Entries in "News from the Field" ( for this category only)

More Solar Projects in Ohio

49.9-megawatt solar-power project in northwest Ohio: Ohio solar project a go | The Columbus Dispatch

Lake Erie Wind Farm

Here is a few minutes of audio with Dianne Anderson, director of the Great Lakes Energy Institute at Case Western Reserve University, on the upcoming Lake Erie wind farm.

Monday, May 03, 2010
WKSU Public Radio

Kids Publish in Peer Reviewed Science Journal

Biology Letters has published a journal article by 8 to 10-year olds investigating how bumblebees see colors and patterns.

Future scientists in action!

See the Associated Press article for more information.

Current Segway Company Owner Dies on Segway

The N.Y. Daily News reported that the Segway company owner Jimi Heselden dies in England after riding a Segway off cliff.

I feel sad for him and his family. I can only imagine what this will mean for sales of Segways and the employees that work for this company. It is not the kind of advertising you hope for.

Ohio Wind-related Manufacturing Mentioned at ALA Conference

I am attending the Midwinter Conference of the American Library Association in Boston. I did not attend this specific session but Al Gore was one of the invited speakers. He specifically mentioned Cardinal Fastener in Ohio and how advanced energy has revitalized the company.

Eleventh Annual Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture
Saturday, January 16, 2010, 1:30- 2:30 pm
Featuring Al Gore

Library Advocacy Day

Library Advocacy Day from ALA Washington on Vimeo.

For one year only, Library Advocacy Day will replace National Library Legislative Day (NLLD). On June 29, 2010, library advocates from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. will meet at Upper Senate Park on the U.S. Capitol grounds. The event, which will begin at 11 a.m., will feature guest speakers, photo ops, and a chance to cheer on libraries! After the rally, participants will meet with their elected officials and their staffs.

ASCE Video Contest

American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) is sponsoring a contest that asks engineering students to create a short video or slide show to illustrate why your school is THE BEST at applying your engineering knowledge and skills to volunteer projects that make a difference. See contest rules for full details.

ASCE is this year’s national society chair for Engineers Week 2010, along with honorary corporate chair ExxonMobil. The National Engineers Week Foundation is a coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations and government agencies dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce and to raising public understanding and appreciation of engineers’ contributions to society.

Online Engineering Video Competition on 'How Engineers Make a World of Difference'

IEEE-USA is launching the organization's third online engineering video competition for undergraduate students on "How Engineers Make a World of Difference." IEEE-USA will present four scholarship awards totaling $5,000 to undergraduates who create the most effective 90-second video clips reinforcing for an 11-to-13-year-old audience how engineers improve the world. Entries must be submitted through YouTube by midnight Eastern Time on Friday, 15 January 2010. Winning entries will be announced and shown during Engineers Week, 14-20 February 2010.

See full press release for details.

Congratulations to Chung-Chiun Liu

From CASE DAILY (November 5, 2009):

Chung-Chiun Liu, the Wallace R. Persons Professor of Sensor Technology and Control Professor of Chemical Engineering in the Department of Chemical Engineering, has been admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

ASM International's Geodesic Dome

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (August 30, 2009) the ASM International's geodesic dome has been nominated to be listed with the National Register of Historic Places.

See a picture of the structure and get more details at the ASM website about Materials Park.

Major Chemistry Publisher Apparently Phasing Out Print Journals

It appears from an article in Nature (Published online 17 June 2009) that the American Chemical Society has announces steps to phase out their print journals in favor of all electronic access.

I wondered what major publisher would be first to take this action.

Ohio Collaborative Conference on Bioinformatics (OCCBIO)

The fourth annual Ohio Collaborative Conference on Bioinformatics will be hosted by Case Western Reserve University on June 15-17, 2009.

The conference provides an interdisciplinary forum for the discussion of methods, research findings, and experiences.

An important goal for the conference is to foster long-term collaborative relationships and networking opportunities within the domain of computational approaches to biology that benefit Ohio.

See: http://www.occbio.org/2009/index.shtml

Virtual Career Fair in Second Life

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is holding a Virtual Career Fair in Second Life from June 8-12, 2009.

Career in Science Librarianship

I was very honored recently to be interviewed by Lucas Laursen for an article he was preparing for Science Careers (from the journal Science).

The article, called Looking Up Your Career at the Library, was collection of thoughts by several science librarians that made the transition from the traditional science career path to libraries.

ALA to promote Midwinter Meeting programming in Second Life

If you cannot attend the American Library Association Midwinter meeting in Denver, you can participate from January 23-26, 2009, in the virtual environment of Second Life. Make sure to check out ALA's Second Life agenda for more details.

NanoTube Contest - What is "Nano" ?

From the ACS Nanotation NanoTube webpage:

The concept of "nano" has captured the interest and excitement of researchers and science-enthusiasts alike, but the question remains - what is "nano"? How is "nano" best visualized? Where is "nano" headed? Send us your ideas in the form of an original creative video and you could win $500 in cash!

Video submissions will be accepted from January 5 - March 15, 2009. Videos are limited to 3 minutes or less, and will be judged on creativity, scientific clarity of explanation, originality and quality of the video. Entrants are encouraged to submit their videos early, since early submissions will have the best chance to accumulate a greater number of votes.

Visit the website to submit a video, vote for your favorite, or see the rules.

CERN's Large Hadron Collider

The Large Hadron Collider is scheduled to go live with its first major experiment on September 10th.

From their website:

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a gigantic scientific instrument near Geneva, where it spans the border between Switzerland and France about 100 m underground. It is a particle accelerator used by physicists to study the smallest known particles – the fundamental building blocks of all things. It will revolutionise our understanding, from the minuscule world deep within atoms to the vastness of the Universe.

If everything you have read or seen is too technical, you can always fall back on a quick YouTube movie to make everything crystal clear.

Amelia Earhart Internship for Women Students in the Sciences and Engineering

For the Case community:
The Flora Stone Mather Center for Women and the Career Center will be co-sponsoring a new internship program this summer. Students interested in completing a summer internship in Cleveland in a science or engineering field are eligible to participate.

Develop your network and learn about what it's like to work with a variety of different science and engineering employers; work with your supervisor to make progress on the individual learning goals you identify as essential to your future career; and give and receive ongoing support with students placed in similar internships.

Deadline to sign-up: Friday, February 29, 2008

Contact:
WISER Coordinator Liz Lierman, Elizabeth.lierman@case.edu, 216.368.6858

Wii Preparation for Surgeons

Years ago we had reports that our Desert Storm pilots were better than their former colleagues, due to being raised as children with video games. Now, we a have a study that shows surgeons that warm up or train on Wii perform better in surgeries.

Game players scored nearly 50% higher on tool control and overall performance than other trainees.

Source: 'Wii warm-up' good for surgeons from BBC News (January 17, 2008)

Google 2008 Anita Borg Scholarship

The Google 2008 Anita Borg Scholarship is open for application until Friday, February 1, 2008.

As part of Google's ongoing commitment to furthering Anita's vision, we are pleased to announce the 2008 Google Anita Borg Scholarship, through which we hope to encourage women to excel in computing and technology and become active role models and leaders.

ALA Midwinter 2008

I will be heading to Philadelphia for ALA Midwinter in January. I will post my plans and updates here.

Anyone else going?

What can nano do for you?

Come to Science Café Cleveland: a lively, informal scientific discussion in an inviting atmosphere of food and drink.

This month’s topic: What can nano do for you?

Featuring:
Dr. Steven Eppell (CWRU Biomedical Engineering) & Dr. Alexis Abramson (Case Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering)

WHERE: The brewpub downstairs at Great Lakes Brewing Company (2516 Market Ave, Cleveland)

WHEN: Monday, December 10th; drinks at 6 pm, discussion starts around 6:30 pm

WHO: Sponsored by the CWRU chapter of Sigma Xi, WGBH Boston, and Great Lakes Brewing Company

Science Café Cleveland takes place on the second Monday of each month at GLBC. A few free appetizers are provided, and participants are welcome to purchase additional food and drinks.

Case Senior Completes NASA Internship

Mason Conrad, senior center on the Case basketball team and mechanical engineering major, conducted research for NASA Glenn Research Center on its Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). The CEV an be used for the future trips to the moon.

Read the full announcement.

ACS Nanotation

On Monday, Oct. 22nd, ACS Publications launched ACS Nanotation, a new website created to bring together the worldwide nano community. This free online resource enables nanoscientists to save time by reading reviews that identify the most significant, new research. It includes:

• Nano Picks
• Ask the Scientist: Nano Letters
• ACS Journals in Focus
• Image gallery, podcasts, and NanoTube
• Wiki of terminology

ACS Nanotation—it's new, it's free, and you could win an iPod® nano. One iPod® nano will be awarded each month through December 2007. Register at ACS Nanotation.

National Chemistry Week: October 21-27, 2007

During this week, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of National Chemistry Week as promoted by the American Chemical Society.

FREE ASM Trial Membership through October 1

Become an ASM Member or Trial Member to be eligible to WIN up to $10,000 in ASM products and services in the $35,000 ASM's Everything Material Sweepstakes.

FREE Trial Membership through October 1, 2007, no purchase necessary.

Web 3.0 on the Horizon

Have you learned everything about how to use web 2.0 effectively? If not, get ready to fall further behind. Articles are already starting to circulate about web 3.0 and what that will mean for Internet users.

CNNMoney.com in an article by Michael V. Copeland shared how researchers are looking into the efficient use of the semantic web. In other words how can computers help to organize all the data, including that within documents, for the benefit of Internet searchers.

If you are looking for future employment opportunities consider this data from the article:

One estimate pegs the market for products and services stemming from semantic Web technologies at $50 billion by 2010, up from about $7 billion today.

From D.C.

I hope to learn plenty at ALA Annual and I will share as much as possible.

Social Networks for Employment Recruiting

On my blog highlighting engineering news and resources, I just highlighted a newspaper article that discusses using social networks to accomplish employment recruiting.

Why mention it here? I have heard comments from those in the library profession say libraries "do not belong in the social networks" and "people do not want us there". Engineering companies and recruiters are highlighting their industry, educating potential future employers, and maintaining communication channels with future employees or customers. Lets learn from others!

Aerospace Industry is Graying & Recruits Virtually

According to the Akron Beacon Journal (Aerospace industry beckons, 5/28/07), 1 out of 4 in the aerospace industry will be eligible for retirement next year. Aerospace companies and recruiters are now using "virtual" tools to recruit, such as Facebook groups and chat rooms. These social tools are being used to educate potential future employers, peak interest in the industry, and maintain content with past interns.

Dexter Advances

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (May 12, 2007), Case Western Reserve University's robotic car, Dexter, has made it to the next round of playoffs with 52 other cars. The next round is site visits in June with 30 cars advancing to the semifinals in October. At stake is a $2 million prize.

Case School of Engineering Receives Electronic Design Grant

According to the Chip Design Magazine (May 9, 2007), the Case School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University is the recipient of a Charles Babbage Grant sponsored by both Synopsys and HP.

Through the grant, Case's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science will receive licenses of Synopsys' comprehensive electronic design automation (EDA) software and intellectual property, along with curricula, support and professor training, and sixteen dual core HP xw4400 Workstations to outfit the new Synopsys/HP EDA Laboratory.

2007 TechSource Gaming, Learning, and Libraries Symposium

Registration is now open for the first annual Gaming, Learning, and Libraries Symposium, sponsored by ALA TechSource and the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL).

Gaming and literacy experts James Paul Gee and Henry Jenkins will keynote the event by exploring how libraries fit into the intersection of gaming and the digital learning landscape, while guest speakers Eli Neiburger (author of the 2007 title "Gamers…in the Library?! The Why, What, and How of Videogame Tournaments for All Ages") and Syracuse University Game Lab Director Scott Nicholson will kick off the discussions about why libraries do this. Gregory Trefry, a game designer from GameLab, will explore libraries and the concept of "big games," while social computing expert and gamer Liz Lawley will provide context and a broad view for the topics discussed.

More than 25 sessions in three tracks will cover such wide-ranging topics as creating games for information literacy, implementing gaming programs, teaching kids how to make their own games, gaming for adults, digital downloads for gamers, online fiction games, and more. In addition, a track dedicated to Second Life will highlight how libraries are creating a presence in this virtual world and what they are gaining from it.

Electron Devices Society PhD Student Fellowship Program

The IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS) established the PhD Student Fellowship Program to promote, recognize, and support graduate level study and research within the Electron Devices Societies. Deadline is May 15, 2006, and nominations must be made by a EDS member. Students would receive $7,000 and a travel subsidy of up to $3,000 to attend the IEDM for presentation of award plaque. The EDS Newsletter will feature articles about the EDS Graduate Fellows and their work over the course of the next year.Make sure you see the PhD Student Fellowship Program for full details.

Kelvin Smith Library at Research ShowCASE

Make sure to stop into the Research ShowCASE on April 11th and 12th. Kelvin Smith Library has several opportunities for you on April 12th, including:

• The Freedman Center: From Inspiration to Presentation - Booth 469
• Kelvin Smith Library - What You Don't Know Can Hurt You! - Booth 467
• Online Historical Archives: Kelvin Smith Library, Digital Case, and the Future of Open Source Electronic Research Repositories (Mark Eddy, Social Sciences Librarian) - Poster 207
• Knovel as a Tool for Engineering Research and Education (Brian Gray, Engineering Librarian, and Mohan Sankaran, Professor in Chemical Engineering) - Poster 216

The Kelvin Smith Library would like to point out a couple more points of interest:

• Designing a Portable High Definition Stereoscopic Camera System for Capturing Cultural Content (Jared Bendis, Creative Director of New Media, Freedman Center) - Booth 468
• WPA Prints in Special Collections, Kelvin Smith Library (Ellen Landau, Professor Art History) - Poster 208)

---

RESEARCH SHOWCASE 2007
THE FUTURE IS NOW

April 11th and 12th, 2007

RESEARCH SHOWCASE is a free public event held in the Veale Convocation Center on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. Hundreds of scientists and scholars will come together on April 11th and 12th, 2007 at Case Western Reserve University Veale Convocation Center to celebrate the broad range of research being conducted at Case and its affiliates.

With over 500 poster presentations and live demonstrations, Research ShowCASE is the perfect opportunity for business, government and civic leaders, researchers and investors to meet. Provocative forums throughout the day highlight research in the context of current local and global issues and the commercial aspects of research and discovery.

This year’s panels include The Information Revolution with guest speaker Ambassador Joseph Wilson, author of The Politics of Truth, Race and the Nation – Snapshot of America in Change, with guest speaker Anna Deavere Smith, actress, playwright and MacArthur Foundation Fellow, Fast Forward – the Future of Funding, including guest speaker John Osher, Entrepreneur and Spin Brush Developer and Magic Technology – Advances in Bio-Imaging, including speakers from the academic and corporate research areas of the newest bio-imaging technology.

Breakout sessions throughout the day on April 12th include Speed Mentoring, Bio-Imaging and Women of Excellence – Honoring Women Researchers and Scholars.

For more information about Research ShowCASE, including a complete program schedule, registration, parking, directions, maps and lodging, visit http://showcase.case.edu or contact us at 216-368-5963.

Case is Strong in Licensing Revenue

Case Western Reserve University led Ohio universities, hospitals and research institutes by collecting $29.4 million in licensing revenues over the last three years, almost more than all other institutions in Ohio combined, according to the recently released U.S. Licensing Survey for fiscal year 2005 by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM).

