Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FYP) - Technical Session 10: Identity & Belonging 2

Collection

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Uri Feldman, Wentworth Institute; George D. Ricco, University of Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs Division (FYP)

, collaboration, attendance tools, and its rich-mediafeatures. The LMS made the course manageable in delivering the course content,communications, assignments, reflections, peer reviews, attendance, and grading for the largenumber of students enrolled in the course. Implementation HighlightsCourse ContentThe reimagined course focuses on development of soft skills including collaboration, reflection,peer review, and time management; skills which are increasingly recognized as an important partof student development and success in engineering education [4].Learning Objectives of Redesigned Course● Develop a working knowledge of various engineering disciplines.● Increase awareness of what successful completion of an

Conference Session

Continuing Professional Development Division (CPD) Poster Session

Collection

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patricia Caratozzolo, Institute for the Future of Education, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico; Luis Alberto Mejía-Manzano, Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM); Gabriela Sirkis PhD, Universidad del CEMA; Jorge Rodriguez-Ruiz, Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM); Julieta Noguez PhD, School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico; Jorge Membrillo-Hernández, Institute for the future of Education, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico; Patricia Vázquez-Villegas

Tagged Divisions

Continuing Professional Development Division (CPD)

engineering degrees should be interdisciplinary andmultidisciplinary. Skills related to new technologies, digitalization, and soft skills areessential. Engineering has been stereotyped as weak in soft skills (interpersonal skills,communication), so there should be a change in the tunnel mind of "what I do" tounderstanding what others do and how they relate.Therefore, everyone must understand and participate in how things and technology areevolving in the upcoming workforce. Work in teams and engage with colleagues in thetransition. Still should be resolved challenges among academia, industry, government, andaccreditation bodies. For example, there are ideas that industry and academia are far awayand disconnected when both spaces allow for new

Conference Session

Computing and Information Technology Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Uma Kannan; Rajendran Swamidurai, Alabama State University

Tagged Divisions

Computing and Information Technology

as computer architectures,cryptography, networking, secure coding, secure system development, penetration testing,incidence response, tool development, operating systems internals (such as Linux), and low-level 2programming [17-21] and how and the organization’s information system operates [22-24], 2)soft skills such as team-work, problem-solving, and communication [25-28], and 3) hands-ontraining on cyber ranges [29]. Cyber range is an interactive simulated representation of anorganization’s cyber infrastructure that includes their local networks, systems, tools, andapplications that provide a safe and legal environment for learning and testing Cybersecurityoperations [30].To address this

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum and Course Development

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Kleio Avrithi P.E., Mercer University; Samuel Alan Fong, Mercer University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

for improving the crumbling US infrastructure. It is especially important to incorporateprojects in a construction course that can significantly ameliorate the students’ soft skills, such asleadership, creativity, and interpersonal skills [18, 19]. These projects can further help studentsgain knowledge on sustainability, risk estimation, and decision making. Figure 5: Layered construction topics for progressive knowledge acquisitionConclusionsAn online search of civil engineering programs and undergraduate catalogs of 200 USuniversities revealed that 29% of them offer a mandatory course in construction, 45% offer it asan elective, and 26% do not offer a course dedicated solely to construction. We identified andranked the topics taught by

Conference Session

Computing and Information Technology Division Technical Session 8

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Stephanie J. Lunn, Florida International University; Monique S. Ross, Florida International University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Computing and Information Technology

that require real-time coding on whiteboards,with paper and pencil, or using a simple text editor [11, 13].Currently, multiple papers review the hard and soft skills necessary for career success, [14–19],which skills are knowledge deficiencies for recent graduates [20–25], and a few papers mentionthe hiring process broadly [11, 13, 26]. However, more work is needed to describe what hiring incomputing looks like, and what employers want from applicants. Furthermore, many reports andarticles state that there is a diversity problem in computing, but rarely do these works examinehow viable candidates are lost during the hiring process. Before we can identify biases in thesystem, it is necessary to first gather the existing work on the hiring

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Learning and Teaching Experiences

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Susan J. Ely, University of Southern Indiana; Jotam E. Chen, University of Southern Indiana

