Conference Session

Teaching Engineering and Public Policy

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cindy Orndoff, Florida Gulf Coast University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

vine andvegetation growth on the walls of a structure to conserve energy by providing shade andinsulation. Green roofs can be traced through history, even to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon,and create a beautiful and natural space.Perhaps the most desirable and marketable attribute of green roofs is that they conserve heatingand cooling energy. The vegetated layer not only protects the roof from wind, frost, andmechanical damage (almost doubling the expected roof life), but it also acts as an excellentinsulation layer. Green roofs keep houses cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Ascited on the “Livingroofs” website, a Nottingham Trent University research project found thatwith a mean daily temperature of 18.4° C, the temperature

Conference Session

Sustainable Energy Issues in Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cindy Orndoff, Florida Gulf Coast University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

vine andvegetation growth on the walls of a structure to conserve energy by providing shade andinsulation. Green roofs can be traced through history, even to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon,and create a beautiful and natural space.Perhaps the most desirable and marketable attribute of green roofs is that they conserve heatingand cooling energy. The vegetated layer not only protects the roof from wind, frost, andmechanical damage (almost doubling the expected roof life), but it also acts as an excellentinsulation layer. Green roofs keep houses cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Ascited on the “Livingroofs” website, a Nottingham Trent University research project found thatwith a mean daily temperature of 18.4° C, the temperature

Conference Session

Curriculum Development in Civil Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nirmal Das, Georgia Southern University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

coursework (final exam, exams, quizzes, homework etc.),only such measures are discussed.Data collectionDuring the data Collection phase, assessment tools are administered to and collected fromprogram constituencies, as shown in Figure 1. Table 2 summarizes the general types ofassessment tools defined for evaluating program outcomes. Such data is collected everysemester for CET courses.Several of current tools that are being used to assess outcomes and objectives require a rubric-based analysis of an activity (final exam, homework, report, presentation, term project etc.). Forthe purpose of this document, a rubric is defined as a scoring guide that specifies the skill orcategory being assessed with an associated numerical rating scale indicating the

Conference Session

Engineering in Middle Schools

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine Schnittka, University of Virginia; Larry Richards, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

activities with science concepts, students can learn and apply scientificprinciples as they strive to design, build, modify, and test a device (an artifact). Design became atopic of discussion in science education in 1993 when the American Association for theAdvancement of Science (AAAS) published Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy 1. The AAASstated that while design projects are common in the elementary grades, that all students should Page 13.1139.3become familiar with design and technology projects in order to engage in problem-solving inreal-world contexts.The National Research Council (NRC)2 followed suit in 1996 with its own recommendations

Conference Session

Engineering Student Involvement in K12 Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jill Andrews, University of Michigan; Lorelle Meadows, University of Michigan; Joy Oguntebi, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

universities. Recognizing the importance of partnerships with the informal learning communities, she has built strong ties with national museums and science centers with goals that align with the academic community she represents. While at Caltech, she launched the NSF-funded Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory Science Education Center project and served as senior advisor for development of the $5M hands-on exhibit and learning center. She currently sits on the Board of Advisors for the UM Exhibit Museum of Natural History, is a member of the UM Museum Studies Program Steering Committee, and consults to national science centers such as the Exploratorium, the

Conference Session

Curriculum Development and Teaching Models in NRE

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sheldon Landsberger, University of Texas at Austin; Rose Stiffin, Flroida Memorial University; Dimitri Tamalis, Florida Memorial University; Michael elliott, Flroida Memorial University; Ayivi Huisso, Florida Memorial Univeristy

Tagged Divisions

Nuclear and Radiological

(RIAM) program that is a joint effort between the Operations Research and IndustrialEngineering Graduate Program at The University of Texas at Austin, the Risk ManagementGroup at South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC), and the Nuclear AssetManagement Program at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The main objective of theRIAM program is: to make optimal risk-informed decisions at both operational and executivemanagement levels by taking into account budget, internal project dependencies, outageduration, and regulatory safety constraints; to appropriately model and include the uncertaintyrelated to rates of return on investments, energy prices, failure mechanisms, and costs forreplacement and spare parts; and to provide

Conference Session

Hardware Descriptive Language Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan Hill, University of Hartford

