PRISM Magazine

PRISM Magazine is ASEE's monthly award winning flagship publication and is the most popular magazine covering engineering education in the United States.

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Current Issue (Current issues are Members Only)

Summer 2008

• COVER STORY: Earth, Wind and Science
  IN JUST SEVEN YEARS, SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING—TECHNOLOGY TO PROTECT THE PLANET WHILE RAISING LIVING STANDARDS—HAS CAUGHT FIRE WITH STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS ACROSS THE U.S. - BY CORINNA WU
  
  
• FEATURE: Double Whammy
  SOUTH AFRICA IS DESPERATE FOR TRAINED ENGINEERS, BUT ITS STUDENTS FACE MAJOR OBSTACLES: POOR HIGH SCHOOL PREPARATION—A LEGACY OF APARTHEID—AND LOSS OF INSTRUCTORS TO HIGH-PAYING INDUSTRY JOBS. - BY DON BOROUGHS
  
  
• FEATURE: 3…2…1…
  LURING WEALTHY THRILL-SEEKERS INTO SPACE, AN EXPANDING GROUP OF COMPANIES OFFERS OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD ADVENTURES, PRICED FROM $100,000 TO $100 MILLION.

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April 2008

• COVER STORY: Grief, Grit & Grace
  A YEAR AFTER AMERICA’S DEADLIEST MASS SHOOTING SHATTERED ITS RANKS AND SHUTTERED ITS MAIN BUILDING, VIRGINIA TECH’S COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING HAS PREVAILED—EVEN TRIUMPHED—OVER TRAGEDY. - BY MARY LORD
  
  
• FEATURE: Beyond the Blueprint
  BOEING, DASSAULT AND GEORGIA TECH TRAIN TOMORROW’S ENGINEERS FOR THE HIGH-FLYING, FAST-CHANGING WORLD OF VIRTUAL DESIGN. - BY THOMAS K. GROSE
  
  
• FEATURE: Not Now, Voyager
  THE FALLEN DOLLAR HAS BUFFETED OVERSEAS STUDIES PROGRAMS, CAUSING STUDENTS TO LOOK BEYOND EUROPE OR SHORTEN THEIR STINTS ABROAD. - BY THOMAS K. GROSE

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March 2008

• COVER STORY: Help Wanted
  SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS ONCE HAD TO COMPETE FOR COVETED FEDERAL JOBS. NOW THE GOVERNMENT MUST COMPETE WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO ATTRACT THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST. - BY JEFFREY SELINGO
  
  
• FEATURE: Caroline Baillie
  AN ENGINEER CAMPAIGNS ON TWO FRONTS: AGAINST POVERTY IN ARGENTINA AND OLD-STYLE TEACHING AT HOME. - BY MARGARET LOFTUS
  
  
• FEATURE: Route to the Top
  A FIFTH OF THE TOP EXECUTIVES AT AMERICA’S BIGGEST COMPANIES ARE ENGINEERS. ONE REASON: THEIR HARD-NOSED PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS HELP THE BOTTOM LINE. BY THOMAS K. GROSE

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February 2008

• COVER STORY: Staying on Track
  ENGINEERING SCHOOLS USED TO SHRUG OFF HIGH ATTRITION RATES. NOW THEY’RE WORKING TO HELP STUDENTS ACHIEVE EARLY—AND ENDURING—SUCCESS. - BY THOMAS K. GROSE
  
  
• FEATURE: The Sky's the Limit
  A SMALL NUMBER OF SCIENTISTS THINK THEY CAN RE-ENGINEER THE CLIMATE TO STALL OR REVERSE GLOBAL WARMING. BUT TO ENVIRONMENTALISTS, SUCH IDEAS ARE HERESY. - BY CORINNA WU
  
  
• FEATURE: Harvard Turns a Corner
  WITH THE RARE OPENING OF A NEW SCHOOL, THE UNIVERSITY RESTORES ENGINEERING TO ITS ONCE-PROMINENT SPOT. - BY PIERRE HOME-DOUGLAS
  
  
• SPECIAL DOUBLE ISSUE: 2008 ASEE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ISSUE
  2008 ASEE Annual Conference - June 22 - 25, 2008 - Pittsburgh, PA
  Learn more about ASEE's 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, including workshops, distinguished lecturers and special tours. Find out why Pittsburgh is the place to be in late June.

