What’s going to happen to companies without skilled engineers to replace aging baby boomers?  This problem threatens the competitive edge of industries worldwide.  Concerns are growing among educators, corporations, and government not only about the lack of experienced and graduating engineers, but how to capture, retain, and transfer the knowledge between retiring baby boomers and new hires.

The webinar will stream live from Knovel’s offices in the UK at 10am GMT ( 5am EST; 2am PST). A recorded version will be available to accommodate all time zones.  Register to participate live or receive a recorded version.

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On December 13, Knovel will roll out its 28th Subject Area, Computer Hardware Engineering, to keep engineers and designers on the forfront of new technology for the computing, display, communications and manufacturing of computer hardware.

This collection will help electronics, computer, aerospace, and mechanical engineers design and integrate computer systems, networks, sensors and components for a broad range of products and equipment–from airplanes to excavators, power plants to cars.

Topics areas include:

•    Circuit Design
•    Embedded Systems and Programming
•    Networks and Sensors
•    Processors, Memory and Peripherals
•    Computer Architecture

Knovel’s easy-to-access content will help engineers and designers execute core projects in this rapidly changing industry. The next step toward design perfection starts here.

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On University College of London (UCL) campus, like many others, Knovel is changing the way engineering students conduct research.  Just ask UCL’s Subject Librarian Lynn Meehan.

With over 14 years of experience, Lynn Meehan is a bonified expert at delivering vital resources to engineering staff and students, and she says Knovel is her most valued resource.

“When people ask me for data, I always go to Knovel,” Meehan says.  The seasoned librarian affirms that Knovel saves students valuable time and provides valuable tools, such as interactive graphs and tables that make research even simpler.

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Knovel periodically highlights it’s Corporate and Academic. For More Customer Spotlights, click here.

Engineers have an insatiable need for reliable data, often the data must meet specific requirements. To meet this need, Knovel will launch a series of databases to provide engineers with information that is otherwise difficult or time-consuming to source. The databases, commissioned and exclusively offered by Knovel, are interactive tables and graphs compiled from authoritative, publicly available and unpublished sources. The data will supplement Knovel’s existing subject areas, covering information that is not available in existing references and will be discoverable via Knovel’s Data Search.

In December, we’ll roll out the first two: a Magnesium Alloy Database to extend Knovel’s coverage of the properties of light-weight, high-strength alloys, and an Optical and Filter Glass Database that will include properties of commercially-available optical and filter glasses from 16 manufacturers around the world. Both databases aim to facilitate material selection in product design. The databases will be available in the Metals & Metallurgy, Optics & Photonics and Ceramics and Ceramic Engineering subject areas.

 Look out for additional information on Knovel’s New Databases in the coming weeks.

Knovel kicks off the fall semester with one of our most popular programs, the Knovel University Challenge, and we’ve already had 1,115 registrations from students world-wide. Learn more about the Knovel University Challenge, or read on for more Knovel programs in the academic community.

Every year, thousands of students take the Knovel University Challenge to compete for prizes while learning how to use the research tools they’ll need to complete assignments and ultimately succeed in the workplace.

On September 12 Knovel kicked off the 2011 University Challenge, and students from all corners of the globe are tuning in to test their information-gathering and analytical skills and get the chance to win an iPad, cash & other great prizes.

The University of Alberta, University of  Arkansas and the University College of London have even made Knovel University Challenge a part of their engineering curriculum. Patricia Kirkwood, Engineering and Mathematics Librarian and associate professor at the University of Arkansas, says the contest is very useful for students.

“I’m using the Challenge to promote quality resources without doing a generic web search.” remarks Kirkwood. “Students tell me using Knovel is a much quicker way to find something they can cite in their papers.”

Students can play the Knovel University Challenge on Facebook or online at www.knoveluniversitychallenge.com.

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As a Marketing Manager for Knovel, I keep in close contact with engineers from all levels of experience across many industries and disciplines. I recently reached out to students and senior engineers alike for their unique insight about the knowledge gap between the retiring baby boomers and young engineers just entering the workplace.

In conversations I’ve had, young engineers say they simply aren’t receiving enough direction and mentoring within the corporate environment. An engineer just four years into his career at one of Canada’s largest petroleum companies told Knovel, “New graduates are given higher levels of responsibility than I had when I first graduated. They tend to be thrown into the fire more. I had a little more mentoring and more gradual training as opposed to all of a sudden ‘this is my area, and I’m supposed to look after it and figure things out on my own.”

Such is the case within a majority of engineering firms. Many companies struggle with limited resources, time pressures and economic constraints that put the pinch on mentoring programs.

James Finkel, Engineering Manager from Malvern, PA, and author of a recent article by Machine Design acknowledges the trend: “Few young engineers have someone to show them the ropes when the going gets tough.”

There are certainly ways young engineers can seek out mentoring and networking opportunities on their own, through organizations like the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) or the SAE College Design Series (CDS), and many others. Knovel’s online resources also provide easily accessible reference information that helps young engineers navigate through projects.

For Part 2 of “Classroom to Career” I’ll continue to explore this topic and share perspectives from experienced engineers I’ve talked to recently. Please share with us your own opinions and experiences! We’d especially love to highlight successful knowledge transfer programs and initiatives.

At both of the 2011 ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge events, more than 20 teams of engineering students from across the country built and raced their own efficient, highly engineered vehicles. The competitions are meant to get student thinking about sustainable development, especially for third-world countries that lack reliable transportation.

The race has a great mission, which is why Knovel participates as a program sponsor and supports the Knovelty Prize for Exceptional Creativity in Innovation and Design. This year, the Missouri Institute of Science & Technology team took home the Knovelty prize, as well as 2nd place in the Unrestricted Class in HPVC’s East & West Coast races.

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On July 7, Knovel announced the 2011 National Merit Bill Woishnis Scholarship Award Winners: Daniel Broker, from Suffern High School and Connor Eichinger from Pleasantville High School, both in New York. These exceptional students were selected through a competitive national program which requires an essay, a recommendation from a school official, a qualifying SAT score and an outstanding academic record.  Daniel and Conner are both are set to pursue degrees in mechanical engineering.

This scholarship launched in 2010 to honor the life and memory of Bill Woishnis, one of Knovel’s co-founders, who passed away on August 2, 2009.

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