Several Virginia Tech investigators including engineering and education faculty have been working together since fall 2004 to reformulate freshman engineering and bioprocess engineering programs using a spiral curriculum theory. They have developed a process to implement the spiral curriculum in the bioprocess program. This IREE award had two major objectives: (1) Provide early researchers, including graduate students, an opportunity to conduct research and have social and cultural experiences at a foreign institution, and (2) Conduct a spiral curriculum workshop for engineering educators and explore international possibilities for future collaboration. National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) offers the largest engineering program in Taiwan and was selected for implementing the objectives of this award. Two graduate students (both women, one African American; 3 months visit each) and five faculty members (one week visit) participated in the program. One of the graduate students investigated the factors that motivate and influence engineering students in Taiwan in selecting their engineering discipline or specialty. She is continuing this study with Virginia Tech students at the time of this writing. Another student explored the similarities and differences in eastern and western philosophies on engineering and environmental ethics. VT faculty investigators conducted a workshop for NCKU participants and shared spiral curriculum experiences and advances in engineering education research in the United States. As a result of this collaboration, NCKU investigators were invited to join a PIRE pre-proposal team of VT investigators. This proposal is currently under review at the NSF.

• super-administrator

Mary Leigh Wolfe is professor of Biological Systems Engineering and Assistant Department Head for Teaching at Virginia Tech. Her research interests are in the areas of nonpoint source pollution control, watershed modeling and management, and engineering education. She is past chair of the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET, Inc. She is a co-PI for the DLR/NSF project (2004-09) at Virginia Tech.

Terry Wildman is a professor of educational psychology in the School of Education at Virginia Tech. He received his PhD in Educational Psychology from Florida State University in 1975. Recently he has served for 13 years as director of Virginia Tech's Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. His research interests focus on applications of learning research to instruction and curriculum design. He is a co-PI for the DLR/NSF project (2004-09) at Virginia Tech.

Kumar Mallikarjunan is an associate professor in Biological Systems Engineering (bioprocess concentration). He is a co-PI for the DLR/NSF project (2004-09) at Virginia Tech.

Jeffrey Connor is an associate professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech where he teaches surveying and computer-aided design. He received his M.S. degree in civil engineering from VPI&SU and B.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of Lowell. His research includes water resources modeling, water policy, and engineering education. He is a co-PI for the DLR/NSF project (2004-09) at Virginia Tech.

Yolanda Avent is a PhD student in the School of Education and expects to complete her PhD studies in summer 2009.

Sara Morris is an M.S. student in Biological Systems Engineering. Her research interests are in the area of watershed modeling and management.

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

• (2009), "Reformulating General Engineering and Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech," http://globalhub.org/resources/1854.

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1. iree 2008
2. trip report