Collection

2016 ERC

Authors

Belinda Hurley

Sponsoring Organization Grant Number Publisher etc. US Agency Funded Peer Reviewed Publications available for Public Access 78 All the plans have a 12-month “embargo” period (aka “administrative interval”). 5. Authors whose work was performed under a grant from a government funding agency are free to fulfill any deposit

Conference Session

Pre-College: Fundamental Research in Engineering Education (2)

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura Bottomley, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Pre-College Engineering Education Division

to be used with the very audience for which they are intended.Many projects that are funded by NSF result in the production of lessons and activities. Anexamination of the literature shows that existing rubrics are designed to assess lesson planquality, perhaps as a way to assess the effectiveness of professional development. Another set ofrubrics can be found for lesson plans generated as a part of a preservice teacher program, whichare designed to generate a grade. This paper looks at lesson plans differently, without an attemptto assess quality. Because so many constituencies are creating lessons around engineering, andthose constituencies come from so many different academic backgrounds, the question of howthey get their approach to

Conference Session

Engineering Management: Project Management and Partnerships

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Angolia, East Carolina University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

Paper ID #15595An Active Learning Approach to Core Project Management CompetenciesDr. Mark Angolia, East Carolina University Mark Angolia, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Industrial Distribution and Logistics degree program in the College of Engineering and Technology at East Carolina University (ECU). Prior to entering academia in 2005, he held industrial positions in engineering, manufacturing, quality, materials, and operations management for manufacturing companies within the automotive sup- ply chain. Dr. Angolia’s teaching focuses on Enterprise Resource Planning with SAP software

Conference Session

Revitalization of Manufacturing Education

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Niaz Latif, Purdue University, Calumet; Steven Wendel, Sinclair Community College; Mohammad A. Zahraee, Purdue University, Calumet; Aco Sikoski, Ivy Tech Community College; Ronald J. Bennett F.ASEE, F.ABET P.E., University of St. Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

demonstrates that change is difficult, and is best accomplished when teams ofindividuals from various aspects of the organization are engaged and take ownership.viii Leadership begins with understanding of one’s self.ix The program includes self-assessment of each participant to assist them in discovering their strengths, their learning styleand other factors that help them develop the leader within, and to help them identify and recruitother collaborators, team members, mentors and supporters needed to help them accomplish theirgoals.Program Structure The LCBP is structured to provide adequate time and guidance for participants tocomplete the two major assignments: 1) create a personal leadership development plan and 2)create a program

Conference Session

Research to Practice: STRAND 1 – Addressing the NGSS: Supporting K-12 Teachers in Engineering Pedagogy and Engineering Science Connections (Part 1)

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Linda S. Hirsch, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Howard S. Kimmel, New Jersey Institute of Technology; John D. Carpinelli, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards. Although reports onthe results of most RET programs appear to be positive in terms of teacher satisfaction, gainingresearch skills and improved content knowledge about engineering, few programs have reportedon the use of any systematic process to guide teachers in the development of their instructionalmodules or lesson plans, and most programs appear to lack follow-up and\or reports ofclassroom implementation from the lessons.Our University has completed one three-year RET program in the area of pharmaceuticalengineering and has begun a second. Each participating teacher has been able to enrich his or herown knowledge-base as a STEM education professional as an active member of a research

Collection

2019 ETLI

Authors

Alok K Verma; Adam Shapiro

marketing consultant has helped draft a white paper which was submitted to NSF in July.• We plan to submit a full proposal to the NSF-IUSE program by December 2019 Verma- ODU –ETLI- 2019 ET Marketing Group1. Old Dominion University – Alok Verma (Lead Institution)2. IUPUI – Robert Weissbach & Pat Fox3. Youngstown State Univ – Carol Lamb4. Rochester Inst. of Tech – Marty Gordon & Mike Eastman5. Pittsburg State University – James Otter6. Northwestern State University of Louisiana – Jafar Alsharab7. Community College System of New Hampshire – Liaquat Khan8. University of Houston – Vassilios Tzouanas9. North Carolina A&T – Aixi Zhou10. California State

Conference Session

Innovation in Construction Engineering Education I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tulio Sulbaran, University of Southern Mississippi; David Marchman, University of Southern Mississippi

