Conference Session

FPD IX: Research on First-year Programs Part III

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stanley M. Forman, Northeastern University; Susan F. Freeman, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

,undocumented values, ethics and beliefs they acquire while at school, that is, the lessons fromthe Unwritten Syllabus. These other skills, frequently described as soft skills, are often discussedby both teachers and human resource personnel for employers.7 This set of soft skills, such aspersonal accountability and greater work ethic, is not subject to defined teaching methods. Thereare clearly benefits to acquisition of these skills, but it has been a challenge to describe themethods and techniques used to achieve success in these skills and the list of these skills variesfrom source to source. The Unwritten Syllabus may encompass skills such as intellectualcuriosity, caring for others, ability to overcome obstacles and more. In addition, many of

Conference Session

Progress in Manufacturing Education I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hugh Jack P. Eng...., Grand Valley State University; Val Hawks, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

, etc. isoften referred to as soft skills. This topic has also had some consistent attention but as shown in Figure 7,there has been a slight increase over the last decade. Page 25.155.5Figure 7 – Soft Skills Papers by Year Figure 8 – Awareness of Manufacturing Papers by YearNew and emerging topics are shown to be coming on-line in the ASEE venue. As can be seen in Figures9-12 topics Green Manufactuirng, Nanomanufacturing and Additive Manufacturing (a bit moreestablished we know) have seen a significant increase in the last decade and will likely continue. Othertopics such as micro-manufactuirng (7), biomanufacturing (5

Conference Session

Global and Cultural Issues in Construction

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Suat Gunhan, University of Texas, San Antonio; Gulsen Senol, Gediz University İzmır Institute of Technology; Sevgi Zeynep Dogan, Gediz University İzmır Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Construction

social psychologists. However, in the last decade these subjectsbecame more popular in regards to soft skills, business management and dispute resolution.Although, the number of studies whose focus are solely on the body language and nonverbalcommunication in conflict management, the construction related research is almost nonexistent.Therefore, the literature study in this paper is divided into two; first part focuses on bodylanguage as a tool of non-verbal communication in business perspective and second part focuseson the communication problems in the construction industry.Body Language & Non-verbal CommunicationBody language refers to nonverbal form of communication. According to Rane8, withoutcontribution of the non-verbal expressive

Conference Session

Ethical Cases and Curricula

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth R. Leitch P.E., West Texas A&M University; Rhonda B. Dittfurth, West Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

University (WTAMU) requires aone-credit engineering ethics course for civil and mechanical engineering and engineering technology majors.Practicing engineers realize the importance of soft skills such as technical communication (written and oral) as wellas a need for ethics knowledge in their everyday dealings in the workplace and as mandated by continuing educationrequirements for Professional Engineering licensure. The Body of Knowledge document prepared by the AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers (ASCE) further emphasizes the need for ethics instruction along with businessmanagement competence and lifelong professional development. Identification of ethics solving skills can benebulous concepts for engineering professors and students alike, as they

Conference Session

Retention of Women Students II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Wang, University of California, Berkeley; Eli Patten, University of California, Berkeley; Ryan Shelby, University of California, Berkeley; Farzana Ansari, University of California, Berkeley; Lisa A. Pruitt, University of California, Berkeley

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

appreciationfor the experience and skills gained from the leadership module, as well as an increase inconfidence for women as engineers.IntroductionProfessional skills are often underemphasized in engineering programs. These “soft” skills –proficiencies such as leadership, teamwork, and communication – are important attributes of asuccessful engineer. Traditional engineering curricula and lecture formats need to be revised toenhance these professional skills, as “the quality of future engineers depends very much on thequality of engineering education”1. Service learning and design projects are new pedagogicalmethods found to be effective in nurturing these skills2,3. Moreover, service learning has thepotential to attract and retain women in engineering4

Conference Session

Faculty and Program Developments, Exchanges, and Best Practices

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Holt Zaugg, Brigham Young University; Alan R. Parkinson, Brigham Young University; Spencer P. Magleby, Brigham Young University; Greg Jensen, Brigham Young University; Randall Davies, Brigham Young University; Aaron G. Ball, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

