Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students, Diversity, and Assessment

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Thompson, University of South Carolina; Joy Watson, University of South Carolina; Jed Lyons, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

participatingFellows. Teaching efficacy has been shown to correlate with student achievement [3],instructional innovation [4, 5], instructor enthusiasm and persistence [6], and student interest inschool [7].Since its inception, the NSF has provided over 250 million dollars to sponsor approximately 200university-based GK-12 projects [1]. This huge investment in public funding represents one ofthe first major attempts to form collaborative partnerships between university-based science,technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experts and K-12 science and mathematicsteachers working together in the school setting. The NSF's investment is aligned with reformdocuments that call for STEM experts and the science and mathematics education communitiesto work

Conference Session

Professional Graduate Education and Industry

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Stanford, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

communication is frequently is used to convey ideas and project results. Reports, proposals, andproject results are transmitted to others in written form. These documents must be clear, concise, anderror free because there is no opportunity for immediate response from the reader. Oral presentations toan audience of peers and superiors also must be clear, concise and error free. In addition, key ideas mustbe presented visually in such a way that a knowledgeable audience can follow them without prior study.The effective engineer-leader must continually strive to improve both written and oral communicationskills.Two-way communication is much more commonly encountered in day-to-day activities. Here, of course,there is an opportunity for verbal exchange of

Conference Session

Methods, Techniques and New Programs in Graduate Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Dyrenfurth, Purdue University; Mike Murphy, Dublin Institute of Technology; Gary Bertoline, Purdue University; Robert Herrick, Purdue University; Gareth O'Donnell, Dublin Institute of Technology; Kathryne Newton, Purdue University; Nuria Castell, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya; Miquel Barcelo, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya; Didac Balas, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya; Maria Ribera Sancho, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya; Donal McHale, Dublin Institute of Technology; Jordi Garcia, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

, 2010 Concurrent Technology Masters Degrees Across the Atlantic: Innovations, Issues & Insights1IntroductionAtransatlantic degree consortium to implement a four-semester dual masters degree initiativeacross a three-institution consortium consisting of Purdue University (USA), the Dublin Instituteof Technology (DIT), and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain) is presented in thispaper. This initiative, while focusing on graduate (Masters) student mobility, also includesfaculty mobility, language instruction and assessment, project evaluation and other services toinsure ongoing success. Effective existing collaborations, i.e., an active undergraduate exchangesemester and collaborative faculty

Conference Session

Innovation and Measuring Success in Graduate Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joy Watson, University of South Carolina; Jed Lyons, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

, andsuccessful team by being able to resolve conflicts and incorporate the professional interests ofteam members into projects7-12. Motivating skills of leaders include the incorporation of teammembers’ professional interests, developing team members’ leadership skills and giving teammembers a stake in the problem7, 9-11, 13-15. A professionally stimulating workplace can bedeveloped by the leader through brainstorming and modeling creative problem solving7, 9, 15.Studies have shown that a leader who possesses these interpersonal leadership skills has moresuccessful projects than leaders without these skills3.A leader creates a vision, or change in the status quo. Depth and breadth of knowledge, alongwith problem solving skills, allow a leader to

Conference Session

Professional Graduate Education and Industry

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Norman Egbert, Rolls-Royce Corporation

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

─ AbstractThis is the third of four invited panel papers prepared specifically for the National Collaborative TaskForce Engineer-Leaders Project. The Project concerns the deliberate advancement of professionalgraduate engineering education relevant to the needs of creative engineering practice in industry toenhance U.S. technological innovation and competitiveness. The strength of the innovation and leadershipcapacity of America’s professional engineering base in our civilian, aerospace, and defense industries is acritical asset in our global economic recovery. As with other learned professions, there are progressiveskill-sets and actions that must be learned or developed at the advanced levels of the practice ofengineering. This series of papers

