Widening the Net: National Estimates of Gender Disparities in Engineering

This paper explores the causes behind the severe under‐representation of women in engineering. Based on national data on undergraduate engineering programs, this study presents cross‐sectional estimates of male and female student retention. Contrary to widespread beliefs, the study found that overall and in most disciplines there is no differential attrition by gender. Instead, results suggest that gender disparities in engineering are largely driven by inadequate enrollment (not inadequate retention) of women. The paper concludes that outreach—within institutions of higher education, across institutions (into two‐year colleges, middle and high schools), and into K‐12 curricular reform—are needed to address what is, at its very core, a recruitment problem.     

The Effects of Engineering Modules on Student Learning in Middle School Science Classrooms

The Teachers Integrating Engineering into Science (TIES) Program is a collaborative project among faculty from the College of Education and the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno. The TIES project paired university faculty with middle school science teachers to create three units that included engineering design using a variety of interactive learning activities in order to engage a wide range of students. The units included a Web‐based simulation activity, lesson plans, a design project, and three types of assessments that were standardized across schools. Results of assessments were disaggregated by gender, ethnicity, special education, and socio‐economic level. Mean scores for these student population groups were compared to mean scores for the same groups on the 2004 Nevada eighth grade science criterion referenced test. These results indicate that engaging students in engineering curriculum activities may diminish achievement gaps in science for some student populations.     

Revisiting the role of selection for the evolution of industries

Despite a growing reliance on evolutionary theories when explaining industrial dynamics, the mechanism of selection has received limited attention. Selection is often taken for granted and conceptualised as product market competition. We go beyond this view and distinguish between different types of selection—formal and social—and consider how these lead to different entities being selected. Formal selection relies on codified selection criteria and often applies in selection environments where processes are standardised and institutions formalised. Social selection relies on reputation, referrals and previous interactions in order to evaluate intangible properties of the entities being selected. We argue that firms compete in multiple selection environments, not limited to product markets, that different selection environments may rely on different types of selection and that this has profound implications for industrial dynamics. This theoretical discussion is inspired by empirical observations of the medical technology industry in Sweden.     

Quantitative study on Australian academic science

As at the end of 2009, 50 million scholarly papers were in existence, and changes in the global higher education sector are seeing this number grow rapidly. With the impact of university ranking schemes, dramatic changes have occurred in the academic publication system; both the number of publications, and the number of scholars, are increasing rapidly. In this research, we conduct a focused study on the quantitative relationships in Australian academic science. Sample data is selected from three institutions, representing three types of universities in Australia: a leading university, a middle-tier university, and a non-comprehensive university. For our analysis, bibliometric data for 32,056 scholars and 353,334 publications are downloaded. The results show that varying growth rates for scholars (5.6, 6.1, and 7.7%) and journal publications (6.7, 7.4, and 9.7%) for the leading university, the middle-tier university, and the non-comprehensive university respectively. We also evaluate how scholarly publications differ across these three Australian universities types from six aspects: average number of publications per scholar, percentage of first-authored publications, collaboration pattern, average SJR score of publishing journals, percentage of Quartile category of publishing journals, and average citation per publication. Lastly, we consider how the scholarship life-cycle varies in Australian universities in terms of publishing age, thus establishing the quantitative relationship between scholarship life-cycle and publishing performance in Australian universities.     

Taking Another Look at Educating African American Engineers: The Importance of Undergraduate Retention

In this paper we identify the engineering schools that either graduate large classes of African Americans or that retain relatively high percentages of African American students in engineering; point out that modest improvements in student retention would significantly affect the total number of bachelors degrees earned annually by African Americans in engineering; examine the measures implemented by some schools that are particularly effective at retaining African Americans in engineering; and present our views on the future of diversity efforts in engineering. The message we wish to emphasize is that at the very least colleges and universities should endeavor to retain those under represented minority undergraduates who have decided to pursue an engineering education. Frequently used abbreviations EWC — Engineering Workforce Commission, HBCU — historically black college or university, MEP — minority engineering program, MES — minority engineering society, MRR — minority retention rate, NACME — National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, TWI — traditionally white institution     

