Discussion of issues that should be addressed when catalogers in small public libraries begin to automate as part of a consortium uses library cooperatives from Massachusetts (Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing, CLAMS) and Florida as examples. Topics discussed include characteristics of the catalogers; cataloging standards; decision…

Describes a study that identified factors influencing the number of citations received by articles published in the field of chemical engineering, based on a set of 226 papers by 18 internationally recognized scientists and citations to those papers. Factors identified include how prolific the author is and the number of references. (Contains 37…

Describes the Academic Excellence Workshops program at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, as a potential model for an academic support system specifically designed for underrepresented students in math-based disciplines. (PR)

The impact of interestingness and "narrativity" on comprehension, attention, and reading speed and the role of topic familiarity were studied for 16 college students in psychology classes and 8 from engineering classes who read excerpts from psychology and engineering texts. Results support schema-based comprehension theory. (SLD)

Describes a 10-year study of interlibrary loan data from the University of California, Santa Barbara that was used to document the impact of serials cancellations. Also details a project involving a number University of California campuses that uses faxes to fill requests for science and engineering journal articles. (LRW)

Discusses applications of recombinant DNA technology and the controversies surrounding that technique. Provides a cooperative learning project idea that involves teams of students investigating and debating these issues. (DDR)

Identifies core journals in environmental geology and explores facets of interdisciplinarity to consider the visibility of this field to collection-development librarians. Intercitation analysis of citing and cited patterns in 1995 articles revealed the journal network of environmental geology. Titles clustered into three categories:…

Focuses on gender gaps in the science, mathematics, and engineering disciplines. Describes both the Douglas Project for Rutgers Women in Math, Science, and Engineering, and Project SUPER (Science for Undergraduates: A Program for Excellence in Research) which was developed for women students. Presents a list of additional resources including web…

Discusses the Engineering Criteria 2000 adopted by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The new criteria provide a framework by which chemical engineering faculties can develop programs to meet modern industrial needs without jeopardizing their accreditation standing. The criteria also require a change in emphasis from…

Discusses the opportunities and dangers associated with various aspects of implementing the Engineering Criteria 2000. Topics include: (1) understanding the continuous quality improvement process; (2) use of assessment terminology; (3) development of performance criteria; (4) use of local resources; (5) hiring an expert to aid the transition; (6)…

Describes the development of a program for providing young girls at an all-girls school opportunities to problem solve by constructing their solutions using tools and materials unlikely to be part of their home or school experiences. The program combines analytical and problem solving skills with basic engineering concepts. Notes problems…

Discusses the factors that seem to be significant in the development of visualization skills, and examines gender differences in background and visualization ability for students enrolled in United States, German, and Polish technical universities. Findings indicate significant differences in spatial visualization ability between male and female…

Experiments with exercises that are distinguished from those employed with elite students by reducing competition and increasing cooperation through the use of tests against nature, large dynamic ranges in performance, initial prototype designs, and alternative methods of recording and presenting results. Finds that formulating easily understood…

The paired-learner interview, in which learners take both the role of the interviewer and interviewee, has been used as a variation of the oral-proficiency interview since the 1980s. The purpose of this article is to show that the paired-learner interview is an effective means to reduce communicative stress for the nonnative learner and one that…

A study examined correlations between Scholastic Assessment Test scores and measures of cognitive skills, college adjustment, and motivation among 48 minority students in engineering education, all participating in a support program for students having academic difficulty. Results suggest that lack of positive interactions with teachers plays a…