Department of growth in regional manufacturing. The third panel, on environ- Energy’s National Energy Technol- The combination of inexpensive mental impacts, was moderated by ogy Laboratory; Peter Molinaro, inputs, proximity to customers, and Granger Morgan, head and Lord vice president for North America access to technological leadership University Professor of Engineering Government Affairs at Dow Chem- might induce companies to return and Public Policy at Carnegie Mel- ical; and Russell Crockett Jr., senior to America from the low-cost coun- lon and director of the Scott Insti- vice president of TPC Group, a tries to which they moved. tute. The panelists were Andrew leader in the petrochemical indus- The second panel, on national Morgan, corporate director of try. The range of opportunities and gas transportation, was moderated energy and environmental policy at challenges for the downstream use by Caren Glotfelty, senior director EQT; Jeanne VanBriesen, professor of shale gas were explored in a spir- of the Environmental Program at of civil and environmental engi- ited discussion with many questions the Heinz Endowments. The pan- neering at Carnegie Mellon; Allen from the audience. elists were Ellen McLean, interim Robinson, head and Lane Professor The availability of relatively CEO of the Port Authority of of Mechanical Engineering at Carn- inexpensive shale gas has significant Allegheny County; James McCar- egie Mellon; and Paul King, presi- implications for American manufac- ville, executive director of the Port dent and CEO of the Pennsylvania turing. Formations with “wet gas” of Pittsburgh Commission; Richard Environmental Council. (natural gas with relatively high Kauling, manager of the Global Shale gas production has both air concentrations of ethane, propane, Gaseous Fuels Technical Resource and water impacts, both of which and butane), which include the Mar- Center at General Motors; William were reviewed by the panel. As cellus Shale, can be a source of feed- Chernicoff, manager of energy and research and debates over regula- stock for the petrochemical industry. environmental research at Toyota tion proceed, there is an emerging Processing this wet gas requires very Motor North America; and Bradley sense that environmental effects expensive infrastructure. Thus, the Mallory, executive deputy secretary can be contained through the adop- most likely scenario will see such gas for administration of the Pennsylva- tion and use of best practices. The transported to the Gulf Coast, which nia Department of Transportation. Center for Sustainable Shale Gas has extensive petrochemical indus- Compressed natural gas (CNG) is Development (CSSD) is a promis- try and facilities. an attractive fuel for vehicle fleets, ing new initiative; its interim execu- Shale gas can also be used to such as city buses. The economic tive director, Mr. Place, explained meet industrial energy needs. This savings and environmental benefits that this multisector organization is surely a benefit for manufacturers, may justify the investment required will seek to promote best practices. although it is questionable that inex- for storage, refueling, and transporta- Professor Dzombak closed the pensive and abundant energy would, tion facilities. Broader use of CNG, symposium with thanks to Debo- by itself, lead to a manufacturing beyond captive fleets, is more uncer- rah Stine, executive director of the renaissance in parts of America. tain. Shale gas may play an impor- Scott Institute and professor in the Particularly intriguing is the so- tant role as a feedstock for hydrogen practice of engineering and public called “Third Wave.” In this sce- fuel-cycle vehicles, although the policy at Carnegie Mellon, for her nario, petrochemicals produced infrastructure required is a major outstanding effort in organizing the from relatively cheap shale gas hurdle. Nevertheless, the aggressive event. and used as inputs to other indus- national fuel economy standards trial processes could spur significant may provide a very strong impetus. SUMMER 2013 77

An Engineer’s Oath

We are pleased to reprint here an principles that are as true now as to the NJIT staff for their assiduous Engineer’s Oath administered at they were then; with a bit of updat- efforts to provide more information the Newark College of Engineer- ing in the language this document about it; unfortunately, they and ing (now the New Jersey Institute may serve as a template for today’s we were unable to determine the of Technology) by Dr. Allan R. engineers. authorship of the oath or its history. Cullimore, president of the college Thanks are due to Albert A. We would be glad to hear from you from 1920 to 1947. We present it Dorman for bringing this oath to if you have such information. as an inspiring example of guiding our attention. We are also grateful The 78 BRIDGE

