Spatial Visualization Skills: Why They Are Critical for Engineering Success and How to Strengthen Yours

March 23, 2006, 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET

Engineers communicate through drawings. Engineering drawing is one of the foundation courses for virtually every engineering program. In addition, many engineering tasks require you to visualize 3D objects and rotate them in your mind’s eye. About 40 percent of female and 10 percent of male engineering students enter engineering programs with weak skills in this critical area. Unfortunately, students with weak spatial visualization skills have a significantly higher drop out rate in engineering programs. Join us for an important session to learn about this critical aptitude, how it applies to engineering, and what you can do to strengthen your spatial visualization skills—even while you’re still in high school or taking collegiate engineering courses.

Moderator: Janet Scheren, JETS

Speakers:

• Sheryl Sorby, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Engineering, Michigan Technological University
• Lynn S. Liben, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University
• Steve Greene, Director, New York Office, Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation

Clearing the Math Hurdle—Strategies for Success in Engineering Mathematics

Thursday, March 23 8:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. ET

Many bright, inquiring students who would find engineering a rewarding career forgo the field or change majors because of the rigorous math requirements. Even top high school math students can fail to clear the hurdle if they don’t have solid study skills behind them and a strategy to adjust to the different environment of college math and physics. This session addresses one of the most challenging questions in engineering education today: How can more students excel in math so they can confidently pursue an engineering or related technical degree? Learn how both high school and college students can empower themselves to excel in math and what teachers at all levels can do to truly engage students in math and increase their levels of success.

Moderator: Janet Scheren, JETS

Speakers:

• Marsha Tufft, P.E., Ph.D., Aerospace Engineer, GE Aircraft Engines
• Joy Moore, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Education, Division of Teacher Education
• Suzanne L. Weekes, Ph.D., Assoc. Professor of Mathematical Sciences, Assoc. Director of CIMS (www.wpi.edu/+CIMS), Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Donna Kelly, Engineering Academic Advisor, Sam Ginn College of Engineering, Auburn University

Donna Kelly is an academic advisory to engineering students at Auburn University. In this capacity, she meets with students for academic advising, maintains academic records of engineering students, consults with students and makes any necessary referrals. In addition, she is responsible for all transfer students and served as chair of the University Advisors Caucus and works with the prestigious scholars program.

Joy Moore received her Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Mathematical Sciences and Education from the University of Cincinnati in 2000. She has a M.S. in mathematics from the University of Cincinnati. She has a unique joint appointment between the Division of Teacher Education in the College of Education and the Department of Mathematical Sciences in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences. She teaches the undergraduate calculus and analytical geometry series as well as mathematics content courses for teachers in the department of Mathematical Sciences. She teaches graduate level courses in Mathematics Education in the College of Education. Her research agenda includes the development and practice of culturally relevant mathematics pedagogy.

Marsha Tufft, PE, PhD., earned a BS Mechanical Engineering 1981 from Purdue University.  She joined GE Aircraft Engines where she also earned a MS Aerospace Engineering from University of Cincinnati in 1984.  She has worked in critical rotating parts life management and also had a three-year assignment as Manager-Technical Education programs where she worked with Ted Fowler and Glenn Markle from the University of Cincinnati Teachers College to improve the instructional effectiveness of GE's Advanced Course in Engineering.  After that assignment she returned to life management and obtained her Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from the University of Dayton in 1997.

Suzanne Weekes is Assoc. Professor of Mathematical Sciences and Assoc. Director of the Center for Industrial Mathematics and Statistics, Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in Mathematics and Scientific Computing from The University of Michigan. She holds an M.S, Applied Mathematics from The University of Michigan, and a B.S, Mathematics from Indiana University. Her research interests include numerical analysis, computational fluid dynamics, porous media flow, hyperbolic conservation laws, and shock capturing schemes.