Equally alarming, international comparisons of student mathematics and science performance
indicate that U.S. students scored below average among industrialized countries [3]. U.S. 15-
year-olds ranked 27th out of the 39 countries participating in the 2003 Program for
International Student Assessment (PISA) examination, designed to assess students’ abilities
to apply scientific and mathematical concepts to real-world problems [6]. Furthermore, the
retention rate for engineering students is one of the lowest among all majors; one-third of all
U.S. students intending to pursue engineering change majors before graduating [4].