ASEE Conference in Pittsburgh 6/22-25

I'm freshly back from the 2008 ASEE conference in Pittsburgh.  Several things were reinforced for me:

• As I'd hoped, I met several of the AE program faculty that I expect to visit during the year, specifically John Phillips and Al Estes.  Both were helpful and cordial.  
• I was disappointed that ASEE didn't draw as many other AE folk as I'd imagined but I certainly understand the pressures of money, research and family responsibilities.  I've not been a regular attender either.
• I realize that I need to do quite a bit of reading so that I’m not repeating work that has already been accomplished by others. I'll be trolling the past ASEE conferences for relevant work.
• The objectives of my visiting each of the schools were tossed in the air and are somewhat confused.  That’s better before the trip than after. In particular, my conversations made it even more evidident that the diversity of approaches to AE overall makes it unlikely that I'm going to find much agreement on what is design or how it should be taught.
• My sense from multiple sessions is that a social scientist being involved in any educational experiment is a near-necessity if you’re attempting to convince others of the result.  What that means for this year’s effort is unclear, but perhaps it means that I should come back looking for a consultant.
• While not specifically related to teaching design I was particularly impressed with the good work being done with tablet PC's (especially at Virginia Tech) and can see good opportunities for design education as that technology improves.
• Also, Pittsburgh is a lovely town, at its best thanks to grand weather - photos.