Engineering Education for the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities

Engineering education faces many challenges today. Changes in the external environment, such as funding reductions and increasing costs, are forcing colleges of engineering to face their futures creatively. Engineering faculty, in particular, are well-placed to play leadership roles in generating a campus-wide response to the challenges faced. Working with the rest of the university and with external partners, including K-12, industry, government, foundations, and other countries, engineering faculty can restructure higher education in order to continue producing well-educated graduates and high-quality research.     

Valleytronics: Opportunities,Challenges, and Paths Forward

A lack of inversion symmetry coupled with the presence of time‐reversal symmetry endows 2D transition metal dichalcogenides with individually addressable valleys in momentum space at the K and K′ points in the first Brillouin zone. This valley addressability opens up the possibility of using the momentum state of electrons, holes, or excitons as a completely new paradigm in information processing. The opportunities and challenges associated with manipulation of the valley degree of freedom for practical quantum and classical information processing applications were analyzed during the 2017 Workshop on Valleytronic Materials, Architectures, and Devices; this Review presents the major findings of the workshop.     

1D Copper Nanostructures: Progress,Challenges and Opportunities

One‐dimensional noble metal nanostructures are important components in modern nanoscience and nanotechnology due to their unique optical, electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. However, their cost and scalability may become a major bottleneck for real‐world applications. Copper, being an earth‐abundant metallic element, is an ideal candidate for commercial applications. It is critical to develop technologies to produce 1D copper nanostructures with high monodispersity, stability and oxygen‐resistance for future low‐cost nano‐enabled materials and devices. This article covers comprehensively the current progress in 1D copper nanostructures, most predominantly nanorods and nanowires. First, various synthetic methodologies developed so far to generate 1D copper nanostructures are thoroughly described; the methodologies are in conjunction with the discussion of microscopic, spectrophotometric, crystallographic and morphological characterizations. Next, striking electrical, optical, mechanical and thermal properties of 1D copper nanostructures are highlighted. Additionally, the emerging applications of 1D copper nanostructures in flexible electronics, transparent electrodes, low cost solar cells, field emission devices are covered, amongst others. Finally, there is a brief discussion of the remaining challenges and opportunities.     

Internet of Cultural Things: Current Research,Challenges and Opportunities

Driven by the visions of the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and 5G communications, the Internet of Cultural Things (IoCT) realize the comprehensive interconnection among cultural products, cultural services, cultural resources, and cultural platforms, bringing individuals with richer humanistic experience, increasing economic benefits for the cultural sector, and promoting the development of cultural heritage protection and education. At present, IoCT has received widespread attention in both industry and academia. To explore new research opportunities and assist users in constructing suitable IoCT systems for specific applications, this survey provides a comprehensive overview of the IoCT components and key technologies. A comparison study of representative IoCT systems is presented according to their applicability. A general platform architecture of IoCT is proposed to link cultural objects with the internet and human. Finally, open issues for research challenges and future opportunities of IoCT are also studied in this paper.     

Federated Learning for 6G:Applications,Challenges,and Opportunities

Standard machine-learning approaches involve the centralization of training data in a data center,where centralized machine-learning algorithms can be applied f...     

Carbon Nanostructures for Nanomedicine: Opportunities and Challenges

Carbon nanostructures (e.g., fullerenes, CNTs, graphene, nanohorns, nanodiamonds) play a key role in the development of nanomedicines. Here we analyze opportunities and barriers for their application in clinical settings. In particular, we discuss the unique properties of certain carbon nanostructures that allow for innovative solutions in theranostics, as well as current pitfalls around clinical applications of the EPR effect, the formation of the protein corona, and how functionalization of CNTs is a key tool to modulate their biodistribution and toxicity.     

