Project Management in Engineering Education: Providing Generation Z With Transferable Skills

Expository approaches in project management education do not seem to be engaging engineering students. Although the students acquire remarkable theoretical knowledge throughout their coursework, they lack transferable competences, such as soft skills, which are scarcely attended in the teaching of project management. Generation Z's characteristics differ from previous generations and should be considered in new project management education approaches and methods. This article reviews the project management competencies, Generation Z profile, and teaching methods trends reported in the literature. It presents a study involving 147 engineering students, through a self-report questionnaire, to explore their profile's self-awareness and compare it with the literature. A correlational study links the Generation Z's personality traits with project management soft skills. Findings reveal interesting personality characteristics of Generation Z engineering students for the project management field. However, this sample showed low recognition of their individualism, less personal relationships, and did not value their creative potential. There were also differences in Electronic, Electrical, and Computer Science engineering students, namely, lower emotional intelligence. Some highlighted traits have a significant effect on critical project management soft skills. Other soft skills were not supported in personality traits. This work suggests implications for re-think educational approaches to Generation Z engineering students.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Photoredox heterobimetallic dual catalysis using engineered covalent organic frameworks

The functionalization of an imine-based layered covalent organic framework (COF), containing phenanthroline units as ligands, has allowed the obtention of a heterobimetallated material. Photoactive Ir and Ni fragments were immobilized within the porous structure of the COF, enabling heterogeneous light-mediated Csp 3 -Csp 2 cross-couplings. As radical precursors, potassium benzyl- and alkoxy-trifluoroborates, organic silicates, and proline derivatives were employed, which brings out the good versatility of Ir,Ni@Phen-COF. Moreover, in all the studied cases, an enhanced activity and stability have been observed in comparison with analogous homogenous systems

Cumulative climatic stressors strangles marine aquaculture: Ancillary effects of COVID 19 on Spanish mariculture

Marine aquaculture takes advantage of marine ecosystem services to produce goods that can be relevant from a food security point of view. However, this activity is subject to multiple stressors as the ones exerted by global climate change. Local stressed conditions due to environmental drivers may be exacerbated by the COVID19 pandemic crisis. In this paper we analyze the pre-COVID-19 situation in two Spanish regions with the highest aquaculture production, Galicia and the Valencian Community. The incidence of storms, heat waves and mussel farming closure were analyzed, and surveys were used to define the perception of producers in terms of economic problems derived from COVID-19 and synergistic environmental concerns. Also the temporal trend of mussel production was analyzed. Spanish marine aquaculture has been intensively subjected to climatic stressors that made it more vulnerable to COVID-19, showing some weakness in terms of production as can be seen in mussel production and fresh consumption. Anyway, extensive aquaculture and aquaculture developed by Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) was reported as somewhat more resilient to the impact of COVID-19. In order to ensure the environmental and economic sustainability of marine aquaculture - under a future uncertain pandemic scenario – our outcomes underline the need for more resilient adaptation programs and recovery plans taking into account the climate change effects.M.C.M.’s research activity was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (Grant agreement no. 835589, MIRROR Project)

Incorporation of photocatalytic Pt(II) complexes into imine-based layered covalent organic frameworks (COFs) through monomer truncation strategy

A new photoactive Pt (II) hydroxyquinoline complex has been covalently linked into the structure of an imine-based layered covalent organic framework (COF) through the monomer truncation strategy. Such strategy allows the incorporation of molecular fragments with only one functional group able to condensate into the imine-framework. The photocatalytic activity of the resulting Pt@COF has been applied to the oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides, obtaining excellent results for all the studied cases, and showing that this reaction goes through both photoredox and energy transfer processes. The results obtained showed a great enhancement of the catalytic activity (up to 25,000 turnover number, TON), stability and a significant decrease on the reaction times, as a consequence of immobilization and isolation of Pt(II) centers into the organic framework. In addition, Pt@COF has been proved to be an excellent heterogeneous photocatalyst also in exclusive photoredox processes, reaching 7500 TON in hydrodebromination reactions

Incorporation of photocatalytic Pt(II) complexes into imine-based layered covalent organic frameworks (COFs) through monomer truncation strategy

A new photoactive Pt (II) hydroxyquinoline complex has been covalently linked into the structure of an imine-based layered covalent organic framework (COF) through the monomer truncation strategy. Such strategy allows the incorporation of molecular fragments with only one functional group able to condensate into the imine-framework. The photocatalytic activity of the resulting Pt@COF has been applied to the oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides, obtaining excellent results for all the studied cases, and showing that this reaction goes through both photoredox and energy transfer processes. The results obtained showed a great enhancement of the catalytic activity (up to 25000 turnover number, TON), stability and a significant decrease on the reaction times, as a consequence of immobilization and isolation of Pt(II) centers into the organic framework. In addition, Pt@COF has been proved to be an excellent heterogeneous photocatalyst also in exclusive photoredox processes, reaching 7500 TON in hydrodebromination reactionsWe are grateful to the Spanish Government (RTI2018-095038-B-I00), “Comunidad de Madrid” and European Structural Funds (S2018/NMT-4367). A.E.P.-P. acknowledges a TALENTO grant (2017-T1/IND5148) from Comunidad de Madrid and Spanish Government (RTI2018-096138-A-I00