The research project described in this paper is titled “Rethinking Engineering Diversity, Transforming Engineering Diversity (REDTED),” which is part of the National Science Foundation, Revolutionizing Engineering Department (RED) grants. The project is in its first year and therefore what is described in this paper will be a brief overview of the project and some of the work done during the first year. The proposed research is to explore how the representation of women and Underrepresented Minority (URM) students and historically underserved groups will be increased in an engineering department by deploying a multi-pronged approach. The approach includes curricular and extra-curricular reform, which is targeted at the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department at Rowan University and includes:
a) Radically changing admission standards to promote excellence;
b) Enhancing the perception and understanding of diversity and equality among students, faculty and administrators to create a more inclusive environment;
c) Developing Advocate and Allies Mentoring Program for first year, and transfer students;
d) Transforming existing engineering curriculum of second and third year from a narrow sub-discipline based approach to a more inclusive, system-based approach;
e) Enriching students’ aspirations by providing successful and diverse role models from industry and academia; and
f) Developing a model for inclusion of diverse students.
The study is unique in that the definition of diversity is expanded to include both visible and invisible aspects. It also takes a comprehensive approach in making engineering more appealing to a more diverse population while also making sure that the diverse students who do choose to pursue engineering find an inclusive and welcoming climate. The first year of the study has been devoted to building partnerships and developing a consistent message. In addition, surveys of students and faculty to get baseline data on the attitudes to inclusivity have also been conducted to inform the strategies to be employed. In addition, faculty workshops to begin the process of modifying the curriculum is also being conducted. In addition, the student peer mentoring program and its structure is also being developed and student workshops are being conducted to develop peer mentoring skills.
Tiago Forin is the Project Coordinator for the REDTED project at Rowan University. He is a PhD candidate in Engineering Education and researcher at Purdue University affiliated with XRoads Research Group, the Global Engineering Program and the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Effectiveness. He received a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Florida State University and a Master's degree in civil engineering from Purdue University with a focus in environmental engineering.
Beena Sukumaran has been on the faculty at Rowan University since 1998 and is currently Professor and Department Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Under her leadership, the Civil and Environmental Engineering Program has seen considerable growth in student and faculty numbers. Her area of expertise is in micro-geomechanics and has published over 100 peer reviewed conference and journal papers including several papers on engineering education and the unique undergraduate curriculum at Rowan University, especially the Engineering Clinics. She has been involved in various outreach activities to recruit more women and minorities into engineering and is Program Chair Elect of the Women in Engineering Division of ASEE. She is the recipient of the 2011 New Jersey Section of ASCE Educator of the Year award as well as the 2013 Distinguished Engineering Award from the New Jersey Alliance for Action.
Dr. Stephanie Farrell is Interim Dean and of the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and Professor and Founding Chair of Experiential Engineering Education at Rowan University (USA). Prior to 2016 she was a faculty member in Chemical Engineering at Rowan for eighteen years. Dr. Farrell has contributed to engineering education through her work in inductive pedagogy, spatial skills, and inclusion and diversity. She has been honored by the American Society of Engineering Education with several teaching awards such as the 2004 National Outstanding Teaching Medal and the 2005 Quinn Award for experiential learning, and she was 2014-15 Fulbright Scholar in Engineering Education at Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland). She has been awarded Honoris Causa from the International Society for Engineering Pedagogy, and has received that society's highest honor, the Nikolai Tesla Award for outstanding contributions to engineering pedagogy.
Kauser Jahan, is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University. She received her B.S.C.E. from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, an MSCE from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Her passion as an educator and mentor has been recognized by many professional organizations over the years. She is the recipient of the Gloucester County Women of Achievement Award, Lindback Foundation Teaching Award, the NJ ASCE Educator of the Year award, the Gary J. Hunter Excellence in Mentoring Award, the ASEE Environmental Engineering Division Meritorious Service Award, the ASEE Women in Engineering Division Sharon A. Keillor Award and the WEPAN Women in Engineering Initiative Award. She has been instrumental in establishing the Attracting Women into Engineering, the Engineers on Wheels and Engineering Clinics for Teachers programs at Rowan University. She has served as the Institutional Representative and Advisory Board Chair for the Women's Professional Network at Rowan University for six years and currently is an advisory board member of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Council on Education (ACE) Office of Women in Higher Education (OWHE). She received a Fulbright award in 2015.
Dr. Ralph Dusseau is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Dr. Dusseau is also serving as the Associate Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and is Coordinator of the Engineering Management Programs at Rowan University. Dr. Dusseau was an Assistant and Associate Professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan from 1985 to 1995. Dr. Dusseau was the Founding Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University from 1995 to 2008.
Parth Bhavsar, is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University. His research interests include Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), Connected, Autonomous, and connected-automated Vehicle Technologies, Transportation Data Analytics, and Alternative Fuel Vehicles. Dr. Bhavsar has published in peer reviewed journals such as the Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technology, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and the Environment and Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board. Dr. Bhavsar was previously a postdoctoral fellow in a connected vehicle research program in the Glenn Department of Civil Engineering at Clemson University, where he worked on several connected vehicle technology research projects. Dr. Bhavsar received his Ph.D. degree in 2013 and his M.S. degree in 2006 from Clemson University. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on development of an evaluation framework for connected vehicle technology supported alternative fuel vehicles. Dr. Bhavsar also has three years of experience in the private sector in developing transportation engineering and planning solutions, specifically traffic micro-simulation projects.
Theresa Bruckerhoff is the Principal Research Associate and Operations Manager at CRE., with nearly twenty-five years of evaluation experience, ten years as the principal evaluator. She studies and evaluates training, professional development and other education change programs funded by state, federal and private sources and is a member of the American Evaluation Association, ASEE, and other content and education focused professional organizations.
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