Podcast series for Introduction to Engineering 
(ENGG1000 at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)

Episode 3: Tools for Engineers

*Tools for Modern Engineers: Softwares
*Diverse range of softwares competnecy for any type of Engineers
*Breakdown on the layers of softwares, from hardward to abstract general data processing softwares

Additional information and quiz on ilearn.mq.edu.au/

Ep003 EngineeringToolsSoftwares

Podcast series for Introduction to Engineering (ENGG1000 at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)

Episode 4: Learning Styles

*There is no fixed learning styles unlike what was believed in the 80's
*Learning should be multimodel, as many neural pathway (videos are the best example)
*Challenged your preferred learning styles. Explore different techniques to learning more effectively.

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*** Take home message | Call to action ***
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Regardless of which style of learning you are, it is agreed that during the learning process, the more area of the brain you engage the more ingrained the information will be. By engaging different parts of the brain, either via movement, words, colors, sounds, tactile, you will effectively engage different parts of the brain. 

Complete the online learning style inventory to see if you agree with the results. Reflect over-under which situation you these learning styles have served you well and when it hasn’t. 

Explore different approaches in engaging with a given subject matter. 

For example, can you learn a new concept with visualizing analogies, or when you learn a rule of thumb with melodic mnemonics 


WHAT IS YOUR VIEW? DO you believe it or not? (if so why not)

So here is the punch line: Students differ in their abilities, interests, and background knowledge, but not in their learning styles. Students may have preferences about how to learn, but no evidence suggests that catering to those preferences will lead to better learning. As college educators, we should apply this to the classroom by continuing to present information in the most appropriate manner for our content and for the level of prior knowledge, ability, and interests of that particular set of students. 

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*** Show notes ***
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The Myth of 'Learning Styles'
•	A popular theory that some people learn better visually or aurally keeps getting debunked | OLGA KHAZAN | APRIL 11, 2018
•	https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/the-myth-of-learning-styles/557687/

Original Learning and teaching Style paper 1988
•	Felder, R. M., & Silverman, L. K. (1988). Learning and teaching styles in engineering education. Engineering education, 78(7), 674-681.

Test yourself, see if you believe it, have an open mind and critique if this even makes sense.
•	https://www.webtools.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/

Article showing the counter arguments
•	Riener, C., & Willingham, D. (2010). The myth of learning styles. Change: The magazine of higher learning, 42(5), 32-35.

Ep004 LearningStyles

Podcast series for Introduction to Engineering 
(ENGG1000 at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)

Episode 5: Interview with the Dean and his outlook in 35 yrs of Engineering Academic Career.

*Mentors are good to have, but not mandatory for success
*Changing views on authentic education
*Enjoying what you do as a job: find that passion
*Data-driven outlook to all "facts" (Changing views over time)
*Complex system drives the need to interpersonal skills development as much as technical skill development


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*** Take home message | Call to action ***
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Mentors are available in the School of Engineering, approch them and engage

What are the three topics that YOU have to change your view on over the years?

Transferable skills are becoming more important as complex systems are everywhere.


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*** Show notes ***
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Good reading series:
Harvard Business Review's 10 Must read
https://www.amazon.com/HBRs-Must-Reads-Boxed-Books/dp/1422184056

Ep005_InterviewWithTheDean

Podcast series for Introduction to Engineering
(ENGG1000 at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)

Episode 6: Emotional intelligence (EQ) knowing yourself so you can work with others.

*Introvert vs Extrovert: knowing your weakness and strength
*Personalities: can you change them...YES you can
*have empathy and be assertive in defending your grounds
*labels are just labels, you can learn to adapt the traits needed to get the job done. 


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*** Take home message | Call to action ***
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*Perform some popular EQ test to benchmark yourself
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/ei_quiz/take_quiz 
*Machiavellianism test
https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/MACH-IV/ (do you agree?)
*Introversion test:
https://www.quietrev.com/the-introvert-test/ (do you agree with the result? If not, why?)
*Self-evaluate and reflect if the suggestions are true (if not, how so)
*Write a reflection on Area of strength and area of weaknesses
*Some questions posed by Daniel Goleman on Emotional Intelligence (each of the five categories, add up the numbers if they are on the high end, it means it is well done; if not, an improvement in that area might be needed. (Question attached as pdf)


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*** Show notes ***
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TED Videos
•	The power of introverts | Susan Cain
 https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts?language=en

•	Daniel Goleman: Why aren't we all Good Samaritans?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3wyCxHtGd0

•	How to make stress your friend | Kelly McGonigal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcGyVTAoXEU

