To Do Good, Learn Well: Engineering a Virtuous Cycle between Technical Rigor and Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Teaching Practice
- Conference
- Location
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Minneapolis, MN
- Publication Date
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August 23, 2022
- Start Date
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June 26, 2022
- End Date
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June 29, 2022
- Conference Session
- Page Count
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9
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--41653
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/41653
- Download Count
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259
Paper Authors
Gerald Wang Carnegie Mellon University
Jerry Wang is an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering (by courtesy) and Chemical Engineering (by courtesy), at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his BS in 2013 from Yale University (Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics and Physics), SM in 2015 from MIT (Mechanical Engineering), and PhD in 2019 from MIT (Mechanical Engineering and Computation). He performed postdoctoral research at MIT in Chemical Engineering. He was a member of the inaugural cohort of the Provost’s Inclusive Teaching Fellowship at CMU, was the 2020 recipient of the Frederick A. Howes Scholar Award in Computational Science and the 2016 MIT Graduate Teaching Award in the School of Engineering, and is an alumnus of the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship and the Tau Beta Pi Graduate Fellowship.
Wang directs the Mechanics of Materials via Molecular and Multiscale Methods Laboratory (M5 Lab) at CMU, which focuses on computational micro- and nanoscale mechanics of fluids, soft matter, and active matter, with applications in Civil and Environmental Engineering across the nexus of water, energy, sustainable materials, and urban livability. The M5 Lab is particularly interested in particle-based simulations, systems out of equilibrium, uncertainty quantification in particle-based simulations, and high-performance computing. He teaches courses in molecular simulation and computational/data science.
Abstract
In a world beset with environmental, economic, and social crises that disproportionately harm vulnerable and marginalized populations, it is clearer today than it ever has been that the engineers of tomorrow must not only be exposed to — but rather steeped in — the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In recent years, incorporation of DEI principles has become a marquee focus in engineering curricula across the country. However, these efforts have also drawn considerable skepticism from pedagogical traditionalists, who perceive an intrinsically zero-sum relationship between DEI and technical rigor, the latter of which is the sine qua non of engineering education.
In this work, we address these (understandable and justifiable) concerns by highlighting two opportunities to engineer a virtuous cycle that simultaneously elevates technical rigor and DEI outcomes: (1) identifying mathematical concepts that are value-neutral in the abstract yet have significant DEI implications in practice; and (2) deeply integrating history of science and mathematics to highlight technical contributions from diverse individuals. We present specific examples of the former strategy in the context of linear algebra and probability theory, and of the latter strategy in the context of numerical analysis and differential equations. We also present quantitative and qualitative results from the implementation of these virtuous-cycle strategies in a sophomore-level course on computational science. Throughout, we emphasize that technical rigor must be a front-line tool for social justice, and that technical rigor and DEI are natural and mutually enriching companions.
Wang, G. (2022, August), To Do Good, Learn Well: Engineering a Virtuous Cycle between Technical Rigor and Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Teaching Practice Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41653
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