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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alfreda Samira James, Stony Brook University; Marianna Savoca, Stony Brook University; Monica Bugallo, Stony Brook University; Catherine A Scott

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Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

Future STEM Leaders: An Innovative Career Readiness Program for STEM Graduate StudentsAbstractFuture STEM Leaders: An Innovative Career Readiness Program for STEM Graduate Studentsprepares future leaders of the STEM workforce through a cross-departmental initiative todevelop student transferable skills, activate mentor networks, and instill confidence in theirability to attain their career goals. The program encourages traditionally underrepresentedstudents in STEM (including but not limited to women, minorities, and persons with disabilities)to participate and draws from a unique and broad set of partners at the university, includingfaculty in the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences, the central Career Center’s careerdevelopment and

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bryce E. Hughes, Montana State University; Emmanuel Tetteh Teye, Montana State University; Nickolas Lambert, Montana State University

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Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

, constructing one’s sense of self throughconstant development and self-reflection [5]. It includes the traits and characteristics, socialrelations, roles, and social group memberships that define who a person is within a particularsetting. Engineering identity, especially for students, reflects their acceptance of and recognitionas part of the engineering field, influencing their decision to enter and persist in the field [6].When students possess a strong engineering identity, they tend to perceive themselves as futureengineers, fostering their commitment to their pursuit of an engineering career [7]. This identitycontinues to impact their learning, serving as a guiding force throughout their studies [8]. Morelock synthesized the disperse

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Deana Lucas, Purdue University, West Lafayette ; Rebecca Martinez, Purdue Polytechnic Graduate Programs

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were marked by a blend of learning,collaboration, and growth. Our experiences offer an illustration of this dynamic interplaybetween individual skill development and collaborative research endeavors. We relay insight intothe interconnectedness of personal growth and collaborative research endeavors, highlighting thetransformative potential inherent in graduate student involvement within research teams,depicted below:Deana"I first joined the research team during my first semester of graduate school, where I wouldpartake in meetings with Rebecca and a faculty member from the anthropology department, aswell as my mentor from engineering/technology. Rebecca and I started having our own meetingswhere she would teach me how to use different

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Satchi Venkataraman, San Diego State University; Dustin B. Thoman, San Diego State University; Susan Wainscott, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Jose E Castillo, San Diego State University

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experiences and lessons learned in the design and development of aprofessional development course designed for first year graduate students in an interdisciplinarycomputational science program, under an NSF S-STEM grant funded project titled "AcademicSupport, Career Training, and Professional Development to Improve Interdisciplinary GraduateEducation for the Next Generation of Computational Scientists and Engineers". Herein wediscuss the development and implementation of this two-semester course sequence (1 credit eachsemester). The course modules included (a) Understanding the academic challenges, goals andtimelines in the interdisciplinary computational science program, (b) Individual DevelopmentPlanning, (c) Career Exploration, (d) Communication

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

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Anna-Lena Dicke, University of California, Irvine; Athena Wong, University of California, Irvine; David A. Copp, University of California, Irvine; Analia E. Rao, University of California, Irvine; Lorenzo Valdevit

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Paper ID #43367Board 423: What Drives You? Exploring the Motivations and Goals of Low-IncomeEngineering Transfer Students for Pursuing EngineeringAnna-Lena Dicke, University of California, Irvine Dr. Dicke is an Associate Project Scientist within the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. In her research, she aims to understand how students’ motivation and interest in the STEM fields can be fostered to secure their educational persistence and long-term career success. Trying to bridge the gap between theory and practice, she is currently involved in an NSF-funded project aimed at fostering the

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shane A. Brown P.E., Oregon State University; Prateek Shekhar, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Jeff Knowles, Oregon State University; Stephanie Adams, Oregon State University

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Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

Paper ID #42641Board 230: Contextualized Scaffolding for Engineering Faculty to Facilitatethe Adoption of EBIPsDr. Shane A. Brown P.E., Oregon State University Shane Brown is aprofessor and Associate School Head in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University. His research interests include conceptual change and situated cognition. He received the NSF CAREER that initiated his work studying engineering student and practitioners understanding and use of engineering concepts.Dr. Prateek Shekhar, New Jersey Institute of Technology Prateek Shekhar is an Assistant Professor – Engineering Education

