Message from the Chair
Abstract
I encourage you to take some time between meetings and make an effort to recruit a new colleague into the division. Support the journal by submitting papers and inviting new faculty to publish with us.
Greetings to all from somewhere in Massachusetts. This is my first opportunity as Chair of the Division to communicate with you, the readers of the Journal. Eighteen months ago when I agreed to run for office as Vice Chair, I anticipated a leisurely year as Chair, being on sabbatical leave, doing some writing and working in industry. However, as is often the case, there are many changes in our lives and mine is no exception. Due to a change in my husband’s employment, we learned that we would be moving from our home of 23 years into a new (new to us, but actually a very old) house in Templeton, Massachusetts. We soon learned that this house, the parsonage of the First Church in Templeton, was built in about 1830 by a man named John Boynton, the founder of our alma mater and the school where I have been teaching for the past 20 years, WPI.
Our move has caused us to reflect on our priorities and goals in life, and focus on where we are headed with a clear vision of what we need to accomplish in the next weeks, months and years. We had perhaps become complacent in our little home, building up a stockpile of “stuff” that collected dust and was rarely if ever used. It has been difficult and time-consuming to go through our cellar and attic and decide what to keep, to pass along, or to dump. There are the precious items that we are so attached to but won’t fit in the new house; it’s so hard to decide what to do with them. But most exciting of all is the opportunity to shop for new furniture that will fit our new home and lifestyle. And Bill’s new congregation is looking forward to his fresh ideas and enthusiasm in this new pastorate.
Similarly, when I think about our profession and the Engineering Design Graphics Division, I see a more or less static situation. I’ve read through numerous messages from previous division chairs in my archive of EDG Journals, and several of them have noted the many changes in computer technology in the past two decades, especially in the area of graphics, with a charge to the members to change and update our curricula. But have we really responded to these changes as quickly as we could or should have? Are we still holding on to the familiar and comfortable course outlines that we have taught in the past? Have we simply computerized the old concepts, changing the tools, but not the message? How many of us have truly embraced solid modeling as the basis for our curriculum? And what about other forms of graphics and design? Are we taking full advantage of these new technologies in design as well as graphics? If we are not the champions of the use of tools such as computer graphics, technical animation and visualization, virtual reality, computer-based design and analysis tools, 3D rapid prototyping (the ultimate “graphics”!) then who will be? I challenge you all to step back and look at your courses and consider whether the content fulfills the needs of a new generation of designers and engineers. I think that this is particularly important, as a course in design graphics is often the first engineering course encountered by our freshman students.
Over the past few years we have made strides towards increasing our membership and broadening the scope of topics discussed at our annual and mid-year meetings. As your chair, I encourage you to take some time between meetings and make an effort to recruit a new colleague into the division. Support the journal by submitting papers and inviting new faculty to publish with us. Get involved with one of our committees and help plan some of our future meetings or liaise with organizations outside the division on our behalf. All of these efforts will strengthen the division and help breathe new life into our ranks. I will be experimenting and finding new routes for my daily commute to WPI, and I encourage you all to make an effort to make a change in some small way that will steer our division onto a new and exciting path. Feel free to contact me or any of the officers with your ideas or questions. Our contact information is listed on our website http://www.east.asu.edu/edgj/edgd/. And many thanks to Jon Duff for bringing the website up to date.
I’m looking forward to a fruitful year ahead, starting with our midyear meeting in historic Williamsburg. I hope to see you all there.
