IEEE Professional Communication Society Newsletter • ISSN 1539-3593 • Volume 52, Number 2 • February 2008
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Tidbits

Editor's Note: I am always looking for strange, fun, or interesting technical communication tidbits. Please contribute freely.

Mysteries of TCP/IP

from National Public Radio's All Things Considered

TCP/IP is 25 years old. Switching to this protocol made the Internet possible. One of the guys who made this possible was Vinton Cerf, who is commonly called "The Father of the Internet." He talks to Andrea Seabrook." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17872707

 

IEEE Design Squad Appears on Jeopardy!

From IEEE-USA News, 21 January 2008

On Monday, 18 February, the long running television program "Jeopardy!" will feature a category devoted entirely to "Design Squad," the reality television show for youngsters funded by the IEEE and other groups , as part of "Jeopardy's" Teen tournament Week. Footage from "Design Squad's" first season will be used to test
contestants' knowledge of basic engineering concepts through a series of questions co-developed by "Design Squad" and "Jeopardy!" producers. Host Alex Trebek will introduce the category and encourage viewers to find the program on PBS. The "Design Squad" logo will also be featured as the category header.

The air date of the "Design Squad" episode is timed to coincide with National Engineers Week which takes place 17-23 February. The Teen Tournament series is one of "Jeopardy's" top-rated programs each year. NBC's "Jeopardy!" has an average daily viewership of 12,000,000.

"Design Squad" will begin its second season on PBS this April. The IEEE is continuing its second year of funding support for the program that features two teams of high-school students led by two young professional engineers who compete to solve a new engineering challenge each week. The program also incorporates educational materials distributed in local communities activities and on a Web site.

Market research provided by WGBH, which produces the program, has shown that 10- and 11-year-olds who watch "Design Squad" have increased their understanding of the design process, reconsidered stereotypes about engineering, and know more about engineering and science concepts. To view past and current episodes, go to http://pbskids.org/designsquad/.

 

 

 

 

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