Tagged Divisions

Construction

description of the responsibilities of the agencies involved in collecting datain construction zones with increased law enforcements.Mississippi Department of TransportationThe Mississippi Department of Transportation is responsible for providing a safe intermodaltransportation network that is planned, designed, constructed and maintained in an effective, costefficient, and environmentally sensitive manner. In order to provide the framework foraccomplishing the Mississippi Department of Transportation's (MDOT) mission, a set of sevengoals has been developed. These goals are multimodal, comprehensive in scope andinterdependent. Table 1 shows the goals of Mississippi. [MDOT, 2006] Table 1. Mississippi Department of Transportation

Conference Session

Foundations for Pedagogical Success

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Lucchesi, Michigan Technological University; Jennifer Sams, Michigan Technological University; Lauren Movlai, Michigan Technological University; Erin S Matas, Michigan Technological University; Nora Allred, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Libraries

individual librarians as well as the effectiveness of our education program as awhole. Information gathered from these assessment processes will be used in a variety of ways,including individual goal-setting for the following academic year, changing lesson plans to moreclosely align with students’ needs and abilities, and generating specific and concreterecommendations for improving teaching and pedagogy for each instruction librarian. This paperreports on the process of developing each of these data collection methods, the information thathas been gathered, and how that information has been applied to the improvement of our libraryinstruction program.Background/RationaleThe library education team at Michigan Technological University, a mid-sized

Conference Session

Software Engineering Topics

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Sebern, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Mark Hornick, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Software Engineering Constituent Committee

www.msoe.edu/se/AbstractData management tools are necessary for effective support of disciplined software processes thatmake use of historical data for planning and process improvement. This paper reports describestwo such tools and how they have been applied in an undergraduate software engineeringprogram and to support software process improvement initiatives in industry. One of the tools, anopen-source development project, has recently added new capabilities that may make it anattractive choice for both educators and practitioners.IntroductionSoftware engineering programs generally incorporate courses and other learning experiences thatare designed to provide breadth and depth of coverage across the discipline, addressing bothpractice and process

Conference Session

Assessing Entrepreneurship Programs

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Denny Davis, Washington State University; Jerman Rose, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

the jointly-taught entrepreneurial engineering capstone course have been encouraging.Students have demonstrated impressive growth in professional skills and have producedsolutions that have significant business potential. Project sponsors, industry advisors, andbusiness plan judges note admirable achievements of student teams. This course model is offeredto stimulate transformation of capstone design courses to outcomes-driven student learningexperiences that can better prepare graduates for global challenges of the future.IntroductionNational leaders are sounding the alarm: The United States is losing its competitive edge in theglobal marketplace1. Some perceive that the nation is not preparing adequate numbers of peoplein technological

Conference Session

Successful Outcomes of Student Entrepreneurship

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy Faley, University f Michigan; Peter Adriaens, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

-level entrepreneurial curriculum between engineering and business isto enhance the blended strengths of the two parties, not turn each into the other. Building thebridge between the two disciplines is the goal, not creating an engineering school within thebusiness school or vice versa.At the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of _______, we believe itis valuable to think of the continuum of new venture formation and growth as a series ofdevelopment phases. • Phase I: Discovery – identifying opportunities and shaping them into business concepts; • Phase II: Feasibility analysis and assessment; • Phase III: Creating an actionable business plan; • Phase IV: Launching the business; • Phase V

Conference Session

Assessment & TC2K Methods

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Crossman, Old Dominion University; Alok Verma, Old Dominion University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) but it isalso a necessary condition for the maturation and development of any engineeringtechnology program. The assessment and continuous improvement plan discussed here was developedat Old Dominion University (ODU) and implemented during the last accreditation cyclewithin the Engineering Technology Department. The plan is based on two cycles ofassessment and evaluation, a short cycle of one year and a long term cycle of three years.The plan includes a variety of assessment methods and tools. In addition to assessing theachievement of program outcomes, the plan allows assessment of program objectives andgoals. A method for individual course assessment is also presented. Issues related

Conference Session

College Industry Partnerships Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ali Ahmad, Louisiana Community and Technical College System-MEPOL; Willie Eugene Smith Sr., Louisiana Community and Technical College System