NAE Receives $500,000 Gift from W.M. Keck Foundation to Name and Endow the Simon Ramo Founders Award

The National Academy of Engineer- following year to honor an outstand- cutting-edge scientific and medical ing has received a $500,000 gift from ing member or foreign associate who research and for his service as a valu- the W.M. Keck Foundation to endow has upheld the ideals and principles able advisor to our grantmaking.” and name the Founders Award after of the NAE through professional, “It is most gratifying to name this Simon Ramo, the only surviving educational, and personal accom- prestigious award after Si Ramo, founding member of the NAE. The plishment. The award is presented who was so instrumental in the cre- announcement was made on May 7, at the NAE’s annual meeting each ation of the NAE almost 50 years Dr. Ramo’s 100th birthday. October. ago,” said Charles M. Vest, presi- Dr. Ramo was a member of a “The Keck Foundation is pleased dent of the National Academy of committee of 25 that in 1964 advo- to make this gift in honor of Si Engineering. “The NAE is very cated for establishing the NAE, Ramo,” said Robert Day, chairman grateful to the W.M. Keck Founda- which operates under the congres- and CEO of the W.M. Keck Foun- tion for helping us honor this great sional charter that established the dation. “The naming of this award man by endowing this award.” National Academy of Sciences. The for Si is a fitting way to express our Founders Award was established the appreciation for his championing of

U.S. News Announces STEM Leadership Hall of Fame Award Winners

U.S. News & World Report an- Charles M. Vest, NAE president, to better prepare students and work- nounced the winners of the 2013 and Irwin M. Jacobs, founding ers in the STEM fields.” The Hall of U.S. News STEM Leadership Hall chairman and CEO emeritus of Fame recipients will be honored in of Fame Awards. Of the five honor- Qualcomm Inc. U.S. News editor a special ceremony on Wednesday, ees chosen from a group of outstand- Brian Kelly said: “All of these award June 19, at the U.S. News STEM ing nominees representing the fields winners have not only been pioneers Solutions 2013 National Confer- of science, technology, engineering, in their own disciplines but also ence in Austin, Texas. and math, two are NAE members: have helped lead the national effort SUMMER 2013 79

Calendar of Meetings and Events

June 18–19 NAE Regional Meeting August 4–5 NAE Council Meeting Case Western Reserve University, Woods Hole, Massachusetts Cleveland, Ohio September 12–13 Workshop on Energy Ethics in Graduate June 27–28 Council of Academies of Engineering Education and Public Policy: Enhancing and Technological Sciences the Conversation Budapest, Hungary September 19–21 US Frontiers of Engineering July 1 Presidential Transition Wilmington, Delaware (Hosted by July 16 NAE-USIP Roundtable on Technology, DuPont) Science, and Peacebuilding September 26–27 Diversity Impediments Workshop USIP Headquarters, Washington, DC All meetings are held in National Academies facilities in Washington, DC, unless otherwise noted.

In Memoriam

YVONNE C. BRILL, 88, aero- in 1976 “for contributions to high- of reactor shielding technology and space consultant, died on March 27, frequency transistors and man- nuclear-power reactor safety.” 2013. Ms. Brill was elected to the agement in industries involving NAE in 1987 “for important and advanced technology.” IAN M. ROSS, 85, president original contributions to spacecraft emeritus, AT&T Bell Laboratories, propulsion.” LESTER C. KROGH, 87, retired died on March 10, 2013. Dr. Ross senior vice president, research and was elected to the NAE in 1973 FRANCIS H. CLAUSER, 99, development, 3M, died on January “for individual contributions to Clark B. Millikan Professor Emeri- 25, 2013. Dr. Krogh was elected to semiconductor electronics and in tus of Engineering, California the NAE in 1988 “for contributions leadership to the nation’s manned Institute of Technology, died to the development and application spaceflight program.” on March 3, 2013. Dr. Clauser of unique materials, and for leader- was elected to the NAE in 1970 ship of innovative research.” WILLEM “PIM” STEMMER, 56, “for innovations in engineering CEO, Amunix Inc., died on April research and education.” JOHN W. LANDIS, 95, chairman, 3, 2013. Dr. Stemmer was elected Public Safety Standards Group, a foreign associate of the NAE in W. GENE CORLEY, 77, senior died on March 16, 2013. Dr. Lan- 2012 “for co-invention of directed vice president, CTL Group, died dis was elected to the NAE in 1981 evolution and development of pro- on March 1, 2013. Dr. Corley was “for contributions to and leadership tein therapeutic platforms.” elected to the NAE in 2000 “for in the design and construction of leadership in raising the standards of advanced nuclear steam supply sys- MILTON E. WADSWORTH, 90, the engineering profession for con- tems and nuclear power standards.” professor of metallurgy emeritus, struction of buildings and bridges.” Department of Metallurgical Engi- THEODORE ROCKWELL, 90, neering, University of Utah, died WILLIAM C. HITTINGER, 90, retired founding partner and board on January 31, 2013. Dr. Wadsworth consultant and retired executive member, MPR Associates, died on was elected to the NAE in 1979 “for vice president, RCA Corpora- March 31, 2013. Dr. Rockwell was contributions in the field of hydro- tion, died on March 17, 2013. Mr. elected to the NAE in 2001 “for metallurgy.” Hittinger was elected to the NAE contributions to the development The 80 BRIDGE Publications of Interest

