Describes a conference concerning the teaching of physics for those who make use of physics in other disciplines. An appendix describes reports prepared during the conference by working groups formed to consider the problems of relating physics to various specific disciplines. (Author/MLH)

While proficiency in academic writing and communication skills, such as teamwork, are seen as desirable graduate outcomes in higher education, they have taken a secondary place to the teaching of specific disciplinary knowledge within curricula. Traditionally, writing, such as writing a researched report, has been a source of anxiety for students…

Two "AccessSTEM Capacity-Building Institutes" ("CBIs") were conducted by the Northwest Alliance for Access to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics ("AccessSTEM"). Directed at the University of Washington and funded by the Disabilities Research in Education program at the National Science Foundation (NSF)…

Aggregate measures of labor market conditions for recent science and engineering Ph.D. recipients changed only slightly between April 1993 and April 1995. The unemployment rate for all recent Ph.D.s rose from 1.7% in 1993 to 1.9% in 1995. The rate of recent Ph.D.s involuntarily working outside the field of their degree similarly rose slightly from…

This paper presents new principles and basic approaches for the curricula of engineering degree courses. The accentuated evolution of engineering, the fast technological transformations and, still, the impact provoked by government regulations in the field of education in Brazil have called attention to these issues. Following these changes, it…

The present rush to liberalize the economy in most countries, is for some people a matter of principles and, for others, the hard cost of getting rid by "elimination" of the vices derived from statism and protectionism. In many countries, that kind of economic structure had crystallized their productive systems as a consequence of…

An undergraduate capstone engineering design project now provides hydroelectric power to a remote wilderness location. Students investigated the feasibility of designing, building, and installing a 4kW hydroelectric system to satisfy the need for electric power to support the research and teaching functions of Taylor Ranch, a university facility…

The researchers are developing a learning environment in the subject area of statics that includes physical models, interactive multimedia, traditional pencil-and-paper activities, and cooperative learning in the framework of experiential learning (Kolb, 1984). They are using Authorware Professional to construct the multimedia program. The…

The ideal of the entrepreneurial spirit has played a key role in shaping the current reform of engineering education at the Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). The previous paradigm of a science-based conceptual engineer has given place to what may be termed a science-based entrepreneurial engineer. This paper discusses…

Current trends in engineering education must accommodate the fast development of the global industrial marketplace. The well-known inertia against change in institutions of higher education will not fit for the foreseeable future. The career paths of our engineering graduates have changed and will change further, when industry moves to global…

This paper intends to bring out the experience of introducing a discipline of History of Science and Technology in an Undergraduate Course of Engineering and a proposal of transforming it so as to help future engineers deal with the challenges posed by the present moment of capitalism, usually called globalization. The discipline was lectured at…

This case study suggests that there are important links between students' perceptions and metacognitive development. David was one of five students who were interviewed in the second semester of a second year chemical engineering course in which the fundamental concepts of the discipline are first encountered. This paper assesses David's way of…

This document contains the 14th biennial science and engineering indicators report. Chapters include: (1) "Science and Technology in Times of Transition: The 1940s and 1990s" (William A. Blanpied and Jennifer Sue Bond); (2) "U.S. and International Research and Development: Funds and Alliances" (Steven Payson and John E.…

Outlines the academic premises made in traditional engineering education in comparison with the educational objectives of practice-directed curricula. Suggests that the practice-audit-study learning mode should be adopted in place of the lecture-homework-exam-grade system. (CC)