Ep006_Emotional Intelligence

Podcast series for Introduction to Engineering
(ENGG1000 at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)
Episode 7: Work health and safety, who’s responsibility is it 
•	Elton Button explains why it is so important to have an awareness in WHS
•	Paperwork’s and PPE are there for a reason: - to prevent accidents and save lives
•	His experience when he was a TAFE instructor.
•	WHS is more than just in the workshop, it can be in the classroom, cafes any area
•	Storytelling time:
o      Elton talks about how he had an “eye” incident
o	Nic gives his “chemical incident” near-miss story

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*** Take home message | Call to action ***
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•	It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure safe working and training environment.
•	If you see someone not following the WHS regulation, report it.
•	Report any near misses, it could save a life.
•	Reporting near misses are part of improving workplace safety.
•	Review the MQ policies what is your responsibility as a student.
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*** Show notes ***
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Macquarie University WHS regulations and health information
•	https://webcentral.mq.edu.au/human_resources/health_and_safety/health_safety_information_for_students/
Official WHS regulation website
•	https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/
•	https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/

Ep007 WHS and their importance

The 3-minute tech week: badly parked cars, slug-like robots, slingshot rocket launches and more.
13 March 2020.

Shownotes

•	Brown, A., Klein, N. J., Thigpen, C., & Williams, N. (2020). Impeding access: The frequency and characteristics of improper scooter, bike, and car parking. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 100099.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198220300105

•	Shahsavan, H., Aghakhani, A., Zeng, H., Guo, Y., Davidson, Z. S., Priimagi, A., & Sitti, M. (2020). Bioinspired underwater locomotion of light-driven liquid crystal gels. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(10), 5125-5133.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32094173

•	"An 8.2 mm3 implantable neurostimulator with magnetoelectric power and data transfer," Z. Yu*, J. C. Chen*, B. W. Avants, Y. He, A. Singer, J. T. Robinson, K. Yang, IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), accepted (2020). https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/ru-mbi021920.php

•	Phillips, N., & Nogrady, B. (2020). The race to decipher how climate change influenced Australia's record fires. Nature, 577(7792), 610-612. 
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00173-7


•	Wash Your Lyrics Generate hand washing infographics based on your favourite song lyrics 🎶
•	https://washyourlyrics.com/

Esp001 3MinTechReview 13 Mar 2020

Podcast series for Introduction to Engineering
(ENGG1000 at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)
Episode 8: Power of Habits 

Darren talks about the 5 things he sees as important in developing a good habit and work ethics.
The 5 pointers include:
•	Good work-life balance, segregation of work hard and play hard
•	Be focus while you are working, avoid distractions
•	Develop and participate in building a community, something greater than just oneself. 
•	Have fun, trust the routine, the mission might change.
•	Staying informed. Make a point to be informed with what is happening around you, develop an acumen for a multitude of topics. 
A powerful way of developing habits:
When inspiration arises (emotional urge), set out to establish a mechanism (habit) with rewards for achieving the tasks (small token rewards may work). 
“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” :-  Bill Gates and Arthur C. Clarke 



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*** Take home message | Call to action ***
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•	What are your daily / weekly habits?
•	what happens routinely that you can replace, reduce or introduce.
•	Can you practice just 20 min a day, how will it feel in a months’ time (That is 70 hrs!)
•	When was the last time you spend 70 hours on purposefully practicing something?
•	Check out the Pomodoro Technique (25mins of intense focus, 5 min break; repeat)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNBmG24djoY
•	Small incremental efforts will give rise to the compounded effect. 
•	Time to experiment and develop a set of lifelong habits (both professional and personal)
•	Let the effect built up and compound on itself.
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*** Show notes ***
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TED talks
•	All it takes is 10 mindful minutes | Andy Puddicombe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzR62JJCMBQ 
•	The first 20 hours -- how to learn anything | Josh Kaufman | TEDxCSU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY 
•	The Power of Habit: Charles Duhigg at TEDxTeachersCollege https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMbsGBlpP30
Books

•	The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business | Charles Duhigg
•	The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results | Gary Keller
Tim Ferriss Podcast interview:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/10P1w8WjdSuHKf0Mb9xesu 
•	The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change | Stephen R. Covey
•	Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking | Malcolm Gladwell

Ep008 20200313 ThePower Of Habits

The 3-minute tech week: Fist bumps, increased hiring by Amazon, 1000-year-old LEGO bricks, bombing of asteroids and NASA hitting things with a shovel.....

