Engineering...Beyond the Classroom

This series of videos were created to capture the perspectives of a few women in various engineering fields.

Click here to view the videos.

Let's face it, people don't like using public transportation, so let's not continue with the mass transportation myth that cities like to say will resolve environmental problems, says Leland Teschler, Machine Design editor. Instead, to save energy and go easier on the environment, do something counterintuitive: build more freeways. Traffic congestion forces drivers to waste billions of gallons of gas, producing tons of carbon dioxide each year. More freeways would help.

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Engineering...Beyond the Classroom, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Engineering...Beyond the Classroom today.

James Duderstadt, president emeritus of the University of Michigan, thinks a revolution is needed in engineering education. An engineering professor himself, Duderstadt argued in a recent lecture that more education in the humanities and social sciences is necessary to produce young engineers with a deeper comprehension of the cultural and historical forces that affect technological advances. The Olin College of Engineering, started just six years ago, has gotten rave reviews by following just that tack. Will a revolution in education really produce better engineers?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Engineering...Beyond the Classroom, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Engineering...Beyond the Classroom today.

A planned $5 million campaign to showcase the benefits of plastics should gauge the industry's popularity in a way the millennial generation knows best — number of "friends." The U.S. Society of the Plastics Industry early next year will launch new media initiatives using Facebook, YouTube, and Wikipedia to dispel some of the recent negative publicity the industry has received for bag bans, safety concerns, and legislation issues.

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The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Engineering...Beyond the Classroom, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Engineering...Beyond the Classroom today.

Simple machines ignite the creativity of their users. The wheel and the lever find a plethora of applications limited only by the designer's imagination. But what happens when the machines usurp that creativity? According to a professor at the Oxford Internet Institute, proliferation of iPods, iPhones, and other gadgets is turning previously creative types into passive technology users. Is this a trend that bodes poorly for development of the next technology generation?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Engineering...Beyond the Classroom, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Engineering...Beyond the Classroom today.