Progress Report #1: Malta – Becoming a Scientist/Engineer in Malta

Progress Report #1

Brig Bagley

Malta – Becoming a Scientist/Engineer in Malta, Historical and contemporary pattern, roles and status

Malta is a small country in the Mediterranean that has actually had quite an interesting and unique history—despite the little to no attention US history and education gives it. Although it is one of the smallest countries in the world, it is one of the most densely populated countries… about four hundred thousand in 121 square miles. Because Malta is such a compact country, as well as it being in a strategic location in the Mediterranean, architecture and defense are two early-developed and mastered scientific or engineering areas.

First as a colony of Great Britain, then eventually as an independent republic, there are many similarities and differences between engineering in Britain.

The education system follows that of Great Britain, with primary and secondary schools. The primary level has an examination that determines religious or state schools. After secondary school, the students have the option to opt out of further work or to take the O-level exam and continue into a system similar to a Junior College. Following this, students take a matriculation exam (A-level exam) to determine if the student can enter into an undergraduate program at the University of Malta. Because Malta is similar to Britain in education, there is less pressure and more difficulty to enter into higher level education into areas such as science and engineering. However, Malta does not share the craftsmanship and apprenticeship history that Britain does, and therefore did not view science and engineering as a lesser profession like Britain did.

Malta has a long history of architecture, dating back into the BC era with primitive Neolithic temples. There is also a lot of influence by the Romans, and most recently, Britain. There is history with engineers in the mid 1500s at Fort St. Michael and Mdina during the Siege of Malta, where engineers were part of construction and destruction of architecture as a result of the siege. One of the most well-know engineers at about that time was Francesco Laparelli de Carotona, who designed the original City Gate, known as Prota San Giorgio. It was later replaced by the Maltese engineer Tommaso Dingli. When Britain was in control of Malta, another group of engineers built a new gate.

The basis of my project will focus on how the history of Malta has greatly affected its state, recognition, and use of engineering and science. The outside world has had a large influence on Malta and its current relationship with engineering. Although Britain has shaped its structure and educational path, other countries and necessity has encouraged growth and respect of many other areas of engineering, such as the military and architecture. In order to protect the state and compensate for the limited land and resources available, engineers had to conquer scientific battles. I will do more research in these areas to pin point what it is that has really formed the patterns, roles, and status of engineers.

“Siege of Malta. ” Wikipedia. . 27 January 2011.

“Malta.” Wikipedia. . 27 January 2011.

“Valletta.” Wikipedia. . 27 January 2011.

Research Project: History of Malta

Edit: 01/31/2010 Pictures added

History of Malta -- interactions with other countries and cultures;

defining national moments; Mediterranean? European?; role of Catholic
church; architecture; etc. plus current population demographics

Maltese Demographics:

The country of Malta consists of the three inhabited islands

of Malta, Gozo and Comino although it should be noted that there are quite a few more

islands that are significantly smaller and uninhabited. The islands are formed from the high points of a land bridge between Sicily and Northern Africa.

Population: ~400,000 (extremely high population density at only 121 square miles)

Capital: Valletta (~half the population of Malta)

Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic 91-98%

Primary Ethnic Groups: Maltese with th

e seco

nd most population being British

Currency: The Euro (~1.36 USD: 1 Euro)

Current Maltese Flag:

(1) (2)

(3) (4)

The Maltese flag (1) was adopted September 21, 1964, the same day as Malta’s independence from Great Britain (2). The vertical white and red colors have their origins from the badge of the Knights of St. John (3)

When researching the Maltese flag, picture (4) came up on many occasions and you will notice the 4 white

arrows pointing to the center, a clear reference to the badge of the Knights of St. John(3).

Architecture:

http://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=FA3UPqX-b14

After watching the aerial fly-through of Vall

etta, the capital city of Malta, it is clear that some type of limestone dominates the architectural layout of the buildings. The buildings here are very monochromatic and demonstrate the Baroque style found in Rome, Italy. The Baroque styl

e is characteristic of high ceilings, minute details and the most common shape of choice is the oval. To demonstrate these styles please note the pictures below of St. Johns Co-Cathedral located in Valletta, Malta. This cathedral exemplifies the Baroque style and was built in the late 16^th century following the establishment of the Knights of Malta.

The Roman Catholic Church took to this style

of architecture due to its larger than life feel, creating an awe-inspiring display of craftsmanship commitment to the smallest of details.

With the peaceful takeover by the British at the onset of the 19^th century, the style of architecture shifted away from the High Baroque style to a more “modern” style of neoclassical. Simply put, the lavish and dramatic architectural style of the Baroque era gave way to a more symmetrical, simple (by comparison), and calm architectural appearance of the neoclassical era brought from the British. One thing to note here is the differences are far more profound on the inside of the building as opposed to the façade or outside of the

building. To the untrained eye, these styles look similar but once you enter the building the architectural differences should become clear and distinct. A neoclassical example is provided below using the Rotunda of St. Marija Assunta (also referred to as “The Mosta Dome”) (5). This style is clearly an imitation of the world famous Pantheon of Rome, Italy (6).