30 March 2020.

Mela, S., & Whitworth, D. E. (2014). The fist bump: A more hygienic alternative to the handshake. American Journal of Infection Control, 42(8), 916-917.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0196655314006592

Increased hiring in time of need by Amazon:
https://blog.aboutamazon.com/operations/amazon-opening-100000-new-roles
•	Mela, S., & Whitworth, D. E. (2014). The fist bump: A more hygienic alternative to the handshake. American Journal of Infection Control, 42(8), 916-917.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0196655314006592

•	Increased hiring in time of need by Amazon:
https://blog.aboutamazon.com/operations/amazon-opening-100000-new-roles

•	Turner, A., Arnold, R., & Williams, T. (2020). Weathering and persistence of plastic in the marine environment: Lessons from LEGO. Environmental Pollution, 114299.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749119364152?utm

•	Web Browser Privacy: What Do Browsers Say When They Phone Home? | Douglas J. Leith
https://www.scss.tcd.ie/Doug.Leith/pubs/browser_privacy.pdf

•	bombing an asteroid 
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/03/18/science.aaz1701

•	NASA fixes Mars lander by hitting it with a shovel
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/19/world/nasa-mars-lander-mission-scli-intl-scn/index.html

Esp002 3MinuteTechReview 30 Mar 2020

The 3-minute tech week: From magnets up nose to surviving space disaster to facial expression in mice and F15 fighter bees.....

26 April 2020.

•	Astrophysicist gets magnets stuck up nose while inventing coronavirus device https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/30/astrophysicist-gets-magnets-stuck-up-nose-while-inventing-coronavirus-device

•	Apollo 13: As They Shot It. Surviving disaster, in the astronauts' words and photographs
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/13/science/apollo-13-moon-photos-as-they-shot-it.html

•	Dolensek, N., Gehrlach, D. A., Klein, A. S., & Gogolla, N. (2020). Facial expressions of emotion states and their neuronal correlates in mice. Science, 368(6486), 89-94.
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6486/89.abstract?casa_token=CIFTGJv9l90AAAAA:fXlJ3TRL5Z32dOdKZ1kiCSE42XYxefY1UkVgPIcthHBLd-0qTYwJZWdCqniUboS1taKvX3Pp367un64

•	The Air Force's Venerable F-15 Gets a Makeover
https://www.wired.com/story/air-forces-venerable-f-15-gets-makeover/  

•	What’s a “Viking takeoff”? Watch as the Qatar Emiri Air Force #F15 demonstrates the maneuver during its first flight.
https://twitter.com/BoeingDefense/status/1250062655479521280

•	Air force F15 Baz landed with one wing missing….
https://theaviationgeekclub.com/time-israeli-air-force-f-15-baz-landed-one-wing-missing/

Esp003 3MinuteTechReview 26 April 2020

Podcast series for Introduction to Engineering
(ENGG1000 at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)
Episode 9: Employability and portfolio

Take home points:
1.	Annually there are many thousands of newly graduated Engineers that are competing for the same jobs
2.	Setting up your LinkedIn public profile helps with engaging with the job market and setting out a career direction
3.	Engage in a range of experience so you can list them in your profile
4.	Show aptitude and enthusiasm
5.	Videos and other media may be used to impress your viewers
6.	Beware of your digital footprint, all employers do a background search on you via your social media
7.	DO NOT LIE, false evidence of achievement is a big NO-NO.
8.	Develop your skills to be prepare for opportunity when they come (refer to Rex’s career track record)
9.	Fulfilling career are when you can have positive impact on society (greater than yourself), not a mandatory direction but very worthwhile to consider
10.	Employability = having skills that makes you desirable to be employed (extends to being a business owner)

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*** Take home message | Call to action ***
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•	Setup LinkedIn or some public profile
•	Develop your own branding by considering these three points
1.	Profile - Does is explicitly position how you are moving forward?
2.	Perception - How are you viewed?
3.	Networks - How are you leveraging your networks?
•	Try new activities so you can list them as experiences
•	Frame all you experience in the form of its impact. Not WHAT you did, but HOW it mattered

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*** Show notes ***
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Interesting background facts
Annual STEM graduate numbers (2017)
•	https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/02/02/the-countries-with-the-most-stem-graduates-infographic/#5fff335f268a
Job vacancy Engineers Australia
•	https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-05/Australian%20engineering%20vacancies%2020200505.pdf
•	https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/resources/Public%20Affairs/2019/The%20Engineering%20Profession%2C%20A%20Statistical%20Overview%2C%2014th%20edition%20-%2020190613b.pdf

TED talks/Podcast
•	TED talk | Why you will fail to have a great career | Larry Smith
https://www.ted.com/talks/larry_smith_why_you_will_fail_to_have_a_great_career?language=en
•	The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos | Working Your Way to Happiness
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vaGFwcGluZXNzbGFi/episode/OTA0M2M2YzYtMzk1Ni0xMWVhLWJmY2MtMWY1YjAxNjEyZTA2?hl=en-AU&ved=2ahUKEwjn9a2stL7pAhVe4jgGHaOCA90QjrkEegQIDRAE&ep=6
Books
•	Bullshit Jobs: A Theory | by David Graeber 
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/david-graeber-bullshit-jobs/

Ep009 20200520 EmployabilityPortfolio

Lecturer @ Macquarie University School of Engineering
Convenor for Engineering SPINE units, development in employability and transferable skills.

Macquarie Engineering Podcast