Engineering education conference to focus on first year

By: William G. Gilroy and Nina Welding Date: July 25, 2007 For the second year in a row, engineering educators from across the country will gather at the University of Notre Dame’s McKenna Hall to discuss ways of helping new students make the transition from high school to becoming engineering undergraduates through effective first-year programs. Titled “Dialogue II on Engineering Education: The Role of the First Year,” the workshop will run July 29 to 31 (Sunday to Tuesday). It will examine trends in first-year engineering programs, the relationship between first-year experience and success in engineering, and whether students are entering engineering programs sufficiently prepared for technically rigorous pursuits. In addition to a number of panels, featured speakers for the event will include Gerald S. Jakubowski, president of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and past president of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE); David Billington, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton University; and Joseph Cuseo, professor of psychology and director of the Freshman Seminar at Marymount College. The conference sponsors include Notre Dame’s College of Engineering and Office of Research, the National Science Foundation’s Division of Education, IBM, Johnson & Johnson Corporation, and Lockheed Martin. The ASEE, as well as its Freshman Year Program division, and the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education are also sponsors. The event’s organizers are John J. Uhran, a Notre Dame professor emeritus of computer science and engineering, and Catherine Pieronek, director of academic affairs in the College of Engineering at Notre Dame; Sharad Malik, professor of electrical engineering and director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education at Princeton University; Stephen Carr, professor of materials science and engineering and associate dean of undergraduate engineering at Northwestern University; and Douglas Tougaw, Frederick W. Jenny Jr. Professor of Emerging Technology and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Valparaiso University. Contacts: John J. Uhran, professor emeritus of computer science and engineering, 574-631-7432, juhran@nd.edu, or Catherine F. Pieronek, director of academic affairs, 574-631-4385, cpierone@nd.edu