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January 2008

• COVER STORY: Game of Chance
  TO STAY COMPETITIVE, AMERICA NEEDS A LEADER COMMITTED TO MAKING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY A PRIORITY, EDUCATORS SAY. BUT NONE OF THE 2008 CANDIDATES OFFERS A SURE BET. - BY JEFFREY SELINGO- BY JEFFREY SELINGO
  
  
• FEATURE: Extreme Learning
  CAR BOMBS, TSUNAMI SHELTERS, SPACE ROBOTS—UNIVERSITY LABS ARE MAKING THE STUDY OF ENGINEERING EVER MORE REAL. WHO WOULDN’T GET DRAWN IN WITH HANDS-ON PROJECTS LIKE THESE? - BY MARY LORD
  
  
• FEATURE: Too Little Respect
  BRITISH ENGINEERS, ONCE THE PRIDE OF AN EMPIRE, ARE TYPECAST BY THE PUBLIC AND RARELY REACH THE EXECUTIVE SUITE. EDUCATORS EXPLORE CURRICULUM CHANGES TO GIVE THE PROFESSION A BOOST. - BY THOMAS K. GROSE

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December 2007

• COVER STORY: Why Won’t She Listen?
  JUST WHEN WOMEN START TO MAKE THEIR MARK AS ENGINEERING EDUCATORS, YOUNG FEMALE STUDENTS ARE TUNING THEM OUT. - BY MARGARET LOFTUS
  
  
• FEATURE: A Practical Visionary
  RICHARD LIEBICH BROUGHT BUSINESS SAVVY TO THE TASK OF PREPARING YOUNG STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE ENGINEERING. - BY PIERRE HOME-DOUGLAS
  
  
• FEATURE: Taking the Plunge
  THE FIRST ENGINEERING GRADUATES OF OLIN COLLEGE SAY THE SCHOOL’S EMPHASIS ON TEAMWORK AND INNOVATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING GAVE THEM A LEG UP ON CHALLENGING CAREERS. - BY ANNA MULRINE

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November 2007

• COVER STORY: ‘Patch and Pray’ -
  AMERICA’S NEGLECT OF ITS INFRASTRUCTURE HAS ALREADY PRODUCED FATAL DISASTER AND ECONOMIC LOSS. RESEARCH CAN EASE THE PROBLEM, BUT SUCCESS REQUIRES MORE MONEY, SPENT MORE WISELY. BY THOMAS K. GROSE
  
  
• FEATURE: GM Shifts Gears
  SHEDDING OUTDATED DESIGN PRACTICES, THE AUTO GIANT ENLISTS THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN TO DEVELOP A WORLDWIDE POOL OF ENGINEERS TRAINED IN CROSS-CULTURAL TEAMWORK. BY MARY LORD
  
  
• FEATURE: Eye on the World
  CALL IT ‘GLOBALISM FOR GEARHEADS.’ A UNIVERSITY-STATE-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP IN CALIFORNIA CREATES TECHNOLOGY—FROM NEW CANCER TREATMENT TO INTERNET ACCESS FOR POOR CAMBODIANS—THAT IS BOTH GROUNDBREAKING AND SOCIALLY USEFUL. BY PIERRE HOME-DOUGLAS

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October 2007

• COVER STORY: BANGALORE-JOLT
  INDIA’S RAPID HIGH-TECH GROWTH HAS FUELED A HUGE DEMAND FOR WELL-TRAINED ENGINEERS. STARTUPS, INDUSTRY, RETURNING EXPATRIATES AND EVEN A SPIRITUAL LEADER—THE ‘HUGGING SAINT’—OFFER INNOVATIVE WAYS TO FILL THE VOID. BUT ARE THEIR EFFORTS ENOUGH? BY LUCILLE CRAFT
  