A Flexible Multimedia Instructional Module for Introductory Thermodynamics

Instructional modules for introductory thermodynamics which are multifaceted and sufficiently flexible to adapt to the various learning styles of most engineering students are currently being developed at the University of Louisville. Flexibility is incorporated through the utilization of computer controlled interactive multimedia displays, which include full motion graphical images and sound. This technology makes it possible for the instructor to present information in a manner that is faster, more visually appealing, more organized, more detailed, and more open to student interaction than the student lecture format. The instructional modules under development will allow the instructor to implement several different types of classroom activity during a single class period. These include audio-visual presentations, problem solving sessions, and question and answer sessions using electronic acquisition of the student responses, as well as the usual lecture type of presentation. Parts of the module are available outside of the classroom as computer based tutorials. The module chosen for initial development was the “First Law of Thermodynamics for a Closed System.” The first version of this module has been completed and given preliminary trials in the classroom. This module includes optional material on the historical development of the first law of thermodynamics, and also a variety of optional problems, exercises, and short quizzes. Students have responded very favorably to the new system. Completion of the rest of the modules for the course is planned for the near future.     

Teaching impact assessment: results of an international survey

University teachers of impact assessment (IA) at both undergraduate and graduate levels were surveyed during IAIA conferences in 2008 and 2009. A total of 32 questionnaires were returned, with respondents teaching in 18 countries. IA teaching encompasses both theory and practice. It is supported by textbooks — a sign the IA is a consolidated field — but also by case studies, government or legal guidance and guest lectures. A vast majority of lecturers (94%) also use peer-reviewed papers, indicating that knowledge obtained from research is an important input to teaching. Formal lectures, case studies and group discussions are favorite teaching approaches, and field visits are used by 38% of respondents. Environmental impact assessment is the most frequent type of IA taught, with strategic environmental assessment ranking second. Despite IA teaching being positioned within different university disciplines, there is a great similarity in course contents, suggesting the existence of core topics internationally relevant for IA education and potential for viable teacher and student exchanges.     

UF as an alternative pretreatment step for producing drinking water

This article describes membrane research which focuses on exploring the use of open ultrafiltration as an alternative to conventional separation technologies used for producing drinking water. Four different water types, originating from three water sources, are investigated. Four open ultrafiltration membranes are used, of which three are of a hollow-fibre configuration while one is tubular. On the one hand it was found that permeate quality was always very good, compared with conventional techniques — no bacteria, suspended solids or turbidity were present. Moreover, the quality was independent of operational conditions or the membrane type. On the other hand, it was found that operational conditions strongly differ in terms of ‘raw’ water quality, or the membrane type used.     

Unraveling the attitudes on entrepreneurial universities: The case of Croatian and Spanish universities

The objective of this paper is to present evidence that there are different types of supportive faculty members. We conducted a case study on a sample of Croatian and Spanish universities by using an already tested ENTRE-U scale for measuring the faculty members' attitudes. These two scenarios are quite different in terms of their innovation systems, economic context and university system. We tested and found no evidence of any statistically significant difference due to the country. These two facts suggest the possible existence of an isomorphic trajectory when implementing entrepreneurial universities regardless the context. University managers should be aware of the existence of three different types of supportive individuals. Each of these groups requires a certain program of human resource development. This shifts the debate to how entrepreneurial universities should manage the tensions arising from the need of some degree of specialization in any of the three roles of the faculty members, namely teaching, researching and transfer of the knowledge stemming from research results.     

How institutional nature and available resources determine the performance of technology transfer offices

This paper assesses the performance of GAPIs and OTICs, two different types of university technology transfer offices that have been active in Portuguese higher education institutions, since 2000 and 2006, respectively. Data originating from a survey of these offices were analysed through both cluster analysis and the estimation of a Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) model. Results show that the institutional nature of each of the surveyed organisations implies different behaviours and outputs. Furthermore, it is shown that the resources and activities of the surveyed offices determine their performance concurrently with regard to technology transfer, licencing contracts and technology-based spin-offs. The results of this study may be particularly relevant for countries that are in the process of developing their university technology transfer activities, as they can help to shape policies in relation to TTOs’ funding and resource allocation during the earlier stages of these activities.     

