TMCnet News

Knovel University Challenge Breaks Global Participation Records
[January 28, 2013]

Knovel University Challenge Breaks Global Participation Records


NEW YORK, NY, Jan 28, 2013 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Knovel, a leader in providing a Web-based application that integrates technical information with analytical and search tools, today announced the winners of the Seventh Annual Knovel University Challenge. The 2012 winners were chosen from the Challenge's most diverse participant group, with a ten percent overall increase in international participation compared to 2011.



Each year the Knovel University Challenge presents a series of questions on engineering-related topics, and students can use Knovel to research and find the answers. In 2012, the format of the contest changed to include new questions each week encouraging additional participation while also exposing users to new problems, tools and fresh content throughout the contest. The Challenge has become increasingly popular among engineering students and faculty around the world for introducing future engineers to top-notch resources as they learn how to research, problem solve and prepare for a competitive workforce.

In 2012, prizes were awarded weekly to students of top-participating universities, and at the conclusion of the contest period. The grand prize winner was Patrick Heider, a chemical engineering Ph.D. student from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A list of the 22 other prize recipients can be found at the University Challenge website.


"Knovel teaches you to search for engineering information," said Heider. "Rather than using a conventional search engine or delving into publications, often information can be more rapidly found using the specialized search features in Knovel." Five of the top 10 schools this year came from universities outside of the United States and Canada. The Middle East Technical University (METU), Istanbul Technical University, CETYS Universidad Campus Mexicali and National Cheng Kung University made their first debut on this list. Overall, schools in Mexico, Taiwan and Turkey had a strong showing.

The largest participation came from Oklahoma State University, with 670 total students. OSU's Engineering Librarian Kevin Drees incorporated the Knovel University Challenge in a graded homework assignment that he provided to more than 600 students in the freshman engineering orientation session.

Drees explains: "I included Knovel because the research shows that hands-on searching with a database in an instruction session followed by an assignment completed afterwards increases the likelihood that students anchor the memory of the respective database and its usefulness." For more information about the 2012 Knovel University Challenge, visit http://www.knoveluniversitychallenge.com/index.php.

Knovel was acquired by Elsevier in January 2013. For more information, please read the January 2013 press release.

About Knovel Knovel is a Web-based application integrating technical information with analytical and search tools to drive innovation and deliver answers engineers can trust. Knovel users include thousands of engineers and applied scientists worldwide. Knovel has more than 700 customers worldwide including 74 of the Fortune 500 companies, five of the Top 10 Constituents on the FTSE 100 Index and more than 400 leading universities. Knovel was acquired by Elsevier in January 2013. For more information, visit www.knovel.com or call (866) 240-8174.

About Elsevier Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Nursing Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading provider of professional information solutions in the Science, Medical, Legal and Risk and Business sectors, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Contact: Amy Burnis Knovel +1 (617) 803-8344 Email Contact www.knovel.com Todd Van Hoosear Fresh Ground, Inc.

+1 (617) 326-3211 Email Contact SOURCE: Knovel http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct id=977D51D70838C682 http://www.knovel.com/ http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct id=B3F5873EF9312798

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]