2020 Vision: Progress in Preparing the Engineer of the Future

In 2004, the National Academy of Engineering published Educating the Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century to encourage reform of undergraduate engineering education. That report inspired “The Engineer of 2020” project, two interrelated studies supported by the National Science Foundation. Prototype to Production: Conditions and Processes for Educating the Engineer of 2020 (NSF-EEC-0550608) sought to benchmark undergraduate engineering education in the U.S. against the attributes the National Academy report believes future engineers will need in order to be effective. Prototyping the Engineer of 2020: A 360-degree Study of Effective Education (NSF-DUE-061871) used in-depth case studies to identify curricular, instructional, organizational features that support undergraduate engineering education that is well-aligned with the goals of the Engineer of 2020. This summary of findings from the Engineer of 2020 projects is intended to assist engineering deans, department heads, faculty, associations and professional societies, industry, and public policy makers in their efforts to improve undergraduate engineering education so that graduates are well prepared for careers in engineering. The study findings may also aid in the process of diversifying the engineering student population, and ultimately, the engineering workforce.National Science Foundation Grants: Prototype to Production: Conditions and Processes for Educating the Engineer of 2020 ((NSF-EEC-0550608) and Prototyping the Engineer of 2020: A 360-degree Study of Effective Education (NSF-DUE-061871)http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107462/1/E2020 Study Methods 6.26.14.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107462/5/2020 Vision FINAL.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107462/7/P2P Sample Characteristics 2.21.14.docxDescription of E2020 Study Methods 6.26.14.pdf : E2020 Study Methods SummaryDescription of 2020 Vision FINAL.pdf : 2020 Vision: Progress in Preparing the Engineer of the Future - Full ReportDescription of P2P Sample Characteristics 2.21.14.docx : Information on Study Sample

America's Overlooked Engineers: Community Colleges and Diversity in Engineering Education

16-page report on the community college as a potential pathway to engineeringIn 2004, the National Academy of Engineering published Educating the Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century. The report foresees a world of dynamic technological change requiring future engineers to have, in addition to strong analytical skills, an understanding of complex societal, global, and professional contexts; creativity and practical ingenuity; communications, management, and leadership skills; high ethical standards and professionalism; and agility, resilience, and interdisciplinary thinking and teamwork. The Academy’s report inspired “The Engineer of 2020” project, a National Science Foundation-supported set of interrelated studies of engineering education. Prototype to Production: Conditions and Processes for Educating the Engineer of 2020 (NSF-EEC-0550608), or “P2P,” sought to benchmark undergraduate engineering education in the U.S. against the attributes the National Academy report believes future engineers will need in order to be effective. NAE’s report also called attention to the rapid population growth both globally and among minorities in the U.S. Such changes, the report stressed, have “major implications for the future of engineering, a profession where minorities and women remain underrepresented” (p. 4). Because of the urgency of increasing the representation of historically nderrepresented groups in engineering schools and in the workforce expressed by the Academy and numerous others, and given growing calls to capitalize on the nation’s community colleges as potentially fruitful grounds for recruiting diverse students to engineering, the Engineer of 2020 project included a survey of community college students planning to transfer into a four-year engineering program.1 This summary of findings from the Engineer of 2020 project surveys is intended to assist engineering deans, department heads, faculty members, associations and professional societies, industry, and public policy makers in their efforts to diversifying engineering education and better prepare engineers to function effectively in the near- and long-term future.National Science Foundation (NSF-EEC-0550608)http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107460/4/E2020 Study Methods 6.26.14.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107460/1/America's Overlooked Engineers - Community Colleges and Diversity in Engineering Education.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107460/8/Americas Overlooked Engineers FINAL.pdfDescription of Americas Overlooked Engineers FINAL.pdf : America's Overlooked EngineersDescription of E2020 Study Methods 6.26.14.pdf : Summary of E2020 Study MethodsDescription of America's Overlooked Engineers - Community Colleges and Diversity in Engineering Education.pdf : Report on the Community College as a pathway to engineering career

Comparative Studies on Water- and Vapor-Based Hydrothermal Carbonization: Process Analysis

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) reactor systems used to convert wet organic wastes into value-added hydrochar are generally classified in the literature as liquid water-based (HTC) or vapor-based (VTC). However, the distinction between the two is often ambiguous. In this paper, we present a methodological approach to analyze process conditions for hydrothermal systems. First, we theoretically developed models for predicting reactor pressure, volume fraction of liquid water and water distribution between phases as a function of temperature. The reactor pressure model predicted the measured pressure reasonably well. We also demonstrated the importance of predicting the condition at which the reactor system enters the subcooled compression liquid region to avoid the danger of explosion. To help understand water–feedstock interactions, we defined a new solid content parameter %S(T) based on the liquid water in physical contact with feedstock, which changes with temperature due to changes in the water distribution. Using these models, we then compared the process conditions of seven different HTC/VTC cases reported in the literature. This study illustrates that a large range of conditions need to be considered before applying the label VTC or HTC. These tools can help in designing experiments to compare systems and understand results in future HTC researc