(5) (6)

Sources:

Demographics

http://www.fact-index.com/d/de/demographics_of_malta.html

Flag Information

http://www.worldflags101.com/m/malta-flag.aspx

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/flags/countrys/europe/malta.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Malta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venerable_Order_of_Saint_John

Architecture

http://www.airmalta.com/baroque_malta?l=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA3UPqX-b14

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John's_Co-Cathedral

http://www.victorborg.com/html/architecture_malta___gozo.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotunda_of_Mosta

http://www.mmdtkw.org/RT04-Pantheon.html

http://www.crystalinks.com/romepantheon.html

Progress Report #1: Japan

So Far in the class we’ve discussed engineering education of both Britain, France and made a few notes of the U.S. With this in mind, I thought it would be very interesting to continue on the idea of education and research how other countries compare to the education systems we’ve studied so far.

At first I considered doing my report on China but I figured multiple people had already decided to research it as well so I decided to look into the engineering practices of Japan. My cousin is what really sparked my interest in Japanese engineering. He played professional baseball in Japan for about 5 years and I remembered him mentioning how strict the education system was there which lead me to my current topic.

In my first round of research, I found a few articles discussing Japan’s engineering education. Some articles compare Japan’s engineering education system to that of Britain. Similar to that of Britain, Japan believes that first hand experience is important in the education of young, aspiring engineers. With that in mind, I was interested as to how much time is emphasized on experience compared to theoretical knowledge of engineering

Most of my research will focus on the comparing and contrasting of original education practices and more contemporary methods of education. As we’ve discussed in class, Britain’s engineering education shifted from strictly pupil training and apprenticeships to secondary schooling, accredited hours and engineering posts. Since Japan’s education system has been compared that of Britain’s, I will also look into what connections and influences between the two.

From what I’ve currently researched, the educational training in universities is oriented more towards the basic comprehension of engineering sciences. “Self-education is also encouraged through research and other programs in almost all major enterprises” (Euro Journal of Education). Another article discussed two international exchange programs between universities in Japan and Canada. Students from one school spend 3-4 months training at the other university. “Through this programs, engineering students learn by first hand experience, the language and culture of a foreign country” (Hipel 142). These students not only gain the experience of living and working in another country but also gain the tools necessary to stay ahead of the curve in the global marketplace that is ever expanding.

In effort to better understand the Japanese methods of engineering education, should I compare and contrast their methods with other countries such as Britain, France, the U.S. or China, or would it be best to just focus on Japans initial and contemporary educational practices? I’m not sure if comparing the countries would be an overwhelming amount of work or not. Also, will education be suffice for this project or should I cover another area such as social status or social roles of engineers in Japan? Not sure quite what to focus on. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Research Progress Report #1: Mexico

For my research project, I have endeavored to research about our southern neighboring country Mexico. This is a logical choice for me for several reasons: 1) I am the child of Mexican immigrants, who are now U.S. citizens, 2) both my parents attended college (more specifically, a technological institute) in Mexico in the period of the late 70s to mid 80s, 3) I myself attended a year of school (4^th grade) in Mexico, 4) I am fluent in Spanish and have the ability to conduct research that will aid this project that might only be available in Spanish. Because of the aforementioned points, my research status includes having gathered information from my parents (i.e. interviews). Interviews with my parents are particularly relevant to this project as my dad completed the Industrial Engineering course of study with an emphasis in Electrical Engineering, and my mom completed the program for Human Resources specifically designed for the industrial sector. Here is sample of some of the data I have to date:

From looking at my dad’s college transcript, courses generally follow those offered in the engineering curriculum here at CalPoly. For example, support courses such as Statics, Dynamics, Calculus, Physics, Thermodynamics, etc.

Secondary education, which is High School for us and Bachilleres (or Bachillerato) or Preparatoria in Mexico, consists of 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th grade only. (Secundaria comprises grades 7,8, and 9). Bachillerato or Preparatoria is not mandatory.

From interviewing my dad, children underwent an evaluation process held by their teachers at the end of Secundaria to discuss their strengths and viable career paths. Preparatoria is aimed for the preparation of those hoping to get into a university, and Bachillerato is more a vocational school. There is a similar process that happens in the education system in Germany, for those who might be researching that country.

My dad noted that knowing some English was definitely beneficial, as his university wanted to stay on top of the latest trends however they could. This meant using English-language textbooks, usually American, to teach the courses. This was attributed to the (perceived?) lack of up-to-date textbooks written originally in Spanish, or the lag in getting English-language textbooks translated into Spanish.

It should be noted that English is taught in public schools in Mexico since the elementary level.

More of my data is directly attributable to my personal experience with receiving schooling in Mexico. To engage in some of the concepts of the class, it would be interesting to see how Mexico’s engineering education might indirectly be a product of combining not only French and British styles of engineering, but obviously the American hybrid model as well, seeing that Mexican universities tend to follow a 4-year degree program. However, my working analysis would be to explore how those who are educated to be engineers in Mexico are highly encouraged, perhaps expected to learn English, yet I suspect that despite their knowledge of English, it is not these technologically-educated Mexicans who immigrate to the United States. I would like to explore how education (particularly engineering) shapes and reveals push/pull factors that might inform an individual’s decision to emigrate.

Progress Report #1: Education in Malta

My research will focus on primary and secondary education in Malta. I initially thought this would be a difficult area to do research on, but a quick Google search has shown that not to be the case. I was even able to find a report on the transition from primary schools to secondary schools, which also had some information on the structure of the primary and secondary education systems in Malta.