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

-century skills for workplace success: A contentanalysis of job advertisements.” Educational Researcher, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 80–89, 2002.[2] United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dept. of Labor. “Soft skills: The competitiveedge.” Web. March 2021. www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/publications/fact-sheets/soft-skills-the-competitive-edge.[3] W. Schneiter, “Writing and undergraduate engineers – a continuing problem.” Proceedings ofthe ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, 2003.[4] K. Sura and N. Romond, “An outcome-based assessment of engineering writing proficiencyclasses.”, Proceedings of the Industrial and Systems Engineering Research Conference, 2017.[5] C.Prusty, A.K. Dwivedy, and J. Khuntia, “Why and how do engineers communicate?”, IUPjournal

Conference Session

Engineering Communication II: Curricular Practices, Integrations, and Collaborations

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Mary M. McCall, University of Detroit Mercy; Nassif E. Rayess, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

strongertechnical communication skills. In the early 2000s, engineering professional societies reportedunderdeveloped writing and presentation skills in entry-level job candidates while, at the sametime, stressing the time spent in a typical engineer’s day on communication tasks [1, 2]. At thesame time, ABET adopted new criteria for evaluating and accrediting engineering programs [3].The criteria focused on developing “soft skills” including teamwork, ethics, and effectivecommunication, among others. The importance of soft skills has only grown in the interveningyears. Among ABET’s student outcomes as listed in 2019-2020 is “an ability to apply written,oral, and graphical communication in broadly-defined technical and non-technical environments;and an

Conference Session

First-Year Programs: Unique Projects & Pedagogies

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Jaskirat Sodhi, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Ashish D. Borgaonkar, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Ludvik Alkhoury, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Nicole Bosca

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

) software, making the partswith 3D printers, creating an Arduino code to control the action of their device, and finallywriting a voice interface (given a skeleton code) to actuate the servo motors on the device usingvoice commands. For example, students use voice to turn a fan on or off, change its speed, andenable oscillation.Ours is a unique approach towards not only integrating new emerging technology into theclassroom but also finding new ways to engage students and help them learn new skills. Uponcompletion of this pilot, students are expected to have expanded their technical knowledge aswell as soft skills such as communication, collaboration, and listening skills. They will havelearned how to personalize Voice technology, and the

Collection

2018 Gulf Southwest Section Conference

Authors

Noe Vargas Hernandez; Arturo Fuentes; Stephen Crown

. personal or soft skills). Most of the current efforts from faculty and1. Introduction existing educational programs focus on developing The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Latinos accounted technical skills, where the faculty makes an extraordinaryfor only 6.5% of the STEM workforce in 2011, even effort to help students learn and understand the courses'though they comprised 17% of the population. Hispanics contents. This focus on technical skills is fundamental in anare not only the largest minority group in the U.S., engineering program, but the lack of non-technical skillsfollowed by

Conference Session

Industry and Engineering Technology Partnerships

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joy Colwell, Purdue University Calumet; Shoji Nakayama, Purdue University Calumet; Carl Jenks, Purdue University Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

for, and an ability to engage in lifelong learning, i. an ability to understand professional, ethical and social responsibilities, j. a respect for diversity and a knowledge of contemporary professional, societal and global issues, and k. a commitment to quality, timeliness, and continuous improvement.It is interesting to note that only four of the eleven criteria apply to technical areas. All otherscover “soft skills” (i.e., communication, teamwork, and appreciation for diversity), which are themain focus of the OLS program. And by improving the courses offered by the OLS programwith advisory committee guidance, the OLS courses which are used by the various technologyspecialties also benefit, since many of these OLS

Conference Session

Educating the Whole Engineer - Building Life Skills

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kate Thomes, University of Pittsburgh; Beth Bateman Newborg, University of Pittsburgh; Kate Joranson, University of Pittsburgh; Dan Budny, University of Pittsburgh; Steven Abramowitch, University of Pittsburgh; Carol Washburn, University of Pittsburgh; Carol Baker, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Libraries

that non-engineering faculty and academic departments have brought to the Pitt Experience. We willemphasize the process of designing curriculum with multiple learning outcomes that address abroad range of professional and academic goals, and we will provide examples of assignmentsand tools, developed by instructors and librarians from across curricula, that support research,communication, and critical thinking towards educating the “whole engineer.”"When students leave the university unable to find words to render their experience, they areradically impoverished.”1Introduction: The Collaborative WholeCurrent ABET accreditation requirements emphasize the importance of “soft” skills in planningand achieving excellence in engineering education

