A group of 15 engineering students from Southern Arkansas University began work-study projects on lean manufacturing and production system quality at Southern Aluminum, one of the fastest growing local innovation industries.

This is a significant partnership between SAUs engineering program and Southern Aluminum to provide our students with practical learning experiences, said Dr. Mahbub Ahmed, chair of the Department of Engineering and Physics. SAU engineering students will engage directly in manufacturing, learning from experts and gaining valuable insights. This aligns perfectly with our engineering programs goal of preparing students for the future workforce.

During the fall 2023 semester, students have been working on six projects, which include fiveStandards, Total Productive Maintenance, Product Quality, SMED Quick Changeover, Production Flow, and Production Pull. Some of the projects could be extended.

The studies aim to analyze unknown root causes and non-linear effects, processing time sequences and synchronization, developing best lean practices, preventive maintenance standards, and the implementation of Kanban systems for store and supply in three main operations of the systems, and a proposed improvement plan of solutions.

The students will gain real-world experience while applying their engineering skill sets to enhance Southern Aluminums operations. Immersed in the manufacturing facility and learning how products are crafted from start to finish, students are expected to gain a better understanding of the process flow and to apply tools such as PDCA and DMAIC problem-solving methods, the Kanban approach, and LPMS.

The project grant of $31,200 is an industry investment in our engineering program and our students brilliant minds. We plan to grow the industry relationship with our department, college, and the University to excel in the future workforce, said Dr. Hayder Zghair, assistant professor of Industrial Engineering at SAU and the projects academic supervisor.

We are excited about the collaborative effort between SAU Engineering and Southern Aluminum, this will only increase the job readiness for the participating students all while promoting innovation and growth for Southern Aluminum. Actively engaging industries in students projects is a prime goal for the Engineering and Physics Department; its a win-win situation for all, said Dr. Abdel Bachri, dean of the College of Science and Engineering.

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SAU Engineering Department partners with Southern Aluminum for experiential learning opportunity - SAU

Michael Zuzak, a faculty-researcher at Rochester Institute of Technology, is one of a growing field of engineers looking to improve computer chip security during manufacturing. Current solutions focus on securing specific regions of the chip design. This leaves the larger architecture vulnerable to compromise. Zuzaks work to secure the entire chip could prevent piracy and help protect intellectual property.

To get chips fabricated, you have to send the entire design to the manufacturer. Ultimately what we want to protect is what the company considers high value. We want to allocate security to more sensitive, unique parts of the system. The hope is that we will have the ability to prevent intellectual property theft during the entire semiconductor fabrication, said Zuzak, an assistant professor of computer engineering in RITs Kate Gleason College of Engineering.

Zuzak received a two-year National Science Foundation grant to use the developmental practice of logic obfuscation to enable system-wide security during the manufacturing and testing of integrated circuits, also referred to as computer chips.

Global manufacturing companies mass produce integrated circuits. For fabrication, these companies are given extensive design files that can be counterfeited, pirated, or modified. This threatens high-trust applications such as healthcare and defense. Logic obfuscation was developed to mitigate threats. The proposed project will develop a design space modeling framework to automatically identify obfuscation configurations capable of system-wide security.

Zuzak is an expert in hardware security and methods to design and manufacture secure and reliable electronic systems. Hiding functionality during the production process is a way to ensure that the design cannot be modified or counterfeited.

Weve gotten very good at locking specific parts of the chip. What I am looking at is how we distribute obfuscation optimally throughout the full system to secure it as a whole rather than just specific modules within the chip, said Zuzak, who is developing AI-driven algorithms to perform security assessments of the physical design that are resistant to reverse engineering attacks. Logic obfuscation makes some portion of the design dependent on a withheld value, a number or secret key. Making the design dependent on that key would allow the manufacturer to produce the computer chip, but not have information about its functionality.

Already Zuzak and his team have developed mathematical models for computer chips capable of predicting the effectiveness of security solutions with over 95 percent accuracy. These models can be customized for new chip design after sampling less than 1 percent of possible security configurations.

In the coming months, Zuzak will use these models to automatically distribute security resources in computer chips to optimize the protection of any intellectual property within them, he explained.

The work is not without challenges, and Zuzak is trying to build a solution that can secure a computer chip but also recognize that different devices require different system components.

The biggest challenge is that every system is fundamentally different. In my work, I look at this from a mathematical and a design space modeling perspective. It is used a lot in architecture where you design systems; I am looking at it and asking how do you design secure systems? And how do you targert security rather than just architecture.

By architecture, Zuzak means the structural aspects of a computing system and the interconnected components functionality. Designing computer chips is complex and labor intensive. Companies make substantial investments in intellectual property to produce a chip design for specific electronic device systems.

