The virtuous technologist: A mentor and role model to train the next generation

Teaching geotechnical engineering started with experience in building theories of soil behavior. As theories were tested in the field and better instruments became available for the measurement of soil properties both in the laboratory and the field, the wealth of knowledge increased. Theory benefited practice and practice perfected theory. However, teaching soil mechanics has not deviated much from learning theories with the fresh engineer left to relearn the practical aspects over the years. This has produced a wealth of experience that has not been fed back to training the next generation of engineers. This paper calls practicing engineers to invest in teaching the next generation of geotechnical engineers.

To educate the next generation of scientists and engineers, it is important to cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving skills within the context of sustainability. Eva the Engineer, an elective course developed by the University of Wisconsin–Madison engineering students, uses sustainability-focused civil engineering lessons to (1) introduce sustainable engineering practices at the middle school level and (2) encourage young women to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Eva the Engineer students explore the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the infrastructure around them and practice sustainable engineering decision-making with hands-on activities. The primary topics of discussion are infrastructure design, water resources, and waste management. As civil engineering is a central theme of the course, the primary examples of sustainable engineering involve the energy and water reductions using recycled materials in construction applications. For example, students make concrete stepping-stones with recycled materials and calculate energy, water, and greenhouse gas emission savings achieved when recycled materials replace virgin aggregate in concrete. Later, a field trip to a concrete production facility, a landfill, a recycling facility, and a wastewater treatment facility demonstrate the practical implications of construction and waste generation. By the end of the program, students exhibit an understanding of contemporary environmental challenges, basic engineering principles, and the benefits of recycled materials in engineering applications. Program survey results also illustrate a ubiquitous increase in self-confidence in STEM capabilities among students. Engaging the next generation of engineers and scientists in a discussion of present issues is proving to be beneficial for all involved.

The next generation of engineers, faced with rapidly deteriorating infrastructure, is destined to face many difficult decisions in maintaining and preserving our civil infrastructure systems. The Intelligent Sensing for Innovative Structures Research Network of the Canadian Network of Centres of Excellence (ISIS Canada) has, for more than ten years, been a recognized world leader in the development, advancement, and application of fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) and structural health monitoring (SHM) in infrastructure applications including bridges. These technologies are now recognized as important tools for bridge construction and repair. However, ISIS Canada recognizes that these important technologies will not become common place until the broader civil engineering community is made aware of their benefits and applications. Clearly, a key group that will play a role in shaping the future of bridge maintenance, safety, and management, is the next generation of civil engineers and engineering technologists. As such, ISIS Canada has developed a series of Educational Modules on FRP and SHM technologies for use in undergraduate engineering and technical college curricula. ISIS’ goal in producing these modules is to enable and encourage the teaching of ISIS technologies in educational curricula where they are not currently covered. The modules have been developed to allow seamless integration into various existing courses with minimal effort on the part of the instructor. Teaching resources consisting of lecture notes, presentations, worked examples, case studies, and sample assignments and laboratories have been developed and are now available. This non-research paper presents a brief overview of the educational modules that have been developed by ISIS Canada and which are now freely available for use by all interested parties. The philosophy, objectives, and content of the toolkits are presented, along with examples and illustrations, in the hope that these materials will be taken up and used by the civil engineering education community.

The next generation of engineers, faced with rapidly deteriorating infrastructure, is destined to face many difficult decisions in maintaining and preserving our civil infrastructure systems. The International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) recognizes the need for the development, advancement, and application of fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) in construction applications. Many FRP technologies are recognized as important tools for construction and repair of buildings, bridges, and infrastructure. However, these technologies will not become commonplace until the broader civil engineering community is aware of their benefits and potential applications. A key group that will play a role in shaping the future of the construction industry is the next generation of civil engineers. As such, the IIFC Working Group on Education is, in conjunction with the ISIS Canada Research Network, in the process of developing a series of educational modules on FRP technologies for use in engineering curricula. The overarching goal of these modules is to enable and encourage the teaching of FRP technologies in curricula where such topics are not currently covered. This non-research paper presents a brief overview of the educational modules that are being developed by the IIFC Working Group on Education and which will be made freely available for use by all interested parties.

EcoCAR 2 is a three year competition sponsored by the Department of Energy, General Motors, and Argonne National Laboratories. The competition encompasses fifteen universities across North America. A 2013 Chevrolet Malibu is donated to each team where it is converted to an electric hybrid vehicle. EcoCAR 2 challenges students to reduce the Malibu's emissions, increase fuel economy, and maintain consumer acceptability. The mission of EcoCAR 2 is to educate the next generation of automotive engineers through an unparalleled hands-on, real-world engineering experience.

The major challenges facing higher education are related issues to the training the next generation of engineers who must be recognized as leaders with technical skills but also with competencies to provide smart solutions in the problem-solving processes. Many approaches have been proposed in this context, but the most of them not be formal, do not focus on engineering and not consider the trends and challenges as a starting point to define new practical proposals. In this paper, a set of challenges are researched to define a new proposal for training the next generation of engineers focused on leadership. The main objective is to provide guidelines to guidance in the training process into higher education institutions. After that, new research will be performed to put in practical context the proposal defined in this paper.

