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Engineering Pathway regularly focuses on engineering relevant topics, as did it's predecessor, NEEDS. We invite you to visit our archived features.

Engineering Pathway Archives 2010: January

Engineering Pathway Archives 2009: December | November | October | September | August | July | June | May | April | March | February | January

Engineering Pathway Archives 2008: December | November | October | September | August | July | June | May |April |March | February | January

Engineering Pathway Archives 2007: December | November | October | September | August | July | June | May | April | March | February | January

NEEDS Archives 2006-2003

January 2010

The United Nations has declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. The world has been invited to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth. You can help communicate this message. Get started here by exploring our resources on biodiversity, biologically-inspired design and the impact of climate change. And don't forget to visit our biodiversity relevant communities: Biological Systems and Agricultural Engineering and Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering.

In 2009 two entries were awarded the Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware: CATME/Team-Maker and SimSE. We welcome your submissions for the 2010 Premier Award. The submission deadline is Friday, July 16, 2010.

December 2009

December is the month for giving gifts. Find the greenest products and services for holiday shopping. But don't stop there - you can engineer green all year round! See our related educational resources on green design, manufacturing and sustainability.

December 6-12 is National Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek)! This is the inaugural year of CSEdWeek, which celebrates the transformative role of computing and recognizes the need to strengthen computer science education.

November 2009

Congratulations! This year two entries were awarded the 2009 Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware: CATME/Team-Maker and SimSE. CATME/Team-Maker provides a simple way to assess team members' performance in five areas that research has found to be very important for effective team functioning. SimSE allows students to practice a "virtual" software engineering process (or sub-process) in a fully graphical, interactive, and fun setting in which direct, graphical feedback enables them to learn the complex cause and effect relationships underlying the processes of software engineering.

October 2009

Hispanic Heritage Month is underway, and we continue our focus on Hispanic scientists and engineers. Ellen Ochoa is a fine example of both. She studied physics in college and then earned two degrees in electrical engineering in graduate school. After school, she went to work for NASA, developing optical recognition systems, computer hardware, and robots. When she was 33 years old, Ellen Ochoa became an astronaut, the first Hispanic woman to do so. Ellen Ochoa believes that hard work, motivation and persistence helped her succeed in work and school. As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Engineering Pathway applauds her success and invites you to browse our collection of resources about and for Hispanic engineers and scientists.

September 2009

Hispanic Heritage Month has begun, and we again place our focus on an Hispanic astronaut. Ellen Ochoa studied physics in college and then earned two degrees in electrical engineering in graduate school. After school, she went to work for NASA, developing optical recognition systems, computer hardware, and robots. When she was 33 years old, Ellen Ochoa became an astronaut, the first Hispanic woman to do so. Ellen Ochoa believes that hard work, motivation and persistence helped her succeed in work and school. As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Engineering Pathway applauds her success and invites you to browse our collection of resources about and for Hispanic engineers and scientists.

August 2009

When the space shuttle Discovery takes off this week for the International Space station, it will be carrying an astronaut who is no stranger to exceptional journies. Astronaut Jose Hernandez grew up in a family of Mexican migrant workers and didn't learn to speak English until he was 12. While working in the fields one day, he heard over his transistor radio that the Astronaut Corps had just recruited Franklin Chang-Diaz, one of the first Hispanic astronauts to go into space. Hernandez made up his mind that day that he would use his interest in science and engineering to take him to the stars.

Hernandez wants to make such a journey less unlikely for others. He has established the Reaching for the Stars Foundation to "...inspire youth to find passion in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math..." This is, in part, our mission too. We invite you to browse our collection of resources about and for Hispanic engineers and scientists and celebrate the upcoming Hispanic Heritage Month with us.

July 2009

In July, we focus on the large and the small; outer space and nanospace. July 20 marks the anniversary of the "giant leap for mankind" made by astronauts Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin as the US space program reached the moon with the historic Apollo 11 flight. See our related resources on NASA and the Apollo moon missions for more information. Also visit our Aerospace Engineering Education community pages.

New frontiers don't have to be large to be important. A team of researchers at UC Berkeley is bringing us closer to the possibility of invisibility in the visible region with nanotechnology. Engineering Pathway is proud to introduce it's newest collection of resources from the Educational Digital Library for the Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing (SINAM). SINAM is an environment dedicated to multi-disciplinary and collaborative science which creates the opportunities for industrial quantum-leaps in nanotechnology. Visit the SINAM collection today!

