IEEE Spectrum September, 2011 - 18

Motion
Capture in
Reverse
Engineers at Carnegie
Mellon University and
Disney Research, both
in Pittsburgh, have
turned the traditional
motion-capture
method on its head.
Instead of pointing
multiple cameras at
an actor to follow
his movements, the
engineers strapped
the cameras to
the actor's body.
A technique called
structure from
motion uses the
camera's images
to figure out how
the actor is moving.
Although this method
can't capture images
as well as Hollywood
techniques can, it can
record movements
outside the studio
that would be difficult
if not impossible
otherwise.

18

NA * Ieee Spectrum * September 2011

engineering shortage. "We
can help them construct
don't expect many engineers
models and solve problems.
will come, because among other
"Math is really an issue and
reasons, there is a shortage of
a big reason why lots of first-year
engineers across Europe," says
engineering students quit," says
Funk. "What we really need to
Robin Goebel, a student at the
do is educate more engineers."
Technical University Berlin. "But
The number of engineering
you need to box your way through-
students in Germany is growing
it's fundamental to engineering."
slightly. Around 40 000 will
Another challenge is attracting
graduate this year (up about
more women to engineering.
5000 from five years ago),
Germany today has around a
9000 of whom are in electrical
million engineers, 13 percent
and electronic engineering.
of whom are women, up from
With the aim of increasing
around 10 percent a decade
those numbers, the German
ago, according to VDI. Of the
engineering associations
384 000 students currently
are spearheading several
studying engineering in Germany,
promotional initiatives targeting
79 000 are female, says the
young students and are also
organization. (VDE estimates
lobbying lawmakers to establish
there are 85 000 women engineers
a nationwide educational policy
out of 700 000 engineers.)
for teaching technology in
While the engineering
primary and secondary schools.
associations have initiated
But if getting young people
various programs to encourage
into engineering is one challenge,
female students to study
keeping them there is another.
engineering, they admit that
The dropout rate among electrical it's tough going. "Many girls
engineering students in Germany are more interested in helping
is 50 percent, according to
people and society and don't see
Schanz. "There is much more
this possibility in engineering,"
potential to increase the number
Schanz says. "It will remain
of engineers by investing in
very hard to attract women to
dropouts rather than trying to
engineering-much harder than
attract young people who are
reducing the dropout rate."
less interested in engineering,"
But for those young men and
he says. The dropout problem,
women who master the math and
he adds, is often linked to math,
are interested in engineering,
which isn't taught sufficiently in
the doors to a promising career
many primary and secondary
are wide open in Germany.
schools and tends to dominate
"One of my professors told me
the first year of studies at
that no student will leave the
most engineering schools.
engineering department without
Some universities have
a job," says Goebel, who is
responded by offering greater
specializing in environmental
support during the first year of
technology and renewablestudy, providing math refresher
energy systems. "That's certainly
courses and mentoring programs. encouraging."
-John Blau
Some are also involving students
directly in hands-on projects
A version of this article appeared
to show them how math skills
online in August 2011.
spectrum.ieee.org

CarneGie mellon university/ disney researCh

news
brief

VDE estimates a shortage of
6000 electrical and electronic
engineers in 2011, up from 3000
last year and 1000 the year
before, when the global economic
and financial crisis slammed
Germany. The country has some
170 000 EEs today. VDI, which
calculates its figures differently,
reported 18 000 open EE positions
in June, up from 11 000 a year ago.
Policymakers in Berlin have
responded to the shortage of
skilled workers with a number
of measures, including changes
in immigration rules that allow
German companies to hire
engineers from other countries,
including those outside the
European Union. Among the
measures: The annual salary that
companies must pay foreigners
has been lowered from €66 000
(US $95 000) to €40 000, which is
roughly the starting salary of an
engineering graduate in Germany.
The government is also sponsoring
programs to attract engineers
from Spain, Greece, and other
European countries suffering
from high unemployment.
To make it easy for engineers to
move around Europe, engineering
associations and other groups
across Europe are working with
the European Commission (the
executive arm of the European
Union) to launch the new
Engineering Card. The card,
which German engineers can
apply for now and other countries
are planning to offer, provides
standardized information about
the engineer's qualifications and
skills for greater transparency.
Lars Funk, head of the
profession and society division
at VDI, welcomes these measures
by the German government and
the EU, but he doesn't believe
they will solve the country's
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum September, 2011
