Conference Session

ERM Technical Session 15: Perspectives on Engineering Careers and Workplaces

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jacqueline Rohde, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Allison Godwin, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

perceptionsof doing engineering work, regardless of occupational title. We also believe that a sequentialregression model will show that engineering belief measures predict a significant proportion ofvariance in perceptions of having jobs “related to” engineering, over and above SCCT variables.AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank the Purdue University Davidson School of Engineering, whosePipeline Center funded this project. This work was also supported by the NSF (DGE-1333468).Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are thoseof the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.References[1] E. Cech, “The Self-Expressive Edge of Occupational Sex Segregation

Conference Session

T1B: Developing foundations in Science

Collection

2019 FYEE Conference

Authors

Stephany Coffman-Wolph, University of Texas, Austin; Kimberlyn Gray, West Virginia University Inst. of Tech.; Marcia Pool, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Topics

FYEE Conference - Paper Submission

steps over and over, to introduce theconcept of loops. These activities work very well when paired with scratch or Lego Mindstorms,but can be done independently as well.Additional kits are being developed to cover basic engineering concepts that explain some of thedifferences and similarities between engineering disciplines. These activities also focus on thedesign process in engineering as well as provide background on many engineering ideas such ascreep, electrical resistance, and separation of materials.Assessing the KitsTwo levels of assessment will be completed for this project. First, teachers will complete end ofworkshop assessment assignments to determine (1) their understanding of the key concept, (2)their understanding of the kit, (3

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathleen E. Cook, Seattle University; Yen-Lin Han, Seattle University; Teodora Rutar Shuman, Seattle University; Gregory Mason P.E., Seattle University; Jennifer A. Turns, University of Washington

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

attention to howidentities, especially those of the underrepresented, are affected by the changes made. What welearn will lead to a clearer understanding of the changes that promote engineering identities, andhow such identities affect students’ belonging in the program and persistence in the major.AcknowledgementsThis project was funded by the NSF IUSE/PFE: RED grant #1730354.References[1] K. Deaux, “Reconstructing social identity,” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol.19(1), pp. 4-12, 1993.[2] S. Stryker, and P. J. Burke, “The Past, Present, and Future of an Identity Theory,” SocialPsychological Quarterly, vol. 63(4), pp. 284-297, 2000.[3] E. H. Erikson, Identity and the life cycle. New York: International Universities Press, 1959.[4

Conference Session

Pre-College Engineering Education Division Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kimberly Christian, Stony Brook University; Angela M. Kelly, Stony Brook University; Monica Bugallo, Stony Brook University; Keith Sheppard, Stony Brook University

Tagged Divisions

Pre-College Engineering Education

include planning of a project. 52 43 4 0 0 4. I am interested in learning more about engineering and design through in- 30 57 4 9 0 service workshops. 5. I am interested in learning more about engineering and design through 27 26 26 17 4 college courses. 6. I am interested in learning more about engineering and design through peer 30 43 22 4 0 training. 7. I would like to be able to teach my students to understand the design 52 35 9 4 0 process. 8. I would like to be able to teach students to understand the types of problems 57 35 9 0 0 to which engineering and design can be applied. 9. Engineering and design

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lesley Strawderman, Mississippi State University; Rani W. Sullivan, Mississippi State University; Mahnas Jean Mohammadi-Aragh, Mississippi State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

over the fiveyear duration of the project. Eligible applicants are evaluated based on financial need, academictalent, and interest in the field. ASPIRE Fellows receive a $2,500 per semester award for up toeight semesters. The Fellows’ progress is monitored from both an academic standpoint (i.e.,GPA) and a personal development standpoint (i.e., relationship with mentors). The ASPIREprogram success is determined by retention and graduation rates, combined with surveys thatcollect information about ASPIRE students’ external employment and perceptions of theprogram.This paper presents details of the ASPIRE program including descriptions of the recruitment andselection process, mentoring program, networking events, and academic design

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Janie Brennan, Washington University in St. Louis

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

any visual cue for when it has beensaturated with adsorbate. Finally, some demonstrations required pumps or other forms of moreexpensive/complicated lab equipment (for example, [9] - [11]), which would not be ideal for asimple demonstration during a lecture course.For this project, a fixed-bed adsorption demonstration was developed that is not only relativelylarge in size, is also very cheap, safe, and colorful. Furthermore, the demonstration could beeasily expanded to be a short lab activity that could be completed by student teams to examinethe effects of several key variables, such as bed height, contaminant concentration, etc.Construction details for the demonstration are provided in Appendix B. To summarize, thecolumn is constructed of a

