EDUCAUSE Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference January 13, 2004

1. EDUCAUSE Mid-Atlantic Regional ConferenceJanuary 13, 2004 IMPLEMENTING THE “CONVERGING TECHNOLOGIES” PARADIGM AT UNION COLLEGE” Robert T. Balmer Dean of Engineering Union College, Schenectady, NY

2. WHAT IS IT? • “Converging Technologies” (CT) refers to the continuous melding of concurrent technical, scientific, and cultural phenomena • At Union CT will integrate engineering and the liberal arts to define innovative interdisciplinary curricula for the 21st century

3. CONVERGING TECHNOLOGIES The concept of technological “Convergence” comes from the rapid evolution of pocket PCs that now contain: Mobile phone, Email, Web browser, Ebooks, Games, Music, Movies, Photography, Spreadsheets, etc., etc., etc.

4. WHY? • In recent years the most significant technological advances have occurred at the interfaces of the liberal arts and engineering • These advances often produce unimagined technologies • They are, by their nature, multidisciplinary

5. Converging Technologiesfor a Changing World At Union College we see … Emerging Technologies In a Changing World becoming

6. Computer Eng. Electrical Eng. Mechanical Eng. Computer Science Biology Chemistry Physics Social Sciences, etc. Nanotechnology Bioengineering Mechatronics MEMS and NEMS Pervasive Computing and many others Existing Programs Must Lead to New Opportunities Changing World

7. WHY ELSE? "Students who do not understand how the new and converging technologies work, how they construct meaning, how they can be used, and how the evidence they present can be weighed and evaluated are, in contemporary cultures, considerably disadvantaged and disempowered." Abbott & Masterman "Working Paper No. 2",Centre for Literacy, 1997. See: http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/med/class/andersen.htm)

8. How Do You Do This? The Psychology of Change in Higher Education The strategic elements of organizational change in higher education are complex and varied. The following list was recently developed by Dr. Joseph Zolner, Director, Harvard Institutes for Higher Education.

9. Zolner’s Tenets of Change • Loss of Control - Change is exciting when it is done by the faculty and is of concern when done to the faculty. • Too Much Uncertainty - Almost by definition, a decision to pursue something new means one cannot be absolutely certain what will happen or what new outcomes the change will produce. Significant uncertainty can spell doom for administrators seeking to introduce new ideas to their institutions. • Surprise, Surprise - There are some who (falsely) believe that the best way to implement change is to “sneak up” on faculty/staff/students and inform them of a change at the moment of implementation.

10. The “McDonalds Factor” - Familiarity and consistent application of standards breed comfort. To the extent possible, build on recognized institutional strengths – items that faculty know, understand, and appreciate about their program, department, or institution. • Ripple Effects - Inevitably, changes send ripples beyond their intended impact. • Loss of Face - For many, accepting a change implies repudiation of what was done prior to the change. This could mean admitting (either implicitly or explicitly) that someone’s past actions or prior leadership were “wrong,” or at least ill-conceived. • Concerns About Competence - Change inevitably raises disconcerting questions about an individual’s ability to get a new job done. Am I up to the challenge presented by this change?

11. More Work - One entirely understandable reason people resist doing something new or different is that it often requires more work. In addition to managing “routine” duties, people must often add new demands imposed by change to an already-full agenda. • Past Resentments - While this reason for resisting change is “negative,” it is also completely understandable. Cobwebs from the past (or skeletons in assorted departmental closets) can easily impede future progress. • Sometimes the Threat is Real - Sometimes, a threat posed by change is a legitimate source of concern and reason to embrace the status quo. Despite all efforts to the contrary, change sometimes creates winners and losers.

12. So, How Do You • Implement Change? • Administrators often see change as an opportunity for progress and innovation, whereas faculty typically view the same elements of change as disruptive and intrusive. For academic institutions, there are five steps to implementing significant change: • Create a compelling vision that establishes a sense of urgency for change • Communicate the vision and the urgency to the faculty • Empower faculty to contribute to and act on the vision • Create a strategy to produce a series of short-term successes • Institutionalize the results by implementing the vision

13. First: We created a compelling vision that established a sense of urgency for change If 21st century technology is being generated at the interfaces of engineering and the liberal arts, then a modern postmodern educational model should emulate this through a similar convergence of academic disciplines.

14. Second: We communicated the vision and the urgency to the faculty • The faculty and the deans spent a great deal of time at retreats (four over two years) and faculty meetings discussing the vision of the Converging Technologies initiative. In the fall of 2002 there was a college-wide faculty retreat to discuss these same issues (complete with a SWOT analysis and a list of goals). • Also, the President and the Board of Trustees were very enthusiastic about CT, and wanted it to move forward as fast as possible. The future of engineering at a liberal arts college had been discussed for several years without any conclusion. Consequently, it was quite clear to most of the faculty that there was an urgency to at least investigate the feasibility of CT at Union.

