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The need for assistive technology--technology that assists persons with disabilities--is great. At no time has there been a greater need to provide assistive technologies than to assist the thousands of military veterans returning home from the Middle East with a range of physical and mental disabilities. Mobility impairment is a significant concern for many returning veterans. Assistive technologies are playing a major role in assisting war veterans returning with physical limitations through the loss of a limb or, in many cases, several limbs. This article presents the history and background of assistive technology and how mobile- and computer-assistive technologies can help people with disabilities or with war-related injuries. Examples are given on several ways that technology and engineering and career and technical education teachers can use assistive technologies.

Transportation is one of the biggest contributors to the destruction of the environment. Results from environmental research and pursuant governmental regulations are changing the way companies do business and how transportation systems address the future. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been at the forefront in leading environmental research and instituting policies and regulations to fight the issues impacting the environment. The transportation industry and consumers alike are concerned about the environment, energy resources, efficiencies, and economics. In this article, the authors suggest that it is vital that people promote the protection of the environment and strengthen the laws that prohibit waste dumping so the surroundings stay clean and healthy otherwise, the direct output of this concept--the existence of humanity in the years to come--will be questionable.

The article presents information on conventional weaponry and threats posed by it for the environment. Weapons consist of chemical, biological, depleted uranium, landmines, nuclear, jet fighters, and even the conventional lead bullets. It is stated that the manufacturing of biodegradable weapons that don't pollute the environment must be promoted, as they also strengthen the laws which ban the use of toxic and other chemical weapons. A table on correlation with standards for technological literacy, is also presented.

While virtual technology for training in the simulation field has a long history in medicine, aviation, and the military, the application of similar emerging and innovative technologies in teacher preparation and education has been limited. TLE TeachLive™ (Teaching Learning Environment, Teaching in a Virtual Environment) [TLE] is an inventive mixed-reality environment (the blending of real and synthetic content) where prospective teachers can interact with a group of virtual students. The purpose of the virtual teaching environment of TLE is to strengthen teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention in education by allowing teachers to improve their skills with virtual students, providing a more constructive and ethical approach to learning the art of teaching. The protected environment allows pre-service teachers to utilize their emergent knowledge of behavior, diversity, and effective instruction in a flexible and safe practice environment. In this simulated environment, permission does not have to be gained to work with actual children and they are not exposed to missteps on the part of novice teachers as the teachers learn to refine their instructional techniques. This study investigated pre-service teachers' use of differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior, a set of behavior management strategies, in a simulated classroom. Results indicated that the majority of participants evidenced an increase in the use of these strategies to enhance student engagement in the classroom.

Recent changes in the needs of the military have caused the U.S. Navy to spend more time out to sea. Longer deployments limit the time available for performing maintenance and for training their technicians. The Navy is also steadily reducing the number of sailors manning each vessel, therefore requiring more automated systems to keep the ships at sea and in total readiness. To meet this need, industrial automation systems are being investigated as replacements and upgrades for the military systems that have been used for years in warship designs. This will require ship repair partners, both military and civilian, to work with unfamiliar equipment (in the current trades mix) that was not designed for installation in such a harsh environment. Although the industrial automation industry has been using these systems for years, there is a shortage of technicians in the maritime industry that understand mechatronics systems. Hence, there is a need to better prepare technicians to install and repair these systems since it is a complete change to the previous design of warship systems. This paper will present an overview of competencies related to one such career, and overview the relation between mechatronics engineering and marine engineering. It will also present the current state of the different educational levels, starting from high school and continuing onto technician and undergraduate education and programs.

A growing trend within the U.S. Navy is to streamline operations by deploying ships with less sailors, who are more highly skilled technicians that are trained to do a wide array of jobs. Modern ships also include various automated systems that require more highly skilled technicians for maintenance. Outdated warship designs are now being replaced with industrial grade automation equipment. Such equipment is being used in warships that encounter harsher environments than what exists in the civilian industry. Hence, there is a need for training in regards to industrial grade automation equipment for military and civilian ship repair partners. Marine mechatronics technicians will be trained to maintain these modern complex warship systems. For that purpose, the team of marine mechatronics experts participated in a two day long DACUM workshop at a community college (blind review). The workshop's main purpose was to identify all competencies, skills, tools, and behaviors necessary for the specific job of a marine mechatronics technician.

Veterans, through their active service, frequently receive training in highly skilled technical areas. However, they may lack a theoretical background in underlying engineering principles. They also need additional support with the transition from a highly structured military environment to an environment with more ambiguous time constraints and different sorts of responsibilities. Moreover they are facing challenges which are specific for their student population. Therefore, enabling multiple mechanisms which would support them and provide them necessary guidance are especially important at universities with large veteran populations such as at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Hence, there is a need for programs which build on the specialized training that veterans received and aid in their academic journey. This paper will introduce three pilot programs for advancing engineering education for military veterans focusing on forming a support base for veterans to assist them in overcoming traditional educational barriers.