Information-structuring courses offered at the Asian Institute of Technology (Bangkok, Thailand) present concepts, patterns, hypotheses, and procedures for discussion on the basis that their consideration can contribute to better idea organization, text production, and text interpretation for engineering and other technology students learning…

Describes a polymerization reactor engineering course offered at Michigan Technological University which focuses on the design and operation of industrial polymerization reactors to achieve a desired degree of polymerization and molecular weight distribution. Provides a list of the course topics and assigned readings. (TW)

Examines some of the assumptions associated with attempts to define the "engineering method." Critiques a previously stated definition of this method, and offers an alternative definition that attempts to include the ideas put forth in the previous definition. Discusses the use of engineering heuristics in both definitions. (TW)

Announces the establishment of two research centers by the National Science Foundation under its new Minority Research Centers of Excellence (MRCE) program. Describes the goals of these centers at Meharry Medical College (Nashville, TN) and at Howard University (Washington, DC). (TW)

Reports on a study in which two spatial tests were given to science and engineering majors and to students in nursing and agriculture at Purdue University (Indiana). Scores from the tests consistently contributed a small but significant amount of success on measures of performance in chemistry. (TW)

Presents three specific examples of chemical engineering problems which can be interactively solved on personal computers with commercially available software. Illustrates the potential impact of interactive problem solving on chemical engineering. Discusses how this has been accomplished at Ben Gurion University (Israel) and the University of…

Describes an experiment involving data acquisition by a computer, digital signal transmission from the computer to a digital logic circuit and signal interpretation by this circuit. The system is being used at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Discusses the fundamental concepts involved. Demonstrates the alarm experiment as it is used in…

Discusses demand for chemists and chemical engineers in 1986 and the first half of 1987. Examines the employment outlook by degree, time of year, industry, and institution. Makes predictions for the next year. Examines the starting salaries for B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. chemists. Discusses inequities by degree, experience, and gender. (CW)

Points out the need to provide engineers with training in human relations. Describes the process of developing a document defining the problem and steps to be taken toward solution, submitted to students for their evaluation. (JM)

Although the crisis in precollege science and mathematics education has passed, various efforts are underway to improve the quality of education in these areas and to resolve existing problems. Several of these efforts are discussed, including the role of the National Science Foundation, industry role, and others. (JN)

Hardware for computer-assisted learning is discussed in three papers. Two papers report on projects using computer graphics, one for teaching structural analysis to university students and the other to teach graph concepts at the secondary level. Guidelines for selecting microcomputers focus on analyzing applications and matching them with…

Engineering Practices Introductory Course Sequence (EPICS) is designed to introduce freshmen and sophomores to skills of self education and open-ended problem solving so that high levels of competence can be obtained. Rationale for the program, description of theme projects (including management and instruction), and pilot program evaluation are…

Investigated women's (N=35) aptitude for and changes in skills during an engineering training program and the relationship between academic/demographic information and cognitive skills to success in the program. Compares results with those of studies of male undergraduates. Includes results of mathematics anxiety and conservation of horizontality…

Discusses priorities in the Reagan administration's science policy, including an emphasis on basic research and the concomitant training of students. New programs for fiscal year 1985 emphasize engineering education and research, as well as improved interactions between universities, federal laboratories, and industry. (Author/JN)

With the help of the National Endowment for the Humanities, a plan to infuse preprofessional training with the humanities is now halfway through its second year of operation at the University of Florida at Gainesville. Participating students and faculty in medicine and health-related fields, law, engineering, and business are participating in this…