Conference Session

Educating Students for Professional Success

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrea Burrows, The University of Cincinnati; Anant Kukreti, The University of Cincinnati; Mike Borowczak, The University of Cincinnati; Amr Safwat, The University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

this program have apositive effect on the communication abilities of the graduate students. In particular, thestudents’ ability to take their current research and effectively communicate it to high schoolstudents with limited technical knowledge and experiences will be showcased. The focus of thispaper will be on the previous engineering graduate students, each assigned to a different schoolwith diverse culture and economic backgrounds and each working with four different teachers inthat school.Project STEP OverviewOur project is currently in its ninth year of funding. Bringing well communicated engineeringconcepts, based on a city theme and graduate student research, into high school classrooms is themain focus of the project. The graduate

Conference Session

Innovation and Measuring Success in Graduate Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Fleisig, McMaster University; Harry Mahler, Ontario College of Art and Design

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

tend to reject any inquiry that strays outside of a strictly positivist or perhaps post-positivist paradigm. This paper outlines our vision and understanding of engineeringdesign and communicates the approach we have taken to defining a Master of EngineeringDesign degree that at the same time is acceptable to the scholarly sensibilities ofengineering faculty and pushes the boundaries of the practice of engineering design. Todevelop the program, we believe that engineering scholarship must extend beyondproblem-solving to include inquiry approaches from the arts and humanities2.The Nature of Engineering DesignMany of the early projects performed by students in the Master of Engineering Designdegree resembled in every way a research Master s

Conference Session

Professional Graduate Education and Industry

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roger Olson, Rolls-Royce Corporation

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

TaskForce Engineer-Leaders Project. The Project concerns the deliberate advancement of professionalgraduate engineering education relevant to the needs of creative engineering practice in industry toenhance U.S. technological innovation and competitiveness. The strength of the innovation and leadershipcapacity of America’s professional engineering base in our civilian, aerospace, and defense industries is acritical asset in our global economic recovery. As with other learned professions, there are progressiveskill sets and actions that must be learned or developed at the advanced levels of the practice ofengineering. This series of papers addresses the skills continuum in three main parts: a) Part I addressesthe Direct Leadership Skills and Actions

Conference Session

Methods, Techniques and New Programs in Graduate Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Buket Barkana, University of Bridgeport

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

in conducting this lab course. Section 2 outlines the course content that includes the possibleaudio and voice/speech projects using real-time DSK. Section 3 discusses the evaluation criteria ofthis course using the assessments and feedback of the students and the instructor.2. ELEG 459: Audio Processing LaboratoryLab FacilitiesHardware: Eleven PC stations. Each station is equipped with multimedia hardware capabilitiesincluding a real-time DSP board DSK5510. In addition, headphones, microphones, functiongenerators, and oscilloscopes are available for every workstation in the laboratory.Software: Each computer is equipped with general software tools for developing labs and projectsincluding MATLAB R2007a, Code Composer Studio (CCS), Microsoft

Conference Session

Innovation and Measuring Success in Graduate Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joy Colwell, Purdue University, Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

expect from education—is it basicskills, or applied skills?18For those interested in further information in this area, this report built on the 2006 AreThey Really Ready to Work report.19 Skills which were found important to employers inthat project were professionalism, teamwork, oral communication, ethics and socialresponsibility, and reading comprehension, and employers noted significant deficiencies Page 15.1070.6in written communication, leadership and professionalism even at the four-year collegelevel. Projected skills for the next five years (from 2006) included foreign language(globalization), critical thinking and creativity/innovation.While

Conference Session

Professional Graduate Education and Industry

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Tricamo, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

onapplied skills as opposed to those more theoretical in nature. As described by Rita R. Colwell in Science Magazine4, “Most of these innovative ProfessionalScience Master’s (PSM) degree programs are interdisciplinary and provide hands-on learning throughinternships and team projects. They are not intended to displace traditional programs. Instead, they aim toengage students with professional goals and then become scientists uniquely suited to the 21-centuryworkplace, equipped with a broader scientific knowledge than that acquired with a Bachelor of Sciencedegree and the skills to apply it.”3. The Master’s for Engineering Professionals (MEP) Degree To answer this need, an alternative to the current pre-doctoral master’s degree is

