The purpose of this study is to explore students' understanding of loops and nested loops concepts. Sixty-three mechanical engineering students attending an introductory programming course participated in the study. APOS (Action, Process, Object, Schema) is a constructivist theory developed originally for mathematics education. This study is the…

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) decades-long investment in science and engineering (S&E) research helped build the backbone of the U.S. scientific enterprise and transformed universities and colleges into centers of scientific innovation, creativity, knowledge and discovery. It also brought about the benefits of scientific…

A summer bridge program for incoming engineering and computer science freshmen has been used at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 2007 to 2010. The primary purpose of this program has been to improve the mathematics course placement for incoming students who initially place into a course below Calculus I on the math placement examination.…

Intrigued by the interviews with high school valedictorians that the Raleigh, N.C., News & Observer publishes this time each year, researcher E. Ann York decided to gather up three years' worth of its stories to look for any gender differences in the aspirations of these highest-achieving local students. Were boys more likely to strive for careers…

As in other educational programs, scholarship programs offer mentoring to the recipients. In order to cultivate the maximum benefit, each recipient needs to be guided and appropriately advised, first to achieve the goals of the program and secondly, to benefit themselves from the scholarship. The purpose of the article is to investigate this…

Describes the Automated Reasoning Assistant (AURA) computer program at the Argonne National Laboratory. Given a set of initial assumptions (axioms) and a problem, AURA follows a logical path leading to a solution. Includes types of problems which can be solved. (JN)

Develops Volterra model for spread of information in group analytically and by simulation and compares characteristics of both methods. Topics of modeling, equilibrium, linearization, stability, error analysis, and parameter identification are incorporated in obtaining the solutions. (SK)

This report provides statistical information about the participation of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering education and employment. Its primary purpose is to serve as an information source. It offers no endorsement of or recommendations about policies or programs. National Science Foundation reporting on…

This paper describes an introductory course in microprocessors and microcomputers implemented at Grossmont College. The current state-of-the-art in the microprocessor field is discussed, with special emphasis on the 8-bit MOS single-chip processors which are the most commonly used devices. Objectives and guidelines for the course are presented,…

Discusses implications of a new administration report on science and engineering education that warns of immediate shortages of engineers and computer professionals and of a trend toward scientific and technological illiteracy in the population at large. (CS)

Concern over the under representation of women and minorities in the natural sciences and engineering led to the research reported in this document. The project surveyed a stratified sample of 1,651 college seniors who registered to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and who were majoring in natural sciences, mathematics, computer…

This document promotes computer symbolic mathematics and computer algebra as ideal instructional materials for mathematics, science, and engineering students. Further, computer algebra is viewed as appropriate for all students throughout the mathematics curriculum, by serving a vast area of mutual reinforcement and cross-motivation between…

In 1988, the Office for Undergraduate Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (USEME) convened a series of disciplinary workshops designed to obtain a better understanding of the conditions and trends in undergraduate education in the United States in seven critical areas: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Geosciences,…

This study analyzed data from the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) taken by high school seniors between 1975 and 1986. Its purpose was to study trends in the numbers, test scores, and other characteristics of examinees planning to major in mathematics, science, and engineering, and to compare these data with comparable data from examinees planning…

This catalog includes abstracts of each of the papers delivered at the Arctic Science Conference. The conference was divided into the following symposia: (1) "Biochemistry and Molecular Biology"; (2) "An Update of Alaskan Science and Discovery"; (3) "Science Education for the Public"; (4) "Hubbard Glacier,…