June 2009

Congratulations to Susan Powers and Jan DeWaters of Clarkson University, the first winners of the new Premier Curriculum Award for K-12 Engineering. Powers and DeWaters won the award for their original middle school curricular unit entitled Energy Systems and Solutions. The award winners, along with finalists Terry Carter and Travis M. Doll, were announced on June 13, 2009, at the 6th Annual Workshop on K-12 Engineering Education at the 2009 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition in Austin, TX. Read more here...

Join the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) in Austin, TX, for the 116th Annual Conference & Exposition June 14-17.

May 2009

To close out Asian Pacific Heritage Month, Engineering Pathway focuses the spotlight on Weili Dai, a successful engineer, long-time team-player, and philanthropist of educational endeavors. She describes herself as "nerdy", but her interview with the Mercury News will have you thinking that being "nerdy" might not be a bad thing at all.

In honor of this year's celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, consider the art of origami as a solution for your next engineering challenge. Whether origami is an indigenous Japanese craft, or if it arose earlier in China, it is the Japanese form of paper folding that is best known today. For centuries, it was a modest, domestic craft, but today the techniques of origami can also help engineers improve everything from maps and camping gear to airbags and space telescopes. See our origami engineering resources, as well as those on Asian American engineers and scientists.

April 2009

April brings us several timely engineering education themes...

Celebrate Earth Day, April 22, by using our Renewable Energy, Green Design and Sustainability resources or visiting our Green Design and Sustainable Engineering community page.

Math can be green too, or at least "earthy": the Mathematics Awareness Month 2009 theme is Mathematics and Climate. View our related resources on Climate.

In honor of World Health Day, we began the month by focusing on an area of engineering that is generating more and more interest from younger engineers and potential engineers: biomedical engineering. We invite you to view our related resources on Biomedical Engineering.

March 2009

March is Women's History Month, and this year the theme is Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet. We invite you to view our related resources on Gender Equity and Women in Information Technology and visit our community pages in the related interdisciplines of Green Design and Sustainable Engineering, Engineering Diversity, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Whether they're using the Jumbotron Sign in Times Square or print advertising, engineers are speaking out. Responding to the 2008 report from the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), Changing the Conversation: Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), New York, has launched the "Vision" campaign to get out the message that engineering requires creativity, imagination and vision. Launched to coincide with Engineers Week, the campaign emphasizes the positive aspects of the engineering profession -- creativity, innovation and forward thinking -- and provides examples of the kinds of cutting edge projects engineers are involved in, such as green buildings, state-of-the-art bridge design and other Grand Challenges in Engineering.

February 2009

Congratulations to Thomas H. Byers and Tina L. Seelig, winners of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Bernard M. Gordon Prize. Byers and Seelig won the 2009 Gordon Prize for "promoting engineering leadership by developing and disseminating technology entrepreneurship educational resources for engineering students and educators around the world" through the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP).

The Green Education Foundation announces National Green Week: February 2-8. See our related educational resources on green education, manufacturing and sustainability

Engineers Week is February 15-21. Events and contests abound, as do outreach programs such as Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day on the 19th. Engineers Make It Work!

January 2009

In 2009 we celebrate 400 years of Galileo's observations, the background theme for the International Year of Astronomy 2009. Galileo made the first complete telescope and used it to gather evidence that Earth revolves around the sun - a view that contradicted the Church and its teaching at the time that placed Earth at the center of the Universe. The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) will be a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture. A grand opening ceremony in Paris will launch the worldwide public education campaign, which has strong support from the National Science Foundation. The aim of the Year is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science under the central theme "The Universe, Yours to Discover" For more information, see our resources on Galileo, space telescopes, astronomy and aerospace engineering. For curricular resources, visit the Aerospace Engineering Education community site.

We've launched our News in Engineering Education service - a continuous feed of user-submitted items. The complete list of news is available on the News in Engineering Education page. We invite all registered users to submit current news related to Engineering Education.

December 2008

December is the month for giving gifts. Find the greenest products and services for holiday shopping. But don't stop there - you can engineer green all year round! See our related educational resources on green design, manufacturing and sustainability.

