Book takes aim at engineering shortage.There is critical need for talented young engineers, but many of America's promising math and science students are bypassing the profession because of misconceptions Misconceptions is an American sitcom television series for The WB Network for the 2005-2006 season that never aired. It features Jane Leeves, formerly of Frasier, and French Stewart, formerly of 3rd Rock From the Sun. .That's the thesis of a new book, "21 Things Every Future Engineer Should Know: A Practical Guide for Students and Parents," by Pat Remick and Frank Cook. "The high attrition rate Noun 1. attrition rate - the rate of shrinkage in size or number rate of attrition rate - a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit; "they traveled at a rate of 55 miles per hour"; "the rate of change was faster than expected" in college engineering programs is especially troubling because there aren't aren't Contraction of are not. See Usage Note at ain't. aren't are not aren't be enough engineers to fill all of the current openings in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , and there will be an even greater need as our country and our world face new challenges and rapid advances in technology," says Cook. The authors note that thousands of high school seniors each year choose engineering as their college field of study, but a whopping 50 to 60 percent change majors before graduation Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the associated ceremony. The date of event is often called degree day. The event itself is also called commencement, convocation or invocation. . "21 Things Every Future Engineer Should Know" cites statistics that show women and minorities, in particular, are not getting the message that engineering offers a myriad Myriad is a classical Greek name for the number 104 = 10 000. In modern English the word refers to an unspecified large quantity. The term myriad is a progression in the commonly used system of describing numbers using tens and hundreds. of exciting and rewarding opportunities: * White males comprise nearly two-thirds of all U.S. engineering graduate and undergraduate students. * Although the overall number of women and minorities entering college is increasing, the proportion enrolling in engineering programs is declining. * While half of college students are women, they comprise just 20 percent of engineering students and just 10 percent of the engineering workforce. * 61 percent of minority students leave engineering before graduation. "People mistakenly mis·tak·en v. Past participle of mistake. adj. 1. Wrong or incorrect in opinion, understanding, or perception. 2. Based on error; wrong: a mistaken view of the situation. believe that you have to be absolutely brilliant or maybe even a bit of a nerd to be a successful engineer," says Remick. "While it's true that you need to enjoy math and science, engineering is primarily about being creative, enjoying problem-solving and having a desire to improve things. It is a lucrative career that doesn't care about gender, race, or background." The book also reviews how students can explore the various engineering disciplines, discusses optimum curriculum paths, gives ideas on choosing the right college engineering program and succeeding on campus, and suggests how to find employment and even advance in the workplace. |
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