Year of Action on Diversity
Unseen Differences
Students’ complex individual identities require engineering educators to enter unfamiliar territory.
By Deborah A. Trytten, Cindy E. Foor, Teri J. Murphy, Randa L. Shehab, Susan E. Walden, and Rui Pan
Teaching a diverse student body means being attuned to much more than just gender, race, and ethnicity. An individual’s identity is multifaceted, dynamic, and contextual. Identity includes variables such as sex, gender, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, age, relationship status, parental status, and status as a veteran or a person with a disability. Depending on the context, a person may be seen as a woman one moment, a Latina the next, and a socio-economically advantaged, able-bodied mechanical engineer sometime after that. When engineering educators fail to recognize this complexity, we neglect to acknowledge the individual and dynamic needs of the student. The barriers encountered by an African-American female student, for example, are not merely some combination of barriers faced by a white woman and an African-American man. This student will have facets to her identity that an observer can’t see, but that will likely make her college experience different even from that of other African-American female engineering students.
The interplay of race, class, and gender can result not only in different experiences but also in added disadvantages. We have used an intersectionality framework to study experiences within single racial and ethnic groups. Examining the ways American Indian and Latino engineering students used co-ethnic student organizations for support, we discovered intra-group oppressions based on interacting facets of identity. Some American Indian students found their Native identity being challenged because they didn’t share the appearance, behavior, and cultural knowledge of their peers. Likewise, Latino students who lacked fluency in Spanish were often marginalized.
We found that the concurrent intersections of race, ethnicity, and gender with other dimensions of diversity such as rural or urban high school and parental collegiate experience influenced differences in the students’ motivation for seeking transfer credit, as well as the type of credit selected and the benefits received.
Barriers imposed by race and gender can be amplified by lack of money and a failure to understand the informal rules of college culture. Take the example of Inez, an engineering student from a socially and economically disadvantaged, multiminority background. She had to work long hours to make ends meet. Her job conflicted with faculty office hours, leaving her with little academic support and contributing to a low GPA. Inez did not apply for internships or co-ops because she mistakenly thought the college required her to maintain a 3.0 GPA. These elements together left her approaching graduation with a low GPA, no internship experience, and low professional aspirations.
As engineering educators, we need to recognize that intersections of race, class, gender, and other variables will cause students to struggle in different ways against the inherent barriers in engineering education. How do we meet their diverse needs? Faculty could attend local and national training and awareness programs that are provided by student support or diversity offices on their campus, such as LGBTQQI ally, disability accommodation, and veteran advocacy training. At the ASEE Annual Conference, attendees can engage with Women in Engineering and Minorities in Engineering divisions in discussions about cultural differences and empowering student success. There are also webinars by organizations such as WEPAN and STEM Central.
Improved understanding must be matched by action on campus and in the classroom. Faculty members can, for instance, find ways to provide academic support, including office hours, at times and in formats that let all students participate. They can communicate clearly both the formal rules projected in the syllabus AND the unspoken rules that guide collegiate and professional expectations (e.g., internship/co-op eligibility and using transfer credit as a completion strategy). And they can recognize and rectify peer-to-peer discriminatory behaviors both in the classroom and in student organizations.
It’s not enough for us to admit that our engineering education culture was constructed by and for the privileged majority. We also need to grasp the complexity of the less privileged minority and the varied ways these students will be affected by the barriers our culture imposes.
Promoted by the ASEE Diversity Committee, the Year of Action is an open invitation to all ASEE members and constituents to engage in activities that lead our profession toward the creative strength, new ideas, and innovation that come with diversity. Let us know of your plans and actions by emailing diversity@asee.org. Please watch our website (http://diversity.asee.org) for updates.
Contact the authors:
Deborah A. Trytten
dtrytten@ou.edu
Cindy E. Foor
cynthia.e.foor-1@ou.edu
Teri J. Murphy
murphytj1@nku.edu
Randa L. Shehab
rlshehab@ou.edu
Susan E. Walden
susan.walden@ou.edu
Rui (Celia) Pan
panr@ou.edu
Research Institute for STEM Education, University of Oklahoma
Board Profile
Kenneth Burbank
Technology Champion
Had he entered academe immediately upon earning his Ph.D. at Brown, Kenneth Burbank might have joined an electrical engineering department. But instead he went into manufacturing, where, working alongside engineering technology (ET) graduates, “I really appreciated the hands-on skill set from technology programs.” When he started teaching, “I wanted to teach with a heavy lab-application focus,” he says. Now a leader in the field as head of Purdue’s School of Engineering Technology, with 1,000 students and 60-plus faculty, and chair of ASEE’s Engineering Technology Council, Burbank has helped to raise the discipline’s profile nationally, pressing the federal government to accept ET graduates as full-fledged engineers and supporting a National Academy of Engineering effort to link degree programs with industry needs.
