The ANCRiSST Student Summer School

July/August, 2008, Daejon, Korea

Engineering: Culture, Tradition, and Diversity

Dr. S. C. Liu (sliu@nsf.gov) Program Director Sensors & Sensing Systems National Science Foundation

What Do We Do?

Research Teaching

Practice

As an Engineer…

• What do we do?

-- Research, Teaching, and Practice

• What is the nature of our work?

-- Analysis & Design (> 80%)

What is the Gender of Computers?

“Male Group” decides Computer is “female” because:

--No one but their creator understands their internal logics,

-- The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else,

-- Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval,

-- As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

What is the Gender of Computers?

“Female Group” decides Computer is “male” because:

--In order to do anything with them you have to turn them on,

-- They have a lot of data but still can’t think for themselves,

-- They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half of the time they ARE the problem,

-- As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.

Five Pillars of Scholarship

EASTERN & WESTERN CULTURE

•Family value Individual value

•Personal level Business manner

•Traditional Less traditional

•Verbal Commitment Written contract

•Sharing of wealth Self-sufficient

•Long-term gain Short-term gain

•Balanced Centralized

Balance & Harmony

Examples ofYin and YangShade Sunshine

Hidden Exposed

Earth Heaven

Moon Sun

Female Male

Inward-looking Outgoing

Closed Open

Balance & Harmony

“Shoveling Manure For a Day is an Excellent Counterbalance to

Intellectual Work.”

-Baruck BlumbergDirector, NASA Institute of Astrobiology

1976 Nobel Prize in Medicine

TEACHING

Generous time for students Continuous curriculum updating Knowledge transfer across the lines & out of the box Enable students to search and innovate on his own Concurrent teaching & learning Cultivating & mentoring Creating opportunities enabling students to mature ………

Bottom Line:

How many high-quality students has the teacher graduated?

Who are good teachers here today?

All of you are!

In Particular: --Mete Sozen,…..

--Tomizuka

--Joe Penzien

The Best Teacher Ever?

The God--as a teacher He has taught for K’s/M’s of years He has had millions of students all over the

world Except a few, most students were loyal to

Him He reaches out to students of all geographic

locations, all genders, all races, all ages, and rich and poor

WHY GOD NEVER REC’VED TENURE AT ANY UNIVERSITY?

o He had only one major publicationo It was in Hebrewo It had no referenceo It wasn’t not published in a refereed

journalo Some doubt he wrote it Himselfo He may have created the world, but

what has He done since?o The scientific community can’t

replicate His results

WHY GOD NEVER REC’VED TENURE AT ANY UNIVERSITY?

(Cont.)

o He rarely come to class and just told students: “Read the Book”

o Some say He has his son teach the class

o He expelled His first two studentso His office hours were irregular and

sometimes held on a mountaintopo Although there were only 10

requirements, most students failed

Discovery Inspired by Human Needs

Engineering researchers ask—• “Why are natural systems like they are?”• “How do they function the way they do?”• “How can I use that knowledge

to serve human needs?”

Credit: Yoram Koren, University of Michigan

Research Engineering Style

• Use-inspired discovery

and innovation

• Interdisciplinary collaborations

• Focuses on real systems for use in

the real world

Engineering in a Global Environment

Strategy:

• Innovate to lead

• Educate to innovate

• Form strategic global linkages

• Engage a broader talent pool

No Little Mistake for Civil Engineers

http://www.nsf.govFY 2008 Guide to Programs

Grant Proposal Guide]