Monthly Archives: May 2014

Policy Development in the US

24 Saturday May 2014

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These two reports seem relevant… I find it interesting that environmental impact assessments have not been voluntarily completed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Seems to me an ethical requirement in this millenium when we are so environmentally conscious. As for the second report, I am curious how this will turn out: will North Carolina support fracking once again? Something I’m interested to follow…  Both are from the ASEE aggregator:

Environmental Groups Sue Army Corps Of Engineers Over Mississippi River Changes.

The AP  (5/23, Suhr) reports that on Thursday, environmental groups “sued” the Army Corps of Engineers “over the agency’s use of man-made structures meant to keep the Mississippi River navigable.” The Federal lawsuit claims “the techniques provoke flooding as seen during historic inundations four times in the last two decades” and asks the Army Corps “to resist building more ‘river training structures’ such as wing dikes, arch-shaped dikes known as chevrons, and rock dikes” until the Corps “comprehensively evaluates their environmental impacts along the vital commerce corridor.”

Bill Ending Fracking Ban Advances In North Carolina State Legislature.

The Washington Post  (5/22, Wilson) reported in its “Govbeat” blog that the North Carolina state Senate on Thursday cleared legislation that “would end the state’s moratorium on shale gas drilling, opening the door for new energy development that supporters say could bring thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars to the state.” The measure “would lift the moratorium on drilling by July 1, 2015, and would allow the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources to issue permits to energy companies that want to explore the state for oil and gas.” The state House is expected to pass the legislation in the coming weeks.

Opinion: Students Should Be Dissecting Power Tools Instead Of Frogs

20 Tuesday May 2014

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Interesting idea…I think dissecting power tools in middle school might be better. I would have loved to have had permission to take those things apart – my husband says he always had opportunities to disassemble and [attempt to] reassemble appliances and tools as a kid. As I think about it, I seem to recall my brother did, too. But high school might be too late. AND don’t take away those frogs – we need budding biologists to be supported, too!
From the ASEE aggregator:
In a Bloomberg BusinessWeek  (5/19) op-ed, Harold L. Sirkin, a senior partner at The Boston Consulting Group and Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management professor writes that the key to developing students “who will produce the innovative new products and processes that will enable the U.S. to maintain its standard of living and economic leadership” is through having them “‘dissect’ power tools in high school.” Sirkin writes that although dissecting frogs is useful, “breakthroughs in the lab are not enough. Progress also depends on the tinkerers among us who can find novel ways to apply these breakthroughs to our lives.”

White House Science Fair To Encourage Girls To Study STEM

20 Tuesday May 2014

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I hope there is some way attendance and academic interest is tracked to measure the success of a “specific focus on girls and women” in a science fair like this. From the ASEE aggregator:
 
USA Today (5/20, Jackson) reports that the Administration “is hoping its annual White House Science Fair will encourage more girls to take up science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education,” noting that the May 27 event “will also feature the usual assortment of robots, machines, and other science projects.” The article quotes a White House blog post saying, “With students from a broad range of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competitions, this year’s Fair will include a specific focus on girls and women who are excelling in STEM and inspiring the next generation with their work.”

Study Links University President Pay, Student Debt, Adjunct Professor Growth

19 Monday May 2014

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Fascinating report! I guess those high-paid business-oriented presidents know how to minimize institutional expenditures: place more of the debt on students and faculty! 🙂 From the ASEE aggregator:
 
The New York Times  (5/19, Lewin, Subscription Publication) reports that a new study by the Institute for Policy Studies, a “left-leaning” group, finds that at the 25 public universities “with the highest-paid presidents, both student debt and the use of part-time adjunct faculty grew far faster than at the average state university from 2005 to 2012.” The authors “found that administrative expenditures at the highest-paying universities outpaced spending on scholarships by more than two to one.”

Navy Nuke Vet Seeks To Inspire Hispanic Students To Study Engineering

16 Friday May 2014

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Perhaps another collaborator as I work on diversity. Honestly, when we make the social changes necessary to support more women entering and staying in engineering, we are most likely to be successful if these changes increase accessibility to all: all genders, all cultures. From the ASEE aggregator:

ABC News (5/16) profiles former “US Navy Nuke” Barry Cordero, who “never heard of engineering as a child” when he was growing up “poor in the South Side of Chicago as the descendant of immigrants from both Mexico and Germany.” The article describes Cordero’s Navy service, noting that he “decided to pursue a bioengineering degree” after leaving the Navy, and in July 2013 “was named president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.” The piece quotes Cordero saying, “Engineering is still not that known in the Latino community. We have a very difficult problem with them achieving and becoming an engineer or scientist.”

Survey: New Graduates’ Expectations Don’t Reflect Job Market.

09 Friday May 2014

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No, really? 🙂 Actually, I have noticed this but only with some graduates — and not Camosun’s! I think… From the ASEE aggregator:
CBS News (5/9) reports online that according to a new survey from Accenture, “college seniors who will graduate in the next few weeks have unrealistic expectations of the job market they are entering.” The piece reports that while over 41% of graduates from the previous two years are making less than $25,000 per year, only 18% of respondents expect to fall within that range. The article reports that the survey “also uncovered a disconnect in workplace training,” with some 80% of respondents saying they “believe they will receive formal on-the-job training, but only 48 percent of recent grads said they received any.”