Fostering Empathy in Engineering Education – Dr Nicola Sochacka, Dr Joachim Walther and Dr Shari Miller
Original Article Reference
https://doi.org/10.26320/SCIENTIA175
Share Episode
About this episode
Related episodes
Professor Pei Wang | Defining AI to Ensure Effective Research and Policymaking
Artificial intelligence – or AI – is receiving increasing attention for its rapid development and potential to change society. Researchers are working hard to develop its capabilities, while regulators are racing to ensure it is managed and governed properly. But what do we mean by AI, and how can we define such a complex term? In a recent paper, Professor Pei Wang at Temple University argues that the lack of an agreed definition makes it difficult for policymakers to assess what AI will be capable of in the near future, or even which kinds of AI are desirable. To combat this, he discusses what makes a robust definition, and suggests his own.
Dr Elif Miskioğlu | Assessing the Value of Intuition for Solving Complex Engineering Problems
Experienced engineers are typically equipped with advanced technical knowledge and a unique professional skillset. These skillskets are often paried with impressive intuition, which allows engineers to devise solutions to complex real-world problems. Engineering faculty at Bucknell University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and The Ohio State University recently engaged in important research to further our understanding of intuition in engineering practice.
Dr David Mather | A Promising Approach to Prevent Children from Developing Dyslexia
Studies suggest that children who rely more on vision from their left eye could be more likely to develop dyslexia if they learn to write using pathways in the right brain hemisphere. Dr David Mather, a researcher at the University of Victoria, recently published a paper reviewing these findings. He outlines a proposed approach to teaching writing skills that could prevent these children from developing dyslexia. This approach involves teaching children to write when they are 7 or 8 years old, when the human brain is better at mapping and memorising entire words.
Dr Abheetha Peiris | An Innovative Approach to Strengthening Steel and Concrete Structures
As they age, steel and concrete structures often need to be retrofitted. One such way of strengthening is with Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer – or ‘CFRP’ – laminates. For certain applications, however, this can be a difficult and time-consuming process, and the resulting laminates are prone to debonding. In his research, Dr Abheetha Peiris at the University of Kentucky developed a new type of strengthening in the form of CFRP strip and rod panels. The panels can slot together seamlessly – making them less prone to failure, and far easier to assemble. Through a series of experiments and field applications, he revealed how the new method can be applied for retrofitting both steel and concrete structures.