[VIA: CASE DAILY, March 27, 2007]

NEW - Society of Nanoscience & Nanotechnology

The Society of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (SNN) is a worldwide organisation set up to serve the needs of the “nano” community. SNN was officially launched to the international community during the recent and very successful “International Meeting on Developments in Materials, Processes and Applications of Nanotechnology”, MPA-2007, organised by SNN, which was held at the University of Ulster, UK on 15 January 2007.

From About Us:

• Promote all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology
• Educate and bring awareness to people about nanotechnology and its impact on society
• Raise, discuss and debate nano-related issues, including government policies on nanotechnology
• Offer different levels of memberships, with benefits, to people working in nanoscience and nanotechnology
• Organise and manage international nano-related conferences
• Provide an effective advertising platform for companies to promote their business
• Promote education and training through organising workshops, short educational courses, seminars, etc.
• Bringing to the front, current and most recent up-to-date scientific and technical information to the public
• Provide consultancy services to both people from academia and industry
• Alert people about new job opportunities
• Publish journals, reports, books and newsletters
• National, European and international research projects: identify, link partners and coordinate projects

Challenge to Society Publishers

Kimberly Douglas and Dana L. Roth, both of the California Institute of Technology, put forth a challenge for society publishers to not follow in the path of the commercial publishers. In addition, they provide some background into how librarians are "ranking" quality in tough budget times.

University faculty and administrators need to engage with librarians to ensure that the best decisions are being made for the longterm.

[VIA: Chemical & Engineering News, November 20, 2006, Volume 84, Number 47, pp.82-84]

Continue reading "Challenge to Society Publishers"

Ohio Nanotechnology Summit

Case Western Reserve University is a cosponsor of the Ohio Nanotechnology Summit that will take place April 23-25 at the University of Akron. Faculty and students can submit research posters for consideration. The deadline to submit titles and abstracts is March 22 and should be sent by e-mail to janas@uakron.edu.

The Ohio Nanotechnology Summit is the premier nanotechnology event in Ohio drawing both national and local leaders in nanotechnology. Including all sectors and disciplines, the summit delivers a concentrated program spanning key issues ranging from nanotechnology research to development to commercialization. The Ohio Nanotechnology Summit will offer a unique opportunity to get a first-hand perspective on the boundless potential that this exciting technical field holds. The 2007 Program will feature 4 areas:

• Nano Materials
• Nano Processing
• Nano Bio
• Nano Photonics and Electronics

[VIA: CASE DAILY, March 15, 2007]

What Does Cleveland 2.0 Look Like?

Have you tried Second Life yet? I have been participating since late last year. Many libraries have built virtual offices and buildings. I personally have been using it as a tool to communicate and share ideas with other librarians. I have already attended several online conferences and poster sessions within Second Life. It has been a nice networking tool to meet with people from other libraries that do not attend the same real world meetings or conferences as me.

I am excited to see OneCleveland and that Case is leading the way. For more local information, see the following articles:

• Cleveland 2.0: Where avatars fly, chat, tour the Rock Hall, The Plain Dealer, Friday, March 16, 2007, Tom Feran
• Plain Dealer Early Edition: Cleveland gets a Second Life, The Plain Dealer, Friday, March 15, 2007, Tom Feran
• Plain Dealer Early Edition: Want a Second Life? It's Yours, The Plain Dealer, Friday, March 15, 2007, Tom Feran

I took these photos over the weekend.

The map that greats visitors to OneCleveland.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/briangray/890245864/

Kelvin Smith Library in OneCleveland.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/briangray/542633772/

$400,000 to Case School of Engineering

From the Case Daily (March 05, 2007):

Case School of Engineering Dean Norman Tien announced two new gifts to the school totaling nearly $400,000. The gifts are $270,000 from Medtronic to support fellowships in the Department of Biomedical Engineering; and $125,000 from Don Richards (CIT '79, MGT '81), managing director for applications outsourcing at Accenture, to support students in the Master of Engineering and Management (MEM), a joint program with the Weatherhead School of Management.

The Minneapolis-based Medtronic is a longtime School of Engineering partner. The company sponsored the school's Engineering Festival and was a primary sponsor of the 2007 Midwest Biomedical Engineering Conference, both of which the university hosted in conjunction with Engineering Week activities.

Case Professor Authors Award Winning Combustion Paper

Chih-Jen Sung, an associate professor in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department, and his coauthors received the Distinguished Paper Award in Colloquium Laminar Flames from the 31st International Symposium on Combustion.

[VIA: Case Daily - March 02, 2007]

Case's Robotic Car - Dexter

The Cleveland Plain Dealer recently highlighted Case's robotic car.

Later this year, Dexter's creators -- a brash, overachieving young team of more than 50 engineering and computer-science students and professors from Case Western Reserve University -- aim to win an international contest. To do so, their car must navigate a 60-mile mock urban course filled with unfamiliar roads, oncoming traffic and unexpected obstacles.

[VIA: The Plain Dealer, Sunday, February 25, 2007]

What You Post Today Can Get You Fired Later

Here is another example of a person forgetting that the Internet is open to the world and you cannot take back you email once you hit send. In this case, it was a city worker forwarding political cartoons using a work computer. After being forwarded several times among other people, it was forwarded to the local newspaper as an example of government waste. What do you think - 6 month of investigation or weeks of secret interviews and computer filtering? No, the paper had it in less than 6 hours of the email starting its circulation.

UPDATE: Link fixed on March 5, 2007.

CSA Trust - Winter Newsletter

The Chemical Structure Association (CSA) Trust has published its winter Newsletter, which is freely available to all at http://csa-trust.org.

The Chemical Structure Association Trust (CSA Trust) is an internationally recognized, registered charity which promotes education, research and development in the field of storage, processing and retrieval of information about chemical structures, reactions and compounds. Many students and researchers world-wide, who work in this area, have benefited from the Trust Awards and Grants programmes to further their research work.

Cell Broadband Engine (Cell/B.E.) Challenge

IBM is pleased to announce an excellent opportunity for you to put your skills to the test and allow innovation to take the lead!

You can participate in this contest whether you have little or no Cell/B.E. Processor experience, some understanding of the techology, or have mastered this subject for some time now.

What you really need is the drive and competitive spirit to expand your mind, learn about this cutting edge technology, and show off your coding prowess. With some hard work and dedication, you could win some great cash prizes!

Learn more about the contest.

[VIA: Case Daily - February 20, 2007]

Student Travel Grants Available for Industrial Electronics Symposium

The 2007 IEEE Symposium on Industrial Electronics (ISIE) will be granting nine scholarships of $500 each for students who wish to attend ISIE between 4-7 June 2007. The purpose of ISIE is to provide a forum for presentation and discussion of state-of-the-art industrial electronics and related areas. Students seeking travel grants must be active student members of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, should reside outside of Vigo, Spain, where the conference is taking place. Applicants must also have a paper that has been accepted at ISIE and will be presenting it. Applications are due on 9 March 2007. For more information, visit: http://www.dte.uvigo.es/isie2007/studentstravelgrant.php

Midwest Biomedical Engineering Conference

The Case School of Engineering is hosting the Midwest Biomedical Engineering Conference on February 23. Online registration, abstract submission, and resume submission are now open. All abstracts and resumes must be submitted by February 9. For more information, go to http://www.mbecconference.org/.

From website:

MBEC 2007: "Showcasing the future of biomedical engineering"

The Midwest Biomedical Engineering Conference (MBEC) 2007 is designed to bring together students & practitioners of Biomedical Engineering and the Life Sciences for panel discussions, technical sessions, and informal extended exchange of ideas important to the future of Biomedical Engineering in the Midwest. Some conference highlights include:

• Assisting participants in planning their academic and industrial careers
• Introducing companies to the wealth of intellectual prowess rooted in the Midwest
• Exposing participants to innovative research in biomedical engineering and allied areas

MBEC 2007 is hosted by Case Western Reserve University. All universities are welcome to attend.

[VIA: Case Daily - February 02, 2007]

Continue reading "Midwest Biomedical Engineering Conference"

Engineering Reality TV Program

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recognizes the importance of developing interest in engineering among today's youth. IEEE has invested in a reality TV program being developed by WGBH Boston (PBS). Design Squad will take the reality TV approach by following high school students through various design competitions.

Other major funding for Design Squad is provided by the National Science Foundation and the Intel Foundation. Additional funding is provided by Tyco Electronics, National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, The Harold and Esther Edgerton Family Foundation, Noyce Foundation, Intel Corporation, American Society of Civil Engineers, and the IEEE.

[VIA: Engineering Education Gets Its Own Reality TV Show]

Continue reading "Engineering Reality TV Program"

Conference - PolyImpact Northeast Ohio (PINO) 2007

The Macro Student Organization (MSO) of the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering is organizing a one-day symposium on March 31 titled "PolyImpact Northeast Ohio" or PINO 2007. The symposium aims to provide a platform for senior undergraduates and graduate students in polymer-related research fields to present and communicate their research to peers and experts as well as experience a unique exposure to future career paths and opportunities in the polymer industry. The symposium will contain selected talks and poster presentations/competition from graduate researchers, expert talks from industry, a job fair, and a panel discussion on career opportunities for polymer students. Cash prizes awarded. The deadline for registration is January 31. To submit abstract and register or for other details, refer to http://polymers.case.edu/mso/PINO.

[VIA: Case Daily - January 29, 2007]

Moon Base in the Future?

According to the National Geographic (December 4, 2006), a moon base has been announced by NASA. I hope Cleveland and institutions like NASA Glenn or Case benefit from these future research and Development opportunities.

Case BME Professor Wins World Technology Award

P. Hunter Peckham, professor of biomedical engineering, recently received the 2006 World Technology Award for Health and Medicine. His research focuses on functional restoration of paralyzed arms in individuals with spinal cord injury.

The World Technology Network (WTN) is a global meeting ground, a virtual think tank, and an elite club whose members are all focused on the business and science of bringing important emerging technologies of all types (from biotech to new materials, from IT to new energy sources) into reality. The WTN's membership is comprised of approximately 1000 members from more than 60 countries, judged by their peers to be the most innovative in the technology world.

[VIA: Case Daily, December 1, 2006]

Case Student to Present at International Conference on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics

David Poerschke, junior materials science major, received SOURCE travel funding to present his poster at the 25th International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics (ICALEO) held October 30 to November 2 in Scottsdale, Ariz. His research mentor is David Schwam, research associate professor of materials science and engineering.

ICALEO is for anyone interested in laser materials processing from the basic understanding of the interaction between a laser beam and a material, to those interested in how a process can be integrated and optimized for an application. Laser Institute of America's goal for ICALEO is to bring both academic and industrial people together who may benefit from laser technology. This includes end-users and scientists as well as engineers and technicians engaged in developing laser technology.

[VIA: Case Daily, November 29, 2006]

Money for Portable Fuel Cells

The Plain Dealer (November 15, 2006) reports that NorTech has distributed $1 million in grant money, includings funds to Case.

The Wright Fuel Cell Group will receive $150,000 to build portable fuel cells created with Ohio-made products. Case Western Reserve University, Graf-Tech, HydroGen, Contained Energy, Northeast Hydrogen and Chemsultants are part of the fuel cell group.

[VIA: Case Daily, November 15, 2006]

Do you Think of Ohio for Fuel Cells?

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (November 12, 2006), millions of research money has been focused into Ohio's fuel cell research programs.

• The Wright Fuel Cell Group built by Case on the old Mt. Sinai property
• Rolls-Royce PLC is creating a fuel cell subsidiary in North Canton
• UltraCell Corp. is building a factory near Dayton
• HydroGen Corp. will run a 400-kilowatt prototype fuel cell power plant at an Ashta Chemicals factory in Ashtabula
• Painesville-based Pemery Corp. has successfully tested tiny fuel cells for the Army
• GrafTech International Ltd. in Parma wins $2.3 million federal grant

[VIA: Case Daily, November 13, 2006]

Case Math Student Wins Travel Award

Rachel Hageman, a math graduate student, has received one of 10 national Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) travel awards to present her research at the national meeting of the American Mathematical Society in January 2007, in New Orleans. Professor Daniela Calvetti is her academic adviser.

[VIA: Case Daily, October 19, 2006]

Topology - Entire Editorial Board Resigns

Several sources, such as the ACRLog, have announced that all the members of the editorial board of the mathematics journal Topology have resigned due to the pricing policy of its publisher Elsevier.

We have heard other reports like this over the last few years, and may see more actions like this in the future as journal prices climb quicker than the money available for their purchase.

Case has access to Topology through the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center.

Fourth Joint Sheffield Conference on Chemoinformatics: Call for Papers

The Chemical Structure Association Trust and the Molecular Graphics and Modelling Society announce their Fourth Joint Sheffield Conference on Chemoinformatics. The conference will be held in The Octagon Centre and the Stephenson and Tapton Halls of Residence, University of Sheffield, UK, from 18th-20th June 2007.

Offers of papers are welcomed in all aspects of chemoinformatics.
Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

• High-Throughput Screening, including: assay quality control; design of screening collections; systems based design
• Virtual Screening including, including: docking and pharmacophore analysis, similarity and clustering methods; machine learning
• Computational Methods for Lead Identification and Optimisation including: modelling and structure-activity methods; structure-based design; ADMET prediction
• New Algorithms and Technologies including: data mining; searching methods; distributed processing; data handling and visualisation;
• Case Histories, incorporating practical experience of any of the above

The programme will have space for ca. two dozen oral presentations, and there will also be extensive opportunities for poster presentations. Authors wishing to submit a paper should send a title and abstract (minimum 500 words) by 31st January 2007 to cheminf2007@sheffield.ac.uk, stating whether they wish to be considered for an oral or for a poster presentation.

Submissions will be selected as either oral contributions or posters by the Organising Committee, with notification of acceptance by 28th February 2007. In selecting papers for oral presentation, the Committee will seek to achieve a balance between the various areas of the subject and between new methodologies and successful applications of existing techniques.

Further details of the conference, including registration information and opportunities for sponsorship and participation in the conference exhibition will follow later in the year, and will be posted at the conference website.

[VIA: CHMINF-L listserv]

Science Commons

Science Commons, a project of the non-profit Creative Commons, is the sponsor and organizer of the Commons of Science Conference. Our goal is to promote innovation in science by lowering the legal and technical costs of the sharing and reuse of scientific work. We remove unnecessary obstacles to scientific collaboration by creating voluntary legal regimes for research and development.

The Conference is an invitation-only gathering of scientists, policy makers, and commons advocates who are actively interested in designing ways to make access to scientific data more widely available and more transparent a cross all scientific disciplines. Anyone is welcome to read the Background information, Vision Papers, or browse the list of Conference participants.

At the conclusion of the conference, audio recordings of the Conference presentations as well as presentation slides will be available on the Program page, and any recommendations arrived at during the Conference will also be posted on this site.

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Science Commons serves the advancement of science by removing unnecessary legal and technical barriers to scientific collaboration and innovation.

Built on the promise of Open Access to scholarly literature and data, Science Commons identifies and eases key barriers to the movement of information, tools and data through the scientific research cycle.

Our long term vision is to provide more than just useful contracts. We will combine our publishing, data, and licensing approaches to develop solutions for a truly integrated and streamlined research process.

