Congressman Doug Walgren (D-PA) comments on various issues related to science and engineering education, suggesting that there is a major deterioration for the entire educational enterprise, particularly in the technical areas. Focuses on National Science Foundation (NSF) programs, funding, and current legislative recommendations. (Author/JN)

Engineering graduates are choosing to enter immediate employment rather than going on for further training and a master of science. Issues and trends related to the decline in advanced engineering training, a threat to United States technical vitality, are addressed. (JN)

Unfilled engineering faculty positions and obsolete laboratory equipment continue to threaten the quality of U.S. engineering education, but improvements are being made, according to a progress report issued as a followup to the National Engineering Action Conference held in April (1982). Highlights on the report are provided. (Author/JN)

Summarizes efforts to identify, acquire, and organize a standards collection, with emphasis on provision of information services to staff and clientele of the Forensic Engineering and Science Center, Triodyne, Inc., who provide expert testimony in court cases involving accidents caused by defective products and equipment failures. References are…

Highlights National Research Council report ("Climbing the Ladder II: An Update on the Status of Doctoral Women Scientists and Engineers"). Indicates that, although supply of women with doctorates in science is up 50 percent in the past four years, salary and tenure problems are continuing. (JN)

Examined educational goals and personal characteristics (values and attitudes) of academically successful and unsuccessful men and women engineering students. Confirmed the college-fit theory: If the values, goals, and attitudes of a student correspond to those of an institution, the student is likely to remain at the institution. (PAS)

The Office of International Science provides programs to determine how science and technology can be used effectively by developing nations. Programs include: a global committee on the subject, publication of a newsletter, sponsorship of symposia and meetings, and invitations to foreign students to attend American Association for Advancement of…

Describes the introduction of microprocessors into the Weapons and Systems Engineering Department at the U.S. Naval Academy, including planning decisions, implementation, procedures, uses of microprocessors in the department, and impact on the Systems Engineering major and curriculum. (SK)

Describes integration of Commodore PET microcomputers into the chemical engineering curriculum at the University of Rochester. Includes advantages of using microcomputers in laboratories to analyze data and control processes. (SK)

A two-semester basic chemistry course for nonchemistry engineering majors is described. First semester provides introductory chemistry for freshmen while second semester is "customer-oriented," based on a departmental choice of three out of six independent modules. For example, aeronautical engineering "customers" would select…

Highlights a 1981 study on the engineering faculty shortage. Findings, among others, indicate overall shortage in 1981 was 9.1 percent, vacancy rate at the assistant professor level was 25.4 percent, and numbers of engineering faculty leaving academe for industry was slightly higher than engineers who left industry for academe. (JN)

Provides a summary of essential characteristics of the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) and Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations (PLATO) educational computer system. Considers future of the computer based education which effectively combines PSI with computer assisted instruction. Discusses current status and future use of…

The incorporation of play experiences into the school curriculum is discussed in relation to the political nature of curriculum decision making and the use of play as a curriculum strategy. (JN)

In workstation design, furniture selection and arrangement directly relate to the way in which work is accomplished. Standardized workstations are being developed to fit the specific needs of various job categories within the electronic office. (Author/MLF)

Discusses data from tests and videotaped interviews indicating conceptual primitives as a source of student difficulty in physics. These include key concepts (mass, acceleration) and fundamental principles/models (Newton's and conservation laws, atomic model). Demonstrates that misconceptions can be studied using problems of minimum complexity to…