7 August 2010
Forging Engineering Education Partnerships in Kazakhstan
In mid-July, Professor Galim Mutanov, president of IFEES member, the Kazakhstan Society for Engineering Education (KazSEE) and Rector of the East Kazakhstan State Technical University (EKSTU) in Ust-Kamenogorsk, and Professor Valery Antonov, Secretary General of the KazSEE hosted the visit of Hans J. Hoyer, IFEES Secretary General & GEDC Executive Secretary, and Professor Stephanie Farrell, ASEE Board Member and professor of engineering at Rowan University. At the end of a Seminar given by Professor Farrell and Dr. Hoyer, the latter was honored by the EKSTU as Honorary Professor and presented with a beautiful cap and gown. The purpose of the visit was to discuss strategies to strengthen the accreditation system at EKSTU as well as the Kazakh engineering community as a whole and link them to international organizations such as ABET, the Washington Accord and the Bologna Process. Furthermore, the group discussed strategies to link the KazSEE with universities in neighboring Central Asia countries to explore the formation of a regional engineering education society, as well as link those countries to some of the activities in Kazakhstan as well as IFEES, GEDC and other international efforts related to engineering education. Several Kazakh engineering rectors, deans and other leaders are expected to participate in the forthcoming week of the 2010 WEEF in Singapore under the leadership of Professor Mutanov.
Professor Farrell and Dr. Hoyer had the opportunity to meet several rectors representing the key Kazakh engineering schools, including a visit to Professor and Vice Rector Izim Dussembayev at the Kazakh National Technical University in Almaty. Several rectors and deans have expressed interest to join the GEDC; Dean Turganbayev Yerken of EKSTU has recently joined the GEDC. Dean Yerken was a participant in the IUCEE Summer Faculty Leadership Institute at the Infosys Mysore Campus in 2008. There was also great interest to involve Kazakh engineering students in international networks - a SPEED chapter has been formed on the campus of EKSTU, led by student leader Malykhina Yelena, who will participate in the 2010 WEEF in Singapore.
EKSTU will open the Scientific-Technological Park "Altai," which will be inaugurated in September 2010 by the presidents of Kazakhstan and Russia. Altai has the potential to form successful partnerships with some industrial parks emerging in Rowan University as well as Graphisoft Park in Budapest, Hungary. The partnership between EKSTU and Rowan University is also expected include student and faculty exchanges and project based learning workshops led by Professor Farrell focusing (possibly also under the umbrella of IFEES' new initiative related to faculty capacity building).
New IFEES Initiative - IIDEA
IFEES is pleased to announce the creation of the International Institute for Developing Engineering Academics (IIDEA), a new initiative which will be implemented under the umbrella of IFEES and in partnership with the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI). The idea was originally conceptualized by its two co-directors Lueny Morell and Anette Kolmos. They are excited about its potentials and are already in discussions with IFEES members in different parts of the world to offer its first faculty/deans capacity building workshops. To read more on this initiative, please click here.
Galim Mutanov - "Economic-Mathematical Methods and Models"
Galim Mutanov, representative of IFEES member society, the Kazakhstan Society for Engineering Education, recently published a book called, "Economic-Mathematical Methods and Models." The monograph presents the issues of working out and applying economic-mathematical methods and models in task analysis and adoption of effective managerial and investment decisions. This book offers budget mathematical models, applying thermodynamic approach to management of economic systems, models of investment decisions adoption in multifarious conditions of distinctness, risk and indeterminacy and their application. This monograph is oriented for students, post-graduates, faculty staff of higher educational institutions, executive directors of enterprises, managers, state and financial office employees.
16 July 2010
IUCEE Featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Indo-US Collaboration for Engineering Education (IUCEE) was recently featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The IUCEE, the “brainchild” of IFEES President-Elect, Krishna Vedula, was set up with the help of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE). Since 2007 more than 7,200 Indian faculty members have been trained in effective methods for teaching engineering courses, with many reporting high satisfaction with the workshops, and notable changes in student performance due to newly adopted teaching methods. You may read the article here: http://chronicle.com/article/In-India-an-Engineered/66087/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en.