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

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Eileen Johnson, University of Michigan; Sara Rose Vohra, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Jeanne Sanders, University of Michigan; Joseph Francis Mirabelli, University of Michigan; Andrea J Kunze, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Karin Jensen, University of Michigan

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Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

aculture focused on wellness should encourage this kind of learning rather than shame it.Diminishing the power of shame could contribute to an environment that participants commonlydescribed as cultivating wellness, like Jane outlined, “something where students feel as if theycan be vulnerable with everyone.” Vulnerability and Communication between members of thecommunity is characterized by open dialogue without judgement or fear of retribution. One wayto have these productive and positive interactions is by actively being vulnerable with everyone,even (or especially) when one person holds more power than the other, such as faculty and staffdo with students. For example, Jason imagined a situation where their students are comfortablewith

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Samantha Ruth Brunhaver, Arizona State University, Polytechnic Campus; Cecilia La Place, Arizona State University, Polytechnic Campus; Joshua Owusu Ansah, Arizona State University; Rachel Figard, Arizona State University; Rashmi Wimansa Neelawathura, Arizona State University, Polytechnic Campus

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

Paper ID #44010Board 272: Examining the Catalysts and Barriers that Early-Career EngineersExperience to Their Adaptability at WorkDr. Samantha Ruth Brunhaver, Arizona State University, Polytechnic Campus Samantha Brunhaver, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor within The Polytechnic School of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. Her primary areas of research include engineering career pathways and decision-making, undergraduate student persistence, professional engineering practice, and faculty mentorship. Brunhaver is a mixed-methods researcher, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lazlo Stepback, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Paul A. Leidig P.E., Purdue University, West Lafayette; William C. Oakes, Purdue University, West Lafayette

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Paper ID #42754Board 360: Reflections from Graduates on the Impact of Engineers WithoutBorders USA Experiences on Professional PreparationLazlo Stepback, Purdue University, West Lafayette Lazlo Stepback is a PhD student in Engineering Education at Purdue University. His current research interests focus on engineering ethics, the connections between personal morals and professional ethics, and how students ethically develop as engineers. He earned a B.S. in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines (Golden, CO) in 2020.Paul A. Leidig P.E., Purdue University, West Lafayette Paul A. Leidig works in

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ryan Scott Hassler, Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus; Catherine L. Cohan, Pennsylvania State University; Dawn Pfeifer Pfeifer Reitz, The Pennsylvania State University; Sonia Delaquito, Pennsylvania State University; Janelle B Larson, Pennsylvania State University; Rungun Nathan, Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus

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habits and pleasures of good scholarship. Thecommon read used in the FYS class is Atomic Habits by James Clear. Working with a familiarfaculty member and one of the same student mentors from Engineering Ahead, the first semesterstudents explore the expectations of personal integrity, level of effort, and civility on a universitycampus. In addition to providing academic support for their entry level mathematics and sciencecourses, an additional curriculum component of FYS is career exploration. Throughout thecourse, students refine their resume and communication skills and take part in the largeruniversity career fair. Further, this course provides several opportunities for students to visit localindustries and extend collaborations with alumni

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karcher Morris, University of California, San Diego; Jaclyn Duerr, University of California, San Diego; Saharnaz Baghdadchi, University of California, San Diego; Bill Lin, University of California, San Diego

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-yearbaccalaureate institution, obtain an engineering undergraduate or graduate degree, and, finally,transition into an engineering-oriented career. These are major transitions. Schlossberg hasidentified factors that influence an individual’s ability to cope with their experienced transitions,namely, situation, self, support, and strategies. Through this lens, the transfer experiences andtransfer shocks undergone by these ambitious students may be better understood and improved.A partnership between a 4-year institution, the University of California San Diego (UCSD), andtwo community colleges, Imperial Valley College (IVC) and Southwestern College (SWC), hasbeen formed to better understand and support transfer engineering students as they make