People see this in the news, right? It is covered like crazy now, and when we talk to our industry advisory board, they light up when they hear security. Its an exciting time, said Zuzak.

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Engineering faculty-researcher awarded grant to decrease computer ... - Rochester Institute of Technology

From left to right: Rashid Bashir, Ellen Wang Althaus, Ashleigh Wright, Lynford Goddard and Jennifer Cromley

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Institute for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) has been awarded an NSF grant to create the Developing Equity-Minded Engineering Practitioners (DEEP) center in collaboration with Morgan State University (MSU), a historically Black college/university (HBCU) in Baltimore, Maryland. This is the first external grant awarded to the IDEA institute since it was launched in 2019.

The DEEP center will serve as a hub for developing faculty change agents at UIUC and MSU who will foster equitable and inclusive teaching and learning environments for students. The strategy of DEEP will be to focus on fixing the system, rather than fixing the student.

The UIUC team will be led by Dean Rashid Bashir and co-PIs Ellen Wang Althaus, Lynford Goddard, and Ashleigh Wright from the Grainger College of Engineering and Jennifer Cromley from the College of Education. The MSU team will be led by PI Onyema Osuagwu and co-PIs Dean Oscar Barton and Cliston Cole from the Mitchell School of Engineering.

More inclusive environments positively impact the retention and success of students, particularly those from racial and ethnic backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in engineering, says Althaus. The collaboration between UIUC and MSU will serve as a new model for educational collaborations, especially between predominantly white institutions (PWIs) like UIUC and HBCUs, and minority serving institutions (MSIs).

There are increasing expectations for faculty to do DEI work and foster more inclusive environments in their classrooms, not only from the institution level but also from the engineering accreditation board. The Provost Office at the University of Illinois has revised criteria for the promotion and tenure of faculty to include contributions to DEI, taking effect in March 2022 with a 3-year phase in of the policy. In 2023, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) began its own 3-year phase in of DEI criteria, including assessing integration of DEI principles in curricula and faculty creation of equitable and inclusive learning environments.

While these changes may seem overwhelming for faculty balancing many responsibilities in the classroom and in their research laboratories, the goal of DEEP is to help make incorporation of these principles doable. Wright says, We want it to be more of a systematic, institutional change, where were not trying to add another thing to our plate. But rather make it something we inherently do because we live in a diverse society and its the right thing to do.

Over the 2-year duration of the NSF grant (with the possibility of a further 3 years upon renewal), the IDEA team plans to create a repository of lesson ideas and examples and to offer workshops where participants will learn about ways to incorporate DEI principles into the classroom. The goal of the repository is to have a place of easily accessible, crowdsourced information that faculty can use in their curricula. We hope to have widespread engagement from our faculty and staff, without their feeling like its going to be a big time drain for those engaging at the highest level. One person cant do everything, but everybody can do something, says Althaus. Further, DEEP aims to develop an on ramp for faculty who may feel anxious or overwhelmed about revamping their courses, to help them grow their knowledge as equity-minded engineering educators and infuse DEI principles to their courses.

The collaboration with MSU is particularly unique because alumni of Grainger are integral parts of this projectMSU PI Onyema Osuagwu is a 2015 electrical and computer engineering (ECE) PhD graduate and was co-advised by UIUC co-PI Goddard, and MSU co-PI Cliston Cole is a 2017 ECE PhD graduate. Leveraging these relationships will be particularly helpful to learn from another institution that has a different culture and a different student body than that of UIUC. It is also valuable to have the perspectives of alumni who have first-hand experiences from UIUC as students and from MSU as faculty. Learning from another institution ways of interacting with students that are different from here at Grainger will add another level of knowledge and information that can be drawn from on how to really engage and have discussions about diverse topics with students.

Were excited to see what the results are, what the outcomes are, whats the impact that we can have from doing this work and then sharing it with other people. Hopefully that really changes the landscape about how we think about teaching at R1 institutions, how we engage with students from diverse populations, regardless of the type of institution for being PWI or an MSI, because its all important and valuable, says Wright.

On the collaboration, Dean Bashir says, "We are honored to partner with Morgan State University to co-create a joint center to bring about positive change. We are committed to building a more inclusive college at Illinois, as well as a more diverse academic culture more broadly."

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IDEA Institute awarded NSF grant to promote systemic change in ... - The Grainger College of Engineering

This article has been reviewed according to ScienceX's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

by Tania Alonso , Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)

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In academic year 2021/2022, men formed a clear majority of students studying for a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering in Spain. According to the report "Igualdad en cifras" ("Equality in Figures") published by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, only 14.1% of all students taking that program were women.

