The National Engineers Week Future City Competition, presented for the first time in the DFW area, is sponsored by: Fort Worth and Dallas IEEE Sections, UTA, IBM, and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. CompUSA, Radio Shack, TSPE, SWE, and ASCE provided additional support.
Students from middle schools around the metroplex have been working since October with volunteer engineer-mentors on the various competition phases: beginning with developing a successful SimCity 2000 city design that considered factors such as: pollution levels, power generation, traffic flow, education levels, unemployment, crime rates, and taxes; and continuing through writing an essay on engineering a communications system, and building a 3-D scale model of a section of their city.
Winners of the competition:
1. L'Avenir Ville, Crowley Middle School
2. Animotopolis Dance, Dunbar Middle School
3. STIK Ville, G.B. Dealey Academy
Best Essay: CINCARA, Dunbar Middle School
Team Choice Best Model: Kingsville, Highland Park Middle School
Teamwork: Crowley, H.F. Stevens Middle School
For additional information on 2001 contest or the upcoming 2002 program, contact Jean Eason
An interesting fact about the city’s name, L’avenir Ville, is that it is French for "Future City." L’avenir Ville is very popular among the Sims because the city has many services to offer. The basic needs are available: bountiful electricity, superior water supply, efficient roads and highways, a dutiful police force, strategically placed firefighter stations, and a well-managed waste system. However, the additional services make the city truly great.
Western L’avenir Ville has a large airport with a seaport nearby. Both are big enough to handle a substantial traffic flow. Six beautifully, well-maintained archologies create high national ratings. For a more city-like environment, people can live in L’avenir Ville itself. Industrial sites, buffered by dense vegetation, are far enough from residential areas to avoid pollution problems, but close enough for commuting. Commercial areas are located near residential for convenience. A low crime rate allows for minimal prison population. A small military base located near the southern forest provides for future defense needs. With abundant recreation in residential areas, the children remain happy and parents more stress-free. The outstanding schools and two colleges in the residential areas insure our educational future.
TEXAS ENGINEERING DREAM TEAM - Captained by Texas Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff, PE, a consulting engineer for more than 35 years and a past recipient of the George Washington Citizen Engineer Award, an honor he shares with fellow Engineering Dream Team member US Rep. Joe Barton, PE.
The other team members are (in alphabetical order):
| Ronald E. Bell, II, Ph.D. | Austin W. John Lee, Ph.D., PE, College Station |
| Harry Bovay, PE, Houston | Texas Sen. Jon Lindsay, Houston |
| Bonnie Dunbar, Clear Lake | Bramlett McClelland, PE, Houston |
| Earnest Gloyna, Ph.D., P.E., Austin | John J. McKetta, Ph.D., PE, Austin |
| Jose Guerra, PE, Austin | George Mitchell, PE, Houston |
| Bayo Hopper, PE, Lufkin | Robert Nichols, PE, Fort Worth |
| Jack Kilby, Dallas | Chuck Samson, Ph.D., PE, College Station |
| Larry Lake, Ph.D., PE, Austin | Jimmy Smith, Ph.D., PE, Lubbock |
The following (Texas) Pioneers of Engineering also will be honored during National Engineers Week:
| George Brown, PE, Houston | Leah Montclure, Austin |
| Herman Brown, PE, Houston | J. Neils Thompson, Ph.D., PE, Austin |
| Gib Gilchrist, PE, Austin | Walter C. Trout, PE, Lufkin |
| Joe Paul Jones, PE, Fort Worth | H.B. Zachry, PE, San Antonio |
| Richard LeTourneau, Longview |
INTRODUCE A GIRL TO ENGINEERING DAY - IBM also leads the way for this a new National Engineers Week annual event, whose purpose is to encourage girls to excel in math and science as early as elementary school - and continue to excel - so they'll be ready for formal engineering courses in college. While there has long been a strong interest in engineering among the boys, the committee is determined to make that the case for girls, too.
LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO SPEND A DAY IN THE CLASSROOM - In the local area, IBM is looking for volunteers to go into classrooms to tell the students about engineering careers and encourage them to study math and science. You do not have to be an engineer to participate! The only requirements are a desire to help local children understand the importance of math and science and the willingness to inspire them to pursue a technical career. As E-week falls during TAAS testing period, we'll probably be visiting schools the week of February 26 depending on their schedule. The focus is on middle schools and junior high schools.
