James Rowland: Pioneering through FIE and ABET

James RowlandJames Rowland has been a faculty member in electrical engineering since 1966. Jim began his academic career at the Georgia Institute of Technology, before going home to Oklahoma State University in 1971, and proceeding to the University of Kansas in 1985. He has won numerous awards for his excellence in teaching, specifically in the area of controls. Jim’s biggest contribution to engineering education has been his activities involving the Frontiers in Education conference. Additionally, Jim has performed over 35 engineering program accreditation visits as a program evaluator for ABET.

The profile below was authored by Adam Carberry, Arizona State University, based on an interview with Dr. Rowland in 2014.

Dr. James Rowland
Professor
University of Kansas

B.S., Electrical Engineering, Oklahoma State University, 1962
M.S., Electrical Engineering, Purdue University, 1964
Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Purdue University, 1966

Continue reading James Rowland: Pioneering through FIE and ABET

David Voltmer: “Off the deep end” with engineering education

David VoltmerDavid Voltmer taught engineering at Rose-Hulman for 32 years, and prior to that was on the faculty at Penn State University. He is an ASEE Fellow, has served as a Member of the IEEE Education Society AdCom and as an officer in the Electrical Engineering division and Educational Research Methods division of ASEE. He has also been very involved in the Frontiers in Education conferences.

The profile below was authored by Cheryl Allendoerfer, University of Washington, based on an interview with Dr. Voltmer by Alisha Diggs in 2014.

Dr. David Voltmer
Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1970
M.S.E.E., University of Southern California, 1963
B.S.E.E., Iowa State University, 1961

Continue reading David Voltmer: “Off the deep end” with engineering education

Ruth Streveler: Following the shiniest thing

Ruth StrevelerRuth Streveler entered the field of engineering education research through the education side, rather than through engineering. When she brought her expertise in teaching and learning to the Colorado School of Mines, she became particularly interested in engineering education, due to the engineering-focused setting.  Dr. Streveler helped lead the Rigorous Research in Engineering Education (RREE) workshops, and is currently faculty in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She is heavily guided by her intuition for “shiny things,” and sees engineering education as a discipline so new that everybody has to blaze their own path through it.

The profile below was authored by Mel Chua, Purdue University, based on an interview with Dr. Streveler in 2014.

Dr. Ruth Streveler
Associate Professor
Purdue University, School of Engineering Education

Ph.D., Educational Psychology, University of Hawaii, Manoa, 1993
M.S., Zoology, The Ohio State University, 1977
B.A., Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, 1975

Continue reading Ruth Streveler: Following the shiniest thing

David F. Radcliffe: Pioneering the “other space”

David RadcliffeDavid Radcliffe has served as a scholar and innovator in that “other space” of engineering design and practice for nearly 40 years across two continents (Australia and the U.S.). He currently serves as Head of Engineering Education and Epistemology Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Dr. Radcliffe’s current scholarly pursuits include exploring the career trajectories of graduate students and faculty in the field, as well as the processes through which industry engineers-in-practice continue to learn throughout their careers. His administrative passions center on the development and success of engineering education faculty who may one day constitute a new cadre of “pioneers.”

The profile below was authored by Wayne J. Hilson, Jr., Indiana University, based on an interview with Dr. Radcliffe in 2014.

David F. Radcliffe
Kamyar Haghighi Head of Engineering Education and Epistemology Professor of Engineering Education
Purdue University

Ph.D., Bioengineering, Strathclyde University (Scotland), 1978
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Queensland (Australia), 1974
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Queensland (Australia), 1972 Continue reading David F. Radcliffe: Pioneering the “other space”

Thomas Litzinger: Never give up, never surrender

Tom LitzingerTom Litzinger has worked at Penn State University since 1985. He began his career there as assistant professor of mechanical engineering and held a leadership role in the NSF-funded ECSEL Coalition. He is currently the Assistant Dean for Educational Innovation and Accreditation in the College of Engineering, and Director of the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education, which collaborates with the engineering departments to bring continuing improvements to Penn State’s undergraduate engineering programs and to provide instructional support to faculty.

The profile below was authored by Gina Adam, University of California Santa Barbara, based on an interview with Dr. Litzinger in 2014.

Dr. Thomas Litzinger

Director, Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education
Assistant Dean for Educational Innovation and Accreditation, College of Engineering
Pennsylvania State University

Ph.D., Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, 1986
M.Eng., Mechanical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1981
B.S., Nuclear Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 1977

Continue reading Thomas Litzinger: Never give up, never surrender

Richard Culver: A career of markers and flexibility

Richard CulverRichard (Dick) Culver has held faculty and administrative positions at a variety of academic institutions around the world. With a career focused on encouraging the intellectual development of undergraduates, he was critical to the development of EPICS (Engineering Practices Introductory Course Sequence) at Colorado School of Mines and DTeC (Design Technology and Communication) at SUNY-Binghamton. Through the development of these programs, he was one of the first to apply psychological models of development in engineering education.

