Conference Session

New Trends in Engineering Graduate Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Wells, North Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

disquisition. This general description is commonly taken to apply to social sciences, humanities andphysical sciences, as well as to all engineering fields. However, the outcomes expected in thepost-degree careers of humanists, social and physical scientists, and engineers are quite different.The scientist and humanist are charged with discovery. Their task is to learn and, then, toexplain to their peers the nature of their discoveries. Quite to the contrary, the engineer isexpected to develop a command of a defined topical field and, more importantly, to apply thatknowledge in a very tangible way that benefits society -- and, then, explain both discovery andapplication to society.Core Competencies in Engineering: All engineers solve problems and

Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

LaRuth McAfee, State University of New York-Stony Brook; David Ferguson, State University of New York-Stony Brook; LaRuth McAfee, State University of New York-Stony Brook

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

Page 11.1147.3been modeled around similar successful graduate programs at other schools as well as theundergraduate programs at UMBC. From these programs, the authors found certain componentsto be especially important in supporting minority students before, during, and after graduateschool. These components are: preparation for graduate study (GRE and application support);graduate program selection (factors to consider); graduate admissions (changing how faculty doadmissions); summer bridge programs (student bonding and assessment of academicpreparation); peer support (with advanced students in one’s discipline and throughinterdisciplinary opportunities); faculty mentorship and advising (from one’s research advisorand from other faculty