The following reports have been and regional entities are undertaking uid fuel consumed in aviation and published recently by the National a variety of initiatives to enhance about 12 percent is energy (primar- Academy of Engineering or the local economic development and ily electricity) used in facilities on National Research Council. Unless employment through investment the ground. This workshop focused otherwise noted, all publications are programs designed to attract knowl- on opportunities to reduce energy for sale (prepaid) from the National edge-based industries and grow inno- consumption at Air Force facilities Academies Press (NAP), 500 Fifth vation clusters. STEP’s project on that use energy-intensive industrial Street NW–Keck 360, Washington, state and regional innovation initia- processes (e.g., maintenance depots DC 20001. For more information tives is intended to generate a bet- and testing facilities). In response to or to place an order, contact NAP ter understanding of the challenges a request from the Air Force, a com- online at or by associated with the transition of mittee of the NRC’s Air Force Stud- phone at (888) 624-6242. (Note: research into products, the practices ies Board held a workshop to discuss Prices quoted are subject to change associated with successful state and the following questions: (1) What without notice. There is a 10 percent regional programs, and their interac- are the current industrial processes discount for online orders when you tion with federal programs and pri- that are least efficient and most sign up for a MyNAP account. Add vate initiatives. The study seeks to cost ineffective? (2) What are best $6.50 for shipping and handling for the achieve this goal through a series of practices in comparable facilities first book and $1.50 for each additional complementary assessments of state, for comparable processes to achieve book. Add applicable sales tax or GST regional, and federal initiatives; energy efficiency? (3) What are the if you live in CA, CT, DC, FL, MD, analyses of specific industries and potential applications for the best NY, NC, VA, WI, or Canada.) technologies from the perspective of practices to be found in comparable crafting supportive public policy at facilities for comparable processes to Building the Ohio Innovation Economy: all three levels; and outreach to mul- achieve energy efficiency? (4) What Summary of a Symposium. Since 1991, tiple stakeholders. constraints and considerations might the National Research Council NAE member Mary L. Good, limit applicability to Air Force facil- (NRC)’s Board on Science, Technol- Dean Emerita, Special Advisor to ities and processes over the next 10 ogy, and Economic Policy (STEP) the Chancellor for Economic Devel- years? (5) What are the costs and has undertaken a program of activi- opment, University of Arkansas at paybacks from implementation of ties to improve policymakers’ under- Little Rock, and Former Under Sec- the best practices? (6) What will standings of the interconnections of retary for Technology, US Depart- be proposed priorities for study and science, technology, and economic ment of Commerce, chaired the implementation of the identified policy and their importance for the study committee. Paper, $46.00. best practices? (7) What does a American economy and its interna- holistic representation of energy and tional competitiveness. One impor- Energy Reduction at US Air Force water consumption look like within tant element of STEP’s analysis Facilities Using Industrial Processes: A operations and maintenance? concerns the growth and impact of Workshop Summary. The Department NAE members on the study com- foreign technology programs. US of Defense (DOD) is the largest mittee were Thom J. Hodgson, competitors have launched substan- consumer of energy in the federal Distinguished University Professor, tial programs to support new tech- government, and the US Air Force Fitts Industrial and Systems Engi- nologies, small firm development, is the largest consumer of energy neering Department, North Caro- and consortia among large and small in the DOD, with a total annual lina State University, and Carroll firms to strengthen national and energy expenditure of around $10 N. LeTellier, retired vice presi- regional positions in strategic sectors. billion. Approximately 84 percent dent, Jacobs Engineering/Sverdrup. Many state and local governments of Air Force energy use involves liq- Paper, $39.00. SUMMER 2013 81