  
• FEATURE: 2 FOR 1
  IN PUTTING ITS BUSINESS AND ENGINEERING SCHOOLS UNDER ONE ROOF, PENN STATE BEHREND AIMS TO FOSTER CREATIVE TEAMWORK WHILE MAKING ITS STUDENTS ATTRACTIVE TO INDUSTRY. BY MARY LORD
  
  
• FEATURE: EDUCATOR FOR THE REAL WORLD
  JIM MELSA WANTED TO CHANGE HOW ENGINEERING IS TAUGHT, EVEN IF IT MADE HIM ‘A PAIN IN THE NECK.’ BY PIERRE HOME-DOUGLAS

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September 2007

• COVER STORY: What Price Security?
  More research and development funding is flowing to government labs and industry—but not to engineering schools. BY THOMAS K. GROSE
  
  
• FEATURE: Team Player
  Football opened doors, but engineering "opened the world" for The University Of Delaware's new president. BY ALVIN P. SANOFF
  
  
• FEATURE: A Network of a Different Stripe
  Zebras go wireless on the Kenyan plains. BY DON BOROUGHS

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Summer 2007

• COVER STORY: Cream of the Crop
  Engineering students usually stick close to home for their training, but more are finding that experience abroad gives them a distinct advantage in the eyes of employers. - BY MARGARET LOFTUS
  
  
• FEATURE: Hero by Nature
  Hero by Nature - UC Berkeley professor Jay Keasling takes his farm-grown work ethic to the fight against malaria. - BY ALICE DANIEL
  
  
• FEATURE: Wringing Gold From the Old
  Wringing Gold From the Old - Rochester Institute of Technology’s remanufacturing expertise helps turn used widgets into good-as-new wonders. - BY THOMAS K. GROSE

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April 2007

• COVER STORY: Powering Up the Pipeline
  Schools hope their innovative K-12 programs will propel more students into college engineering courses—and careers. - BY JEFFREY SELINGO
  
  
• FEATURE: Germany’s Bright Flight
  An engineering brain drain prompts Europe’s largest economy to seek reforms and coax its talented flock back to the nest. - BY THOMAS K. GROSE
  
  
• FEATURE: Piercings, Not Pocket Protectors
  Tufts engineering undergrads show young girls that engineering can be cool—just by being themselves. - BY MARGARET LOFTUS

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March 2007

• COVER STORY: Role Reversal
  WHILE GETTING ACCEPTED TO A FOUR-YEAR ENGINEERING PROGRAM CAN BE DIFFICULT, ONCE THEY’RE IN, COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS PROVE THEIR WORTH AND WIN OVER UNIVERSITY SKEPTICS. BY JEFFREY SELINGO
  
  
• FEATURE: Where the Action Is
  THERE ARE A NUMBER OF REASONS WHY COMPANIES ARE OUTSOURCING THEIR R&D ABROAD. THE COUNTRY’S MARKET APPEAL IS ONE OF THEM. BY THOMAS K. GROSE
  
  
• FEATURE: Mostly Sunny Skies
  AFTER WEATHERING SEVERE BUDGET CUTS, STATE SPENDING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IS ON THE RISE AS LEGISLATORS REALIZE THE CRUCIAL ROLE UNIVERSITIES PLAY IN THE STATE’S ECONOMY. BY THOMAS K. GROSE

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February 2007

• COVER STORY: Meeting of the Minds
  APPLYING THEIR PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS TO HEALTHCARE, ENGINEERS ARE CHANGING MODERN MEDICINE. BY BETHANY HALFORD
  
  
• FEATURE: Girl Power
  THE GIRLS SCOUTS ARE WORKING HARD TO ATTRACT GIRLS TO ENGINEERING. BY LYNNE SHALLCROSS
  
  
• FEATURE: A Man of Big IDEOS
  STANFORD’S DAVID KELLEY URGES HIS STUDENTS NOT TO THINK LIKE A TYPICAL ENGINEER WHEN IT COMES TO DESIGN. BY ALICE DANIEL
  
  
• SPECIAL DOUBLE ISSUE
  ASEE's 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, including workshops, distinguished lecturers and special tours. Find out why Hawaii is the place to be in late June.