November 2008

Congratulations! The Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware goes to Classroom Presenter, by Richard Anderson, Ruth Anderson, Natalie Linnell, Craig Prince and other members of the development team from the University of Washington. Classroom Presenter is a Tablet PC-based interaction system that supports the sharing of digital ink on slides between instructors and students, providing a mechanism for introducing active learning into the classroom.Request a copy of the 2008 Premier Award CD

We've launched our News and Events service - a continuous feed of user-submitted items, of which the most recent are displayed here. The complete list of news and events is available on the News in Engineering Education page. We invite all registered users to submit current news and events related to Engineering Education.

October 2008

Attend the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing October 1-4, at Keystone Resort, Colorado.

2008 Gordon Prize winners Dr. Jacquelyn F. Sullivan and Dr. Lawrence E. Carlson recently gave a talk at the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Drs. Sullivan and Lawrence won the 2008 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for their creation of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Announcing the Premier Curriculum Award for K-12 Engineering! This biennial international award recognizes the creation of outstanding K-12 engineering curriculum.Submission deadline: October 15, 2008 at 5PM MST. Submit your original and creative high-quality, classroom-tested engineering lessons and activities. Winning curriculum must be made available, free of charge, to all teachers and students through the TeachEngineering and the Engineering Pathway digital libraries.

HENAAC marks its 20th Anniversary this year during their Career Conference & Awards Show, October 9-12 in Houston TX.

Celebrate with us and browse our collection of resources about and for Hispanic engineers and scientists.

September 2008

Seven Latin American countries mark their anniversary of independence this month. Browse our collection of resources about and for Hispanic engineers and scientists and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, beginning September 15.

Engineering Pathway celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, beginning September 15, by highlighting the 2008 HENAAC Hall of Fame Inductee, Dan Arvizu, Ph. D. Dr. Arvizu became the eighth Director of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 2005. As head of NREL, Dr. Arvizu oversees the U.S. government's research and development of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and biofuels.

September 23-25 is National Manufacturing Week. Check out our Manufacturing Engineering Education Disciplinary site and related educational resources.

August 2008

What are the grand challenges for engineers? This NAE report states that "great challenges and opportunities remain to be realized, and while some seem clear, many others are indistinct and many more surely lie beyond most of our imaginations." With this resource you can "...begin engineering a path to the future."

August is National Water Quality Month. Visit our educational resources in water quality engineering.

July 2008

Want to attract young people to engineering? The recently released NAE report, Changing the Conversation, recommends encouraging them to make a difference in the world, rather than emphasizing the challenge of math and science skills.

In July of 1790, the first U.S. patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins. Check out our resources in entrepreneurship, invention and creativity to spark your imagination...

June 2008

Join the American Society for Engineering Education in Pittsburgh, PA, for the 115th Annual ASEE Conference & Exposition! June 22-25, 2008.

May 2008

May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month. In honor of this year's celebration, consider the art of origami for your next engineering endeavor. Whether origami is an indigenous Japanese craft, or if it arose earlier in China, it is the Japanese form of paper folding that is best known today. For centuries, it was a modest domestic decorative craft, but today, the techniques of origami can also help engineers improve everything from maps and camping gear to airbags and space telescopes. See our origami engineering resources, as well as those on Asian American engineers and scientists.

The 2008 EPICS Conference on Service-Learning in Engineering and Technology will be held at Purdue University, May 20-22.

April 2008

April is Service Learning Month and registration is open now for the 2008 EPICS Conference on Service-Learning in Engineering and Technology! The conference will be held at Purdue University, May 20-22. Contact National EPICS Coordinator Natalie Kubat with any questions.

Visit our blog to have a look at the ideas for our site redesign and the images submitted to our photo contest - then tell us what you think!

March 2008

Congratulations to Dr. Jacquelyn F. Sullivan and Dr. Lawrence E. Carlson, recipients of the NAE 2008 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for their creation of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Dr. Jacquelyn F. Sullivan Dr. Lawrence E. Carlson
2008 Gordon Prize Winners

March is Women's History Month. Check out our gender equity and Women in Information Technology resources. Read and comment on the National Academies' Beyond Bias and Barriers report.

ASEE's Engineering Research Council Summit is March 16-18.

The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance 12th Annual Meeting is March 20-22.

February 2008

Engineers Week is February 17-23. Events and contests abound, as do outreach programs such as Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day on the 21st. Engineers Make a World of Difference!

Congratulations to Dr. Jacquelyn F. Sullivan and Dr. Lawrence E. Carlson, recipients of the NAE 2008 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for their creation of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

January 2008

It's a new year, so check out our new resources for new ideas, innovations, and inspiration.