This highlights a reality that will come as no surprise to anyone: women are seriously underrepresented in STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). So what happens once they get into the classroom? Do men and women differ in terms of performance and specializations?

These are some of the questions examined by the researchers from the STEAM University Learning Research Group (EduSTEAM) Juli Minguilln and Maria Jess Marco-Galindo; Elena Planas from the SOM Research Lab group at the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and Josep Maria Marco-Sim. They are all also members of the Faculty of Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunications at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC).

They have published an open-access paperEn qu se diferencian las graduadas de los graduados en su trayectoria en el Grado en Ingeniera Informtica? El caso de la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (How do the pathways of male and female Computer Science graduates differ? The case of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya)which received an award at this year's JENUI conference on teaching computer engineering at university (JENUI 2023).

One of the conclusions of the study is that women starting a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering do so with more prior learning than their male peers, perform slightly better and choose different pathways.

Many studies have analyzed the gender gap in Computer Engineering studies, but not so many have examined the performance of female graduates while at university, as the UOC researchers have done in this paper revealing the situation at the university.

The differences start with the students' profile: women join the program having already either started or completed a university degree, whereas men tend to join from advanced-level training cycles. According to the authors of the study, this affects their choice of pathways.

The authors interpret that already having a degree means that women are better preparedor at least have more academic experiencewhen they start the Computer Engineering program. "Women generally get better grades, particularly in more theoretical pathway (Computational Engineering) and graduate one semester earlier. This latter fact is partly due to having more credit recognition from courses they've already studied," said the authors.

According to the study, the difficulty of courses does not significantly affect female students' choices. However, what does affect them is the number of courses they still need to take (as a result of credit recognition) and the reality of the glass ceiling. In other words, they choose fewer courses aimed at gaining managerial positions and positions of responsibility within organizations, such as Information Systems. This choice is consistent with the difficulties often encountered by women in such positions.

Furthermore, the results of this research by the UOC reveal a clear difference between the chosen pathways of male and female students. Most women take the software engineering route, software, which focuses on creating solutions that can be applied to people's lives. Men tend to be more varied in their choices, although with an overall preference for Information Systems.

According to the researchers, women tend to choose courses relating more to developing applications and user interaction, i.e., from the computer out, whereas men tend to prefer hardware and systems development, i.e., from the computer in.

This study by the UOC debunks two myths: that women don't have the right skills to study Computer Engineering and that they don't enjoy programming. The authors of the study believe that highlighting this is key to promoting equality, diversity and innovation at university.

"Quantifying and identifying barriers, biases and disparities enables us to create a more inclusive environment with equal access opportunities for men and women. Furthermore, addressing gender differences helps establish models to be followed, propose policy changes, achieve global competitiveness and create a society that is fairer and more equitable," they said.

Likewise, the differences in technology programs between men and women relate to values linked to gender roles that, according to Milagros Sinz, research group leader at the IN3's Gender and ICT group (GenTIC), are transmitted to both men and women.

"The gender gap in science and technology programs is a complex phenomenon whose origins are linked to the fact that our society is based on a set of values linked to gender roles and stereotypes that are transmitted to men and women through socialization processes that are different for each group," said Sinz.

"Men are expected to be assertive, competitive and even aggressive, or to want to take an interest in objects. Women, on the other hand, are expected, for example, to properly express their feelings, take an interest in people and enjoy taking care of other members of society," she said.

This study by the UOC reveals the differences observed between men and women, but it does not examine in detail the reasons behind each group's decisions. It therefore leaves the door open to future research that will help clarify the causes of this inequality so that we can tackle and maybe even overcome them.

Provided by Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)

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Female computer engineering students obtain better grades and prefer more people-oriented specializations: Report - Phys.org

Hanyang Eng USA is bringing its national corporate headquarters to Cedar Park.

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With corporate locations across the world, Hanyang Eng USA provides products and engineering services to a variety of industries, including semiconductors, power generation and mechanical engineering, according to the city.

Hanyang Eng USA has been operating for 41 years and has 1,100 employees worldwide, Director of Economic Development Ben White said. The company will begin operating out of its new Cedar Park facilitylocated at 1635 Scottsdale Drive, Bldg. 6and offer 50 full-time positions by 2025.

White said the company plans to soon expand into aerospace and environmental, green energy, and it will create a 2,500- to 3,000-square-foot clean rooma space free from contaminants thats used to manufacture electronic elements.

Next steps

The city will provide a total incentive of $450,000 if the company meets the terms outlined in the agreement.

Im excited to have [Hanyang Eng USA] and everybody moving to Cedar Park, council member Heather Jefts said Its wonderful.

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Engineering consultant Hanyang Eng USA to build headquarters in ... - Community Impact