Some preliminary information: There are three sectors of compulsory education in Malta. The first, and largest, is the state school system. Primary schools (ages 5-10) are co-ed while the secondary (ages 11-16) schools are strictly single-sex. While schools that continue on from primary to secondary education, called “continuous schools”, exist in Malta, none of the state schools are continuous. Like many European countries, Malta has more than one level of secondary education. The highest is the Junior Lyceum to which admittance is granted based on an entrance examination. Those who do not pass the Junior Lyceum entrance examination are admitted to the more general secondary school known as a Area Secondary school. For students whose “levels of attainment” are still considered very low after primary education are sent to special schools.

The second largest sector is the Church sector. Education provided by the Church sector is free. Unlike State schools, primary schools are mostly single-sex, with some co-ed exceptions. All secondary schools are single-sex with most girls' schools being continuous and boys' schools being non-continuous. Admittance into non-continuous secondary schools is based on a Common Entrance (CE) exam and available vacancies.

The last sector is the Independent. These are private schools that charge a fee. The private sector offers both co-ed and single-sex as well as continuous and non-continuous schools. The non-continuous schools in the Independent sector are all primary schools and students must take examinations to enroll in either a State school or a Church school when they are ready to transition from their primary school. Since the Independent schools are fee-based, their admissions are not competitive.

Some of the subjects that are tested in secondary entrance examinations are Maltese, English, Mathematics, and Social Studies. Students are also tested on Religious Knowledge if their parents do not object.

The preliminary search for information on Maltese education has gone well but there is plenty more I would like to learn. For instance, there was a mention of “catchment areas” in regards to the Junior Lyceums without any explanation as to what they are or how they affect the rest of a student's education. Also, since students are educated in both Maltese and English, it would be nice to find a sample or preparatory exam as an example of what students are required to learn and study before entering secondary school.

Grima, Grace. Transition from Primary to Secondary Schools in Malta: A Review. 2008.

Malta?! A Guide to Education and Vocational Training. 2008. Ministry of Education, Malta.

Progress Report #1 - Malta's industry, technology, and natural resources

The focus of my report will be on the historical and current emphases of industrialization, natural resource use, and development in technology in Malta. I am curious to see how the changes in the city through industrialization lead to improvements in technology, and vice versa.

The natural resources available to the people of Malta are limestone, salt, and arable land. Thus, mining and agriculture are important parts of industry. However, one of the most socially and culturally important industries provides an almost negligible economic contribution; the Maltese fishing industry has been a significant part of the Maltese industry and culture. The beautiful weather found on the island of Malta is also a resource. Through the expansion of tourism, and Malta's accession to the EU in 2004, tourism has blossomed. This relates to the fishing industry, as local fresh seafood is a pride to local restaurants targeted towards tourists.

I believe the expanding tourist site has additionally affected both industrialization and technology. Tourism brings big changes to countries, especially small ones like Malta. There have been many cultural changes, as well as social “improvements,” better defined as changes. The mentality of a country changes with the tourism industry.

Malta first encountered statistical machines in 1950, when it purchased punched-card machines. This was the first time the government was able to take accurate statistics on the sectors of Malta's economy. This sparked an attention to improving technology, and upgrading of machines. More recently, Malta has been taking part in world wide telecommunications, establishing a large source of employment and revenue. The technology boom has been prevelent there, and “Malta is growing in the areas of customer service, support, IT development and sales and marketing” (Knights, 2008). This industry is popular as an export for other countries, because though it is more expensive than outsourcing to Africa, it is still much cheaper than paying people from other countries in Europe.

These are just snippets of information I have found about Malta's technological history, and industrialization expansion. However, I am struggling to draw the line between industrialization and historical facts, as well as technological improvements and industrialization. The lines have blurred with these subjects, providing me with an abundance of insightful facts.

Progress Report #1: Contemporary Controversies in Malta

As a member of the ICEX team my project will focus on Malta. I choose to research contemporary challenges and opportunities specifically related to the environment, power production, social/political controversies, role in European Nations (EU), role in counter-terrorism, and Malta’s vision of itself today.

Preliminary research has yielded some information that should make this project very interesting. While I have found many interesting facts and articles relating to my topic, most of them only scratch the surface of the issues and do not go into the depth of detail that I would like to see. Finding detailed information on the topics introduced above is proving to be quite a difficult task for a small country like Malta.

It is commonly said that Malta’s only natural resources are people and the sun. The people are the one and a half million tourists that travel to Malta each year, and the sun because it is sunny most of the year. I find this very odd because with sun as one of your only natural resources one would think that Malta would have an interest in renewable energy (such as solar power). However, Malta only produces 0.2 percent of its energy with renewable resources while the rest is produced with fossil fuels. Additionally, as part of the EU Malta is required to produce ten percent of its energy with renewable resources by the year 2020 - they do not seem to be making much progress. With limited natural resources, Malta should use what it has to its advantage and harness the power of the sun.

