WORKSHOP-II OnTranscultural Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & PracticeSponsored by Texas A&M <strong>University</strong> at QatarWednesday June 4, <strong>2008</strong> 1:30 pm - 3:30 pmRoom: A101How the World is Coming Together:No Boundaries for Engineering Education & PracticeWorkshop Coordinators:Dr. Alan Barhorst, Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M <strong>University</strong>at Qatar.Dr. Patrick Linke, Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M <strong>University</strong>at Qatar.Dr. Zohreh Eslami, Liberal Arts, Texas A&M <strong>University</strong> at Qatar.Dr. Hassan Moghbelli, Science, Texas A&M <strong>University</strong> at Qatar.WORKSHOP KEYNOTE SPEAKERWednesday June 4, 1:30-5:30 pmRoom: A101Description:During this workshop, multicultural researchers, practitioners, andeducators will share their experiences and thoughts concerningthe impact diverse cultural backgrounds have on engineering. Morespecifically, the impact on design, process, and development thatarises from cultural variations will be a major theme. Our hope is toidentify parameters to quantify the range of cultural behaviors andthe commensurate need to understand the cultural and humanimpactglobal engineering enterprise may entail.Workshop Session Topics:1. Integrating East and West in the Middle for engineering objectives:a. Understanding and appreciating different perceptionstoward innovation, research, product development, and processdesign, b. Acquiring technology vs. in house development, c.Response to new inputs or products developed elsewhere, d.consideration of environmental and other regulations.2. Synergy between Western Education Ideals and Emerging Cultureof International Collaboration: a. Obstacles to overcome forthe education mission, b. Establishing viability in graduate/professionaleducation and research.3. Implementation of a Company Plan in Emerging Culture of InternationalCollaboration: a. Personnel, b. Purchasing, c. Marketing,d. Research and Development.4. Intercultural Communicative Competence in Engineering: WorkingEffectively with People from Different Cultures: a. BusinessNegotiations across Cultures, b. Addressee Terms across Cultures,c. Making Requests across Cultures, d. Apologizing acrossCultures, e. Practical and Teaching Implications.5. Summary Discussion and Topical Session Planning for <strong>IDPT</strong>Conference in Doha, May/June 2009.Dr. Jim C. HolsteAssociate Dean for ResearchTexas A&M <strong>University</strong> of QatarEstablishing an A&M <strong>University</strong> Branch Campus to TeachEngineering in the Middle EastDr. Jim Holste is Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studiesat Texas A&M <strong>University</strong> at Qatar (TAMUQ). He assumed thisposition in February, 2007, after serving as Associate Dean for AcademicAffairs at TAMUQ since its founding in 2003.Before moving to Qatar nearly four years ago, he served on theTexas A&M <strong>University</strong> home campus for nearly thirty years as Professorof Chemical Engineering. He also has served in a variety ofadministrative positions at Texas A&M, including:1987–1990: Associate Department Head, Chemical Engineering.1992–1995: Associate Director, Office of Graduate Studies.1995–1997: Assistant Director of Research for the Texas EngineeringExperiment Station and Assistant Dean of the Collegeof Engineering.1997–2003: Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and InternationalPrograms in the College of Science.Jim received his Ph.D. in physics from Iowa State <strong>University</strong> in1973 and spent two years with the U.S. National Institute of Standardsand Technology as a postdoctoral research associate beforejoining Texas A&M <strong>University</strong> in 1975.Jim has published more than 130 refereed publications and holds10 U.S. Patents. His principle research interests are in the areasof physical properties of fluids, with emphasis on experimentalmeasurement, equations of state, and methods for measuring fluidflows.
