National Academy Of Engineering Research Articles

Using functional decomposition to bridge the design gap between desired emergent multi‐agent‐system resilience and individual agent design

AbstractIncreasing the resilience of modern infrastructure systems is recognized as a priority by both the International Council on Systems Engineering and the National Academy of Engineering. Resilience answers the key stakeholder need for a stable and predictable system by withstanding, adapting to, and recovering from unexpected faults. Increasing resilience in multi‐agent systems is especially challenging because resilience is an emergent system‐level property rather than the sum of individual agent functions. This paper uses biological systems as a source of inspiration for resilient functions, examining the central question How can biologically inspired design be used to increase the emergent property of resilience in multi‐agent systems? The paper uses functional decomposition to break down the individual functions that result in resilience and transfer the properties to generalized systems. Accordingly, the central hypothesis examined in this article is If functional decomposition is performed on eusocial insect colonies, then generalizable approaches to increase the emergent property of multi‐agent system resilience can be identified. The results provide two contributions. The first contribution is the identification of six general functions based on eusocial insect behavior that influence resilience. The second contribution is a description of the process of identifying and transferring insect behaviors into generalized design‐for‐resilience guidance. To support these contributions, a case study applies biologically inspired functions to an emergency power service system and proposes tactics for the power system to improve its resilience. Thus, this article provides a key step towards our goal of using biologically inspired design to influence the emergent property of resilience in multi‐agent systems.

Student Live Behaviour Monitoring in Online Classes Using Artificial Intelligence

The investigators have made many attempts to grab the interest of college students in their studies. The majority of these approximations are based mostly on qualitative review and lack quantitative examination. Thus, the goal of this artistic production is to bridge the gap between quantitative and subjective techniques in order to foster understudy dedication. Therefore, this study regularly uses machine learning techniques (K-manner and SVM) to classify college students into attentive and inattentive RGB-D sensor statistics. The National Academy of Engineering has conducted extensive research on this subject, and the study's conclusions can be utilized to enhance and improve instructional strategies for educators at all levels. One of the main objectives of instructors' job is the capacity to apply tailored learning approaches. This perspective makes use of contraption learning computations for instructive reasons. Keywords: Student Level, Behaviour, Monitoring, Online Class, Artificial Intelligence

Study of Secondary and Higher Secondary School Syllabi in India to Develop Engineering Thinking

Abstract: In this article, the authors explore and understand what constitutes engineering thinking and whether secondary and higher secondary school curricula in India empower students to make an informed decision regarding engineering as a career choice. To analyse the elements of engineering thinking, the principles of K12 level engineering by t he Na t io nal Aca demy of E nginee ri ng a nd Engineering Habits of Mind (EHoM) by the Royal Academy of Engineering are referred to. The syllabi of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and four Indian states (Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka) are studied, which reveal that CBSE includes only one element of EHoM (creative problem-solving) in higher secondary grade curriculum. The syllabi of four Indian states revealed that the principles identified by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) are missing in both grades. As an exception, the syllabus of Maharashtra has a creative problem-solving element in class-12 of higher secondary grades. The authors believe that introducing engineering thinking in schools will empower students to choose engineering as a career. Keywords: Engineering habits of mind, Engineering thinking, Indian school curriculum, STEM, secondary and higher secondary school

