The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center publishes a free newsletter to provide information about career paths in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computing, and healthcare. It features profiles of different degree fields, salary profiles, and timely information about careers. en-us 2011 Sloan Career Cornerstone Center http://www.careercornerstone.org Apple recently announced a partnership with three top K-12 textbook publishers (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill, and Pearson) that opens the door to students accessing text books on an iPad. But, it won't be your ordinary textbooks because they'll include video, three-dimensional graphics, and photo galleries, and much more. An advantage is also that iBooks textbooks can be kept up to date, don't weigh down a backpack and never have to be returned. And best of all, most textbooks are expected to be less than $15. The new iBooks 2 app is available as a free download from the App Store. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2012/scccnewswin12.htm#scccnews1 A new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that 65 percent of Bachelor's degrees in STEM (science, engineering, technology and mathematics) occupations earn more than Master's degrees in non-STEM occupations. Similarly, 47 percent of Bachelor's degrees in STEM occupations earn more than Ph.D.s in non-STEM occupations. Furthermore, even people with only STEM certificates can earn more than people with non-STEM degrees; for instance certificate holders in engineering earn more than Associate's degree-holders in business and more than Bachelor's degree-holders in education. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnewslfall11.htm#scccnews5 The Council of Graduate Schools has released its first Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Student Outcomes Survey, documenting initial hiring outcomes for 2010-11 graduates and perceived satisfaction with the PSM degree. The PSM is a new graduate degree designed to allow students to pursue advanced training in science or math, while also developing workplace skills. Most PSM programs require a final project or team experience, as well as a “real-world” internship. “The results of this survey confirm the value of Professional Science Master’s degrees to both degree holders and employers given that 82% of PSM graduates had jobs soon after receiving their degrees,” said Debra W. Stewart, CGS President. This new report includes data on the reasons students enrolled in PSM programs, their experiences and satisfaction with them, their current employment status, salaries, and the perceived value of a PSM degree. Among the findings, of those in new jobs, 38% secured that employment because of their PSM internship. Also, over 55% of those employed earned $50,000 or more in annual salary. Also, of those who were working, 88% were working in a job that is closely or somewhat related to their field of study. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnewslfall11.htm#scccnews1 According to the 21st-Century Campus Report, which surveyed more than 1,200 college students, faculty, IT staff, and administrators about the role of technology in higher education, 87% of college students surveyed said they considered their institution's technology when selecting their college. A related report found that 92 percent of current high school students say technology is an important consideration as they evaluate colleges. Other findings: -- Tech use is up: Students are using technology more often while in class; -- Thirty-one percent use technology as a learning tool every day, up from 19 percent last year; -- Mobility makes an impact: Faculty and IT staff report that e-readers, media tablets, and smartphones are essential technologies 21st-century campuses; -- Faculty still struggle with technology: Students, faculty, and admins all report that the biggest challenge to campus technology is that faculty don’t know how to use it. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnewsfall.htm#scccnews1 Precollege students interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) should augment classroom learning with projects and competitions that add an extra layer of learning to coursework. These competitions and programs usually encourage students to work in teams, problem solve, present ideas, and work on technological challenges involving computers, mechanical devices, and mathematics. They also often involve members of the professional community -- sometimes fostering mentoring relationships that support a student as they move through college and into a career. Many schools offer clubs or programs in robotics or participate in other programs and projects. Students should explore what their high school offers, but also explore others that may be available regionally or online. The best idea is for a student to find a program or project that relates to a STEM field of particular interest to them -- and pursue it. By following on a line of interest, a student will get a chance to explore hands on experiences that will shed a light on what a career in these fields might be like. And, the experience of working with like-minded students and networking with professionals working in the field is very important. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnewsfall.htm#scccnews6 California Polytechnic State University's Concrete Canoe team earned first place in the 'America's Cup' of Civil Engineering in late June, pulling past 21 other collegiate teams to win American Society of Civil Engineers' 23rd annual National Concrete Canoe Competition. The team competed in a 170-pound, white canoe named the Amazona. The annual event challenges competing teams to design, create and race canoes made of concrete. Throughout the year, teams of civil engineering students from across the country and Canada logged thousands of hours researching, designing and constructing their concrete canoes in search of the winning combination of creativity, knowledge and teamwork. After coming out on top in regional competitions throughout the spring, the best and brightest from 22 top engineering schools matched wits and skills in the national finals. The competition includes both academic and athletic events. Students write a paper detailing the design and construction of their canoe and then give an oral presentation on their year-long effort. They are also judged on their final product, the canoe, and an accompanying display which explains their design process. Finally, they put their canoe through the paces in a series of five race events. