The concerns over shortages of engineering graduates with the right skills entering industry is increasing. Lack of highly skilled graduates increases recruitment costs and affects the performance of the UK industry. Employers should therefore supply more feedback on the quality of graduates to make sure the changing requirements of industry are recognized and reflected in engineering degree programs. This research investigated how linking students throughout their degree study with employers affected students, academia, and employers. Evidence was obtained from sponsored and placement undergraduate engineering students in a department of Civil and Building Engineering, their academic tutors, and their employers. The results showed sponsored engineering programs that are operated by a university department in cooperation with employers matched the needs of students and requirements of employers. Sponsorship allowed both students and sponsors to have practical experience of working arrangements over three or more years before either party made a full commitment, it helped to develop undergraduate programs, and provided students with experience of real-life industrial engineering challenges. The main conclusions to be drawn from this study are sponsorship is a valuable strategy for enhancing the professional skills of intending engineers. More feedback from employers on the quality of graduates should be provided to departments of engineering so that the changing requirements of industry are recognized and reflected in engineering degree programs.

Teaching innovations in earthquake engineering with special attention to Bloom’s taxonomy is explored utilizing the versatility introduced by the hybrid simulation (HS) testing method. Such innovations focus on developing a variety of case studies with integrated earthquake and structural engineering concepts tailored for high school and first-year undergraduate students. The goal is to effectively guide students to understand the intricacies of real structural systems by visualizing their complex behavior when subjected to earthquake loading. A teaching activity involving theoretical and hands-on-experience components, in which a HS testing demonstration is used as a part of the activity, is described, and the results of this activity are presented. The experiences gathered from this activity and the developed HS experience at various laboratories are used to create new instructional case studies making use of HS.

Supported by a National Science Foundation, Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute (PASI) grant and the Smithsonian Institute, two expeditions were made by teams of multidisciplinary researchers to the Andes Mountains of Peru to study the design and construction methods used to build the great Inca Road. The objectives of the study were to identify sustainable engineering practices used by the Inca, determine which practices can apply to modern design and construction, and share findings with visitors at the National Museum of the American Indian and others throughout the world through live interactive satellite broadcasts. This paper focuses on the technologies that were used to accomplish the broadcasts and used to support the engineering and construction analysis of the Inca Road. Each technology used on these expeditions provided a unique opportunity to learn about the road and disseminate findings with others. The technologies utilized included communication equipment (e.g., satellite router and dish, Wi-Fi, and mobile portable video equipment), location and mapping technologies [e.g., geographic information system (GIS) and global positioning system (GPS)], photogrammetric techniques for three-dimensional modeling, laser range finding for precision measurement of the road features, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) for use in nondestructive testing and evaluation of subsurface conditions. The technologies are explained in this paper along with the challenges of implementing them in such harsh and extreme conditions. In addition, some of the more salient engineering and construction discoveries are included. This information can be useful for others who are interested in implementing a similar approach for studying ancient civil infrastructure in other remote locations.

Development of learning tools is critical for improving engineering education and teaching difficult engineering concepts. Representations are learning tools that can help students understand conceptual systems by providing insight to a concept, problem, or system through explicit cues. Researchers at the University of Idaho have developed structured activities involving animations that are representations of traffic simulations designed as part of the Mobile Signal Timing Training (MOST) project for teaching traffic signal timing. In this study, the effectiveness of the MOST animations were evaluated through a pre-/postcomparative case study. Overall, the MOST animations were successful in improving student understanding of timing parameters involved in actuated control at signalized intersections. The MOST activities were more effective than comparison methods in facilitating student learning for concepts of minimum green time, maximum green time, and duration of the green indication. Students also showed an improved understanding of the relationship between cycle length and delay and passage time, but not more so than comparison students. Results indicate that animations are effective in improving student understanding of concepts involving dynamic processes or reactions.

The views of practicing transportation engineers and those of instructors teaching the first/introductory course in transportation engineering can serve as vital inputs in development, or redevelopment, of this course. The priorities of practitioners and educators regarding possible course topics are discussed in this paper. The ranked topic priorities of practitioners and educators compared with one another and the current practitioner priorities are also compared with an older survey. A high degree of correlation was found in both cases. Although general trends are fairly consistent, some observations about specific topics can be made; for example, the importance of including topics addressing alternatives to private vehicle travel is notably higher in the most recent practitioner survey than in the older survey. Although the information derived from these surveys merits consideration in structuring the first course in transportation engineering, many other factors should also be considered. The role of the course in the greater civil engineering curriculum, the setting of the institution, the needs of its stakeholders, and preparation for the Fundamentals of Engineering examination are all factors that should be considered as well.