Continue reading "Science Commons"

Case Spinoff Gets $400k

FLX Micro Gets Investment
By Brandon Glenn
September 6, 2006
Crain's Cleveland Business on the Web

A Case Western Reserve University spinoff company that manufactures sensors has received a $400,000 investment commitment from nonprofit venture development group JumpStart Inc.

Cleveland-based FLX Micro Inc. plans to use the funding to aid in commercializing its microsensors, which are designed to be used in harsh environments such as automotive engines, according to a statement from JumpStart.

[VIA: CASE DAILY, September 07, 2006]

Craigslist Not For Sale

CNN.com reports that Craigslist is not for sale, even though another social networking website MySpace was just valued at over $15 million.

The founder of Craigslist, Craig Newmark, is a Case alumnus.

CALL FOR PAPERS - Advanced Mining & Use of Life Science Information

CALL FOR PAPERS - Advanced mining and use of life science information, ACS Chicago, March 2007

You are invited to submit abstracts for a session entitled "Advanced mining and use of life science information" in the division of Chemical Information (CINF), co-sponsored with the CSA Trust, at the 233rd American Chemical Society meeting in Chicago, March 25-29, 2007

We are particularly interested in papers that address the mining of large volumes and diverse sources of chemical and life science information to aid in decision making in the drug discovery process. Potential topics include (but are not limited to):

• Development or application of data mining techniques
• Knowledge discovery on large chemical databases such as PubChem
• Integrating textual and structural information
• Design of interfaces and interaction tools for complex, diverse kinds of information
• Database querying tools and interfaces

The presentation should last about 30 minutes, including time for questions. To submit an abstract, go to http://oasys.acs.org/acs/233nm/cinf/papers/index.cgi and select the "Advanced mining and use of life science information" session. Abstracts should be submitted no later than November 17th, 2006.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact David Wild at djwild @ indiana.edu. You can find out more information about the CSA Trust at http://www.csa-trust.org/.

David Wild
Session organizer

___________________________________________

Dr. David J. Wild, djwild @ indiana.edu
Assistant Professor

Indiana University School of Informatics

ph (812) 856-1848 - fax (812) 856-1995

1900 E. 10th St. Rm. 1128, Bloomington, IN 47406

web http://www.informatics.indiana.edu/djwild

More EPA Libraries Close

Earlier I shared that EPA Libraries were suffering severe budget cuts and that the EPA workforce was protesting such closings.

American Libraries Online (September 15, 2006) has summarized the closings and other cuts through August and September. These cuts may be devastating to government-sponsored environmental research and protection.

Ohio Science and Engineering Alliance (OSEA) Academic Year Research Internship

Case students, SOURCE encourages underrepresented minority students in the STEM (sciences, technology, engineering, math) fields to apply for an Ohio Science and Engineering Alliance (OSEA) Academic Year Research Internship. Please complete an application before September 25 on the OSEA Web site. Contact sheila.pedigo@case.edu (Nord Hall, 304D) for questions and to pick up a supplemental Case application for the OSEA program.

[VIA: Case Daily, September 14, 2006]

Chemical Market Reporter Publisher Again Shows No Respect for Academia

As you may recall previously, I worked with the publisher of Chemical Market Reporter to establish electronic access for the Case community. This came after many librarians expressed great concern to the publisher for not considering the needs of their users.

CMR was one of the few resources available for students to establish chemical prices for their many projects. The publisher switched to online-only without asking academic users what they needed the most. They tried to make things better by offering an online subscription, but many libraries were still left in the dark as they required a single password login and wanted more money. This publisher forgot that the future purchasers of CMR would be the very students they were ignoring now.

ICIS has again decided to ignore academic subscribers. They are changing CMR to another publication, but shut down operations right when many academic librarians were directing students to this resource. A "coming soon" message does not help students complete their assignments.

Technology and Engineering Career Fair in Cleveland

Meet with local, regional and national hi-tech companies that are looking for candidates with hi-tech and engineering backgrounds.

Mark your calendars for the upcoming Technology & Engineering Career Fair sponsored by the Cleveland Engineering Society, DICE.com job board, and NEOSA!

October 31, 2006
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Holiday Inn Cleveland-Independence
6001 Rockside Rd.
Independence, OH 44131
More information and registration online.

Nanopolymers 2007 - First International Conference

Nanopolymers 2007 - First International Conference
12th–13th June 2007, Germany

Rapra Technology is pleased to announce the first international Nanopolymers Conference, to be held in Germany, from 12th–13th June 2007. Nanotechnology is already making a major impact on new product introductions throughout the world, in many industry sectors. Many of these new products are based on the material property changes that may be achieved by incorporation of ingredients, at the nanoscale, into polymeric systems.

Although nanoparticulate carbon black has been used in car tyres for decades, it is only recently that other nanoparticulate ingredients have been dispersed in plastics to provide exciting new materials that are lighter weight and as strong as metals. The automotive industry has championed the use of nanocomposites, exploiting other properties, such as smoother surfaces, easier processing and even cheaper materials, which can be gained as well as providing lighter weight products. In addition, nanoscale ingredients are being added to polymeric thin films, thereby providing properties such as anti-scratch, anti-microbial and anti-reflective surfaces. It is also possible to obtain special visual effects through nano-coatings. The textiles industry and the sporting goods industry are also introducing nanotechnology based products, and it is estimated that there are now over 700 nano-based products on the market.

The main ‘nano’ ingredients being dispersed in polymeric systems are especially organoclays, nanoparticulate inorganics, and carbon nanotubes.

This conference provides an opportunity and a platform to present your research, product or process developments in this area to an influential and informed audience.

Presenting authors at Nanopolymers 2007 will be entitled to free registration on both days of the conference including meals, refreshments and a copy of the proceedings.

Papers are now being invited for submission on any of the following areas:

• Aspects and impact of nanopolymers on specific industry sectors (automotive, aerospace, marine, energy, healthcare, packaging, leisure, etc.)
• Production challenges to incorporation and use of nanoclays, nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, or fullerenes in composites and thin film coatings
• Property improvements achievable with nano-scale ingredients such as lighter weight, improved barrier properties, scratch resistance, anti-microbial, anti-reflective, conducting properties
• Characterisation aspects of incorporating nano-scale ingredients into nanopolymers
• Market data on growth of nanopolymers
• New research and development in the field of nanopolymers

If you are interested in presenting a paper at this event, please send a title, short summary, speaker name(s) and company name(s) to Alix Yates email ayates@rapra.net or Fax +44(0)1939-252416 by the deadline of 22nd December 2006.

Register before 12 April 2007 to take advantage of the special Early Bird Discount registration fee.

Materials, Medicine, and Nanotechnology Summit in Cleveland

Innovators in medical devices, clinical practice, and biomedical research will gather at Cleveland Clinic Oct. 2-5 to discuss the latest materials advances and nanotechnology discoveries and how they are resulting in new medical applications.

The Materials, Medicine, and Nanotechnology Summit will be hosted by Cleveland Clinic, ASM International, and the Nano-Network as the anchor event of Nano-Week™ 2006, a five-day exploration of how nanotechnology is changing our world. The Summit is comprised of the biennial Cleveland Clinic NanoMedicine Summit and ASM's Materials & Processes for Medical Devices (MPMD) Conference and Exposition.

Advance registration closes September 24.

CASE's Abramson Joins NorTech Fellows Program

CLEVELAND, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- NorTech, Northeast Ohio's technology- based economic development leader, announced today that Alexis R. Abramson, Ph.D., an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Case Western Reserve University and a nationally-known leader in nanotechnology research, will join the NorTech Fellows Program effective September 1. Read full press release.

Read NorTech's original press release.

SOURCE Seminar for Students

Sheila Pedigo, director of the Support of Undergraduate Research & Creative Endeavors (SOURCE), is presenting a student seminar, "Finding Research & Creative Endeavor Opportunities in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields and Social Sciences." Join her at 5:30 p.m. on September 6 in Nord Hall, Room 304 conference room. Please RSVP via e-mail to source@case.edu.

[VIA: Case Daily - September 01, 2006]

ICIS Jobs - Coming Soon

UPDATE:
ICIS jobs is now available.

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ICIS jobs will be available soon, with searchable chemicals jobs and careers information.

ICIS is an information provider for the chemical and oil industry.

Chemistry World News by RSS Feed

Chemistry World's daily news service is now available as a RSS feed, joining the existing feeds for RSC Journals.

Chemistry World is packed with articles on all aspects of the chemical sciences, regular company and individual profiles, job vacancies, commercial technology reports and many fascinating features.

(VIA: SD Librarian, July 28, 2006)

Typical Engineering Day

Working Hard for Their Money by Elizabeth M. Taurasi (Design News, July 17, 2006) summarizes the results of the annual Design News salary survey. Some highlights include:

• Engineers earned an average of $73,000 last year
• Majority received a 3% increase over last year
• 83% of those surveyed stayed in the same job
• Engineers are working 46 hours per week
• More than 40% have a bachelor's degree in engineering

See the full article for more highlights and discussion, including what skills are needed to get ahead.

(VIA: Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog, July 24, 2006)

Cleveland Engineering Society

The Cleveland Engineering Society (CES) is a professional organization that strives to be the leading society promoting and serving the needs of the region's technical community.

CES sponsors a wide variety of programs, seminars and tours to stimulate professional development. Professionals from varied disciplines explore the technologies and business management strategies of many different industries. Read more about CES...

Cleveland Engineering Society is committed to helping college students increase their access and contacts to professionals in the Northeast Ohio technical community. Among the benefits students receive:

• Internship/co-op, job search contacts free resume posting on our web site and assistance in your job search
• Networking with professional engineers at CES programs so you can talk with them in a neutral, comfortable environment and learn about companies, new developments and job opportunities in your field. See the Divisions/Committees and Upcoming Events pages to see what meetings and programs are of interest
• Access to annual members-only CES corporate/student career mixer
• E=mc (Engineering a More Connected Community) Committee. Once a monthy this committee gets together to plan volunteer opportunities and meet for social and business networking. A number of CES student members are involved in E=mc² and build their credentials by volunteering for projects in area schools such as tutoring and tech support
• Free/discounted rates to CES events and programs
• Mentors in your field
• All Society mailings including newsletter
• Listing in the CES membership directory
• Post resumes on Web site for free and get email notification of position and internship openings

Nanomedicine Lab Registry & Portal

The Nanomedicine Lab Registry was compiled from Medline abstracts containing specific nanomedicine keyphrases. It only includes laboratories with 5 or more publications. It uses a database of citation histories compiled from open source journal article reference lists and a major OCR (optical character recognition) campaign on their entire reference library. Labs are ranked according to the citation rate of each individual article. For articles where they do not have sufficient data or were too new to have citation data, they used historical citation data from the journal and the principal investigator. The registry currently ranks the top 382 laboratories, with Chad Mirkin's lab garnering the highest score. Pat Couvreur, Royce Murray, Dave Reinhoudt and Ralph Weissleder rounded out the top 5. Their intention with the registry is to help new graduate students and postdocs to find high impact laboratories. This information is probably interesting to the general public as well if they are interested in the most productive labs.

Related is the Nanomedicine and Nanobiology Research portal that includes recent high impact publications, recent nanomedicine jobs, recent nanomedicine news, top ranked nanomedicine scientists, nanomedicine links, featured nanomedicine books, and nanomedicine conferences.

The Lab Registry is maintained by Ion Channel Media Group, and it operates a number of life science portals. It is founded by J. Christian Hesketh, who is trained in classical biophysics in Canada.

Northern Ohio Energy Management Conference in Akron, Ohio

The Northern Ohio Energy Management Conference will be held at the John S. Knight Convention Center (Akron, Ohio) on October 3 and 4, 2006. It will include a tradeshow and workshops for professional development credit hours.

Examples of sessions include:

• National Energy Policy and the Role of Manufacturing Plays in Promoting Effective Use of Our Energy Resources with John Egler, President & CEO of the National Associationof Manufacturers and former Governor of Michigan
• Fuel Cells: Making Ohio Number One with Ken Alfred, Executive Director of the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition
• True Benefits of Hybrids and Alternative Fuel Vehicles

See the conference brochure (PDF) for more details.

This conference is sponsored by the Cleveland Engineering Society and MAGNET - Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network.

Employers Blogging

The New York Times (May 25, 2006) looked how corporations are addressing the blogging habits of new interns or employees. Public relations and trade secrets are always in jeopardy with the ease of internet publishing.

While there are differences in laws among jurisdictions, from a legal perspective, he said, it is generally accepted that companies have the right to impose controls on their employees' use of computers and other equipment used for communication.

(VIA: Slashdot, May 25, 2006)

Fuel Cells in 2007

CNET News.com in Big Tests For Fuel Cells Coming in 2007 looks at the future of fuel cells.

Next year fuel cells could take a significant step forward, according to a CEO of one of the leading manufacturers of the technology.

Predicted 2007 milestones:

• U.S. military will conduct field tests of hybrid power systems, which combine lithium ion batteries and methanol fuel cells
• Prototypes of fuel cell to power Samsung cell phones

How Much Education is Needed for Engineers?

Inside Higher Ed (July 28, 2006) explores the debate surrounding if engineering graduates should need a Masters degree like doctors or lawyers.

Do you think the engineering bachelor degree should be more like the pre-med or pre-law degrees? Are engineering graduates able to get into other fields with only a bachelor degree?

It does appear that evidence suggests a Masters degree does open more doors. But, do these Master's graduates also have professional work experience which we warp the results?

(VIA: Case Daily, July 28, 2006)

Case Supports Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006

Case has offered their support in this letter (PDF version).

UNIVERSITY SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC ACCESS ACT EXPANDS
Library groups commend twenty-three provosts for joining recent surge of support

Washington, DC – August 3, 2006 – Just one week after more than two dozen leading universities declared their strong support for the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006 (S.2695), provosts from an additional 23 universities added their backing in a letter issued by the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA) and in individual correspondence. This brings the total to at least 48 universities that have gone on record as favoring the measure.

The Federal Research Public Access Act was introduced on May 2, 2006 by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT). It requires federal agencies that fund over $100 million in annual external research to make electronic manuscripts of peer-reviewed journal articles that stem from their research publicly available on the Internet. The U.S. government funds an estimated 50% of university research, making this a particularly important cause for the higher education community.

The GWLA letter reads, in part: “Access to publicly funded research facilitates the open discussion needed to accelerate research, share knowledge, improve treatment of diseases, and increase human understanding. [The Public Access Act] is a crucial step in realizing this goal…”

“With the passage of this bill, researchers across the United States will have access to the results of work supported by federal government funding, which will help advance scientific understanding at a faster rate,” said David Pershing, Senior Vice-President, Academic Affairs, University of Utah. “No longer will knowledge created using public funds be limited to the wealthiest institutions and corporations. With everyone having access to up-to-date information, I am confident we will see a higher level of scientific research and innovation. This is a remarkable opportunity for educators and students across the nation.”

Signatories of the GWLA letter include provosts and vice presidents for state and non land-grant institutions, such as the University of Washington and Rice University. Their names are added to those of another twenty-five institutions, including Harvard University and Arkansas State University, who on Friday jointly issued “An Open Letter to the Higher Education Community.”

“The time is ripe for this legislation,” added Rodney Erickson, Executive Vice President and Provost of The Pennsylvania State University, who signed the Open Letter. “Many of us in the academic community believe the process of making the findings of publicly supported research more widely available will stimulate further research and education, and that is our primary mission as universities.”