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Julie M. Smith, CSEdResearch.org; Monica McGill, Institute for Advanced Engineering; Jacob Koressel; Bryan Twarek

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Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

a high school graduation requirement should include, how that course should alignwith Advanced Placement (AP) and post-secondary CS instruction, and what pathways shouldexist for students after that introductory high school course.The portion of the project highlighted in this article contains an analysis of data collected fromfocus groups (n = 21), interviews (n = 10), and an in-person convening of participants fromK-12, post-secondary, industry, and administrative roles (n = 35). The data is centered ondetermining what CS content is essential for all high school students. Participants consideredknowledge, skills, and dispositions across a range of CS and CS-adjacent topics and, through avariety of activities, described what new content

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

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Corey T Schimpf, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York; Shanna R. Daly, University of Michigan; Leslie Bondaryk, The Concord Consortium; Jutshi Agarwal, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York; Carolyn S Giroux; Stephanie L. Harmon, PIMSER, Eastern Kentucky University; Enqiao (Annie) Fan, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York; Jacqueline Handley, Purdue University, West Lafayette; A Lynn Stephens, The Concord Consortium

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York Jutshi Agarwal is a Postdoctoral Associate with the Department of Engineering Education at the University at Buffalo. She was the first doctoral student to get a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from the University of Cincinnati. She also has a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from SRM University, India. Her research areas of interest are graduate student professional development for a career in academia, preparing future faculty, and using AI tools to solve non-traditional problems in engineering education. She is currently also furthering work on the agency of engineering

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

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Jelena Trajkovic, California State University, Long Beach ; Lisa M Martin-Hansen, California State University, Long Beach; Anna Bargagliotti, Loyola Marymount University; Christine Alvarado, University of California, San Diego; Cassandra M Guarino, University of California, Riverside; Janel Ancayan, California State University, Long Beach; Joseph Alex Chorbajian, California State University, Long Beach; Kent Vi, California State University, Long Beach

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record-high numbers of CS majors, and manyprograms need to limit admission to the CS major or courses [4]. University and CS departmentpolicies have an important role in the decision of who has access to CS and, consequently, whocan obtain the degree. Even though Camp at al. [4] report growth in the representation of womenand students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, the demographic of CS students ishighly skewed toward males versus females and has skewed racial/ethnic distributions [4, 5]. CShas particularly imbalanced gender and racial/ethnic distribution within student populations [6],resulting in imbalanced representation in the workforce. For example, Fry et al. [7] found thatHispanic and African American workers are quite

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Emmabeth Parrish Vaughn, Austin Peay State University; Lily Skau, Austin Peay State University; Bobette Dawn Bouton, Austin Peay State University

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

, where her thesis topic was Nanoparticle Diffusion in Polymer Networks. Her research interests include polymer physics, nanoparticle diffusion, and engineering and physics education.Lily Skau, Austin Peay State University Lily Skau is an undergraduate student at Austin Peay State University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics and a minor in Mathematics and Sociology. She plans to graduate with her degree and minors in May of 2026 and enter the industry as a Mechanical Engineer.Dr. Bobette Dawn Bouton, Austin Peay State University Dr. Bobette Bouton is an associate professor at Austin Peay State University. Her current area of research is socio-emotional development in the domain of empathy. She is a

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott Streiner, University of Pittsburgh; Daniel D. Burkey, University of Connecticut; Kevin D. Dahm, Rowan University; Richard Tyler Cimino, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Tori Wagner, University of Connecticut

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

often place undue emphasis on the categorization ofknowledge and skills, while not sufficiently addressing the process through which studentsnavigate and act on ethical dilemmas. This, we posit, is an area that needs redefining, given thatethical decision-making is rarely a linear process with single objective “right” answers and ofteninvolves iterative reasoning and interactive engagement with the problem. As such, we havedeveloped a suite of ethics-driven classroom games that have been implemented and evaluatedacross three universities, engaging over 400 first-year engineering students over the past 3 years.Now in the grant’s final year, we are finishing the design of two of the game-based ethicsinterventions to (1) more accurately align with

