HISPANIC FEMALE ENGINEERING BACHELOR'S DEGREES AWARDED: TOP 5 ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES

This month's databyte presents the top five engineering disciplines whose percentage of bachelor's degrees awarded to female Hispanic students increased the most since 2004. Biomedical showed the largest increase, with a 171 percent rise. Electrical/Computer engineering and Electrical engineering both showed increases of more than 100 percent. Computer Science (inside engineering) saw the lowest increase of the disciplines represented, with a 26 percent increase.

BILL SEEKS TO READY STUDENTS FOR ‘NEW ECONOMY’ JOBS

The impact of the bipartisan Manufacturing Universities Act of 2014, introduced by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) would spark a "paradigm shift" in university-industry ties, according to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. ITIF, which supports the legislation, says it would "incentivize institutions to focus more on the advanced manufacturing research and applications that are increasingly needed in the 'New Economy,' . . . produce graduates that are better equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for careers in emerging, innovation-based industries . . . [and] address several systemic challenges that plague America's manufacturing economy. For example, university engineering education has shifted away from a focus on real-world problem solving toward more abstract engineering science, putting the educational focus on producing pure knowledge instead of applied research that is useful to industry."

GOP MAY HAVE EDGE IN SENATE RACES THIS FALL

The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza now gives Republicans a better than 50/50 chance of taking control of the Senate in November, giving both houses a GOP majority. The primary victories of Lamar Alexander in Tennessee and Pat Roberts in Kansas ensure that every GOP senator seeking reelection will be the party's nominee. Add to this the number of Democrats running in states that lean Republican and where President Obama is unpopular, and Republicans have more than enough seats in play to retake the Senate.

REPORT: LOOK OVERSEAS TO IMPROVE AMERICAN SCHOOLS

Marc Tucker, president of the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), is an expert in analyzing the world's best-performing education systems. And in a new report, Fixing Our National Accountability System, Tucker argues that American schools not only need a less-punitive accountability system, but a major overhaul in the way they educate children — one designed using methods shown to work in countries that routinely outperform the U.S. in student performance studies. One key suggestion in the report is recruiting teachers from "the upper ranges" of high school graduates before they decide their college major, luring them with starting salaries comparable to other high-status professionals, and ensuring that career ladders are readily available to teachers who opt to have careers in education. He also outlines ways to ensure that this new influx of professional-class teachers is equitably distributed among all school districts. Another key recommendation: test less often. Tucker argues that most students should take just three high-stakes accountability tests during their entire time in K-12 education, but that these should be exams of much higher quality. He also recommends that in some off years a few tests should be given to sample the entire student population (and to oversample the cohort of most vulnerable students), and that data from those sample tests should be used to identify and help schools that need bolstering. See the full report here: www.ncee.org/accountability.

OHIO SCHOOLS READY WORKFORCE-ORIENTED INITIATIVE

Fifteen central Ohio school districts will this fall launch programs focused on four industries that have jobs in need of filling: information technology, logistics, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Innovation Generation initiative is a joint effort by the districts, Columbus State Community College and a number of other community and business partners, and it's funded with a $14.4 million state grant. The goal, the paper reports, is graduating students who are workforce-ready with recognizable credentials, or well-placed to continue in education for post-secondary degrees, including associate degrees. One school, for instance, will open a healthcare lab and allow students to earn pharmacy-technician credits through Columbus State. Another school is offering students the option of earning a medical-coding certificate. A Columbus State administrator tells the Dispatch that the initiative will work to ensure that students are also well-grounded in math, English, critical thinking and problem-solving, because employers need workers proficient in those skills, as well as technology.

THE SEVEN SEAS WRIT SMALL AT NAVY TEST CENTER

The U.S. Navy recently opened a state-of-the-art, 12-million gallon indoor ocean at its Naval Surface Warfare Center in Maryland, outside Washington, D.C. About the size of a football field, it is the most sophisticated wave-testing basin in the world, according to Smithsonian magazine, and it boasts 216 high-tech, electronically-controlled wave boards. The Navy uses the faux ocean to test scaled down fiberglass prototypes of new ships -- each one about the size of a canoe -- before spending billions of dollars to build the real thing, the magazine explains. The wave boards are hinged, and each has its own motor that's controlled by software. Working together, they can simulate precisely eight different ocean conditions, from dead calm to blowing a gale, the magazine says. The simulator also allows engineers to assess how well sailors can launch missiles or land helicopters in various conditions, and also how wave conditions can affect handling when a ship's fuel tank is full or nearly empty.

STARTUP'S 3D-SOFTWARE MODELS MEGA-MACHINES IN SECONDS

Finite element analysis, otherwise known as FEA, is a method engineers use to generate 3D models of large structures -- think oil rigs, buildings and mining equipment -- and run simulations on how they’re affected by such real-world conditions as stress, heat and vibrations. It produces very useful data, but it’s also a costly and time-consuming chore because it takes very powerful computers many hours to complete. Now a startup, Akselos, which is an M.I.T. spinout, is offering novel software it developed, based on years of research at the university, that can complete an FEA simulation in seconds instead of hours. Akselos’ platform uses precalculated supercomputer data for structural components -- not dissimilar from simulated Legos bricks -- to rapidly speed up the FEA process. By making simulation software faster and cheaper, Akselos hopes more designers will use high-fidelity simulations to come up with more cost-effective designs that make better use of energy and materials. Basically, designers can use the software to assemble complex 3D models from a set of parameterized components. Akselos software also gains speed because it can store data for reuse on the cloud, which means its algorithms do not have to work as hard and thus become faster. The company says it’s expanding fast and is adding employees in its three branches: Boston, Switzerland and Vietnam.

Webinar: How Can Symbolics Help Engage Students and Enrich Controls Curriculum?

In this webinar, learn new techniques for using symbolic computation to engage students, enriching their understanding of systems and enhancing the way control design is taught. Different aspects of controls, including multidomain plant modeling, linearization, design and controller testing with hardware will be demonstrated.

To view the recorded version of the webinar, go to www.maplesoft.com/asee

Job–hunting? Here are a few current openings:

1. Biomedical Engineering -- 2 opportunities

2. Engineering Education -- 1 opportunity

3. Mechanical Engineering -- 7 opportunities

Visit here for details:

http://www.asee.org/sales-and-marketing/advertising/classified-advertising/job-postings