In educating engineering and science students as authors, four challenges exist today that did not exist thirty years ago. First, the decreasing attention over the past three decades on teaching grammar to students has left us with many students unable to analyze writing at the sentence level. Second, the increased focus by writing teachers on the writing process to the exclusion of the product has given many students the impression that properly finishing a paper is not important. No doubt, developing a process to write is important, but so is the final product. Third, many engineering and science instructors mistakenly assume that the responsibility of teaching students to write resides solely with English departments. To develop as authors in their disciplines, engineering and science students also need thoughtful feedback from experts in the field, particularly with regard to the precision of technical terms and the proper emphasis of details. Fourth, the emergence of artificial intelligence has led many students to assume that they need not learn anymore how to write. This paper presents three undertaught writing skills that engineering and science instructors should emphasize to the next generation of engineers and scientists for them to achieve excellence in their documents.

This issue of the Naval Engineers Journal continues the tradition. Papers on ship design tools, the cost of requirements and emerging technologies, human systems integration and material condition assessments grace this volume and are well worth your study and contemplation. In addition, an article is included describing how one ASNE Section uses the Sea Perch Underwater Robotics Program to interest young people in technology—and perhaps encourage some to become our future engineers. This last topic is worth a bit more discussion. As practicing professionals we have an obligation to our nation to help build the next generation of engineers—those who will keep the United States a vibrant technology leader. The Sea Perch Program, as well as others such as FIRST Robotics, expose students to technology and engineering at an early age—an age at which many are just beginning to think about making life choices. It is in the best interests of both our country and our Society if more of them think of engineering disciplines as life choices. I strongly encourage Section Chairs to talk with local schools and see if they are engaged in one of these technology competition programs—many are. See how your Section might facilitate their participation, volunteer to help as part of a mentoring team, etc. Become an active participant in one of these programs as they grow and train those who will carry on the work we're doing today. 2008 will bring many excellent conferences and symposia to our membership, and to others interested in the naval engineering profession. In April the Pascagoula Section will host a shipbuilding symposium in Biloxi, Mississippi, and May highlights the next Launch and Recovery symposium in Annapolis, Maryland. Visit the ASNE website for a list of upcoming events and block out the time on your calendars now. You won't want to miss any of these outstanding events. And, finally, another word about ASNE membership. Keeping the Society vital takes members - and finding new members requires your individual and active participation. Please make a commitment to recruit and sign up at least one new ASNE member in 2008. If we each did that one small thing, my goals for increased membership would be met and the Society would be well on its way to having the number of members needed to ensure its next 120 years are as productive as its first. With respect and warmest regards,

Imagine the next generation of engineers. What will they be like? Will there be enough of them worldwide? What will motivate them to join us in the profession we love? This talk will take a look at engineering enrollment trends worldwide and try to make sense of the numbers. We'll explore what kids know...or think they know about engineering professions. We'll then discuss how growing awareness of the world's environmental and energy challenges presents us with a wonderful opportunity to change the conversation about engineering. More importantly, we'll talk about what we as engineers can do to seize that opportunity by passing on our own passion for engineering. Specifi cally, we'll cover outreach activities ranging from simply reading to your kids all the way to appearing on reality TV shows. We'll even include a few 'shocking' demonstrations to drive these points home. Please come and begin helping us shape a better world by helping build the next generation of engineers. It's an important job…and folks who attend meetings like ITC have a very important role to play!

