WOMEN STUDENTS ARE DRAWN TO ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

The accompanying graphic focuses on women in select engineering and engineering technology fields. Civil engineering awarded the highest number of degrees to female students, but environmental engineering had the highest proportion of women. The percentage of women earning degrees in civil engineering (21 percent) was comparable to the percentage of women earning degrees in civil/environmental engineering. Women’s representation in civil engineering technology was 13 percent.

WHITE HOUSE RELEASES CLIMATE STUDY, BUT IT MAY CHANGE FEW MINDS

Earlier this month, the Trump administration surprised climate-change scientists and activists when it released a major, detailed scientific study that reconfirmed that global warming is happening and the main cause is human activity. That finding—although it mainly reiterates and reinforces what scientists have been saying for years—runs counter to climate-skeptic statements made by several top administration officials, in particular President Trump himself. Trump, of course, this year pulled the United States out of the 195-nation Paris climate accord. There were fears that the report, two years in the making with contributions from 13 federal agencies, would be spiked since it contradicts the administration’s position on global warming. But the White House feared that quashing it would spark a big controversy that could detract from its efforts to win congressional approval of tax-cut legislation. Nevertheless, a New York Times analysis says despite its publication, the study will likely do little to change the minds of those who reject the idea of climate change. It notes that much research shows that when scientific studies confound long- and deeply-held political views, the political views usually win out. For example, Katharine Hayhoe, a political scientist at Texas Tech University, tells the Times that many conservatives deny global warming because the fixes required sound to them like a liberal agenda to expand government reach. Moreover, she says, while many Americans realize global warming is a growing problem, many don’t think they’ll personally be affected. A second part of the study, set for release next year, could, however, help change those minds, Hayhoe says, because it will detail how climate change is already having an impact on many communities, particularly those susceptible to tidal flooding.

GOP TAX BILL WOULD CLOBBER GRADUATE STUDENTS

A proposal in the tax bill that passed the House November 16 could severely damage many graduate schools because it would drastically increase taxes on their students—a move that almost certainly would reduce enrollments, according to Axios, the online news outlet. U.S. tax law now exempts tuition that’s provided for free to master’s and Ph.D. students. The bill would do away with that exemption, requiring grad students to declare their stipends and grants as taxable income. One fourth-year doctoral student tells Axios that his annual tax bill would jump from $2,700 to $10,000—an increase that would force him to drop out. A biology professor at the University of Texas, Austin, says if the bill becomes law, he would tell prospective Ph.D. students to study in Canada or Europe. Axios explains that, given that the Trump administration has indicated it wants to cut the number of foreign grad students at American colleges and limit their ability to remain in the U.S. after they graduate, this tax change would be another blow to American dominance of global research and innovation.

Ready or Not?

Entrepreneurship has Become an Essential Professional Skill. It Should be Embedded in Engineering.

By Edmund J. Dougherty

As the director of engineering entrepreneurship at Villanova University, I frequently rub shoulders with alumni. Whether returning to campus for reunions, sporting events, or other functions, without exception they wish their undergraduate years had included the business fundamentals instruction we offer now. A common refrain: "It would have helped me tremendously and saved me lots of time in my career."

Engineers didn’t always need entrepreneurship skills. When I was an undergrad studying electrical engineering, employers didn’t care about the course I took in effective communication skills or that I aced an elective in the business school on project management. Nor did interviewers ever ask about my interest in the creative arts or the course in Peace and Justice on my transcript, focusing instead on my technical GPA and how well I performed on their on-the-spot quizzes to design an amplifier using NPN transistors. My first job after graduation was at a large automobile manufacturer. Day after day I was given specifications for circuits to design and algorithms to create. I never knew what others on the project were doing, who the customer was, or the budget. Since I love technology, I was perfectly happy cranking out solutions—and that’s all the company wanted.

Today, however, sophisticated design tools, highly integrated circuits, and a global low-wage workforce of skilled technologists have freed up U.S.-based engineers to concentrate on more sophisticated areas, such as systems design, creativity, opportunity identification, and innovation. The National Academy of Engineering saw this emerging trend, predicting that the Engineer of 2020 will need to be dynamic, agile, and resilient, with good communication and management skills as well as leadership abilities. Indeed, high-tech employers like Lockheed Martin list mentoring, passion, and organizational skills among the qualifications it seeks in engineers. Lifelong learning is another prized attribute—and a glance at today’s new job titles shows why: user-experience engineer, sustainability manager, and cloud-computing architect.

We must do more to meet the needs of employers and society. A number of engineering schools, including Penn State and other pioneers, now offer entrepreneurship minors. Broadening mind-sets, however, requires immersion. At Villanova, "entrepreneurially minded learning" (EML) infuses classes from the freshman engineering core to upper-level courses. Rather than focusing on start-ups, students learn how to identify, evaluate, and act upon opportunities and to explain their technical ideas in economic terms. They still study thermodynamics, of course, but in a way that stresses the value of that knowledge within the context of business and customer needs.

All first-year engineering students, for example, compete in a video pitch exercise against business school students. Many engineering professors also have developed EML-related classroom exercises, semester projects, case studies, readings, videos, and contests in their core and elective classes. Students in a soils class, say, might be challenged to find opportunities inspired by recent news events. Headlines about mudslides, infrastructure repairs, drug smugglers’ tunnels, and Elon Musk’s Hyperloop provide plenty of inspiration! In addition, about 15 percent of engineering majors pursue a 15-credit minor in Engineering Entrepreneurship that covers concepts from market research and technical analysis to leadership, culminating in a prototype product and well-honed pitch. Most of the seniors also will have submitted provisional patents to protect their intellectual property.

A number of entrepreneurship-related extracurricular opportunities supplement EML in the classroom. In the 24-Hour Imagination Quest, a fast-paced team competition mash-up of the Amazing Race and Shark Tank, students must move from idea to trade show booth, complete with logos and prototypes, in a weekend. Hands-on 3-D printing and other workshops help hone students’ ability to turn ideas into working prototypes—a plus over back-of-the-envelope calculations when pitching new ideas to investors and customers.

But what about those scores of graduates who missed this entrepreneurial induction? Their technological acumen will always be widely needed. But to make the most of their careers, and to make an impact on their companies and society, these engineers must continue their education through online courses, certificate programs, and graduate degrees.

For our part, universities need to listen to their own marketplace and offer postgraduate programs that include training in entrepreneurial skills. Let’s help working engineers learn how to design and develop innovative products and services to meet the needs of the marketplace. Let’s train them to identify and assess the viability of potential business opportunities, understand intellectual property issues, and raise finances for companies of any size, start-up to blue chip. By providing the business context in which engineers operate—from supply chain issues to public perceptions—we will enable technologists of all ages to remain productive in today’s rapidly changing global economy.

Edmond J. Dougherty is professor of practice and director of engineering entrepreneurship in Villanova University’s College of Engineering.

IV. JEE SELECTS

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V. JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

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VIII. SOUND OFF