Briefly …

Providing energy design guidelines for schools, the U.S. Dept. of Energy has released a series of publications designed to help schools save significant sums of money in utility bills. The main thrust of the initiative is to instruct schools how to utilize energy-efficient designs compatible with their regional climates, with the ultimate goal of cost savings and creating comfortable environments more conducive to learning.

Total U.S. construction will drop 1.6% this year, and start to recover in 2003 with 1.4% growth, predicts construction economist Bill Toal. Formerly with the Portland Cement Association, Toal made the forecast at a recent gathering of CEOs at an event sponsored by Construction Market Data and the Construction Specifications Institute. The economist also noted other signs of approaching economic recovery such as an increase in industrial production and record low inflation and interest rates.

Why do women only account for 9% of engineering jobs? Seeking to answer this question, a recent study conducted by the University of California-San Diego, concludes that female students are more likely to drop out of engineering studies than males because they view math and science abilities as natural skills, and not necessarily something that can be learned.