“GWLA member libraries and administrators support the Public Access Act in principle and in practice,” said Adrian Alexander, Executive Director of the Greater Western Library Alliance. “The implications for research stemming from this bill are widespread, profound, and utterly positive. We are pleased to add our voices in support.”

Heather Joseph, Executive Director of SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resource Coalition), added, “This groundswell of commitment from the provost community is a significant indication that the Federal Research Public Access Act has strong support in the higher education community in the United States.”

The GWLA letter, available online today, is at http://www.gwla.org/provostletter.html.

The Open Letter to the Higher Education Community signed by twenty-five provosts and issued on July 28, 2006 is online at http://www.taxpayeraccess.org/frpaa/Provosts_openletter_06-JUL.pdf.

The American Association of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries, Association of College & Research Libraries, Association of Research Libraries, Greater Western Library Alliance, Medical Library Association, SPARC, and The Special Libraries Association encourage taxpayers and other stakeholders in the scientific process to add their support for this important legislation. Details are online at http://www.taxpayeraccess.org/frpaa/.

###

Contact:
Jennifer Heffelfinger
SPARC
jennifer@arl.org
(202) 296-2296 ext.121

Recruiting Engineers at Case

Caterpillar Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines, has selected Case as one of its "portfolio" schools for recruiting engineering graduates. This means that Caterpillar will now be actively recruiting Case graduates via the Case Career Center. For more information on Caterpillar Inc., visit http://www.cat.com. To find out more about the programs and services at the Case Career Center, visit http://studentaffairs.case.edu/careers/.

(VIA: Case Daily, July 28, 2006)

Google & ACS Trademark Case

According to CNET News.com, the Google Scholar trademark case ends with the American Chemical Society.

ACS, which was founded in 1876 and claims to be the world's largest scientific society, sued Google in 2004. The suit claimed that the free "Google Scholar" journal-search service unfairly competes with ACS' "SciFinder Scholar," which appears to be more comprehensive but charges a fee.

New Nanotechnology Blog

Nano Test Blog has been created by the Nanotech Briefs magazine and sponsored by Keithley Instruments, Inc. It will focus on electrical testing issues in the field of nanotechnology and micro electromechanical systems (MEMS). It includes links to white papers, articles, and announcements of upcoming events and conferences.

[About Nanotech Briefs]

Nanotech Briefs , launched in January 2004, is a digital (PDF format) magazine from the publishers of NASA Tech Briefs – the country’s largest-circulation design engineering magazine - that provides the best of government, industry, and university nanotech innovations with real-world applications in areas such as electronics, materials, sensors, manufacturing, biomedical, optics/photonics, and aerospace/defense.

Nationwide Chemical Security Plan

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on June 30 released the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), which includes the first nationwide plan to protect U.S. chemical plants and related infrastructures.

According to Chemical & Engineering News (July 3, 2006), sector-specific security plans that complement NIPP and detail the risk management framework will be released within six months.

Chemistry Magazine

Chemistry is a tabloid published for American Chemical Society Members, Student Affiliates, and those interested in learning more about the chemical sciences and the American Chemical Society.

E-Mail, IM & Blog Risks - From the Employer Perspective

On July 11, 2006, the American Management Association (AMA) and the ePolicy Institute have released the results of their 2006 Workplace E-Mail, Instant Messaging & Blog Survey.

Here are a few highlights to raise your interest:

• 24% of organizations have had employee e-mail subpoenaed
• 15% of companies have gone to court to battle lawsuits triggered by employee e-mail
• 26% of employers have terminated employees for e-mail misuse
• Nearly 2% have fired workers for offensive blog content

The AMA summary provides many more details, including highlighting some blogging concerns such as copyright, harassment, or security breaches.

Directory of Published Proceedings is Now Free

The InterDok Directory of Published Proceedings (DoPP) database is now available free of charge online. This resource began in print format in 1965. It is particularly useful in identifying hard to find conference literature in the sciences, engineering, medicine, technology, social sciences and humanities. As of today, DoPP maintains over 50,000 records and also provides procurement assistance for any title located in DoPP, with most being available at below publisher list price.

(VIA: KSL Reference Weblog, June 9, 2006)

UT-Austin Nanoelectronics Research Institute in the Works

SiliconValley.com (July 14, 2006) reports that the University of Texas at Austin is looking for funding to start a nanotechnology research institute. See the full article for details.

Snapshot Of The Chemical Industry

Chemical & Engineering News (July 10, 2006) provided a snapshot of employment, finanaces, production, and trade in Facts & Figures Of The Chemical Industry.

(VIA: Quick Picks, July 11, 2006)

Harvard Changing Science Education

Inside Higher Ed (July 17, 2006) shares the new the Harvard just completed a report that recommends great changes in how science is taught. The report calls for increased collaboration, switching to a "exploratory laboratory environment" for undergraduates, and an overall structure change in education. The report also recommends switching to a committee approach for allocating research funding and laboratories, instead of individual departments, as this will promote interdisciplinary research.

Read an additional article from the Harvard University Gazette (July 14, 2006). The 97-page preliminary report is also available in PDF to read.

(VIA: Quick Picks, July 17, 2006)

Carbon-based Fuel Cell

The Cleveland Plain Dealer (July 18, 2006) shared information on a direct carbon fuel cell that will be tested at the Wright Fuel Cell Group on the Case Western Reserve University campus. The New twist on fuel cells article describes a fuel cell that uses carbon dioxide from the air.

(VIA: Case Daily, July 18, 2006)

Grads to Rewrite Engineering Theses

Here is an update to one of my earlier posts. It appears that the students accused of plagiarism will be given a chance to correct their mistakes. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (July 21, 2006), a majority of the 37 students have agreed to the terms as established by Ohio University.

Case Doctoral Students Wins AIAA Best Paper Award

Amy Mielke, a doctoral student in the Case Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, was the winner in the Young Professionals category of this year's Northern Ohio American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Best Paper Competition. Her paper, entitled "Rayleigh Scattering Diagnostic for Measurement of Temperature, Velocity, and Density Fluctuation Spectra," was coauthored by Chih-Jen Sung, an associate professor in the department.

(VIA: Case Daily, July 18, 2006)

Call for Nominations for the 2008 ACS National Awards

Nominations for 53 national awards administered by the ACS to be presented in 2008 are being solicited. See the full announcement for more details.

EPA Scientists Fight for Libraries

Here is an update on my earlier post about the closing of EPA Libraries.

From the Environment News Service (July 7, 2006) comes word that over half of the EPA workforce (10,000 scientists, engineers and other technical specialists) have asked Congress to stop Bush's administration from closing the EPA libraries.

They contend that thousands of scientific studies are being put out of reach, hindering emergency preparedness, anti-pollution enforcement and long-term research, according to the letter released by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

EPA internal studies show that providing full library access saves an estimated 214,000 hours in professional staff time worth some $7.5 million annually, an amount far larger than the total agency library budget of $2.5 million.

Senate's Science Spending Bill

Inside Higher Ed (July 12, 2006) shared some details about the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee approving its spending bill for the 2007 fiscal year.

Highlights include:

• Subcommittee approves 8% increase to bring the National Science Foundation's budget to $6 billion
• House of Representatives passed their version to increase the National Institute of Standards and Technology research budget by 18%, but drop its overall budget by 16%
• The Advanced Technology Program, which provides additional funding for industry to conduct high-risk research, often at universities would get no money in 2007

Read full story for more details.

Chemical & Engineering News also highlighted these developments.

(VIA: Case Daily, July 12, 2006)

ICITM 2006 - Call For Papers

CALL FOR PAPERS - International Conference of Information Technology and Management (ICITM2006)
Hong Kong, 11-13 Dec, 2006

Contact: icitm2006@comp.polyu.edu.hk
Paper Submission: csnkliu@comp.polyu.edu.hk or csronnie@comp.polyu.edu.hk
All papers should be submitted online through our conference web site.

IT and management has grown mounting influence in business, industry and education, the conference would like to consolidate most recent research results in information system, knowledge management, commercial intelligence, electronic commerce, E-education application. The area covers the concepts and theories of Information Systems, Industrial applications E-Education and Business Management. The topics varies from software, e-learning, office automation, textile and garment, automobile electronic, logistics, retails, supply chain, financial, accounting banking, lawyer, government, education to media sector. As part of the mission of the Institute of Systems Management is to facilitate the application of the information technology to industrial enterprises, we promote cross-fertilization over interdisciplinary areas of business application and information systems. Our industrial case presentation and tutorial sessions will bridge the gap between academics and practitioners.

Continue reading "ICITM 2006 - Call For Papers"

Informing the General Public about Nanotechnology

On October 6, 2005, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced a series of initiatives that will greatly expand efforts to inform the general public about nanotechnology, and to explore the implications of that fast-moving field for society as a whole.

The Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network
NSF has selected the Museum of Science, Boston, along with the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Exploratorium in San Francisco, to create and lead this network, which will also include many other science museums and research institutions (partial list below). The $20 million, five-year effort represents the largest single award NSF has given to the science-museum community, and will be a cornerstone of the foundation's multidisciplinary Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education program.

Nanotechnology in Society
NSF has selected the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., to create two new Centers for Nanotechnology in Society. These centers will support research and education on nanotechnology and social change, as well as educational and public outreach activities, and international collaborations.

In addition, building on previously supported efforts, the foundation has funded nanotechnology-in-society projects at the University of South Carolina and at Harvard University.

TryEngineering.org

TryEngineering.org is a resource for students (ages 8-18), their parents, their teachers and their school counselors. This is a portal about engineering and engineering careers, and we hope it will help young people understand better what engineering means, and how an engineering career can be made part of their future.

[About TryEngineering.org]

Students will find here descriptions of the lifestyles and experiences of engineers, and on the different disciplines within engineering. We provide hands-on experiments and activities, referrals to summer programs and internship opportunities, and search tools for schools that offer engineering programs. Useful tips on course selection, applying to university programs and financial aid are included.

Students can also use this portal to send questions to engineering students in universities and to practicing engineers.

Parents and educators will find here, in addition, teaching resources, information about school accreditation, and description of plans, organizations and programs that can be of help in planning and preparing students to develop a future career in engineering.

This portal is brought to you by engineers and educators, and is a collaboration of engineering associations, industry, and teacher/counselor organizations. We all believe that engineering is an exciting and rewarding profession, and invite you to share in our enthusiasm about this rich and influential discipline.

Sponsors include:

• IBM
• IEEE
• TryScience
• Sloan Career Cornerstone Center
• SAE International
• JETS

Japanese Science Directory

Science Links Japan is a topically arranged directory of online information resources for science and technology in Japan. Japan's scientific and technical information (STI) scattered across or isolated on the Internet have been collected and categorized under major topics. The Website aims to provide ease of access to Japan's STI for non-Japanese researchers, policy makers and many others who need Japan's STI.

Most of the contents come from information generated/compiled in the public sector, such as the government, universities, R&D institutes and STI institutes.

Science Links Japan has been compiled with a sharp focus on URL resources available in the English language. URL resources available only in the Japanese language also have been selected from the viewpoint of comprehensiveness and importance.

Chinese Science Funding

The Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog shared news that the National Science Foundation of China will provide 3.4 billion yuan (US $425 million) in funding for basic science, and that the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) celebrated the opening of its Beijing office.

Chemistry Between Women & Science

The Chronicle of Higher Education (Volume 52, Issue 38, Page A10, May 26, 2006), in an article called The Chemistry Between Women & Science, interviewed three women about their career paths and why so few women are in academic science careers.

(VIA: Quick Picks, May 29, 2006)

PROGRESS - Women Chemists and Chemical Engineers

PROGRESS is a three-year pilot project launched in 2002 by the American Chemical Society to develop, test, and evaluate 7 new programs aimed at facilitating the full participation and advancement of women chemists and chemical engineers. Its goals are to assist entry-level professionals find employment and guide and support early and mid-career professionals seeking advancement.

(VIA: Quick Picks, May 29, 2006)

25 Worst Tech Products

PCWorld.com (May 26, 2006) released its list of 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time. I will not give you the entire list, you can read the article for that, but number one is American Online.

Number 13 was the IBM PCjr, which I had as a kid. As a kid it was great, and I am now having flashbacks of the hours of playing Zork.

(VIA: Stephen's Lighthouse, May 29, 2006)

2007 Multi-conference in Computer Science, Engineering, & Information Technology

The 2007 Multi-conference in computer science, engineering, and information technology will be held in Orlando, FL, USA during July 9-12 2007. The multi-conference is a major professional gathering in the world and it consists of the following 4 important events:

• International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Pattern Recognition
• International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems and Web Technologies
• International Conference on High Performance Computing, Networking and Communication Systems
• International Conference on Software Engineering Theory and Practice

(VIA: Beyond the Job, June 01, 2006)

Study Shows Corporations are Watching Your Email

A recent study reported by Wired News (June 2, 2006) shows that a third of big companies monitor email content. What surprised me was that inappropriate content and attachments were not the main corporate concerns. The companies are monitoring to prevent confidential information from being released.

First Open Access Nanotechnology Journal from Major Publisher

Springer and the Nano Research Society have announced a new partnership to publish Nanoscale Research Letters (NRL), which will be the first nanotechnology journal from a major commercial publisher to publish articles with open access. The new journal provides an interdisciplinary forum for the open communication of scientific and technological advances in the creation and use of objects at the nanometer scale. The first open access articles are scheduled to appear on Springer's online platform, SpringerLink, in July 2006.

Read the full announcement for more information.

(VIA: LISNews, June 12, 2006)

Stupid Engineering Mistakes

Wired Magazine (Issue 14.06, June 2006) listed the The Worst: Stupid Engineering Mistakes. It includes various failures such as a dam collapse, transportation disasters, and poorly designed tires.

Top 100 Technology Products

PC World (July 2006 issue of PC World magazine; Online: May 31, 2006) released its annual 100 Best Products of the Year. The top two were the Intel Core Duo and the AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core. Others highlights in the top ten included Craigslist.org, iPod Nano, Google Earth, and YouTube.com.

(VIA: TVC Alert Research News, June 1, 2006)

International Conference on Chemoinformatics - August 2006

National Chemical Laboratory Pune, India is planning a two-day International Conference on Chemoinformatics during 7-8 August 2006 which would be participated by eminent scientist and professors in this specialized area from both academia and industries.

Several distinguished scientists from Germany, UK, USA etc. along with Indian scientists are participating in this important meeting. The conference will bring together more than 100 participants for this scholarly event focusing on the futuristic application of cheminformatics in medicinal chemistry, material science, structure elucidation and structure activity/property/toxicity relationship studies, high performance computing, chemical data mining etc., Other participants would present oral and poster presentations of their work.

Mathematical Imagery

Explore the art in mathematics from the American Mathematical Society's Mathematical Imagery website. Explore the cover art of the Notices of the American Mathematical Society, the math and artwork of origami, the art of mathematical formulas, and various other galleries.

(VIA: The Scout Report, May 26, 2006 - Volume 12, Number 21)

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[Overview of the AMS]

Founded in 1888 to further mathematical research and scholarship, the American Mathematical Society fulfills its mission through programs and services that promote mathematical research and its uses, strengthen mathematical education, and foster awareness and appreciation of mathematics and its connections to other disciplines and to everyday life.