Underground Engineering for Sustain- Nuclear Physics: Exploring the Heart more, sustainment budgets are likely able Urban Development. As human of the Matter. This report provides to decrease, so that the gap between activities begin to change the a long-term assessment of nuclear budgets and sustainment needs planet and populations struggle physics, articulating the scientific will likely grow wider. The original to maintain satisfactory standards rationale and objectives of the intent of this 3-day workshop was of living, the placement of new field, providing a global context for to focus on ways that science and infrastructure and related facilities the field and its long-term priori- technology (S&T) could help the underground may be the most suc- ties, and proposing a framework for Air Force reduce sustainment costs. cessful way to encourage or support progress through 2020 and beyond. However, as the workshop evolved, sustainable urban development. The committee carefully consid- discussions focused increasingly on But much remains to be learned ered the balance between univer- Air Force leadership, management about improving the sustainability sities and government facilities in authority, and culture as the more of underground infrastructure. At terms of research and workforce critical factors that need to change the request of the National Science development and the role of inter- in order to solve sustainment prob- Foundation, the NRC conducted a national collaborations in leverag- lems. Many participants felt that study to consider sustainable under- ing future investments. Nuclear while S&T investments could cer- ground development in the urban physics encompasses research that tainly help—particularly if applied environment, to identify research spans dimensions from a tiny frac- in the early stages of the product needed to maximize opportunities tion of the volume of the individual life cycle—it would be more useful for using underground space, and to particles (neutrons and protons) in to adopt a transformational man- enhance understanding among the the atomic nucleus to the enormous agement approach that defines the public and technical communities of scales of astrophysical objects in the user-driven goals of the enterprise, the role of underground engineering cosmos. This report explains the empowers people to achieve them, in urban sustainability. This report research objectives, which include and holds them accountable, down explains the findings of researchers the desire not only to better under- to the shop level. and practitioners with expertise in stand the nature of matter interact- NAE members on the study com- geotechnical engineering, under- ing at the nuclear level but also to mittee were Thom J. Hodgson, ground design and construction, describe the state of the universe Distinguished University Professor, trenchless technologies, risk assess- that existed at the big bang. Fitts Industrial and Systems Engi- ment, visualization techniques for NAE member Cherry A. Mur- neering Department, North Caro- geotechnical applications, sustain- ray, dean, School of Engineering lina State University, and Lyle H. able infrastructure development, and Applied Sciences, Harvard Schwartz, senior research associ- life cycle assessment, infrastructure University, was a member of the ate, Department of Materials Sci- policy and planning, and fire pre- study committee. Paper, $52.00. ence and Engineering, University of vention, safety, and ventilation in Maryland, College Park, and retired the underground. Zero-Sustainment Aircraft for the US director, Air Force Office of Scien- NAE members on the study Air Force: A Workshop Summary. Air tific Research. Paper, $32.00. committee were Paul H. Gilbert Force weapon system sustainment (chair), director emeritus, Parsons (WSS) costs are growing at more Transitions to Alternative Vehicles Brinckerhoff Inc.; Chris T. Hen- than 4 percent per year, while bud- and Fuels. For a century, almost all drickson, Duquesne Light Universi- gets have remained essentially flat. light-duty vehicles (LDVs) have ty Professor, Departments of Civil & The cost growth is due partly to been powered by internal combus- Environmental Engineering and of aging of the aircraft fleet and partly tion engines operating on petroleum Engineering & Public Policy, Carn- to the cost of supporting higher- fuels. Now energy security concerns egie Mellon University; and George performance aircraft and the new over petroleum imports and the effect J. Tamaro, consultant, Mueser Rut- capabilities of more complex and of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ledge Consulting Engineers. Paper, sophisticated systems, such as the on global climate are driving interest $59.00. latest intelligence, surveillance, and in alternatives. This report assesses reconnaissance platforms. Further- the