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela R Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder; Lupita D Montoya, University of Colorado, Boulder; Andrea Ferro, Clarkson University; Cesunica E. Ivey, University of California, Berkeley; Shakira Renee Hobbs, University of California Irvine; Maya A Trotz, University of South Florida; Cliff I. Davidson, Syracuse University; Susan J. Masten P.E., Michigan State University; Sheryl H Ehrman, San Jose State University; Chang-yu Wu, University of Florida

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), American Society ofMechanical Engineers (ASME)), EnvE activities are dispersed across an array of professionalsocieties. Key professional societies that EnvE faculty engage with often have a narrower focuson their particular research interests. A number of these groups are partners in the SPACESeffort (see Table 1). The Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors(AEESP) is comprised primarily of academics including faculty and graduate students. AmongAEESP members, 89% engage in research on water/wastewater, 26% on soil and sediment, 21%on energy, and 14% on air (on average, each respondent identified 1.7 topics among optionsprovided in a recent survey) [3].Table 1. Examples of EnvE Related Professional Organizations

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yanxia Jia, Arcadia University; Tiantian Wang, The University of Texas at San Antonio; Chaomei Chen, Drexel University; Yu-Fang Jin, The University of Texas at San Antonio

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

research activities outside the classroom, such as participatingin summer research internships, fellowships, programs, and guided research projects.Undergraduate research experience serves as a valuable platform for fostering students' interestin research, attracting more individuals to pursue advanced degrees in Science, Technology,Engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related fields, and cultivating a well-trained and diverseworkforce in STEM careers. The impacts and benefits of the REU program have been confirmedby several large-scale surveys [1-6].Recognizing the importance of involving undergraduate students in meaningful research andscholarly activity alongside faculty members [6], numerous REU sites have garnered supportfrom various agencies

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katherine Acton, University of St. Thomas; Jennifer E. Holte, University of St. Thomas; Deborah Besser, University of St. Thomas; Kundan Nepal, University of St. Thomas

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

career mentoring is the key to setting students up for a smoothtransfer experience. The APEX faculty in the School of Engineering have implemented aproactive faculty mentoring initiative aimed at supporting students who may transfer from anumber of our local 2-year colleges. APEX Faculty members visit classes at nearby communitycolleges to connect directly with students. Over the past two years - these visits have taken theform of both on-campus as well as virtual visits via Zoom/Teams. The APEX faculty mentorsprovide an overview of the undergraduate engineering programs, the various student focusedsupport structures, the transfer process, financial aid and scholarships. More importantly, facultyhighlight the benefits of expressing an interest

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Claire L. A. Dancz, Clemson University; Elizabeth A Adams P.E., California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Nihal Orfi, Fresno City College; Emily Evans, Magnolia Consulting

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Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

a betterunderstanding of engineering research (Figure 3).Figure 3. FCC Scholar Ratings of the Personal/Academic Outcomes of Faculty Mentoring (n = 6)As part of the ESP, scholars had the opportunity to mentor students in subsequent cohorts. CohortA served as peer mentors for Cohort B in year 2, while Cohort B students provided peer mentorsupport to Cohort C in year 3, and during the fourth year students in Cohort C provided mentoringto students in Cohort D. An Engineering Scholar faculty team member provided peer mentors withtraining, during which they learned about effective mentoring, received guidelines on their role,and received resources to support them as peer mentors. The faculty team supported mentorsthroughout the academic year

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

EC Cline, University of Washington, Tacoma; Heather Dillon, University of Washington; Amanda K Sesko, University of Washington, Tacoma; Marc Nahmani; Zaher Kmail, University of Washington, Tacoma; Joyce Dinglasan-Panlilio; Seung-Jin Lee, University of Washington, Tacoma; Emily Cilli-Turner, University of San Diego; Elin A. Björling, University of Washington

