College, University Committed to Diversity
 by Toni Munguia, director of diversity
The Technology Diversity program provides mentoring and retention activities for multicultural and female students pursuing degrees within the college. We also coordinate a variety of outreach and recruitment programs to inform under-represented students about the career opportunities available in technology. But these programs are not possible without the help and assistance of our faculty, staff, and students.
Our efforts are paying off; this fall our student body was more diverse than it has been in many years. About 15 percent of our college is multicultural and 12.67 percent are female students. Our freshman class is 21 percent multicultural and 12.93 percent female.
Both University initiatives and your support of our diversity programs have made this happen. High school students that once attended our recruitment programs are now attending classes as Purdue students. Even with this progress, there is still much more that we can do.
A series of camps and student organizations serve as recruitment and retention initiatives for our college. Spring and summer 2008 events to recruit diverse populations include:
Spring programs
• March 6 to 8 – Discovering Opportunities in Technology (DO iT) for eleventh-grade female students
• March 27 to 29 – High School Visions program for eleventh-grade multicultural students
These two programs are organized in collaboration with the Minority Technology Association and Women in Technology student groups. The guests come to campus for three days and are immersed in technology and college life. The students who will attend this spring are all juniors and eligible this fall to apply to Purdue for admission.
Summer Programs
• June 8 to 12 – Turned On to Technology And Leadership (TOTAL) Summer camp for seventh- and eighth-grade multicultural students
• June 22 to 26-Technology Expanding All Minds (TEAM) summer camp for eighth- and ninth-grade females
• July 7 to 13 & July 28-31 – Technology Advances Girl Scouts (TAGS I & II) in collaboration with the Girls Scouts of America: sixth- to eighth-grade students for TAGS I and ninth- to twelfth-grade students for TAGS II.
• June 28 to August 1 -- Academic Boot Camp (ABC) for incoming multicultural freshman students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors.
Letters and sign-up sheets have been sent to all the departments requesting your assistance with the upcoming programs. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
BEST-(Building Excellence for Students in Technology) – As part of our retention initiatives, we offer our students this study tables/tutoring program in collaboration with the Minority Technology Association and other upper class students. It is open to all COT students and meets Mondays and Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. this spring.
New Staff
In May of 2007, we hired a new staff member-Susan Martinez Manahan. Susan comes to us via Ivy Tech and State Farm. She is working on many of the programs and summer camps. She is a great asset to have, especially during the busy summer months. She looks forward to meeting and working with you.
Student Organizations
As the advisor to the Minority Technology Association and the Women in Technology student organizations, I have seen increased growth, collaboration, and unity. Members genuinely want to see more students like themselves succeed and are willing to work hard to make it happen. They have been instrumental in ensuring that the programs are staffed and run smoothly.
University Commitment
Purdue values diversity of all kinds. It is at the heart of the strategic plan. A diverse community creates a vibrant atmosphere for innovation and discovering new ideas. We are making great progress thanks to the efforts of the University and our college.
For more information, visit the Technology Diversity Web site.
Faculty and Student Endeavors
Melissa Dark, professor of CIT and assistant dean for planning and research, has received a Faculty Fellowship for Study in a Second Discipline for the fall 2008 semester. The award provides $3,500 per semester to support travel, equipment purchases, software acquisition and other activities. It also provides $7,000 per semester to the department to help cover the additional cost of instruction resulting from the honoree's participation in the program. Dark will focus on political science and its applications to factors that influence lawmaking, especially in information technology.
Kevin Taylor, interim director of the Kokomo location and associate professor of EET was recently featured in the "Voluneer Spotlight" section of the February ABET Community Matters newsletter. He was featured for his longtime work with ABET, which includes serving on the Technology Accreditation Commission as a member of the executive committee, as a representative from SAE International and as TAC's vice chair-operations. He will become its chair-elect for the 2008-09 accreditation cycle in July. More Info. (PDF document)
Sponsored Research Update
Sponsored research activity for 2007-08 is at a record level. For details through December 31, 2007, visit the Applied Research section of the CoT Web site.
CoT News Submissions
Report your CoT news through the online reporting form. The next e-newsletter is scheduled for distribution on Monday, February 25.
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Technology Week Slated for April 7 to 11
Celebrating innovation. Imagining possibiities. ... A number of events are scheduled for Technology Week 2008:
• Dean’s Distinguished Lecture featuring Michael Morris, chair and CEO of American Electric Power
• Lifetime Achievement Award and gift announcements
• PLTW Student Celebration luncheon
•¨Distinguished Technology Alumni events
• Corporate Partner Day featuring Faurecia Exhaust Systems
• Senior Send-off Picnic
For more information, visit the Tech Week Web site.
Nominations Sought
College of Technology faculty members are encouraged to nominate past and present Purdue faculty into The Book of Great Teachers. Nominations should be sent to The Book of Great Teachers Recognition Committee in the Office of the Provost at Hovde Hall, Room 100, by March 3.