Conference Session

ET Leadership, Administration, and Articulation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Saeed Khan, Kansas State University-Salina; John DeLeon, Kansas State University-Salina

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

average A.A.S. or certificate programs, and engineering degrees. It also indicates our graduates will have comprehensive theoretical background, superior technical skills and a layer of soft skills sitting on top (Figure 2). We define a super technologist as a person who not only possesses desirable technical skills, but has also amassed necessary leadership, management and other soft skills (personal and interpersonal). By our definition, the super technologist can be an engineering technologist, an engineer, or even a successful entrepreneur with a high school degree. The super technologist must possess the necessary attributes to thrive in a global economy. It is, however, our belief that the Engineering Technology program is

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arun Ravindran, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Patricia Tolley, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Arindam Mukherjee, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

knowledge of pre-requisite topics, and five questions testing topics covered in the course. Page 14.807.7Four additional items related to “soft skills” were included on the test. Students are asked to ratetheir level of confidence in their ability to: (1) design and implement projects to satisfyperformance expectations; (2) design and implement projects on time; and (3) make professionalpresentations. The last question asked students if their most recent team experience in anothercourse was a positive one. These “soft skill” questions are included on the pre/post tests so thatthe project team could determine if the students needed additional

Conference Session

Liberal Education and Leadership

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Val Hawks, Brigham Young University; John Harb, Brigham Young University; Alan Parkinson, Brigham Young University; Spencer Magleby, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

her technical skills, fired for poor peopleskills, and promoted for leadership and management skills.”7 The contemporary environmentrequires engineers to understand business processes, be able to contribute to cross-functionalteams and have “soft” skills in order to relate to peers, superiors and subordinates both in theoffice and across the globe. One engineering VP was quoted as saying, “We look for people whocan lead a team, someone who can get a small team-four to six people-motivated and a personwho can quickly learn which people are best at doing what. It’s hard enough to find a goodengineer; one who can lead a team and speak well in front of customers is really hard.” 8Engineering graduates themselves have noticed that they are not

Collection

1996 Annual Conference

Authors

M. Nabil Kallas; Dhushy Sathianathan; Renata Engel

: .Teaching Design Skills “Soft Skills”: The shift to a design driven Curriculum requires th~l the instruction & shifted fl”om lecture and practiceto discovery and presentation. In many ways, this shiti is reflected in not only how material is presented bLI[when it is presented. The soft ski[ls we icieally taLlgllt “just in time. ” In this manner they are covered in thecontext of the current activity and can be practiced immediately. For that reason teamwork and ~>]”~iillst[~rl~lillgare introduced when the fh-st design project is assigned. For example, team builciing exercises are employedinitially to have students understand their role and the roles of their teammates. As a subset of that activity,each student is required to formulate

Conference Session

Innovative Project-Based Learning Practices in Manufacturing

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tzu-Liang Bill Tseng, University of Texas - El Paso; Aditya Akundi, University of Texas - El Paso; Teresa Wu, Arizona State University; Yirong Lin, University of Texas - El Paso

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

the Mechanical Engineering curriculum. The potential impact that workingin a team or individually has on a student will be assessed by evaluating the performance of eachstudent with a written report and an in-class quiz regarding the topics of the project.INTRODUCTION The focus of Engineering Education is to provide engineering students with better tools,combining technical and soft skills, to face the evolving challenges in modern industrial settings.However, the core of engineering education relies heavily on a traditional lecture-basedapproach. In this setting, the information is transmitted by the instructor to the students and canresult in the latter selectively learning part of the material while dismissing the rest1. This

Conference Session

Innovative Graduate Programs and Methods, Developing Master's & Ph.D. Programs and Graduate Teaching Assistants