Catalyst: The roles of chemistry in clean water for all

Dr. Young-Shin Jun is a professor in the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering and director of the Environmental NanoChemistry Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis. She solves important energy and environmental challenges by using nanoscale interfacial reactions and nucleation. Her research interests in clean water include the development of novel materials, membrane processes, resource recovery, and managed aquifer recharge. She received a 2011 US National Science Foundation CAREER award, and she was named a 2015 Kavli Fellow by the US National Academy of Sciences, a 2016 Frontier of Engineering Fellow by the US National Academy of Engineering, and a 2019 American Chemical Society Fellow. Dr. Young-Shin Jun is a professor in the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering and director of the Environmental NanoChemistry Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis. She solves important energy and environmental challenges by using nanoscale interfacial reactions and nucleation. Her research interests in clean water include the development of novel materials, membrane processes, resource recovery, and managed aquifer recharge. She received a 2011 US National Science Foundation CAREER award, and she was named a 2015 Kavli Fellow by the US National Academy of Sciences, a 2016 Frontier of Engineering Fellow by the US National Academy of Engineering, and a 2019 American Chemical Society Fellow. Reaction: Harnessing reactive oxygen species (ROS) for water purificationZhu et al.ChemJune 08, 2023In BriefReactive oxygen species (ROS) play a vital role in water purification. We outline their natural presence in the water matrix through a variety of chemical and photochemical processes and discuss advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) that draw inspiration from natural principles to boost ROS generation. Moreover, we summarize key challenges in ROS-based technologies for water and wastewater treatment, explain their fundamental origins, and propose strategies for minimizing energy and chemical usage while mitigating the formation of toxic byproducts. Full-Text PDF Reaction: Avoid fairy dust when engineering water-purification technologiesPaul WesterhoffChemJune 08, 2023In BriefThis Catalysis article discusses the risks of using nanomaterials for water purification and alternative strategies, painting a fuller picture of research in clean water. Full-Text PDF Molecular design of covalent organic frameworks for seawater desalination: A state-of-the-art reviewJrad et al.ChemMay 11, 2023In BriefConventional materials’ limitations are slowing the innovation in desalination to make it more accessible and energy efficient. Novel materials, such as covalent organic frameworks (COFs), provide design flexibility and could help achieve a breakthrough in desalination. This requires a comprehensive knowledge of desalination technologies and their technical challenges, as well as an understanding of the design principles of COFs. This report comprehensively discusses both of these issues while providing insights on how to design COFs for each specific desalination technology. Full-Text PDF

Reaction: Avoid fairy dust when engineering water-purification technologies

Prof. Paul Westerhoff joined Arizona State University in August 1995 after working in industry and obtaining his PhD and was promoted to full professor as a university exemplar in 2007. He served as chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and was the founding director for the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. His research is in the area of water quality and treatment, specifically related to emerging pollutants and oxidation processes, and he received several research awards related to these topics. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2023. Prof. Paul Westerhoff joined Arizona State University in August 1995 after working in industry and obtaining his PhD and was promoted to full professor as a university exemplar in 2007. He served as chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and was the founding director for the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. His research is in the area of water quality and treatment, specifically related to emerging pollutants and oxidation processes, and he received several research awards related to these topics. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2023. Reaction: Harnessing reactive oxygen species (ROS) for water purificationZhu et al.ChemJune 08, 2023In BriefReactive oxygen species (ROS) play a vital role in water purification. We outline their natural presence in the water matrix through a variety of chemical and photochemical processes and discuss advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) that draw inspiration from natural principles to boost ROS generation. Moreover, we summarize key challenges in ROS-based technologies for water and wastewater treatment, explain their fundamental origins, and propose strategies for minimizing energy and chemical usage while mitigating the formation of toxic byproducts. Full-Text PDF Catalyst: The roles of chemistry in clean water for allYoung-Shin JunChemJune 08, 2023In BriefUnderstanding nanoscale interfacial reactions unlocks the chemistry controls that are critical for generating clean water. This catalysis article discusses three important roles of chemistry in clean water: understanding and controlling evolving interfaces induced by nucleation, deciphering and utilizing hidden interfaces in nanoconfined spaces, and harnessing interfaces with functionalized surfaces. Chemically guided developments of new materials and technologies for purifying clean water can bring all water resources back to one H2O, which supports life for all people. Full-Text PDF

Reports from the Frontier: Electrifying Chemical Transformations and Separations to Valorize Wastewater Nitrogen

