Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: U.S. First-Quarter GDP Revised Down
Plus: Durable Goods Orders Rose in May North American Metal Shipments Hold Steady Consumer Confidence Increases for Second Straight Month Jobless Claims Dip Again After an initial positive assessment, U.S. economic growth was found to have grown less than expected in the January-March quarter. The downward revision, which occurred across all categories, is largely being attributed to consumers...
Read More »Friday Focus: 3 New Examples of Digital STEM Education
The format for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has gone from textbooks and laboratories to digital learning, as educators incorporate online apps, websites, software, and interactive-based study aids in their classrooms. As more schools across the country embrace and implement such tools to better prepare future next generations for high-tech STEM careers, major...
Read More »Electronics Manufacturers Continue to Struggle to Make Greener Products
Electronics are becoming increasingly important to our way of life and our economy. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, worldwide electronics sales are expected to reach $1.11 trillion this year. The more widespread these devices become, the more concern has been raised over the way they are produced, the way they are disposed of, and their inclusion of potentially dangerous...
Read More »Google's Senior VP of People: No Connection Between School and Success at Company
The following might put a scare in June grads and their parents, but one of the world's most well-known corporations says grade point averages (GPA) and test scores are useless when it comes to hiring people. The observation is from Laszlo Bock, senior vice president for people operations at Google. Bock explained in a June 19 interview with the New York Times that, except for new graduates...
Read More »Light Friday: Why Do Humans Kiss?
Plus: MIT Develops Cheap Hologram Technology A Triplet of Possible Life-Supporting Planets How Throwing Stones Is Tied to Human Evolution If you think about it, kissing seems like an odd activity. Why would two members of a species place their lips (and sometimes tongue) together in such a way? What is the evolutionary advantage? Research shows that kissing likely evolved from mouth-feeding -...
Read More »Global Steel Output Rose in May Despite Declining Capacity Utilization
The World Steel Association reported last week that crude steel production hit 136 million tonnes (Mt) in May 2013. This represents a 3.6 percent increase over April 2013, and a 2.6 percent rise over May 2012. While output made gains, total capacity utilization was down slightly. Overall gains were mixed throughout the 63 countries that report figures to the World Steel Association. This is a...
Read More »One of the Safest Manufacturing Sectors to Increase EHS Spend
What are described as "increasingly harsh conditions for oil and gas extraction" could lead to the industry increasing its spending for environmental, health, and safety (EHS) measures by 60 percent from 2011 to 2030, according to a recent report from Lux Research. The report states that "As recent high-profile environmental disasters have prompted increased regulatory scrutiny in the oil...
Read More »IT Worker Confidence Dips in 2013
The June IT Employee Confidence Index indicates that confidence among U.S. tech workers declined in the first quarter of 2013, as workers expressed less confidence in their job security and employability. Nearly half (46 percent) of IT workers indicated that they are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months. The index is based on a Harris Interactive survey from January through March...
Read More »How Early College High Schools Prepare Students for Educational Success
Students enrolled in Early College High Schools can get head starts on college courses -- and their postsecondary education careers -- and a new study indicates that these students have greater educational outcomes than other students, with higher graduation and college enrollment rates. An American Institutes for Research (AIR) study analyzed the impact and long-term effects of the Early College...
Read More »How Can Manufacturers Reduce the Risk of Dust Fires and Explosions?
Combustible dust fires are an ever-present risk in processing industries across the country and are a much bigger problem than reported by the federal government. These combustible dust fires are often precursors to catastrophic explosions. In fact, most dust can be combustible under the right circumstances. "If your facility generates dust -- any kind of dust -- consider it combustible until...
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