Highlights of the final day included six distinguished lectures on a wide range of educational ventures and trends followed by a panel representing international peer societies. Then, in his last act as ASEE President, Kenneth F. Galloway hosted a well-attended Farewell Reception for all attendees, sponsored by Dassault Systèmes, where he recognized members of the ASEE Board of Directors whose service continues for 2014/15 and welcomed the new board members. The occasion marked the beginning of Nicholas J. Altiero‘s service as ASEE President and the start of Joseph J. Rencis‘s term as President-elect.

Cynthia J. Atman and Gary R. Bertoline opened the distinguished lecture series by sharing the topic, “Inspiring Change Agents to Transform Engineering Education: Challenges and Strategies of Pioneers in an Ever-evolving Social and Cultural Context.” Atman is the founding director of the Center for Engineering Learning & Teaching (CELT), as well as professor in human centered design and engineering, and the holder of an endowed chair at the University of Washington. Her talk was informed by her study on “Engineering Education Pioneers and Trajectories of Impact,” funded by the National Science Foundation. Bertoline is dean of Purdue University’s College of Technology and a driving force behind Purdue’s new Polytechnic Institute, which he has called “our answer to the national call for the reform of higher education.”

Christine Cunningham, an educational researcher and a vice president at the Museum of Science, Boston, described a new approach to K-12 education aimed at imbuing students with engineering habits of mind. She was followed by a talk on equity in engineering education by “Bell Labs daughter” Peggy McIntosh, founder of the United States S.E.E.D. Project on Inclusive Curriculum (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) and associate director of the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Carl Mitcham, a specialist in the philosophy of technology who directs the Hennebach Program for the Humanities at the Colorado School of Mines, shifted the focus to learning from China. The lectures ended with a hands-on emphasis as Dave Wilson, director of academic programs for National Instruments, sponsor of the series, described how NI tools help prepare students to design increasingly complex integrated systems.

A panel comprising leaders of international peer societies offered a sweeping overview of the state of engineering education in Europe and Asia. Panelists were Danilo Zutin, a research engineer at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Austria, and secretary general of the International Society of Engineering Pedagogy; Kamel Hawwash, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom who is president of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI); Mike Murphy, dean of the College of Engineering and Built Environment at the Dublin Institute of Technology who serves on the SEFI administrative council; Euy Soo Lee, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Dongguk University and president of the Korean Society for Engineering Education; and Yoichiro Matsumoto, executive vice president and professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Tokyo and president of the  Japanese Society for Engineering Education.

Outgoing ASEE President Ken Galloway concluded the conference by recognizing the following members of the ASEE Board of Directors whose terms continue for another year: Terri Morse, Vice President of Finance; Bevlee A. Watford, Vice President, External Affairs; Diane Matt, Chair, Corporate Member Council; Louis Martin-Vega, Chair, Engineering Deans Council; Adrienne Minerick, Chair, PIC I; Maura Jenkins Borrego, Chair, PIC IV; Lea-Ann Morton, Chair, PIC V; Suzanne Keilson, Chair, Zone I; Charles McIntyre, Chair Zone III; and Norman Fortenberry, Executive Director.

He also thanked his successor, Nick Altiero, and president-elect Joe Rencis, and recognized the incoming members of the 2014/15 Board of Directors: Ken Burbank, Chair, Engineering Technology Council;  Randy Moses, Chair, Engineering Research Council; B. Grant Crawford, Vice President, Member Affairs; Ruby Mawasha, Chair Zone III; Eric Wang, Chair Zone I; Cheryl Sorby, Chair PIC III; and Marjan Eggermont, Chair PIC II.

Distinguished Lecturers

Dr. Christine M Cunningham

Mr. Dave Wilson

Carl Mitcham

Peggy McIntosh

Dr. Cynthia J. Atman

Ray Phillips captured key moments throughout the day in photos. Thursday’s Conference Connection will reprise key events of the past five days in Indy.