News Update 05-13-2003
Improving Education through Integrative Design
Brenda Laurel, Ph.D., and Chair of the Media Design Program at the Pasadena
Art Center College of Design, an accomplished designer, researcher and writer
in the field of human computer interaction and the cultural aspects of technology,
is one of the featured keynotes at Syllabus2003. Dr. Laurel will present her
ideas on how connections among students, between students and faculty, across
disciplines and between the academy and the community may be enhanced through
technological infrastructures. Syllabus2003, July 27-31, offers five days of
outstanding keynotes, panels, breakout sessions, networking, and more! Don't
miss the opportunity to participate in this summer's 10th annual conference
at the new San Jose Marriott, with a special day of programming at Stanford
University. For complete conference details and to register, go to http://www.syllabus.com/summer2003.
Register before June 27 and save up to $200 with the Early Bird discount.
http://www.syllabus.com/summer2003
Study Finds Wireless Content Enhances Higher Ed Learning
A study by the Mobile Learning Consortium, a group of college-level institutions,
educational publishing and technology companies, has found that digital content
helped first-year college accounting students to learn accounting. The study
objective was to gain insights on the effectiveness of integrating wireless
technology into the classroom. The consortium includes: Northern Alberta Institute
of Technology (NAIT); Seneca College, Ontario; McGraw-Hill Education; Bell Mobility;
Blackboard; Hewlett-Packard; Avaya; and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. Students in
the pilot consistently reported that online interactive exercises accessible
via wireless were useful to student learning. In addition, instructors noted
that wireless technology enabled them to encourage independent student learning
because they could adopt a coaching role in the classroom.
For more information, visit: www.mcgrawhill.ca/mlearning
Business-Tech Hybrid Degrees Popular in Down Economy
Universities are adopting a new brand of master's degree—the Professional
Science Master's (PSM)—combining business and technical education to give
their graduates a head start in getting hard-to-find high tech jobs. A study
by the Conference Board consultancy showed about 90 percent of graduates of
PSM programs found jobs in their chosen fields, with 39 percent naming biotechnology
as their target industry. That is about twice as many as the second-most-cited
industry, computer hardware and software. Universities now awarding PSM degrees
include Case Western Reserve, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, New Jersey Institute
of Technology, Northeastern, Rensselaer, Arizona, UC Santa Cruz, USC, and Wisconsin-Madison.
JCS University Researching 'See Through' Security Tech
Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) in Charlotte, N.
C. has mounted a project
funded by the NASA space agency to evaluate an imaging device for its potential
as a homeland security tool. The project, funded by the NASA Glenn Research
Center, has allowed the passive millimeter-wave (PMMW) imager to be built and
delivered to JCSU for further research. It may open the door to new ways of
handling airport security, aircraft landing, space shuttle diagnostics, and
battlefield combat. "The passive millimeter-wave imager is a camera that can
detect objects through clothing, dense fog, walls, and other visibly opaque
materials using millimeter-wave radiation. One advantage is its ability to see
through severe weather conditions," said Dr. Alan Lettington, professor emeritus
at the University of Reading. Currently, most air traffic control systems and
surveillance cameras use infrared waves, which are significantly weakened in
poor weather.
Kettering Prof Models Sweeter Baseball Bat 'Sweet Spot'
Kettering University applied physics professor Dr. Dan Russell is using a variety
of high-tech tools, including Mathematica math modeling software and AVI digital
video, to research the physics of composite baseball and softball bats in order
to "tune" them for greater effect. The work is being done for CE-Composites
Baseball Inc., one of Canada's leading producers of composite hockey sticks.
Composite bats have what is called a "trampoline effect" that can increase the
amount of energy transferred to the ball. Russell believes that a well-designed
bat can be "tuned" so the natural vibration shape coincides with optimal transference
of energy to the ball. Russell feels that unraveling the physics of the sweet
spot is a new approach to bat design. "Industry-wide, there has been a lot of
focus on making hollow bats thinner, or using double walled barrels. "Whether
they understand the physics of it or not," said Russell, "what they are is dropping
the frequency, in effect 'tuning' the bat."
For more information, visit: www.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats.html
Latest Contracts, Deals, Grants in Higher Education
MICROWAVE TECH—B'eing Corp. donated patents to Washington State
University for microwave technology. The system was originally designed to dry
out spacecraft after ocean landings and cure composite materials for fighter
aircraft. Researchers believe that it could now be used to produce new, flavorful,
dried fruits and vegetables that are free of additives. Called the Microwave
Vacuum Dehydration Technology, or MIVAC, the process integrates microwave energy
and vacuum to dry food quickly at very low temperatures. The result is lightweight
dried products that retain their original color, flavor, shape, and nutritional
value. Strawberries remain naturally red, for example, and grapes stay tangy
and tasty without the use of chemical additives.
ENGINEERING—B'eing also ranked first among corporations and U.S.
government agencies in its support of historically Black engineering schools
in the United States. In a survey conducted last month by Career Communications
Group, publisher of U.S. Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine, the
deans of the country's ten accredited engineering programs at historically Black
colleges and universities (HBCUs) were asked to identify corporate or government
sponsors they feel contribute most to their institutional missions. Of the 42
different corporations and government agencies named for going "above and beyond"
in their relationships with HBCU engineering programs, B'eing was cited most
often.