International

engineering program can take to facilitate GV team collaborationswith partner universities.Introduction Globalization of engineering and business has necessitated collaboration among culturallyand globally diverse groups of people [1]. Traditionally this required key company personnel tojourney to international locations using expensive and time-consuming travel [2]. To counter thetime and monetary costs associated with this travel many companies have turned to using virtualcommunication tools to contact international counterparts to share information and collaborate[3]. This collaboration requires individuals to have the hard skills needed to perform the requiredengineering tasks blended with the soft skills that facilitate cross-cultural

Conference Session

Towards Global Competency for Engineering Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vukica Jovanovic, Trine University; Thomas H. DeAgostino, Trine University; M. Brian Thomas P.E., Trine University; R. Thomas Trusty II, Trine University

Tagged Divisions

International

proposed program will have participants studying in their disciplines at a host institution in anon-English speaking country. Participants will also tour engineering facilities and attendcultural events. This for-credit program will enhance the cultural intelligence of participatingstudents, giving them a competitive advantage for starting their careers in the globalmarketplace.IntroductionThe engineering field is quite different in the twenty-first century than it was previously. Beingan engineer has become much more than being a good problem-solver, critical thinker, andindependent thinker. It also requires interpersonal professional skills (the so-called “soft skills”).New developments in information technologies and more accessible

Conference Session

NSF Grantees' Poster Session

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald Plumlee, Boise State University; Steven W. Villachica, Boise State University; Linda Huglin, Boise State University; Shannon Rist, Boise State University

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

should be doing on the job that they’re not doingnow, the COEN and MBE advisory boards both agreed that newly minted graduates had a hardtime applying topics they’d learned to real-world jobs in the engineering workplace. They alsonoted that soft skills were lacking, including:  Letting go; i.e., sharing problems with others  The ability to work in a team environment  Collaboration with those in other departments  The ability to communicate, including o Written English skills o Professional writing, especially abstracts and proposals o Writing concisely o Communicating both within and across groups o Presentation skills Entrepreneurial skills Willingness to ask questions

Conference Session

Global Engineering Education: Cross-cultural Awareness and Social Impacts

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Suzanne W. Scott, The Petroleum Institute

Tagged Divisions

International

and publications focus on engineering design education in the Middle East and the U.S., intercultural communication, and educating engineers for global practice. Page 25.829.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 Intercultural Communication: A New Competency for the Global Engineer Instructional Module Introduction and Part IAbstractWhile in the past an engineer was defined almost solely by his or her technical competencies,today it is largely recognized that engineers need soft skills and other „non-technical

Conference Session

Impacts on Engineering Education Through Collaborative Learning, Project-based, and Service-learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brett Quentin Tempest, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Sandra Loree Dika, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Miguel A. Pando, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Samuel T. Lopez, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

International

professional or “soft” skills emphasized by accrediting agencies 13, and hence,greater persistence and success. In engineering settings, service learning provides experientiallearning to help students appreciate the non-engineering related aspects to problem solving,develop practical skills, and illuminate the link between engineering and the amelioration ofsocietal issues and problems. The application of engineering skills to community serviceprojects distinguishes service learning from the typical internships, co-ops and fellowships thatstudents frequently seek. In these experiences, students would likely work on projects ofcommercial importance to the sponsoring agency. Service learning may be integrated into the

Conference Session

Model Eliciting Activities

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary E. Besterfield-Sacre, University of Pittsburgh; Brian P. Self, California Polytechnic State University; Larry J. Shuman, University of Pittsburgh; John Anthony Christ, U.S. Air Force Academy; Ronald L. Miller, Colorado School of Mines; Tamara J. Moore, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

,students were forced to confront and repair certain misconceptions acquired at earlier stages oftheir education, to utilize laboratory experiments to gather additional data, and to recognize andthen resolve ethical issues.Here we introduce several issues when implementing MEAs in upper division level classes byproviding two case studies. These issues are circulated around the theme of engineering learningsystems, and in particular to the professional or “soft” skills. Specifically, the following insightsare provided across two MEAs from two different disciplines and engineering schools: 1. The instructional culture challenges involving MEAs implementation in the classroom; 2. How faculty’s personal epistemology for teaching

Conference Session

Engineering Education and Comparative Studies at Universities throughout Asia, Far East

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rajarajan Subramanian, Maryland State Highway Administration; Thavavigna Thanikachalam, University of Florida; Fazil T. Najafi, University of Florida

