Agricultural communications students (n=330) from 11 universities were most aware of biotechnology effects on food, less aware of effects on health and the environment. They were somewhat accepting of genetic modifications for plants, not humans. Sources of biotechnology knowledge were science classes, labs, and university professors' beliefs.…

The 'Bologna Process' promotes fundamental changes throughout European higher education. The EC 'Tuning' project was set up to investigate the feasibility of this process. Summarizes the final report of the Engineering Synergy Group which examined the 'tuning' of engineering education (EE), taking advantage of the work of previous and current…

Introduces a list of outstanding science trade books for grade levels K-12 in the areas of Archaeology, Anthropology, Paleontology, Biography, Life Sciences, Integrated Science, Physical Science, Science Related Careers, and Technology and Engineering. Includes information on the selection process. (YDS)

Discusses software design for enterprise systems and for video games, and describes difficulties with enterprise tools, including interface complexity, training costs, and user frustration. Examines the world of tools and games from the human perspective and suggests ways in which game design can be successfully transferred to the enterprise tool…

Suffered by 88% of those who use a computer for more than 3 hours a day, eyestrain is caused by direct and reflective glare, excessive lighting, improper ergonomics, low-quality or inappropriately adjusted video display terminals, uncorrected or improperly corrected vision, and insufficient or nonexistent eye care. Fatigue, errors, and lost days…

Discusses broadband communications; broadband coaxial cable and its utility in the media center; basic electronics of radio signals (radio frequency, radio band, bandwidth, MHz, skimming, decibels, sloped amplifiers); engineering basics (insertion loss, splitter, tap, and three beats); and factors to consider before designing a campus broadband…

Describes the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP), which places African American students on the path to careers in math, science, and engineering. As a result, 90 percent of its students go on to college, and more than 60 percent pursue technology degrees. (EV)

Provides advice for academic leaders in the early stages of considering making a major investment in facilities that support learning, teaching, and research in mathematics, technology, and the various fields of science and engineering. Addresses the institutional plan; building, program, and campus and environs analysis; description of needs;…

Examines form, color, and technology at the University of Ottawa's School of Information Technology and Engineering (SITE) building, focusing on systems (e.g., SITE is a data wired building, but with no expensive raised floors or cheap dropped ceilings); assembly rather than construction (replacing standard notions of construction with the process…

Studies six summer interns in an engineering development center. Shows that for the interns and their more experienced colleagues, learning did not precede activity but rather was the means by which they remained attuned to activity and able to function. Finds cognition was distributed not only among people but also among people and their tools;…

Investigates the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction in the chemical engineering curriculum. Explains how chemical process simulators can be successfully implemented into courses. (YDS)

North Carolina State University (UNC) has been on the forefront of long-distance education by offering a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a Mechatronics Concentration at its remote campus located at UNC Asheville. The program demonstrates that long-distance laboratories are feasible and should not be a stumbling block to offering…

Undergraduate engineering students (n=123) collected and analyzed engineering job ads from newspapers and the Internet and prepared reports. Many began with inaccurate conceptions; 86.2% reported change in their understanding of engineering. Some learned how to increase their employability. Initial concepts of engineering as focused on technology…

Reports the results of practicing engineers' descriptions of the importance of oral communication. Suggests that engineering practice takes place in an intensely oral culture and while formal presentations are important to practicing engineers, daily work is characterized more by interpersonal and small group experiences. Notes that communication…

Investigates whether replacing a single traditional laboratory activity with a widely-used, non-microcomputer-based laboratory, research-based activity could produce improved conceptual understanding of a topic in electricity. Shows that a single instructional experience utilizing the research-based tutorial materials is superior to a traditional…