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

settings to introduce students to the fundamentals of engineering. In some cases,students are provided with a kit that allows them to experience the process of building the robotas well as the design and programming aspects.Our project uses the advantages of both approaches to target multiple audiences. Each of thefollowing groups will benefit from the various types of interaction that are possible, rangingfrom graduate students participating in design and prototyping to high school students observinga control system demonstration. The toolkit is ideal for addressing different levels of interest andinvolvement. The possible audiences include: 1. High school students interested in engineering 2. University or community college technology

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K12 Teachers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jodi Cullum, Utah State University; Christine Hailey, Utah State University; Daniel Householder, Utah State University; Chris Merrill, Illinois State University; James Dorward, Utah State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2008-1018: FORMATIVE EVALUATION OF A PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS INFUSINGENGINEERING DESIGN INTO THE CLASSROOMJodi Cullum, Utah State University Jodi Cullum is a doctoral student in the Experimental and Applied Psychology program at Utah State University. Her interests lie in outcomes research in health psychology and program evaluation more broadly. Jodi has been involved in numerous small-scale research studies in Canada and the United States as well as large-scale national projects. She has been involved in STEM evaluation for the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education since May 2007.Christine Hailey, Utah State University

Conference Session

Global Engineering Education Initiatives

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lauren Alexander, IAESTE United States; Cheryl Matherly, University of Tulsa; Mary Besterfield-Sacre, University of Pittsburgh; Larry Shuman, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

International

founding editor of ASEE’s Advances in Engineering Education and served as a Senior Associate Editor and an Editorial Review Board member for the Journal of Engineering Education. He has been principle or co-principle investigator on over twenty-five sponsored research projects from the National Science Foundation, the Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE), Health and Human Services and the Department of Transportation. He was the Academic Dean for the Spring 2002 “Semester at Sea” voyage and is an ASEE Fellow. Page 13.795.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids and Heat Transfer - II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jesse Huguet, University of Alabama; Keith Woodbury, University of Alabama; Robert Taylor, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Page 13.431.10temperature ranges were written and tested. The values for the properties, specifically h, s, andv, were compared to the table values and were found to be within the relative error required bythe project. Therefore, the use of the polynomials at the lower temperatures was justified. Thereason for not using the Sonntag et al.4 equations alone will be explained when specific enthalpyis considered.In addition to specific heat, specific enthalpy, specific entropy, and specific internal energy arerequired to successfully duplicate the tables. From Cengel and Boles3 we know that specificenthalpy is the integral of specific heat or in the case of the temperature dependent: 決 潔

Conference Session

Web-Based Learning in Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Djafar Mynbaev, New York City College of Technology; Candido Cabo, New York City College of Technology; Roman Kezerashvili, New York City College of Technology; Janet Liou-Mark, New York City College of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

of the problems in engineering technology education is that the students do not correlateclosely engineering and science subjects and do not always transfer the knowledge they acquiredin physics and mathematics to their engineering-technology classes. This problem is addressedin our project by developing a close relationship among faculty teaching engineering-technologycourses and those teaching physics and mathematics. The goal of our approach is to providestudents with the ability to transfer readily the material studied in physics and mathematics to theengineering-technology courses. Simultaneously, an engineering-technology student studyingphysics and mathematics will have access to applications in the engineering-technology field.A two

Conference Session

Innovative K-12 Engineering Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gisele Ragusa, University of Southern California; Michael Khoo, University of Southern California; Ellis Meng, University of Southern California; Joseph Cocozza, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

program and experiencing a sense ofaccomplishment, which contributes to their science teaching efficacy.All BMERET projects were designed to demonstrate basic science knowledge,engineering principles and technology innovations for and with the teachers. TheBMERET teachers have been able to take what they learned and experienced in theirBME laboratory and make connections too specific grade-level standards in the life andphysical sciences. Emphasis was placed on the broader context of the BMERETparticipant’s project and its contribution to society. This ensured that the teacher’s newfound knowledge was translated into relevant classroom activities for their students.As an example, in addition to specific grade level standards, the investigative

Conference Session

Engineering Accreditation Around the World

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maria M. Larrondo Petrie, Florida Atlantic University; Gisela Coto Quintana; Jaime Salazar, Ibero-American Association of Engineering Education (ASIBEI); Jorge Ignacio Velez Munera, Universidad Sergio Arboleda, ACOFI

