Discusses the rediscovery of computer software (programs) as a form of mathematics, and the impact of increasingly complex software on university research and teaching as well as business and industry practices. (MLH)

Reports statistics on women and minorities in science, including the fact that 47 percent of women scientists and engineers were not in the labor force in 1974, and only 5 percent of all male and female scientists in 1974 were from minority groups. (MLH)

Describes a chemistry course for electrical engineers that uses oral assessment as a terminal assessment method. (MLH)

Briefly discusses historical attitudes toward the divergence between the arts and sciences; describes a team-taught course in the literature of technology. (MLH)

Describes research and technological development relating to navigation on the oceans via sound, particularly via underwater sound. (SL)

Describes a Job Club for still-unemployed students after graduation. Informal monthly meetings allow students to network; obtain moral support and encouragement; and get ideas, suggestions, and leads. Department faculty serve as informal brokers in bringing employers and graduates together and provide a support system for students during their job…

Spreadsheet programs are used increasingly by engineering students to solve problems, especially problems requiring repetitive calculations, as they provide rapid and simple numerical solutions. This article shows how advanced spreadsheet programs are used in the learning of numerical solutions of two-dimensional diffusion equation using the…

Presents instructional techniques aimed at enhancing learning in the engineering science classroom, including mind or concept mapping, a variation of the one-minute paper termed a discovery sheet, and the inclusion of discussion of the nature of scientific paradigm shifts. Discusses students' reactions to these techniques and outlines a case study…

Details the chemical engineering program at Northwestern University and factors that contribute most to its success. Also considers whether the quality of public and private education in this field differ significantly. Discusses BS degree production, measures of program quality, trends, and challenges to maintenance of faculty effectiveness.…

Purdue University (Indiana) is developing a series of computer modules of state-of-the-art chemical engineering processes to serve as the basis for computer-simulated experiments. One, sponsored by Procter and Gamble, models the extraction step in the decaffeination process and allows students to determine the optimal extraction conditions for…

Reports on the Review of Undergraduate Education from the Committee for the Review to the National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources, October 1996. Highlights recommendations for action in shaping the future of undergraduate education in the sciences by institutions of higher education; businesses, industry, and the…

Summarizes a report from the joint committee of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine that recommends a new model of Ph.D. education based on changes in science, engineering, the economy, and society in general. Changes include more versatility, better career information and guidance, less…

Studies how support tools facilitate knowledge building processes in a World Wide Web-based virtual university engineering course. Examines whether students engage in different types of knowledge building activities when they use support tools and assesses the effect of support tool use on student knowledge building. (LRW)

Summarizes the activities, contents, and overall outcomes of an international seminar organized jointly by two working groups of SEFI--the Working Group on Women in Engineering and the Working Group on Information and Communication Technologies. Replaces traditional teaching methods and concentration on narrow technical contents with a more…