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnewssum11.htm#scccnews1 The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has launched a new website with more than 600 multiple-choice test questions to help educators assess more precisely what students know about key ideas in science and -- just as importantly -- the incorrect ideas they have. The site offers an unusually detailed picture of what middle and high school students know along with hundreds of misconceptions they have about everything from the size of atoms to whether all organisms have DNA. There was “essentially zero” difference in how well girls and boys answered the questions, with only two-tenths of a percentage point separating their scores. Knowing these misconceptions can help teachers improve instruction and better design their own test questions to assess whether students truly understand the science concepts they are being taught. Students considering a career in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics are encouraged to take as many math and science courses as possible during the precollege years. AP courses in particular can help students enter college better prepared for the rigors of study and also assist as they make career and degree choices. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnewslspr11.htm#scccnews1 A prototype implantable eye pressure monitor for glaucoma patients is believed to contain the first complete millimeter-scale computing system. And a compact radio that needs no tuning to find the right frequency could be a key enabler to organizing millimeter-scale systems into wireless sensor networks. These networks could one day track pollution, monitor structural integrity, perform surveillance, or make virtually any object smart and trackable. Find out more... http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnewsspr11.htm#scccnews5 A Professional Science Master's (PSM) is an reasonably new (about a decade old) graduate degree designed to allow students to pursue advanced training in science or mathematics, while simultaneously developing workplace skills highly valued by employers. PSM programs consist of two years of academic training in an emerging or interdisciplinary area, along with a professional component that may include internships and "cross-training" in workplace skills, such as business, communications, and regulatory affairs. The programs are developed in concert with employers and are designed to dovetail into present and future professional career opportunities. They are designed to allow students to pursue advanced training and excel in science without a Ph.D., while simultaneously developing highly-valued business skills without an MBA. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnewsspr11.htm#scccnews6 A recent report, the 2010 Sloan Survey of Online Learning, reveals that online enrollment rose by almost one million students from a year earlier. The survey of more than 2,500 colleges and universities nationwide finds approximately 5.6 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2009. Nearly 30%of all college or university students now take at least one course online. And, as of fall 2010, 27 states and Washington, D.C. have at least one full-time online school operating statewide. And many other high schools are now offering online courses as part of their curriculum. Some middle and high school students take online courses from universities while in high school to expand their knowledge of a subject. Clearly online education is here to stay! But the online education landscape can be confusing to navigate. That’s why the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center has added a new site section that focuses on online education with links to current research reports and organizations focused on online learning from K-College. We’ve included guidance about incorporating online education option in STEM career preparation, and links to examples of programs at all levels, and information about accreditation. The bottom line is that online education can often broaden the course options you have -- but choose carefully! http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnewsspr11.htm#scccnews1 Employers are most interested in hiring new college graduates with bachelor’s degrees in engineering and computer science fields, according to results of a new survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Nearly 62 percent of the organizations taking part in NACE’s Job Outlook 2011 survey cited plans to hire accounting graduates. Other popular degrees at the bachelor’s degree level included electrical engineering (53.5 percent), computer science (53 percent), and mechanical engineering (53 percent). "The results are not surprising," says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. “These degrees are consistently cited by organizations involved in college recruiting and hiring as among the most sought-after.” In addition, the job market for new college graduates continues to show improvement, according to results of another NACE survey. More than half of the employers taking part in the November poll reported plans to increase the number of new college graduates they hire -- the first time a majority of poll respondents have reported such plans since NACE initiated the poll in October 2009. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnews0111.htm#scccnews7 Every year, more than 400,000 students attend national college fairs seeking information about colleges, universities and other postsecondary institutions. Free and open to the public, national college fairs allow students to interact with admission representatives from a wide range of postsecondary institutions to discuss course offerings, admission and financial aid requirements, college life in general, and other information pertinent to the college selection process. They can be a bit overwhelming, so if you plan to attend a large college fair that is held in a convention center, download a map of the event ahead of time and plan out a route through the booths that will let you explore the schools you are most interested in. And, it is a good idea to plan out your questions in advance. For example, if you want to know what type of co-op program the engineering department sponsors, be sure to ask that of each school. Or, if you are interested in learning about the graduation rate within the program you are considering, be sure to keep track of what responses you get from each school. You'll also end up with loads of brochures and catalogs, so be selective in what you take because you'll end up carrying it throughout the day. Consider pre-printing mailing labels with your name, address, and the year you'll begin college and providing these to the university reps so they can mail you appropriate materials. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnews0111.htm#scccnews5 More college-bound students in the class of 2010 took the SAT than in any other high school graduating class in history, the College Board recently announced. Students in the class of 2010 who reported completing a core curriculum -- defined as four or more years of English, three or more years of mathematics, three or more years of natural science, and three or more years of social science and history — scored, on average, 151 points higher on the SAT than those who did not complete a core curriculum. In addition to course-taking patterns, the rigor of a student's course work also plays a critical role in college readiness. As in previous years, students in the class of 2010 who reported taking the most demanding honors or Advanced Placement courses performed better on the SAT. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnews0111.htm#scccnews3 Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count (ATD), has announced that seven community colleges have emerged as leaders in a national student completion movement. ATD designated these colleges as leaders for demonstrating sustained improvement and accomplishments on key student achievement indicators. ATD works on multiple fronts -- including efforts on campuses and in research, public engagement and public policy -- and emphasizes the use of data to drive change. Launched as an initiative in 2004 with funding provided by Lumina Foundation for Education, Achieving the Dream is built on the belief that broad institutional change, informed by student achievement data, is critical to significantly improving student success rates. There are about 1200 community college in the United States serving over 7 million people. A White House Summit on Community Colleges is planned for October 3 to highlight the critical role that community colleges play in developing America's workforce and reaching our educational goals. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnews0111.htm#scccnews2 With support from Texas Instruments, the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center has launched six state portals which provide state-specific salary and employment data for STEMM fields. In addition there are links to state programs, resources, and organizations that provide programs, projects, summer camps, and other resources to encourage students to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in middle and high school. The Texas Instruments supported state portals include California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Texas. Each state section also provides links to museums, which often provide opportunities to explore STEMM fields with hands-on activities and experiences. There are profiles of key industries for each state, links to sample employers, and features of industries and individuals works in STEMM fields in each state. Many counselors and students who use Cornerstone have sought state focused resources to assist those who wish to study for a STEMM career and then stay in their home state -- the new state portals provided just what these users have been asking for. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2011/scccnews0111.htm#scccnews1 NASA and Texas Instruments are using the theme of human space exploration to develop digital libraries of math and science problems for high school students. The goal is to bring real-world topics in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, into classrooms to spark students' excitement and interest in these critical career fields. The collaboration will produce two digital libraries. One, called "Exploring Space Through Math: Applications in High School Mathematics," will provide problems based on NASA data that are set in the context of space exploration. The other digital library, named "Science at Work: Exploring Space with NASA-AP," will contain questions for Advanced Placement classes. The libraries of questions will use NASA applications and data while incorporating Texas Instruments' math learning technology. Each problem includes student and teacher editions to help the teacher link content to higher concepts. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2010/cornerstonenews0310.html#scccnews6 A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics outlines growing trends in the number and type of postsecondary awards below the bachelor’s degree (certificates and associate's degrees) conferred over the decade between 1997 and 2007. "Changes in Postsecondary Awards Below the Bachelor's Degree: 1997 to 2007" showed that the total number of certificates and associate's degrees conferred increased 28 percent between 1997 and 2007, to 1.5 million. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2010/cornerstonenews0110.htm#scccnews1 The introduction of K-12 engineering education has the potential to improve student learning and achievement in science and mathematics, increase awareness about what engineers do and of engineering as a potential career, and boost students' technological literacy, according to a recent report from the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council. The report examines the status and nature of efforts to teach engineering in U.S. schools. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1209.htm#scccnews6 Semiconductor Research Corporation and Intel Foundation are partnering on an innovative program that provides science and engineering undergraduates with valuable, hands-on research experience and mentoring. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities (URO) program, designed to stimulate and assist the next generation of technology leaders, supports hundreds of students each year at 14 university campuses nationwide. The SRC and Intel Foundation are seeking additional partners to expand the program over the coming year. The URO program supports qualified undergraduates interested in physical science and engineering disciplines in advanced research projects, workshops and other resources that encourage and enable them to continue their education beyond a four-year degree. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1209.htm#scccnews3 Can algae someday make the fuel that fills the tanks of our cars and trucks? It's a question that could make a difference to our energy future and our environment. Scientists already know that certain algae produce oils that can be converted into diesel and other fuels. What we don't know is whether we can make affordable, large-scale quantities of algae fuel. That's why ExxonMobil has teamed up with Synthetic Genomics Inc., in a long-term project to research and develop next-generation biofuels from photosynthetic algae. The goal is to produce a commercially scalable, renewable fuel that is compatible with today's gasoline and diesel. Why algae? Biofuels made from algae could be transported and used like today's conventional fuels, therefore avoiding the expense of creating a new infrastructure. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1209.htm#scccnews2 The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) is a transformative infrastructure project that will provide an expandable and adaptable network for observing complex ocean processes such as climate variability, ocean circulation, and ocean acidification across a range of spatial scales at several coastal, open-ocean, and seafloor locations. Continuous data flow from hundreds of sensors will be integrated by a sophisticated computing network and will be openly available to scientists, policy makers, students, and the public. The OOI is expected to transform ocean science research and education by providing unprecedented power and bandwidth for an interactive connection to the ocean through diverse sets of sensors, and near real-time access to data. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1209.htm#scccnews1 A new earthquake-resistant structural system for buildings, just successfully tested in Japan, will not only help a multi-story building hold itself together during a violent earthquake, but also return it to standing up straight on its foundation afterward, true and plumb, with damage confined to a few easily replaceable parts. The team that designed the system was led by researchers at Stanford University and the University of Illinois. During testing on a massive shake table, the system survived simulated earthquakes in excess of magnitude 7. The system dissipates energy through the movement of steel frames that are situated around the building's core or along exterior walls. The frames can be part of a building's initial design or could be incorporated into an existing building undergoing seismic retrofitting. They are economically feasible to build, as all the materials employed are commonly used in construction today and all the parts can be made using existing fabrication methods. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1109.htm#scccnews7 Which new college graduates are faring best when it comes to salary in the current economy? According to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), engineers are pulling down the highest starting salaries. NACE's Summer 2009 Salary Survey report shows that four engineering disciplines and computer science account for the many of the disciplines getting the highest starting salary offers. The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center offers complete profiles on each of these fields, including preparation, employment, responsibilities, an "average" day, and career path forecasts. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1109.htm#scccnews6 Blind for nine years, Sharron "Kay" Thornton has just regained her sight through a first-in-the-U.S. surgical procedure at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The procedure -- modified osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (MOOKP) -- implanted her eyetooth in her eye, as a base to hold a prosthetic lens. Thornton, 60, was blinded by Stevens-Johnson syndrome in 2000, a rare, serious skin condition destroys the cells on the surface of the eye causing severe scarring of the cornea. On Labor Day weekend, after the last in a series of surgeries by corneal specialist Victor L. Perez, M.D., associate professor of ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, bandages were removed from Thornton's eyes and she was able to recognize faces only hours after her surgery. Two weeks following her surgery, she is already reading newsprint with a visual acuity of 20/70 and it is expected to improve further as her surgical scars heal. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1109.htm#scccnews5 NASA is currently inviting college students to get involved with NASA's return to the moon by helping to design the tools and instruments needed for the next-generation manned moon rover. Student projects will tackle real problems to be solved for a successful manned lunar mission. Examples of problems include: navigation in the darkness around the moon's South Pole; sample retrieval and on-site analysis; radiation detection and avoidance; communication with lunar outpost, with orbiters and with Earth; video capture of sorties for transmission back to Earth; astronaut rescue and recovery; and lunar regolith mitigation strategies for rover and space suits. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1109.htm#scccnews3 Futurity.org is a new website originally developed as a beta by Duke University, Stanford University, and the University of Rochester. Now it offers information on the latest discoveries in science, engineering, the environment, health, and more from dozens of North America's leading research universities. Learning about the new ways science, math, and engineering are applied through research is a good way to find out what it might be like to work in these fields. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1109.htm#scccnews2 You've heard about flower power. What about tree power? It turns out that it's there, in small but measurable quantities. There's enough power in trees for University of Washington researchers to run an electronic circuit, according to results to be published in an upcoming issue of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' Transactions on Nanotechnology. "As far as we know this is the first peer-reviewed paper of someone powering something entirely by sticking electrodes into a tree," said co-author Babak Parviz, a UW associate professor of electrical engineering. A study last year from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that plants generate a voltage of up to 200 millivolts when one electrode is placed in a plant and the other in the surrounding soil. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1109.htm#scccnews1 This school year, teens across the nation are pledging to support math literacy by signing the Texas Instruments Count Me In! Pledge and committing to tell others why math education is so important to the future of their world. Students also are be encouraged to challenge themselves to consider taking higher-level math courses to broaden their college and career options. Teachers also can sign the pledge to win free TI classroom technology and professional development. Studies have shown that high school students who complete math beyond Algebra II continue to college at much higher rates. By the time today’s high school students graduate from college, more than 6 million jobs will require the skills and understanding of math, science, and students who take more math classes have more earning potential than those who do not. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1009.htm#scccnews7 Plastic surgeons are turning to mathematics to take the guesswork out of efforts to ensure that live tissue segments that are selected to restore damaged body parts will have enough blood and oxygen to survive the surgical transfer. In the world’s first published mathematical model of tissue transfer, mathematicians have shown that they can use differential equations to determine which tissue segments selected for transfer from one part of the body to another location on the same body will receive the level of oxygen required to sustain the tissue. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1009.htm#scccnews6 Here's a question. How many gumballs of different sizes can fit in one of those containers at the mall so as to reward a well-spent quarter? It's hard to believe that most people never consider it even when guessing the number of candies in a bowl at Halloween. But physicists at the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at New York University recently developed a new way to help answer the question. They say the solution is found in how the particles pack in terms of how many neighboring gumballs a single gumball can randomly touch within a given container. The new model predicts the geometry of randomly packing spheres of different sizes in terms of how many nearest neighbors a particle can have, how far apart those neighbors can be and how free space is distributed throughout the packing. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1009.htm#scccnews5 Researchers have figured out how to make DNA bend and twist into a variety of new shapes. These curvy new molecules could someday be used to build nanoscale devices – smaller than the width of a human hair -- for delivering drugs inside the body, growing new tissues or studying single proteins. The exciting thing about this research is that it gives scientists a way to make nanoscale objects with curving surfaces. For comparison, imagine if we could not make the curved objects we see in daily life -- we'd have no wheels, arches, hooks, etc. This is the same kind of limitation nanotechnology researchers have been facing. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1009.htm#scccnews3 The U.S. high school student team competing in the 41st International Chemistry Olympiad won one gold and three silver medals at the event held in Cambridge, England. The students, from Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey and New York, competed against more than 250 students from 65 countries.Participating in local, regional, and national programs and projects is a great way for students to network with other kids who enjoy math, science, computing, and engineering. Many projects encourage teamwork, provide a chance to do hands on science, math, and engineering, and can expose students to resources that can augment classroom experiences. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1009.htm#scccnews2 Recently, President Obama proposed the American Graduation Initiative, a $12 billion federal investment to substantially expand the capacity of the nation's community college system. If implemented, the new program would represent an historic new federal investment in the largest and fastest growing segment of higher education. Community colleges already enroll almost half of all U.S. About 6.7 million students are earning credits at 1,177 community, technical and junior colleges. During the extended economic downturn, the almost 1,200 two-year colleges have seen dramatic enrollment growth, fueled by high school graduates seeking a lower cost entry into college and adult learners needing new skills to gain employment or keep their jobs. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews1009.htm#scccnews1 Folding paper into shapes such as a crane or a butterfly is challenging enough for most people. Now imagine trying to fold something that's about a hundred times thinner than a human hair and then putting it to use as an electronic device. A team of MIT researchers is developing the basic principles of "nano-origami," a new technique that allows engineers to fold nanoscale materials into simple 3-D structures. The tiny folded materials could be used as motors and capacitors, potentially leading to better computer memory storage, faster microprocessors, and new nanophotonic devices. Getting the materials to fold back and forth into an accordion-like structure has been one of the researchers' biggest challenges, along with getting the faces and edges to line up accurately. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews0909.htm#scccnews1 There is no age restriction on the chance to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the universe. Caroline Moore, a 14-year-old from Warwick, NY, has made such a mark on astronomy with the discovery of Supernova 2008ha. Not only is she the youngest person to discover a supernova, but this particular supernova has been identified as a different type of stellar explosion. "It's really a strange supernova," said Moore. "A supernova is a huge explosion deep in the core of a star, whereas a nova is an explosion on the outside surface of a star. Of Supernova 2008ha she says, "It's somewhere between a supernova and a nova. So it's not nearly as big as the explosion of a supernova." http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews0909.htm#scccnews2 Corals, it appears, have a genetic complexity that rivals that of humans, have sophisticated systems of biological communication that are being stressed by global change, and are only able to survive based on proper function of an intricate symbiotic relationship with algae that live within their bodies, say researchers at Oregon State University. Disruptions in these biological and communication systems are the underlying cause of the coral bleaching and collapse of coral reef ecosystems around the world. Corals are tiny animals, polyps that exist as genetically identical individuals, and can defend themselves and kill plankton for food. In the process they also secrete calcium carbonate that becomes the basis for an external skeleton on which they sit. The calcified deposits can grow to enormous sizes over long periods of time and form coral reefs--one of the world's most productive ecosystems -- harboring over 4,000 species of fish and other marine life forms. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews0909.htm#scccnews3 Semiconductors are unique substances, which, under different conditions, can act as either conductors or insulators of electricity. Semiconductor processors turn one of these substances -- silicon -- into microchips, also known as integrated circuits. These microchips contain millions of tiny electronic components and are used in a wide range of products, from personal computers and cellular telephones to airplanes and missile guidance systems. To manufacture microchips, semiconductor processors start with cylinders of silicon called ingots. First, the ingots are sliced into thin wafers. Using automated equipment, workers or robots polish the wafers, imprint precise microscopic patterns of the circuitry onto them using photolithography, etch out patterns with acids, and replace the patterns with conductors, such as aluminum or copper. The wafers then receive a chemical bath to make them smooth, and the imprint process begins again on a new layer with the next pattern. A complex chip may contain more than 20 layers of circuitry. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews0909.htm#scccnews4 Cloud computing is a hot topic in the technology world these days. Chances are you've heard someone talking about cloud computing as the way of the future. So what exactly is cloud computing? There are varying definitions, but cloud computing is essentially a form of distributed computing that allows users the ability to tap into a vast network of computing resources through the Internet to complete their work. If, for example, someone wanted to analyze traffic patterns on the nation's highways, they could upload and store their data into the 'cloud' and have multiple computers crunch the data and then present the results back to them in a unified way as if the work were completed by one giant machine. This may sound a bit like grid computing, another type of distributed computing that allowed users to tap into computing resources through a network to get their computational jobs done. With grid computing, you submit what you want computed to a batch scheduler, which puts your job in a queue for a specific set of computing resources, for example a supercomputer, to work on. Cloud computing is a little more flexible in that many cloud computing platforms allow users to know ahead of time how much computing capacity is available from the cloud, so the work can be done faster. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews0909.htm#scccnews5 Of the 92 naturally occurring elements, add another to the list of those that are superconductors. James S. Schilling, Ph.D., professor of physics in Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and Mathew Debessai, Ph.D., -- his doctoral student at the time -- discovered that europium becomes superconducting at 1.8 K (-456 °F) and 80 GPa (790,000 atmospheres) of pressure, making it the 53rd known elemental superconductor and the 23rd at high pressure. "It has been seven years since someone discovered a new elemental superconductor," Schilling said. "It gets harder and harder because there are fewer elements left in the periodic table." This discovery adds data to help improve scientists' theoretical understanding of superconductivity, which could lead to the design of room-temperature superconductors that could be used for efficient energy transport and storage. Superconducting materials have unique electrical and magnetic properties. They have no electrical resistance, so current will flow through them forever, and they are diamagnetic, meaning that a magnet held above them will levitate. These properties can be exploited to create powerful magnets for medical imaging, make power lines that transport electricity efficiently or make efficient power generators. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews0909.htm#scccnews6 The college Class of 2009 held its ground with its overall average starting salary offer, according to a new report published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). NACE's Summer 2009 Salary Survey report showed that the average starting salary offer for new college graduates now stands at $49,307. That’s off less than 1% from the average $49,693 that 2008 graduates posted last year at this time. Accounting majors did better than the average, and posted a 1.9% increase for an average offer of $48,993. Computer science grads saw their average salary offer rise 1.6% to $61,407. As a group, engineering graduates enjoyed the highest salary increase. Overall, the average offer to engineering graduates rose 3.7% to $59,254. Chemical engineering graduates posted a 2.7% increase to their average salary offer, which now stands at $64,902. Computer engineering graduates saw their average offer rise 3.6% to $61,738. Much of that bump up can be attributed to the types of positions these graduates were offered. Electrical engineering graduates earned one of the larger increases; their average offer rose 5.6% to $60,125. Civil engineering graduates, however, saw their average offer just nudge up slightly -- 0.8% -- to $52,048. http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews0909.htm#scccnews7