potential for reducing petroleum The 82 BRIDGE consumption and GHG emissions such as compact fluorescent lamps analysis programs at the Army by 80 percent across the US LDV will help increase energy efficiency, Research Laboratory (ARL). For fleet by 2050, relative to 2005. It solid-state lighting (SSL) stands 2011–2012, ARL asked the board examines the current capability to help dramatically decrease US to examine crosscutting work in the and estimated future performance energy consumption for lighting. areas of autonomous systems and and costs for each vehicle type as This report summarizes the current network science. The assessment well as non-petroleum-based fuel status of SSL technologies and prod- showed that ARL staff demonstrate technology as options that could ucts—light-emitting diodes (LEDs) clear, passionate mindfulness of the significantly contribute to these and organic LEDs—and evaluates importance of transitioning technol- goals. The report also identifies bar- barriers to their improved cost and ogy to support immediate and longer- riers to implementation of these performance. It also discusses factors term Army needs. In general, ARL is technologies and suggests policies involved in achieving widespread working very well in an appropriate to achieve the desired reductions. deployment and consumer accep- research and development niche and Approaches such as research and tance of SSL products, such as the has been demonstrating significant development, subsidies, energy tax- perceived quality of light emitted by accomplishments. es, or regulations will be necessary to SSL devices, ease of use and the use- NAE members on the study overcome barriers such as cost and ful lifetime of these devices, initial committee were Lyle H. Schwartz consumer choice. high cost, and possible benefits of (chair), senior research associate, NAE members on the study com- reduced energy consumption. Department of Materials Science mittee were Douglas M. Chapin NAE members on the study and Engineering, University of (chair), principal, MPR Associates committee were John G. Kassa- Maryland, College Park, and retired Inc.; Gary L. Cowger, retired group kian (chair), professor of electrical director, Air Force Office of Sci- vice president, manufacturing and engineering and computer science, entific Research; David E. Crow, labor, General Motors Corpora- Massachusetts Institute of Technol- retired senior vice president of engi- tion; L. Louis Hegedus, retired ogy; Steven P. DenBaars, professor neering, Pratt and Whitney Aircraft senior vice president, research and and codirector of the Solid-State Engine Company, and professor of development, Arkema Inc.; John B. Lighting Center, Materials Depart- mechanical engineering, Univer- Heywood, professor of mechanical ment, University of California, sity of Connecticut; Debasis Mitra, engineering, Massachusetts Insti- Santa Barbara; Michael Ettenberg, retired vice president, Chief Sci- tute of Technology; and Robert F. Dolce Technologies; Stephen R. entist’s Office, Bell Labs, Alcatel- Sawyer, Class of 1935 Professor of Forrest, vice president for research Lucent, and professor of electrical Energy Emeritus, Department of and professor, Departments of Elec- engineering, Columbia University; Mechanical Engineering, Univer- trical Engineering & Computer and R. Byron Pipes, John L. Bray sity of California, Berkeley. Paper, Science, Physics, and Materials Sci- Distinguished Professor of Engineer- $59.00. ence & Engineering, University of ing, Schools of Aeronautics and Michigan; Evelyn L. Hu, professor, Astronautics, Chemical Engineer- Assessment of Advanced Solid State School of Engineering and Applied ing and Materials Engineering, Pur- Lighting. The standard incandes- Sciences, Harvard University; and due University. Paper, $43.00. cent light bulb, which still works Maxine L. Savitz, retired general mainly as Thomas Edison invented manager, Technology/Partnerships, Interim Report for the Triennial Review it, converts more than 90 percent of Honeywell Inc. Paper, $45.00. of the National Nanotechnology Initia- the consumed electricity into heat. tive, Phase II. The National Nano- With newer lighting technologies 2011–2012 Assessment of the Army technology Initiative (NNI) was that convert a greater percentage Research Laboratory. The NRC established in 2001 as the US of electricity into useful light, there Army Research Laboratory Techni- government interagency program is potential to decrease the amount cal Assessment Board (ARLTAB) for coordinating nanotechnol- of energy used for lighting in both provides biennial assessments of ogy research and development and commercial and residential appli- the scientific and technical quality facilitating communication and col- cations. Although technologies of the research, development, and laborative activities in nanoscale SUMMER 2013 83