Ammonia is an essential compound to modern society, underpinning fertilizer production and chemical manufacturing. Global ammonia demand currently exceeds 150 million tons a year and is projected to increase over 2% annually. Over 96% of ammonia is currently generated through the Haber-Bosch (HB) process, in which steam-reformed hydrogen reacts with nitrogen under reaction conditions that consume 1–2% of global energy and contribute 1.2–1.4% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions every year. In an environmental context, ammonia is a form of reactive nitrogen. Large amounts of reactive nitrogen, such as HB ammonia, accumulate in the biosphere because 80% of wastewater globally is discharged without treatment. The resulting skew in the global nitrogen cycle leads to imbalanced ecosystems and threatens water quality. Conventional water treatment removes reactive nitrogen by converting it to N2 (biological nitrification–denitrification); at HB facilities, the N2 is then cycled back to produce ammonia. Directly valorizing reactive nitrogen in waste streams would shortcut the use of N2 as an intermediate in water remediation and ammonia production, allowing savings in energy, emissions, and costs. Indeed, treating nitrogen as a resource to recover rather than simply a pollutant to remove aligns with the US National Academy of Engineering’s call to manage the nitrogen cycle, a challenge central to chemical manufacturing and ecosystem protection.

Using an open-ended socio-technical design challenge for entrepreneurship education in a first-year engineering course

Engineering graduates must be prepared with sound technical knowledge and a range of 21st century competencies and professional skills such as creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, communication, and innovation to successfully solve today’s complex, global problems. Equally important is a deep appreciation of the degree to which technological solutions are situated within the context of human and natural environments. Despite calls from the National Academy of Engineering and several professional organizations to broaden engineering education to embrace these skills, most engineering programs persistently focus on the importance of technical skills. This paper describes an open-ended team-based design challenge that integrates entrepreneurial-minded (EM) skill development into an interdisciplinary first-year engineering course that approaches engineering from a socio-technical perspective. The challenge was implemented in two simultaneous first-year classes (n = 49), with the goal of fostering students’ broad professional skills and their appreciation of the links between engineering technologies and societal context. The action research study used a quasi-experimental design with convenience sampling and no control group to explore students’ self-perceived entrepreneurial-minded (EM) skills development. Data were collected with a retrospective questionnaire comprised of a series of 5-point Likert-type questions that asked students to assess the development of their EM skills in all three areas of the EM framework: Exhibit Curiosity, Establish Connections, and Create Value (the “3C” framework). Results indicate that students felt they developed EM skills in all three areas of the 3C Framework, with more fully developed skills in the Establish Connections and Create Value categories. Overall, this study suggests the effectiveness of using open-ended, socio-technical engineering design challenges for developing skills that will better prepare students to work collaboratively on complex and interdisciplinary problems they will face in their professional careers.