The main difference between ET and traditional engineering fields lies in the students themselves and how they learn, he says: “Our students are hands-on, practical types of learners.” He doesn’t have to persuade industry of their value. Indeed, “every student that looks gets a job.” And Burbank notes with some irony that ET’s hallmark style of instruction is increasingly recognized by traditional engineering programs as a worthwhile approach for many of their students – and a good way to keep them.
But past success doesn’t foretell what lies ahead, and Burbank is actively engaged in Purdue’s pilot Polytechnic Institute, in which a selected (and protected) group of students and faculty is developing a future-oriented curriculum that combines implementation-driven technology, engineering theory, and a heavy dose of liberal arts to help produce T-shaped professionals. “We’re taking a longer look at what and how we’re teaching.” So far, participants have concluded that two-hour labs and 50-minute lectures need improvement, that students need to “take ownership of their learning,” and that learning “in context” – with projects that meet real company or community needs – works best.
The institute is part of Burbank’s ongoing effort – complete with seven-day workweeks – to keep proving ET’s value against research university priorities that favor traditional engineering programs and even a sense within ASEE that ET is “essentially invisible.” He doesn’t see the task getting any easier: “This will be a challenging decade for engineering technology.”
Meet Your Staff
Portrait of the Artist
By Nathan Kahl
Francis Igot provides a third of the horsepower in ASEE’s Art and Design team – the group responsible for the beautiful magazine you are holding in your hands right now (or looking at on a screen).
Francis was born in the Philippines and, like many immigrants to the United States, has a fascinating story, although one that involves more duplicity than most. At only 10 years old, he and his sisters, ages 15 and 16, were told to pack their bags for a trip. “My mom and dad disguised it as an elaborate, month-long vacation; we went to Disney World and all over the place. Eventually we asked about going home, and they told us we were staying.”
They found a home in the Washington, D.C., area, where there was a Filipino community. Francis’s dad, a chemical engineer and beer company executive back home, found work as a brewmaster; his mother continued working in law, handling immigration issues. “They wanted me to do the whole be-a-doctor-or-lawyer thing, but they have an appreciation for the arts. My mom is very crafts-oriented.” With his parents’ full support, Francis attended the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.
His ideal design aesthetic is clean and direct, he says. “I like to insert a bit of fun and playfulness with whatever I work with (if the context allows it). If there’s opportunity for a narrative, then I go for it.” At ASEE, he notes, “Prism’s feature articles are always fun to do, because you get to illustrate a narrative from the text in order to tie and enhance everything together in a visual package while still considering the criteria and context for an appropriate, tasteful end result.”
His longtime girlfriend, Rani, is a criminal justice major, following a family tradition. “Her parents were cops. When we first started dating, I’d go to her house and see the guns on the wall. It was like, ‘Don’t mess up, Francis.’ ” He notes that for a 20-something couple they’re pretty “boring,” preferring to cook and stay at home with cats Ramses and Lily.
Outside of work Francis is a wannabe beach bum. “I can’t swim to save my life – despite growing up on an island – but I love the beach. I can stay on the shore, and I’m good at tanning.” Outside and inside the office Francis is known for his sweet tooth, with Nutter Butter cookies being a particular vice. Few open boxes at his desk see the close of business. A perfectly designed cookie, he might say.
Illustration by Francis Igot
Nominations for Two Thousand Fifteen ASEE Board Elections
Presented on the following pages are candidates for offices to be voted on in the 2015 ASEE elections. These candidates were selected by the 2014 ASEE Nominating Committee, chaired by Walter W. Buchanan. The nominations were received by the executive director as required by the ASEE constitution. The ASEE Nominating Committee believes that the candidates offered here are eminently qualified and deserve the close consideration of the membership.
Members are reminded that additional nominations of eligible candidates may be made by petition of at least 200 individual members. Nominees so proposed must indicate a willingness to serve before their names are placed on the ballot. Such petitions and agreements must be presented to the executive director no later than January 1, 2015.