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Saeed D. Foroudastan, Middle Tennessee State University; Karly Anne Danhausen, Middle Tennessee State University; Chelsea Rae Nihill, Middle Tennessee State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

to enter the workforce with excellent soft skills andprofessionalism. It’s no longer enough to be solely technically savvy. Potential employees mustalso possess exceptional communication, leadership, and management skills. The success of theMSPS program is the result of the innovative courses which focus on grooming students to honein on their soft skills along with technical skills. This is what sets MSPS graduate students apartfrom inexperienced students.The MSPS program gives individuals who have a strong scientific background the option tointegrate that knowledge with the business side of the STEM industry. This degree prepares itsstudents for careers in academia, business, government, and nonprofit organizations. Studentswho do not wish

Conference Session

Innovations in Manufacturing Laboratories

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wayne P. Hung, Texas A&M University; Adam Farmer

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

soft-skill to students, c) Provide opportunity for lab instructors to be creative and organized, and d) Significantly enhances team communication and cooperation among team members.II.2. Clicker AssessmentClickers started during 1960s in Hollywood to collect opinions on unreleased movies ortelevision shows before spreading into academic areas 6,7. The latest Clickers with multiple-choice and numerical input options had been popular in many disciplines including psychologyand sociology 8, operation management 9, engineering dynamics 10, physics, astronomy 8,11,astrophysics 8, chemistry 12,13, chemical engineering 8, mathematics 14, engineering mechanics 15,and thermodynamics 16. Published literature showed both qualitative and

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Engineering in the First-Year

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Huihui H Wang, Jacksonville University; Festus Ogbaisi, Jacksonville University; Martins Slaboh, Jacksonville University; Emre Selvi, Jacksonville University; Maria Javaid, Jacksonville University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs, Multidisciplinary Engineering

department, we have more students in ME thanin EE. However, it is imperative for all students to have the basics of EE in order to work on therobotic projects. In this case, we mix students from two programs together in the engineeringorientation course. “What topics should be covered in this course?” is always a question and achallenge for the instructors. After 3-year practices and continuous improvements, we decide tocover not only the basics of ME and EE but also diverse soft skills trainings especially theproject management trainings. Three teaching assistants (two juniors from EE and one juniorfrom ME) are assisting a professor in the lab sections. This paper studies the outcomes of severalactivities such as the ethics debates, self-identities

Collection

2019 ASEE Midwest Section Conference

Authors

Tammy Lutz-Rechtin

Research Safety and Professional Development-A Graduate Course Focused on the Role of Safety in Laboratory Management Tammy M. Lutz-Rechtin Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering University of ArkansasAbstractA graduate student laboratory-safety course has been developed that encompassed the essentialsof safety combined with addressing safety management soft skills. The structure of the courseincorporated lectures, guest speakers, student presentations, site visits, in-class discussions andproblem-solving. The culmination of the course was a final project report that required theincorporation of topics and skills learned into a safety

Conference Session

NSF Grantees' Poster Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mo Ahmadian, Eastern New Mexico University

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

report about the team‘s business planat the end of the semester. Students were provided with the criteria about writing a technicalreport and inclusion of required materials.Another goal of this course was to improve student‘s soft skills. Engineering and sciencecurricula often focus on the technical abilities of students, neglecting the ―soft skills‖ that willoften determine success or failure for graduates when they enter the workforce. As an example,project management skills are often neglected in an engineering or science curriculum, requiringadditional training for those engineers who end up in management positions. Skills such as theability to lead and work effectively as a member of a team are frequently identified as critical tothe

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

Faculty Set the Preliminary Standards for Co-ops

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Emilia Bratschitsch, Joanneum University of Applied Sciences; Annette Casey, Joanneum University of Applied Sciences

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

structure and theworkload are of crucial importance for the students’ success.To survey the students’ workload we decided to define five different subject areas: LSS = Page 15.967.6Language, Soft Skills, Support; E = Engineering; TF = Technical Fundamentals; EML =2 It would be interesting to carry out the same beginners’ survey at the end of their course of studies.Economics, Management, Law; WDP = Workshop and Internship, Project Work, DiplomaThesis. In Figure 5 we show the distribution of students’ workload in percentages over the fulleight semesters of study as determined by the curriculum-based and the additional, project-based

