Education and Research Directions

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School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportOutlineCentral issues in education and researchNew directionsEngineering Problems and a planMaking the Right Engineer / ScientistNew disciplines / challenges and our signature areasMechanisms for supporting researchResearch strategies and techniquesProjects

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportCentral Issues In Education / Research Manufacturing and linkages with Design:Concurrent Engineering and the Product Realization Process

Growing Role of the Computer and Software ToolsSimulation, Visualization, Design

Growing Importance of Information Technologies in All DisciplinesIncipience of Multidisciplinary Education

Comprehensive University / Industry Relations

Some Thoughts from the Late Eighties

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportCentral Issues in Education / Research The Twenty-First CenturyManufacturing and Design in Micro and Nano Scales: MEMS and NEMS

Growing importance of Biological Sciences

Increasing Pressure to Transcend Traditional Academic Boundaries: Multidisciplinary EducationReduce 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 TechnologiesAsynchronous and Synchronous Distance LearningThe Virtual UniversityThe Virtual Laboratory Experiencee-learning Courses

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportCentral Issues in Education / Research The Twenty-First Century (continued)Socialization of LearningStudent Centered Learning Activities

Relations with Industry: An Alternative ModelInnovation and Entrepreneurship

The Research / Business Interface

GlobalizationInternational Study and Work Experience

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportSome New Directions First-Year Courses on Introduction to Systems

Multidisciplinary, Experiential and ContextualFaculty participation from all disciplines

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

Interactive and CollaborativeShift from faculty- and lecture-centered activities to student-centered activitiesNumerous team-based activities

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportNew Directions (continued)A Prototype Learning CenterComputer Clusters for Collaborative Simulation and Design ActivitiesPrototype Fabrication and Test EquipmentFacilities for Conducting ExperimentsGroup Work and Study SpacesMultimedia Presentation and Demonstration Area

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportNew Directions (continued)Learning Center in New Building

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportThe Problem(s) (and a Plan)K-12 Science and Math WeaknessCurriculum / 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 engineers and scientists. New programs (outcome-based) utilizing outstanding and unique human and technology resources (lets not fall into the .com trap again).

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportThe 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 U.S. dominance.

Global competition (in what ?) Should we be scared ? 500K jobs to India 2001-2003, is this a problem ? How to solve it ?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 is making it easy at the undergraduate level !.

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportThe 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.

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportMaking the RIGHT engineers/scientistsFuture Engineers (Joe Bordogna, COO NSF):Holistic designerAstute makerTrusted innovatorHarm avoiderChange agentMaster integratorEnterprise enablerKnowledge handlerTechnology stewardModel 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)

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportNew? Engineering Disciplines / Trends or our signature areasBIO: 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.,

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportNew Trends / Challenge AreasCognition: 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

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportA term with multiple meanings and implicationsMedical EngineeringProsthesesDiagnostic and Surgical Tools

BiotechnologyBioinformaticsBiosensorsTissue Engineering

Environmental Engineering/ScienceRemediation of organic wastesBiological destruction of carcinogens and toxic chemicals

Required molecular and cellular biology course for all engineering students Departmental elective coursesNew Directions (continued)Example : Bioengineering

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportIntegrated Research/Business Practice CoursesFundamentals:The Corporation and it Financial ProcessesHuman Resources and Management ProcessesInnovation ProcessesSupply Chain Processes and QualityAdvanced Topics:e-Business, Globalization, OutsourcingEntrepreneurship, LogisticsBusiness Plans and Business SimulationsNew Directions (continued)

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportMechanisms for Supporting ResearchPeriodic Graduate Programs ReviewPeriodic Research Review SWOT AnalysisIdentification of Centers of ExcellencePotential groups / individuals / student work.Existing opportunitiesYearly / Periodic Goals (Change and Maintenance)Faculty Development Funds, Seed grantsMaking research embedded in the cultureProfessional reviewDevelop Web, training/workshops, grant writ(ers)/(ing)

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportResearch StrategiesSponsored Research: Industry, Federal, Foundations, State, Local Multi-Disciplinary

Across departments, schools, campusesSWOT again

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

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportSome TechniquesIAB roleStudent Centered ActivitiesStartup co-ops, internships, GAs, low overhead.As a constituent, advise (and be advised) on emerging trends.Relations with Industry / University Clients ModelComplete InvolvementJoint Work (research and curricular)Interfacing: VCs (connecting), Incubator(s)Overhead % back to group / dept. / school.Seed funding / ID of potential, extending resources.

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportInterdisciplinary 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, VCs.

School of EngineeringUniversity of BridgeportExample ResourcesFaculty Enhancement ProgramsInstrumentation Grants for research in Computer and Information ScienceResearch Equipment Grant ProgramCISE Directorate Educational SupplementsInstrumentation and Laboratory ImprovementResearch in Undergraduate Institutions ProgramGrant Opportunities for Academic Liason with Industry Programs Institutional Infrastructure Programs. Activities for Women and Minorities in Science Programs Networking Infrastructure for Education Program. DUE Undergraduate Education programs Graduate Research Traineeships programs Research Careers for Minority scholars program CISE Computer and Computation Research Grants. CISE Information, Robotics, and Intelligent Systems Grants (RMI).CISE Cross-Disciplinary Activities in: o Educational Infrastructure o Institutional Infrastructure for Research o Special Projects Academic Research Infrastructure (a cross-directorate program) Research Opportunity Awards (a cross-directorate program) Small grants for Exploratory Research Program. Research and Education in Strategic Areas Programs EHR Division of Undergraduate Education Programs. EHR Division of Graduate Education and Research Development Programs. International Directorate Grants.DARPA, ONR, AFOSR, DoD, NASA, DOE, NIH.State and local initiatives (centers of excellence programs, etc.)Collaboration with research centers, industry, Inter-school, inter-campuses, other Universities, school districts. Student fellowships (federal / state /industry / foundation) (e.g, IEEE CSIDC, Sigma Xi, Microsoft, etc.)

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