Conference Session

College-Industry Partnerships Division Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yuetong Lin, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide ; A. Mehran Shahhosseini, Indiana State University; Christian Janke, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Tagged Divisions

College Industry Partnerships

. Ali Mehran Shahhosseini, Indiana State University A. Mehran Shahhosseini is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Engineering and Tech- nology Management at Indiana State University. He has published over 45 articles in different journals and conference proceedings. He has served as an investigator for research projects sponsored by National Science Foundation, Ford Motor Company, and the US Army. Before working at Indiana State Univer- sity, he was a faculty in the University of Louisville for 10 years. He also has over four years of industrial experience. He received his D.Eng. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lamar University (USA) in 1999, M.Sc. in Materials Engineering from Isfahan

Conference Session

Computers in Education Division Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Edward F. Gehringer, North Carolina State University; Ferry Pramudianto, North Carolina State University ; Abhinav Medhekar, North Carolina State University; Chandrasekar Rajasekar, North Carolina State University; Zhongcan Xiao, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Science Department in NC State Uni- versity. He has more than seven years of experience in European projects, during which he has led three multinational teams, organized technology transfer workshops, and held presentations in international conferences, as well as for the European Commission. His main research area includes Peer Assess- ment, Learning Analytics, Service-Oriented Architecture, Model Driven Development, and the Internet of Things.Mr. Abhinav Medhekar, North Carolina State UniversityMr. Chandrasekar Rajasekar, crajase@ncsu.edu Master of Computer Science Student at North Carolina State University.Zhongcan Xiao, North Carolina State University c American Society for Engineering

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ramanitharan Kandiah P.E., Central State University; Krishna Kumar V. Nedunuri, Central State University; Edison Perdomo, Central State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

and 25 EnvironmentalEngineering Majors in DoWRM. USE4WRM plans to recruit students through scholarships andincrease enrollment by 32% in ENE and 40% in WRM during the grant period. This will directlyincrease the enrollments in ENE and WRM to 33 and 21 at the end of the project period.USE4WRM will also attempt to maintain an even distribution of 7 male and 7 female studentsthrough the grant. This will increase the number of female students to 20 and that of malestudents to 34, and raise the male to female student ratio from 1:2 to 1:1.7. We will also raiseminimum qualifications for a USE4WRM scholar. The minimum GPA requirement will be 3.0and/or the minimum ACT requirement for the freshmen of 22. Table 1 provides a summary ofthe proposed

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Division Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Farrah Fayyaz, Concordia University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

engineering students. In Integrated STEM Education Conference(ISEC), 2016 IEEE, 193-196.Ferri, B. H., Ahmed, S., Michaels, J. E., Dean, E., Garyet, C., & Shearman, S. (2009). Signal processingexperiments with the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT kit for use in signals and systems courses. InAmerican Control Conference (pp. 3787-3792). Piscataway, NJ: IEEE. doi:10.1109/ACC.2009.5160602.Han, B., Zhang, C., & Qin, X. (2011). Based on Matlab signals and systems course project-driventeaching method research. In IEEE 3rd International Conference on Communication Software andNetworks (pp. 466-469). Piscataway, NJ: IEEE. doi:10.1109/ICCSN.2011.6013873.Huettel, L. G. (2006). A DSP hardware-based laboratory for signals and systems. In Proceedings, 4thDigital Signal

Conference Session

Biomedical Division Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael R. Caplan, Arizona State University; Joshua Adams, Arizona State University ; Michelene T.H. Chi, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical Engineering

Paper ID #23030Work in Progress: Dialogue Videos Foster Interaction Between HomeworkPartnersDr. Michael R. Caplan, Arizona State University Michael Caplan earned his undergraduate degrees from The University of Texas at Austin and his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Following post-doctoral research at Duke University Medical Center in Cell Biology, Michael joined the faculty of Arizona State University in 2003, and he is now an Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Caplan’s research focuses on molecular cooperativity in drug targeting, bio-sensing, and cell sig- naling. Current projects

Conference Session

Computers in Education Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lulu Sun, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ., Daytona Beach; Yan Tang, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ., Daytona Beach