Conference Session

Graduate Student Experience

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Barrett Caldwell, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

aspects of information flow, task coordination, and team performance as affected by information technology. His research explores human factors engineering principles of how people get, share, and use information well, including the following: • Defining quantitative characteristics of information flow and task coordination in team performance; • Describing effects of tasks, situations, and technologies on effective information exchange in organizations; • Improving user access to information and knowledge to manage events in complex systems. Prof. Caldwell’s research efforts have resulted in over 100 scientific publications. His projects since

Conference Session

Graduate Student Experience

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sunni Newton, Georgia Institute of Technology; Lydia Soleil, Georgia Institute of Technology; Tristan Utschig, Georgia Institute of Technology; Donna Llewellyn, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

she assists with assessment and data analysis for ongoing CETL projects. Her masters thesis involved an investigation of caffeine and cognitive fatigue. Her current research involves the topics of workaholism and overwork.Lydia Soleil, Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Lydia Soleil is the Assistant Director for TA Programs and Graduate Student Development in the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Previously, she was at the University of California, Irvine working with graduate students in various capacities: Associate Director of the Teaching, Learning and Technology Center, First Year Initiatives (undergraduate and

Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students, Diversity, and Assessment

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrienne Minerick, Mississippi State University; Rafael Hernandez, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

the US Army Corp of Engineers Engineering Research and Development Center on the development, design, and implementation of groundwater treatment technologies. His research interests are the development of technologies for the remediation of contaminated media and the development of non-traditional feedstocks for producing biofuels. Dr. Hernandez has over 80 technical presentations at state and national conferences and over 15 peer reviewed publications. He is the principal investigator on projects funded by the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and private industries

Conference Session

Methods, Techniques and New Programs in Graduate Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monica Cox, Purdue University; Cyndi Lynch, Purdue University; Jiabin Zhu, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Phillip Dunston, Purdue University; Audeen Fentiman, Purdue University; Pamella Shaw, Purdue University; Demetra Evangelou, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

research projects explore the preparation of engineering doctoral students for careers in academia and industry and the development of engineering education assessment tools. She is a NSF Faculty Early Career (CAREER) award winner and is a recipient of a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).Cyndi Lynch, Purdue University Cyndi Lynch is the Director of Fellowships and Graduate Student Professional Development in the Graduate School. Cyndi is a registered veterinary technician, focusing on animal behavior. She holds a bachelors degree in Animal Science and a Master of Science degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Purdue University. Research interests focus

Conference Session

Graduate Student Experience

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monica Cox, Purdue University; Jeeyeon Hahn, Purdue University; Nathan McNeill, Purdue University; Asawaree Kulkarni, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

AC 2010-904: DEVELOPING A GLOBAL REAL-TIME ASSESSMENT TOOL FORTHE TEACHING ENHANCEMENT OF ENGINEERING GRADUATE TEACHINGASSISTANTSMonica Cox, Purdue University Monica F. Cox, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She obtained a B.S. in mathematics from Spelman College, a M.S. in industrial engineering from the University of Alabama, and a Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy Studies from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. Teaching interests relate to the professional development of graduate engineering students and to leadership, policy, and change in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Primary research projects

Conference Session

Methods, Techniques and New Programs in Graduate Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hetal Jasani, Northern Kentucky University; Traian Marius Truta, Northern Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

- System Architecture 3CIT 672 - Advanced Database Administration 3CIT 696 - Best Practices in Information Technology Seminar 3MBI 650 - Information Technology Project Management 3The first two classes from this category give an in-depth perspective on the CIT field in two veryimportant areas: systems architecture and databases. Both of these classes cover an advanced setof concepts, and the students are expected to have the relevant background experiences necessaryfor applying these concepts in practice as well as contributing to insightful classroomdiscussions. The third class constitutes the capstone experience for a MSCIT graduate

Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students, Diversity, and Assessment

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monica Cox, Purdue University; Osman Cekic, Purdue University; Sara Branch, Purdue University; Rocio Chavela Guerra, Purdue University; James Cawthorne, Purdue University; Benjamin Ahn, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

