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Engineering DesignUpdate: InternationalJournal for ServiceLearning in EngineeringThe International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering(IJSLE) seeks to nurture service learning in engineeringas a distinct body of knowledge. A primary purpose of thejournal is to foster inquiry into rigorous engineering designand research and to direct those efforts to service-relatedprojects. The examination of cultural appropriateness and itsinclusion in design and research efforts is emphasized alongwith the application of appropriate technologies. Focus isalso placed on associated service learning pedagogy and thedissemination of project results.The International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering(IJSLE) has updated its name to reflect better its missionand focus. Journal Editor-in-Chief Thomas Colledgeexplained that the title International Journal for ServiceLearning in Engineering: Humanitarian Engineering andSocial Entrepreneurship provides more clarity about thejournal’s focus on three broad areas: service learning,humanitarian engineering, and social entrepreneurship. In allcorrespondence, the IJSLE title will be maintained, but thetrailer will be used in the title in the future.The journal’s Web site—www.ijsle.org—has been updated andenhanced using Open Journal Systems (OJS) to make it easierfor authors to submit and track the status of the review of theirmanuscripts. OJS is a journal management and publishingsystem that has been developed by the Public KnowledgeProject to expand and improve access to research.Engineering and CommunityEngagement CertificateProgramEfforts have recently been undertaken to broaden the poolof subscribers and authors to the journal, expanding themission to include not only student projects and facultymentorship of such projects, but also of practicing engineerswho engage in similar work as well as social entrepreneurswho deal with appropriate technologies and processes.Collaboration in marketing the journal is on-going withthe following organizations in support: American Society ofMechanical Engineers , Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers, Engineers Without Borders, EngineeringProjects in Community Service, Engineering World Health,Environmental Protection Agency’s P3 program, NationalCollegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance, Jimmy andRosalynn Carter Foundation, and UNESCO’s Mondialogoprogram.The Engineering and Community Engagement CertificateProgram at Penn State provides the academic home forstudents who desire to gain skills and experience in leadingdesign/build teams to help solve problems of marginalizedcommunities. The certificate program serves to providestudents with the academic framework to incorporatecoursework into their degrees, which not only countstoward their degrees, but concurrently broadens theirexperience with communities and assessment of thosecommunities, resulting in the design, construction, andimplementation of appropriate solutions. The certificateprogram emphasizes academic preparation in communityengagement and cultural background along with a focuson appropriate technologies, project management, andeconomic sustainability, culminating in the host countrydesign/build project.For more information, please contact Thomas Colledge atthc100@psu.edu or visit www.engr.psu.edu/hese.The China experienceStudents participate in new study abroad programDuring the first summer session of 2009, the Collegeof Engineering and Penn State Education Abroadlaunched a new, three-week summer abroad programin China. Students of all disciplines had the opportunity totake ENGR 197A Impact of History, Culture, Society, andEnvironment on Engineering Design in China. The threecreditcourse, taught by Instructor in Engineering DesignXinli Wu, fulfilled requirements in social and behavioralsciences and international cultures for engineering studentsand counted toward general education credits for students inother majors.From May 18 through June 5, fourteen students traveled tomajor engineering project sites in Beijing, Dalian, Shanghai,Hangzhou, Huangshan, and other locations.The course was designed to help students understand someof the current challenges of globalization and the impactof cultural issues on design and technology. As China hasbecome one of the major players in engineering, science, andtechnology, many U.S. and foreign industries have made hugeinvestments and business affiliations in China. The status andactions of the Chinese economy have a major impact on theeconomies of other countries.With this in mind, the course sought to expose students tothese various issues and global dynamics. Additionally, manyemployers value and recruit students who have internationalPhoto: Xinli Wuexperiences and have some understanding of internationalcultures—especially, and increasingly, Chinese culture. Thecourse enabled students to learn Chinese history and culture incontext.“While in Beijing, I learned that textbooks, classes, and moviescan teach you a lot about a different culture or landmark halfway around the world, but going to see it in person can teachyou things that are impossible to learn through a textbook orin class,” said mechanical engineering sophomore Greg Brulo,who participated in the course.The course will once again be offered during the first summersession of 2010. While in China, students will visit majorengineering projects such as the Forbidden City, the GreatWall, the Olympic Village (including the Bird’s Nest stadium),the Three Gorges Dam, the Terra Cotta Warriors, the longestbay bridge in the world, and other sites in China.Students will also visit the cities of Chongqing, Xian,Shanghai, Hangzhou, Dalian, and Huangsha as well as theGeneral Electric (GE) Shanghai facility, which is the largestGE complex in the world. They will learn how GE conductsbusiness in China and the adjustments to Chinese culture thatAmerican companies need to make.For more information about the course, visit www.engr.psu.edu/xinli/ENGR197 or e-mail Xinli Wu at Xinli@psu.edu.8 | SEDTAPP NEwS | SPriNg 2010 SPriNg 2010 | SEDTAPP NEwS | 9