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Session 1238

Distance Collaborations With Industry A. Peskin, K. Swyler Brookhaven National Laboratory

The Case for Distance Collaborations

The college-industry relationship has been identified as a key policy issue in Engineering Education. [1] Collaborations between academic institutions and the industrial sector have a long history and a bright future. For Engineering and Engineering Technology programs in particular, industry has played a crucial role in many areas including advisement, financial support, and practical training of both faculty and students. Among the most important and intimate interactions are collaborative projects and formal co- operative education arrangements.

Most recently, such collaborations have taken on a new dimension, as advances in technology have made possible meaningful technical collaboration at a distance. [2] There are several obvious technology areas that have contributed significantly to this trend. Foremost is the ubiquitous presence of the Internet. Perhaps almost as important are advances in computer based imaging. Because visual images offer a compelling user experience, it affords greater knowledge transfer efficiency than other modes of delivery. Furthermore, the quality of the image appears to have a strongly correlated effect on insight. A good visualization facility offers both a means for communication and a shared information space for the subjects, which are among the essential features of both peer collaboration and distance learning. [3]

Enabling Infrastructure

In order to be capable of participating in a visualization-based distance collaboration, a number of infrastructure elements need to be in place at the participating institutions. First, one needs a robust network connection. There are few technically interesting data files smaller than 10 megabytes (MB); many are in the range of gigabytes. So at a minimum, to achieve a reasonably interactive facility, a connection in the range of T1 (1.5 Megabits per second) to T3 (44 megabits per second) would appear necessary. The availability of bandwidth of up to DS3 (155 Mbps) to the post secondary community through the Internet 2 program portends that bandwidth in that range will soon be the norm. Achieving this level of connectivity may be one of the greatest challenges for Engineering Technology schools, many of which are geographically isolated and hard

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Swyler, K., & Peskin, A. (1998, June), Distance Collaborations With Industry Paper presented at 1998 Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/1-2--7049