The Society has over 28,000 individual members and 550 institutional members in the United States and around the world. Programs and services for AMS members and the mathematical community include professional programs such as meetings and conferences, surveys, employment services; publications including Mathematical Reviews (a database of nearly 2 million items covering over 60 years of mathematics literature), journals, and over 3,000 books in print; support for Young Scholars Programs and the Mathematical Moments program of the Public Awareness Office; resources such as MR Lookup for researchers and authors; and a Washington office that connects the mathematical community with the broader scientific community and with decision makers who determine science funding.

Improving Science Education in the U.S.

Nudging the NSF on Education
Inside Higher Ed
May 4, 2006

American science and math competitiveness couldn’t be a hotter topic in Congress right now if it were made in a fusion reactor.

Proposed legislation would have the National Science Foundation get to work on cultivating science and engineering majors at the college level, and providing extensive professional development for pre-college science teachers.

The legislation includes funding for science and engineering departments at universities to create training programs for school teachers, improvements in undergraduate instruction in sciences, and scholarships.

OU Engineering Plagiarism

UPDATE:
Plagiarism panel recommends firing two OU professors
Associated Press, June 1, 2006

Two Ohio University faculty members should be fired for allowing cheating in an engineering graduate program, a university committee said.

The committee, formed to investigate plagiarism in master's degree theses, recommended dismissal Wednesday for the chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and another unidentified faculty member.

Read the full story (Akron Beacon Journal) for more details.

Engineering School at Ohio U. Investigates 44 Cases of Alleged Plagiarism by Graduate Students
By THOMAS BARTLETT
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Volume 52, Issue 27, Page A9 (March 10, 2006)

Ohio University is investigating 44 possible cases of plagiarism by current and former engineering graduate students, all of which were discovered by a former graduate student who believes professors there have fostered a culture of cheating...

The Case community can access the full article from the E-Journal Portal. Several of the sources have a one month embargo before the article is available.

National Academy of Engineering

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) mission is to promote the technological welfare of the nation by marshaling the knowledge and insights of eminent members of the engineering profession.

Engineering Projects and Programs
The National Academy of Engineering is tasked with identifying and illuminating issues at the intersections of engineering, technology, and society that impact our quality of life. Studies, symposia, and public information activities are carried out both independently by the NAE Program Office and jointly with other units of the National Academies.

[About NAE]

Founded in 1964, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. The NAE operates under the same congressional act of incorporation that established the National Academy of Sciences, signed in 1863 by President Lincoln. Under this charter the NAE is directed "whenever called upon by any department or agency of the government, to investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science or art."

(VIA: The Scout Report, Volume 12, Number 20, May 19, 2006)

Periodic Table of Data

The Periodic Table of Data is a visual database of physical and thermochemical properties of the chemical elements. It includes an interactive periodic table, visualization of properties, graphs, tables of data, energy level diagrams, and games. The data in this resource has been taken from The Royal Society of Chemistry Electronic Data Book CD, London: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2002, with some minor corrections for consistency.

---

[About RSC]

The RSC is the largest organisation in Europe for advancing the chemical sciences. Supported by a worldwide network of members and an international publishing business, our activities span education, conferences, science policy and the promotion of chemistry to the public.

Inventor of Firefox to Speak in Cleveland

Blake Ross, the inventor of Firefox, will be speaking at the Cleveland City Club on June 14th. See the City Club website for more information.

The City Club posts podcasts of their speaker's addresses shortly after their presentation.

Virtual Visit of the Canadian Space Agency

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) was established in 1989 by the Canadian Space Agency Act. The agency operates like a government department. The president is the equivalent of a deputy minister and reports to the Minister of Industry. The president oversees five core functions: Space Programs, Space Technologies, Space Science, Canadian Astronaut Office, Space Operations. He also looks after six executive functions (Audit, Evaluation and Review; Corporate Management; Communications; Strategic Development; External Relations; Government Liaison) and three Corporate functions (Legal Services, Administration, and Human Resources). The President is supported by the Senior Vice-President and the Vice-President, Science, Technology and Programs.

Take a virtual tour of the John H. Chapman Space Centre. It is really well done and informative. It also makes a nice example if someone were creating a virtual tour of a library or laboratory within their organization.

(Via: The Scout Report, Volume 12, Number 20, May 19, 2006)

National Institutes of Health: Office of Science Education

The Office of Science Education (OSE) coordinates science education activities at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and develops and sponsors science education projects in house. These programs serve elementary, secondary, and college students and teachers and the public. Users can explore the content by subject area, grade level, or format.

Students might find the career resources quite helpful when looking for an internship or job.

See About Us for more information.

(VIA: The Scout Report, Volume 12, Number 20, May 19, 2006)

How Today's Web Has Changed Technical Writing

The IEEE Professional Communication Society Newsletter (IEEE PCS, Volume 50, Number 5, May 2006) has two articles that address web development and how technical writers must adapt to "web 2.0" technologies and users.

Web Development…How Do You Define Web Development?
by Elizabeth Weise Moeller

The problem is that “web development” is such a broad term, unlike so long ago when the web was first getting started. In the end, I decided to talk about the past, the present, the future, and, in the process, highlight some trends you can watch to help keep visitors returning to your website.

What is Web 2.0 and How Will Technical Writers be Impacted?
by Amy Diehl

Web 2.0 is a movement away from understanding content as housed in websites, but instead views content as “granular.” In this way, the content can be syndicated and distributed in decentralized ways and without relying on the user visiting a site or page in order to find the information or content. With the advent of Web 2.0, or the web as platform, not place, technical writers and designers will need to rethink many of their strategies regarding how their writing works in relation to “place”.

Science & Engineering State Profiles: 2003-04

The Division of Science Resources Statistics (SRS) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) publishes Science and Engineering State Profiles annually. The 2003–04 report, published only on the Web, includes a data source page and a set of 52 one-page science and engineering (S&E) profiles (in Excel) that summarize state-specific data on personnel and finances. Rankings and totals are for the 50 states; Washington, DC; and Puerto Rico.

I have included a portion of Ohio's statistics.

(VIA: ResourceShelf, May 9, 2006)

Fuel Cell Mixes with Porn Company for Pseudo IPO

Here is an interesting way to quickly get to an initial public offering. A company that creates a membrane for methanol fuel cells used the old shell of a porn company to quickly go public.

From: CNET News.com Future Tech Blog, March 17, 2006

Conference - Partnering in Science Information: Necessities of Change

The International Council for Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI) announced a two-day conference, "Partnering in Science Information: Necessities of Change."

The June 7-8 conference at the National Library of Medicine allows you to network with the new players in scientific and technical information and provides insight into the new relationships and alliances forming in STI across the information lifecycle. Join the key players to see what they are planning and doing in the new digital information environment.

The conference is designed for managers and knowledge workers in STI (including scientists, publishers, librarians, digital content managers, information architects, and infrastructure developers). Session themes include:

• New Players in the Information Life Cycle
• Innovative Relationships: Who's partnering with whom?
• Globalization - Internationalization
• Moving Up the Value Chain: Information for Decision Making
• "Repositories" in the New STI Infrastructure
• National Centers: New Roles, Relationships, and Opportunities for Partnership

Conference speakers include Leigh Watson Healy, Outsell's Chief Analyst, and Clifford Lynch, Executive Director for the Coalition for Networked Information. You'll also hear speakers from Google, Scope e-Knowledge Center, the European Patent Office, Groxxis, Elsevier, and the Korean Institute for Scientific and Technical Information.

Register by May 26 to receive a $50 registration discount for the two-day event. The discounted rate of $250 includes networking lunches both days.

You can register online.

[What is ICSTI?]

ICSTI, The International Council for Scientific and Technical Information, offers a unique forum for interaction between organizations that create, disseminate and use scientific and technical information. ICSTI's mission cuts across scientific and technical disciplines, as well as international borders, to give member organizations the benefit of a truly global community.

Skype - Free Calls to Landlines in US & Canada

Skype Introduces Free Calls to Traditional Landlines and Mobile Phones in the US and Canada
San Jose, CA, May 15, 2006

Skype, the global Internet communications company, today announced that all US and Canadian-based Skype customers can now make free SkypeOut™ calls to traditional landline and mobile phones in the US and Canada. Previously, Skype users in both countries were required to pay for Skype calls from their PCs to traditional telephones. Free SkypeOut calls to the US or Canada will be available to US and Canadian-based Skype users until the end of the year.

See the rest of the press announcement for more information.

Decrease in Computer Science Students?

From The Chronicle: Wired Campus Blog (April 3, 2006) comes information on the potential closing of the computer science department at Seattle Pacific University.

From The Seattle Times (SPU might shut down computer curriculum, April 3, 2006):

Enrollment in computer-science programs has dropped around the country since the dot-com bubble burst. But the U.S. Department of Labor predicts information technology will be among the biggest employment drivers over the next decade, and many colleges are anticipating an enrollment rebound.

NIH Research

The NIH Budget and the Future of Biomedical Research
Joseph Loscalzo, M.D., Ph.D.
The New England Journal of Medicine
Volume 354, Number 16, Pages 1665-1667, April 20, 2006

The "first true budgeted reduction in NIH support since 1970" is predicted for 2007. See the full article for what this may mean for biomedical research.

Michigan Requires Online Instruction for High School Students

On April 20, 2006, The Chronicle of Higher Education - The Wired Campus Blog highlighted a new initiative for Michigan high school students. The recently signed bill will require high school students to take at least one online class before graduating to better prepare students for college and the work environment.

If you read the attached comments, people do have many questions and concerns, such as availability of techology and training of educators. I do think this is good step in the right direction, especially for preparing college prep students. I do have concerns it increases the digital divide for disadvantaged families if funding for technology or supplemental instruction is not made available.

Case Center for Proteomics Inaugural Symposium

The Case Center for Proteomics Symposium will be on May 24 from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Wolstein Research Building Auditorium. During the symposium, four renowned researchers in the area of proteomics and mass spectrometry will make presentations, followed by a reception in the Wolstein lobby. For more information and updates regarding the seminar go to http://casemed.case.edu/proteomics/.

(Via: Case Daily - May 05, 2006)

First SPARC Innovator

SPARC recognizes Herbert Van de Sompel, who is the initiator of the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) and the open reference linking framework (OpenURL).

SPARC RECOGNIZES HERBERT VAN DE SOMPEL FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION
April 18, 2006

SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) has named Herbert Van de Sompel, who leads the Digital Library Research and Prototyping Team at the Research Library of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), as the first SPARC Innovator. The SPARC Innovator program is a new initiative that recognizes an individual, institution, or group that exemplifies SPARC principles by working to challenge the status quo in scholarly communication for the benefit of researchers, libraries, universities, and the public. SPARC Innovators will be featured on the SPARC Web site each month. See full announcement for more information.

(Orginally seen on the Library Journal Academic Newswire, April 20, 2006)

SAE Eye on Engineering Podcasts

Access the SAE Eye on Engineering podcasts for quick 60 second updates on timely topics impacting automotive technology and business today. Brought to you by the editorial staff of Automotive Engineering International, these weekly educational audio broadcasts are delivered direct to your desktop. Listen to them on your computer or load them on to your MP3 and take them with you.

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Automotive Engineering International is available in the Kelvin Smith Library periodical collection.

Need for Engineers Increasing Due to Aviation Industry

Molly McMillin reports the "demand for engineers is growing in Wichita and across the country as the commercial airline and general aviation industries are in an upswing." See Increase In Work Has Companies Hunting For Engineers (The Wichita Eagle, April 9, 2006) for specific examples.

(Via: Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog, April 10, 2006)

NSF Supports the Development of Modules to Teach High School Students About Nanotechnology

Alexis Abramson, the Warren E. Rupp Assistant Professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering, received a $20,000 Research Experience for Teachers (RET) supplement from the National Science Foundation to develop modules to teach high school students about nanotechnology. Abramson, along with other collaborators, is developing the Nanopedia, a Web-based multimedia and interactive electric resource on nanotechnology.

(Via: Case Daily, March 24, 2006)

America's Best Jobs

The Chronicle of Higher Education: Wired Campus highlighted a Money Magazine and Salary.com ranking of "best jobs in america".

Some highlights:

• #1 was Software Engineer
• #2 was College Professor
• #7 was Computer/IT Analyst
• #15 was Medical Scientist
• #16 was Physical Scientist
• #17 was Engineer

Universities and Patents

Chemical & Engineering News highlights the annual list of U.S. universities receiving the most patents for inventions by the United States Patent & Trademark Office. University of California ranked #1 for the 12th year in a row with 390 awarded patents. MIT was 2nd with 136 patents. See USPTO press release for more information.

Journal@rchive - Electronic Archive Initiative

Journal@rchive is an archive site of J-STAGE operated by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). On Journal@rchive, academic journals scanned through the Electronic Archive Initiative are released from their first issues, including those issued in the 19th century. The Initiative commenced by JST in FY2005 aiming at two goals: (1) to preserve of academic heritages of Japan, and (2) to further promote worldwide distribution of Japanese research results.

[About J-STAGE - Introduction]

In order to maintain and develop Japan's science and technology research at an international level, it is important to disseminate outstanding research and development results to the world instantaneously. To that end, it is important to computerize bulletins of academic societies and research papers that are currently appeared on paper by user organizations and release them to the appearance on the Internet.

In order to support the information transmission function of user organizations, the "Japan Science and Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic" (J-STAGE), developed by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), set up the hardware and software necessary for electronic journal release within JST to provide services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. By taking advantage of the hardware and software, the user organizations are able to computerize bulletins of academic societies and research papers currently appeared with ease and at low cost. Computerrized documents can be accessed from anywhere in the world with this system. This project also links up with the National Institute of Informatics (formerly the Ministry of Education National Center for Science Information Systems (NACSIS)).

Minority Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math

Increasing the Success of Minority Students in Science and Technology by the American Council on Education (ACE) on April, 3, 2006

African American and Hispanic students begin college interested in majoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields at rates similar to those of white and Asian-American students, and persist in these fields through their third year of study, but do not earn their bachelor’s degrees at the same rate as their peers, according to a new analysis conducted by the American Council on Education (ACE).

See full press release for more data.

(Originally shared on the Curious Cat Science & Engineering Blog on April, 21, 2006.)

[About ACE]

Founded in 1918, the American Council on Education (ACE) is the nation's unifying voice for higher education. ACE serves as a consensus leader on key higher education issues and seeks to influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives. See more at About ACE.

BioMed Central Journals Have RSS Feeds

BioMed Central offers RSS feeds for each of their journals.

[What is BioMed Central?]

BioMed Central is an independent publishing house committed to providing immediate open access to peer-reviewed biomedical research. Read more here...

Case Professor Awarded - Anne Hiltner

From the Case Daily (April 14, 2006):

Anne Hiltner, the Herbert Henry Dow Professor of Engineering in macromolecular science and engineering, was recently inducted as a Fellow of the Polymeric Materials Science & Engineering Division of the American Chemical Society.

Indian Institute of Astrophysics Repository

Indian Institute of Astrophysics Repository is the digital repository of publications of Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, India, developed to capture, disseminate and preserve research publications of IIAP. You can search, browse and access full text of these publications from the repository. This Repository also hosts papers published in Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India.

