Thousands of the 77 million American “baby boomers” born between 1946 and 1964 celebrate their 60th birthdays every day. As the boomers approach retirement age, many will be doing anything but retiring. It is anticipated that a large percentage will seek training for a new career, explore old or new hobbies, or look to fulfill their need for social interaction through formal and informal educational settings. This research employs a methodology for exploring and revealing the motivations, needs, and barriers to learning for older adults. This study was qualitative; ten study participants, ranging in age from 61 to 85, were selected and in-depth interviews were conducted, analyzed, and synthesized. This study recognizes the participants' need to contribute and has highlighted the importance of mentorship in these lifelong learners; the lessons learned earlier in life and the mentor-relationships formed have been a huge influence in most of the study participants' lives. Instructional designers need to understand their older adult learners’ need for learning, since learning with respect to need to contribute was a response from all of the participants. Instructional designers need to consider what it means to design for lifelong learning. With the results of this study, instructional designers and lifelong learning program planners are better equipped for designing learning materials and implementing programs that are suitable for older adults.

Creating lifelong learning: Implications for instructional design

Evaluation of the PIE results of the monolithic plates that were irradiated as part of the RERTR-6 experiment has continued. Specifically, comparisons have been made between the microstructures of the fuel plates before and after irradiation. Using the results from the rigorous characterization that was performed on the as-fabricated plates using scanning electron microscopy, it is possible to improve understanding of how monolithic fuel plates perform when they are irradiated. This paper will discuss the changes that occur, if any, in the microstructure of a monolithic fuel plate that is fabricated using techniques like what were employed for fabricating RERTR-6 fuel plates. In addition, the performance of fuel/cladding interaction layers that were present in the fuel plates due to the fabrication process will be discussed, particularly in the context of swelling of these layers and how these layers exhibit different behaviors depending on whether the fuel alloy in the fuel plate is U-7Mo or U-10Mo.

Observations Derived From the Characterization of Monolithic Fuel Plates Irradiated as Part of the RERTR-6 Experiment

Challenges of Parents with Spina Bifida Children and their Coping Mechanism: The Case of Parents Receiving Service at Zewditu Memorial Hospital

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Factors Associated with Parent Depressive Symptoms and Family Quality of Life in Families with and Without Adolescents and Young Adults with Spina Bifida

Dr. Ronald J. Bennett is Founding Dean and Professor Emeritus of the School of Engineering at the University of St. Thomas. Prior to entering academia, Bennett held leadership positions for three decades in the appliance, electronics, medical device and knowledge engineering industries, as well as in several entrepreneurial organizations. His responsibilities ranged from R&D, engineering and manufacturing to sales, marketing and general management. He founded the School of Engineering at the University of St. Thomas, and teaches and publishes in the areas of materials engineering, innovation, strategy, technology transfer, leadership and engineering education. His current focus is on webinars and workshops on leadership for engineers in industry and academia. Bennett is a member of numerous scientific and professional societies, is an ABET program evaluator and commissioner. He has a wide variety of academic publications, and is co-author with Elaine Millam of the 2012 McGraw-Hill book Leadership for Engineers: The Magic of Mindset.

Integration of Materials Instruction in the Field of Manufacturing

National Resource Center For Materials Technology Education

Materials Science and Technology is a curriculum developed at Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, which emphasizes hands-on, minds-on studies of materials science and technology. This curriculum has been taught to over 1000 middle and high school teachers nationwide in a series of week-long institute programs, and is used in classrooms in 16 states. Evaluations have shown that the curriculum is highly effective in getting students interested in science and technology, and in encouraging them to study more science. This paper presents the basics of the curriculum and its approach, along with venues used for promoting the curriculum and the teaching methods used. Full evaluation results are discussed, including the assessment of increased student interest and increased student involvement their own learning. Means of adapting the program to a local situation are also presented.

John M. Rusin

Papers

National Resource Center For Materials Technology Education

Materials Science and Technology: A curriculum that works