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07.09
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On Engineering the K-12
Curriculum (June
2009)
This topic is very important to
the future of engineering, and even to our ability to cope with future challenges, such as
climate change. In my opinion, there are three
roadblocks that we need to overcome:
(1) Make math more interesting
for primary and secondary students. Too many
good students "burn out" on boring math
assignments that emphasize repetition without
any real sense of application or purpose.
(2) Try to overcome the "geek"
image. Many students who could become good
engineers and scientists choose different paths
because of social ostracism.
(3) As secondary students move
on toward college, include more interesting
material in introductory classes. We subject our
young engineering students to many hours of
theoretical courses without any preview of where
an engineering education could lead. Replace
theoretical math with practical problem-solving
math. Math for undergraduate engineering
students should be taught by graduate
engineering students who have a sense of
practical applications instead of disinterested
mathematics graduate students who have little
regard for math as a tool to solve engineering
problems.
James Cook
IEEE Senior Member
Kansas City, Mo.
***
Having often been to the Boston
Museum of Science, I quite agree. Having myself
been an early learner (I invented an
electromagnetic projectile launcher at age 13, and
got my ham radio ticket at 14 after Dad and the
landlord decided radio was less expensive than
fixing wallboard). I share the inclination to get
children interested early in science and
engineering.
I now live in Michigan, where
Congressman Vern Ehlers, who is a scientist,
wants more Americans to go to College. I want
more Americans to learn that hands-on connection
to physics and the world in Elementary School.
Learning early, they might later do better —
even without a degree.
Cortland
Richmond
IEEE Member
Ada, Mich.
***
This is outstanding! Mostly
repeats what I've been yelling about for years.
More engineering awareness is needed by the lay
public, better reporting of engineering and
scientific subjects. "How things work" books
should explain how things work, not what they
do. Inspired teachers are needed; however,
well-crafted instructional material would really
help. It seems to me that a lot of stuff helps
little, if not harms. I'll quit now. Thanks for
your patience.
Robert Walp
IEEE Life Fellow
Pasadena, Calif.
***
Very Enlightening article. I am
very pleased to know that actions are being
taken to improve technical, especially from an
engineering stance, education in the United
States. As an
engineer, I would like to know how I could become
more involved with helping to develop techniques
and effective methods for better preparing K-12
students for fields in engineering and
technology.
Kayle Wherley
IEEE
Associate Member
Wrightsville, PA
***
This article is the most
exciting article I've seen coming out of your
k-12 program. I am trying to start a teacher
education program at our local RAFT group. SCV
Section gave us $10k to purchase voltmeters,
solar cells and load resistors to implement a
program to teach 8th graders and their teachers
about voltage, current, power, resistance and
efficiency of solar cells, and matching the solar
cells to the load and why that's necessary.
Lee Colby
IEEE Life, Senior Member
Sunnyvale, CA
***
On Backscatter: The Digi-crib
Kids (June
2009)
I've noticed this trend in the
digital natives over the years, and it is a terrible thing
for the engineering profession. I know from
first hand experience trying to hire and train
these kids that they are ill-prepared to be
engineers (and don't really want to be anyway).
Louis Brousseau
IEEE Senior Member
Georgetown, Texas
***
On Maximizing Employability (June
2009)
Your article is neat and very
tidy, but my experience has been that the
categories are not at all mutually exclusive,
and overlap in a strange and complex way. To
leverage K you may have to create new K (such as
new networking, hierarchical devices.. you'd
almost have to work on all five categories).
However, it is easier for those who have been
around for a long time to take other people's
new knowledge and leverage it in their work. It
is like a football player who waits in the
sidelines and grabs the ball and runs off with
it to score a goal, risking his team's winning
rather than pass it to one of his team members
who can better achieve a win. Creating new K is
the most difficult task, and should be rewarded
at a higher level than it currently is
Chahira Hopper
Senior member
Dayton, Ohio
***
Ah, the academic types strike
again. A few grains of truth there and a bit to
be gleaned. But, where the rubber meets the
ground, little to be gained. When RIF's, 'right
sizing', layoffs or whatever today's term is,
strike, a lot of that flies out the window. It
becomes, rather, who costs what and who has the
higher 'present' day skill level. Oh, and who is
the oldest (although this part is very, very
hidden).
Bob Groh
IEEE Senior Member
Blue Springs, Missouri
On Rebounding After a Layoff
(June
2009)
This article puts to shame those
companies that practice this behind the scenes
hiring policies and yet claim to be equal
opportunity employers.
Dennis Tate
IEEE Member
Charlottesville, Virginia
***
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