The chemistry graduate, destined for employment but with no experience of it. Does it make sense?

The rôle of universities in the education of the next generation is perceived in different ways, but many would see, particularly in science, universities taking young people to the forefront of knowledge in a discipline and providing them with ability to be independent learners and thinkers. Universities are autonomous bodies and although cognisant of the world outside, and interacting, with it, tend to see their mission as self-contained. The ultimate destination for many chemistry graduates, industry, is perceived by many academics as being ‘out there’ and although providing increasingly useful sources of research funds is not seriously addressed as the ‘customer’ for the universities’ products - graduates. This paper describes recent developments through an MChem enhanced undergraduate degree programme, which provides a truly integrated academe-industry degree. The paper traces its history from simple ‘sandwich degree training’, via an accredited diploma, to a fully fledged degree

What are the visual communication requirements of a built environment?

This paper explores an aspect of the Built Environment that is part of our everyday lives, yet often goes unnoticed. It is something that is not far away from any vista. It often appears frivolous, and yet can be a matter of life or death. It is very much a part of how people interact with environments on a local, intermediate and global scale — interaction that requires highly sophisticated, and at times, quite basic design solutions. It is a subject rooted in communication, yet is subjected to the everyday forces faced by the established Built Environment professions. In short Visual Communication in the Built Environment is a complex subject, and attempts to understand it, and about why and how it happens, are fragmented

Rethinking the education of chemists - the odyssey is over, time for action!

Chemistry is a mature discipline with a distinguished pedigree and a long tradition, but times are changing and student numbers in chemistry are declining. The need for a reappraisal of what constitutes chemistry and a chemistry education at the beginning of the new millennium, is apparent. The paper examines some of the current issues surrounding chemistry and chemistry teaching and suggests ways in which we might go forward. A message of vision and imagination, applying a little of the ideals of Zarathustra in the setting of, '2001, A Chemistry Odyssey', is promulgated. [Chem. Educ. Res. Pract.: 2003, 4, 83-96]

Dairy Deregulation and Low-Input Dairy Production: A Bioeconomic Evaluation

Deregulation of the Australian dairy industry could affect the utilization of resources by milk producers and the profitability of dairy production. In this study we examine the feed mix that dairy producers use, both pastures and supplements, under partial and total deregulation. We are particularly interested in the interaction of pasture utilization and farm profitability. The results of this research demonstrate that profitable low-input dairying is constrained by the most limiting resource, feed supplied by pasture, and that the interactions between economic and biological processes are critical to farm profitability

The Evolution of Ethnic Identity From Adolescence to Middle Adulthood: The Case of the Immigrant Second Generation

Through an analysis of qualitative interview and survey data, this study examines ethnic identity development from midadolescence to middle adulthood among a representative sample of immigrants’ children from Mexico, the Philippines, and other countries, who were followed for more than 20 years. Findings reveal that ethnic self-identity labels are more stable in adulthood than adolescence or the transition to adulthood, but the importance of ethnic identity diminishes, especially among those born abroad. Most prefer ethnic identity labels referencing their origin country, reflecting family ties and cultural attachments. However, some, mostly foreign-born, shift to ethnic self-identity labels exclusively related to their American experience, including panethnic labels in response to U.S. racialization. Only a few actively resist such labeling and claim nonhyphenated American identities. Overall, the findings reveal how diverse ethnic identity development patterns over the life course are shaped both by ancestral attachments and the imposition of existing U.S. racial structures

Hybrid Feedback Control Methods for Robust and Global Power Conversion

In this paper, the applicability and importance of hybrid system tools for the design of control algorithms for energy conversion in power systems is illustrated in two hybrid control designs, one pertaining to DC/DC conversion and the other to DC/AC inversion. In particular, the mathematical models considered consist of constrained switched differential equations/inclusions that include all possible modes of operation of the systems. Furthermore, the obtained models can be analyzed and their algorithms designed using hybrid system tools so as to attain key desired properties, such as stability, forward invariance, global convergence, and robustness. We argue that hybrid system tools provide a systematic approach for analysis and controller design of power systems. In particular, hybrid system tools usually leads to power quantities that have better performance and robustness to state perturbations. Furthermore, they provide guidelines on how to tune the controller parameters based on design requirements. These factors motivate the implementation of the proposed hybrid controllers in modern power conversion systems that use renewable energy sources. Simulations illustrating the main results and benchmark tests are included