Aim/Purpose: This paper investigates the changing paradigms for technical skills that are needed by Data Engineers in 2018. Background: A decade ago, data engineers needed technical skills for Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS), such as Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server. With the advent of Hadoop and NoSQL Databases in recent years, Data Engineers require new skills to support the large distributed datastores (Big Data) that currently exist. Job demand for Data Scientists and Data Engineers has increased over the last five years. Methodology: This research methodology leveraged the Pig programming language that used MapReduce software located on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud. Data was collected from 100 Indeed.com job advertisements during July of 2017 and then was uploaded to the AWS Cloud. Using MapReduce, phrases/words were counted and then sorted. The sorted phrase / word counts were then leveraged to create the list of the 20 top skills needed by a Data Engineer based on the job advertisements. This list was compared to the 20 top skills for a Data Engineer presented by Stitch that surveyed 6,500 Data Engineers in 2016. Contribution: This paper presents a list of the 20 top technical skills required by a Data Engineer.

Aim/Purpose: The study describes empirical research into agile Requirements Engineering (RE) practices based on an analysis of data collected in a large higher education organization. Background: Requirements Engineering (RE) in agile development contexts is considerably different than in traditional software development. The field of agile RE is still nascent where there is a need to evaluate its impact in real-world settings. Methodology: Using a case study methodology, the study involved interviewing nine experienced software practitioners who reflected on the use and implementation of various agile RE practices in two software development projects of a student management system. Contribution: The primary contribution of the paper is the evaluation of agile RE practices in a large tertiary educational organization. Based on the analysis of the data, it provides valuable insights into the practice of agile RE in a specific context (i.e., education), but just as importantly, the ones that were omitted or replaced with others and why. Findings: While the evolutionary and iterative approach to defining requirements was followed in general, not all agile practices could be fully adhered to in the case organization. Although face-to-face communication with the customers has been recognized as one the most important agile RE practices, it was one of the most difficult practices to achieve with a large and diverse customer base. Addressing people issues (e.g., resistance to change, thinking, and mindset) was found to be a key driver to following the iterative RE process effectively. Contrary to the value-based approach advocated in the literature, the value-based approach was not strictly adhered to in requirements prioritization. Continuous integration was perceived to be a more beneficial practice than prototyping, as it allows frequent integration of code and facilitates delivering working software when necessary. Recommendations for Practitioners: Our study has important implications for practitioners. Based on our empirical analysis, we provide specific recommendations for effective implementation of agile RE practices. For example, our findings suggest that practitioners could address the challenges associated with limited face-to-face communication challenges by producing flexible, accessible, and electronic documentation to enable communication. Recommendations for Researchers: Researchers can use the identified agile RE practices and their variants to per-form in-depth investigations into agile requirements engineering in other educational contexts. Impact on Society: There are a number of new technologies that offer exciting new opportunities that can be explored to maximize the benefits of agile and other requirements techniques. Future Research: Future research could conduct case studies in different contexts and thus con-tribute to developing bundles or collections of practices to improve software development processes in specific contexts.

In order to reduce cost, improve functionality and gain competitive advantages, organizations resort to reengineering projects by developing and making changes to organizational processes. The absence of a unified methodology and appropriate analytic approaches prior to the implementation of reengineering projects has made authorities not to adopt correct decision making approaches in this respect. The objective of this paper is to propose a methodology that has to be adopted prior to the implementation of reengineering projects. The statistical population here consists of 25 expert analysts with MA and PhD degrees who are subject to answering a questionnaire. In this proposed methodology the Multi Criterion Decision Making model is applied to allow the analysts to select appropriate models for better and accurate implementation through the least failure coefficient. The Neyriz White Cement Corporation is selected as the subject and the obtained results are compared with the results obtained from similar implemented projects.