Call for Submissions 2008 Premier Award: Have you developed high-quality, non-commercial courseware designed to enhance engineering education? We want to see it! Submissions to the Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware competition are due July 11. Winners will be announced at the Frontiers In Education Conference, October 22-25.

December 2007

December is the month for giving gifts. Bloggers and retailers have rushed to round up the best products and services to green the holiday shopping frenzy.

You can engineer green all year round! See our related educational resources on green design, manufacturing and sustainability.

November 2007

The 2007 Recipients of the 2007 Bernard M. Gordon Prize are Mr. Harold S. Goldberg, Mr. Jerome E. Levy and Dr. Arthur W. Winston "for the development of a multi-disciplinary graduate program for engineering professionals who have the potential and the desire to be engineering leaders."

Log in and enter our Engineering Photo Competition. Submission deadline has been extended to November 9th, and winning entries will be featured on the Engineering Pathway home page in late November.

October 2007

October 4th marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik and the birth of the space age. View our Sputnik resources, as well as related resources in Aerospace Engineering.

Browse our collection of resources about and for Hispanic engineers and scientists and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which began in September and continues through mid-October.

The Engineering Pathway has teamed up with JETS (Junior Engineering Technical Society) to feature a K-12 resource every month in the Pre-Engineering Times newsletter. The resource highlighted this month is Manufacturing Technologies: Making a Picture Frame, a TeachEngineering resource that complements the feature article "Automation Engineers Control the World".

The recipient of the IEEE Education Society's 2007 Hewlett-Packard/Harriet B. Rigas Award was recently announced; Bonnie Heck Ferri was honored at FIE.

The Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware goes to Arcade: Interactive Non-linear Structural Analysis and Animation, by Kirk Martini of University of Virginia. The Finalist Candidates awarded this year are Jeliot 3 and JFLAP. Congratulations to all!

September 2007

Seven Latin American countries mark their anniversary of independence this month. Browse our collection of resources about and for Hispanic engineers and scientists and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, beginning September 15.

September also hosts National Manufacturing Week. Check out our Manufacturing Engineering Education Disciplinary site and related educational resources.

The International Conference on Engineering Education will be hosted this month in Portugal.

Get ready, the Premier Award is coming soon! The Premier Courseware of 2007 will be announced at the Frontiers in Education Conference, October 10-13.

August 2007

Engineers must discover clues to the collapse of the Minneapolis bridge, and learn lessons to prevent similar incidents. Our related resources on bridge failures, safety and design include the Online NewsHour interview with Anthony Ingraffea and his Cooper River Bridge Case Study.

August is National Water Quality Month. Visit our educational resources in water quality engineering.

July 2007

In July of 1790, the first U.S. patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins. Check out our resources in entrepreneurship, invention and creativity to spark your imagination...

June 2007

2007 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, June 24-27, 2007, Honolulu, Hawaii

Check Out the EP Workshop at ASEE!

May 2007

May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month. Engineering Pathway honors Duy-Loan T. Le as a recipient of the Anita Borg Institute 2007 Women of Vision Award for Leadership.

Engineering Projects in Community Service for all levels of engineering education will be discussed at the 2007 EPICS Conference to be held May 22-24 at the University of California, San Diego.

Give the National Academy of Engineering YOUR feedback on its research to identify messages to better communicate with the public about engineering. See study results and provide your input.


April 2007

April is Service Learning Month. Check out our resources on Community Service Learning in Engineering.

Register Today! "Teach Engineering," an NSDL/ NSTA Web Seminar to be held on April 10, 2007, will help you create more dynamic and interactive lessons through the real-world application of science and mathematics in your K-12 classroom!

Celebrate Earth Day, April 22, by using our Green Design, Manufacturing and Sustainability resources.


March 2007

March is Women's History Month. Check out our gender equity and Women in Information Technology resources. Read and comment on the National Academies' Beyond Bias and Barriers report.

ASEE's Engineering Research Council Summit is March 11-13.

The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance Meeting is March 22-23.


February 2007

February is Black History Month. Browse our collection of related resources.

The AAAS Annual Meeting will be held February 15 - 19. NSDL and its Pathway Partners will present workshops for College and University Faculty and for K-12 Educators.

Engineers Make a World of Difference! Engineers Week is February 18-24.


January 2007

Submit your courseware to the 2007 Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education! Please review the general, eligibility and submission information.


NEEDS Archives 2006 - 2003