Interlinking between Asia-Pacific University Web sites

An investigation into the pattern of international interlinking between Asia-Pacific university Web sites is described. AltaVista advanced searches were used for the data collection and network diagrams used to portray the results from four perspectives. It was found that each of the four angles allowed novel interpretations of the data, but that Australia and Japan were nevertheless clearly at the heart of the Web in the region, with Australia being a particularly common target of links and Japan having a more balanced profile of ingoing and outgoing hyperlinks. Interestingly, one of the perspectives mimicked an official grouping of less wealthy countries in the region whilst another contained the more developed countries, with Singapore and Thailand appearing in both. It was hypothesised that the nature of larger Web sites covered was qualitatively different from that of smaller ones, making the deduction of relationships between the hosting institutions difficult from the link counts alone. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of Machining Parameters on Surface Integrity in High Speed Milling of Super Alloy GH4169/Inconel 718

Control of surface integrity is a vital consideration in the machining of components subjected to fatigue loading, for example, critical components of aerospace engines. In this research, three important aspects of surface integrity of a machined part—surface roughness, micro-hardness, and residual stresses—were analyzed for their variations with the cutting parameters. Finish milling of super alloy GH4169/Inconel 718 was carried out using coated cemented carbide and whisker-reinforced coated ceramic inserts. All of the three machining parameters—cutting speed, feed rate, and depth of cut—were found to have a substantial effect on the surface integrity of the finished part. Although different cutting parameters gave different effects for the two types of cutting inserts, overall better surface integrity was obtained at minimum cutting feed and medium cutting speed and depth of cut value. Moreover, carbide inserts produced better surface integrity of the finished part, whereas ceramic inserts generated very high surface tensile stresses and poor surface finish due to back striking of the adhered metal chips.     

Undergraduate Student Competitions

This study explored student competitions for undergraduate engineering and engineering technology students to determine which institutions consistently win and what factors support their winning, and to obtain some insights into the benefits for students. Forty‐four student competitions for engineering and technology students were identified, and the first, second, and third place institutions from 2001 to 2003 were tabulated. Although one institution would often win a particular competition, no institution was a consistent winner for all competitions. Advisers of winning institutions reported that their institutions won consistently because of a dedicated faculty advisor and/or the close alignment of the competition with the institution's curriculum. Also important are a tradition of winning, the quality of the students, and (for hands‐on competitions) the availability of resources. Additional research is needed to determine if student competitions increase student learning.     

Integrated Engineering Curricula

Increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary research and education requires researchers and learners to build links between distinct disciplines. In engineering education, work on integrated curricula to help learners build connections between topics began with three programs in 1988. Integrated curricula have connections to a larger movement in higher education—learning communities, which help learners to build interdisciplinary links and social links within a community. Integrated engineering curricula have provided concrete assessment data on retention and student performance to augment research on learning communities. While innovators in both movements have offered many prototypes and gathered many data, goals and results from programs implemented to date are not sufficiently well defined to guide the design and implementation of programs at other institutions. This paper discusses the importance of integration, reviews accomplishments to date, draws conclusions by analyzing those accomplishments, and suggests future initiatives.     

Global students

Universities-internationally-are confronting a revolution. While these institutions of higher education have evolved over the past centuries, the pace of change has not been as rapid as it is at the moment. This a because, at one level, the culture is changing, universities are moving from institutions which have been based on print, and the written word, to institutions that are part of the new digital age. One of the most important shifts taking place in this new context is that students are systematically being redefined as clients. This is partly a result of the overall emerging pattern of 'user pays' which is characteristic of the new information-as-commodity era. But this classification of students as consumers, or clients, is going to result in a startlingly different educational practice and philosophy around the world. To start with, universities are going to have to put more value on teaching and this represents a considerable shift in position. Students increasingly have new power that they can exercise. They are no longer confined to local or national institutions. They can vote with their virtual feet; they can enrol in any online university around the world. Possibly at even less cost. As distinct from the past, students in the future are going to be faced with an embarrassment of courses, as universities across the world compete for their business and try to make the quality of their teaching a selling point     