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

College Industry Partnerships

completing an online questionnaire • Review documentation (e.g., website, facility layout, organizational structure, etc.) • A facilitated on-site discussion • A facility walk-through • A detailed report that includes observations and recommendations Figure 1. CR Assessment ProcessDuring the on-site facilitated session, the following topic areas are discussed (abridged): • History o General information o Reasons for being successful o Strategic plan • Marketing/Sales o Recent sales numbers o Weaknesses, threats, and opportunities o Strategic marketing plan • Customers o Primary customers/profiles o International business

Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Juan Velasquez, Purdue University; Matthew Verleger, Purdue University

Page 12.1500.2committing 1-2 instructors each for conducting the program. The program was offered for thefirst time in the Fall of 2004 and has been offered every semester since.The program exposes graduate students to the process of developing pedagogical andtechnologically sound content for a student’s chosen topic. Once the topic is approved by theinstructors, students work individually on developing a one-hour lesson plan that utilizes theinstructional design process by defining the goals and objectives of the lesson, the planning anddevelopment of the lesson itself, and the assessment methods that will be used to measurestudent performance. Figure 1 depicts the step-by-step components of the lesson planningprocess that a student must

Conference Session

New Methods and Tools

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Duncan Moore, University of Rochester

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

ofEngineering.The core of the TEAM program consists of three entrepreneurially focused business coursesdeveloped and offered by the Simon Graduate School of Business, three graduate levelengineering courses offered by the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, andeither an additional technical or entrepreneurship elective. A required practicum accompanied bya written business plan and oral presentation ensures students have practical experience, whilegraduate level technical courses of the student's choosing serve to extend the student’s scienceand engineering background.Technical Entrepreneurship and Management students have the unique option to choose anexisting patented technology from the University’s Offices of Technology Transfer (OTT

Conference Session

Trends in Construction Engineering II

Collection

2005 Annual Conference

Authors

Philip Dunn

developed that utilized major componentsneeded in modern construction practice. Student teams were assigned to develop capstoneprojects based on actual plans and specifications that were either actively being bid orconstructed in the public sector. Plans represented various project types and included amunicipal wastewater treatment plant, an interstate bridge, and a highway embankmentStudents formed groups who took the identity of various active contractors. The capstoneconsisted of these individual teams choosing a set of plans and specifications from the varied setof available plans and preparing for four project phases: a business plan, project bid,construction schedule, and after construction litigation. Because of the size of these projects

Conference Session

Innovative IE Curricula and Courses

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Charlie Edmonson; Donna Summers

. The courseis normally taken in either the Sophomore or Junior year and students are expected to usethese Project Management skills to manage projects in subsequent courses.Project Management Skills TaughtThe skills taught in the project management course are described by the course outcomeswhich state that upon successful completion of the course students should know thespecific characteristics, techniques, and insights that are necessary to be an effectiveproject manager: • Know how to write a project proposal. • Know how to prepare a project plan. • Know how to prepare a project schedule • Know how to establish a project budget

Conference Session

Course/Program Assessment

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

David Cottrell

basedassessment processes that will lead to an atmosphere of continuous improvement andquality education. This paper documents the deliberate planning and the subsequentexecution of a comprehensive plan designed to successfully link established programoutcomes, classroom instruction, assessment and evaluation processes, and processimprovement initiatives. Building on course assessment as a foundational linchpin, themethodology effectively integrates input from alumni, employers, industry advisorypanels, faculty, and students. Iterative techniques incorporate multiple reviews during theeducation process and subsequently provide timely opportunities for implementingeducation initiatives and creating a positive, conducive environment to

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Lorcan Folan; Gunter Georgi

: Word/Excel/PowerPoint AutoCAD/MS Project Hardware Tests Hardware Analysis/ Reverse Engineering Boom Construction Competition LabView 1 LabView 2 / Sensors and Robot Programming Thermal Insulation Competition Microphone Filters Communication Page 6.661.2 Digital LogicIV. Semester Design ProjectsStudents of EG1004 must complete a semester-long design project. This is a 12-weekteam project done by groups of two or three students. It requires selection of one of the(currently) two projects, presentation of a preliminary design, planning the projectschedule, making periodic progress reports

Conference Session

Experiential Learning Programs and the Transition to Industry

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Hoe, University of Texas, Tyler; Mukul Shirvaikar, University of Texas, Tyler