Tagged Divisions

International

Head of the Accreditation Taskforce of LACCEI. She also represents the SINAES in the technical committee for the development of procedures and criteria for the accreditation of Engineering degrees and has experience in researching on Accreditation for higher education in engineering degrees. She has also developed professional activities in project management for environmental and renewable energy sources projects, and she participated in implementation processes for system integration (quality, environment and occupational risks).Jaime Salazar Contreras, Ibero-American Association of Engineering Education (ASIBEI) Jaime Salazar Contreras is Executive Secretary of ASIBEI (the

Conference Session

Re-Imagining the Higher Ed Classroom -- Tablet PCs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dewey Spangler, Virginia Western Community College; Kimberly Filer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2008-547: IMPLEMENTATION OF TABLET PC TECHNOLOGY IN ME 2024 -ENGINEERING DESIGN AND ECONOMICS AT VIRGINIA TECHDewey Spangler, Virginia Western Community College Dewey Spangler is an instructor in the department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech. Mr. Spangler holds an M.S. in Civil Engineering and a P.E. license in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He has served as faculty advisor to over two hundred mechanical engineering sophomores in the area of product design and has taught over the last nine years in the areas of physics, engineering mechanics, object oriented programming, geographical information systems, engineering economics, project management, product design, and contract law. His

Conference Session

Impacts of Public Policy on Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Cady, National Academy of Engineering; Norman Fortenberry, National Academy of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

that the full panoply ofinstitution types merit NSF support with attention given not only to their research productivity,but their actual or potential contribution to the national science and engineering workforce.One strategy NSF has employed to make progress toward its goal of reaching “all sources” hasbeen the requirement of each individual who applies for an NSF grant to address a BroaderImpacts Criterion in their proposal’s project summary. Inspired by a 2004 report by theCommittee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (CEOSE) that encouraged NSFto both improve its methods of holding grantees accountable for their actions related to thebroader impacts criterion and provide guidelines for the Principal Investigators (PIs) to

Conference Session

STEM Pipeline: Pre-College to Post-Baccalaureate

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Smaill, University of Auckland; Elizabeth Godfrey, University of Auckland; Gerard Rowe, University of Auckland

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

decrease in the size of thewell-prepared school-leaver pool. For growth in graduate numbers to occur, it is recognizedthat a more diverse, potentially less-well-prepared student cohort will challenge engineeringeducators to respond effectively via curriculum, assessment and teaching methods to optimizesuccess and retention at first year.A preliminary evaluation of the first (2007) cycle of a two-cycle action-research project ispresented in this paper. This project aims to identify the level of preparedness the studentcohort brings to a year-one course in Electrical and Digital Systems, to determine key factorsthat lead to success in this course, to measure the effectiveness of remedial and supportmechanisms, and to audit the content and assessment

Conference Session

Engineering for Nonengineers: Ideas & Results

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vince Bertsch, Santa Rosa Junior College

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

product or system, identify major functional components and trace the flow and/or conservation of energy, material and information.3. Employ systematic data collection methods to collect accurate measurements in a laboratory setting.4. Apply the fundamental principles of the scientific method and the engineering design process to the development and implementation of lab experiments and small design projects.5. Apply computer tools, standard report formats, and oral reporting methods to compile, graphically represent, and deliver experiment data and results as well as to document a design or construction process.6. Construct small design projects by applying basic scientific principles and engineering design processes.7. Compare and

Conference Session

Fluid Mechanics Experiments and Laboratories

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Calvin Hsieh, Portland State University; Gerald Recktenwald, Portland State University; Robert Edwards, Pennsylvania State University-Erie

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

in a Fluid Science Laboratory ClassAbstractTwo inquiry-based laboratory exercises are incorporated into a laboratory section of a fluidmechanics class for third year Civil Engineering and Mechanical engineering students. Thelaboratory section also involves four other conventional laboratory exercises. The inquiry-basedexercises are designed to confront student misconceptions and to develop the ability of studentsto use qualitative reasoning. Student learning gains and changes in attitude were assessed for 73of the 119 students in the class who volunteered to participate in the research project. The studygroup completed background surveys and surveys on attitudinal change during the academicterm in which the laboratory exercises were