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1. Briefly, the centerpiece of the program is our quarterly Success inSTEM seminar, which students take every quarter for their first two years at University ofWashington Tacoma. Through these weekly sessions, students connect with each other and withtheir faculty cohort mentor, learning to support each other through challenging times,developing a growth mindset towards their academic journey, understanding barriers that leadto equity gaps in STEM such as stereotype threat and imposter syndrome, and building a senseof belonging and self-efficacy. The seminar allows participants to explore co-curricularopportunities (e.g., student clubs), campus resources such as disability services and financial aidoffices, and career preparation, while

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nellone Eze Reid, New Jersey Institute of Technology

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Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

Science, New York University) Elizabeth Hervias (Chemical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology) Maryom Rahman (Chemical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology) Amina Anowara (Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Princeton University)B. Mentor PoolThe research projects performed by the undergraduate students during the summer REU will be within theareas of diagnosis, therapy, and mechanistic modeling of cancer systems. To further this intellectualcuriosity and the innovation spirit, the chosen faculty members are renowned, including multiple NSFawardees (2 NSF Career Award winners). The faculty members have a diverse intellectual focus in cancer,from diagnostic devices, machine learning, and mechanism to therapeutic

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monika Neda, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Jacimaria Ramos Batista, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Jorge Fonseca Cacho, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Vanessa W. Vongkulluksn Ph.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Mei Yang, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

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Dr. Vongkulluksn is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Psychology program at University of Nevada Las Vegas. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California. Her research examines student engagement as situated in specific learning contexts. She specializes in cognitive engagement in STEM learning, particularly in technology-integrated learning environments and for traditionally underserved students.Mei Yang, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Dr. Mei Yang is a full professor and the graduate coordinator at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her research interests include computer

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brittany Paige Trubenstein, Angelo State University

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Paper ID #42108Board 295: HSI Planning Project: Integrative Undergraduate STEM Educationat Angelo State University (I-USE ASU Grant #2122828)Dr. Brittany Paige Trubenstein, Angelo State University Dr. Paige Trubenstein (or Dr. T) is an Angelo State alumna who graduated from ASU in 2015 with her Bachelor of Science in psychology. She attended the University of California, Riverside, where she obtained her master’s degree in developmental psychology in 2017 and her Ph.D. in developmental psychology in 2020. She eagerly returned to ASU as a faculty member in the fall of 2019, and she teaches multiple undergraduate and

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NSF Grantees Poster Session

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2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katherine G. Herbert-Berger, Montclair State University; Thomas J Marlowe, Seton Hall University; Vaibhav Anu, Montclair State University; Stefan A Robila, Montclair State University

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Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

seeming onerous or impossible, and steer clear of unnecessary social and personal triggers.Developing such a curriculum, enabling students to see a direct application to their lives increasesmotivation and fosters interaction. Such inclusion of students’ lives can help to break down racialand gender barriers regarding students’ beliefs about who can be a data or computer scientist.NJ is at a crossroads with K-12 Computer Science Education. The state is still developing itscomputer science education standards and outlining required faculty expertise for school districts,making the student and teacher experience variable across the region and even within districts.While many faculty are taking advantage of services and opportunities from

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Burcu Ozden, Pennsylvania State University; Andrei Blinkouski, Pennsylvania State University; Matthew A. Fury, Pennsylvania State University; Michael Kagan, Pennsylvania State University; John Majewicz, Pennsylvania State University; Laura McGhee, The Pennsylvania State University; Zafer Hatahet, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott

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Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

, and ethnic diversity. Among its 3100 undergraduate students,around 39% are recipients of Pell grants, and 29% are pursuing majors in STEM fields. Thecampus faces challenges as a significant number of students come from K-12 systems thathaven't adequately prepared them for college-level math and science. Additionally, manystudents work over 20 hours per week, often off-campus, and spend an average of 2 hours dailycommuting on public transportation.These circumstances contribute to lower retention and graduation rates, particularly affectingstudents from racial and ethnic minorities who are already underrepresented in the STEMworkforce. Notably, recent data shows that only about 45% of all majors manage to graduatewith a bachelor's degree