Conference Session

College/University Engineering Students K-12 Outreach

Collection

2005 Annual Conference

Authors

Russell Faux; Meredith Knight; Brian Gravel; Christine Cunningham

/cooperativeexperiences to undergraduate research experiences, project-based coursework, laboratoryexperiences, and field trips.3 Over the last 20 years, a shift in engineering education to include“softer skills” has taken place. These skills include communication, teamwork, leadership,understanding of the diversity of people in engineering, appreciation of the societal impacts ofengineering, and an ability to apply these skills in engineering careers. Thus service learningbecame the vehicle through which many of these softer skills are taught. In fact, theAccreditation Board for Engineering and Technology’s (ABET) criteria for engineeringprograms emphasizes the importance of developing these soft skills. ABET requires,“Engineering programs must demonstrate that

Conference Session

Industrial-Sponsored Design

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Monte Tull; Gerald Crain

an industry setting and which concurrently drive the designand the project schedule. Soft skills are developed through classroom lectures, given by outsideexperts, as well as through required assignments. This format also contributes to emphasizingthe importance of ABET a-k topics6,7 . Introduction to the concepts that documentation anddesign audits are an integral part of the design process is tacit to this course. Performance of the Page 9.11.1 Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering

Collection

2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Jeffrey A. Jalkio

course evaluations it also had theeffect of integrating a number of modeling and controls concepts in the students’ minds.Included in the presentations are feedback from students and plans for futuremodifications to the laboratory experience. Page 5.350.11. BackgroundThe University of St. Thomas mechanical engineering program seeks to combine theadvantages of a liberal arts school with a rigorous introduction to engineering. As part ofthis, we try to show students interconnections between fields and encourage thedevelopment of “soft skills” such as communication and teamwork which are muchprized by employers. Among other tools for accomplishing these

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Marilyn Dyrud

processes, management/technicalstaff confrontations, communication between organizational levels and between organizations,and basic engineering design. This paper explores ethics education for technical students,including need, appropriate subject matter, methodology, and resources.Need Competency in technical matters is, of course, essential for our engineering and technologygraduates. Of increasing importance, however, are the “soft” skills, which include areas such ascommunications, interpersonal relations, and the social sciences. Indeed, some maintain that afirm grounding in these skills is as important in the workplace as technical facility. FormerASEE President Eleanor Baum, for example, has noted, “The area in which industry would

Conference Session

Biomedical Engineering Division (BED) Postcard Session (Best of WIPs)

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nyota Prakash Patel, University of Virginia; Deepika Sahoo, University of Virginia; Shannon Barker, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical Engineering Division (BED)

’ comfort level withengineering competencies and soft skills. 27 participants completed the pre-semester survey,while 12 participants completed the post-semester survey. After the add/drop deadline, a total of20 students were enrolled in the Fall 2023 semester and student data is shown in Appendix C.Data Analysis: A statistical test was conducted with Likert scale responses from the surveyresults. The Likert scale used in this study indicated a student’s comfort level with a certain topicor competency, and each option was assigned a numerical value between 1-5, see AppendixTable 5 for more details. Based on student responses, the average for each Likert scale questionwas calculated, and two-tailed t-tests with 95% confidence interval value were

Conference Session

Engineering Physics and Physics Division (EP2D) Technical Session 2

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rodrigo Cutri, Maua Institute of Techonology; AIRTON EIRAS; Octavio Mattasoglio Neto Neto

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics and Physics Division (EP2D)

Universidade de S˜ao Paulo. Professor of Physics at Mau´a Institute of Technology, since 1994 and President of Teacher’s Academy at the same Institution. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024 Development of Modeling and Communication Skills through a Project- Based Learning Approach in the Physics Laboratory.This evidence-based practice paper aims to analyze the development of physics modelingcompetences and soft skills among second-year students in Engineering courses. The mainobjective is to implement the Project Based Learning (PBL) approach during the ExperimentalPhysics class. The students were divided into teams of four members, and each team wasallowed to choose a scientific paper on