聚硼硅氧烷的合成及其流变性能EI北大核心CSCD

为了探究聚硼硅氧烷(PBDMSs)的物理交联网络结构对体系黏弹性的影响,将不同羟基含量的端羟基聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)分别与硼酸进行反应,制备不同硼化交联密度的PBDMSs,并对合成的PBDMSs的结构、热力学及流变性能进行表征。结果表明:制备的PBDMSs中含有Si—O—Si,Si—O—B,CH_(3)—Si—CH_(3)和B—O—B结构单元;PBDMSs具有优异的耐低温性能,其玻璃化转变温度随着原料PDMS中羟基含量的增加而升高,且当原料PDMS的羟基含量较低时(1%和2%,质量分数),生成物PBDMSs具有一定的结晶能力;PBDMSs具有频率敏感性的特征,并且具有良好的抗冲击能力、优异的阻尼耗散能力和出色的回弹性能,原料PDMS的羟基含量影响生成物PBDMSs的物理交联网络结构,进而对PBDMSs的动态模量有显著影响,实际应用时可根据需求改变PDMS的羟基含量来调节PBDMSs的黏弹性。     

Incubation of technology-based student ventures: The importance of networking and team recruitment

Student entrepreneurship is an important but not well-studied field of research. Student venturing activity is characterized by the lack of experience and expertise among founders, which is a critical barrier in technology-based venturing. Through an in-depth qualitative study of a student venture incubation initiative, the present paper finds that to support student ventures in overcoming this barrier, the recruitment of skilled students with sufficient technical knowledge is the most essential. Several different actors are involved in the process, and the support for student ventures tends to be informal and need-driven rather than structured, formal, and university-prescribed. The multiple actors, both internal and external to the university, are complementary for student venture incubation. This perspective indicates the need for university managers and policy makers to support several multiple actors. Value creation from student entrepreneurship could further be boosted by improved team recruitment activities such as matchmaking events and other networking activities at the university.     

Measuring coping at a university using a Rasch model

Coping with academic difficulties at a university was based on six aspects: Motivation and Planning, Friends and Planning, Studying and Planning, Emotions, Spiritual Help and Coping by Doing Nothing. Stem-items for each aspect were conceptually ordered by difficulty. Each of the stem-items was answered from three perspectives, Good Coping Strategies, Actual Coping Strategies, and Stress Reduction Strategies. The three response categories were No, not on any occasion this semester; Yes, on 1 to 3 occasions this semester, and Yes, on 4 or more occasions this semester. The convenience sample was 337 students studying education at an Australian university and data were analysed with a Rasch measurement model. A scale was created in which the difficulties of the items were ordered from easy to hard and the student measures of Coping were ordered from low to high. Coping by Doing Nothing and Using Spiritual Help stem-items didn't fit the measurement model and were deleted. This left an effective item sample of 21 (7 stem-items times 3). The proportion of observed student variance considered true was 0.88. The results supported the theory behind the construct of Coping as using Motivation and Planning, Friends and Planning, Studying and Planning, and Emotions, in which Expected Good Coping Strategies are easier than Actual Coping Strategies which, in turn, are easier than Stress Reducing Coping Strategies.     

Effects of digital use on trust in political institutions among ethnic minority and hegemonic group – A case study

The current study was based on data from a nationwide Annual Social Survey to investigate the correlation between types of Internet usage (seeking information, e-government use, e-mail, social media and peer-to-peer Internet telephony) and trust in political institutions in Israel's Jewish majority and Arab minority. Trust in government, parliament, and political parties was found to be significantly higher among Jews than Arabs. Our findings show that first level digital divide reflected in Internet use vs non-use does not correlate with political trust. Among Internet users we found different patterns of association between digital uses and trust in political institutions, which may presumably be explained by different group status. E-government use and social media use were positively correlated with political trust only among Jews. Seeking information and e-mail use were negatively associated with trust in political institutions only among Arabs. Peer-to-peer Internet telephony was negatively correlated with trust in government among both groups. Our important finding is that in spite of the processes of digitization, the effects of digital use on political trust are still relatively marginal. In both groups, the primary predictor of political trust is attitudes toward the functioning of different public institutions.     

The rotating elastic-plastic hollow shaft conveying a hot medium

Based on Tresca’s yield criterion and the flow rule associated with it, the distribution of stress and strain in a linearly strain hardening elastic-plastic hollow shaft subject to monotonously increasing angular speed and a negative radial temperature gradient—corresponding to the flow of a hot medium—is investigated. Presupposing circular symmetry and plane strain conditions, the problem is amenable to an analytical treatment. It is found that—depending on the temperature difference between the outer and the inner surface—several qualitatively different types of solutions may occur, and a comprehensive discussion of the admissible maximum angular speeds for elastic behaviour as well as of the elastic-plastic states is performed. Moreover, the residual stresses at stand-still are studied.