Tagged Divisions

College Industry Partnerships

year plan to integrate practicallaboratories in semiconductor testing at all levels of the BSEE curriculum. Past approaches havetraditionally implemented a single technical elective in the senior year. The proposed approach isunique in this regard as the conjecture is that introducing laboratories in semiconductor testacross the curriculum is more effective. An outline of this plan and its rationale along withexpected program outcomes are described in this paper. The experience in the first year of thisplan, including design of the interface electronics, implementation of the first two laboratoryprojects, and interactions with applications engineers, are also discussed.IntroductionAs an increasing number of transistors continue to be

Conference Session

Capstone Courses in Construction

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jose L. Fernandez-Solis, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Construction

separate ranking isdone for the oral presentations. Grades are influenced by team rankings asdetermined by outside jurors. Students peer evaluate each other for performanceaccording to posted rubrics; student project grades are affected by the peerevaluation. This approach has been very successful in the past four years and thecurrent class of 23 attracted 1 landscape urban planning, 6 civil, 7 architecture,and 9 building construction students, resulting in a truly interdisciplinary classand team composition.The goal of this paper is to showcase the framework, structure, and logic forintegrating the two courses and compares the results in terms of grades andquality of the responses from the faculty and the jurors. All classes were asked tokeep

Conference Session

Examining Problem-based Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Diana Bairaktarova, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Demetra Evangelou, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Aikaterini Bagiati, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Jennifer Dobbs-Oates, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

artifacts according to the teachers?Phone: is available in dramatic play for the children to pretend to make and receive calls.Children usually talk to each other in dramatic play; they act as though they are calling someone.Some children repeat conversations from home. Children also act out fire safety behaviors, Page 25.1338.4pretending to call 911. Phones resembling both cell phones and land-line phones are used.Balance: Children place counters on the balance. Children may fill the bins of the balance or justpush them up and down. They fill both sides of the balance with objects and transfer them backand forth. In planned activities children use

Conference Session

NSF Grantees’ Poster Session

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marilyn Barger, FLATE (Florida Advanced Technological Education Center of Excellence); Marie A. Boyette, FLATE; Nina C. Stokes, Florida Advanced Technological Education Center

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

into STEM courses andcareers. A pilot program in its home county began in June 2013 with an intensive all-dayworkshop at Hillsborough Community College’s Brandon Campus for local and regionaleducators. Attendees were invited to submit implementation plans for a program in their schoolusing the strategies learned at the workshop and an implementation plan template provided byFLATE. This poster and paper will cover the details of the workshop content and activities andthe projects which schools and teachers have begun in order to boost their female enrollments invarious STEM programs. FLATE is particularly focused on supporting the manufacturingworkforce, and schools working in related disciplines will be highlighted.Collaborate, Encourage, Lead

Conference Session

SPECIAL SESSION: Describing the Engineering Student Learning Experience Based on CAEE Findings: Part 2

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristyn Jackson, Stanford University; Tori Bailey, Stanford University; Sheri Sheppard, Stanford University; Helen Chen, Stanford University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

the concept of dual degreeprograms is consistent with recommendations contained in recent reports regarding therelationship between undergraduate and graduate education (advocating that we move towardsthe master’s degree being the professional engineering degree7,8).With more schools adding dual degree programs, we believe that schools need a greaterunderstanding of how students decide to pursue a dual degree or other graduate degree. Theinformation about this decision process should enable programs to better support their students’in this phase of their education and career planning. It will also give schools insights into how tostructure effective dual-degree programs to support the students considering graduate workthrough a dual degree

Conference Session

NSF Grantees’ Poster Session

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Reza Curtmola, New Jersey Institute of Technology; John D. Carpinelli, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Linda S. Hirsch, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Howard S. Kimmel, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Levelle Burr-Alexander, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

Anatomy, Biology, Environmental Science, and even Spanish. Participantsreceived 20 hours of professional development credit.The program was structured into two workshop sessions. The first session, during the summer of2012, consisted of three days of hands-on instruction. It focused on several instructional topics,including (a) Overview of Cloud Services, (b) Storing and Sharing Data in the Cloud, (c) Cloudsin Education and Collaboration in and out of the Classroom, (d) Cloud-based Tools for Real-timeCollaboration, (e) Course Management using Piazza, (f) Standards-based Lesson Planning andPost-workshop Assignment, (g) Creating a Lesson Plan, and (h) Using Public Data SetsAvailable in Amazon’s Cloud. At the end of the three-day workshop