Write-in votes will be accepted for all offices. In all cases, a simple plurality constitutes election. The official ballot, which will be furnished to each individual member by March 1, must be returned by March 31.
Candidates for the Office of President-Elect
Louis A. Martin-Vega
Dean, College of Engineering
North Carolina State University
Louis A. Martin-Vega joined NC State as dean of the College of Engineering in 2006. Prior to that he spent five years as dean of engineering at the University of South Florida. He has also held several prestigious positions at NSF, including acting head of its Engineering Directorate and director of its Division of Design, Manufacture, and Industrial Innovation. Additionally, he has served as chairman of the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering at Lehigh University, as the Lockheed Professor at Florida Institute of Technology, and in tenured faculty positions at the University of Florida and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. His research and teaching interests are in production and manufacturing systems, logistics and distribution, operations management, and engineering education. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 journal articles, book chapters, and other publications.
Martin-Vega is a fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. His honors from IIE include the 1999 Albert Holzman Distinguished Educator Award, the 2010 UPS Award for Minority Advancement in Industrial Engineering, and IIE’s highest honor, the Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Industrial Engineering Award, in 2012. He was also IIE president in 2007-08. For his commitment to engineering education and the promotion of diversity, Martin-Vega received the 2000 HENACC National Achievement Award and in 2011 was inducted into the HENACC Hall of Fame.
Martin-Vega is a member of the Pan American Academy of Engineering and in 2007 received the Tampa Museum of Science and Industry National Hispanic Scientist Award. He was named the 2008 Outstanding Engineer in North Carolina by the NC Society of Engineers, and received the 2009 Industrial and Systems Engineering Alumni Leadership Award from the University of Florida.
Martin-Vega serves as the 2013-15 chair of the ASEE Engineering Deans Council Executive Board. He has also served as vice chair of the ASEE Deans Council Executive Board and as chair of the Public Policy Colloquium. He is currently a member of NSF’s Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering and the Advisory Board of the Engineering Directorate at NSF. He has also served on the executive board of the National GEM Consortium.
Martin-Vega received his B.S. in industrial engineering from UPR-Mayaguez, an M.S. in operations research from New York University, and M.E. and Ph.D. degrees in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Florida.
Candidate’s Statement
It is with great honor and pride that I accept the nomination for the position of ASEE president-elect. This is a very exciting time for engineering, and the critical role that engineering and engineering technology educators play in providing the motivation and relevance that drive this excitement has never been more important. Only by enhancing our role and visibility will our profession be able to continue to lead so much of our technological and societal change and be better understood and appreciated by the society we serve so well in many innovative and selfless ways.
My commitment to excellence in engineering education has been a 40-year endeavor. The many perspectives and insights gained during this journey have heightened my belief in the value and importance of ASEE’s mission and motivate me to seek this opportunity to better serve the members and this great organization. As an active member of the ASEE Engineering Deans Council, I have served as vice chair of its Executive Board as well as chair of the ASEE-EDC Public Policy Colloquium. I currently serve as the chair of the Engineering Deans Council Executive Board, a responsibility that includes membership on the ASEE Board of Directors.
I am also proud of having been able to assist various ASEE constituencies during six years of service at the National Science Foundation. During those years I led the development and implementation of NSF-wide programs that connect engineering faculty with industry (GOALI), that provide opportunities for K-12 teachers to be active participants in NSF research (RET), and other efforts that increased access at NSF for the engineering education community and broadened the participation of underrepresented groups in engineering education and research.
ASEE is a very special organization that brings together under its broad tent a diverse, passionate, and highly committed membership focused on some of the most important challenges and issues facing our society today. We also have the unique privilege of teaching, mentoring, advising, and motivating a student base in whose hands will lie the solution to many of these challenges. We should all be proud of the role that ASEE, and you its members, have played in inspiring so many to do so much good. If elected, I would view it as a distinct privilege to work with the ASEE leadership team and all our members to take what is already an outstanding organization to even higher levels of achievement and visibility.
Jeffrey L. Ray
Dean, Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology
Western Carolina University
Jeffrey Ray is dean of the Kimmel School of Construction Management, Engineering, and Technology at Western Carolina University (WCU) and professor of mechanical engineering. Prior to joining WCU, Ray was dean of the School of Engineering Technology and Management and professor of mechanical engineering technology at Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) in Marietta, Georgia, for seven years. Before his tenure at SPSU, he was the director of the School of Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) for 10 years, in addition to leading the multidisciplinary industry-sponsored capstone design courses.