Validity of the Contextual Competence Scale for Engineering Students

BackgroundEngineering educators and practitioners increasingly value contextual competence. A psychometrically sound, practical, and useful scale for assessing undergraduate engineering students' contextual competence is needed.Purpose/HypothesisThis article provides comprehensive evidence of the content, structural, discriminant, and criterion‐related validity of the contextual competence scale.Design/MethodThis study used student, alumni, and faculty survey data from a nationally representative sample of 120 U.S. engineering programs from 31 four‐year institutions. Validity evidence was obtained by expert review of questions, a pilot test, factor analyses, and several analyses utilizing t‐tests, correlations, and regression.ResultsExperts constructed the questions used in the scale (content validity). Those questions combined to measure a single concept (structural validity), the scale reliably measures (Cronbach's alpha = .91) that concept, and it focuses on contextual competence instead of other student outcomes (discriminant validity). The contextual competence scale varies according to students' characteristics and curricular experiences as well as similarities and differences in student and alumni levels of contextual competence in the same programs and institutions (criterion‐related validity). Finally, the scale may be a more accurate measure of contextual competence than faculty members' perceptions of students' ability.ConclusionsThe contextual competence scale allows engineering programs to meet ABET and other self‐study requirements or do large‐scale research with relative ease and little expense. The process described in this article can be used by other researchers in engineering education for their scale development efforts.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110541/1/jee20062.pd

Supporting the Development of Engineers’ Interdisciplinary Competence

BackgroundAlthough interdisciplinarity has been a subject of interest and debate for decades, few investigations of interdisciplinary education exist. Existing studies examine the effects of interdisciplinary experiences on students’ development of generic cognitive skills but not the development of interdisciplinary competencies.Purpose/HypothesisThis study sought to explore how engineering students’ characteristics, college experiences, and engineering faculty beliefs relate to students’ reports of interdisciplinary competence.Design/MethodThe study used a nationally representative survey sample of 5,018 undergraduate students and 1,119 faculty members in 120 U.S. engineering programs at 31 institutions. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we investigated the relationships among students’ curricular and co‐curricular experiences and faculty beliefs regarding interdisciplinarity in engineering education on students’ reports of interdisciplinary competence.ResultsThis study found that a curricular emphasis on interdisciplinary topics and skills, as well as co‐curricular activities, specifically, participating in nonengineering clubs and organizations, study abroad, and humanitarian engineering projects, significantly and positively relate to engineering students’ reports of interdisciplinary skills. Faculty members’ beliefs regarding interdisciplinarity in engineering education moderated the relationships between particular co‐curricular experiences and students’ interdisciplinary skills, as well as between curricular emphasis and students’ interdisciplinary skills.ConclusionsThis study identified a small set of experiences that are related to students’ reported development of interdisciplinary competence. The study points to the critical role of the curriculum in promoting interdisciplinary thinking and habits of mind, as well as the potential of co‐curricular opportunities that bring engineering students together with nonmajors to build interdisciplinary competence.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135983/1/jee20155_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135983/2/jee20155.pd

Who Goes to Graduate School? Engineers’ Math Proficiency, College Experience, and Self-Assessment of Skills

$\textbf{Background.}$ Increasing human resources in engineering is a key concern for the United States. While some research has considered pathways to doctoral study, there is not yet clear empirical evidence on the role of undergraduate experiences in motivating engineering undergraduates to continue to graduate school, both in engineering programs and more broadly. $\textbf{Purpose/hypothesis.}$ We investigate three influences on engineering undergraduates’ decision to enter graduate school: (1) mathematics ability, (2) self-assessments of engineering skills, and (3) co-curricular experiences. $\textbf{Design/method.}$ Using data from 1,119 engineering postgraduates, we developed a hierarchical multinomial logistic model (HMLM) to analyze the relationship between prior characteristics and their observed graduate-school enrollment behavior. $\textbf{Results.}$ Mathematic ability, participation in undergraduate research, and self-assessed teamwork skills are all significant positive predictors of enrollment in an engineering graduate program, although self-assessed leadership skills are a negative predictor. For enrollment in a graduate school program outside of engineering, non-engineering community service or volunteer work was a significant predictor, but none of the self-assessed skills were predictors. $\textbf{Conclusions.}$ Our findings support past research emphasizing academic preparedness in STEMfield progression, further corroborating the claim that K–12 math education is a key policy lever. Our findings also indicate distinctive patterns between engineering and non-engineering graduate study in relation to self-assessed skills and co-curricular experiences. This should promote research on which types of preparation during college are needed for different career paths, to develop both teamwork and leadership within the industry

Changes in Selected Organic and Inorganic Compounds in the Hydrothermal Carbonization Process Liquid While in Storage

Although many studies have investigated the hydrothermal transformation of feedstock biomass, little is known about the stability of the compounds present in the process liquid after the carbonization process is completed. The physicochemical characteristics of hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) liquid products may change over storage time, diminishing the amount of desired products or producing unwanted contaminants. These changes may restrict the use of HTC liquid products. Here, we investigate the effect of storage temperature (20, 4, and −18 °C) and time (weeks 1-12) on structural and compositional changes of selected organic compounds and physicochemical characteristics of the process liquid from the HTC of digested cow manure. ANOVA showed that the storage time has a significant effect on the concentrations of almost all of the selected organic compounds, except acetic acid. Considerable changes in the composition of the process liquid took place at all studied temperatures, including deep freezing at −18 °C. Prominent is the polymerization of aromatic compounds with the formation of precipitates, which settle over time. This, in turn, influences the inorganic compounds present in the liquid phase by chelating or selectively adsorbing them. The implications of these results on the further processing of the process liquid for various applications are discussed