ASEE’S Conference Connection –
Wednesday, June 13
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FINAL DAY included distinguished lectures, an array of panel discussions, with numerous ASEE divisions sharing ideas and innovative approaches to teaching, and the annual awards banquet at which ASEE recognized Col. Bobby Grant Crawford, director of the mechanical engineering program at the U.S. Military Academy, with the National Outstanding Teaching Award.
Among the distinguished lecturers, Charles Henderson, associate professor at Western Michigan University, joined John Heywood, an authority in education and assessment at Trinity College, Dublin, to discuss the “substantial gap” between research-based “best practice” instructional methods and the teaching practices of typical STEM faculty. Dave Wilson, director of training academic programs at National Instruments, talked about tapping “technology ecosystems” that allow students to access industry-standard technology anywhere, anytime, and “do” engineering. Randal Pinkett, founder CEO of BCT Partners, a Newark, N.J.-based consulting firm and a winner of The Apprentice, shared his experience using engineering to solve economic, education, and community development problems in “The Entrepreneurial Mindset, Campus, and Engineer.” Blaine Leonard, a former president of the American Society of Civil Engineers now with the Utah Department of Transportation, teamed up with Stephen J. Ressler, head of the department of civil and mechanical engineering at the U.S. Military Academy, and Jeffrey S. Russell, vice provost for lifelong learning and dean of continuing studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to discuss the proposal to “raise the bar” to a master’s degree for future professional engineers. Patrick A. Tebbe, associate professor in the department of mechanical and civil engineering and a Fellow of the MN Modeling and Simulation Center, went through a timeline of technical events during the Fukushima nuclear accident and its implications for energy education.
On Thursday, our final Conference Connection will feature news and photos from the 2012 Annual Awards Reception and Banquet.
Distinguished Lectures:
Dr. Patrick A. Tebbe P.E.
Dr. Randal D. Pinkett
From left to right, Dr. Stephen J. Ressler P.E., Dr. Jeffrey S. Russell, and Blaine Leonard P.E.
Charles Henderson
Mr. Dave Wilson, Director of Academic Programs, National Instruments
Dr. John Heywood