Before joining GVSU he was an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Youngstown State University. His education includes both B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University. While at Vanderbilt, he worked in the Department of Orthopaedics performing skeletal biodynamics research. Before beginning engineering school, he completed an apprenticeship and was awarded the title of journeyman industrial electrician. These professional experiences have provided Ray the opportunity to experience the full spectrum of engineering careers.
Ray has been an active member at both national and sectional levels of ASEE since joining the society in 1993. He served as chair of the Engineering Technology Council, vice president of Institutional Councils, and member of the Board of Directors. Other service includes being a member of the Frederick J. Berger awards committee; National Teaching awards committee; chair of the ASEE Bylaws and Constitution committee; and a member of the K-12 Task Force. He has served as a member of the Engineering Technology Council board since 2008. Additionally, Ray has been a reviewer, moderator, and author in several ASEE divisions at both national and sectional levels since joining the Society. ASEE awards include two Best Session awards at the Conference for Industry Education Collaboration. He also served as chair of the Southeastern Section annual conference in 2009.
Additionally, he is working on NSF and NAE committees on issues related to veterans and engineering technology pathways. As a faculty member, administrator, and volunteer for ASEE and other professional societies over the past 20 years, Ray has had many opportunities to develop leadership and other skills directly applicable to the position as ASEE’s president-elect. Being an active member of ASEE at multiple levels has been a rewarding experience working with both ASEE members and staff to move the Society forward.
Candidate’s Statement
I am honored to be nominated as a candidate for ASEE president-elect. I have been involved in ASEE at various levels in both engineering and engineering technology education since joining the Society in 1993. As a member, I have experienced many great relationships and collaborations with colleagues in multiple disciplines and want to advance the scholarly activities that occur within ASEE.
In my service to ASEE and the engineering and engineering technology profession, I served as Engineering Technology Council chair from 2011 to 2014. I have also had the opportunity to serve as vice president for Institutional Councils and a member of the ASEE Board of Directors during this time. Additionally, I have served in various roles at the annual and regional conferences through the years as a session organizer, moderator, and presenter.
My vision for the Society is to focus on and promote the initiatives currently being undertaken by ASEE and other organizations, and focus on K-12, veterans’ educational needs, and engineering and engineering technology pathways to a career in engineering. Growth in these areas will result in a vibrant professional engineering education society for everyone.
The mission of ASEE and the role it plays in engineering and engineering technology education are my professional passion. Now more than ever in our history, ASEE must be positioned as the “go-to society” in the United States, and beyond, on all issues and policy decisions related to engineering and engineering technology education, and in the importance it plays in engineering and technology workforce and career advancement.
The importance of K-12 and two-year pathways and development of engineering and engineering technology is of extreme national urgency in our ever evolving technological society. These opportunities provide an avenue for first-generation students to achieve success in engineering-related professions. ASEE must be prepared to lead in ways we cannot anticipate, being the leading professional society in all facets related to engineering education. The issues faced as engineering educators in areas as diverse as advanced manufacturing, energy, and other related global challenges are of extreme importance to our future as a nation.
The pedagogical areas ASEE’s constituent councils and divisions represent address global engineering and technological challenges, and ASEE must be the lead society. We, as the lead engineering education society, are responsible for the education of the future engineers, technologists, and technicians, and their future careers to address these and other challenges.
Candidates for the Office of Vice President, External Affairs
Lucy Morse
Associate Professor Emerita, College of Engineering and Computer Science
University of Central Florida
Lucy C. Morse is an associate professor emerita in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She was both the coordinator for the Bachelor of Science in engineering technology program and director of engineering technology at a Distance, a program focused on using advanced learning technologies to deliver engineering technology degrees to students on and off campus. Currently she teaches engineering management as an adjunct for UCF. She was the first woman to obtain a doctorate in engineering at UCF, receiving a Ph.D. from the Department of Industrial Engineering in 1987. In the early ’90s Morse served as a program manager at the National Science Foundation in the Engineering Directorate for three years.
In 2002 she was named a faculty fellow to the UCF Academy for Teaching, Learning and Leadership; she was named a Fellow in the university’s Teaching and Learning Center in 2005. Morse is a Fellow of ASEE, and has served the organization in multiple capacities. She has held elected offices in the Engineering Economy, Women in Engineering, College-Industry Partnerships Divisions, and CIEC. She served on the ASEE Board of Directors (1995-1997) as vice president, Professional Interest Councils. She has served as an examiner for the national Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the Florida Sterling Award. Her experience in management came through her leadership roles in national and local volunteer organizations before she returned to engineering graduate school. Morse has lectured on engineering management, quality management, and distance learning education throughout the continental U.S. as well as in Spain, Romania, Ukraine, Germany, and Antarctica.