NEA ICETE Hosted by Hungkuang University
The 4th North-East Asia International Conference on Engineering and Technology Education (4th NEA ICETE), under the theme The Innovation Strategy for Engineering and Technology Education in Knowledge Economy Era will be held in Taichung, Taiwan, between 25th and 29th of October 2010. IFEES member, Chinese Taipei; ATEEM, is joining with several other institutions to organize this event, which takes place shortly after the week of the WEEF in Singapore. For more information, please visit: http://120.107.96.101/~nea/index.htm
SEFI Releases 2008-2009 Biennial Report
The European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) recently released its 2008-2009 Biennial Report. You may find a PDF version here.
Materials Education Symposia - Call for Speakers
Granta Design is supporting two Materials Education Symposia in March and April of 2011, at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA and the University of Cambridge, UK, respectively. Please see the PDF flyer here.
1 July 2010
Nominations for 2010-2012 IFEES Executive Committee Now Closed
The Nominations for the 2010-2012 IFEES Executive Committee closed on 30 June. The Nomination Committee looks forward to reviewing the list of nominees and their credentials. All nominees will be asked to develop a brief justification and statement of purpose for their nomination. The IFEES Community will select the new Committee in October 2010 at the General Assembly in Singapore.
29 June 2010
Winner of the 2010 IFEES Global Award for Excellence in Engineering Education
 The IFEES Executive Committee and Award Committee are pleased to announce Dr. Richard Mark Felder as the winner of the 2010 Inaugural IFEES Global Award for Excellence in Engineering Education. IFEES recognizes him for his outstanding and original contributions to engineering education worldwide. All representatives of IFEES member societies are invited to the IFEES Award & Reception Banquet on Tuesday, 19 October 2010 in Singapore, part of the 2010 IFEES Summit & week of the World Engineering Education Forum, where Dr. Felder will be honored with the Award and give a presentation on his work. Many thanks to our sponsors of this year’s Award, Hewlett-Packard, Infosys, and Dassault Systèmes
10 June 2010
LACCEI Annual Conference Held in Arequipa, Peru
Several IFEES member societies gathered in Arequipa, Peru at the beginning of June. IFEES President  Lueny Morell, IFEES Executive Committee Members Maria Petrie (LACCEI) and Ramiro Jordan (ISTEC), and Luiz Scavarda (EftA, ABENGE) were represented. Member societies Ibero-American Association of Institutes of Engineering Education (Asibei) and the Council of Deans of Engineering Faculties of Chile (CONDEFI) were represented as well.
Lueny Morell was the recipient of the 2009-2010 LACCEI Academic Merit Medal is given for leadership and global impact on engineering curriculum innovation and fostering industry-university partnerships in support of economic development. Paulino Alonso of CONDEFI and Luiz Scavarda of EftA (pictured above) are past recipients of this Award.
One noteworthy outcome of this meeting was the formation of a Latin American Engineering Deans Council - a platform for Latin American engineering deans to gather and share ideas and innovations in engineering education and research in the Latin American region.
IFEES Welcomes New Member - Chinese Taipei; ATEEM
We are pleased to announce that the IFEES Executive Committee has approved the membership application of Chinese Taipei; Association of Taiwan Engineering Education & Management, an organization based out of HungKuang University in Taichung, Taiwan.
IFEES President Makes Visit to Venue of Upcoming IFEES Summit 
IFEES President Lueny Morell and Dr. John Lamancusa of Pennsylvania State University recently offered a curriculum innovation workshop at the National University of Singapore. They were hosted by IFEES member, Insitute of Engineers Singapore, at IES headquarters to discuss the upcoming IFEES Summit during the week of the World Engineering Education Forum in Singapore in October 2010.
While in Singapore, Ms. Morell had the opportunity to visit the venue of this year's Summit, the newly constructed Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center. Ms. Morell and IES Representative, Dr. Soon Hoe Chew, are working together on making the October event a highly successful one.
Pictured here: Eicher Low, CHEW Soon Hoe, ONG Ser Huan, Lueny Morell, John Lumancusa, NG Say Cheong, and LIM Chu Sing. Picture taken at IES Headquarters.
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