Professor Takuzo Aida – A visionary leader in polymer science

Welcome to this special issue of the Journal of Polymer Science, celebrating the life and works of Professor Takuzo Aida on his 67th birthday. His journey starting from a small town in Oita to becoming a giant in the field of polymer science is truly inspiring. He is currently a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Tokyo, and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Science. Through contributed works of friends and colleagues of Professor Aida, we aim to highlight the remarkable impact he has had in the field of polymer science. We hope that this special issue will not only honor the many incredible achievements of Professor Aida as a scientist, mentor, and visionary leader, but also encourage new generations of future scientists to follow in his footsteps and push the boundaries of scientific knowledge. Professor Aida was born and raised in Oita, a beautiful part of the southern island, famous for its rugged mountains and stunning coastline in Japan. He attended Yokohama National University, majoring in Physical Chemistry, and received his B.S. degree in 1979. During his graduate studies, he worked under the tutelage of Professor Shohei Inoue at the University of Tokyo. After earning his Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry in 1984, he remained at the university to begin his academic career. Early in his career, he went to the IBM Almaden research center in San Jose in 1989 as a visiting scientist. This experience was an eye-opening one for him: He witnessed major innovations happening at the intersection of science through collaboration of scientists. With a newfound vision, Professor Aida returned to Tokyo and established an open and collaborative research environment where ideas could be freely discussed and shared, and as we all know, many innovations in polymer science were made. After returning to Tokyo, he was promoted to full professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology in 1996. Since then, he has led several of Japan's leading research projects, including the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)'s ERATO “AIDA Nanospace Project,” commenced in 2000, the ERATO-SORST project from 2005, and the Specially Promoted Research Program that began in 2013. He also served as the director of the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute from 2008 to 2012. Since 2013, he has been a Deputy Director of the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS). In 2022, he was appointed as a Distinguished Professor of the University of Tokyo. At the forefront of the rapidly evolving field of polymer science, Professor Aida has made significant contributions to numerous facets of this field. He is most well-known for the development of supramolecular polymers, in which he played a major role in the initiation of the basic concept, conceptual expansion, and development of functional materials. Importantly, his work bridged the gaps between conventional polymer chemistry and supramolecular polymerization and realized new properties from the noncovalent nature of supramolecular building blocks. He also pioneered the development of novel soft materials based on organizations of molecules, including bucky gels, aqua materials, protein-based nanotubular carriers, photoactuators, field-responsive liquid crystals, nanochannels for water transport, porous organic materials, and mechanically robust polymer glass. His accomplishments have been recognized with many prestigious awards, including the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2010 in Japan, the Leona Ezaki Award in 2015, and the Japan Academy Prize in 2018. With his strong commitment to fostering an environment of open discussion, creativity, intellectual rigor, and curiosity, he has set a standard of excellence that has inspired many of his students. During his academic career at the University of Tokyo and RIKEN, he supervised 68 Ph.D. students, and more than 90 people from Aida Lab are now actively contributing to academia in Japan and other countries around the world. We invite readers to join us in honoring the legacy of Professor Aida. As a visionary leader in the field of polymer science, he shaped how we think about supramolecular polymerization and expanded the scope of what is possible. His mentorship set a strong foundation for the careers of many scientists and inspired them to push the boundaries of knowledge. We celebrate Professor Aida's life and achievements with great admiration and gratitude. Congratulations, and happy birthday, Professor Aida!

Drug-delivery research and much more: interview with Dan Peer.

Drug-delivery research and much more: interview with Dan Peer.

Flipped Learning Model: An Effective Approach to Primary School STEM Education

As early as 1986, the US National Science Board published Undergraduate Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education, which is regarded as the initiation of STEM education (NSB, 1986). In October 2005, the National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Center jointly submitted to the Congress of the United States Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, a report that put forward relevant recommendations to promote STEM education (Bybee, 2010). In October 2007, the US National Science Board issued A National Action Plan for Addressing the Critical Needs of the US Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education System, proposing to expand STEM education from colleges to primary and secondary schools (NSB, 2007). In 2009, former President of the United States, Barack Obama, emphasized the need for the nation to prioritize the development of STEM education. Since then, the US federal government has heavily invested in STEM education research across all levels, from kindergarten through higher education. Educational communities in other countries have also begun researching and implementing STEM education practices. Numerous studies and extensive practice have demonstrated the potential of STEM education in promoting students’ cognitive development, enhancing their critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity skills, as well as improving their emotional and spiritual well-being.

The Philippines’ Foresight 2050: Science for a Sustainable Future— A Case of and Call for Systems Thinking

Unexpected but inevitable surprises like a new bird flu or a category 5 typhoon can become too complex to be planned for using conventional techniques, even by the most informed and influential entities. To better engage with such complexity, more collaborative approaches are essential to reduce their detrimental consequences. This talk will provide some perspectives on how systems engineering can provide such capabilities, identify opportunities for systems thinking to guide foresight in shaping agile responses like resilient supply networks. It will review the US National Academy of Engineering’s programs—centered on people, systems, and culture—that are taking on this challenge, and how making engineering more inclusive empowers positive results.