Candidate’s Statement
It is an honor to be nominated for the office of vice president, external relations. This is an exciting time, as we are experiencing a global emphasis on all our activities within engineering education. This position requires the skills of collaboration, communication, and teamwork. When I worked as a volunteer in the community, these were the skills I used to accomplish my goals. My goals for this position include having all members be aware of the various international opportunities in the engineering education community. Academic leaders are developing strategic goals to increase the number of engineering students engaging in global experiences. ASEE is involved in several global initiatives that promote education and strategic partnerships with the international engineering education community. With oversight of this area, the vice president for external relations can have a large impact on the success of these collaborative efforts.
With oversight responsibility for the projects board, this position is vested in ensuring that ASEE is involved in external projects that enhance the organization and building partnerships with industry. My goal here is to see that regardless of the project, ASEE members need to work in teams and collaboratively. After years in the volunteer world, I see that much more can be done if that happens.
My third goal is to make the ASEE members aware of what resources the external relations position has to offer with both other ASEE members and the ASEE staff. I appreciate your consideration for this position and, if elected, will do my utmost to fulfill your trust and expectations.
Catherine Skokan
Research Professor and Professor Emerita, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Colorado School of Mines
Catherine Skokan is a research professor and professor emerita at the Colorado School of Mines in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. She received her B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. in geophysical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and was the first woman to receive a graduate degree from that institution. After a short stint working for the U.S. Geological Survey, she returned to the Colorado School of Mines Geophysics Department (1976–1996). She then transferred to the Engineering Division (Electrical Engineering) and remained until her retirement (2010). Her research areas include the use of geophysical tools in groundwater mapping, curriculum development, and humanitarian engineering. In the arena of curriculum development, she has prepared coursework for a two-year high school sequence in engineering implemented in a local Colorado school district, a minor sequence in engineering and energy resources for tribal colleges, and the electrical engineering degree program for the petroleum institute in Abu Dhabi. As well, she has been active in curriculum advancement at her university, working on Senior Design, Introduction to Circuits, Digital Signal Processing, and integrated liberal arts/engineering courses. She is also active in K-12 outreach, particularly in working with teachers in summer workshops and academic year follow-up programs. Humanitarian engineering has provided her an opportunity to expose students to different cultures by use of their engineering skills for the underserved. She has taken groups of students on engineering projects to Senegal, Ghana, and Honduras and worked with an Athabaskan tribal community in Alaska. Other international experiences with students include honors trips to southeast Asia, Turkey, and Eastern Europe and music/engineering trips to Italy and Peru. She believes that these international experiences for students are vital to their engineering education. Presently, in her semi-retirement, she is a research professor and continues projects in engineering education and humanitarian engineering. She is an active ASEE member and has served as secretary/treasurer, program chair/vice chair, and chair of the Multidisciplinary Division. She was the PIC II chair from 2011-2014 and served on the Executive Committee of the Board as the vice president of PICs (2013-14). She is also an active member of the Colorado Association of Science Teachers (past president), the Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (immediate past president), American Geophysical Union, Sigma Xi, and Tau Beta Pi, and she is a regular contributor to the International Colloquium on Engineering Education.
Candidate’s Statement
I am honored to be nominated to the position of vice president – external relations. I believe that I have the skills and interest to carry out this office. This position has two components: directing the internal Projects Board and connecting with external organizations, including international programs. As well, the vice president for external relations serves on the Finance Committee. The Projects Board is important to the mission of ASEE to promote excellence in engineering and engineering technology education through such initiatives as fellowships and workshops. The vice president for external relations serves as chair of the Projects Board, works with the ASEE staff to publicize the activities to both the membership and externally, and when appropriate assists with soliciting new project proposals. The second portion of responsibilities for the ice president for external relations involves connections with organizations outside of ASEE. This includes managing memoranda of understanding with both national and international organizations and working with the International Advisory Committee and the International Forum. This responsibility is important to the vision of ASEE to facilitate international cooperation in matters pertaining to engineering education. Each of these responsibilities involves close contact and coordination with the ASEE staff and the Board. Having just completed my term on the Board, I have enjoyed working with the ASEE staff and, if elected, would continue to enjoy these associations. Having served in numerous roles as a volunteer for ASEE, I am aware of the time commitment and am willing to participate fully in all that is expected of the position. As the recipient of many research grants from such organizations as NSF, ONR, BIA, and state and national departments of education, I have had extensive experience in project management and financing. As our world becomes more and more connected, I feel that it is imperative that ASEE continues to be an active leader in collaborations throughout the world. My passion to expose my students to international opportunities carries over to my goal to continue ASEE’s role as a front-runner in engineering education both nationally and internationally.
