Blackboard Learn

A longtime Blackboard Vista user, Dan Lybrook, associate professor in the Department of Technology Leadership & Innovation, was eager to be one of the instructors testing the new Blackboard Learn, and he’s finding that he’s glad he did. He’s finding that his students are glad he did, too.

Instructors will need to begin using Blackboard Learn for their classes by January 2013, but like Lybrook, many are working on converting courses now and for the fall semester.

Read the full story from ITaP.

JetPack

When one of the electrical engineering technology required courses changed its focus this year, no textbooks existed to address the new "systems-first, top-down" approach to the information.

"There are no books that do things the way we do our new courses. Our Industrial Advisory Board and other national organizations tell us that our students need to see the big picture and how different areas fit together earlier in the academic experience," said Mike Jacob, professor of electrical engineering technology. "All the current textbooks are bottom-up, even the books faculty in the department have written. Coming up with any kind of reading materials to guide the students was a challenge, and JetPack has solved that."

Read more on TechPurdue.

Calvin Lyons, a 1981 graduate of Purdue organizational leadership and supervision program, was recenlty appointed CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County in Washington.

The Seattle Times story describes his readiness this way: ". . .he became the CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County, a job he prepared for by studying leadership in college, practicing it in the business and nonprofit worlds, and being on the receiving end of the kind of uplift the club offers."

Read the full story.

This is the second year I lent my judging services to the annual Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium (April 10), featuring student research from the colleges of Technology, Science, Engineering and Agriculture.

It’s the first year, however, that I decided to visit every poster created by a College of Technology student. I’m so glad I did. The students who were able to share their research in person were engaging, excited by their projects, and, most important, working to solve problems big and small (see bolded items throughout).

Four of the CoT posters won awards.

See the full list of winners and more details about each of the entered posters on the TechPurdue blog site.

A special one-day event for high school girls will make the connection between technology-focused degrees and solutions to a variety of social challenges.

Purdue’s College of Technology at Richmond will host Paint Purdue Pink in April. The event is being organized to show high school girls how they can make a difference with each of the degrees offered at the location.

Read more.

Purdue University’s board of trustees approved faculty promotions April 13.

See the list of CoT faculy promotions.

Two College of Technology faculty were recognized by Dean Gary Bertoline April 13 as the most recent recipients of the Good to Great award.

Read more.

Bob Herrick, the Robert A. Hoffer Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering Technology, will be named a Fellow Member of the American Society of Engineering Education at the  ASEE annual conference in San Antonio, Texas, in June.

Beverly Davis, associate professor in the Department of TEchnology Leadership & Innovation at the College of Technology at Lafayette, was nominated to be an honorary member of Kappa Tau, Purdue's chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda, national honor society. She will be recognized April 22 at the member induction ceremony. Alpha Sigma Lambda's aim is to recognize the special achievements of adults who accomplish academic excellence while facing competing interests of home and work.

Julie Mariga, associate professor, and Eric Matson, assistant professor, both in the Department of Computer and Information Technology (CIT), accompanied 22 CIT students and two computer science students to the annual AITP (Association of Information Technology Professionals) National Collegiate Conference in San Antonio, Texas, March 29-31. The students won three awards and four honorable mentions during the contest portion of the conference.

Marcus Rogers, professor of computer and information technology, won the 2012 Pillar Award for his "long-term, exceptional effort to support and grow CERIAS." The award recognizes a combination of contributions, including service above and beyond what is expected, and excellence in research and/or education. Julie Taylor, assistant professor of computer and information technology, was named a Fellow of CERIAS. This designation is awarded to faculty who have demonstrated sustained, significant involvement in CERIAS activities in education, research and service over the prior three years.

A Purdue team placed third in the factory division of the Phoenix Contact xplore New Automation competition in February.

A Purdue Pete Hammer Automated Assembly machine, created by students in the manufacturing engineering technology program, placed third out of six finalists from around the world. The top three finishers in their category were:

• Sampling and Evaluation of Measuring Data, from Lernia Education, Sweden
• Remote Data Acquisition and Analysis by Means of a Doll Car, from Baosteel Talent Development Institute, China
• Automated Assembly, from Purdue University

Read the full story about the machine and the competition.

The innovative mindset is being showcased during the sixth annual Tech Week hosted by Purdue's College of Technology. Events are planned through April 20.

Following the week's theme, "Relevant. Responsive. Results.", Deborah Wince-Smith, CEO and president of the Council on Competitiveness, will headline the week's activities. She will discuss "Technology and the U.S. Innovation Imperative" during the Dean's Distinguished Lecture April 18.

See the rest of the planned Tech Week activities.

Kevin O'Connor, a graduate student in the industrial technology area, received one of two 2012 Diamond Awards from the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS). A researcher in the Biometric Standards, Performance, and Assurance Laboratory, he focuses on how individuals interact with certain biometric modalities. The award is given to recognize students who have thrived under the pressure of their academic program to emerge as “gems” in the field.

The Purdue INhome, permanently located in a Lafayette, Ind., neighborhood, has been certified Gold by the NAHB Research Center using National Green Building Standards. The INhome placed second in the U.S. Solar Decathlon 2011.

Read more about the certification process.

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