[Contents of IIAP Repository]

IIAP Repository contains full text of research publications and Ph.d theses of individuals from Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore. In addition, this repository also hosts papers from the journal Bulletin of the Astronomical Society India from Vol. 1, 1973. Presently journal articles, conference papers and preprints can be submitted to this repository and we invite all the researches to send the soft copy of your papers to library@iiap.res.in or chris@iiap.res.in and we will take care of uploading the papers into the repository.

Recently we have included Archival collection as another community in the repository. This Archival collection will include the various archival materials belonging to 18th,19th, & 20th century available in the Institute. These materials are in the form of hand-written manuscripts, photographs, Annual Reports and instruments and their descriptions. The full text of research publications of our directors of Madras Observatory and Kodaikanal Observatory will also be part of this archival collection.

[About Indian Institute of Astrophysics]

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics is a premier national centre devoted to research in astronomy, astrophysics and related physics. It traces its origin back to an observatory set up in 1786 at Madras which from the year 1792 began to formally function at its Nungambakkam premises as the Madras Observatory. With headquarters at Bangalore, the Institute's laboratories are currently active at Kodaikanal,Kavalur, Gauribidanur,Hanle and Hosakote.

Is Open Source Increasing?

Steve Hardin in The Open Source Movement Gains Ground (Bulletin, February/March 2006, American Society for Information Science and Technology) highlighted the opening plenary session of the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science & Technology conducted by Matthew J. Szulik, chair, CEO and president of Red Hat.

People who work for Red Hat are doing so because they have the opportunity to see their work improve society. They’ve challenged the notion of “product.” They view software as a service.

(Originally shared on ResourceShelf, March 1, 2006)

MEMS Technology and Biomedical Applications - Conference

The Gordon Research Conference on "MEMS Technology and Biomedical Applications" will be held at Connecticut College, New London, CT during the week of June 25-30, 2006. There is an opportunity for researchers and their students to present their work at a poster session during the conference. More information about the conference, including links to registration can be found at http://www.grc.uri.edu/programs/2006/mems.htm.

Session topics include:

• Novel BioMEMS Sensing
• Chemical Specificity for BioMEMS Sensing
• BioMaterials for BioMEMS
• MEMS Technology as a Biomedical Device Platform
• Biologically Inspired MEMS
• Biofluidic Microsystems
• Lab-on-a-Chip
• Implantable MEMS Devices
• Applications of BioMEMS in Human Health

Several Case speakers are listed, including:

• Horst von Recum - "Activation of gene regulation by a drug delivery microchip"
• Carlos Mastrangelo - Tentative Title: "Microfluidics chips for integrated DNA Assays"

Investing In Nanotechnology

NanoFocus from Chemical & Engineering News (February 24, 2006) highlighted the increase in funding towards nanotechnology in 2006. Investing In Nanotechnology by Ann M. Thayer shared various measures of R&D investing, such as:

• $18 billion worldwide into nanotechnology between 1997 and 2005, and $6 billion estimated in 2006 alone
• From 1995-2005, there have been 258 investments in 143 start-ups spread across 13 countries, but only 9% have been acquired or gone public
• 83% of the small nanotech companies are still operating, 8% are “dead or in danger”
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  Categories: Applied Sciences Chemistry & Chemicals Engineering Materials Science Nanotechnology Nanotechnology News from the Field

  Space Shuttle Program's Future

  Looking for more information on the Shuttle Program? Try:
  NASA’s Space Shuttle Program: The Columbia Tragedy, the Discovery Mission, and the Future of the Shuttle (in PDF)
  Marcia S. Smith - Resources, Science, and Industry Division
  Updated January 4, 2006

  On August 9, 2005, the space shuttle Discovery successfully completed the first of two “Return to Flight” (RTF) missions — STS-114. It was the first shuttle launch since the February 1, 2003, Columbia tragedy. NASA announced on July 27, 2005, the day after STS-114’s launch, that a second RTF mission would be indefinitely postponed because of a problem that occurred during Discovery’s launch that is similar to what led to the loss of Columbia. The next launch is currently expected some time in 2006. This report discusses the Columbia tragedy, the Discovery mission, and issues for Congress regarding the future of the shuttle.

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  Categories: Aerospace Engineering Engineering Government News & Resources Mechanical Engineering News from the Field

  Science Magazine Offers RSS Feed

  Science Magazine offers several RSS Feeds, including table of contents, "this week in Science", podcasts, and ScienceCareers.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences News from the Field Podcasts RSS & Readers Science and Technology

  MacRAE'S BLUE BOOK - Industrial Directory

  MacRAE'S BLUE BOOK at www.MacRaesBlueBook.com is now the new destination for YELLOWPAGES.COM Industrial Directory users, delivering improved features that make it easy for industrial buyers to connect with the more than 200,000 verified MacRAE'S manufacturers and distributors.

  Every week over 150,000 visitors take advantage of www.MacRaesBlueBook.com's easy-to-use design by viewing in-depth advertiser information, conducting detailed searches of the more than 1,500,000 product listings that MacRAE'S companies are listed under and initiating RFQ's using the built-in RFQ feature.

  The cornerstone of the visitors' on-line experience is the site's top quality information. Every year the entire MacRAE'S database of manufacturers, exporters, distributors and service companies is updated using the industry's most respected quality assurance manual checks to ensure that all company profiles are complete, accurate and timely.

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  Categories: Databases, Publishers, & Vendor Updates Industry News from the Field

  Remote Labs Operated by MIT

  Inside Higher Ed had an article on March 24, 2006, called Mi Lab Es Su Lab that described MIT's iLabs. Using software developed by MIT's electrical engineering & computer science department and the civil & environmental engineering department, academic researchers from around the world have access to MIT equipment, such as a "shake table" to simulate earthquakes.

  (Thank you to John Dupuis on Confessions of a Science Librarian for highlighting this article.)

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  Categories: Civil Engineering & Construction Computer Science Computers, Software, & the Internet Engineering News from the Field

  Contest for Tech-Oriented Articles

  The University of Michigan Library and the University of Michigan Press has put out a call for tech-oriented articles, essays, and blog posts from the previous year.

  The competition is open to any and every technology topic--biotech, information technology, gadgetry, tech policy, Silicon Valley, and software engineering are all fair game. But the pieces that have the best chances of inclusion in the anthology will conform to these three simple guidelines:

  • They'll be engagingly written for a mass audience; if the article requires a doctorate to appreciate, it's probably not up our alley. Preference will be given to narrative features and profiles, "Big Think" op-eds that make sense, investigative journalism, sharp art and design criticism, intelligent policy analysis, and heartfelt personal essays.
  • They'll be no longer than 5,000 words.
  • They'll explore how technological progress is reshaping our world.

  The nominations must have been published in 2005 and be submitted by the deadline of March 31, 2006. See Best of Technology Writing 2006 for more information.

  (Originally shared by the LJ Tech Blog on March, 24, 2006)

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Computers, Software, & the Internet Engineering News from the Field Science and Technology

  Alumni Donation for Electrical Engineering Education

  Largest-ever donation of nearly $6 million from alumni Larry and Sally Sears to transform electrical engineering education with the Sears Undergraduate Design Laboratory. Read more...

  Additional announcements:
  $6 million donated to Case, 2 alumni give money to set up new engineering lab
  Cleveland Plain Dealer, Wednesday, March 22, 2006
  Jennifer Gonzalez

  Alumni couple donate $5.9 million to Case Western Reserve
  Akron Beacon Journal, Tuesday, March 21, 2006

  Case Engineering School gets $5.9M gift
  Crain;s Cleveland Business, March 21, 2006
  Shannon Mortland

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  Categories: Case Awards, News, or Publications Computer Science Engineering News from the Field

  HigherEdBlogCon

  

  From April 3-28, 2006, make sure you participate in the HigherEd BlogCon. This brand-new, all-online event aims to bring together in a single Web space many of the leading players who are transforming academe with their use of the new tools of the Social Web. Higher Ed BlogCon 2006 will focus on the use of blogs, wikis, RSS, audio and video podcasts, and other digital tools in a range of areas in academe.

  The program tracks appear to have something for everyone interested in using today's newest tools in education:

  • Teaching - April 3-7, 2006
  • Library & info resources - April 10-14, 2006
  • Admissions, alumni relations, and communications & marketing - April 17-21, 2006
  • Websites & web development - April 24-28, 2006.
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  Categories: Computers, Software, & the Internet Conferences Internet Tools Libraries & Librarianship News from the Field Podcasts RSS & Readers Wiki

  Case School of Engineering Marketing and Communications

  Steven M. Townsend, Director of Communications Case School of Engineering (CSE), has started a blog to share marketing and communications news from CSE. One of his early posts shares a web site to find electronic publications, templates, and logos used for marketing of CSE.

  On a related note, the Case School of Engineering’s 125th Annual Report (available in PDF) recently received an award in recognition of its creative excellence from the American Advertising Association and the Cleveland Advertising Association.

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  Categories: Case Awards, News, or Publications Engineering News from the Field Northeast Ohio

  Do You Need an Electronic Lab Notebook?

  The Scientist (March 1, 2006) explores the reasons why electronic lab notebooks are finding their way into academia and why they are becoming more of a necessity than an option.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Computers, Software, & the Internet Engineering Intellectual Property News from the Field Science and Technology Scientific Publishing & Data

  National Academies: Transportation

  Transportation at the National Academies contains many resources for those involved in the transportation industry and/or research. The main resources included in this web site are from the Transportation Research Board (TRB).

  Some example resources include:

  • TRB News
  • National Academies Press: Transportation Collection
  • Calendar of Transportation Conferences and Workshops
  • Buckling Up: Technologies to Increase Seat Belt Use -- Special Report 278
  • Transmission Pipelines and Land Use: A Risk-Informed Approach -- Special Report 281

  (Originally highlighted by The Scout Report, February 24, 2006, Volume 12, Number 8 (direct link))

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  Categories: Civil Engineering & Construction Conferences Engineering Government News & Resources News from the Field

  Inorganic and Polymeric Gels and Networks, and Inorganic Polymeric Materials

  The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has issued its working document for the Definitions of Terms Relating to the Structure and Processing of Inorganic and Polymeric Gels and Networks, and Inorganic Polymeric Materials. The public review and collection of comments continue through July 31, 2006. Read the project description for more information. The project was pursued as a joint initiative between the Inorganic and Macromolecular Divisions.

  [About IUPAC]

  The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) serves to advance the worldwide aspects of the chemical sciences and to contribute to the application of chemistry in the service of Mankind. As a scientific, international, non-governmental and objective body, IUPAC can address many global issues involving the chemical sciences. Read more...

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Chemistry & Chemicals Engineering News from the Field Professional Associations & Societies

  Academic Research - Physical Space at the Cost of Education

  Academic-Research Space Expands While Science-Education Needs Deepen
  By JEFFREY BRAINARD (Friday, February 24, 2006)

  Various highlights:
  

  • Universities built more research space on their campuses in 2002 and 2003 than at any time since 1988
  • In 1991 federal funds paid for 16 percent of new construction of lab space, but by 2003 that figure had fallen to 5 percent
  • See full article for various employment trends as well

  The Case community can access the full article from the E-Journal Portal. Several of the sources have a one month embargo before the article is available.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Engineering News from the Field Science and Technology

  Polymer Science for Everyone

  Volunteers from Case Western Reserve University's Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering brought polymers to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in hands-on activities for children and their families. Read more...

  (Originally posted on Case News Center - February 10, 2006)

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  Categories: Case Awards, News, or Publications Engineering News from the Field Northeast Ohio

  Is there an Engineering Gap between U.S. & other Countries?

  On December 13, 2005, Vivek Wadhwa wrote About That Engineering Gap...Is the U.S. really falling behind China and India in education? in BusinessWeek.

  I recommend you read the reader comments at the bottom of the article, since they do point out some problems with Wadhwa's assumptions. The article still does bring up some real concerns about comparing degrees from country to country.

  UPDATE ON 3/6/06:
  Quality vs. Quantity in Engineering from Inside Higher Ed highlights a follow-up article by a couple of Duke researchers. The Duke authors, in Framing the Engineering Outsourcing Debate, point out several errors in the numbers that are constantly published in literature.

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  Categories: Engineering News from the Field

  What are the Worst Jobs in Science?

  John Galvin gives us his top ten worst jobs in science (The Worst Jobs in Science, Popular Science, October 2005). I will not give share the results here, but the list starts with "Orangutan-Pee Collector" and gets worse from there?

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  Categories: News from the Field Science and Technology

  More Research @ CASE

  The Observer (February 17, 2006) highlighted Case's new West Quad that will consist of various research programs. The initial structure contains the Cleveland Center for Structural Biology (CCSB) and the Wright Fuel Cell Group.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Biological Sciences Case Awards, News, or Publications Engineering Fuel Cells News from the Field Northeast Ohio

  Increased Research Funding from Department of Energy

  Energy Dept. Could Give Academe a Bonus By JEFFREY BRAINARD
  The Chronicle of Higher Education
  Volume 52, Issue 24, Page A28

  President Bush's proposed 2007 budget increase of 14% for the Energy Department's Office of Science could increase academic funding by approximately 22%, to $611-million. See full article for some more details.

  The Case community can access the full article from the E-Journal Portal. Several of the sources have a one month embargo before the article is available.

  [Originally shared on the Case Daily, February, 16, 2006]

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  Categories: Engineering Government News & Resources News from the Field

  The Scientist - Careers

  The Scientist magazine offers a Careers web site that includes job postings, resume postings, employer profiles, and various other tools.

  For the CASE community:
  The Health Center Library has a print subscription to The Scientist.

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  Categories: News from the Field

  Calendar of Upcoming Conferences & Symposiums

  CASE's Office of Sponsored Projects maintains a calendar of Upcoming Conferences & Symposiums.

  On behalf of Case Western Reserve University, the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) reviews and signs off on all proposals to external sponsors. All contracts with the university which involve sponsored projects are also reviewed, negotiated and executed by the OSPA.

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  Categories: Conferences News from the Field

  Bioscience Funding - Ohio is #2

  The Cleveland Dealer (January 23, 2006) reported that Ohio was the No. 2 spot in the Midwest for venture capital investments in bioscience last year.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Biological Sciences Biomedical Engineering Engineering News from the Field Northeast Ohio

  Science Career Portal

  The Science magazine provides a career portal that includes various resources. ScienceCareers.org includes:

  • Job search engine
  • Funding information, such as a list of grants
  • Career development articles
  • Directory of events, meetings, & conferences

  [About Science Careers]

  ScienceCareers.org is dedicated to being the world leader in matching qualified scientists with jobs in industry, academia and government. We are committed to providing all the necessary career resources for scientists as well as effective recruiting solutions for employers. Our mission supports the AAAS's (American Association for the Advancement of Science) commitment to furthering careers in science and technology.

  The Case community can access the Science magazine from the E-Journal Portal.

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  Categories: News from the Field Science and Technology

  Future Energy Options

  What energy options do we have?
  Reported by Scott Newell (WKYC)

  Case Western was mentioned:

  Case Western Reserve University recently got a $3 million federal grant to develop one component of the fuel cell.

  But hydrogen fuel cell cars are at least 10 years off.

  "Primarily because of the technological problems on trying to improve the durability of a fuel cell, having it last longer under automobile use and decreasing overall cost of a fuel cell," Case Western Reserve's Peter Pintauro said.

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  Categories: Case Awards, News, or Publications Chemical Engineering Engineering Fuel Cells Industry News from the Field

  AAAS AnnuaI Meeting

  The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will hold it annual meeting February 16-20, 2006, in St. Louis, Missouri. The conference web site provides additional information.

