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This paper describes the requirements, procedures, benefits, and results to date in the development of a dual degree program for engineering students from the Universidad of Monterrey (UDEM) and Nagaoka University of Technology (NUT), certainly the most successful program of its kind in Mexico because of its results and the peculiarities that had to be resolved. It is also an example of collaboration with regional industry, because there is a great amount of Japanese investment. In the fifteen years that the program has lasted, more than 100 students have graduated from Mechanical Engineering and Information Systems careers, and more than 20 Japanese professors have visited UDEM to evaluate and enrich the program. The program consists of an intensive Japanese-as-a-foreign-language program, in which UDEM students study Japanese ten hours each week (two hours a day), taught by two Japanese teachers based in Mexico. This program lasts five semesters. At the end of the program, students prepare for an entrance exam in the Japanese language that evaluates their engineering knowledge and their mastery of the technical Japanese language, spoken and written with Kanji. Those students who manage to pass the exam will spend the next four semesters in Nagaoka to complete their university degree. At NUT all instruction is in Japanese. At the end of nine semesters and successful completion of all requirements, NUT will grant a BS degree and UDEM will grant a licenciatura degree in engineering. This means that graduates will master three languages (Spanish, English, and Japanese), will have two degrees issued in two countries, and will have acquired significant international experience and intercultural sensitivity. This program is now in its 15th year. It has transformed lives and has helped to improve society by having global professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design, construction, and evaluation of an instructional module for 9th- 12th grade science and engineering students on the use of a Programmable Logic Controller and Ladder Logic Programming to save energy in a "Smart Room." This module was created as a result of the author's attending a Summer Research Experiences for Teachers program. The instructional module includes lecture and activity components. The lecture component covers the history of PLCs, how they work, and how to use Ladder Logic Programming to control input and output components in a "Smart Room". The lecture also provides a brief introduction to Boolean Logic as it is used for Ladder Logic programming. The activity component includes hands-on examples of how to design and build energy saving devices into a room lighting system, including use of a PLC to manage the room's lighting. Three evaluations are built into the lesson: pre-assessment, post-assessment and student evaluation of the lesson as a whole. The module was piloted in four high school engineering classes. Students worked in teams to build and successfully test AOI Logic and then build and test input/output controls for a "Smart Room" lighting system controlled by a PLC. Test results from the pre- and post-tests indicated that a high level of learning was achieved. In addition, the students all enjoyed the hands on experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]