Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM

Monday, December 4, 2006 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium

Ioannis Miaoulis

"Scientific Literacy: Re-engineering the Curriculum"

ABSTRACT -- Although humans make the majority of the objects we interact with and use during our day-to-day lives, the current school curriculum focuses very little on how our human-made, or designed world, is made. Pens, cars, pills, buildings are all technologies and the results of the engineering design process. An increasing number of states now include the Engineering process and the nature of key technologies into their learning standards. Introducing engineering as the new discipline into the curriculum offers a wonderful project based learning vehicle for the entire K-12 spectrum that brings to life not only mathematics and the sciences but connects them with social studies, language and the arts. Dr. Miaoulis will describe the value of including Engineering in the formal curriculum and give examples of success at various learning environments. He will discuss the curriculum content for elementary, middle school and high school level and present how engineering makes all disciplines engaging for both boys and girls, and for all types of learners.

SPEAKER -- Dr. Ioannis N. Miaoulis has been President and Director of the Museum of Science, Boston since Jan. 1, 2003. Originally from Greece, Dr. Miaoulis came to the Museum after a distinguished association with Tufts University where he was Dean of the School of Engineering, Associate Provost, Interim Dean of the University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering. While at Tufts, he greatly increased the number of female students and faculty, designed collaborative programs with industry, and more than doubled research initiatives. He founded laboratories in Thermal Analysis for Materials Processing and Comparative Biomechanics. He also created the Center for Engineering Educational Outreach and the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. Dr. Miaoulis exhibits an innovative approach to education with a passion for both science and engineering. He championed the introduction of engineering into the Massachusetts science and technology public school curriculum. This made the Commonwealth first in the nation in 2001 to develop statewide curricular frameworks and assessments for engineering at all levels K-12. His dream is to make everyone scientifically and technologically literate and has seized the opportunity as president of one of the world’s largest science centers and Boston’s most-attended cultural institution to achieve his vision.