Volume IV Issue 9
September 2008 |
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 Engineers
Create Fix for Broken Jaws
 It
didn't start out as an engineering problem. It started as a patient
problem. Jon Wagner, a head and neck surgeon at the University of New
Mexico Hospital, sees over 400 broken jaws a year. Traditionally Wagner
and other trauma surgeons repair jaws using heavy titanium plates, which
are bent to bridge the breaks with a combination of heavy tools and
brute force. The plates are fixed to the jawbones with screws, usually
inserted through the mouth. It is an invasive process and up to 20
percent of the patients have serious enough complications to require a
follow-up surgery.
The mechanics of the process bothered Wagner so he went across campus to
talk to the mechanical engineers.
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Tariq Khraishi and his
graduate student, Scott Lovald, understood that what Wagner needed was
smaller, better-designed plates the surgeons could use with confidence,
knowing that there was good science behind them. The two ran simple
experiments on a computer using a finite element modeling program. They
developed new plates and have recently received FDA approval for their
new plate designs which are significantly smaller and lighter than the
one Wagner uses now in the operating room. More information is
online.
 Find
out more about career paths for
mechanical engineers and
surgeons...
Contests
for Earth Science Week 2008
 The
American Geological Institute (AGI) is sponsoring three national
contests in conjunction with Earth Science Week -- October 12-18. 2008.
This year's theme is "No Child Left Inside." All U.S. residents are
encouraged to enter "Earth Science Beyond your Front Door" the 2008
photography contest. This contest asks people to explore the geologic
world through the camera.
Students grades K-5 who enter the
Visual Arts Contest "Studying our Earth" should show themselves as an
earth scientist actively studying our planet, through drawing or
painting.
The Essay Contest, open to students in grades 6-9, is themed "Earth
Connections." Entrants are asked to discuss the interconnected geologic
processes that take place in their community and how those processes in
turn affect them. Earth Science
Week is organized annually by AGI with support from a number of
other geoscience organizations.
Find
out more about career paths in the
geosciences...
New
Wind Power Partnerships
 The
U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
recently announced several projects that will enhance the nation's
ability to realize the full potential of wind power across the United
States. The projects include: a new wind turbine blade test facility to
be constructed in Texas; a partnership between NREL, DOE, and a state
consortium led by University of Houston; a just-signed agreement with
Siemens Power Generation to locate and test a commercial-scale wind
turbine at NREL's National Wind Technology Center; and, a new Siemens
research and development facility in Boulder, CO, which will work
closely with NREL on advanced wind power technologies.
"The projects announced
today demonstrate the shared commitment of the federal government and
the private sector to achieve 20 percent wind energy by 2030," DOE
Assistant Secretary Alexander Karsner said. "The U.S. wind industry grew
by an astounding 45 percent in 2007," said NREL Director Dan Arvizu. All
of these projects will help facilitate the continued rapid growth of the
U.S. wind industry.
Find
out more about the energy
industry and career paths for those employed in it, including those
in science,
technology,
engineering,
mathematics, and
computing.
Degree
Profile: Science Technician
 Science
technicians use the principles and theories of science and mathematics
to solve problems in research and development and to help invent and
improve products and processes. However, their jobs are more practically
oriented than those of scientists. Technicians set up, operate, and
maintain laboratory instruments, monitor experiments, make observations,
calculate and record results, and often develop conclusions. They must
keep detailed logs of all of their work. Those who perform production
work monitor manufacturing processes and may ensure quality by testing
products for proper proportions of ingredients, for purity, or for
strength and durability.
There are several specialty areas and occupational titles within science
technology, including: Agricultural and Food Science Technology, Biology
Technology, Chemical Technology, Environmental Science and Protection
Technology, Forensic Science Technology, Forest and Conservation
Technology, and Geological and Petroleum Technology.
 Most
science technicians need an associate degree or a certificate in applied
science or science-related technology. Biological and forensic science
technicians usually need a bachelor's degree. Science technicians hold
about 267,000 jobs in the United States. They work under a wide variety
of conditions. Most work indoors, usually in laboratories, and have
regular hours.
Find
out more about a career as a
science technician...
New
Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program
 The
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the American Association of
Colleges of Nursing (AACN) have announced the creation of the RWJF New
Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program, designed to alleviate the
nation's nursing shortage by dramatically expanding the pipeline of
students in accelerated nursing programs. Scholarships in the amount of
$10,000 each will be awarded to 1500 entry-level nursing students over
the next three years. Preference will be given to students from groups
underrepresented in nursing or from a disadvantaged background.
Through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program, funding
will be available to schools of nursing with entry-level accelerated
programs at the baccalaureate and/or master's level(s). The program will
target many of the issues currently confronting professional nursing
education, including providing support for students in accelerated
nursing programs. Accelerated programs offer the most efficient route
to licensure as a registered nurse for adults who have already completed
a baccalaureate or graduate degree in a discipline other than nursing.
By bringing more nurses into the profession at the baccalaureate and
master's degree levels, the new scholarship programs also helps to
address the nation's nurse faculty shortage. Data from the U.S. Health
Resources and Services Administration show that nurses entering the
profession at the baccalaureate level are four times more likely than
other nurses to pursue a graduate degree in nursing, which is the
required credential to teach. Furthermore, the program targets the need
to recruit students from groups underrepresented in nursing or
disadvantaged backgrounds. According to the National Advisory Council on
Nurse Education and Practice, diversifying the nursing profession is
essential to meeting the health care needs of the nation and reducing
health disparities that exist among many underserved populations. More
details about the program are
online.
Find
out more about nursing and other healthcare
fields...
Grads
With Internships Have Job Market Edge
 New
college graduates looking for a job will likely have an edge over their
competition if they have participated in an internship or otherwise
gained work-related experience, according to a survey conducted by the
National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Approximately 95
percent of the organizations responding to NACE's Job Outlook 2008
survey said candidate experience is a factor in their hiring decisions.
More than three-quarters are most interested in relevant work
experience, but nearly 20 percent give candidates points for any type of
work experience. On the question of how the experience is gained,
respondents were split. Slightly more than half of employers told us
that they didn't have a preference on how the candidate gets experience,
but nearly as many -- 47 percent -- said they prefer candidates to gain their
experience through an internship or cooperative education program.
 In
addition, results of a separate NACE study show that employers are
placing more emphasis on internship and cooperative education programs
to "grow" their own employees -- looking first to their own interns when
they have job opportunities. According to NACE, not only does
participation in an internship make the student a more attractive
candidate, but also it can be an avenue to a job.
Find
out more about coops and internships...
Idaho
Student Spends Summer at NASA
 Ryan
Sheridan, an engineering student at the University of Idaho, ID, spent
much of this past summer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, MD as a participant of the
NASA Undergraduate Student
Research Program
(USRP). NASA-USRP is a 15-week program designed to provide undergraduate
students hands-on experience within a NASA environment. While at Goddard
Sheridan was surrounded by some of the world's premier scientists and
engineers devoted to research in Earth science, space science,
technology, and space communications. During his time at NASA Sheridan
was able to gain valuable research experience under the supervision of a
NASA mentor. "I have always thought that working for NASA would be a
great job," Sheridan said. "The opportunity is ideal for me because of
my interest in remote sensing and how the Earth or other planets can be
studied." Competitively selected students must have at least a 3.0
grade-point- average and major in engineering, science (physics,
chemistry, biology) math, computer science, or other areas of interest to
the aerospace program.
Find
out more about careers in
aerospace engineering,
computer science, science,
and mathematics...
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