On a separate note, Malta became the smallest member of the EU in May 2004 which was a major partisan controversy at the time as the Nationalist party was in complete support while the Malta Labour Party opposed it. Since its admission to the EU, Malta has been enthusiastically involved with the EU and its decisions (except maybe renewable energy). In addition they have been quite involved in counter terrorism. With its strategic location in the Mediterranean Sea, Malta is a desired operating location for terrorists and counter terrorists alike. But, in 2005 Malta and the United States committed over six million dollars to secure Malta’s borders and general security. Malta also allowed the United States use its land and harbors to repair equipment and for use in emergency situations. This increased the United States effectiveness in fighting the terrorists because they had repair facilities and headquarters close to the action.

Above was a quick overview of what I have found interesting so far. As I move forward with my research I would like to learn more about what actions Malta is taking to create green energy sources to comply with the EU, and hopefully find some interesting current economic and political controversies.

Following is a list of facts that I found interesting and related to my topic (United States demographic statistic in parenthesis): Malta has the densest population in Europe with about 3400 people per square mile (55), is 98 percent Roman Catholic (22%), has two official languages, growth rate of .42 percent (.87%), 94 percent living in urban areas (82%), and an immigration rate of 2.03 migrants per 1000 citizens (2.92). I do not know how these demographics affect the politics, policies, and other aspects of society in Malta, but I feel that they may be an important key to understanding the internal and international affairs and controversies of Malta.

Progress Report: Technologies & Indigenous Societies

I like the idea technologies are not just Ipods and GPS. I like that engineering can be craftsmanship on a lego level rather than something futuristic. Having no experience of engineering, I have made it into something much larger and scarier in my mind, something I could never comprehend or lend a hand to. I did not think I could see its real products in my life because I thought it was so abstract that it existed somewhere else, rather than the bridges I walk across or the lamp I turn on. I only saw the manufacturing of it, the workers building the bridges and not beyond it. 

Then going to Cal Poly, where the word engineering carries weight, it MEANS something big and intelligent, that thing became scarier in my mind. As important as engineers are in this world we live in, they are not the only important part, everyone is important. Anything anyone contributes is important. That is not a value equally shared, and a sentiment I do not feel here, especially being an Ethnic Studies student.

For my research, I am excited to pursue the realm of often left out technologies and innovations that are invented by indigenous societies. Indigenous knowledge are important. Along this avenue, it is interesting to see what “the other” has imposed on the "lacking", on those “in need” because their economies are different or their societies are not the same as The West. It is not OK for someone to tell someone else what they need and what will solve all their problems. That is not their right or responsibility.

I understand, however, how the line of overbearing imposition is quite different than helping out a neighbor. It might be the process of introducing a new technology to a “different” society that truly exemplifies the rightness or wrongness. It is also important to understand how a product will affect the land and people, for these very reasons, a technology may not be innovative at all, or helpful in the least.

I would also like to find an invention or tool or piece of technology that does not exist in our “industrialized world”, but one that should be adopted to better our world. Such a thing exists and The West would most certainly benefit from different perspectives and ways of knowing than what has traditionally been done.

My research is in its beginning stages. I have been sifting through various ideas and settled on this topic as something I am extremely interested in.

For instance, I found this great article to work off of: “Designing Agricultural Technology for African Women Farmers: Lessons from 25 Years of Experience” by Cheryl R. Doss. This article clearly identifies the role gender plays in a social organization and how agriculture production is affected by social order. Thus any new technologies greatly affect production practices and culture.

In class, we have thus far reflected on the ways professional engineering has progressed in France and Britain. Reflecting on my own about American engineering, the formation has been crafted by efficiency and uniformity, Saving Money and Time! However, Doss asserts something quite different for Africa that would not fit into the American version of engineering: “Because of the heterogeneity across Africa, it is difficult to prescribe specific universal remedies or even appropriate remedies for a specific region or country . . . the factors that should be taken into consideration when developing technologies,so that women benefit rather than being disadvantaged. Although we cannot simply take lessons from one part of Africa and apply them directly to another place, we can identify the factors that encourage or limit the adoptions of new technology and affect how the benefits and costs will be distributed within households and communities” (2).

I will further be examining the role globalization has played in the process of the production of indigenous knowledge and how they are often shut out. For instance, this research was conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa regarding Rain Water Harvesting and expresses that although rain water harvesting has been around for thousands of years, indigenous knowledge are often disregarded. Potential is recognized but the authors of “Indigenous knowledge as support tool in rainwater harvesting” assert that indigenous knowledge “remains a neglected resource . . . for the lack of guidelines for recording and applying” the knowledge (2).

I am going to further pursue the research I have presented. Although limited, I am going to find ways indigenous societies around the world, most particular in Africa, have created technologies and perhaps some that should be adopted in the United States.

Research Progress Report #1: China

I originally wanted to do research about Engineering in Brazil, however I had a very difficult time finding information about this topic. When attempting to narrow down the topice I also had difficulty deciding what aspect I wanted to focus on. As a result I decided to pick another country that would allow for more available research. That is how I landed on China.

Through previous classes I have studied a small amount about China and its in depth history. In comparison to any other country, China’s history is extremely different due to its relationships with neighboring and European countries. Between its European influence, massive immigrations out of the country to seek refuge beginning in 1600‘s and multiple dictatorships, the history of the Chinese people includes many outside influences. Even though these factors have had enormous impact on the country, China is still one of the few countries that carries a strong sense of nationalism and national identity that has stayed evident throughout time.