Conference Session

Course-Based Approaches to Entrepreneurship

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Gerhart, Lawrence Technological University; Donald Carpenter, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

core competencies of creativity through in-class activities and games, as well as assignedwork. In addition, the students study and implement various methodologies of creative problemsolving through various problems and product development assignments. Teamwork isemphasized and each student is given at least two opportunities to act as a team leader during aproblem solving or product development project. All students’ leadership skills are both self-assessed and assessed by each team member.On the first day of the course, the students were surveyed on their general perceptions ofcreativity, problem solving, teamwork , leadership, the role of creativity in engineering, and theirpersonal view on their own creativity. After the course, the same

Conference Session

Inter- and Multidisciplinary Laboratories

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Samuel Lakeou, University of the District of Columbia; Esther Ososanya, University of the District of Columbia; Wagdy Mahmoud, University of the District of Columbia; Fatou Mbengue, University of the District of Columbia; Bodjona Coboyo, University of the District of Columbia; Abdulaziz SIrag, University of the District of Columbia; Ben Latigo, University of the District of Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

should be highly encouraged at the earliestlevel in engineering curricula. Solar energy is a major source of alternative energy and ispoised to reach more than 160 GW in the US by 2025. The scarcity of courses dedicatedsolely to renewable energy and particularly to solar energy in most undergraduatecurricula will weigh negatively on the preparation of undergraduate engineering andscience students to tackle the expected renewable energy boom in the 21st century. Theundergraduate research project started in the department of electrical engineering at UDCis intended to fill this gap. A thorough understanding of the solar cell theory as well as agood understanding of the ongoing worldwide research on solar cells will lay a goodground for meaningful

Conference Session

Tricks of the Trade I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aly Tawfik, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Janis Terpenny, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Richard Goff, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

projected to students’ satisfaction.In addition, the two measures are different from one another. This means that if the two measureswere to be compared to one another, with the objective of following a time-series sort of a trend,this will be of no practical meaning. The authors would have liked to investigate the trend ofstudents’ satisfaction throughout the semester, the same way the test scores were investigatedearlier. However, this is not possible with the available data. The authors have communicatedthis concern to the Department of Engineering Education, and new evaluations forms arecurrently being developed for this semester. Hence, the mentioned trend analysis will be possiblein future similar publications.Comparing students’ satisfaction

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Laboratory Systems

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nabil Lehlou, University of Arkansas; Nebil Buyurgan, University of Arkansas; Justin Chimka, University of Arkansas

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

devices are wrapped by EiAinterpreters, one software interface is enough to control them all.RFID Laboratory DevelopmentUntil at least a small portion of EiA is implemented and tested, it stays only a theory. We thuslydecide to test our concept in an application that is useful to the engineering world because we aremore likely to obtain support. In fact, we found interested students who want to work with us aswell as obtained funding from the NSF CCLI program. Our chosen project is developing alaboratory learning environment and the selected technology is RFID. RFID TechnologyRadio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a data collection technology that utilizes a wireless

Conference Session

Engineering Student Involvement in K12 Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lynn Albers, North Carolina State University; Althea Smith, North Carolina State University; Kate Caldwell, North Carolina State University; Jessica McCoy, North Carolina State University; Laura Bottomley, North Carolina State University; Elizabeth Parry, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University in the summer of 2007. She was an NSF-GE Foundation RAMP-UP graduate fellow during the 2006-2007 academic year.Laura Bottomley, North Carolina State UniversityElizabeth Parry, North Carolina State University Elizabeth Parry received her B.S. in Engineering Management-Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1983. After working for IBM for 10 years, Mrs. Parry left to raise her children and start a science education business. Since 1999, she has directed two major grant programs for the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University. Currently, she is the engineering project director for RAMP-UP

Conference Session

Learning to Communicate with Engineers and Non-Engineers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Ross, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

glance at the professionals outside of engineering who do make good use of portfolios isuseful. These groups include such professional groups as Educators/Teachers, Consultants,Artists (and related areas), Entrepreneurs, Writers, and Communicators. In addition, numerousbusinesses have found that a portfolio of past projects for future clients is a useful contribution tocredibility. A web search on “portfolios” is useful as is a review of most Education departments,which usually require a teaching portfolio as part of the process of “teaching teachers.”Several warnings are relevant for professional portfolios – and these warnings are based onactual examples. A professional portfolio is NOT a scrapbook. The same level ofprofessionalism and best