  Join thousands of top scientists and science policy experts, along with educators, students, families, journalists and others, and plan to attend the 2006 meeting. Choose from a fascinating menu of events, from a two-day nanotechnology seminar to popular Family Science Days, and from a special day-long examination of the challenges faced by mathematicians to a seminar on virtual worlds and the video game industry.

  Other symposia will focus on some of the most pressing science and technology issues of our time, including climate change, the threat of bio-terrorism, the ethics of neuroscience, the effect of environmental toxins on child health and the need to identify and nurture young scientists and engineers.

  See About AAAS for more information.
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  Categories: Applied Sciences Conferences News from the Field Science and Technology

  Wikimania 2006

  Wikimania is an annual international conference devoted to Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation projects. Wikimania is both a scientific conference and a community event, bringing together the various Wikimedia projects. It's an opportunity for Wikipedians to meet each other, exchange ideas, and report on research and projects, as well as a chance for Wikipedians and the general public to meet and interact. Wikimania will also provide an opportunity to meet and talk with people at the forefront of the Wikimedia communities and wiki software development.

  As well as being a forum for research and ideas about the Wikimedia Foundation projects, Wikimania will bring together those interested in free and open source software, free knowledge initiatives, and other wiki projects worldwide. Wikimania will serve as a venue for people across fields, including software and hardware development, library and information science, knowledge management, journalism, law, policy, and education to share ideas about the future of free knowledge and open-source content projects.

  Wikimania 2006 will be held from August 4-6th in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the Harvard Law School campus.

  Wikimania is currently accepting submissions for papers, posters, presentations, workshops, discussion groups and speaker panels, as well as suggestions for other activities. More information can be found on the Call for Participation page. Contributions from both members of the Wikimedia community and from those outside it are welcome.

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  Categories: Computer Science Computers, Software, & the Internet Conferences Engineering Internet Tools News from the Field Wiki

  R&D Budget Cutback Worries US Scientists

  Knowledgespeak Newsletter (January 4, 2006)

  The US Congress has announced that defence and space projects will account for most increases in the $135 billion federal R&D budget next year. This has created a fear among the scientific community, who worry that the nation, which has traditionally invested heavily in technological growth, is trying to cut edges in the field. The government’s move will translate into several scientists, universities and institutions having to struggle for new funds or curtail existing and proposed projects.

  [Full Article]

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  Categories: Government News & Resources News from the Field Science and Technology

  Disappointing Year for R&D Funding

  Thanks to the recent Research Newsletter (January 19, 2005) of the CASE Office of Student Projects, we get word of poor R&D funding for 2006.

  American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Report:
  Congress Finishes FY 2006 Appropriations, Caps a Disappointing Year for R&D Funding

  On December 30, nearly three months into the fiscal year, President Bush signed the last two FY 2006 appropriations bills into law, bringing the FY 2006 appropriations process to a close. AAAS estimates that the federal R&D portfolio totals $134.8 billion in 2006, a $2.2 billion or 1.7 percent increase. But 97 percent of the increase goes to just two areas: defense weapons development and human space exploration technologies. Funding for all other federal R&D programs collectively will barely increase, and will fall nearly 2 percent after adjusting for inflation.

  [About AAAS]

  The American Association for the Advancement of Science, ”Triple A-S” (AAAS), is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world by serving as an educator, leader, spokesperson and professional association. In addition to organizing membership activities, AAAS publishes the journal Science, as well as many scientific newsletters, books and reports, and spearheads programs that raise the bar of understanding for science worldwide.

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  Categories: News from the Field

  Annual List of Top 10 Organizations Receiving Most U.S. Patents

  On January 10, 2006, the United States Patent & Trademark Office released the Annual List of Top 10 Organizations Receiving Most U.S. Patents. International Business Machines Corporation was #1.

  (Courtesy of the ResourceShelf, January 11, 2006.)

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  Categories: Government News & Resources Industry Intellectual Property News from the Field Patents

  Thomas Register of American Manufacturers - Only Online in the Future

  The Thomas Industrial Network has announced that it will discontinue the publication of its print directories. The two major publications to cease after 2006 will be the Thomas Register of American Manufacturers and the Thomas Register Regional Buying Guides. The full information from these publications, and much more, will continue to be available free-of-charge at ThomasNet.com.

  The Kelvin Smith Library does have a copy of the 2005 edition in its Reference Collection.

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  Categories: Industry News from the Field

  Professor Fired For Blogging?

  Meg Spohn, a professor at Devry University in Westminster, Colorado, has been fired, she says, for some "water-cooler kvetching" about the institution on her blog. See the entry at The Chronicle: Wired Campus Blog and the Denver Post article for more information and commentary. She posted that she was given no warnings before the firing, and Colorado is an “at-will” state so they can fire with no reason given. To this day she still does not know what entries may have caused her firing.

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  Categories: Blog: Are You 2.0 Yet Blogging News from the Field Web 2.0

  6th Annual Symposium on Intellectual Property

  Sixth Annual Symposium on Intellectual Property
  June 14-16, 2006

  Sponsored by the Center for Intellectual Property at University of Maryland University College

  "Copyright at a Crossroads: The Impact of Mass Digitization on Higher Education"

  Two full days of seminars and discussions June 15-16.
  Pre-symposium seminars the afternoon of June 14.

  UMUC Inn and Conference Center
  Adelpi, MD

  Details forthcoming at http://www.umuc.edu/cip

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  Categories: Conferences Copyright Intellectual Property News from the Field

  Gender Differences in Federal Research Grant Funding

  The RAND Corporation conducted research supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study gender differences in federal research grant funding. The report called Gender Differences in Major Federal External Grant Programs looked at the funding activities of NSF, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Agriculture.

  No major differences were discovered in most cases. The major exception was funding of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The funding summaries provided from the NIH from 2001-2003 showed that women only received 63% of the funding provided to male applicants. One cause was that men received the largest awards. If that was ignored, women still only received 83% of the counterparts funding. Another problem was that NIH does not keep information of co-investigators, only the principal applicant. Also, women are less likely to apply with the same organization again.

  Please read the full report for more numbers and conclusions.

  [About RAND]

  The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world.

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  Categories: News from the Field Science and Technology

  Patent Information Users Group Annual Meeting (2006)

  The Patent Information Users Group (PIUG) has put out a call for papers for its 2006 Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, May 20-25. Formed in 1988, PIUG is a volunteer organization for patent information professionals dedicated to the improvement of the retrieval, analysis and dissemination of patent information worldwide.

  One of the themes of this year's conference is the role of patents in academic research, teaching and technology transfer. In the last 20 years the number of patents granted to universities and public research institutions has increased dramatically. The National Science Foundation notes in its Science and Engineering Indicators 2004 that while the output of scientific publications has been relatively flat in the U.S. since 1992, the number of academic patents and citations to patents in scholarly articles has increased ten-fold. Although there is much debate on the value of patents as a means of disseminating scholarly research, patents are increasingly important to the worldwide academic community. This session will explore how patent information is being used by university researchers, instructors, librarians and technology transfer officers.

  Possible topics include:
  

  • Patent information services and collections
    
  • Profiles of academic patent information users
    
  • Collaboration and cooperation between university libraries and tech transfer offices
    
  • Patent information education, training and tutorials
    
  • New tools and technologies for delivering patent information, e.g. in-house databases, RSS feeds, Blogs
    
  • Searching patents in literature databases such as SciFinder Scholar
    
  • Academic patenting, licensing and commercialization philosophies

  I encourage you to submit a proposal for this or any other session. Instructions for submitting a proposal are at the end of this message. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about PIUG or the scope of the session. The deadline for submitting a proposal is January 30, 2006.

  Thank you,
  Michael White
  Co-Chair, Patent Information in Academia - 2006 PIUG Conference

  Michael J. White, Librarian for Research Services, BA, MLIS
  Engineering and Science Library
  Douglas Library Bldg., Room 516
  Queen's University
  93 University Ave., Kingston, Ontario K7L 5C4
  (613) 533-6785 / (613) 533-2584 (fax)
  michael.white@queensu.ca

  Continue reading "Patent Information Users Group Annual Meeting (2006)"

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  Categories: Conferences Intellectual Property News from the Field Patents

  Dog Genome Sequence Available through Open Access

  On December 8, 2005, Peter Suber on the Open Access News blog shared that the complete dog genome sequence has been published and is available "open access" on several web sites. As a side note, Peter Suber points out that the research cost $30 million, but that it was still made available for FREE.

  Next time you read or hear, that research is too expensive to share freely, think about the dog genome sequencing. Science research only sees its highest benefit when shared with everyone.

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  Categories: News from the Field Open Access Scientific Publishing & Data

  Call for Papers - Symposium On Technology, Knowledge and Society

  SYMPOSIUM ON TECHNOLOGY, KNOWLEDGE AND SOCIETY
  McGill University, Montreal, Canada 9-10 June 2006

  The symposium will take a broad and cross-disciplinary approach to technology in society. Participants will include researchers, teachers and practitioners whose interests are either technical or humanistic, or whose work crosses over between the applied technological and social sciences.

  A special theme of this symposium will be the complex relations between Technology and Citizenship. Technology is deeply implicated in the organisation and distribution of social, political and economic power. Technological artefacts, systems and practices arise from particular historical situations, and they condition subsequent social, political and economic identities, practices and relationships. In short, technology - industrial technology, transportation technology, information and communication technology, learning technology, bio and genetic technology, nanotechnology, etc. - is a matter in which citizenship is at stake. This symposium is dedicated to exploring the various ways in which technology and citizenship bear upon each other historically, and in the present context.

  We would particularly like to invite you to respond to the symposium call for papers. The symposium will also include numerous paper, workshop and colloquium presentations. Papers submitted by participants will be peer-refereed and published, if accepted by the referees, in print and electronic formats in the International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society. If you are unable to attend the symposium in person, virtual registrations are also available which allow you to submit a paper for refereeing and possible publication in this fully refereed academic journal, as well as access to the electronic version of the journal (including all historical material). The deadline for the first round of the call for papers is 15 JANUARY 2006. Proposals are reviewed within four weeks of submission.

  Full details of the symposium, including an online call for papers form, are to be found at the symposium website - http://www.Technology-Conference.com.

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  Categories: Conferences News from the Field Science and Technology

  NASA's Ames Research Center & Google Partnership

  FCW.com reported on October 17, 2005, that Google will be partnering with NASA's Ames Research Center in order to share computer scientists and office space for information technology research and development projects. It is expected NASA will provide physical space and the data, while Google will provide searching expertise and money. The deal should be finalized in February 2006.

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  Categories: Computers, Software, & the Internet Internet Tools News from the Field Scientific Publishing & Data

  Post-Katrina Tulane Cutting Majority of Their Engineering Programs

  Inside Higher Ed on December 12th published Professors Left Behind by ‘Bold Renewal’. Tulane is shutting down 4 of their 6 engineering programs, saving only biomedical and chemical engineering programs. Over 200+ faculty members may teach through June of 2007, which was the deadline given to current students to complete the cut programs.

  Tulane's statement is available to read about the full details.

  The university will focus its undergraduate, professional and doctoral programs and research in areas where it has attained, or has the potential to achieve, world-class excellence.

  [About Inside Higher Ed]

  Inside Higher Ed, the online source for news, opinion and career advice and services for all of higher education.

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  Categories: Engineering News from the Field

  E-Mail Is So Five Minutes Ago

  Evidence that demonstrates that email usage will decrease as collaboration becomes the key for success is presented in a November 28th, 2005, Business Week article, called E-Mail Is So Five Minutes Ago. It gives some examples of business usage of wikis, blogs, instant messaging, RSS, and groupware.

  I particularly enjoyed some of the words or thoughts introduced, such as "e-waste" for all that junk email and email CC meaning "cover your ass".

  Of great concern was the statistic that next year only 8% of all emails will be legitimate. I think this will just further drive alternative technologies such as RSS even harder into everyday usage.

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  Categories: Computers, Software, & the Internet Internet Tools News from the Field RSS & Readers Wiki

  Blogging in Academia - Benefit or Risk to Your Job

  From the It's All Good blog came a posting about an article in Slate called Attack of the Career-Killing Blogs - When Academics Post Online, Do they Risk Their Jobs? by Robert S. Boynton on November 16, 2005. The article highlights the various opinions on academic blogs, such as increasing Internet-awareness of a professor or university, increasing dialogue, lack of seriousness, harming an institution, and improving or harming a professor's chance for tenure.

  An older article that might also be of interest, called Bloggers Need Not Apply by Ivan Tribble, appeared on July 8, 2005, in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
  

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  Categories: News from the Field RSS & Readers

  Science Collaboration & Death of Buckyball Discoverer

  I came across this blog entry that highlighted the benefits of conducting science experimentation in an "open source" environment where the "discovery process" is shared. In addition, it highlighted a few lifetime achievements (buckball discovery and the Center for Nanoscale Technology and Science) of Dr. Richard Smalley who recently died at 62.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Chemistry & Chemicals Engineering News from the Field Science and Technology

  The Republican War On Science from the Talk of the Nation

  Listen to story at...
  Talk of the Nation (National Public Radio), November 11, 2005
  Chris Mooney on the "The Republican War On Science"
  

  Chris Mooney about what he calls "the Republican War on Science." From evolution to climate change to stem cell research, he says politicians are mishandling science in pursuit of a larger political agenda.

  Chris Mooney, author, The Republican War on Science; Washington correspondent, Seed Magazine

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  Categories: News from the Field Science and Technology

  Glossary of Terms Used in Photochemistry

  On November 30, 2005, Glossary of Terms Used in Photochemistry, Provisional Recommendations (IUPAC, Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry Division), was shared on the CHMINF-L listserv.

  The summary will be printed in the January 2006 issue of Chemistry International, and the public comment period will end March 31, 2006.

  To facilitate the dissemination of this document and all other provisional recommendations, you may refer to the IUPAC website; the abstracts and full texts (as pdf files) are accessible from this page.

  [About IUPAC]
  The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) serves to advance the worldwide aspects of the chemical sciences and to contribute to the application of chemistry in the service of Mankind. As a scientific, international, non-governmental and objective body, IUPAC can address many global issues involving the chemical sciences.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Chemistry & Chemicals News from the Field

  Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry

  On November 30, 2005, Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry, 3rd edition, Provisional Recommendations (IUPAC, Physical and Biophysical Chemistry Division), was shared on the CHMINF-L listserv.

  The summary will be printed in the January 2006 issue of Chemistry International, and the public comment period will end March 31, 2006.

  To facilitate the dissemination of this document and all other provisional recommendations, you may refer to the IUPAC website; the abstracts and full texts (as pdf files) are accessible from this page.

  [About IUPAC]
  The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) serves to advance the worldwide aspects of the chemical sciences and to contribute to the application of chemistry in the service of Mankind. As a scientific, international, non-governmental and objective body, IUPAC can address many global issues involving the chemical sciences.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Chemistry & Chemicals News from the Field

  Federal Funding for Science & Technology Increasing?

  As reported by the American Chemical Society (ACS), the National Academies as issued a report on "how the federal government could improve U.S. innovation and competitiveness". Their recommendations include a $10 billion increase in federal funding for science and technology. Key points addressed included:
  

  • K-12 science education is central to all other solutions.
    