science, engineering, and technol- Alternatives for Managing the Nation’s advanced precision manufactur- ogy across the federal government. Complex Contaminated Groundwa- ing, enhanced defense capabilities, The NRC’s third triennial review of ter Sites. Across the United States, and a host of medical diagnostics the NNI concerned three areas: Task thousands of hazardous waste sites tools. And they offer the potential 1—Examine the role of the NNI in are contaminated with chemicals for even greater societal impact in maximizing opportunities to transfer that prevent the underlying ground- the next few decades, including selected technologies to the private water from meeting drinking water solar power generation and effi- sector, assess how well the NNI is standards. These include Superfund cient lighting that could transform carrying out this role, and suggest sites and other facilities that han- the nation’s energy landscape, and new mechanisms to foster transfer of dle and dispose of hazardous waste, new optical capabilities that will be technologies and improvements to active and inactive dry cleaners, and essential to support the continued NNI operations in this area where leaking underground storage tanks; exponential growth of the Internet. warranted. Task 2—Assess the suit- many are at federal facilities such This report assesses the current state ability of current procedures and cri- as military installations. This report of optical science and engineering teria for determining progress toward estimates that at least 126,000 sites in the United States and abroad in NNI goals, suggest definitions of still have contaminated groundwa- terms of market trends, workforce success and associated metrics, and ter, and their closure is expected to needs, and the impact of photonics provide advice on organizations cost as much as $127 billion. About on the national economy. It identi- (government or nongovernment) 10 percent of these sites are consid- fies technological opportunities that that could perform evaluations of ered “complex,” meaning restoration have arisen from recent advances in progress. Task 3—Review NNI’s is unlikely to be achieved in the next and applications of optical science management and coordination of 50 to 100 years because of techno- and engineering. The report also nanotechnology research across logical limitations. At sites where calls for improved management of both civilian and military federal contaminant concentrations have US public and private research and agencies. This interim report offers plateaued at levels above cleanup development resources, emphasiz- initial comments on the procedures goals despite active efforts, the report ing the need for public policy that and criteria for determining prog- recommends evaluating whether encourages a portfolio approach to ress toward and achievement of the they should transition to long-term investing in the opportunities avail- desired outcomes. management, where risks would be able in photonics. NAE members on the study com- monitored and harmful exposures NAE members on the study committee were Ilesanmi Adesida, vice prevented, but at reduced costs. mittee were Rod C. Alferness, chancellor for academic affairs and NAE members on the study com- retired chief scientist, Alcatel- provost, University of Illinois at mittee were Jerome B. Gilbert, con- Lucent, and Richard A. Auhll Urbana-Champaign; Paul A. Fleu- sulting engineer, Orinda, California, Professor and dean, University of ry, Frederick William Beinecke Pro- and Michael C. Kavanaugh, princi- California, Santa Barbara; David fessor of Engineering and Applied pal, Geosyntec Consultants. Hard- A.B. Miller, W.M. Keck Founda- Physics/professor of physics, Yale cover, $49.00. tion Professor of Electrical Engineer- University; Elsa Reichmanis, pro- ing, Stanford University; Duncan fessor, Department of Chemical and Optics and Photonics: Essential Tech- T. Moore, vice provost for entre- Biomolecular Engineering, Geor- nologies for Our Nation. Optics and preneurship and Rudolf and Hilda gia Institute of Technology; and photonics technologies are ubiq- Kingslake Professor of Optical Engi- Charles F. Zukoski, provost, State uitous: they are responsible for the neering, Institute of Optics; and University of New York at Buffalo. displays on smart phones and com- Edward I. Moses, principal associ- Paper, $29.00. puting devices, optical fiber that ate director, Lawrence Livermore carries information in the Internet, National Laboratory. Paper, $65.00.

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