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I am a Post-Baccalaureate Research Associate working full-time on an NSF grant. I am
a member of the Beyond Professional Identity research group based in Harding University located in
Searcy, Arkansas. I plan to further my studies in psychology through attending a graduate program for school or child psychology. It is my hope that these processes can lead to a career as both a researcher and practitioner.

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Dr. James Huff is an Associate Professor of Engineering Education and an Honors College Faculty Fellow at Harding University. He conducts transdisciplinary research on identity that lies at the nexus of applied psychology and engineering education, examining how hidden phenomena drive individual behavior that shapes engineering cultures. Dr. Huff directs the Beyond Professional Identity (BPI) research lab, and in this role, he has mentored undergraduate students, doctoral students, and academic professionals from more than 10 academic disciplines in using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as a qualitative research method to examine identity in a variety of contexts. Additionally, he teaches engineering courses in human-centered design that are in partnership with local community organizations. Dr. Huff received his Ph.D. in Engineering Education and M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University. Dr. Huff also received his B.S. in Computer Engineering from Harding University.

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Dr. Nicola Sochacka is the Associate Director for Research Initiation and Enablement in the Engineering Education Transformations Institute (EETI) in the College of Engineering at UGA. Dr. Sochacka’s research interests include systems thinking, diversity, STEAM (STEM + Art) education, and the role of empathy in engineering education and practice. Her work has been recognized through multiple best paper awards and keynote presentations at international and national conferences and workshops.

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Dr. Joachim Walther is a Professor of engineering education research at the University of Georgia and the Founding Director of the Engineering Education Transformations Institute (EETI) in the College of Engineering. The Engineering Education Transformations Institute at UGA is an innovative approach that fuses high quality engineering education research with systematic educational innovation to transform the educational practices and cultures of engineering. Dr. Walther’s research group, the Collaborative Lounge for Understanding Society and Technology through Educational Research (CLUSTER), is a dynamic interdisciplinary team that brings together professors, graduate, and undergraduate students from engineering, art, educational psychology, and social work in the context of fundamental educational research. Dr. Walther’s research program spans interpretive research methodologies in engineering education, the professional formation of engineers, the role of empathy and reflection in engineering learning, and student development in interdisciplinary and interprofessional spaces.

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