B y its very nature, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is about community and collaboration. The exchange of ideas and diverse viewpoints aids innovation and lends itself to a wider perspective, crucial for understanding the multifaceted problems we face today. Climate change, artificial intelligence, big data, and more are all extremely diverse issues that require an equally diverse viewpoint to tackle. Moreover, STEM is fundamentally human-centric. We cannot separate technology from its users. All scientific and technological advances have tangible impacts on society, both positive and negative. As the next generation of engineers, it is our responsibility to be aware of these impacts and strive toward creating a more equitable society. Who is the end user of the products we are creating? What is the goal for this technology that is being created? What are the short-term and long-term environmental impacts? Is there anyone being left out of the conversation? Is there a viewpoint we should be listening to? Who is this helping? Who is it harming? Is there an unattended side effect this technology could have? Is it biased against any users? How sustainable are our work practices and environments? All of these questions and more are ones we should consider as we go through our education and later on in our careers.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to address the gap in higher education curricula that fully prepare ethical artificial intelligence (AI) professionals for the pharmaceutical industry. While AI adoption in pharma is growing, significant challenges persist – namely, data quality and heterogeneity, ethical concerns around patient privacy, and complex, evolving regulatory requirements. Existing programmes often lack comprehensive, empirically validated models integrating technical AI skills with pharmaceutical domain knowledge, ethics and regulatory literacy. This research systematically reviews literature to identify industry challenges, evaluate current pedagogical strategies and propose curriculum development approaches that align with real-world pharmaceutical AI needs, ensuring graduates are industry-ready and ethically competent. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a systematic literature review methodology, examining peer-reviewed publications from 2013 to 2025 that intersect artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, ethics, regulation and higher education. The SCOPUS database served as the primary source, with keyword-based searches guided by PRISMA protocols. Articles were screened for relevance to three pillars: industry challenges, curriculum/programme design and pedagogical strategies. Data extraction focused on identified challenges, curricular interventions and reported outcomes. Narrative and thematic analyses were used to synthesize findings, highlight gaps and identify consensus. Case studies, stakeholder commentaries and public–private partnership models were also reviewed to capture diverse perspectives on ethical AI education for the pharmaceutical sector. Findings The review reveals strong consensus on three core challenges to AI adoption in pharma: poor data quality/heterogeneity, ethical concerns over patient privacy, and complex, evolving regulations. While literature emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary curricula combining AI, pharmaceutical science, ethics and regulatory literacy, no empirically validated, comprehensive programmes exist. Reported interventions – case studies, virtual labs, simulations and industry partnerships – remain high-level and lack rigorous evaluation. Evidence of improved ethical decision-making or regulatory competence is scarce. Overall, current educational models are fragmented, highlighting a critical need for operationalized, tested curricula that align technical skills with ethical and regulatory requirements in real pharmaceutical contexts. Research limitations/implications This study is limited by its reliance on published literature, which may exclude unpublished curricula, proprietary industry training programmes and emerging practices not yet documented. The analysis is constrained by the scarcity of empirically evaluated models, making it difficult to assess actual educational effectiveness. Findings are also shaped by potential publication bias and the predominance of conceptual recommendations over tested interventions. Despite these limitations, the study highlights a critical gap in operationalized, evidence-based curricula for ethical AI in pharma, underscoring the need for future research that develops, implements and rigorously evaluates such programmes in collaboration with industry and regulatory bodies. Practical implications The study underscores the urgent need for universities, industry stakeholders and regulators to co-develop comprehensive curricula that integrate AI technical skills with pharmaceutical domain expertise, ethics and regulatory literacy. Practical measures include embedding privacy-enhancing technologies, explainable AI and regulatory compliance modules into training, supported by experiential learning such as case studies, virtual labs and industry-led projects. Such programmes can better prepare graduates to navigate real-world pharmaceutical AI challenges, ensuring ethical, compliant and effective implementation. Adoption of these frameworks can also bridge current skill gaps, enhance industry readiness and strengthen trust in AI-driven pharmaceutical innovations across global healthcare ecosystems. Social implications Implementing robust, ethics-focused AI education in the pharmaceutical sector can significantly enhance public trust in AI-driven healthcare solutions. By equipping future professionals with the skills to manage patient data responsibly, ensure regulatory compliance and apply AI transparently, the risk of misuse, bias, and privacy breaches is reduced. This, in turn, supports safer drug development, more equitable access to treatments, and improved patient outcomes. Well-prepared graduates can contribute to socially responsible innovation, aligning technological progress with societal values. Ultimately, such education fosters a workforce capable of advancing pharmaceutical AI in ways that prioritize human welfare, patient rights and ethical accountability. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to systematically synthesize literature on higher education curricula explicitly aimed at preparing ethical AI professionals for the pharmaceutical industry. Unlike prior works that offer fragmented or high-level suggestions, it integrates industry challenges, ethical considerations and regulatory requirements into a unified framework for curriculum design. The review identifies critical gaps – particularly the absence of empirically validated, operationalized models – and proposes directions for developing comprehensive, interdisciplinary programmes. Its value lies in bridging the disconnect between conceptual recommendations and practical, tested educational strategies, offering a foundation for academia–industry–regulator collaboration to produce industry-ready, ethically competent pharmaceutical AI professionals.

The eight pieces constituting this Meeting Report are summaries of presentations made during a panel session at the 2011 Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) annual meeting held between March 3rd and 6th in Cincinnati. Lisa Newton organized the session and served as chair. The panel of eight consisted both of pioneers in the field and more recent arrivals. It covered a range of topics from how the field has developed to where it should be going, from identification of issues needing further study to problems of training the next generation of engineers and engineering-ethics scholars.

3D printing a jet engine: An undergraduate project to exploit additive manufacturing now and in the future

Relationship between teacher's ability model and students' behavior based on emotion-behavior relevance theory and artificial intelligence technology under the background of curriculum ideological and political education

It is presently possible to attain a doctoral degree from most engineering schools in this country without any advanced training in engineering design. Many of these doctorate holders will become new faculty members, training the new generation of engineers. If these new faculty members do not possess some advanced knowledge of practical engineering design, it is difficult to envision the next generation of engineers being well trained in the process of engineering design. Two possible solutions to this dilemma are proposed. One would require completion of a number of comprehensive design projects, while the other would consist of the accumulation of a number of credit hours of design‐related study at the graduate level. Either of these solutions would provide the new faculty member with the required knowledge base on which to continue to build a reasonable level of expertise in engineering design. He or she can use this knowledge and expertise to instruct students in the practical aspects of design.