With this brief knowledge of the countries history it made me wonder how it impacted on societal positions of professions, such as engineering, and the education that leads to this position. Currently my main topics of my paper will include the history of country and how it corresponds to the development of education within a technical field, especially engineering. In addition, how this education has progressed and what social representation it creates for that individual. The next point will focus on the mass immigrations out of the country and how this affected the work force by population decrease, influence of the government and other external factors. The last part of my paper will be dedicated to the equality of the field between gender roles. When and if women were introduce to this technical field, what obstacles they have had to overcome and how their social role in society affects their ability to obtain this particular profession.

From what I have currently researched the the entrepreneurial talent has been incorporated into business activities to create wealth and establish an economy boom. Within China entrepreneurs are classified into three dominant groups: “Peasants-turned entrepreneurs; officials-turned entrepreneurs; and overseas-returned and engineers-turned entrepreneurs” (Zhang 178). In combination with the rise of all three of these engineers and the “replacement of position-based rights with property-based rights,” the Chinese economy has become the most stable it has been in decades.

The questions I am searching for feedback is if my topic is too board or if I am incorporating to many topics? Should I focus more in depth on one of the mentioned topics above or incorporate them all in hopes it makes a more comprehensible report. I still I am working on a specific thesis, and I believe that having so many topics is what is giving me difficulty. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Project Progress Report #1: Leapfrogging the Fossil Fuel Model

Fossil fuel use has been the backbone of western development for over a century. Any country that wished to compete either militarily or financially with global powers had to adopt the petroleum derived energy model. This technological progression has led to almost every country in the world basing their economy on fossil fuel energy production. The pollution and climate change effects of this use has had marked impacts on the health of our globe.

When fossil fuels are the only basis for supplying energy for a country, the need to obtain more oil to fuel more growth creates an addiction cycle of a never ending need for a limited resource. Because most countries must purchase and import the oil they need for development, they are dependent on the willingness of other countries to supply this resource. The financial woes of agricultural countries are held at the whim of oil rich nations. As these resource-poor countries develop, they get more dependent of fossil fuels, which they must import. This relationship causes political distrust, energy instability, and security concerns for large portions of the globe.

 
A way to get around this limited and destructive model is to have developing countries utilize resources they do have, such as biomass electrical generation or agricultural waste products to make ethanol. Brazil is a good example of a developing nation that has utilized its agricultural resources to create the world’s most efficient ethanol production system. Brazil chose to invest in its own agricultural resources during the oil crisis of the 1970s. Their national vision has helped them achieve energy security with approximately half of all their energy use coming from domestically produced ethanol. This model has the possibility to be transferred to other nations, as nearly every region of the world has a crop that can be grown which has ability distilled into ethanol.

 
Still, there are some countries might not have agricultural resources either, for example the desert countries in Saharan Africa or the Middle East. These countries might be able to use solar technology or wind resources to meet the needs of its cities. Often times individual solar instillations are more effective than large generating facilities because desert towns tend to be small and spread out. Having self-sufficient renewable energy generation is necessary for these communities that cannot afford the huge infrastructure investments necessary for long-distance transmission lines.

During my further research, I plan on showcasing technologies and projects that hold the promise for leapfrogging the fossil fuel based development model. As the population of the world rises, and affluence along with it, more energy will be needed; it has to come from somewhere. This research is not only interesting, but necessary for the future prosperity of the planet. The supply of fossil fuels is limited and is running out, and as it does its price will rise. The amount of greenhouse gases, which are released with the burning of fossil fuels, is on the rise and will only get worse as we use the remaining supply. The future of the human prosperity and the health of the planet is at stake.

Research Progress Report #1 | Beverley Kwang

This quarter I am working with Dr. Lehr and Dr. Finger, the director of the Women’s Engineering Program, to do a research study to ultimately help out with recruitment and retention of female undergraduate engineers at Cal Poly. I have always been interested in this topic and am looking to do my senior project on this subject, specifically of the experiences of female engineers and their view of the lack of women in engineering fields. I also particularly want to focus on women of color in engineering who are said to lead a “double minority status” (Farro) in their major. But for this quarter, with Dr. Finger’s research, I am primarily focusing on trying to figure out how to aim for a higher recruitment and high retention rates of female undergraduate engineers.

So far, the goal is to create a survey to ask first year female students (I think we are still debating if we should ask males or non-first years) specific questions as to what go them interested in engineering and so forth. We have done a literature review, in a sense, to see what has been already done and see what questions other researchers have asked. There were some very interesting finds that I thought would be interesting to include in our survey as well. One that I thought was very interesting was that most female students at the University of Oklahoma’s Industrial Engineering Department, which is actually fifty percent female in their undergraduate program and forty percent female in their faculty, relied on their mothers in regards to their undergraduate education (Harris 190). In another study, the researcher found out the significance that female teachers had on their female students in regards to their interest in engineering (Parviainen).