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January 2007

• FEATURE: 21st Century Prof.
  NEW FACULTY MEMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO DO IT ALL—RAISE LARGE SUMS OF MONEY TO FUND RESEARCH PROJECTS AND EXCEL IN THE CLASSROOM AS WELL. BY THOMAS K. GROSE
  
  
• FEATURE: Counting on Them
  THERE WERE FEW MISHAPS IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS, BUT COMPUTER ENGINEERS SAY THAT DOESN’T MEAN VOTING MACHINES AREN’T FRAUGHT WITH RISKS. BY THOMAS K. GROSE
  
  
• FEATURE: A Man of Vision
  PENN STATE ENGINEERING DEAN DAVID WORMLEY OVERSEES ONE OF THE NATION’S LARGEST ENGINEERING PROGRAMS AND SERVES AS PRESIDENT OF ASEE. BY PIERRE HOME-DOUGLAS

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December 2006

• COVER STORY: A Future Engineer?
  To stay competitive, the U.S. needs to attract more Hispanics to engineering, and there are a number of programs doing just that. - By Margaret Loftus
  
  
• FEATURE: Please Don’t Go
  Europe is trying to boost its research funding so PH.D.’s don’t leave for better opportunities in the United States. - By Thomas K. Grose
  
  
• FEATURE: Japan’s Slow-Moving Tide
  A few professors are pushing for curriculum change in Japan’s tightly regulated world of academe. - By Lucille Craft

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November 2006

• COVER STORY: Fields of Fuel
  Engineers are developing promising sources for alternative fuels. - By Bethany Halford
  
  
• FEATURE: Higher Ambitions
  University of Maryland President Dan Mote Jr. is pushing to make his school a top 10 research university.- By Alvin P. Sanoff
  
  
• FEATURE: The Burden of Plagiarism
  The cheating scandal at Ohio University has raised all sorts of questions. - By Thomas K. Grose

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OCTOBER 2006

• COVER STORY: Trouble on the Horizon
  ASEE’s new numbers show declining enrollments, particularly among women. - BY THOMAS K. GROSE
  
  
• FEATURE: Get SMART
  A new government program helps students pay for an education in science and engineering. - BY THOMAS K. GROSE
  
  
• FEATURE: Tulane’s Next Move
  Engineering at Tulane is facing a major restructuring after Katrina. - BY JEFFREY SELINGO

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SEPTEMBER 2006

• COVER STORY: Booting Up
  In Texas, top levels of government, industry and academia work together to attract more engineers. - BY THOMAS K. GROSE
  
  
• FEATURE: Woman of the World
  As head of the World Bank Institute, engineer Frannie Léautier can make a real difference. - BY PIERRE HOME-DOUGLAS
  
  
• FEATURE: Getting in Gear
  Mexico enrolls over 450,000 students in engineering programs and may become a player in the global economy. - BY JEFFREY SELINGO

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SUMMER 2006

• MAY I HELP YOU?
  More and more engineering schools are embracing service learning as a way to prepare students for the real world. - By Jeffrey Selingo
  
  
• FERTILE NEW GROUND
  An increasing number of researchers are looking into how engineering students learn. - By Thomas K. Grose
  
  
• FEAST OR FAMINE?
  The nation’s R&D budget will shrink for fiscal year 2007, but there are some bright spots. - By Thomas K. Grose
  
  
• TOUR DE FACTORY
  A behind-the-scenes look at some of the nation’s most interesting factories.

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