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A Pilot Program for the Recruitment and Education of Navy Veterans Based on System-level Technical Expertise and Leadership Maturation Developed during Service

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Conference

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

New Orleans, Louisiana

Publication Date

June 26, 2016

Start Date

June 26, 2016

End Date

June 29, 2016

ISBN

978-0-692-68565-5

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Understanding the Military Veteran's Human Resource Needs - Transition from Military Service to the Engineering Profession

Tagged Division

Military and Veterans Constituent Committee

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

11

DOI

10.18260/p.26391

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/26391

Download Count

547

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Paper Authors

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Anthony W Dean Old Dominion University

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Dr. Anthony W. Dean has had several roles in academia. His previous appointments include Associate Professor of Engineering Technology and as Associate Director of the Institute for Ship Repair, Maintenance, and Operations at Old Dominion University (ODU). He is currently on assignment with the Office of the Dean for Sponsored Programs and the Engineering Fundamentals Department, Batten College of Engineering and Technology (BCET) at ODU. His research has focused mostly on control systems (integration and testing) and the reliability and maintainability of complex systems. He has been selected as both a NASA and an ONR Faculty Fellow. He regularly teaches courses in Marine Engineering and in Maintained Systems. Most recently Dr. Dean was on the Headquarters Staff the American Society of Naval Engineers. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, and a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering Technology, from the Batten College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University. Additionally, Dr. Dean received an MBA from the College of William and Mary. Prior to is academic career Dr. Dean was Director of Operations and Business Development for Clark-Smith Associates, P.C., and served as an Electrician in the US Navy aboard the USS South Carolina and the USS Enterprise.

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Connor Schwalm Old Dominion University

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Connor Schwalm earned his B.S. in Physics from Old Dominion University in 2014. Currently, he is an Graduate Student in the Engineering Management and System Engineering Program at Old Dominion University working towards his M.E. in Systems Engineering with an expected graduation of August 2016. Currently, he works as a Graduate Research Assistant for Dr. Tony Dean on Stern2STEM, a pilot program to increase the student veteran population and retention rates in STEM disciplines. His interests include, Cyber Security Resiliency, Risk and Vulnerability Governance, Academia-Industry Connections, and Broadening Participating in Engineering and Engineering Technology.

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Patrick Sean Heaney Old Dominion University

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Patrick Heaney is a graduate student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Old Dominion University.

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Linda Vahala Old Dominion University

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Dr. Linda Vahala received her B.S..degree from the University of Illinois in 1969, an M.S. degree from the University of Iowa in 1971, and a Ph.D from Old Dominion University in 1983. Her publications include articles in both plasma physics and atomic physics with an emphasis on laser interactions with plasma and with neutral/rare gas collisions. She has presented her work at various international workshops and meetings, both in Europe and in the United States. She is currently Associate Dean and Director of the Engineering Fundamentals Division at ODU. In 1995, she received the Peninsula Engineer of the Year award.

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Yuzhong Shen Old Dominion University

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Yuzhong Shen received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Fudan University, Shanghai, China, M.S. degree in Computer Engineering from Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, and Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware. His research interests include computer graphics, visualization, serious games, signal and image processing, and modeling and simulation. Dr. Shen is currently an Associate Professor of the Department of Modeling, Simulation, and Visualization Engineering and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Old Dominion University. He is also affiliated with Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center (VMASC). Dr. Shen is a Senior Member of IEEE.

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Jennifer Grimsley Michaeli P.E. Old Dominion University

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Dr. Michaeli is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Technology of Old Dominion University. She received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University, her MSc in Ocean Systems Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her BSc in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from Webb Institute. Prior to her arrival to ODU, Dr. Michaeli over 15 years with the Department of Defense and industry as a Naval Architect and Program Manager where she carried out design and engineering, construction and testing for marine vehicles. At ODU, Dr. Michaeli’s research and educational interests include topics concerning naval architecture, marine engineering, design, manufacturing and testing of composites and lightweight structures, and engineering multi-criteria decision methodologies. Dr. Michaeli is actively involved in industry-government-academia partnerships to further the advancement of naval and marine engineering.

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Abstract

A pilot program for the recruitment and education of Veterans based on system level technical expertise and leadership maturation developed during service.

The project, Stern2STEM, aims to advance STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education through the preparation of student veterans to pursue baccalaureate STEM degrees and support the re-employment of these veterans into the Department of Defense (DoD) and the wider defense support industry. The program builds on the training that veterans have received in highly skilled technical areas, both in the classroom and “on-the-job”, to develop system level expertise in their respective technical disciplines. Key components of the program include: (1) establishing a mechanism for outreach and recruitment; (2) providing leveling, tutoring, mentoring, and support for students; (3) teaching and learning through proven pedagogical practices and through sound academic advising; (4) partnering with the DoD community to facilitate student career placement in the DoD STEM workforce; (5) providing workforce development for DoD STEM professionals. This paper will discuss the academic challenges that student veterans face while in higher education and the current STEM pipelines as students move through their college to professional careers. The early impact of academic tutoring, professional advising, mentorship, career placement, and recruitment of current service members into STEM disciplines through involvement with Stern2STEM will be discussed. Through Stern2STEM’s systematic interventions, the project has the potential to have a significant impact on the broader STEM education community as many of the principles, lessons learned, and tools developed will prove valuable for institutions which have a large population of student veterans.

Dean, A. W., & Schwalm, C., & Heaney, P. S., & Vahala, L., & Shen, Y., & Michaeli, J. G. (2016, June), A Pilot Program for the Recruitment and Education of Navy Veterans Based on System-level Technical Expertise and Leadership Maturation Developed during Service Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana. 10.18260/p.26391

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