Students and postdoctoral associates interested in tenure-track environmental engineering positions have limited resources to aid them. The Student Services Committee (SSC) of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) organized a workshop to fill some of the need. Newly hired faculty and experienced search committee and department chairs shared information on how to create competitive applications. Students and postdoctoral associates were also provided with individualized feedback on their faculty application packages. Survey data were collected for all participants, and these data are presented in this paper along with tips shared during the workshop and information collected from the literature. The objective of this paper is to share that information (1) to inform applicants (students and postdoctoral associates) about the academic job search process, and (2) to inform mentors about how to mentor applicants. Survey responses revealed that participants felt they learned valuable information about the job search process. They found the personalized feedback on application packages to be the most helpful activity; other mentors are encouraged to provide similar personalized feedback. A wiki website component included in the workshop was effective at engaging the participants and helped broaden the impact beyond the workshop attendees. Key lessons learned by comparing workshop results with literature were the importance of fit, the unique diversity of environmental engineering, mentoring and networking, Ph.D. planning sessions, being informed, and becoming a more skilled candidate. The recommendations presented in this paper can be used by students, postdoctoral associates, and their mentors to facilitate the candidate’s path toward academia.

Females have become less of a rarity in civil engineering faculty over the past twenty years, but the numbers remain relatively low. This article presents a brief history of females in the profession and discusses some of the issues affecting them, particularly those in academia. The objective is to examine the state of gender distribution in civil engineering academia and perceptions of personal and professional issues. In order to accomplish this, a survey was composed and distributed to female faculty from universities listed by ASCE as having accredited civil engineering programs. These data include demographics, status of mentoring, views on job satisfaction, and feelings of inclusion in a male-dominated arena. As females advance in academia, it is theorized that the numbers of female students will also increase, thus strengthening the engineering profession. This paper is a summary of the first part of the survey.

Transportation networks often go through life cycles as they develop, become mature, and on occasion fade away and are supplanted by newer transportation modes. The state of Ohio’s first transportation network was based on canals. The life cycle of the Ohio and Erie Canal and the early economic development of Ohio were closely linked. The rise and fall of Ohio’s canal system offer valuable lessons about the political and economic difficulties of embarking on vast infrastructure projects, as well as the benefits of doing so. Considerable engineering challenges had to be overcome to build the canal system. The canal system also required considerable maintenance and upkeep, and those costs played a large part in the system’s eventual demise. The growth of the state economy and the rise of some of the largest cities in Ohio were direct results of the canal system. Although the canals were superseded by the railroads, in a sense they made the railroads possible. This paper reviews the engineering, economic, and political considerations that influenced the development and the eventual abandonment of the canal system.

For sustainable engineering to contribute to sustainability, curricular reforms are needed to train sustainability-conscious engineers. Examining student perceptions of sustainability education can provide insights for benchmarking the current quality of a curriculum and for identifying strategies for reforming a curriculum. Thus, the goal of this study was to examine student interest in, knowledge of, and experiences related to sustainability in civil and environmental engineering (CEE) at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). A survey was developed and administered to students ($n=153$) enrolled in CEE capstone courses. The results indicated that although students are interested in sustainable development, there is potential for further enhancing sustainability learning. In addition, students reported that CEE courses strongly impacted their learning, which underscores the importance of curricular quality. Finally, although students were generally satisfied with CEE sustainability education, they cited the need for more guidance on integrating sustainability into the design process. Although this case study provides feedback to improve CEE sustainability education at Georgia Tech, it also serves as an example for other programs interested in evaluating their curricula from a student perspective.

This paper presents experiences in a structural analysis course of a civil engineering degree at the Universidad Europea de Madrid (Spain) as an example of educational innovation. The writers have tried to motivate students to learn structural analysis and design by using classical theory, performing calculations by hand, using a computer program, and using a plastic toy for model trusses to measure strain and stresses. These allow a comparison of results between the three methods. At the end of the course there is a rapid bridge-building contest with simple materials to develop the students’ capacity for ingenuity and teamwork, design different structural typologies, and meet aesthetic and resistance criteria. The writers analyzed the experiments, educational benefits, and student learning.

In recent years, green building has drawn the attention of both academics and practitioners and experienced rapid growth. In order to achieve the concept of sustainable development in the project life cycle of green building, a holistic approach to green practice is needed. Unlike traditional construction approaches, adopting the green practice approach calls for more cohesive collaborations among different stakeholders. This study aims to elicit a better understanding of how green practice influences collaborative work (CW). Data were collected through green technical documents of several real-life projects and interviews with owners, contractors, designers, cost estimators, and government officials in China. A conceptual framework for determining the structure and content of the impact of green practice in CW was mapped; four potential conflicts were identified. Further analysis was used to explore the mitigation strategies that could be used to make CW particularly suitable for green building implementation. The study will help stakeholders identify their objectives and to strategically facilitate a more collaborative work environment.

In this paper, a Web-based system oriented toward students of surveying engineering and photogrammetry is presented. This application allows student self-evaluation of the calculations and problems involved in practical work. Students can evaluate their calculations before the final evaluation, minimizing the usual mistakes, primarily those of calculation errors. The evaluation of this system is based on the numbers and types of access to the system; the results of a satisfaction survey; and, primarily, a test of the proposed learning methodology. These results have demonstrated the viability of the tool developed in this project with regard to achieving the main objective, which consists of the students’ self-evaluation of their calculations and assimilation of the causes of their mistakes. The system is therefore shown to reinforce and stimulate autonomous learning.