Tagged Divisions

International

0 0 3CE9305 Highway Engineering 3 0 0 3CE9306 Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering 3 0 0 3 Elective-ICE9307 Soil Mechanics Laboratory 0 0 4 2CE9308 Highway Engineering Laboratory 0 0 4 2GE9371 Communication Skills and Soft Skills Lab 0 0 2 1 Sixth SemesterCourse Course Title Lecture Tutorial Practical CreditscodeCE9352 Irrigation

Conference Session

Community Engagement in Engineering Education: Program Models

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shoba Krishnan, Santa Clara University; Tonya Lynn Nilsson P.E., Santa Clara University

Tagged Divisions

Community Engagement Division

reflections, this paper attempts to identify theeffect of community projects on student learning and student perception of their chosen careerpath. As one student reflected, “The engineer must be able to understand much more than the‘engineering’; there is a huge ethical and communal side to engineering.” Another noted, “Thisexperience has a large impact on the team members’ concept of what it means to be anengineer”.IntroductionIn 1997 a major change in engineering education in the United States began with the introductionof ABET’s EC 2000. This new criteria not only focused on what is learned as opposed to what istaught, but it emphasized “soft” skills along with traditional technical abilities.1 These soft skillsintroduced teamwork, communication

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship Teaming and Collaboration

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Pistrui, Acumen Dynamics, LLC; John K. Layer, University of Evansville; Sandra L. Dietrich, Eastern Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

incurriculum design and course instruction [5]. In their study of what skills employers are lookingfor in undergraduates, Crawford et al. (2011) identified seven soft skill clusters associated withright brain thinking: 1. Experiences 2. Team Skills 3. Communication Skills 4. Leadership Skills 5. Decision Making/Problem Solving Skills 6. Self-Management Skills 7. Professionalism SkillsThis comprehensive study based on 31 US universities and 282 employers representing all 50states found that employers and alum ranked soft skills as the most important in terms of jobeffectiveness and career development [6].The uncertainty and complexity in today’s global marketplace are dramatically changing theworld of work

Conference Session

Service as an Element of Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Rippon, Arizona State University; James Collofello, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

engineering will greatly empower the two by sharing their individual,respective expertise in teaching methods and in the engineering design process. We also believethat the Fulton Engineering student will greatly benefit by engaging in and practicing a greatnumber of those “soft skills” that they will need to succeed as future engineers.FundingAn initiative of this scope requires significant funding to implement. The Mary Lou FultonTeachers’ College has funding from a number of sources to conduct the iTeach initiative butnone to assist with the implementation of the Engineers Serving Education efforts, nor does theFulton Engineering Schools have the internal resources to fund the effort other than to supply thestaff member to coordinate the

Conference Session

BME Laboratory and Project Experiences

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jamie Lynn Brugnano, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University; Kevin Andrew Richards, Purdue University; Marcia A. Pool, Purdue University; Allison L. Sieving, Purdue University; Juan Diego Velasquez, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Sherry L. Voytik-Harbin, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Ann E. Rundell, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

for students tosuccessfully produce a final prototype or design. However, there are comparatively fewer articlesthat focus on best approaches to formally teach engineering students professional skills(sometimes referred to as the “soft skills”), rather they focus on assessment.5, 14, 19, 26 Althoughassessment of these skills is necessary and required for ABET accreditation, it is equallyimportant to disseminate best practices to effectively teach these professional design skills.Traditionally, these professional skills are passively acquired within the engineeringundergraduate curriculum, culminating in the capstone design experience.5 Despite theacknowledgement that ABET professional design skills can, in fact, be taught30 there is

Conference Session

The Teacher as Manager: Best Practices for Culminating Design Experiences

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tonya Lynn Nilsson P.E., Santa Clara University; Kevin D. Hall, University of Arkansas; Ronald W. Welch, University of Texas, Tyler

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

26% Other“it depends on the project” and“course director, faculty and Figure 10: Primary advisor or mentor of studentsindustry mentor”. Figure 10shows the complete breakdown of responses. Page 25.967.8Course Content and AssessmentEighty-five departments are using the major design experience as an opportunity to teach a widevariety of topics, including the ‘soft skills’ required by ABET. Over 80 percent of the 85departments report teaching project management, teaming skills, oral communication, andtechnical writing or written communication. It should be noted, however, that one schoolreported