44th ASM Message, NAST President

On behalf of the members of the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), I am pleased to welcome you all to the 44th Annual Science Meeting (ASM) with the theme, “PAGTANAW 2050: Agham Tungo sa Mabuting Kinabukasan (FORESIGHT 2050: Science for a Sustainable Future)”. It is with great honor and pleasure to have Dr. John L. Anderson, president of the US National Academy of Engineering, to be our keynote speaker for this year’s ASM. His talk entitled, “Engineering for Inevitable Surprises: A Systems Perspective” aims to guide us on how we can create a robust system that can withstand black swans. We are also pleased to have Dr. Joy Jacqueline Pereira, vice chair of Working Group II on Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Dr. Reniel B. Cabral, member of the Expert Panel of UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, who will deliver talks on two topics that are prominent in PAGTANAW 2050. As a yearly tradition, the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) serves as a venue for the science community to convene, discuss, and formulate policies on important S&T issues that our country is facing. This year, we highlighted the first guiding document on science, technology, and innovation entitled, “PAGTANAW 2050: The Philippine Foresight on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI),” this document provides vital inputs and policy advice towards attaining a preferred future considering our natural endowments and national aspirations. With PAGTANAW 2050 as the primary focus, Regional Scientific Meetings (RSMs) were conducted with the DOST Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao regional clusters to address the gaps in STI talent development and retention. This initiative is important towards building a competitive, inclusive, and sustainable society that we can endow to the next generation. I thank all of our colleagues and partners in the science community, our distinguished National Scientists and Academicians of NAST PHL, officials of the Department of Science and Technology, dedicated public servants, academic professionals, students, researchers, community development workers, the media, and all stakeholders for attending this event. Maraming salamat. Mabuhay!

Soft, biocompatible materials and skin-like electronics as wearable devices: an interview with John A. Rogers.

Recent advances in active materials, micro-fabrication techniques, ultra-miniaturized design approaches and hybrid device layouts form the foundations for emerging classes of unusual systems that can capture physiological signals from the human body in a physically imperceptible fashion at nearly any anatomical location, external on the skin or internal on vital organ systems. Of particular interest with these technologies are their thin geometries, flexible/stretchable physical properties and unique form factors, to enable conformal and gentle contacts with soft, curved and dynamic surfaces of living tissues. Commercial embodiments of skin-integrated devices with clinical-grade monitoring capabilities are just now becoming widely available not only in developed countries but also in the most resource-constrained areas of the globe. A specific example is in skin-like-sometimes referred to as 'epidermal'-wireless electronics for continuous monitoring of essential markers of physiological health status, with accuracy and reliability comparable to that of expensive, wired-based systems currently used with patients in intensive care units, but cost-effectively and applicable in any setting-in hospitals, health clinics, work environments or in the home. These technologies have the potential to revolutionize diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the care of patients. NSR spoke to one of the scientific leaders in this field-a 2009 MacArthur Fellow, the winner of the 2022 US National Academy of Sciences James Prize in Science and Technology Integration and one of the few individuals in history to be elected to all three US National Academies, namely the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Science and the National Academy of Medicine, Professor John A. Rogers, the Director of the Querrey-Simpson Institute of Bioelectronics at Northwestern University on the recent advancements and the prospects of soft, biocompatible electronic systems and skin-like wearable devices.