Reliability Meets Big Data: Opportunities and Challenges

ABSTRACT

Reliability field data such as that obtained from warranty claims and maintenance records have been used traditionally for such purposes as generating predictions for warranty costs and optimizing the cost of system operation and maintenance. In the current (and future) generation of many products, the nature of field reliability data is changing dramatically. In particular, products can be outfitted with sensors that can be used to capture information about how and when and under what environmental and operating conditions products are being used. Today some of that information is being used to monitor system health and interest is building to develop prognostic information systems. There are, however, many other potential applications for using such data. In this article we review some applications where field reliability data are used and explore some of the opportunities to use modern reliability data to provide stronger statistical methods to operate and predict the performance of systems in the field. We also provide some examples of recent technical developments designed to be used in such applications and outline remaining challenges.     

Innovations in Composition Programs that Educate Engineers: Drivers,Opportunities, and Challenges

Recent developments in engineering education have shaped the nature of composition programs at institutions or programs that emphasize engineering and science. Among these developments are revised accreditation guidelines and a curricular debate with a long history. Such developments highlight collaborative opportunities between technical and humanities/social sciences faculty. This multi‐case study investigates how composition programs have responded to such drivers, opportunities, and challenges. The study draws from historical, observation, document, and interview data, and particularly interviews with composition program administrators at six institutions with significant technical emphases. Findings indicate shifts in historical emphasis on culture and utility, and three contemporary responses. Reductions, transformations, and innovations are occurring in first‐year communication courses. Also, multimodal communications, including written, oral, and visual components, are being integrated across multiple instructional contexts. Finally, strong cross‐curricular communication programs are emerging in which composition faculty partner with technical faculty. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Charge Transport in Polycrystalline Graphene: Challenges and Opportunities

Graphene has attracted significant interest both for exploring fundamental science and for a wide range of technological applications. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is currently the only working approach to grow graphene at wafer scale, which is required for industrial applications. Unfortunately, CVD graphene is intrinsically polycrystalline, with pristine graphene grains stitched together by disordered grain boundaries, which can be either a blessing or a curse. On the one hand, grain boundaries are expected to degrade the electrical and mechanical properties of polycrystalline graphene, rendering the material undesirable for many applications. On the other hand, they exhibit an increased chemical reactivity, suggesting their potential application to sensing or as templates for synthesis of one‐dimensional materials. Therefore, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the structure and properties of graphene grain boundaries. Here, we review experimental progress on identification and electrical and chemical characterization of graphene grain boundaries. We use numerical simulations and transport measurements to demonstrate that electrical properties and chemical modification of graphene grain boundaries are strongly correlated. This not only provides guidelines for the improvement of graphene devices, but also opens a new research area of engineering graphene grain boundaries for highly sensitive electro‐biochemical devices.     

Powder-Based Additive Manufacturing: A Critical Review of Materials,Methods, Opportunities,and Challenges

As a 0D material, powder particles can be used to create almost any complicated engineering component by utilizing the high-performance manufacturing capabilities of additive manufacturing (AM). Although powder-based AM methods provide an outstanding practical value and development for modern manufacturing world, they continue to face challenges such as a lack of accessible categories, temperature restrictions, and poor performance of molded components. Therefore, researching for new AM materials and procedures has become an extremely necessary endeavor. For this purpose, a firm grasp of the current state of the art of powder-based AM technologies is imperative. Hence, herein, a comprehensive review is presented on the most widely used powder-based AM methods, and the materials used by these methods. For each method, the development and current state, operating principles, limitations, and future prospects are summarized. In contrast, for materials, their classifications, properties, and preparation methods are explored in great detail, while also commenting on the specific compatibilities between powder materials and powder methods. Industrial and commercialized applications of powder-based AM are also presented in this work. Finally, the limitations of the current powder-based technologies are highlighted, with comments regarding the future of this field.     

