SWE - Winter 2008 - (Page 66)

ENGINEERING WORLD fers six options that allow students to examine various aspects of engineering, including engineering design, mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, bioengineering, engineering systems, and materials engineering. (IGERT) grants, according to NSF, is to train the next generation of scientists and engineers. Cornell’s IGERT fellowships require graduate students from a variety of scientific fields to become interdisciplinary thinkers. No longer allowed to hide in their field-specific labs, the students will take weeks-long mini-courses or “modules” held throughout the academic year. These modules will relate to the broad field of nanoscale surfaces and interfaces taught by faculty in such different fields as chemistry and physics. Additionally, all students will gain exposure to both experimental and computational nanoscale research. The study of nanoscale interfaces and surfaces naturally draws on many different scientific disciplines. Industry and research are increasingly concerned with the field, because of its relationship to the fundamental behavior of many materials. Along with their classroom modules, IGERT fellows also will participate in interdisciplinary research projects under the mentorship of two faculty members from different fields. These projects will supplement the students’ grounding in their core subject areas. The Faculty Satisfaction Scale Insidehighered.com covered satisfaction of faculty as found in a recent national survey conducted by TIAA-CREFF, a financial organization that helps those in the academic, medical, cultural, and research fields plan for and live in retirement. The survey found that 53 percent of faculty members are “very satisfied” with their jobs and another 43 percent are “somewhat satisfied.” Only 2 percent were “not at all satisfied.” By comparison, a recent national survey of Americans in all fields found that only 42 percent reported being “very satisfied,” with another 38 percent “somewhat satisfied.” For the purposes of the survey, faculty members were divided into three groups: Generation X (ages 27-42), late baby boomers (ages 43-52), and early baby boomers (ages 53-61). Other ages Interdisciplinary Jargon Physicists, chemists, materials scientists, and engineers often deal with the same problems, but they use different jargon. Talking to and collaborating with one another can be difficult, if not impossible. A new $2.9 million graduate student training program at Cornell, funded by the National Science Foundation, will help bridge this problematic gap among the disciplines, in an effort to solve common problems that a range of scientists face. Melissa Hines, Ph.D., director of the Cornell Center for Materials Research, wrote the NSF grant and enlisted about 24 faculty members as co-principal investigators. The aim of the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship VIRGINIA TECH FACULTY POSITIONS The Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) is seeking candidates for up to three tenure-track faculty positions at the assistant/associate professor level. The starting date for these positions is August 10, 2008. We seek to hire up to three faculty members in support of the university initiative in innovative technologies and complex systems. We are particularly interested in strong candidates with research interests that span subsets of manufacturing and manufacturing processes, production, logistics, management systems engineering and management of product and systems design. We seek innovative, self-motivated, and achievement-oriented people to join our world-class faculty. Our faculty serves a large and diverse group of students that rank among the best in the world, and does so in the charming town of Blacksburg, in the heart of the beautiful and mountainous region of Southwest Virginia. Applicants should have a potential to develop a strong program of research and scholarship. A doctoral degree and at least one degree in Industrial Engineering (or closely related field) are required. Applicants should access http://jobs.vt.edu (posting number 071049) to provide a cover letter and complete vita including graduate transcript. The cover letter should include a candidate’s statement highlighting the unique strengths of the candidate and indicating teaching interests and course development plans. A clear statement of research foci and match to the study of innovative technologies and complex systems should be provided. Applicants should have three references send letters of support to ISE Search, Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061 (or electronically to ise-search@vt.edu). The review of applications will commence January 15, 2008 and continue until the positions are filled. Prospective candidates are encouraged to visit the departmental web site http://ise.vt.edu for further information about the department. Virginia Tech has a strong commitment to the principle of diversity and in that spirit seeks a broad spectrum of talented candidates including women, minorities, veterans and people with disabilities. Virginia Tech is the recipient of the NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award to increase the participation of women in academic science and engineering careers. SESM Faculty Search 2007-2008 Position Description The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Davis invites applications for a tenure track position in the general area of structural engineering. Candidates must have an earned Ph.D. degree in civil engineering (or a closely related field), be willing to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in structural engineering and develop a strong research program in his/her chosen area. The appointment is expected to be made at the rank of Assistant Professor, but exceptionally qualified candidates will also be considered at the rank of Associate Professor. The Department seeks a new colleague who possesses a strong disciplinary background in Structural Mechanics and a demonstrated research agenda in any modern or emerging topic area within Structural Engineering. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the reliability and performance of civil engineering materials and structures under extreme loading. All applications received on or before January 15, 2008 are assured full consideration. Applicants should submit, to the address below, a CV, statements of teaching and research interests, undergraduate and graduate transcripts, the names and contact information of at least three references, and no more than two publications. Structural Engineering Search Committee, Chair Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of California Davis, CA 95616-5294 Submission of application material electronically is encouraged and should be sent to: cee-recruitment@ucdavis.edu. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Davis is committed to building a more diverse faculty, staff, and student body as it responds to the changing population and educational needs of California and the nation. The University of California is an affirmative action/ equal opportunity employer. 66 SWE WINTER 2008 http://www.Insidehighered.com http://jobs.vt.edu http://ise.vt.edu

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE - Winter 2008

SWE - Winter 2008 Heritage Club President’s Note View from the Executive Suite Editor’s Page Readers’ Forum EWeek 2008 New Faces of Engineering The Leaky Science and Engineering Pipeline Why Do Women Leave the Engineering Work Force? A Greener America = New Growth Fields for Engineers The Off-On Ramp Revolution Recognizing the Historic Contributions of African-Americans Membership Information & Calendar A&B Women in Tune with Technology: SWE 2007 Conference Overview Keynote Address Achievement Award Region, Section, and Collegiate Awards SME Bowl and SWE Anniversaries Engineering World: Point of View: Why I Blog Career Toolbox Book Review SWE Smiles Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook

SWE - Winter 2008

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