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…

Modeling is an important step in the engineering process. In this activity, students create a model of an object of their choice using LEGOs (plastic building blocks), giving them skills and practice in techniques used by professionals. Students sketch as they build their objects. This activity facilitates a discussion on models and their…

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…

Whether a set of predictor variables could be identified from pre-enrollment and post-enrollment data that would differentiate students who advance to a major in engineering from those who do not was studied with students at Auburn University, Alabama. Also studied was whether predictors could be isolated that would identify students likely to…

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)

A dual degree program in engineering involving Atlanta University and Georgia Tech succeeds in attracting students who might otherwise not be drawn to engineering. The Dual Degree Program illustrates how black schools can cooperate with predominantly white ones, how liberal arts schools can work with technical and professional ones, and how…

Buildings should be designed so that energy systems function with maximum efficiency. Re-evaluation of standards for ventilation and lighting is recommended. Heat recovery techniques and topography can reduce heating loads. (MF)

Examines the present and future career opportunities for women in the sciences and engineering. Indicates that opportunities for new women graduates in these fields presently equal or surpass those for men. (JR)

Aimed at determining whether preference scaling techniques could be used as a means of aiding engineering design, paried comparison and rank-order methods indicated that children do have stable and reliable preferences for play equipment and these preferences are correlated with actual usage. (Author/KM)

Outlines a physical chemistry course which is designed for civil engineering juniors and seniors to solve environmental problems. (CC)