Indiaset to open borders to higher education collaboration
India’s new government has reversed its predecessor’s policy
which forbade universities to collaborate with foreign institutions
without the express consent of the government. This move goes
along with a general liberalizing of university education in the
country, as it approaches membership in the WTO in 2005. As a
member of WTO,
Indiawill be
permitted to run educational institutions abroad, but will also have
to permit other countries to operate within its borders.
Indiais already engaged in
discussions with the United Arab
Emirates,
Egypt, and
Singaporeabout
collaboration, writes Shailaja Neelakantan for the Chronicle of
Higher Education.
China is a new hotbed of
research
Multinational companies such as Microsoft are setting up hundreds of
research laboratories in China, according to an article in the
September 13thNew York Times by Chris Buckley. The labs vary in size and
ambition, but as they multiply and expand they may help
Chinagrow from mostly a user and copier of advanced technologies
developed elsewhere into a powerful incubator of its own, industry
executives and experts say. And such a shift may eventually reshape
applied research, jobs and policies in the
USand other developed countries. But planting and nurturing
corporate labs is a delicate business, and in
Chinathey are
buffeted by concerns about protecting patents, training and
retaining researchers, and managing the physical and cultural
distances between such labs and headquarters. (See
http://www.nytimes.com)
Japan improving engineering education
Japan is working to improve the quality of its engineering education,
which has slipped in recent years so that grads are no longer guaranteed
jobs, according to an article in the September ASEE Prism by
Lucille Craft. Two interesting quotes from Japanese faculty members
highlight underlying problems: “The biggest difference between Japanese
and US students is (ours) lack ambition and vitality”; and “Japanese
people are not trained to come up with new ideas”. One major driving
force for engineering education reform comes from concerned employers,
who feel that current engineering graduates are coming from programs
with dumbed-down standards, adopted by universities to attract students
as the decreasing birthrate in Japanhas limited the applicant pool.
Europeattempts to stem brain drain In an extensive article by Aisha Labi, the Chronicle of
Higher Education examined
Europe ’s efforts to keep their best researchers from
migrating to the US. The actual extent of “brain drain” is debatable: some
countries cite statistics proving a serious problem of out-migration of
their best researchers; some believe that the problem is being
exaggerated. Conclusions appear to depend as much on anecdotal
information as on data. The attractions of
USresearch have to do with access to innovative approaches, a
less hierarchical system of professional advancement, the strength of
the peer review system and merit-based funding, and better opportunities
for women, among others. The Europeans are countering with larger
research grants, some administered through the European Union, some
through national programs, and freedom from the increasingly
unattractive atmosphere generated by US President Bush and the unpopular
Iraqwar.
It is important for engineers, as it is for those working in other
technical and scientific occupations, to continue their education
throughout their careers because much of their value to their employer
depends on their knowledge of the latest technology. Engineers in
high-technology areas, such as advanced electronics or information
technology, may find that technical knowledge can become outdated
rapidly. By keeping current in their field, engineers are able to
deliver the best solutions and greatest value to their employers.
Engineers who have not kept current in their field may find themselves
passed over for promotions or vulnerable to layoffs.
Nuclear engineers have the highest average annual salary of all disciplines at $119,643, followed by petroleum engineers
at $117,004 and fire protection engineers at $93,343.
The average salary of
executive-level engineers has declined from $134,194 in 2004 to $129,724 in 2005.
The average salary for engineers
in training (EIT) is up from $55,302 in 2004 to $56,480 in 2005.
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