Aim/Purpose: The objective of this study is to summarize the challenges of Agile Requirements Engineering (Agile RE) in the public sector in republican and constitutional monarchy nations. Additionally, it offers recommendations to address these challenges. Background: Failure of IT projects in the public sector results in financial losses for the state and loss of public trust, often attributed to issues in requirements engineering such as prioritization of user needs and excessive scope of requirements. IT projects can have a higher success rate with Agile RE, but there are also drawbacks. Therefore, this study holds significance by presenting a thorough framework designed to pinpoint and overcome the challenges associated with Agile RE to increase the success rate of IT projects. Methodology: This study employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) protocol in the field of software engineering or related domains, which consists of three main phases: planning the review, conducting the review with a snowballing approach, and reporting the review. Furthermore, the authors perform open coding to categorize challenges based on the Agile methodologies adoption factor model and axial coding to map potential solutions. Contribution: The authors assert that this research enriches the existing literature on Agile RE, specifically within the public sector context, by mapping out challenges and possible solutions that contribute to creating a foundation for future studies to conduct a more in-depth analysis of Agile adoption in the public sector. Furthermore, it compares the barriers of Agile RE in the public sector with the general context, leading to the discovery of new theories specifically for this field. Findings: Most challenges related to Agile RE in the public sector are found in the people and process aspects. Project and organizational-related are subsequent aspects. Therefore, handling people and processes proficiently is imperative within Agile RE to prevent project failure. Recommendations for Practitioners: Our findings offer a comprehensive view of Agile RE in the public sector in republican and constitutional monarchy nations. This study maps the challenges encountered by the public sector and provides potential solutions. The authors encourage practitioners to consider our findings as a foundation for adopting Agile methodology in the public sector. Furthermore, this study can assist practitioners in identifying existing barriers related to Agile RE, pinpointing elements that contribute to overcoming those challenges, and developing strategies based on the specific needs of the organizations. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers have the potential to expand the scope of this study by conducting research in other countries, especially African countries, as this study has not yet encompassed this geographic region. Additionally, they can strengthen the evidence linking Agile RE challenges to the risk of Agile project failure by performing empirical validation in a specific country. Impact on Society: This research conducts a comprehensive exploration of Agile RE within the public sector, serving as a foundation for the successful adoption of Agile methodology by overcoming obstacles related to Agile RE. This study highlights the importance of managing people, processes, projects, and organizational elements to increase the success of Agile adoption in the public sector. Future Research: In the future, researchers should work towards resolving the limitations identified in this study. This study has not provided a clear prioritization of challenges and solutions according to their significance. Therefore, future researchers can perform a Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process (F-AHP) to prioritize the proposed solutions.

With this book, O’Regan efficiently addresses a wide range of ethical and legal issues in computing. It is well crafted, organized, and reader friendly, featuring many recent, relevant examples like tweets, fake news, disinformation

The 5th International EcoSummit Congress, EcoSummit 2016 - Ecological Sustainability: Engineering Change, will take place at The Corum Convention Centre, Montpellier from 29 August – 1 September 2016.

This conference series was founded in 1996 in Copenhagen, as a forum to meet the demands of scientists working in several new ecological disciplines, and who required a better understanding of the concepts and methods for a holistic use of ecology in environmental management. Since 1996, EcoSummit has been taken around the world (Canada and China), with EcoSummit 2012 hosting 1600 participants from 75 countries in Columbus, Ohio, USA.

EcoSummit 2016 will centre on the ecology of terrestrial ecosystems and all habitats that are integrated within those ecosystems, including river networks, wetlands and coastlines. 

More information: http://www.ecosummit2016.org/

On Oct. 8, Holcim Group announced the acquisition of OX Engineered Products, a leader in residential wall insulation and sheathing. The acquisition further strengthens Holcim’s commitment to expanding its comprehensive building envelope solutions beyond roofing, providing customers with a broader range of high-performance materials for residential and commercial construction.

From comfort, fit and dexterity to protection and durability features for harsh job site conditions, each high-performance glove from Makita meets the needs of the most demanding professional.

Holcim has completed its acquisition of OX Engineered Products, a leader in advanced wall insulation and sheathing solutions. OX Engineered Products will now operate as a standalone line of business within Holcim Building Envelope.