Volunteers can visit one or more classes depending on the time that you can commit (approximately one hour in the classroom per class visit). You will be offered a two-hour training session on Feb 8 which will provide videos, presentations, and experiments that can be used in the classroom.
The top 5 reasons to volunteer are to:
5. Show that Bill Nye - The Science Guy, Beakman, and Harry Potter aren't the only ones to demonstrate wizardry and magic to school kids.
4. Have the University of Texas School of Engineering named after you when the entire class of 2007 lists you as their inspiration.
3. Skip the office or classes for several hours while you "promote the industry."
2. As you are presenting, you can pretend that you are not quite as old as you really are.
1. If you have children and they misbehave, then you can threaten to come to THEIR school and talk to THEIR friends about what you do all day.
Contact Sandra Ambrose by February 6.
2001 FORT WORTH SECTION OFFICERS
The results of the recent Section Officer election
| Chairman | Bob Krause |
|---|---|
| Vice Chairman | John Oberkrom |
| Secretary | Thomas Sears |
| Treasurer | Steve Papa |
However, due to a change in his employment situation, Bob Krause has had to resign and John Oberkrom has assumed the offices of Chair.
SPEND A DAY IN THE CLASSROOM TO ENCOURAGE FUTURE ENGINEERS - National Engineers Week and its corporate sponsor IBM are looking for volunteers to go into middle school classrooms and turn the students on to an engineering career. Details
WEBZINES FOCUS ON CAREERS AND PUBLIC POLICY - IEEE-USA has posted on the web the first issues of its new monthly web publications Today's Engineer and Policy Perspectives.
Previously available only through subscription, the award-winning Today's Engineer is embarking on its fourth year of publishing feature articles on career guidance, tips, strategies and solutions for all segments of the profession. In the January issue, read Bob Bellinger's article on stealth job hunting, Michele Riley's article on how to evaluate stock options as part of a corporate package in today's more volatile stock market and Todd Yuzuriha column on how to use humor effectively in the workplace.
IEEE-USA'S Policy Perspectives, includes timely articles and commentary on the topics that are shaping legislation, the technology workplace, and the engineering world. In the premier issue, Jack Casazza seeks member support in shaping electric power policy and a reader poll requests opinions on the relevance to US plants of the Japanese concept of *kaizen* that encompasses total quality control, continuous process improvement , error-free production, and just-in-time delivery.
IEEE-USA's LEGISLATIVE AGENDA for the 107TH Congress (2001-02) outlines IEEE-USA's legislative priorities ranging from retirement savings to federal support of research and development (R&D) to Internet privacy and security. Highlights included:
IEEE-USA REPORT ON 2000 ACTIVITIES - This report highlights programs, activities and outcomes from IEEE-USA's government relations efforts during the 106th Congress, specifically during the past year. It also addresses the priority issues identified in IEEE-USA's Legislative Agenda for the 107th Congress and briefly reviews select activities from other government relations programs.
IEEE-USA'S NEW CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWS have finalized their assignments for 2001. Dr. Russell Lefevre, vice president with the Technology Services Corporation, will advise Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-WV) on science and technology issues. Mr. Jason Remer, a section supervisor with Entergy's Arkansas Nuclear One plant, will support Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) on national energy policy issues. Dr. Peter Winokur, manager for radiation technology and assurance at Sandia National Laboratory, will assist Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) on renewable energy and technology issues. They join Dr. Saj Durrani, IEEE-USA's Executive Fellow whose assignment with the Federal Communications Committee's Office of Engineering and Technology runs through June 2001.
IEEE ANNOUNCES THREE NEW EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS - The first with National Technological University (NTU) where IEEE members will have access to specially selected programs and courses offered through NTU and its affiliate, PBS The Business & Technology Network. These programs allow you to select your classes from several different NTU participating universities including MIT and Georgia Tech. You can also save up to 20% through March 31, 2001 as part of a special launch promotion.
A second partnership is with New Jersey Institute of Technology - IEEE members who enroll in NJIT distance learning courses via the IEEE web site will receive a 10% discount off the price of tuition.