Particle technology’s contributions to the major challenges of the 21st century A predictive retrospective as a particular birthday present of IChemE

In 2122, IChemE - Institution of Chemical Engineers – will celebrate its bicentenary. This article presents as a retrospective the years 2022–2122 and summarizes the progresses (to be) made in the field of particle technology until 2122, i.e. during the second century in the life of the yet young IChemE.A century earlier, in 2008, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) announced the grand challenges for engineering in the 21st century. The list has been compiled by a committee under the chair of William Perry11he has been former U.S. secretary of defense and professor of engineering at Stanford but has never written an engineering handbook and comprises a series of challenges to which particle technology will obviously make a sound contribution, such as …•Make solar energy affordable•Provide energy from fusion•Develop carbon sequestration methods•Provide access to clean water•Engineer better medicines•Engineer the tools for scientific discoveryParticles are everywhere, be it due to natural or human activities and their formulation, production, handling and characterization has a major influence on the quality of many aspects of life.We summarized the visions of leading scientists and practitioners in the field of particle technology (and around) in order to discover their opinions summarizing the progresses in this field (to be) made in the 21st century – and the societal impact related to these. We allowed them to dream, to wish, to be forward-looking, to be optimistic22Optimism, according to Merriam-Webster “a doctrine that this world is the best possible world”, being probably not the predominant mindset in 2022. in the framework of a bicentenary.

Developing Nontechnical Professional Skills in African American Engineering Majors Through Co-Curricular Activities

<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Contribution:</i> This study contributes to efforts to diversify the field of engineering by studying the influence of co-curricular activities on African American students’ development of key nontechnical professional skills. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Background:</i> The 21st Century workforce requires significant collaboration and communication. For engineering graduates to meet workforce challenges, they must graduate with nontechnical skills. This study operationalized these skills using traits identified in the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) “Engineer of 2020” report. The NAE also points to the urgent need for the United States to diversify its workforce; broadening the participation of African American engineers is key to doing so. Co-curricular activities help students develop nontechnical professional skills and are particularly important to African Americans at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Research Question:</i> How do African American engineering students attending PWIs in the United States develop nontechnical professional skills through participation in ethnic-specific co-curricular activities? <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Methodology:</i> This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of 16 participants from one of six engineering disciplines. Each participant was a member of at least one of the following organizations: a Black fraternity or sorority (termed Black Greek Letter organizations), their campus student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, or an institution-sponsored program for racially underrepresented students such as a minority engineering program. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Findings:</i> Data analysis revealed significant evidence that involvement in one or more of the studied ethnic-specific co-curricular activities enhanced African American engineering students’ educational experiences by providing resources and opportunities to help them develop professional skills.

Guest Editorial: Situational awareness of integrated energy systems

Guest Editorial: Situational awareness of integrated energy systems

Grand Challenges Scholars Program - GCSP at the Engineering School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / Programa Acadêmico Grandes Desafios para a Engenharia, Escola de Engenharia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

The structure of the Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP) of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais -UFMG, School of Engineering, linked to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) former initiative, is presented. This academic program has an aspirational vision of educating professionals for facing the challenges of engineering in the twenty-first century. The approach is based on an integrative methodology, geared toward the formation of critical competencies, with a focus on solutions to global problems. It creates opportunities for cooperation, as well as develops multicultural and multidisciplinary competencies, social ability, and commitment. Currently, the courses at the UFMG School of Engineering are adapting to meet the new national guidelines for Engineering courses in Brazil, published in January 2019, and the GCSP is a pilot program, capable of transforming the methodology, the mentality, and the educational and technological tools it uses, into an alternative for all engineering courses at UFMG. The Program started its activities in the School of Engineering in 2020, despite the challenges and limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The operational criteria and the internal organization were defined, and the Program was introduced to the students. The first initiatives of the Program - with broad access to engineering students and open to the participation of students from other areas - included the Call No.01/2020 - Covid-19 and the I Sustainability Workshop, held in 2021.

Guest Editorial: Special Section on Data Analytics for Energy, Water, and Environment

The papers in this special section focus on data analytics for energy, water, and environment. In 2008, the U.S. National Academy ofEngineering proposed 14 grand challenges for engineering, of which five were related to energy, water, and environment. The world population has exceeded 7.7 billion in 2020, up from 6.7 billion in 2008. A common goal of the human beings is to meet the global need of energy and water without sacrificing the environment. Agrowing interest in the recent decade is data analytics. Many business sectors have embarked analytics to extract actionable insights from the data and make informed business decisions.