Conference Session

Minorities in Engineering Division Technical Session 4

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Sonia M. Bartolomei-Suarez, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus; Carla Lopez Del Puerto, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus; Pedro O. Quintero, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus; Luisa Guillemard, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus; Aidsa I. Santiago-Roman, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus; Manuel Rodriguez-Martinez, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez; Manuel A. Jimenez, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez; Nayda G. Santiago, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus; Nelson Cardona-Martinez, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus; Oscar Marcelo Suarez, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

Paper ID #34427Work in Progress: Building Career Goals and Boosting Self-efficacy inEngineering StudentsDr. Sonia M. Bartolomei-Suarez, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus Sonia M. Bartolomei-Suarez is a Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico Mayag¨uez (UPRM). She graduated with a BS in Industrial Engineering from UPRM (1983), a MSIE (1985) from Purdue University, and a PhD in Industrial Engineering (1996) from The Pennsylvania State University. Her teaching and research interests include: Discrete Event Simulation, Facilities Planning, Material Handling Systems, Women in Academia in

Conference Session

College-Industry Partnerships Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brandon M. Fulk P.E., Purdue University-Main Campus, West Lafayette (College of Engineering); Seyedali Ghahari, Purdue University-Main Campus, West Lafayette (College of Engineering); Kyubyung Kang, Purdue University, West Lafayette (Construction Engineering and Management); Makarand Hastak P.E., Purdue University-Main Campus, West Lafayette (College of Engineering)

Tagged Divisions

College Industry Partnerships

Construction Engineering and Management (2007- Present) as well as Professor of Civil Engineering at Purdue University. He has been involved with the construction industry for over 30 years where he has conducted research, taught, and assisted industry in the area of construction engineering and management including disaster risk reduction, infrastructure management, cost control, project management decision-making, risk management, and strategic plan- ning. As a Fellow of the American Council on Education (cohort of 2013-14), he spent one year working closely with the senior leadership at Cornell University to understand the various facets of Hybrid RCM budget, engaged institution, and Public-Private Partnership in

Conference Session

Professional Development for Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sylvia W. Thomas, University of South Florida; Scott W. Campbell, University of South Florida; Manopriya Devisetty Subramanyam, University of South Florida; Cheryl R. Ellerbrock, University of South Florida

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Pre-College Engineering Education

, mathematically, and technologically literate populace” is the effective integration oftechnology and engineering in K-12 curricula. Key to this process is current teachers, and evenmore critical, future teachers (pre-service). This work is particularly interested in the engineeringtraining of pre-service teachers during their engagement with middle school students, theirunderstanding of their role in strengthening the engineering pipeline, and their development ofSTEM lesson plans. Engineering faculty instruct pre-service teachers to explore STEM issues ina capstone course entitled “Contemporary STEM Issues”. Successes and challenges of the courseare presented relative to 1) pre-service teachers’ preparation (through a capstone course) toeffectively

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Reeping, University of Cincinnati; Kenneth Reid, University of Indianapolis; Matthew W. Ohland, Purdue University, West Lafayette; NAHAL RASHEDI, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Topics

Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

paper discusses the developments during Year 2 of a project concerned with analyzing thecurricula of engineering programs in the United States to understand the structural barriersembedded in degree requirements that could push out diverse groups of students. We are usingan emerging method for quantifying the complexity of these programs called CurricularAnalytics. This method involves treating the prerequisite relationships between courses as anetwork and applying graph theoretic measures to calculate a curriculum’s complexity. In Year 1,we collected 494 plans of study representing five engineering disciplines (i.e., Mechanical, Civil,Electrical, Chemical, and Industrial) across 13 institutions - spanning a decade. To ensure thedataset is as

Conference Session

NSF Grantees’ Poster Session

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tolga Kaya, Central Michigan University

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

schedule, participantsworked on faculty supervised research projects for half their time, and the rest was reserved forclassroom unit plans that participants would work on developing. Different from the first year,participants were assigned management roles during the summer. Also, each participant preparednew lesson plans and classroom activities that align with the Next Generation Science Standards(NGSS). The academic year class activities from first year were debriefed and learned lessonswere generated. In this paper, we will give the details about the RET Site’s management anddiscuss our experiences from our second year with the improvements and their effects. We hopethat our shared experiences (struggles, accomplishments, mistakes, etc.) will