Support Systems
C. Dan Mote Jr. calls the Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP) “a tectonic shift in engineering education.” As president of the National Academy of Engineering, he can be forgiven a little hyperbole; it was the academy, under his predecessor Charles Vest, which pronounced the original 14 Engineering Grand Challenges in 2008. But the university program developed as a response to the challenges has struck a chord among engineering deans, and evidently among students as well. After a slow start, GCSP has picked up momentum and is shifting into overdrive, as Tom Grose reports in our cover story. It broadens traditional undergraduate engineering to include research experience, interdisciplinary approaches, entrepreneurship, service learning, and a “global dimension.” Still to come is evidence of engineering graduates prepared to fulfill the challenges’ stirring mandate: “Applying the rules of reason, the findings of science, the aesthetics of art, and the spark of creative imagination, engineers will continue the tradition of forging a better future.” But the outlook is promising.
Mote speaks of a “cultural uprooting of engineering and replanting,” but notes, “this is just the beginning of a movement.” Our Up Close by Sarah Khan shows the hard row that reformers still must hoe. The article profiles Nadya Fouad, author of a widely reported study that explored why women account for only 11 percent of engineers and why 40 percent abandon the field – often finding success in other endeavors. If, as Fouad suggests, a support system is the key to women getting what they need, universities might be a good place to start.
One support Prism can offer is to relay tips from experts for younger faculty. An example is Mary Lord’s “Driven to Distraction,” offering proven ways to gain and keep control of a classroom, where disrupters and cheaters can impede learning.
As always, we welcome your comments on this month’s issue.
Mark Matthews
m.matthews@asee.org