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

engineering drawing, improve their threedimensional (3D) visualization skills, and to teach the fundamentals of a computer aided design.The students meet with the instructor twice a week in the laboratory during this three-credit-hoursemester-long course with each class lasting two hours long. Each class is scheduled to deliverthe lecture first after which the students are allowed to complete their assigned homework andask questions as needed. The students learn the principles of orthographic projections and applythe principles to multiple view drawings by hand during the first four weeks of a fourteen-weeksemester. A 3D computer aided parametric modeling tool, CATIA, is then introduced after handdrawing, followed by auxiliary and section views

Conference Session

Computers in Education Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Virgilio Ernesto Gonzalez, University of Texas, El Paso; Oscar Antonio Perez, University of Texas, El Paso

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

the schoolprovides the environment with a desirable behavior for the system. We call the academic controlobjective the "Operator."This paper focuses on the agent system by building a simple dashboard tool that will collect students'information about their progress through the curriculum in a program and will generate advisingrecommendations. The agent logic employs principles used in project management tools designed tohelp the students complete their degree plan sooner. For example, it would provide a visualizationmap of course sequences, customized for each student, making advising adjustments that willoptimize the time to obtain the degree under a constrained set of resources. At the same time, theagent system provides feedback to the

Conference Session

Technical Session IV

Collection

2018 FYEE Conference

Authors

Christopher McComb, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Catherine G.P. Berdanier, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Jessica Dolores Menold, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Tagged Topics

Diversity, FYEE Conference Sessions

; Besterfield-Sacre [14] employed model-eliciting activities as assessments ofundergraduate engineering students’ problem-solving capabilities. Despite these studies, it isstill difficult for educators to implement authentic summative assessments for first-year studentsin design classrooms. Thus, many educators employ more authentic tasks for formativeassessments and projects, but not for summative assessment.While assessing students’ engineering design process, first year engineering students are alsodeveloping the affective and regulatory competencies required for engineering success, such asself-efficacy in design, in math, and in engineering overall. Self-efficacy is skill-specificconfidence in one’s ability to succeed in spite of difficulty [15

Collection

2018 Mid Atlantic Section Fall Meeting

Authors

Yasser R Salem, Graduate student; Paul Cotae, University of the District of Columbia

undergrad in electrical engineering from Yanbu Industrial College.He worked in Saudi Aramco as instrumentation and communications engineer at King AbdullahUniversity of Science and Technology (KAUST) in water plan project. He worked asinstrumentation and control engineering at Marafiq Company in Technical service Department.Today, he is continuing his master degree in electrical Engineering at University of the Districtof Columbia in communication track. His interesting in cybersecurity.Auther2 Dr. Paul CotaeDr. Paul Cotae, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering is the Director of the PhDProgram at SEAS and Director of the SEAS Research Center. His research is in DigitalCommunication, Information theory, Statistics and Applied Mathematics

Collection

2018 Mid Atlantic Section Fall Meeting

Authors

sunil Dehipawala, Queensborough Community College; Tak Cheung; Vazgen Shekoyan

Tagged Topics

Diversity

project examined the effect of using working memory utilization improvementstrategies in terms of a clear demarcation of episodic memory in free body diagram constructionand semantic memory in equation building in engineering and technology introductory physicsclasses. Within a technology class, the ESL students having familiarly in translation weredeemed to be a separate group as indicated by the regression Cook’s distance in the assessmentdata. The same assessment task for the calculus physics students majoring in engineeringshowed only one group/population even though the class had twice as many bi-literate students.Whether bi-literacy could predict physics learning is another interesting hypothesis, especiallywhen languages would include

Collection

2018 Mid Atlantic Section Fall Meeting

Authors

Alexander John De Rosa, Stevens Institute of Technology (School of Engineering and Science); Maxine Fontaine, Stevens Institute of Technology (School of Engineering and Science)

Tagged Topics

Diversity

. Sorby and A. F. Wysocki, Introduction to 3D Spatial Visualization: An Active Approach. New York, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning, 2003.9. “Spatial Visualization Skills (SVS): Learn More,” ENGAGE Engineering. [Online]. Available: https://www.engageengineering.org/spatial/whyitworks/learnmore. [Accessed: Aug. 27, 2017].10. J. Segil, B. Myers, J. Sullivan, and D. Reamon, “Efficacy of various spatial visualization implementation approaches in a first-year engineering projects course,” in 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington, USA, 2015.11. R. B. Guay, Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations. West Lafayette, In: Purdue Research Foundation, 1976.Maxine Fontaine Ph.D.Maxine Fontaine is a Teaching Assistant