Based on these articles, many female undergraduates in engineering seem to have been influenced by and relied on other females in their life for support and help. That is one question I would like to ask in our survey. So for our draft survey, I included questions such as: how did you get interested in engineering and whether or not their parents are engineers or not. We are also interested in knowing their ethnicity and socioeconomic status. It is also interesting to see if they have been in any clubs before college that has driven their interest in engineering and exactly how they got interested in studying engineering. There are deeper questions regarding their role in classrooms, whether they have been discouraged by others because of their gender, and points of deflection or overcoming of a negative situation. It is also interesting to see the stereotypes or preconceived notions that these female undergraduates had before entering cal Poly. Like in Parviainen’s study, female undergraduates saw stereotypes of computer scientists as white males who are antisocial, and they went deeper as to how these stereotypes affected and shaped them. Also, I included in our draft survey when comparing to other female undergraduate engineers how they feel, and when comparing to male undergraduate engineers how they feel. I just followed the same questions that Goodman et al. asked when self evaluating themselves to other female or males do they: spend more time and efforts in your class, understand engineering concepts better, better at solving engineering problems, more committed to engineering, work better with other people, have more confidence in your engineering abilities (50).

We are still in the producing and editing the survey and will go over it on Thursday.

Works Cited

Farro, S.A. (2010). Achievements and challenges of undergraduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields in the Ronald E. McNair Program. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 70(11-B), 7266-7275.

Goodman, I.F., Cunningham, C.M., Lachapelle, C., Thompson, M., Bittinger, K. Brennan, R.T., Delci, M. (April 2002). A Comprehensive Evaluation of Women in Engineering Programs. Goodman Research Group, Inc., 1-286.

Harris, B.J., Rhoads, T.R., Walden, S.E., Murphy, T.J., Meissler, R., Reynolds, A. (Spring 2004). Gender Equity in Industrial Engineering: A Pilot Study. NWSA Journal, 16(1), 186-193.

Parviainen, M.L. (Fall 2008). The experiences of women in computer science: the importance of awareness and communication. Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge, 6(4), 87-94.

Research Progress Report #1: Jennifer Batryn - Shipwrecks & Maritime Malta

I will be focusing my research on shipwrecks in Malta, and more specifically the archeological significance of the shipwreck site we will be investigating on the ICEX trip. I want to understand the history behind the ship and the events leading up to its demise. What does it say about Maltese relations with other countries and the technology of the time? I also want to get an understanding of how it ties in with present day Maltese culture and the significance of it today.

So far, I have not been very successful with my research. I know from talking with Chris Clark that the shipwreck we will be investigating is at a depth of approximately 100m, which is too deep for the Iver2 to go, but given the clear water and general good visibility, we are hoping that we can still get a good look at it from above. In addition, we will have ROVs that we can potentially use to aid in the investigation. When looking up shipwrecks in Malta online, the only thing that really comes up is information about the Apostle Paul’s shipwreck on Malta from biblical times. It is believed that he ended up near Malta and there seems to be a lot of meteorological and historical data that supports Luke’s narrative. That could be an interesting component to investigate further, but it is also not really the focus of what we will be looking at in Malta in relation to the ICEX project.

I also investigated WWII shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, but that returned a rather broad set of data (not may actually being directly associated with Malta) and most of the ships had very little information about them. In addition, I tried looking up information about shipwrecks that you can dive to. These were more related to Malta, but there was only very limited information available about the ships themselves (and more about the associated dives).

I am still waiting to get the exact name of the ship we will be investigating. I think that once I have the name, it will be easier to locate some relevant information. I also plan to try expanding my search in terms of where I am looking for information. I would like to try getting a hold of our archeological contact whom we will be working with there and seeing if I can some more information from him about the shipwreck. If those approaches are still not sufficient in obtaining relevant information, I think it might be helpful to expand my area of research to also include more about shipping in general in Malta and the importance and relation of the shipping industry with other countries.

References

White, Jefferson. "The Apostle Paul's Shipwreck on Malta." Evidence and Paul's Journeys - History, Missionary Journeys, and Life of the Apostle Paul. 2004. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. .

Progress Report 1- Mariel Emanuel - Diversity and Creativity in Engineering

I chose to focus on gender and racial diversity in American engineering and why it crucial to increase diversity within the field. White males are becoming a minority; however, the field of engineering does not represent this. American engineering has diverged from ideals of apprenticeship and creativity to a profitable industry that comes with status, money and power. My point is, not only is engineering lacking diversity but it is also lacking aspects of creativity as well.

The lack of diversity and creativity within the field of engineering is affecting the quality of engineers and the products they produce because we are in need of various/diverse perspectives in order to create the most fair and ethically/environmentally responsible products.

Wikipedia defines engineering as,

“Engineering is the discipline, art, and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize solutions to the needs of society.”

However, are Cal Poly engineers really utilizing the artistic and social knowledge that could be applied to engineering? Or are Cal Poly engineers solely using the science and math in their engineering? Could increasing diversity in the field help this? Does creativity come along with diversity?

Now these are all valid questions I plan on diving into more through interviews with Cal Poly engineers; however, my prediction would be that at California POLYTECHNIC State University engineering would be generally geared towards math and science and emphasis on social science perspective or art would be neglected. 

I could be very wrong with my hypothesis but I plan on interviewing a handful of Cal Poly engineers about their personal knowledge of the field to find out. I want to pay special attention their experience with art/social science and diversity within the engineering field. I would really like to explore how the engineers feel themselves and if they think that an increase in diversity/creativity might help the field.