15. Third: We empowered the faculty to • contribute to and act on the vision • We accomplished this by establishing • interdisciplinary faculty committees composed of • faculty willing to engage the new ideas. To • facilitate faculty participation we provided • released time and summer stipends to develop the • necessary materials.

16. Fourth: We then created a strategy to • produce a series of short-term successes • We have done this by having faculty introduce CT related • segments or modules into their existing classes and by • supporting student research in the CT areas. Success • then comes from administrative kudos and the recognition • of faculty peers at their annual performance review. • We have also developed a very effective CT web site on • the Campus web site to highlight faculty and student CT • activity (see www.union.edu/ct). This also provides a good • recruiting tool to attract top high school students to these • new fields.

17. Fifth: We institutionalized the results by • implementing the vision • The CT vision became implemented via the • creation of new courses and programs

18. 4) Expand faculty research and scholarship into CT areas Implementing the Converging Technologies Paradigm at Union College 3) Develop student CT projects with RPI, SUNY, GE, IBM, etc. 2) Integrate CT concepts into existing courses and develop upper level CT courses 1) Develop new introductory CT courses and possibly minors in CT areas

19. The Five Converging Technologies Areas Adopted At Union • Nanotechnology • Bioengineering • Mechatronics • Pervasive Computing • Neurotechnology

20. NANOTECHNOLOGY - The Convergence of Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology Engineering Biology Chemistry Physics Nanotechnology

22. BIOENGINEERING - The Convergence of Engineering, Biology, and Computer Science Biology Engineering Computer Science Bioengineering

23. MECHATRONICS - The convergence of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering with Computer Science Mechanical Engineering Electrical Engineering Computer Science Mechatronics

24. PERVASIVE COMPUTING - The integration of the computer into all forms of human interaction This includes engineering, computer science and all of the liberal arts

25. NEUROTECHNOLOGY - The integration neuroscience, engineering, and computer science Neurotechnology Neuroscience • Engineering • Computer Science

26. SO, WHAT ARE WE RECOMMENDING TO YOU?

27. WHAT HAVE WE DONE SO FAR? • The freshman “Introduction to Engineering and Mechatronics” is now a GenEd course open to all students on campus • A $1 million CT gift from IBM provided SEM and AFM equipment • Our Computer Engineering Program represents a convergence of electrical engineering and computer science

28. EE senior projects and summer interns students at UAlbany Nanoelectronics Center • EE Faculty sabbatical the the GE GRC nanotechnology facility • Four new course in the pervasive computing area developed • Three new Mechatronics courses developed by ME and EE faculty • Faculty from EE and Biology engaged in neural network research

29. Biomechanics and Introduction to Bioengineering courses developed • Several senior bioengineering projects • ME and Biology faculty now working on bioengineering research • Aero-gel project with ME and Chemistry professors led to NSF proposal for an aero- gel fabrication facility • Hired a new faculty applying nanotechnology to energy conversion processes

30. Hired a new faculty and staff with Atomic Force Microscope expertise • New course - “Frontiers of Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials” developed with ME, Physics, and Chemistry faculty • Three new Mechatronics course developed by ME and EE faculty • Pilot laptop program in engineering includes students constructing and programming a functional mechatronics interface for data acquisition and process control

31. Converging Technologies Board Robert T. Balmer, Union College Walter H. Berninger, General Electric R&D Paul Burton '82, Plug Power Gary Cohen '78, IBM John Corey '76, Clever Fellows Consortium Dennis Deeb '82, General Mechanical Group Richard Delaney '80, PepsiCo Matthew Fronk '79, General Motors Abdallah Itani '80, General Electric Amy Johnson '80, Capstone Inc. Catherine Keim '83, IBM J.R. Spicehandler, '70, Schering-Plough David Usher '86, D.A. Usher Associates

32. WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? Where is technology headed and how rapidly is it evolving?

33. In 2003-2004 • Hire a Bioengineer for the Union College Center for CT • Develop more General Education CT courses collaboratively with liberal arts faculty • Continue student and faculty projects with UAlbany, GE GRC, IBM, KAPL, and RPI • Submit NSF/DOE/SRC/… proposals for undergraduate research in various CT areas • Publish student/faculty research in CT areas • Renovate or build a facility for the Center for converging Technologies at Union College • Continue to recruit new students interested in CT areas.

34. BEYOND?

35. CONCLUSIONS • Technology is rapidly changing, and engineering education will have to adapt by embracing a broader intellectual basis at the undergraduate level. • Since much of the new technology is occurring at the interfaces of engineering and the liberal arts, the traditional disciplines, or educational “silos,” will have to merge and become more interdisciplinary. • Union’s concept of “Converging Technologies” is our way of beginning to address these changes.

36. THANK YOU (Visit us at www.union.edu/ct)