Developing a Culture of Scholarship : Recent Directions in Multi-Disciplinary Education

and Research

Prof. Tarek SobhSenior Vice President for Graduate Studies & Research

Dean of the School of EngineeringDistinguished Professor of Engineering and Computer Science

University of Bridgeport, U.S.A.

University of SharjahMay 12th / 13th, 2015

University of Sharjah

Outline

• Central issues in Education and Research• New directions• Education/Scholarship Problems and a plan• Making the “Right” Graduate / Professional• New disciplines / challenges and our signature

areas• Mechanisms for supporting scholarship• Research strategies and techniques• Projects

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Central Issues In Education / Research

– Manufacturing and linkages with Design:

• Concurrency and the Product Realization Process

– Growing Role of the Computer and Software Tools• Simulation, Visualization, Design

– Growing Importance of Information Technologies in All Disciplines

• Incipience of Multidisciplinary Education

– Comprehensive University / Industry Relations

Some Thoughts from the Late Eighties

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Central Issues in Education / Research The Twenty-First Century

• Design in Micro and Nano Scales

• Growing importance of Biological Sciences

• Increasing Pressure to Transcend Traditional Academic Boundaries: Multidisciplinary Education– Reduce rigidity of curriculum requirements and increase flexibility:

Programs of study that meld previously disparate disciplines

• Ever Expanding Impact of Information Technologies: The Internet and Wireless Communication Technologies– Asynchronous and Synchronous Distance Learning– The Virtual University– The Virtual Laboratory Experience– e-learning Courses

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Central Issues in Education / Research The Twenty-First Century (continued)

• Socialization of Learning– Student Centered Learning Activities

• Relations with Industry: An Alternative Model– Innovation and Entrepreneurship

• The Research / Business Interface

• Globalization– International Study and Work Experience

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Some New Directions

• First-Year Courses on Introduction to Systems

– Multidisciplinary, Experiential and Contextual• Faculty participation from all disciplines

• Projects involve analysis, design, build and test activities that cross disciplinary boundaries and involve real applications

– Interactive and Collaborative• Shift from faculty- and lecture-centered activities to student-

centered activities• Numerous team-based activities

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New Directions (continued)

A Prototype Learning Center– Computing Clusters / Clouds for Collaborative

Simulation and Design Activities

– Prototype Design, “Making” and Test Equipment

– Facilities for Conducting Experiments

– Group Work and Study Spaces

– Multimedia Presentation and Demonstration Areas

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New Directions (continued)

Learning Center in New Building

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The Problem(s) (and a Plan)

• K-12 Science, Math, Reading and Writing Weakness• Curriculum / Research based (partially) on

constituents’ feedback, needs, vision, aspirations, problems (local, regional, national and global)

• Leading versus following ?• “Functional” body of knowledge for leading edge

technology development and to produce competent and interdisciplinary professionals.

• New programs (outcome-based) utilizing outstanding and unique human and technology resources (let’s not fall into the .com trap again).

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The Problem(s) and Plan (contd.)

• Traditional degrees (what does that mean ?) versus new interdisciplinary goal-oriented programs that cater to new complex real-world 21st century areas of interest and potential dominance.

• Global competition (in what ?) Should we be scared ? 500K jobs to India 2001-2003, is this a problem ? How to solve it ? China !

• New programs and collaborations (degree / within degree) driven by our vision of what the future “should be like”, not by what is the current state of the art. NO LIMITS (time to completion, etc.), example: ABET, AACSB and NASAD are making it easy at the undergraduate and graduate levels.. Really!

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The Problem and Plan (Contd.)

• Quasi-Reverse brain drain (politics / Economics)

• Europe, Asia, Canada, Australia very serious competition for brain power.

• Continuing to attract international talent (remember K-12 problem) and need for aggressive recruiting at all levels and international cooperation / programs.

• Profession Respectability / licensure, lobbying issues.

