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AbTech Introduces ModelQuest Prospector

6/25/97
1:32 PM

AbTech Corporation has announced the release of its newest Statistical Network predictive data mining software -- ModelQuest Prospector.

ModelQuest Prospector models up to 75 inputs and 16,000 rows of examples. It imports data, extracts features and synthesizes a Statistical Network of polynomial functions to build a mathematical model of non-linear relationships among variables. Once the model has been produced, Prospector analyzes the performance of the model against an independent database.

For more information about AbTech, point your browser to http://www.abtech.com

Career Development and Employee Orientation Practices Aim to Increase Retention, Productivity

6/23/97
4:02 PM

A benchmark study, commissioned by Sun Microsystems, Inc. and conducted by Arthur Andersen Business Consulting, examined practices in career development and employee orientation for finance, legal and information systems employees at leading organizations. Historically, employees in these business functions have shown higher turnover and lower productivity rates compared to that of other employees, in part due to lack of affiliation with their organization's core business.

The study found that participating companies had increased their commitments to career development and employee orientation to reduce turnover and increase productivity of employees in these internal support functions. Yet most companies used limited, or no, formal measurement systems to assure the effectiveness of their programs.

In regard to employee orientation, the study found the majority of companies centralize the development of employee orientation materials, such as video tapes that provide cultural and strategic information from top management, and decentralize the implementation of new employee orientation.

For more information about Sun Microsystems, Inc. point your browser to http://www.sun.com

For more information about Arthur Andersen Business Consulting, point your browser to http://www.arthurandersen.com/aabc

Laboratory Construction Slows

6/23/97
4:01 PM

The amount of science and engineering research space in colleges and universities continues to increase despite cuts of federal funding, according to a recent report from NSF's Division of Science Resources Studies.

Every two years, NSF surveys the nation's 565 research-performing colleges and universities, focusing on the condition of the research facilities, plans and costs for renovation, as well as plans and costs for construction.

The report, Scientific and Engineering Research Facilities at Colleges and Universities 1996, says that S&E research currently accounts for 136 million net assignable square feet (NASF), up from 112 NASF in 1988. Most of the space is located in the 100 universities that spend the most on research and development.

Other findings included:

Direct federal funding declined. In 1990-91, the U.S. government provided $537 million, 16 percent of the total construction funding. In 1994-95, the federal government put in $207 million, 7 percent of the total.
The federal funding for repair and renovation increased from $55 million to $111 million during the same time period.
Total expenditures for repair and renovation projects increased 17 percent from $905 million in 1992-93 to $1.1 billion in 1994-95. However, 43 percent of all renovation was funded through the universities' and colleges' own institutional funds.

For more information about the NSF, point your browser to http://www.nsf.gov

Science and Engineering Graduate Enrollment Drops

6/23/97
4:00 PM

Enrollment of science and engineering graduate students dropped for the second year in a row, according to a recent data brief from the National Science Foundation's Science Resources Studies division.

The total number of students fell from a high of 436,233 in 1993 to 423,922 in 1995. The numbers are likely to continue to decline, says Joan Burrelli, resource analyst and author of the brief. Burrelli says the number of first-year students have been declining since 1992.

The reason for the decline? Burrelli suggests the slump in the job market may be to blame.

Other findings of the study include:

The number of black, Hispanic and American Indian science and engineering graduate students has been increasing over the last several years. In 1995, the enrollment of blacks rose 4 percent; Hispanics, 6 percent; and American Indians, 10 percent.
The number of men enrolled in graduate science and engineering programs fell 3 percent in 1995, while the number of women increased 1 percent.
Between 1994 and 1995, the fields of study facing the biggest decreases include physics (down 6 percent), mathematical sciences (down 6 percent) and engineering (down 5 percent).
For the same period, increases were seen in agricultural sciences (up 2 percent) and biological sciences (up 1 percent). The number of students enrolled in social sciences remained stable.

For more information about the NSF, point your browser to http://www.nsf.gov

An Ounce of Prevention

6/23/97
3:59 PM

Ninety-eight percent of chief information officers (CIOs) agree that it is important to have a disaster recovery plan for catastrophes such as floods earthquakes and hurricanes; however, 25 percent of them do not have one in place.

Those numbers are the result of a nation-wide survey, developed by RHI Consulting. Conducted by an independent research firm, the survey polled 1,400 CIOs from a random sample of U.S. companies with more than 100 employees.

Another finding of the survey is that companies in the finance, insurance and real estate sector are the most prepared, with 95 percent of CIOs saying that their company has a disaster recovery plan in place. This is 20 points higher than the national average of 75 percent and significantly greater than all other industries.

For more information about RHI Consulting, point your browser http://www.rhic.com

The Sabre Group Reorganizes IT Divisions

6/9/97
11:03

The SABRE Group is combining its information technology (IT) dvisions ñ SABRE Decision Technologies and SABRE Computer Services - to facilitate its growth plans. The new division will bring together The SABRE Group's consulting outsourcing, applications development and data center operations.

Thomas M. Cook, formerly president of SABRE Decision Technologies, will become president of the new division. Bradford J. Boston, formerly president of SABRE Computer Services, will become the executive vice president.

For more information on The SABRE Group, point your browser to http://www.sabre.com

U.S. Students Earn Average Scores in Global Study

5/6/97
15:21

In an international examination of math and science skills, U.S. eighth graders finished in the middle of the pack. In the second part of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, researchers compared the work of half a million 12- and 13-year-olds from 41 countries. The report, revealed that American students tested above average in science and below average in mathematics.

The study, led by William H. Schmidt of Michigan State University, addressed the questions of math and science education at two levels. First, researchers compared the participating countries' eighth grade math and science curricula and teaching techniques. Second, the team measured the math and science skills through achievement tests, performance assessments and in-depth surveys. Schmidt said the results show that Americans didn't perform as poorly as "some people might expect, but not as well as we can and should achieve."

For a copy of the report, please point your browser to http://ustimss.msu.edu

CIOs Predict Robust IT Hiring in Second Quarter

5/6/97
15:16

The nation's chief information officers (CIOs) forecast a net 24 percent increase in the hiring of information technology professionals in the second quarter of 1997. Such are the findings of the recently-released RHI Consulting Information Technology Hiring Index. Other findings of the survey, which polled 1,400 CIOs from random U.S. companies, included:

26 percent plan to hire additional personnel in the next three months, while only 2 percent anticipate decreasing the size of their staff;
72 percent expect hiring activity to remain unchanged;
CIOs in the finance, insurance and real estate sector anticipate the strongest IT hiring activity with 53 percent expecting to increase their staff; and
mid-Atlantic states are expected to experience the most active hiring, with approximately 29 percent of CIOs expecting to add to their staff in the next three months.

For more information about RHI Consulting, send e-mail to Reesa McCoy Staten at [email protected]

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