WORKSHOP-III OnTransdisciplinary Fundamentals: Impact on engineering CurriculaThursday June 5, <strong>2008</strong> 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm Room: A101Workshop Organizers : Dr. C.V. Ramamoorthy, <strong>University</strong> ofCalifornia, Berkeley, CA, Dr. M. Tanik, <strong>University</strong> of Alabama atBirmingham, AL, USA; Dr. A. Ertas, Texas Tech <strong>University</strong>,Lubbock, TX, USA., Dr. Fuad Gattaz Sobrinho, Director ofInternational Institute on Systems Integration - IIISis, Campinas,Sao Paulo, BrazilWorkshop Chairperson: Dr. Vicki Rainey, DyersburgCommunity College,TN.Description:Two decades ago we realized the necessity of extensive introductionof the design courses into engineering curricula. Successeswe achieved with the introduction of design into the curricula areundisputable. At the same time, we realize that we need to do morealong the lines of introduction of design; for example introductionof processes and systems. Transdisciplinary entanglements ofengineering artifact design and development requires a fresh lookto identify transdisciplinary fundamentals for curriculum enhancementpurposes. This workshop should be about identifying thesefundamentals.In the 21st century, due to our advances in classical engineering, ithas become possible to apply unprecedented analysis techniquesto natural processes. These include our ability to investigate verysmall processes such as atomic processes and very large-scaleprocesses such as weather patterns and cosmic objects. Theseadvances also opened up the application of quantitative and engineeringtechniques to all facets of human life. In the 21st century, itis time to capitalize on this collective experience in science andengineering. Transdisciplinary approaches, provided by computa-tional means, which we call “meta-fusion,” have the potential tolocate and integrate these disparate knowledge pieces into a cohesivewhole. This is the new process of knowledge generation.On the dissemination side, we also need a new approach. Currenteducational systems, due to their massive administrative structureand reductionism are not fully responsive to the needs of 21stcentury. For example, Dr. Robert Ronstadt in his novel book “TheTuition Travesty” addresses an aspect called the “financial string”for a college education. During 1995 when we were developing<strong>SDPS</strong> emblem we had come up with the notion of three “E”s: Ethics-Weshould be human, Economics-We should survive, and Environment-Weshould let others survive. We had debated whetherwe should have the fourth E-Education in the emblem. We decidedthat the fourth E-Education is really at the center of these abovethree “E,” without it we could not achieve any of these “three E” s.This means formal and informal dissemination of knowledge justlike computation is an integral part of the Transdisciplinary activity.We owe to the next generations a set of fundamental notions inwhich there will be a balance between holism and reductionism sothat they will enjoy an intellectual control in designing and developingadvanced integrated engineering artifacts. Future engineers orsystems integrators, in this framework of meta-fusion, will developfunctional artifacts and services by taking into consideration economical,environmental, and ethical aspects of human awareness.One of the key benefits of this workshop will be to discussdeveloping a generic transdisciplinary fundamentals coursewhich can be used in the transdisciplinary programs such asHealth care Engineering, Business Engineering, IntegratedSystems Engineering.WORKSHOP-IV OnKnowledge Transfer Through Social NetworksThursday June 5, <strong>2008</strong> 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Room: A101Organizers and Chairs:Dr. Jörn Altmann, Seoul National <strong>University</strong> and Intl.<strong>University</strong> of Bruchsal, GermanyDr. Aurelie Bechina, <strong>University</strong> Collegei Buskerud, NorwayDr. Bernd Kraemer, FernUniversitaet in Hagen, GermanyDr. J. Altmann Dr. A. Bechina Dr. B. KraemerParticipant: Inge HermanrudHedmark <strong>University</strong> College, NorwayNetworks, ICT, and Coordination in Distributed OrganisationsThe continuously growing role of the Internet and its exorbitantnumber of information resources leads to a new notion ofinformation that is trusted though unknown. We observe anincreasing use of unverified intransparent information andknowledge from unknown sources. Web 2.0, also called theparticipative Web, seems to accelerate this development. Webelieve, however, that social networking and social softwareenabling rich forms of symbolic interaction in networkedcommunities of practice oppose to this trend because:- the community defines boundaries within which knowledge isproduced and shared primarily;- the members of a community share common interests, whichmake it more likely that information fitting a persons needs isowned by a peer in the community rather than by anyone elsebeyond the community’s boundary;- a certain degree of trust is an inherent element of a community;- social software provides commodity tools to knowledgemanagement that are more usable than traditional knowledgemanagement approaches.This workshop will address these issues from differentperspectives: Aurélie Bechina will approach the theme from herlong-term expertise in knowledge management. Jörn Altmann, whohas pioneered social networking software and is an expert in socialnetwork analysis, will represent both a technical and theoreticaldimension, and Bernd Krämer will approach the theme from anapplication point of view, especially reuse and sharing of learningcontent and codified learning and teaching expertise. Two or threeshort presentations will set the scene and raise a few hypothesesthat will be subject to a hopefully lively debate in the audience.
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