Olin College: Changing Engineering Education to Respond to Global Challenges

Transcription

1 Olin College: Changing Engineering Education to Respond to Global Challenges Stephen Schiffman Ph.D. Interim Vice-President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Needham, MA Global E3/AE3 Annual Meeting April 11, 2011

2 Olin College Campus Needham, MA 2001

3 Origins of the College Franklin W. Olin Engineer, entrepreneur, baseball player F.W. Olin Foundation, highly respected for 50 years 72 Buildings on 57 campuses in U.S.A

4 F.W. Olin Foundation: Start Over and Create a New Paradigm Olin College created for the purpose of becoming an important and constant contributor to the advancement of engineering education in America and around the world. Quote is from the Founding Precepts of the College

5 F.W. Olin Foundation: Start Over and Create a New Paradigm June 1998 A letter from the F.W. Olin Foundation February 1, 1999 President and First Employee of Olin College September Invention What Is an Engineer? And What Does Every Engineer Need to Know?

6 The Need for Change in Engineering Education Thomas L. Friedman, The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century Council on Competitiveness, National Innovation Initiative National Academy of Engineering, Rising Above the Gathering Storm National Academy of Engineering, Educating the Engineer of 2020 Teamwork, communication, creativity, leadership, entrepreneurial thinking, ethical reasoning, global contextual analysis

7 Conclusions: Attitudes and Behaviors, Not Just Knowledge! Solid preparation in Science and Math remains essential (nanotechnology, biotechnology, etc.) But Attitudes and Behaviors are also important (maybe critical?) Entrepreneurial thinking Teamwork and Leadership Creativity and Innovation Learning How to Learn is Key Creativity may become more important than knowledge Interdisciplinary Thinking is critical for Grand Challenges Global Context and Ethical Reasoning needed for societal problems

8 Olin College Campus Needham, MA 2011

9 Olin College Overview Undergraduate residential engineering education Total enrollment of about 300 Nearly 50% women BS degrees in ECE, ME, Engr 9-to-1 student/faculty ratio Founded in 1997, first graduates in acres and 400,000+ sq. ft. new buildings Endowment ~ $350 million Research expenditures ~ $1 million/yr Adjacent to Babson College, Wellesley College No academic departments No tenure Low tuition Continuous improvement

10 Mission Statement of Olin College Olin College prepares students to become exemplary engineering innovators who recognize needs, design solutions, and engage in creative enterprises for the good of the world.

11 Engineering curriculum is broadly framed at Olin College

12 The Grand Challenges (National Academy of Engineering) Advance health informatics Advance personalized learning Engineer better medicines Engineer the tools of sci discovery Reverse-engineer the brain Enhance virtual reality Make solar energy economical Manage the nitrogen cycle Provide energy from fusion Provide access to clean water Develop carbon sequestration methods Restore and improve urban infrastructure Prevent nuclear terror Secure cyberspace

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14 Founding GC Schools Duke University, Pratt School of Engineering The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering

15 Grand Challenges Scholars Program

16 Grand Challenges Scholars Program

17 Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship A new initiative between Olin College of Engineering, Babson College, and schools around the world that enables students to address the well-being of people living in low-income and resourcepoor situations through business and technical innovation.

18 Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship TYPICAL THEMES Health/Energy A one-room medical clinic with limited solar medicine storage in an area with intermittent grid power Water A family collecting drinking water from a contaminated swamp that is sweeter and cheaper than well water Transport A rickshaw puller that must labor all day every day of the week without assist (Courtesy Rickshaw Bank, Assam) Photo: Benjamin Linder, Rickshaw Bank

19 Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship MULTI-CAMPUS COURSE U.S. community Olin / Babson Colleges International school International community Liaison Team 1 Product-venture opportunity Team 2 Liaison Product-venture opportunity

20 Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship Opportunity identification PRODUCT-VENTURE PIPELINE Design Deployment Operation

21 Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship PRODUCT-VENTURE DURATION

22 Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship Spring 2011 Site Visits Alabama, Ghana, India

23 Photo: Tiama Hamkins-Indik

24 Photo: Tiama Hamkins-Indik

25 Photo: Benjamin Linder

26 Photo: Benjamin Linder

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28 Photo: Ryan Hubbard

29 Long Term Aspiration of Olin College Olin College seeks to redefine engineering as a profession of innovation encompassing 1) the consideration of human and societal needs, 2) the creative design of engineering systems, and 3) the creation of value through entrepreneurial effort and philanthropy. The College is dedicated to the discovery and development of the most effective educational approaches and aspires to serve as a model for others.

30 Initiative for Innovation in Engineering Education (I2E2)

31 Partial list of International Institution clients of I2E2 Chalmers University of Technology Habib University Foundation India Institute of Technology Institute for Convergence Technology Initiatives, Yonsei University Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR) Korea University of Technology and Education KTH Royal Institute of Technology National University of Singapore Qiming College of Huazhong Institute of Science and Technology Singapore Polytechnic TECSUP Institute of Technology Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez University of New South Wales

32 Olin College: Changing Engineering Education to Respond to Global Challenges Stephen Schiffman Ph.D. Interim Vice-President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Needham, MA Global E3/AE3 Annual Meeting April 11, 2011

33 U.N. Millennium Development Goals for 2015 End poverty and hunger Reduce by ½ the number of hungry Universal education Ensure that all children everywhere are able to complete primary schooling Gender equality Eliminate gender disparity in all levels of education Child health Reduce by 2/3 the under-five mortality rate Maternal health Reduce by ¾ the maternal mortality rate Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Other Diseases Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS Environmental sustainability Reduce by ½ the population lacking sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation Global partnership Address the special needs of least developed countries September

34 Mean Score (in Std Dev from NSSE Mean) First year Student Engagement Olin College Engineering Liberal Arts NSSE Level of Academic Challenge Active and Collaborative Learning Student- Faculty Interaction Enriching Educational Experiences Supportive Campus Environment

35 Mean Score (in Std Dev from NSSE Mean) Senior-year Student Engagement Olin College Engineering Liberal Arts NSSE Level of Academic Challenge Active and Collaborative Learning Student Faculty Interaction Enriching Educational Experiences Supportive Campus Environment

36 Is any of this Scalable or Transferable? Olin College + University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - ifoundry Prof. David Goldberg - Engineer of the Future 1.0, 2.0, Proclamation Olin College, University of Southern California, Duke University - NAE Grand Challenges Summit 2009, Grand Challenge Scholars Program