Collection

2010 North Midwest Section

Authors

D. A. Rogers; O. R. Baiocchi

typical probationary period for tenure and promotion is six years. For subsequent promotionthere is disagreement. Five years is a comm l c ide ed mi im m, b 10 ea ld beunusual. For tenure, the institution usually has standards for teaching effectiveness, researchproductivity (stable external funding, consistent publication record), and service (to theinstitution, to the profession, and to the community). Problems come when the variousadministrators and faculty committees have different interpretations of the standards set ininstitutional regulations.CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVESeveral things might contribute to a lack of interest in an academic career: the long probationaryperiod, low salary, high workload, and financial insecurities

Collection

2010 North Midwest Section

Authors

Deborah Nykanen; Rebecca Bates; Marilyn Hart; Mezbahur Rahman

Developing Academic, Professional and Life Skills in Undergraduate Engineers through an Interdisciplinary Peer-Mentoring Support System Deborah Nykanen, Rebecca Bates, Marilyn Hart, Mezbahur Rahman Minnesota State University, Mankato Civil Engineering / Computer Science / Biological Sciences / Mathematics1. IntroductionUndergraduate engineering programs prepare students for a career in engineering by buildingknowledge of fundamental engineering concepts and developing skills in engineering design.Due to limitations on program credits, broadening the student’s education beyond the requiredengineering coursework is typically limited to mandatory humanity and social science electives.Developing

Collection

2010 North Midwest Section

Authors

Swaminathan Balachandran; Justin Kile

learned on the joband are specific to each work setting," while soft skills are defined as "the cluster of personalitytraits, social graces, language skills, friendliness, and optimism that mark each one of us tovarying degrees" (7,8). Student engagement activities consist of a wide variety of classroom andoff campus work (5, 10) to develop both hard and soft skills required to have a successful career. At UW-Platteville, the Pioneer Academic Center for Community Engagement (PACCE)was established in fall 2008 to nurture a campus environment to support student engagementthrough service learning, active learning and other community-based projects. It providesfinancial support to students under faculty direction to pay the costs of travel

Collection

2010 North Midwest Section

Authors

Stanley G. Burns

Offer post-baccalaureate engineering education opportunities to engineers employed on the Minnesota Iron “Range” Provide expanded opportunities for faculty in Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Mechanical Engineering to engage in applied research and development activities with the private and public sectors Enhance UMD engineering faculty career development and retention. Expand opportunities for external research funding from the private and public sectors.EXTERNAL FORCESAnother major driver in offering an MEng degree is recognizing that there are changes loomingon the horizon with respect to professional engineering licensure and

Collection

2010 North Midwest Section

Authors

William B. Hudson; Craige O. Thompson

arrangements with openeyes and realistic expectations. This paper will explore the balance of interests among (i)students’ career advancement, (ii) non-disclosure obligations, (iii) intellectual property (IP)rights, and (iv) project funding.Introduction: The Electrical and Computer Engineering and Technology department atMinnesota State University, Mankato has approximately 25 electrical and computer engineeringstudents graduate each year. The department is fortunate to be supported by a very activeIndustrial Advisory Board (IAB). This board meets at least twice a year and has in the past beeninvolved in reviewing student senior design projects. As a result of IAB member interest andinvolvement with local industry and inventors, the Fall 2009 and

Collection

2010 North Midwest Section

Authors

Melanie I. Cashin; Saeed Moaveni

, PublicSpeaking for Technical Professionals, or Technical Communication. In addition to standard laband project reports, during the senior year, students are required to take the mechanicalengineering seminar class and write a half-page summary discussing what they gained fromlistening to presenters from industry. Each week a presenter shares his or her professionalexperience with the seminar class and talks about career paths, ethics, continuing education, andthe “dos” and “don’ts” of a professional. The summaries are read for both content and proper useof grammar and sentence structure, and points are deducted for improper use of grammar andmisspelled words. The seminar class is the last opportunity to assess our students’ writtencommunication skills

Collection

2010 North Midwest Section

Authors

Thomas F. Quinn; Ronald H. Brown; George F. Corliss

,who take the lead in organizing and overseeing most student orientation activities. Now a newstudent joining the project at the start of the fall semester becomes a key contributor to some ofthe GasDay configurations tested, built, and delivered later that same semester.GasDay Project ChallengesGasDay’s “academic” staff is its students and two faculty members. Administrative staffincludes a business manager, a software team leader, and an administrative assistant. Themajority of project workers are students, whom it is our mission to graduate to a career outsideMarquette. This poses some significant obstacles to ongoing operations in a business developinga complex, engineered product customized for customers across the United States.A typical

Collection

2010 North Midwest Section

Authors

Robert W. Williams; Salam F. Rahmatalla

and results.One way in which to help streamline hands-on laboratory education in terms of objectives,equipment, and products is to make the lab activities as relevant as possible to their interests,goals and future careers. This involves giving the students ownership of their lab experience.The concept of student ownership has many facets, including letting students plan educationalobjectives and activities, select educational materials, teach other students, and reflect criticallyon their expectations and experiences (Fletcher 2008). One of the objectives of the civil and environmental curriculum at The University ofIowa is to produce graduates who have a strong foundation of scientific and technical knowledgeand are equipped with

Collection

2010 North Midwest Section

Authors

Lance D. Yarbrough; Scott F. Korom; Zhengwen Zeng

about your views on assessment.One might ask the following: Does my degree program really have an assessment plan or do wejust pile paper during the 5th year of the ABET cycle?We could continue to comment about how this vie of assessment impacts one s career, researchtime, and tenure, but the focus of this discussion is on students. How does this view impact yourstudents? Have students been provided with enough feedback to improve their skills andjudgment? One might realize their course assessment seems a bit weak. Is that because onlycourse grades have been used to assess the program? Are you taking an honest look at yourdegree program or do you equate your program assessment with everything ABET?As we understand it, this is the unfortunate

Collection

2010 North Midwest Section

Authors

Joseph Dobmeier; Joseph Gehrke; Matthew Simones; Patrick Tebbe

are impossible to duplicate in the classroom. Communicating withpeople in industry, coping with unexpected problems, and working with specialized tools are justa few examples. This research project has exposed students to a renewable energy source andthe significant economic benefits of using energy wisely and efficiently. It also gave the studentsan idea of the importance that further development of renewable energy technologies has forsociety. With these newly gained experiences, the students involved will now be better preparedto face the many challenges that they will face in school, in their careers, and beyond.AcknowledgmentsThis work has been supported by a grant from the State of Minnesota through the MinnesotaOffice of Energy