AC 2010-918: PH.D.S IN ENGINEERING: GETTING THEM THROUGH THEDOOR AND SEEING THEM GRADUATE- FACULTY AND INDUSTRYPERSPECTIVESMonica Cox, Purdue University Monica F. Cox, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She obtained a B.S. in mathematics from Spelman College, a M.S. in industrial engineering from the University of Alabama, and a Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy Studies from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. Teaching interests relate to the professional development of graduate engineering students and to leadership, policy, and change in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Primary research projects explore the

Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students, Diversity, and Assessment

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Frehill, Self employed consultant; Amanda Lain, Freelance Consultant; Catherine Didion, National Academy of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

AC 2010-1957: DESTINATION UNKNOWN: GENDER DIFFERENCES INATTRITION FROM GRADUATE STUDY IN ENGINEERINGLisa Frehill, Self employed consultant Lisa Frehill is an evaluation consultant with more than a decade of experience evaluating educational programs. She earned her PhD at the University of Arizona in 1993, after which she was on the sociology faculty at New Mexico State University and then the PI for New Mexico State University’s ADVANCE: Institutional Transformation award. Current projects focus on: engineering workforce; gender and ethnic issues in access to STEM careers; and women’s international participation and collaboration in STEM.Amanda Lain, Freelance Consultant has an MA in

Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students, Diversity, and Assessment

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carla Purdy, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

formal assessmentis in order. Thus we have embarked on a project to survey past participants (there arewell over 100 "graduates" since the program began in 1999) to see what changes will bemost beneficial for future participants. We are also setting up a website for current andpast participants to encourage mentoring of newer participants by PFF in Engineeringgraduates. The survey of past participants is still ongoing, since contact information forsome past participants has been difficult to obtain. But we do have data for recentparticipants and some anecdotal evidence to present at this time.Survey Results—Recent ParticipantsSurvey questions are shown in Figure 1 below. Complete survey results from the pastyear are available. Ten students, from

Conference Session

Educating Students for Professional Success

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Keith Schimmel, North Carolina A&T State University; Lucian Lucia, North Carolina State University; Jianzhong Lou, North Carolina A&T State University; Abolghasem Shahbazi, North Carolina A&T State University; Timothy Rials, University of Tennessee

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

urgent needs of society for instruction that is sufficiently broad, deep, andcurrent.About 5 years ago, the US DOE Agriculture Industries of the Future funded a BiomassEducational effort. This effort led to the funding of projects at six universities and many goodresults came from these efforts. However, the effort was eventually terminated due to verylimited propagation and dissemination of the classes or technology that were developed at theindividual universities to the community at large. To try to address this problem, BioSUCCEEDhas committed to a free dissemination of the educational content developed.The approach utilized can be compared to the development of open-source software. Becausethe end goal is to provide course materials that

Conference Session

Innovation and Measuring Success in Graduate Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Glenda Scales, Virginia Tech; Shreya Kothaneth, Virginia Polytechnic and State University; Dale Pokorski, Virginia Tech; David Bailey, Virginia Tech; Catherine Amelink, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

information technology and desktop support, and software support for Engineering students. Additionally Dale coordinates information technology efforts that benefit the entire college and facilitates all college level information technology projects. Prior to joining Virginia Tech She began her Air Force career as Financial Systems Analyst shortly after graduating from Smith College with a degree in Computer Science. While in the Air Force, Dale earned her MBA from Auburn University in Montgomery.David Bailey, Virginia Tech David Bailey is an industrial and systems engineering graduate student at Virginia Tech. He worked in the telecommunications/IT industry as a network management

Conference Session

Graduate Student Experience

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Vaccari, Stevens Institute of Technology; Siva Thangam, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

publicised (e.g. at conferences), so that the dissertation can be supported by the scientific and research community, not only by the opinions of the opponents. Denmark: '…capacity to carry out a scientific project involving independent use of the scientific method of the subject thereby furthering research at a level corresponding to the international standard of the PhD within the subject area.' The Netherlands: '…The dissertation must report on original research and present scientific results. It should make an original contribution to knowledge in the field and testify to the candidate's mastery of the methodology' Portugal: '…The thesis is expected to be a scholarly work which contributes to the