Collection

2019 CIEC

Authors

Auta Hernandez; Guadalupe Mendez; John Lindsey; Joshua Rivers; Bailey Walker; Jason Church; Mary Striegel; Jafar Al-Sharab

Session CIEC 421Experimental designThe exterior wood for this project was provided by Mr. Jason Church from the National Centerfor Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT). This wood is 78 years old and it was madeof cedar and had an application of at least two to three layers of previous stain and paint on itssurface. Samples were cut using a table saw in rectangles approximating 7.5x14.1 centimeter.Four samples were needed for each brand’s five application methods: a, b, c, and d. Sample ‘a’was used at the control for each set, not placed into the QUV. Scraping and sanding wasperformed to remove the previous paint layers. After this process, sample labels were solderedinto the back of each sample in order to be able to differentiate them

Collection

2019 CIEC

Authors

Mohammad Uddin; Keith Johnson

believed that the success of a university is based on the successof its graduates. Given the projective shortage and demand for future engineers in the UnitedStates, it is vital that the retention rate and interest in pursuing Engineering disciplines isincreased. With that said, academic advising can make a huge difference in the lives and Proceedings of the 2019 Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration Copyright ©2019 American Society for Engineering Education Session ETD 355persistence to graduation for engineering students. Academic advisors can intervene withstudents who are considering dropping out and

Collection

2019 CIEC

Authors

Te-Shun Chou

, Effective Strategies. Editorial Projects in Education Inc. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/media/eperc_qualityteaching_12.11.pdf14. Froyd, J. and Simpson, N. 2008. Student-centered learning addressing faculty questions about student centered learning. Course, Curriculum, Labor, and Improvement Conference, Washington DC,BiographyTE-SHUN CHOU is an Associate Professor in the Department of Technology Systems at East Carolina University.He received his Bachelor degree in Electronics Engineering at Feng Chia University and both Master’s degree andDoctoral degree in Electrical Engineering at Florida International University. He serves as the program coordinatorof the Master program in Network Technology for the Department of Technology

Collection

2019 CIEC

Authors

William Shapiro

manufacturing, Accenture .Biographical InformationWilliam Shapiro has worked in manufacturing for over 30 years. He has held several positions including DesignEngineer, Field Service, Maintenance Technician / Supervisor, Engineering Manager, Manufacturing TechnicalDevelopment Engineer, and Project Manager, some of which while pursuing a degree at night. He has worked forsmall privately held companies and large corporations whose facilities performed operations ranging frommachining and heat treating, the design and build of custom automation machinery, and a 7 days per week, 3 shiftsper day automotive foundry. He has overseen the installation of several million dollars’ worth of equipment. Hewas involved in the one of the most automated sand core

Collection

2018 Gulf Southwest Section Conference

Authors

Pranav A. Bhounsule; Ahmad Taha; Sebastian Nugruho

). Robotics camps, clubs, and competitions: Results5.   Check infrastructure/tools well in advance: It goes from a US robotics project. Robotics and Autonomous without saying that all computers and kits need to be Systems, 75, 686-691. checked in advance. Also, be ready with a few spares [9] Whitman, L. E., & Witherspoon, T. L. (2003). Using for emergencies (e.g., broken sensor, brick). LEGOs to interest high school students and improve K12 stem education. change, 87, 76.   Proceedings of the 2018 ASEE Gulf

Collection

2018 Gulf Southwest Section Conference

Authors

Noe Vargas Hernandez; Arturo Fuentes; Stephen Crown

] U.S. Census Bureau (2017), (2012), An Experimental Investigation of the https://www.census.gov/ Innovation Capabilities of Undergraduate [2] Wikipedia (2017), https://www.wikipedia.org/ Engineering Students. Journal of Engineering [3] Duderstadt, J.J. (2008), Engineering for a Education, 101: 60–81. doi:10.1002/j.2168- Changing World: A Roadmap to the Future of 9830.2012.tb00041.x Engineering Practice, Research, and Education, [13] Sullivan, J. F., Carlson, L. E. and Carlson, D. W. The Millennium Project, The University of (2001), Developing