Conference Session

Factors Affecting Minority Engineering Students

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sherri Frizell, Prairie View A&M University; Felecia Nave, Prairie View A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

, the Department of Labor projects Information Technology(IT) job growth will exceed IT degree production for the current decade3.Current recruitment and retention efforts in STEM fields, particularly engineering andtechnology, must be examined with regard to their effectiveness on specific student populationsso that successful strategies can be expanded and replicated. A number of strategies have beenemployed to recruit and retain females and minorities in engineering and technology degreeprograms including innovative classroom pedagogies aimed at making course content andcurricula more attractive to students, summer bridge programs, mentoring programs, tutoringprograms, and scholarships. An examination of the current body of engineering

Conference Session

Metrology Laboratories

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglas Sugg, Navy; John Fishell, STEP

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

ScientificInvestigation.STEP 3 Conference (November 1 and 2, 2002):The conference was expanded to a two day format allowing for up to 4,000 3rd to 8th gradestudents and their teachers to attend. The science show and expo remained a staple. Costs andtransportation for students and teachers and their schools were, and continue to be, borne bySTEP. The luncheon remained focused on partnering and support efforts. The luncheon keynote(and 3rd STEP Awardee) was Arnold Schwarzenegger. STEP financial support and communityinterest and support expanded greatly. The first teacher education segment was provided on aSaturday morning to train teachers in science and math and to provide tools and projects forteachers to take back to their classrooms. Continuing education units were

Conference Session

Innovations in the ChE Laboratory

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Felecia Nave, Prairie View A&M University; Michael Gyamerah, Prairie View A&M University; Irvin Osborne-Lee, Prairie View A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

2 2 1 1 -Finally, in 2006, the department was awarded the NSF Targeted Infusion Project to establish abioengineering concentration within the department. This grant provided the last integral piece inproviding the department of funding it needed in order to move forward. One component of thegrant focused on purchase of laboratory equipment and re-design of undergraduate chemicalengineering lab 1.Curriculum DevelopmentThe current Chemical Engineering curriculum is designed to prepare engineers who are wellqualified to design and operate chemical processes. The undergraduate baccalaureate degreerequires that students complete 138 hours, of which 20 hours of chemistry and 42 hours ofchemical engineering specific courses

Conference Session

Curriculum Development and Applications

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hussein Abaza, Southern Polytechnic State University; Javier Irizarry, SPSU; Zuhair Itr, Southern Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

. The students’ response to this teaching method wasoutstanding, and the score of the Students’ Opinion of Instructors’ Survey (SOIS) for this coursewas the highest at the university level.IntroductionComputer Aided Design has become an integral part of any construction project. Traditionalpaper blueprints are quickly becoming too primitive to meet the needs of the current buildingindustry. Architects now share CAD drawings to expedite the design development and reviewcycles in order to increase construction productivity. In addition, researchers suggest that usingCAD increases the students’ creativity and problem solving [3].Familiarity with the development and exchange of CAD drawings is now a necessary skill inmost engineering fields in

Conference Session

Innovations in Manufacturing Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Priya Manohar, Robert Morris University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

provided on the instructor’s resources compact disk (IRCD) for Callister’s textbook were shown and discussed. • Accessing the Internet to obtain freely-available materials information and simulation programs; e.g., MATTER project in UK (www.matter.org.uk). The web site contains information, property data, application notes, on-line experiments, and case studies on a number of industrially-significant aluminum and ferrous alloys. The students were asked to explore this website and subsequently take a quiz (also available on the same website) during one of the laboratory sessions. • Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing at Stanford University: How Everyday Things Are Made? (http

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patricia Campbell, Campbell-Kibler Associates, Inc; Eann Patterson, Michigan State University; Ilene Busch-Vishniac, McMaster University; Tom Kibler, Campbell-Kibler Associates, Inc

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, England where he was also Director of Teaching and Learning for Engineering and later Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Currently, he is Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University.Ilene Busch-Vishniac, McMaster University Ilene Busch-Vishniac is the Provost and Vice President (Academic) of McMaster University, the institution credited with the creation of problem-based learning. She has led a project to revamp the curriculum in mechanical engineering programs in order to attract and retain a more diverse community of students while maintaining or enhancing technical rigor. In addition, Dr. Busch-Vishniac is known for her work in acoustics