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Making the RIGHT Professional

• Example: Future Engineers (Joe Bordogna, COO NSF):– Holistic designer– Astute maker– Trusted innovator– Harm avoider– Change agent– Master integrator– Enterprise enabler– Knowledge handler– Technology steward

• Model for education suitable to the a new world in which change and complexity are the rule, a globally linked world that needs integration in many ways.

• The Aftermath (Sam Florman, 2001), Prey (Crichton, 2002)

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New? “Disciplines” / Trends or our signature areas

• “BIO”: Deliberate strategic response versus a natural evolutionary process (no definitive mandate ?)

• Terascale: tera operations / compute power, terabyte storage, terabyte networking. Fascinating (for now) infrastructure. Applications: Communications, simulations / visualizations, real-time capabilities, etc.

• Nanoscale: nano technologies / nano photonics, new materials / machines / living cells interface, precise control and manipulation at that scale [femto scale !] Also, MEMS and “smart dust” for agent detection, temperature, motion, vision sensing, etc.,

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New Trends / Challenge Areas

• Cognition: above areas + neurosciences, perception, sensing, machine vision, agent-based systems, linguistics, psychologists, mathematics, robotics, automation, and many others interact.

• Complexity, integration (traffic, weather, intelligent infrastructure and control systems, aerospace, aviation, large systems).

• Advanced Materials and Manufacturing.• Information, communications and perception technologies

(not only for defense, but many other applications)• Renewable energy and power systems.• We should not abandon all we know, but rather complement

what we do with emerging paradigms

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A term with multiple meanings and implications Medical Engineering

Prostheses Diagnostic and Surgical Tools

Biotechnology Bioinformatics Biosensors Tissue Engineering

Environmental Engineering/Science Remediation of organic wastes Biological destruction of carcinogens and

toxic chemicals

Required molecular and cellular biology course for all engineering students

Departmental elective courses

New Directions (continued)Example : Bioengineering

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Integrated Research/Business Practice Courses

Fundamentals: The Corporation and it Financial Processes Human Resources and Management Processes Innovation Processes Supply Chain Processes and Quality

Advanced Topics: e-Business, Globalization, Outsourcing Entrepreneurship, Logistics Business Plans and Business Simulations

New Directions (continued)

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Mechanisms for Supporting Scholarship

• Periodic Programs Review• Periodic Research Review

– SWOT Analysis• Identification of “Centers of Excellence”

– Potential groups / individuals / student work.– Existing opportunities

• Yearly / Periodic Goals (Change and Maintenance)• Faculty Development Funds, Seed grants• Making scholarship embedded in the culture• Professional review• Develop Web, training/workshops, grant writ(ers)/(ing)

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Scholarship Strategies

• Sponsorship: Industry, Federal, Foundations, State, Local– Multi-Disciplinary

• Across departments, schools, campuses– SWOT again

• Joint work / proposal writing: Partner with Industry Centers, Other Universities, School Districts, etc.• Identification / Listing of resources / agencies (projects)

• Recommendations regarding potential project resources

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Some Techniques

• IAB role– Student Centered Activities– Startup co-ops, internships, GA’s, low overhead.– As a constituent, advise (and be advised) on emerging trends.

• Relations with Industry / University Clients Model• Complete Involvement• Joint Work (research and curricular)• Interfacing: VC’s (connecting), Incubator(s)• Overhead % back to group / dept. / school.• Seed funding / ID of potential, extending resources.

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Interdisciplinary Project Examples:

• Glove (Chiro, Eng and Business (law))• Robotic Musicians (A&S, Music, Eng)• E-Assessment (Education, Eng)• ConnCap (Education, Eng)• Biometrics / Face ID (Bus, Eng, art (law))• Tire changing (Bus, Eng)• Reverse Engineering in Dentistry, Film Making (Eng, Art, Health

sciences)• Robotics prototyping based on task specification (R.E. of Maths,

statics, dynamics, E.E)• Traffic Control (vision, GPS, wireless).• Across dept., school, campus, joint with Univ., school districts,

industry, VC’s.