The effectiveness of an integratedSTEMcurriculum unit on middle school students' life science learning

AbstractRecent calls for reform in K‐12 science education and the National Academy of Engineering's Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century emphasize improving science teaching, students' engagement, and learning. In this study, we designed and implemented a curriculum unit for sixth‐grade students (i = 1305). The curriculum unit integrated science and engineering content and practices to teach ecology, water pollution, and engineering design. We investigated the designed integrated STEM unit's effectiveness in students' science learning outcomes on pre‐, post‐, and delayed post‐assessments. We collected pre‐and post‐assessment data of students' science learning outcomes for both the baseline group (taught via existing district‐adopted curriculum) and an intervention group (taught with integrated life science and engineering curriculum). We used a quasi‐experimental research design and examined differences between baseline and intervention groups. We used ANCOVA to explore differences in students' learning in baseline and intervention groups. Furthermore, for students in the intervention group, we conducted repeated‐measures ANOVA to investigate knowledge retention. Our analyses also accounted for students' gender and People of Color (POC) status. We conducted multiple regression analyses to explore the relationship between students' gender, POC status, and their learning outcomes. The results indicated that the intervention group students performed significantly better than the students in the baseline group. The repeated measures ANOVA showed that students in the intervention group retained science knowledge after 8 weeks of instruction. Finally, the regression analysis for the baseline group showed that gender and POC status were not significant predictors of their post‐assessment scores. However, POC status was a significant predictor of post‐assessment scores and knowledge retention for the intervention group. Overall, this study provides valuable findings on how an integrated STEM curriculum designed with engineering design and practices improves students' science learning outcomes.

Preface

It is our honor to present the proceedings of the 15th International Engineering and Computing Research Conference (15th EURECA 2021). Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the 15th EURECA 2021 was held virtually on the 30 June 2021 at Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus, Malaysia. 15th EURECA 2021 aims to provide an ideal academic platform for researchers to present the latest research findings and describe emerging technologies and directions, developments and applications in Engineering and Computing, addressing 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering as identified by the National Academy of Engineering, USA. For the first time, we are including the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as part of our challenge, with the hope that our research will help to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. As these goals require the cooperation of people from different background, our theme for the 15th EURECA 2021 is “Innovative and Multidisciplinary Research for Sustainable Future”.During the conference, we were pleased to be joined by three knowledgeable keynote speakers, who are Ir. Muhammad Firdaus Kamaruddin, General Manager, OXO Complex (BASF PETRONAS Chemicals Sdn. Bhd.), Prof. Hamid Dehghani (University of Birmingham) and Dr. Kit Windows-Yule (University of Birmingham). More than 200 participants were benefited through each of the 30 minutes keynote speech. Besides, there were more than 130 technical papers presented during the conference day, which were split into 3 presentation sessions and 1 final year project poster presentation. The parallel sessions were arranged in Zoom Meeting and carefully monitored by the organizing team.Indeed, it is challenging to organize a virtual conference. The 15th EURECA 2021 was planned, executed, and monitored via online platform. We acknowledged the shortcomings when conducting conference virtually. For instance, lack of communication and complication in managing the parallel sessions. Despite the hardship, we managed to pull through with the cooperation and support given by the organizing committee team.We truly believe that the 15th EURECA 2021 is a great platform for researchers, academician, industry players and student to brainstorm and exchange research idea, communicate their new research findings and eventually leading the world to meet the sustainable goals. Dr. Oh Kai Siang Chairperson of the 15th EURECA 2021,School of Computer Science and Engineering,Faculty of Innovation and Technology,Taylor’s University Lakeside CampusEmail: kaisiang.oh@taylors.edu.my List of Steering Committee and Organizing Committee are available in this pdf.