Conference Session

Creative and Cross-disciplinary Methods Part I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chad A. B. Wilson, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

communicate effectively o Outcome (h): the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context o Outcome (i): recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in life-long learning o Outcome (j): a knowledge of contemporary issuesENGI 2304 is one of the few courses in the engineering curriculum that covers the “soft skills”required of ABET. Parts of the ENGI 2304 curriculum must be designed to directly fulfill theseABET outcomes, yet the course must still fulfill the other goals, as well.One of the problems with such a technical communications course is that it is essentially a coursewithout content

Conference Session

National and Multi-university Initiatives

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cynthia C. Fry, Baylor University; William M. Jordan, Baylor University; Edmond John Dougherty, Villanova University; Nassif E. Rayess, University of Detroit Mercy; Pritpal Singh, Villanova University; Kenneth F. Bloemer, University of Dayton

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

, conceptual design and refinement, and businessanalysis as well as detailed design and development. Additionally, this work will develop in thestudents a wide range of soft skills and professional attributes associated with entrepreneurialengineering and measured using the KEEN-TTI Performance DNA2. Just as important, theproposed work will provide the students with a sophisticated understanding of the variouscorporate cultures as they relate to innovation and intrapreneurship.This paper will document the design and development of the HHDN, as well as the earlyimplementation of the dense network. Page 25.1303.2IntroductionImagine a highly creative

Conference Session

Creative and Cross-disciplinary Methods Part I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig J. Gunn, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

on engineering freshmen orientation. Page 25.1132.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 Revisiting a Liberal Activity in a College of Engineering Engineers as Poets 10 Years laterAbstractTen years ago many people thought for a variety of reasons that encouraging engineers to writepoetry in a college of engineering was a foolish endeavor. These naysayers proclaimed the lackof any value in the pursuit, the foolishness of any endeavor that made use of the weaker right-brained skills (Everyone knew that soft skills were worthless!) and a complete trust

Conference Session

Recruitment, Retention, and First-year Programs in ECE

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Wilczynski, University of Southern California; Gisele Ragusa, University of Southern California; Michael Crowley, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

agentprogramming. We teach pedagogic material for the first half of the semester; then in the secondhalf, students form inter-class teams for their main project. The PM class trains students inproject management and other soft skills and then puts them on the line managing the C3/C4teams. Many of the PM students have already taken the C3/C4 sequence, but we have graduatestudents who have not. The projects are sophisticated, requiring significant design, scheduling,and teamwork over an eight week period. In addition, because students in C4 have already takenC3, they are in a position to mentor the younger students even though the projects are differentfrom semester to semester.We have received validation that this approach is working. In class surveys

Conference Session

ABET Accreditation, Assessment, and Program Improvement in ECE

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Diana G. de la Rosa-Pohl, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

currentoccupation. A survey of science and engineering graduates found that only about 40 percent ofbachelor's degree holders felt that their job required skills that were "closely related" to their Page 25.468.2college major [6]. Many feel that the skills that they have learned in their technical programs arenot being utilized on the job [7]. Traits that are in demand in industry (such as the non-technicalskills, or ―soft skills‖) often come into conflict with the actual training that engineers acquireduring their degree programs, while the math and design skills that are emphasized in schoolremain underutilized. However, when practicing engineers

Conference Session

Problem-based and Challenge-based Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Fatin Aliah Phang, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; Khairiyah Mohd-Yusof, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; Syed Helmi Syed Hassan, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; Mimi H. Hassim, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

at the end Based on the analysis of interviews with one student from each category, factors thataffect the change of student perceptions from the beginning until the end of the semester wereextracted and summarized in Table 4. The main factors that can sustain the positive perceptionare: a) the students felt that CPBL has improved their time management b) CPBL has exposed them to the future application of knowledge they have learnt for workplace problem solving c) the students are clear of the concept definitions Page 25.557.13 d) CPBL helps to increase students’ soft skills e) the students gained deeper

Conference Session

Preparing Engineering Students for the Global Workplace

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Catherine T. Amelink, Virginia Tech; Nicole P. Sanderlin, Virginia Tech; Elizabeth M. Tront, Virginia Tech; Joseph G. Tront, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

