Mississippi State University, Mississippi
March 9, 2025
March 9, 2025
March 11, 2025
Diversity and Professional Papers
11
https://peer.asee.org/54181
2
Dr. Mostafa Batouli is an Associate Professor of Construction Engineering in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Citadel. Dr. Batouli received his PhD in Civil Engineering from Florida International University. He also holds Master of Public Administration and Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from FIU, Master of Science in Civil Engineering/Construction Engineering and Management from IAU, and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering/Surveying from University of Tehran. Dr. Batouli is a Professional Engineer (PE) registered in SC. He also received Project Management Professional (PMP) international certificate in 2020. Dr. Batouli teaches diverse range of courses in civil engineering, construction engineering, and construction/project management. As a teacher, he aims to inspire his students to think intensively and critically and to live ethically and morally. Dr. Batouli received Harry Saxe Teaching award in 2022.
His previous research has resulted in more than 35 referred journal and conference publications as well as five research reports. His past research received major awards and honors including a third-place best poster award from the construction research congress and a Dissertation Year Fellowship from Florida International University in 2016.
Dr. Simon Ghanat is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Citadel (Charleston, S.C.). He received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Arizona State University. His research interests include Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Education.
Dr. Nahid Vesali is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Leadership and Program Management (ELPM) in the School of Engineering (SOE) at The Citadel. She joined the program in Aug 2020. She teaches project management, technical planning
The Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) Fellowship program fosters entrepreneurial-minded learning (EML) in engineering education and has grown significantly since its inception. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the program from 2020 to 2023, focusing on the impact of fellows on engineering education, the workshops that have yielded the most fellowships, and the relationship between fellows' disciplines and their contributions. Through a review of KEEN Fellows' projects, we classify their work into several key categories, including technical problem-solving, interdisciplinary applications, societal impacts, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. This classification is informed by KEEN cards, which highlight innovative teaching methodologies such as problem-solving studios, project-based learning, and entrepreneurship in engineering. Our analysis reveals trends in topics, teaching methods, and content of the KEEN cards, offering insights into how fellows from different disciplines (e.g., mechanical, civil, and chemical engineering) bring distinct approaches to integrating entrepreneurial mindsets in their curricula. We also identify workshops, such as Problem-Solving Studios and Integrating Curriculum with Entrepreneurial Mindset, that consistently produce a higher number of fellows, while showing how faculty from diverse disciplines contribute unique perspectives to EML. Finally, we offer recommendations on suitable pathways for engineering educators to pursue KEEN fellowships based on their discipline and areas of interest, underscoring the broad impact of the program on shaping EML and its influence on engineering curricula across institutions.
Batouli, M., & Ghanat, S. T., & Vesali, N. (2025, March), Mapping the Path to KEEN Fellowships: Trends, Insights, and Impacts from 2020-2024 Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi. https://peer.asee.org/54181
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