 The profile below was authored by James Pembridge, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, based on an interview with Dr. Culver in 2014.

Dr. Richard S. Culver
Professor Emeritus, Mechanical Engineering
State University of New York – Binghamton

Ph.D., Mechanics of Materials, Cambridge University, 1964
M.Sc., Engineering Mechanics, Stanford University, 1960
B.E.M.E, Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, 1959

Continue reading Richard Culver: A career of markers and flexibility

Eli Fromm: Bringing engineering into the first-year experience

Eli FrommEli Fromm has held many positions at Drexel University, including teaching in the biological sciences and electrical engineering departments, as well as senior administrative positions. After more than 20 years in bioengineering research, he was instrumental in curriculum reform for the freshman/sophomore engineering experience starting in 1988 with the E4 program (Enhanced Educational Experience for Engineering Students). In 1992, he started the Gateway Coalition program, which implemented many of the same ideas as E4 (with significant extensions) at ten partner institutions. This program helped shine a spotlight on engineering education reform throughout the country.

This profile was authored by Matthew W. Priddy, Georgia Institute of Technology, based on an interview with Dr. Fromm in 2014.

Dr. Eli Fromm

Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Leroy A. Brothers University Professor
Director, Educational Research & Development
Drexel University

Ph.D., Bioengineering/Physiology, Jefferson Medical College, 1967
M.S., Engineering, Drexel University, 1964
B.S., Electrical Engineering, Drexel University, 1962

Continue reading Eli Fromm: Bringing engineering into the first-year experience

Lawrence P. Grayson: If you truly believe in it, just do it

Lawrence P. Grayson got started in engineering education in the 1960s. He is past president of the American Society for Engineering Education and has received numerous awards, including the Hoover Medal, the George Washington Medal, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA Award for Distinguished Contributions to Engineering Professionalism. As a member of ASEE’s Educational Research and Methods (ERM) Division, he led a variety of successful projects to raise the profile of effective teaching and learning nationwide, during a time when teaching was not valued or recognized nearly as much as research in the university setting. His efforts included the resurrection of the ERM Division’s effectiveness and membership, the coordination of 12 regional workshops on effective teaching for every ASEE region in the nation, and the main plenary on “Teaching Really Matters” at the 1971 ASEE Annual Conference, among other initiatives.

The profile below was authored by Janet Y. Tsai, University of Colorado Boulder, based on an interview with Dr. Grayson in 2014.

Dr. Lawrence P. Grayson
Visiting Scholar, School of Philosophy at The Catholic University of America

Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn
Honorary Doctor of Engineering, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Continue reading Lawrence P. Grayson: If you truly believe in it, just do it

Cindy Finelli: Community building and envisioning the future of engineering education research

Photo of Cindy FinelliCindy Finelli started her career as an engineering faculty at Kettering University, where she created the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. She joined the University of Michigan in 2003 to establish and direct the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching in Engineering. Over the past decade, she has built a strong community for engineering education research at the University of Michigan, and she has spread the mission of engineering education research to a broader, international audience through her scholarly work and professional service. In 2015, University of Michigan launched a unique initiative to hire tenured/tenure-track faculty whose primary area of scholarship is engineering education research and whose appointment is in a traditional engineering department. As a tenured electrical and computer engineering faculty member, Cindy is the first one of those faculty.

The profile below was authored by Xiaofeng Tang, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, based on an interview with Dr. Finelli in 2014.

Dr. Cindy Finelli
Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Associate Professor, Education
Director, Engineering Education Research
University of Michigan

Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1993
M.S.E., Electrical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1989
B.S.E., Electrical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1988

Continue reading Cindy Finelli: Community building and envisioning the future of engineering education research

Sue Kemnitzer: Broadening participation in engineering

Photo of Sue KemnitzerSue Kemnitzer has served as Deputy Director of the Division of Engineering Education and Centers of the National Science Foundation since 1990. Previously, she was Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior and Budget Examiner at the Office of Management and Budget. She has focused on supporting research on how students learn engineering and on broadening participation in engineering fields.

The profile below was authored by Cheryl Allendoerfer, University of Washington, based on an interview with Dr. Kemnitzer in 2014.

Dr. Sue Kemnitzer
Deputy Division Director of Engineering and Centers
National Science Foundation

Ph.D.
M.S., Science, Technology & International Affairs, George Washington University
B.S., Psychology/Physiology/Golf; UCLA, 1970

Continue reading Sue Kemnitzer: Broadening participation in engineering