SEAS poised to become model engineering school of the future


In a recent presentation to alumni, I challenged them to think about what has changed in engineering and technology over the past 20 or 25 years. Technology is now such a big part of our lives that we sometimes fail to realize that many of the electronic gadgets we take for granted today did not exist 20 or 25 years ago.

In 1980 there were no cell phones and almost no e-mail. Polaroid® had the market on instant photographs. Our monochrome displays and printers handled text only.

Today cell phones are everywhere, and almost everyone uses e-mail. Digital cameras have grabbed a huge share of the instant photographic market. Displays are color, and personal printers produce photo-quality prints.

As scientists and engineers, we work in the future. We visualize tomorrow's innovations today. The technological items that are pervasive in today's world were the visions of scientists and engineers a decade ago. There is no doubt that technology has changed our lives and will continue to do so at a rapid pace.

As educators, we must ensure that everyone is equipped to function in this rapidly evolving technological world. Everyone who is going to be in a leadership position needs an education in science and technology. Every student educated at Princeton should understand the basic concepts in programming and computer science, genomics, and nano-science because these are the areas that will fundamentally change our lives over the next 20 or 25 years. Similarly, the engineering students need to understand the social context of new technologies.

Princeton has been a leader in this movement to provide an understanding of technology to all students. The engineering faculty has put a lot of thought into developing interdisciplinary courses that are enormously popular.

The School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) is poised to become a top engineering school of the future. As we move toward this goal, there are three opportunities I would like to offer our students:

* Exposure to engineering in the first year,

* A practical internship year,

* The leveraging of learning through technology.

Exposing students to engineering during the first year can be accomplished by creating an integrated first-year math-physics-engineering course. Three faculty members, one from each discipline, would teach this elective course, which would have an engineering theme, such as environment, materials, or biotechnology. For the students taking this option, it would replace first-year math and physics. This course would also introduce students to ethics, teamwork, design, and research components.

The practical internship would take place between the junior and senior years. This would be a paid position in industry, government, a development agency, or a research group. It could be international or U.S.-based.

I also think we can better leverage learning through technology here at Princeton. We can facilitate the learning experience both inside and outside the classroom by meshing asynchronous and synchronous communications and by providing better support for varied learning styles and preferences.

Lightweight laptops and wireless technology are making this possible. By 2004 all Intel® laptops will come with wireless capability. Already more than 90 percent of Princeton students have laptops.

This opens the door for:

* Peer-to-peer communications anytime, anywhere;

* Real-time broadcast presentations;

* Polling and questions;

* Pacing feedback to the instructor;

* Group and individual accountability;

* Editable recordings; and

* The blending of synchronous and asynchronous communications.

Incorporating this technology into the learning experience can offer many benefits, including providing students with a class recording, feedback for the instructor, and accountability for group and individual work. These are only a few of the ideas for enhancing engineering education that we are thinking about at SEAS these days.

I would love to hear your thoughts on these ideas and any other thoughts you have on what we should do to make Princeton the best place for engineering education. Contact me via e-mail at klawe@princeton.edu or by phone at (609) 258-2260.