Student Leadership Award
College of Technology student organizations may nominate an individual within their group for the college's annual Student Leadership Award. The recipient is recognized with a plaque and a $300 stipend to complete a service project with their nominating organization. An application is now available online. Applications are due March 8, 2008 to Jacqueline Brown, academic excellence coordinator, in Knoy, Room 150. Last year's recipient was Josh Stroka, AT student.
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In the News
Purdue upbeat over earmarks
Purdue University officials and researchers are optimistic that President Bush's call for a cut in federal earmark dollars won't affect Purdue's research. In Bush's State of the Union address, he threatened to veto bills that did not cut earmark spending in half.
Mileta Tomovic, W.C. Furnas Professor of Enterprise Excellence and interim head of the MET department, said much of the work he does wouldn't happen without earmark money. He's working on a project to re-engineer parts for things like fighter planes.
Lafayette Journal and Courier Story
Green becoming color of choice at Purdue
Slowly but surely, Purdue University is going green.
The new Roger B. Gatewood Wing of the Mechanical Engineering Building on campus will be built to "LEED" certification standards later this year, and university officials believe all new buildings could get the same certification. In the meantime, older buildings are being retrofitted to get the LEED label.
Sohag Patel, a senior in building construction management and a member of Purdue Green Build, said he's glad to see Purdue making an effort to upgrade buildings.
"Every major school here in Indiana has made the movement to have a more sustainable campus, more sustainable buildings," he said. "We're behind in that."
Lafayette Journal and Courier Story
University News Service Release
Students to play chef for a day at Rube Goldberg contest
 How many ways are there to make a hamburger? Purdue University students will find out when they create complex machines to accomplish the simple task during the regional Rube Goldberg Machine Contest.
The 26th annual event will take place at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 23 at the Purdue Armory, with the winner moving on to the April 5 national competition, which also will be at Purdue.
The contest is sponsored by the College of Engineering and the College of Technology.
Four CoT students will be competing in the regional contest: Drew Wischer, a senior in AT and captain of the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers team; Cale Castle, a sophomore in CGTand a member of the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers team; Michael Stumpf, a senior in AT and a member of the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers team; and Abe McCalment, a senior in MET and a member of the Society of Women Engineers team.
University News Service Release
(Photo of 2007 Regional Rube Goldberg Winning Team: Purdue students, from left, Michael Stumpf, Greg Bauman and Drew Wischer celebrate the winning run of their machine during last year's regional Rube Goldberg Machine Contest. Their team, the Society of Professional Engineers, claimed its third consecutive regional competition win. Purdue News Service file photo/David Umberger)
Summer courses to be offered at Anderson location
Two, 8-week classes will be offered this summer at the Purdue University College of Technology at Anderson.
The summer semester begins May 12 and ends July 3. Each class will be held at the Anderson University Flagship Center, which is located off Interstate 69, Exit 22.
Math 111 - Algebra will be offered 5:15-7:45 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, Communication 114 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication will meet 5:15-7:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.
University News Service Release
Purdue Guitar Workshop set for July 14-18
For anyone who has ever wanted to build a guitar, Purdue University is offering a chance to learn the skills it takes from the pros.
The second Purdue Guitar Workshop will be held July 14-18. Music aficionados can learn from industry professionals how to craft, engineer and customize their own solid-body electric guitar. Two instructors from last year, Tim Shaw, principal engineer at Fender Guitars, and Kevin Beller, vice president of Seymour Duncan, will return for this year's workshop.
The class will meet daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Knoy Hall of Technology, Room 106, and Michael Golden Labs, rooms 1208 and B217.
The $1,295 fee includes all materials and supplies. Purdue employees can receive a $150 discount. Workshop participants will learn the practical and technical aspects of making guitars. The class is not for credit, and no previous experience with guitar making is necessary.
University News Service Release
Air-traffic expert: Major reforms needed to fix the industry
Several recent reports of near misses by commercial airplanes have focused attention on the health of the country's air-traffic control system, but a Purdue University aviation expert says near misses are just one symptom of what's ailing an overburdened industry.
"Anytime you have humans involved in any process, there is a chance of error," said Michael Nolan, a professor of AT and director of Purdue's air-traffic control program. "Ultimately, the real problem is not with the controllers but with the constant battle between capacity of the system and increased demand."
Nolan, a former air-traffic controller who wrote a book on the system's history, says that with the number of passengers growing at about 5 percent a year, near misses, delays and airport congestion will continue until the system is overhauled.
University News Service Release
Inside Indiana Business
Inside Indiana Businesss Audio Clip
Student verse highlights Slam
Poetry and hip-hop collide for one Purdue student who performed his poetry for the first time Feb. 1.
Tyrell Anderson, a senior in IT, has been performing pop and R&B music since 2003. He performed at the Poetry Slam, a poetry contest sponsored by Purdue Student Union Board.
Anderson's poems were quick and rhythmic, showing the stylistic influence his music has on his poetry.
Exponent Story
Lafayette Journal and Courier Video (Click on "Purdue Poetry Slam" in recent videos for featured perfromances by Reedi Garrett, freshman in MET, and Tyrell Anderson, senior in IT)
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