Conference Session

Engineering and Public Policy Pioneering Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jacqueline Isaacs, Northeastern University; Christopher Bosso, Northeastern University; Carol Barry, University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

Nanotechnology sessions, students were asked to reflect on the Week 4 Kay: Regulation 101 or Regulation for Engineers potential societal implications of nanoscale research and manufacturing, including effects on worker safety, environment, and human Week 5 Barry: Manufacturing Polymer Nanocomposites health. In particular, students reflected on whether the touted benefits of nanotech come

Conference Session

Building Blocks for Public Policy in Curricula

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carl Fayerweather, University of Toledo; Sorin Cioc, University of Toledo; Douglas Oliver, University of Toledo

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

bemost significant, represented as columns that reflect the number of students that sharedthat particular response. Here are the statements the students were asked to respond to: 1. Compared to a standard approach, this project demonstrated better that thermodynamics affects contemporary issues. (Average = 4) 2. This projected demonstrated how economic, environmental, and societal concerns must be included in the design process. (Average = 4.4) 3. This project helped me communicate more effectively. (Average = 3.4) 4. This project took too much time. (Average = 2.5) 5. I enjoyed this project more than a standard lecture/homework/quiz approach. (Average = 3.7) 6. I learned a lot of new

Conference Session

Engineering and Public Policy Pioneering Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Green, Mississippi State University; Jerry Emison, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

alone. We explained to the students that, intheir professional careers, they will often run across those who do not share the load equally butthe job must still be done and, if done poorly, reflects on everyone on the team. We consideredthe possibility of using peer reviews of the teams when we assigned grades but so far have optedto give the same grade to each team member. Figure 3 shows that, in spite of the few problems,most of the students thought everyone contributed. Page 11.932.9 Everyone in my group contributed to the case study presentation. 20

Conference Session

Building Blocks for Public Policy in Curricula

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alison Tramba, University of Virginia; Edmund Russell, University of Virginia; P. Paxton Marshall, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

students to demonstrate the resourcefulness and initiativeto define problems and design solutions. As is happening in engineering schools across thecountry, a realization is dawning that students cannot learn to be engineers simply by listening tolectures and working textbook problems. Ninety years after the publication of Democracy andEducation, in which John Dewey laid out a case for the importance of education in preparingyoung people to participate in public life and “alter conditions,” engineering education isbeginning to recognize that experiential learning is the core of true education.27Tramba’s personal experience reflects the potential impact of creatively integrating hands-onexperience into the engineering curriculum. During her summer

Conference Session

Engineering and Public Policy Pioneering Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristen Tull, Lafayette College; Sharon Jones, Lafayette College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

, Medicare existsto help senior citizens with basic health care needs but does not cover prescription drugs, and allhealth care costs continue to rise above inflation in the USA. These are just some of the issuesrelated to the project topic. As your text states, prescription drugs “reflects the larger struggleover health care policy issues.” Prescription drugs represent the benefits that technology providesfor the improvement of health care and our overall quality of life. Even more benefits areexpected as biotechnology matures. At the same time, prescription drugs are expensive and costscontinue to rise as new technology develops. Who should receive the benefits of such technologyand what role should public policy have?PROJECT OBJECTIVES: A

Conference Session

Building Blocks for Public Policy in Curricula

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joel Haight, Pennsylvania State University; Richard Devon, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

develop appropriate corrective measures and describe these measures quantitativelyand qualitatively in detail. The teams will explain how these measures will be implemented andjustify their effectiveness and expected costs. Each team will present findings in class or developa web page to reflect on the findings. This assignment will be carried out in collaboration withthe Engineering Design Course ED&G-100 to help students potentially in future policyinfluencing positions to interact with students who may be in future positions of influencing suchsocietal-based designs and infrastructure as roadways, bridges, mines, communication systems,levees, transportation systems, etc.”Problems that Arose in the Dispatch of the AssignmentUnfortunately

Conference Session

Engineering and Public Policy Pioneering Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglas Sicker, University of Colorado-Boulder; Tom Lookabaugh, University of Colorado-Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

or former ITP students and composed awide variety of technical and non-technical backgrounds. Nearly 80% of these individuals havetechnical backgrounds (meaning undergraduate degrees in engineering, science or mathematics)and 70% have two or more years professional work experience. ITP has a strong internationalstudent body and the survey reflects this with 36% of the respondents being from abroad.Finally, the majority of those surveyed attended the SFTP events in the last 18 months. 5.2. Survey ResultsThe main body of the survey contained a long series of questions employing a seven-point Likertscale to measure students’ attitudes on a broad range of topics concerning the SFTP events. Wenow present some of the more interesting findings.In