WM. A. WULF talks a lot about stereo-types of American engineers as being nerdy and dull. I really want to ask the engineers themselves how they confront these stereotypes and if they think there is truth behind it. My guess is there may be some truth behind it because engineering has become so profit based that many want to join the field in order to gain wealth instead of genuine interest in the subject. Through interviewing students and continuing my research I hope to confront some of the stereotypes of engineers and obstacles to achieving equality within the field.

Progress report 1- Tanner Starbard: German Engineering

As a case study to learn about German engineering, I am focusing on the three main German auto manufacturers (Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz), with an emphasis on their environmental protection approaches. I am going to look at not only the cars’ efficiency on the road but also the process of manufacturing the cars to see what measures are being taken behind the scenes. I will also look into the history of engineering in Germany as a whole in order to frame the context of the present-day German auto industry.

My preliminary research on Audi turned up some promise for the environment. Audi includes environmental awareness (along with sportiness, emotional design and quality) as a staple of their design identity. Fortunately, this appears to be more than a marketing ploy; Audi publishes their own environmental magazine labeled “Encounter,” and has been honored with the EU emblem of distinction for environmental protection due to their commitment to going above and beyond the environmental regulations that all European auto makers must abide by. Audi manufacturing plants pay special mind environmentally to “waste management, emission control, water protection, energy and environmental programmes” as stated in the environment section of their website. The website also declared that “Audi customers can be sure that maximum attention has been paid to ensuring environmental compatibility, even during manufacture of the vehicle.” Not only does Audi show commitment to minimizing their negative impact on the environment, but also a directive to nurture nature as well. In a joint research operation with the Technical University of Munich, Audi has planted over 36,000 young oaks in what they call a “CO2 reservoir” in Germany. A second forest in Hungary is currently under development as well. Audi’s motto “Vorsprung durch technik” (translated to advancement through technology) has clearly influenced their dedication to the environment in so many areas, most of which aren’t common public knowledge, nor mere marketing campaigns. The company has deemed CO2 reduction a social responsibility, taking it upon themselves to improve their environmental impact.

BMW shows similar dedication to the environment. BMW expresses an approach to overall sustainability as central to their development. This sustainability includes awareness and commitment environmentally, economically and socially. BMW was the first major European automobile manufacturer to be in accordance with the EMAS II environmental legislation regarding auto-manufacturing plants. BMW maintains awareness to the environment in their plants, but even more to efficiency in their vehicles. BMW is a leader in the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, as well as developing gasoline-powered vehicles that are more efficient in the meantime. BMW is the first manufacture with a Vehicle Recycling Network in which old vehicles are stripped to be re-used in any way possible in the production of new vehicles. BMW’s Learning Centre provides free online information about street safety and environmental awareness for kids, among other things.
The LC provides resources for teachers to educate their students in these areas.

A common thread discovered so far is commitment to progress, being on the cutting-edge of auto engineering. BMW and Audi both show dedication to the environment and improving their impact on nature.

Malta Research Progress Report #1 - Billy McVicker: Malta's Cisterns & Water Management

Since I am an ICEX student, my country-based research project is focused on Malta and more specifically focused on the Archaeological Knowledge about Cisterns and Water Management. My research started out online reading through papers that I found on Google Scholar about water management and irrigation techniques in Malta. Most of these papers were about current events in the last 100 years and only a very brief sentence or two about the history of the water crisis. A reference in one of the papers led to me to library to skim through the book The Building of Malta 1530-1795 by Quentin Hughes. This book covers the architecture of Malta and the history of how the country was built. It also contains some history about cisterns. There were other books that I stumbled across that contained more information about the cisterns and other means of water management in Malta during the early development of the country. (Refer to the references of the names and authors of these books). I would definitely recommend my ICEX peers to check these books out due to the extensive knowledge in all areas about Malta. It was however difficult to find extensive research on cisterns and the development of them. Most of the books and essays that I read just mentioned that they were used and also mentioned the popular ones that were discovered.

A little history on Malta’s water crisis starts as far back as history records human activity on the island. This is estimated to be around 3,000 BC. I found that recordings state that Malta had a higher percentage of fresh water during this time, but about this time is when the supply of fresh water began to disintegrate due to the habitation of humans. Basically, humans began to remove vegetation in order to build communities. This change in terrain slowly caused the movement of soil during the rainy season, which is from August till March, creating a rockier landscape. With a rockier terrain, water was not easily absorbed by the earth and resulted in run-offs into the ocean versus absorption of the fresh water in the earth to fill up springs and natural underwater wells. It was about this time that the Maltese began to collect water through cisterns or tanks.

One of the popular discoveries of water supplies was the Misqa Tanks. These tanks were found to be about 200 meters inland from the Mnajdra temples. In the book The Building of Malta 1530-1795 by Quentin Hughes, it states that these tanks are a system of dug out water cisterns used to capture rainwater and transport it underground to the Mnajdra temples by solely using gravity. It is unknown when these cisterns were built because their construction is unlike other cisterns that fall in the categories Bronze Age, Roman, medieval, or modern. These tanks were designed to fill quickly by surface run-off during the raining season (Trump 1972).