State of the Art of Carbon Nanotube Fibers: Opportunities and Challenges

The superb mechanical and physical properties of individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have provided the impetus for researchers in developing high‐performance continuous fibers based upon CNTs. The reported high specific strength, specific stiffness and electrical conductivity of CNT fibers demonstrate the potential of their wide application in many fields. In this review paper, we assess the state of the art advances in CNT‐based continuous fibers in terms of their fabrication methods, characterization and modeling of mechanical and physical properties, and applications. The opportunities and challenges in CNT fiber research are also discussed.     

Machine Learning in Chemical Engineering: Strengths,Weaknesses, Opportunities,and Threats

Chemical engineers rely on models for design, research, and daily decision-making, often with potentially large financial and safety implications. Previous efforts a few decades ago to combine artificial intelligence and chemical engineering for modeling were unable to fulfill the expectations. In the last five years, the increasing availability of data and computational resources has led to a resurgence in machine learning-based research. Many recent efforts have facilitated the roll-out of machine learning techniques in the research field by developing large databases, benchmarks, and representations for chemical applications and new machine learning frameworks. Machine learning has significant advantages over traditional modeling techniques, including flexibility, accuracy, and execution speed. These strengths also come with weaknesses, such as the lack of interpretability of these black-box models. The greatest opportunities involve using machine learning in time-limited applications such as real-time optimization and planning that require high accuracy and that can build on models with a self-learning ability to recognize patterns, learn from data, and become more intelligent over time. The greatest threat in artificial intelligence research today is inappropriate use because most chemical engineers have had limited training in computer science and data analysis. Nevertheless, machine learning will definitely become a trustworthy element in the modeling toolbox of chemical engineers.     

Enterprise Systems: Challenges and Opportunities for Information Systems Education

This paper presents a perspective on “learning” in managing information, applied to enterprise systems. As its name suggests, an enterprise system encompasses a total view of all parts (functions, sub‐systems) of the complete whole (organization, system). This approach of designing solutions for system component within the overall framework of the total system offers unique challenges and opportunities for designing, developing and implementing information systems. To meet its mandate, information systems education should offer a multidisciplinary learning environment especially in engineering and sciences curriculum where it is not adequately emphasized. A framework that is designed to deliver a comprehensive learning environment for the entire academic community has been proposed.     

Opportunities and Challenges in Deep Mining: A Brief Review

Mineral consumption is increasing rapidly as more consumers enter the market for minerals and as the global standard of living increases. As a result, underground mining continues to progress to deeper levels in order to tackle the mineral supply crisis in the 21st century. However, deep mining occurs in a very technical and challenging environment, in which significant innovative solutions and best practice are required and additional safety standards must be implemented in order to overcome the challenges and reap huge economic gains. These challenges include the catastrophic events that are often met in deep mining engineering: rockbursts, gas outbursts, high in situ and redistributed stresses, large deformation, squeezing and creeping rocks, and high temperature. This review paper presents the current global status of deep mining and highlights some of the newest technological achievements and opportunities associated with rock mechanics and geotechnical engineering in deep mining. Of the various technical achievements, unmanned working-faces and unmanned mines based on fully automated mining and mineral extraction processes have become important fields in the 21st century.     

India's National and Regional Innovation Systems: Challenges,Opportunities and Recommendations for Policy Makers

There is a need for continuous reforms in India's infrastructure, innovation culture and dynamic leadership to sustain the growth of innovation. The purpose of this empirical study is to gain a better understanding of India's innovation systems. A comprehensive analysis has been done on two levels: on both a national level and a regional level. First, the section about the national level explores and explains the challenges and opportunities of India's innovation capacity using a semi-structured questionnaire of the practitioners. Second, the section about the regional level discusses the clusters formed within India through a mapping of industrial firms, educational/research institutions and innovation parks. Both an empirical activity framework and a functional-based conceptual framework have been presented to highlight the themes of “building-upgrading-promoting” and “democracy-culture-infrastructure”. Finally, this paper makes a theoretical contribution by providing a conceptual framework for studying India's innovation system and giving recommendations to policy makers about sustaining the innovation.