Refreshing curricula: to cut down on dropouts, U.S. engineering schools are devising lively courses that emphasize hands-on design and teamwork

Article Abstract:

Fewer graduates of US high schools are choosing to go on to engineering schools, and many of those who do become bored or disappointed and drop out. Women, blacks, Hispanics and American Indians, who are already underrepresented, drop out in especially large numbers. Overall, according to the American Association of Engineering Societies, there were 19 percent fewer bachelor's degrees awarded in 1991 than there were in 1986, which was a peak year. Employers complain that engineers who do graduate seem poorly prepared for the realities of their jobs: they lack ability, employers say, in interdisciplinary problem solving, teamwork and communication. An organization working to reverse these trends is the Synthesis Coalition, a group of eight universities supported by various industry representatives and companies, funded by the National Science Foundation. The Synthesis Coalition wants to change the traditional undergraduate engineering curriculum, making it more interesting and relevant by interweaving minicourses that focus on basics of engineering, humanities and design throughout a student's educational experience. The coalition has about 70 projects under development.

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, Innovations, Universities and colleges, High technology, Engineering, Curricula, College curriculum, Education, Study and teaching, Professional associations, Trade associations, Electrical engineering, High technology and education, Curriculum, Trade and Professional Associations, Engineering Education

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What could hold back IVHS

Article Abstract:

There are a number of social and policy issues that could delay or stop the development of IVHS. A major issue is that of legal liability since IVHS will tend to transfer some of the responsibility away from the driver of the vehicle and to the electronic and vehicle manufacturers and the highway department. Federal legislature, similar to that enacted for commercial air transportation, nuclear power, and commercial satellites, may be enabled for controlled highways. Another problem is the standoff between automotive and electronics industries who are not sure IVHS will ever become reality and are reluctant to commit funds for vehicle-side IVHS products and the highway agencies who are not sure technology will provide practical solutions. A third problem is that the Bush administration wants to reduce the budgetary deficit without raising Federal taxes. Seen as minor issues are civil liberty and privacy issues, insurance issues, failure characteristics, and national security implications.

Technological forecasting, Automobiles, Automobile industry, Transportation, Technology, Control systems, Intelligent machines, Legal Issues, National Government, Future of Computing, Highways, Liability, Intelligent Devices

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Desktop publishing: what it can and cannot do

Article Abstract:

Desktop publishing print quality is satisfactory for most newsletters, proposals, reports, and other materials, but it is not suitable for printing 'high quality' documents. One way to improve the printing quality is to interface with typesetting machines equipped with raster image processors, but these range in price form $24,000 to $36,000. Another way is to put the output of the system on floppy disk and send it to a professional typesetting house where charges range from $10 to $15 per page. Laser printers used in desktop publishing have a resolution of about 300 dots-per-inch as compared to some typesetters with a resolution of up to 2540 dots-per-inch. Art can be added by the use of scanners.

Miscellaneous publishing, Desktop publishing software, DTP Software

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