And the third partnership with the United States Open University (USOU), a new, non-profit university, has been established to meet the needs of students whose schedules and commitments prevent them from attending a traditional campus. Dedicated to reducing the barriers to education it combines convenience and flexibility with faculty support and multimedia course materials. Students who enroll in online courses via the IEEE web site will receive a 10% discount off the price of tuition.
IEEE PRESS BOOKS
SELF STUDY COURSE: INTRODUCTION TO WIRELESS AND PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS - focuses on information processing in wireless communications and explores the fundamentals of wireless mobile communications. It includes an overview of the basics of telecommunication systems and traffic engineering, an introduction to cellular/PCS systems and radio propagation, and the fundamentals of radio technology. The course package comes with a study guide, final exam, and the best-selling Prentice-Hall book by Dr. Garg and Joseph E. Wilkes, "Wireless & Personal Communications Systems." Upon successful completion of the exam, students are eligible to receive eight IEEE Continuing Education Units. The member price is US$350. Details
REMAINING 2001 IEEE CORPORATE OFFICERS NAMED - In addition to those officers recently elected, the IEEE Assembly has named the following individuals to vice president positions: Lyle D. Feisel, Vice President - Educational Activities; James M. Tien, Vice President - Publications Activities; Hugo Maria Fernandez-Verstegen - IEEE Secretary; Dale C. Caston - IEEE Treasurer. And, at its 15 November meeting in Tampa, Florida, the Assembly of the Regional Activities Board elected Maurice Papo, Vice President - Regional Activities.
2002 PRESIDENT-ELECT CANDIDATES recommended by the Board are Michael S. Adler, Paul J. Kostek, and Arthur W. Winston.
ASME NANOTECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP - Leading researchers and practitioners convened in Washington to discuss challenges and opportunities in nanotechnology and its application to mechanical engineering and other engineering disciplines and professions. The workshop will serve to initiate recommendations for ASME's role as a leading technical society for the nanotechnology field. Details
REPORT FINDS LITTLE IMPROVEMENT TO US PERFORMANCE IN PRECOLLEGE MATH AND SCIENCE - The preliminary results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study Repeat (TIMSS-R) show that the performance of US 8th grade students in math and science has not improved over the past four years and that the relative performance of US students slipped between the 4th and the 8th grades. In a comparison of 38 developed and developing nations, US students rank slightly above the International average, but trailed 18 and 17 nations respectively in math and science performance. The results were released on Dec. 5 by the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
In 1995, US 4th graders bested the international average in both mathematics and science, ranking in the upper tier of science achievement and near the top in math in the 29-nation survey. By the time the same group of students reached the 8th grade, its performance was mediocre. When US 4th graders scored better than 8th and 12th graders on the 1995 tests, many speculated that curriculum changes made in the early 1990s were paying off for the nation's youngest students. Some policymakers and educators predicted that the achievement would be sustained as the students got older. But the TIMSS-R results undercut that theory.
According to Judith Sunley, interim assistant director for education and human resources at the National Science Foundation, "this finding reaffirms our belief that the US needs to focus on stronger math and science preparation in middle school." Sunley added "The curricula at that level are not strong and teachers are not as well prepared as they are in the countries that perform better, where the teachers are more likely to hold degrees in the disciplines they are teaching."
For more information:
STUDENT JOBS HURT MATH, SCIENCE SCORES - A study in The Journal of Educational Research's November/December issue questions the common belief that part-time jobs benefit high school students and suggests that the more hours students clock, the fewer math and science courses they take. The study found that jobs had a "significant negative effect" on coursework and achievement in math and science. The more hours students logged at their jobs, the less likely they were to take courses and perform well in those subjects.
The number of high school students holding part-time jobs has risen steadily over the past two decades. Forty-two percent of high school seniors, 33% of juniors, and 15% of sophomores worked part time in 1994, according to the most recent figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The United States is one of the few industrialized nations where adolescents commonly both work and attend school. American students' performance on science and math tests has lagged compared with that of other countries. Previous studies on students who work reveal mixed findings. Some found a small to moderate decline in student achievement; others concluded work had a negligible impact on students' grade point averages. But some research suggests that when a high percentage of students at a school hold part-time jobs, the school's teaching and learning atmosphere shifts because teachers begin to lower their expectations for student performance.
Jean Eason, Editor