Message from the Editor

Abstract

Dear Members:

Sometimes you just never know what will show up in the publication hopper.  Once again we have a journal issue that reflects the diverse breadth and depth of our constituency.  The first article is what I believe to be the second in a series of articles by Robert Chin, analyzing the scholarship published in the Engineering Design Graphics Journal and its cataloging by ERIC.  The meta-analysis provided by this article is a critical part of self-assessment that all scholarly publications (and disciplines) need to be constantly going through.  I hope that the entire membership reads this article and reflects on its implications.

As many of you know the ERIC database was de-funded and shut down, only later to be revived under a new management structure.  For educational researchers and practitioners interested in having their work reach the widest possible audience, this was a time of great concern.  Without ERIC, our Journal would have lost its primary electronic outlet.  I hope that all of our members will be vigilant about policy changes that limit the flow of scholarly communication, whether it be with ERIC or other outlets.

Our second article by Hartman provides another approach to disciplinary validation that is equally important.  Our discipline is firmly rooted in the application of graphic science.  It therefore is critical that we look to how professionals use the tools of our graphic trade.  Hartman's analysis provides a deep, rigorous investigation on the development of expertise with constraint-based CAD tools within industry.  The arc of development of this expertise not only says something about what happens with our graduates when they leave us, but also what we should be doing to prepare them for their future careers.  Finally, Kelley takes a current trend in industry, concurrent engineering, back to the classroom.  In his article, he demonstrates how the ubiquitous LEGO toy building system can be used to demonstrate PDM principles used for managing the design and manufacturing of highly complex aerospace and automotive systems.

Congratulations to our new Division chair, Holly Ault, and the other newly elected officers.  I'm looking forward to going to Williamsburg and to once again be challenged and surprised by the presentations of our membership.  I hope that our presenters will follow up by submitting their articles to the Journal so that their work can reach the widest possible audience.