Candidate for the Office of Vice President, Finance
Terri Morse
Program Director for Engineering, Operations & Technology, Global Technology – External Technical Affiliations (ETA)
The Boeing Company
Terri Morse, the current vice president, finance, has agreed to serve a second term. She is program director for engineering, operations & technology, global technology – external technical affiliations (ETA) at the Boeing Company. ETA is an enterprise-level initiative aimed at defining and overseeing the strategy and investment levels for company-wide external industry technical affiliations. Execution includes providing clear strategy, guidance, and processes connecting diverse Boeing Business Unit activities and people to internal and external technical opportunities (domestic and international) in order to maximize R&D yield, ensure technology readiness, and be the catalyst of innovation. Morse manages Boeing’s relationships with more than 200 external technical organizations.
Morse began her career at the Boeing Company in aerodynamics. She has had engineering and management positions developing flight controls, autopilot/auto throttle, flight management systems, flight deck systems, mechanical/hydraulic, environmental control, and electrical wiring systems. She has been part of the original design teams for the 757/767, 737-300, 747-400, 777, and 787 airplanes. In addition, she has been leader of the Engineering Define Lean & Efficient (L&E) program responsible for developing the next-generation processes and design tools for use across the Boeing Company. Focus programs for L&E have included the 787, unmanned combat vehicles, Boeing satellite services, and future combat systems. She graduated summa cum laude from Central Washington State University.
Morse is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers. She currently serves on the National Engineers Week Foundation Strategic Planning Committee, City of Marysville Diversity Advisory Committee, and the American Society of Civil Engineers Engineering Women Advisory Committee. Morse has served as past chair of the ASEE Corporate Member Council (CMC), vice president for the ASEE Institutional Councils, and member of the ASEE College Industry Partnership (CIP) Division.
She has received the SWE Distinguished Service Award, as well as the Hewlett-Packard Innovation Award and ASEE Excellence in Engineering Education Collaboration Award for her work in establishing a Boeing-sponsored national student competition with SWE called Team Tech, in which she still serves as national award coordinator. Over 50 university campuses and 1,400 students have participated in the competition in its 20-year history. Morse has been recognized in Cambridge Who’s Who, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who of American Women, and Who’s Who in Science and Engineering.
ASEE Staffers Recognized for Extra Effort
A monthly award showcases staffers who go above and beyond expectations to provide service to members, assist colleagues outside their own departments, fill in during another’s absence, or improve the organization’s efficiency and bottom line.
August
Grace Hill
Meetings Manager
Grace was nominated for providing great service and support for the new initiative of the National Student Winner activities, which was a huge success at the annual conference. She did this while still being new to her role (and learning).
September
Yvette Deale
Interaction Design Manager
Yvette was nominated for her work with the Graduate Research Fellowship Program team to develop an improved and updated promotional website. Yvette’s significant contribution enabled the team to launch the new website in time for the 2014-2015 GRFP applications and increased the client’s satisfaction with ASEE’s work.
Christopher Carr
Program Manager
Christopher was nominated for his creation of two professional videos to promote the Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Christopher’s four-month project entailed developing a script, soliciting bids, recruiting volunteer actors, and organizing shoots with the film company while coordinating with the National Science Foundation to incorporate their suggestions. The videos (www.nsfgrfp.org) can be viewed by applicants and schools as they prepare applications.
Rocio Chavela
Manager of Faculty Development
Rocio was nominated for her work in generating revenue for ASEE and for attracting positive outside recognition of the society. Specifically, Rocio’s efforts helped ASEE obtain four new grants from NSF totaling more than $1.25 million. In addition, Rocio’s successful management of the Virtual Community of Practice (VCP) and I-Corps for Learning (I-Corps-L) projects has led NSF to consider ASEE as the primary provider and collaborator for these programs.