A team of Cal Poly architectural engineering (ARCE) students placed second in the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Seismic Design Competition (SDC) in early March in San Diego.

Luke Lombardi was recently honored with the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California Emerging Leader Award, recognizing his leadership on sustainability and innovation in California.

Ambi-Dex Gloves with Grippaz Technology feature a fish scale pattern for unparalleled grip performance.

Washington – The American Industrial Hygiene Association has published a fact sheet that aims to improve safety for workers in the nanotechnology industry.

Kidde Commercial will unveil its new branding and holistic commercial fire solution capabilities during ISC West, taking place in Las Vegas, March 28-31.

The strong growth of corporate security combined with the continuation of downsizing and outsourcing has created many opportunities for security consultants and specifying engineers. This is beyond the traditional uses

Struggling to figure out how to remove or minimize human error in the workplace? The simple answer is to adopt a three-step technological approach of “monitor, inspect and manage” to create an ecosystem of safety-focused operations that remove the human element’s risk.

Washington — Current NIOSH and industry regulations and professional guidelines aimed at preventing unintentional exposure to pathogens during the sterile processing of medical devices may not be sufficient to ensure provider and patient safety, results of a recent study suggest.

Washington — Protecting workers in the engineered stone industry from exposure to crystalline silica will be the topic of an OSHA webinar scheduled for March 14.

GMO is a common term used by consumers to describe foods that have been created through genetic engineering. While GMOs have been available to consumers since the early 1990s and are a common part of today's food supply, research shows consumers have limited knowledge and understanding about what GMOs are, why they are used, and how they are made.

Any milk dryer operation uses a lot of energy, and when you have the biggest operation in North America, you use…a lot of energy.

MycoTechnology, a Colorado-based manufacturer of mushroom-based protein powder, wins the 2020 Food Engineering Sustainable Plant of the Year award for its commitment to sustainability in design, construction and operations.

Sustainability efforts at Meati Foods’ Thornton, Colorado facility match the sustainable intent of the mycelium-based products it produces.

Both awards will be presented at Food Engineering’s Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference and Expo at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Fla. held April 8-11, 2018.

Valley Milk LLC has been named the winner of the 2019 Food Engineering Plant of the Year award for its new milk powder manufacturing facility in Turlock, Calif.

Submissions are now open for the 2020 Food Engineering Plant of the Year.

J.M. Smucker’s Longmont, Colo. production facility has been named the 2020 Food Engineering Plant of the Year.

J.M. Smucker's Longmont, Colo. facility is the 2020 Food Engineering Plant of the Year.

Submissions for the 2021 Food Engineering Plant of the Year award are now open.

Keurig Dr Pepper wins the 2021 Food Engineering Plant of the Year award for its production facility and regional distribution center in Allentown, Pennsylania.

We are now accepting entries for the 2022 Food Engineering Plant of the Year award. Submissions are due Friday, March 4, and eligible facilities need to have been completed in 2021 and opened by January 31, 2022.

We are now accepting entries for the 2022 Food Engineering Plant of the Year award. Submissions are due Friday, March 4, and eligible facilities need to have been completed in 2021 and opened by January 31, 2022.

We are now accepting entries for the 2023 Food Engineering Plant of the Year award. Submissions are due Tuesday, January 31, and eligible facilities need to have been completed in 2022 and opened by January 31, 2023.

Two expansion projects have earned this year’s honors, with the awards to be presented at the Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo in October.

The plant will be featured in the April cover story, and the award will be presented at the annual Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo.

Food Engineering's annual construction survey shows that tax cuts have encouraged construction and renovations, but the labor shortage is affecting those projects as well.

Construction remains steady in the food and beverage industry, but the full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are not yet known.

Construction of new food and beverage plants continues to see a strong upward trend despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s plant construction survey hit the highest number of projects ever recorded.

If you’ve ever played “Whac-A-Mole” on the boardwalk or at an arcade, you can get a sense of the frustration that both food and beverage processors and architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) firms are feeling in today’s economy—fix one problem, another pops up.