  • A rapid increase in investment for physical science and engineering research is needed and should not be made at the expense of the recently expanded biological and health sciences.
    
  • U.S. undergraduate and graduate programs must attract the best and the brightest students from the U.S. and abroad.

  The full report can be downloaded for free in PDF, or you can listen to the press briefing.
  

  ---

  
  [About The National Academies]
  

  The National Academies perform an unparalleled public service by bringing together committees of experts in all areas of scientific and technological endeavor. These experts serve pro bono to address critical national issues and give advice to the federal government and the public.

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  Categories: News from the Field

  Engineering Salaries

  Recently I have received several questions about engineering salaries, so I will summarize some of my findings here.

  Lucrative Degrees for College Grads
  April 19, 2005, CNN/Money
  Data was presented from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, and a nice table highlights the starting salaries by degree for 2005 graduates.

  Graduating Engineer & Computer Careers put out a list of average entry level salaries for graduates with engineering and computer Degrees, but the data appears to be from the late 1990's.

  From the U.S. Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics, here is a table that contains the 2002 median annual earnings of various occupations, including various engineering professions.

  The National Center for Education Statistics has put out several tables of annual salary information if you want to see how all of engineering compares to other degrees (Table 1 & Table 2).

  On a related note, look at the U.S. Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics web page to see their description of an engineer and job outlook.

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  Categories: News from the Field

  Science Reporting to the Public: Science and the Media

  Organized by Division of Chemical Information (CINF)

  At 231st American Chemical Society National Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 26-30, 2006

  This symposium deals with the presentation of scientific information to the public. Potential topics include case studies of science reporting; the methods used in selecting topics for science reporting and for explaining them to the non-specialist audience; ethical issues in science reporting; the portrayal of science and scientists (especially chemistry, chemists and the chemical industry) in the popular media, etc.

  If you are interested in being a speaker for this symposium, please submit an abstract via the ACS OASYS system. A direct link to the CINF sessions is below: http://oasys.acs.org/acs/231nm/cinf/papers/index.cgi

  The deadline for abstract submission is November 23.

  Please excuse duplicate posting.

  Chuck Huber
  Symposium Chair
  Chemical Sciences Librarian
  Davidson Library
  University of California Santa Barbara
  huber@library.ucsb.edu

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Chemical Engineering Chemistry & Chemicals Conferences Engineering News from the Field Professional Associations & Societies Scientific Publishing & Data

  CINF E-News - Goes Open Access

  CINF E-news, a publication of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Chemical Information, is now available open access with the hope it will reach to additional chemical information professionals.

  In addition, from the latest issue (v.7:1, Fall 2005), comes the announcement of the CINF-IO Informatics Scholarship for Scientific Excellence.
  

  The scholarship program of the Division of Chemical Information (CINF) of the American Chemical Society (ACS) funded by IO Informatics is designed to reward graduate students in chemical information and related sciences for scientific excellence and to foster their involvement in CINF.

  Five scholarships valued at $1,000 each will be given out at both the Spring and Fall ACS National Meetings in a given year for a total of $10,000/year. Additionally, the winners will receive an annual license, free-of-charge, of IO Informatic's software Sentinent for their academic institution. The grants have been awarded for the first time at the 230th National Meeting of ACS in Washington, DC.

  The first three winners of the CINF-IO Scholarship Award are:
  Kunal Aggarwal, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ivan Tubert-Brohman, Department of Chemistry, Yale University, and Jérôme Hert, Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield.

  Applicants must be enrolled at a certified college or university. They have to present a poster at the respective National Meeting. Abstracts for the poster have to be submitted according to ACS rules on or before the deadline for electronic submission using OASYS (http://oasys.acs.org/oasys.htm). Point to the division (CINF) and select Poster session. Applications are accepted for the 2006 Spring ACS Meeting in Atlanta (March 26 - 30, 2006). The deadline for submission an abstract is November 23, 2005. Additionally, a 2,000-word long abstract describing the work to be presented has to be sent in electronic form before February 1st, 2006, to the chair of the selection committee at ggrethe@comcast.net. Any questions related to applying for one of the scholarships should be directed to the same e-mail address.
  Winners will be chosen based on content, presentation and relevance of the poster and will be announced at the meeting. The content shall reflect upon the student's work and describe research in the field of chemoinformatics and related sciences. Winning posters will be marked "Winner of the CINF-IO Informatics Scholarship for Scientific Excellence" at the poster session.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Chemical Engineering Chemistry & Chemicals Engineering News from the Field Open Access Professional Associations & Societies Scientific Publishing & Data

  Journal Impact Factors - Good & Bad

  The Chronicle of Higher Education, on October 14, 2005, published an article called The Number That's Devouring Science. The article points out ways publishers are exploiting the system to increase their visibility, and how the impact factor has become a measure for hiring, tenure, and research grants. The article points out how publishers, because of how the impact factors are measured and used, may be harming scientific research and publication.

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  Categories: Libraries & Librarianship News from the Field Scientific Publishing & Data

  Biometrics Being Developed for Airports

  Siemens is developing a biometric process for checking-in and boarding flights at the Frankfurt Airport.

  The press release also offered some other links which were quite interesting:
  

  • Biometric Technology - Body Language
    
  • Biometric Applications - A Question of Identity
    
  • Facts and Forecasts- Biometric Technologies

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  Categories: Computer Science Engineering Industry News from the Field

  1st German Conference on Chemoinformatics

  From the Chemical Information Sources Discussion List, came an announcement about the 1st German Conference on Chemoinformatics.

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  Categories: Conferences News from the Field

  Two Resign over ACS vs PubChem

  Two members of a American Chemical Society (ACS) committee have resigned in protect of the handling of the disagreement with the National Institute of Health. See more at Science Magazine, Volume 309, Number 5743, Issue of 23 September 2005.

  My previous posting in June provided more background information.

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  Categories: News from the Field Open Access Professional Associations & Societies Scientific Publishing & Data

  National Chemistry Week (October 16-22, 2005) - The Joy of Toys

  Join the American Chemical Society in celebrating National Chemistry Week from October 16-22, 2005. This year's theme is "The Joy of Toys."

  [About National Chemistry Week]
  

  National Chemistry Week is a community based program of the American Chemical Society (ACS). This annual event unites ACS local sections, businesses, schools, and individuals in communicating the importance of chemistry to our quality of life.

  [About ACS]
  

  The American Chemical Society is a self-governed individual membership organization that consists of more than 158,000 members at all degree levels and in all fields of chemistry. The organization provides a broad range of opportunities for peer interaction and career development, regardless of professional or scientific interests. The programs and activities conducted by ACS today are the products of a tradition of excellence in meeting member needs that dates from the Society's founding in 1876.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Chemistry & Chemicals News from the Field Professional Associations & Societies

  Thomson Scientific Laureates

  Thomson Scientific, based on total citation counts from its ISI Web of Knowledge product, has predicted the 2005 Nobel Prize winners in chemistry, economics, physiology or medicine, and physics.

  (Originally posted by Bob Michaelson on the STS-L listserv.)

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Astronomy, Astrophysics, & Physics Chemistry & Chemicals Medicine & Healthcare News from the Field Science and Technology

  Chemical Market Reporter Online

  Chemical Market Reporter is one of the key resources used to find chemical prices. The print version no longer carries the chemical prices, and has been reduced to industry and market news.

  The online version has been made available for the Case community. To search chemical process and profiles, access the online version of the Chemical Market Reporter, by using this link. It requires you to enter your Case Network ID in order to attain the password for the resulting web site. The password will change periodically for security, so this procedure is recommended each time a person needs access. The company is working on an IP recognition solution, but Case's numerous IP addresses were too much for their system to handle properly.
  

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  Reminder:
  Electronic journals may be listed in the Library Catalog, but for the most complete list please see the E-Journal Portal. The E-Journal Portal includes journals from within databases or available by open access, that are not list in the Library Catalog.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Chemical Engineering Chemistry & Chemicals Databases, Publishers, & Vendor Updates Engineering Industry News from the Field

  Is 50% of all scientific papers in error?

  EngLib on August 31st, 2005, shared information on an article which suggests that 50% of all scientific papers present the wrong conclusion.

  The New Scientist contained a short article with a summary and some commentary. The original article, Why Most Published Research Findings Are False, can be found on PLOS Medicine's web site.

  [About PLoS Medicine]
  

  PLoS Medicine is an open-access, peer-reviewed medical journal published monthly, online and in print, by the Public Library of Science (PLoS), a nonprofit organization. The inaugural issue was launched on 19 October 2004.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Engineering News from the Field Science and Technology Scientific Publishing & Data

  2005 Best Places To Work In Industry (Biobusiness)

  The Scientist has issued an article the describes the best places to work in the biobusiness industry. The article lists the top 10 large and small companies. In addition, the article lists the top 10 factors people considered while surveyed for this article. The most important factor was the "work is personally satisfying." I am sure we all agree with that one.

  See the full article for more information.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Biological Sciences Biomedical Engineering Industry News from the Field

  Employment/Salary Survey Results in Chemistry

  The most recent results of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Salary and Employment Survey were recently released in the August 1st edition of Chemical & Engineering News. This year was considered a "ChemCensus" year since all working members of ACS were surveyed.

  See some discussion of the results on www.chemistry.org. Some of the results include
  

  • Salaries show a modest increase with chemists who have not changed jobs.
  • Number of chemists out of work and seeking employment has dropped to 3.1%.
  • Percentage of respondents identifying themselves as “not white” has increased from 9.0% in 1990 to 14.2% in 2005.
  • Percentage of women in chemistry has also risen from 15% in 1985 to 25.1% today.
  • Median salary of $88,000 for men and $68,000 for women.
  • Percentage of chemists working in chemical manufacturing industries falling from 24.7% of the total in 1985 to 15.4% in 2005.

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  Chemical & Engineering News is available in print and online access to the Case community.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Chemical Engineering Chemistry & Chemicals Engineering News from the Field

  New Executive Director for IEEE

  The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) announced the selection of Jeffry W. Raynes, CAE, as its new executive director.

  With more than 365,000 members in over 150 countries, the IEEE is the world's largest professional society dedicated to the advancement of technology. Through its members, the IEEE is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedicine, electric power and consumer electronics. The IEEE produces 30 percent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed more than 900 active industry standards. The organization also sponsors or cosponsors more than 300 international technical conferences each year. Additional information is available at www.ieee.org.

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  Categories: Computer Science Engineering News from the Field Professional Associations & Societies

  Why Women Shy Away from Careers in Science and Math

  The Confessions of a Science Librarian blog shared an article from about.com, titled Why Women Shy Away from Careers in Science and Math.
  

  Girls steer away from careers in math, science and engineering because they view science as a solitary rather than a social occupation, according to a University of Michigan psychologist.

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  Categories: News from the Field

  Is Faked Research Results on the Rise?

  Wired News carried an Associated Press article that looked at the increase volume of faked research receiving federal funds.

  The articles cited a researcher that studies why scientists are making up their results.

  David Wright, a Michigan State University professor who has researched why scientists cheat, said there are four basic reasons: some sort of mental disorder; foreign nationals who learned somewhat different scientific standards; inadequate mentoring; and, most commonly, tremendous and increasing professional pressure to publish studies.

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  Categories: News from the Field Scientific Publishing & Data

  What Makes Someone Decide To Become An Engineer?

  Thanks to John Dupuis (Confessions of a Science Librarian) for sharing this article about why people becomes engineers. From the March 2005 ASEE Prism, The Mechanics Of A Career - What Makes Someone Decide To Become An Engineer? highlights the stories of 6 engineering educators.

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  Categories: Engineering News from the Field

  American Chemical Society and NIH's PubChem

  The University of California's Office of Scholarly Communication has a created a web site to summarize the activities surrounding the American Chemical Society's attempt to shut down PubChem. The web site includes background information, position statements, facts & fugures, and suggestion of what people can do to fight this.

  UC's Academic Council wrote letters to both ACS and members of Congress.

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  Categories: News from the Field Open Access Scientific Publishing & Data

  Energy: A 21st Century Perspective

  I attended Energy: A 21st Century Perspective on Thursday, June 3rd. It really opened my eyes to the many scientific, economic, political, and social aspects of managing energy resources in the U.S. and throughout the world. The speakers focused on several topics, including economics of energy, technology development, coal, nuclear energy, hydrogen for energy, renewable resources, and fuel cells.

  Summary information will be appearing on the web site in the future, including actual power point presentations and a streaming video of the conference. As more information is shared, I will update my posting.

  Steven Koonin, Chief Scientist for BP, gave one of the most interesting presentations. (For a preview, see a similar presentation he gave to the Fermilab in April). One of the most striking slides of his presentation was how much energy the U.S. uses compared to other countries, and how little several contries, that are growing quickly, are using now.

  I did note some interesting comments from the speakers:
  1. The U.S. energy policies are not driven by the Department of Energy, as we all may think. EPA, Department of Transportation, etc. all have more effect on energy prices and utilization than the Dept. of Energy.
  2. U.S. prices for energy (gas, electricity, etc.) are still cheaper than other areas throughout the world, because the U.S. prices do not cover the environmental consequences as other countries have calculated into their prices.
  3. France's electricity is 70% nuclear power created. They also created "standard" power plants that greatly reduced contruction and operation costs (unlike the U.S. that created a different design for each power plant).
  4. Improperly operated or designed coal power plants give off more radiation than nuclear power plants.
  5. All agreed that we are already in a 20 year window in which drastic changes and decisions must be made to guarantee future energy supplies and environmental protection.

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  Categories: Engineering Fuel Cells News from the Field

  Chemical Market Reporter

  Chemical Market Reporter has removed its chemical pricing information from the print publication to a secured website. I have been working with the publisher to find a way for Case's faculty and students to continually have access to this title.
  
  The Case community can expect an announcement for electronic access to the web site in the near future.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Chemical Engineering Chemistry & Chemicals Engineering Industry News from the Field Science and Technology Scientific Publishing & Data

  Top 50 Chemical Producers

  Chemical & Engineering News has published its 2005 survey of the Top 50 Chemical Producers. The full report is available in PDF format.

  Chemical & Engineering News is a weekly magazine published by the American Chemical Society.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Industry News from the Field

  New Listserv for Chemicals Policy Issues

  The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Chemicals have created a new email list for chemicals policy issues. Posted items may include job postings, conference announcements, chemicals policy news, and information on new publications/resources.

  To learn more or subscribe, proceed to the Chemicals-L web site.

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  Categories: Applied Sciences Chemical Engineering Chemistry & Chemicals Current Awareness News from the Field

  Institute of Physics offers RSS feeds

  The Institute of Physics (IOP) offers several RSS feeds, including event postings, job postings, several regular features, recent news, and product information. In addition, a large selection of journal titles and recent article publications may be monitored by RSS feed.

  The Institute of Physics (IOP) is the leading international professional body promoting physics research. [About the Institute of Physics]

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  Categories: Alerting Services Applied Sciences Astronomy, Astrophysics, & Physics Current Awareness Databases, Publishers, & Vendor Updates News from the Field RSS & Readers

  Women & Engineering - Google Perspective

  See a short video about working at Google, or read, as shared by Google's Director of Engineering, other comments about recruiting females into engineering.
  

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  UPDATE 8/17/05: Google blog link changed & was updated.
  UPDATE 11/17/07: Video is gone.

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  Categories: News from the Field