Other cisterns have been found on the island of Malta and are described to be bell-shaped. Specifically, a series of cisterns in Luqu village were found and measured up to 3.4 meters in diameter and 4 meters deep. Two of the series of cisterns found contained Bronze Age pottery and Malta’s prehistoric vegetation (Trump 1972). Another example of how cisterns were used to manage the water crisis was a discovery of tanks that were found in the basement of houses. Each of these houses had a special channel that directed water from the roof to an underground cistern (Hughes 1956).

References

D. H. Trump (1972). Malta: An Archaeological Guide (Archaeological Guides).
     London: Faber and Faber
Hughes J. Quentin (1956). The building of Malta during the period of the
     knights of St. John of Jerusalem 1530-1795. London: Alec Tiranti Ltd.

Research Progress Report #1 - Egypt

For this country-based research project, I wanted to look into Egypt. First, I had wanted to take a look at the social standing of the engineers in Egypt but then I thought the history would be more interesting to look at. It would be interesting to see the effects that the history had on the current.

So far my research about Egypt has shown me that there is influence from the French and the British, This is demonstrated in “Engineering and Engineering Education in Egypt”. This to me was interesting because as we learned in class and through the readings, France and Britain have different views when it comes to what engineering means, who is an engineer and the qualifications are also different. I have read one article on this topic and I’m actually pretty excited to see how the construction of engineering is today and how these two different countries together helped shape engineering in Egypt. The article also explains how after World War II nationalism also affected Egypt and the control of the British in Egypt. The article also goes on to explain why the British were there. They did not want to fully lose control of Egypt because then they would lose access to the Suez Canal (20). Even though they were not willing to part with that control they allowed Egypt to establish it as an “independent monarchy “ but they were still involved in Egypt. They allowed the monarchy because they saw the “… nationalist unrest of the 191 Revolution” (20) I also want to see how the Suez canal was involved in the Britain’s interest in Egypt. This also makes me winder if there were any other underlying motivations and what were the motivations of the French. I also want to investigate and understand why there was a Nationalist Revolution in 1919 and what acts led to it.

While researching the history of Egypt I also came across a lot of article the spoke of political protests in colleges and they involved mechanical engineers professors. That surprised me and I would be interested to see how the history of Egypt helped shape that as well. At the same time, I want to look into engineering before the French and the British became involved. The beginning of the article, “Engineering and Engineering Education in Egypt”, the beginning of the article begins with,” modern engineering education in Egypt…” (18) To me the raises the question what is pre modern engineering education in Egypt? Also, what makes the education “not modern”? These questions support my thesis question and will help me in my research. Did these views affect how the Egyptians saw themselves and their history?

Something that I would also like to look into would how the French and British impacted the culture. It is through education that the minds of the young people are impacted. Did this create a different generation with different ideas? How did this affect the community? The people of Egypt may have protested to the control of the British in Egypt and how all of these ideas tie into the history if engineering the Egypt.

Works Cited:

El-Sayed, O.L., J. Lucena, and G. Downey. "Engineering and Engineering Education in Egypt." IEEE Technology and Society Magazine 25.2 (2006): 18-25. Print.

Research Progress Report #1 - Joseph White: Gender & Racial Differences in Malta

I will be researching the areas of gender and race differences in Malta. This will focus on positions of these demographics in both professional and households fields as well as in, specifically, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. One note: in the household environment, I have found that domestic violence is exceedingly prevalent. It seems that this fact may give a sign as to where the rest of these topics currently lie. These topics will also include historical as well as contemporary patterns of these statuses.

I am currently focused on various papers which include topics such as slavery (historical) and SAIL, a multicultural engineering project initiative (contemporary) to name just a couple. Other papers I have found do not focus directly on these topics, but I hope to find useful information within them such as specific breakdowns by year of things including population, or gender and age of political offices. This data is given for many consecutive years; therefore, I hope to see some kind of pattern or maybe see a drastic change in women’s or other civil rights as time progresses, possibly even correlating with times of other civil rights movements around the world. Interestingly, Malta did not grant women suffrage until the late 1940’s (compare this to the 1921 granting of women’s suffrage in the US). Women also did not have equal right in family law until the 1990s. It will be interesting to see how these comparatively late movements for women play into their current place in the professional fields. In regards to this, I have found that at the very least, women are extremely under-represented in management positions.

It is a bit difficult to find data due to a small amount of research done on these topics in Malta. Another challenge is looking specifically for STEM areas of interest when they concern women or people of color. This is due to the fact that most papers or sources of information simply talk about the field and the research done, rather than who is performing the research: making it difficult to identify how significant a role women and people of color played in these fields.

Concepts and themes I am focusing on include whether or not there is a significant segregation in the workforce based upon gender or ethnicity (especially in STEM fields). The approach I have found (and believe will be) most successful is not to look for articles relating to STEM and see if they touch on the subjects I am focused on: this is unrealistic. But rather look for articles focusing on women and people of color in Malta, and STEM fields will be a bonus.

I have also found a prevalence of contemporary articles as opposed to historical articles. This, I believe is for 2 reasons. One, research from Malta is somewhat rare and most research has occurred in the recent past. Second, there is more of a focus now than ever on STEM fields which promotes further publications of such topics.

I hope to narrow down my searching and specify what I should be concentrating on based on knowledge I gain from some of the articles I have. A lot of the (somewhat) historical data has given me a better idea of what to look for in regards to these topics.