Collection

2018 Gulf Southwest Section Conference

Authors

Hector A. Ochoa; Mukul V. Shirvaikar

Miled, Z., “Attached Learning Model for First Digitaltopic of current interest to a number of new and experienced System Design Course in ECE Program,” ASEE Annualfaculty in electrical and computer engineering. This paper Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana (Juneprovides valuable information for faculty members and 2016).committees investigating such a course of action. A survey of [11] Yilmazer, N., Yilmaz, M., and Seker, R., “A Project-commonly used pedagogy, curriculum placement and pre- Based Hands-On Digital Logic Course,” ASEE Annualrequisites is presented. The document also analyzes the Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC (June

Collection

2018 Gulf Southwest Section Conference

Authors

Michael R. Gardner; Nina K. Telang

. Using Second Language Acquisition Techniques Tables 1-4 contains the complete results of the statistical to Teach Programming - Results from a Two-Yearanalysis. Project,” in ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, 2017. [2] J. Harmer, “The practice of English language6. Discussion teaching,” London/New York, 1991.The work in using SLA approaches published by Frederick et [3] N. F. Davies, “Receptive Versus Productive Skillsal. reports

Conference Session

Track: Learning Spaces, Pedagogy, and Curriculum - Technical Session 11

Collection

2019 CoNECD - The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity

Authors

Maxine Fontaine, Stevens Institute of Technology (School of Engineering and Science); Alexander John De Rosa, Stevens Institute of Technology (School of Engineering and Science); Susan Staffin Metz, Stevens Institute of Technology (School of Engineering and Science)

Tagged Topics

Diversity, Learning Spaces, Pedagogy & Curriculum Design

implementation approaches in a first-year engineering projects course,” in 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington, USA, 2015.12. R. B. Guay, Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue Research Foundation, 1976.

Conference Session

Climate Issues for Women Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yong Zeng, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign; John R. Duncan, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

International Technology Education Association, American Society of Engineering Education, and WEPAN.John R. Duncan, Clemson University John Duncan is currently a faculty member in Clemson University. He holds a doctoral degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Human Resource Education and has completed as Masters in Education (2001) and an MBA (1991). John has complete a broad base of statistical coursework ranging from basics to Item Response Theory and applied those skills in quantitative and qualitative research projects resulting in numerous publications and presentations at national and international conferences. The previous research includes the use of virtual

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K-12 Teachers – II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Tufenkjian, California State University-Los Angeles; Ethan Lipton, California State University-Los Angeles

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

enhancethe STEM pipeline by increasing student awareness of engineering and the work done byengineers, developing a sense of appreciation for the contribution made by engineers, andinspiring them to pursue STEM careers.The impetus for this specific project stems from the creation of the National Center forEngineering and Technology Education (NCETE), which is one of the National ScienceFoundation’s Centers for Teaching and Learning. One of the primary goals of the NCETE is toinfuse engineering design, content, problem solving and analytical skills into K-12 STEMeducation in order to increase the quality, quantity, and diversity of engineering and technologyeducators. In turn, this will enhance students’ understanding of engineering and the

Conference Session

Academic Boot Camp

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eric Brittain, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Reginald Bryant, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Lincoln Chandler, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Robbin Chapman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Shaundra Daily, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Mark Hampton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ishara Mills-Henry; Aisha Walcott, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

better serve all graduate students.Bibliography1. Chicago, T. N. O. R. C. a. t. U. o. Retrieved from http://www.norc.org/ On November 15, 2006.2. Hermond, D. (1995) Measuring the Retention Strategies of a Minority Engineering Program: A Service QualityPerspective. Journal of Engineering Education3. McAfee, L.C., Ferguson, D.L. (2006) Status and Experiences of Minority Graduate Students, PostdoctoralFellows, and Faculty in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Disciplines." American Society forEngineering Education Annual Conference in Chicago, IL (June 19, 2006, ASEE Paper 2006-2177).4. National Center for Education Statistics. Projections of Education Statistics to 2015 (NCES 2006–084). U.S.Department of Education. Washington, DC

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Kean, California Polytechnic State University; Glen Thorncroft, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo are presented.Methodology and ResultsWhen doing any such “data-mining” project, it is important to have prepared appropriatequestions in advance. If you simply look at large datasets looking for any possible correlations, itis possible to find “statistically significant” results that are due simply to random fluctuations.Instead, it is better to approach the database with specific questions in mind. The keys fordeveloping appropriate questions are found in the fundamental concepts of Levitt and Dubner.Specifically, we would like to draw your attention to the second concept: that conventionalwisdom is often wrong. This far reaching concept has proven a most useful tool for developingquestions to be