International

and development ofthe undergraduate engineering curriculum. The curricular experience documented here has beenshown to have a measurable and positive impact on development of global competencies.References 1. Del Vitto, C. (2008). Cross-Cultural "soft skills" and the global engineer: Corporate best practices and trainer methodologies. Online Journal for Global Engineering Education, 3, 1 Article Available at: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/ojgee/vol3/iss1/1 2. National Academy of Engineering. (2004). The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century. Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Engineering. 3. Bennett, J. M. (2008). Transformative training: Designing programs for culture learning

Conference Session

Factors Affecting Student Performance

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Omer Farook, Purdue University, Calumet; Chandra R. Sekhar, Purdue University, Calumet; Jai. P. Agrawal, Purdue University, Calumet; Ashfaq Ahmed, Purdue University, Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

the course is based on Outcome Based Education6, and utilizes theinteractive model of learning. All the students maintain an online portfolio of their work. Thesystem designed in the laboratory to perform a specific task is the core measurement as thelearning outcome of the course. The laboratory performance of the course is performed inteams of three students. This mode provides a platform for horizontal learning through activeand engaged discourse and discussion. Students are empowered to charter their learning andfeed their curiosity. The course culminates in a Final Project which is assessed based upon itscomprehensiveness and originality. Students are required to master the soft skills ofcomprehensive report writing on a weekly basis and

Conference Session

Making Headway: Two-year/Four-year Curriculum Alignment and Also U-G Research

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael G. Jenkins P.E., California State University, Fresno; Walter V. Loscutoff, California State University, Fresno; Thomas Nguyen

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

Page 25.983.5The common core for engineering disciplines can be separated into two major components:fundamental and engineering. From a degree standpoint, all engineering students, regardless ofdiscipline, complete the two components of the common core as lower division students beforecompleting degree requirements as upper division in a third component of discipline-specificcourses. A representative listing of a “traditional” common core is shown in Table 1.The evolution of accreditation requirements such as EC2000 from EAC for ABET6 hasencouraged more interaction with constituents of engineering programs. This has resulted inshifts in focus and emphasis to both technical and non-technical (i.e., “soft-skills”) coursework inengineering degree

Conference Session

Topics Related to Electrical Engineering Technology

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Omer Farook, Purdue University, Calumet; Paul Lapsansky, Purdue University, Calumet; Chandra Sekhar, Purdue University, Calumet; Jai P. Agrawal, Purdue University, Calumet; Ashfaq Ahmed, Purdue University, Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

platform for horizontal learning through active and engageddiscourse and discussion. Students are empowered to charter their learning and feed theircuriosity. Students are required to master the soft skills of comprehensive report writing on aweekly basis and of Technical Project Report writing and project oral presentation based uponthe Team’s Final Project. These classroom practices and laboratory environment provides achallenging and invigorating environment that prepares them for a lifelong learning process andcareer path. Page 25.514.15VI. Outcome Measurement RubricThe following outcomebased grading rubric was utilized in the measurement of

Conference Session

K-12 and Pre-college Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald L. Carr, Purdue University; Heidi A. Diefes-Dux, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

research interests include assessment of engineering design and ”soft skills,” assessment of engineering impact through STEM initiatives, integration of engineering into all content areas, instructional design and assessment of teacher professional development via online and face-to-face programs, and promotion of engineering through standards-based curriculum reform.Prof. Heidi A. Diefes-Dux, Purdue University, West Lafayette Heidi A. Diefes-Dux is an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue Uni- versity. She received her B.S. and M.S. in food science from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in food process engineering from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue Univer

Conference Session

Green Renewable Energy and Engineering Technology

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Saeed D. Foroudastan, Middle Tennessee State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

design and engineering problems1. Students utilize their classroom knowledge of engineering principles while simultaneously developing valuable soft-skills such as teamwork and communication3. The overall effect of the project is an enjoyable, educational, and engrossing experience for the students

Conference Session

BME Course and Curriculum Development

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alisha L. Sarang-Sieminski, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; Debbie Chachra, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

quantitative measurements in living systems; 4. The ability to use modeling techniques as a tool for integrating knowledge; 5. The ability to formulate and solve problems with medical relevance, including the design of devices, systems, and processes to improve human health.This curriculum philosophy captures an important component of bioengineering that isdemanded by industry: the ability to apply an ‘engineering mindset,’ including quantitative andanalytic tools, to biological problems. But there is also an increasing appreciation of the role ofthe so-called ‘soft skills’ in engineering, including teamwork and communication, as well as thevalue of design and problem-solving skills. For example, the National Academy of