EED faculty recognized for significant contributions by the College
Members of the Department of Engineering Education were recognized at the 25th Annual College of Engineering Distinguished Faculty Awards ceremony on April 27, 2022. Dr. Julie P. Martin and Dr. Emily Dringenberg were presented with the Lumley Research Award the Faculty Diversity Excellence Award, respectively. Both Martin and Dringenberg have a significant impact on the EED’s graduate program and research enterprise.
The Faculty Diversity Excellence award is presented each year to a faculty member whose accomplishments support the College’s goal of achieving excellence through diversity and creating an environment and organizational culture in which all individuals are accepted, respected, and valued. Dringenberg is a leader in the field of engineering education with a research agenda of investigating beliefs that perpetuate inequity in engineering. As part of the educational plan for her NSF CAREER Award, Dringenberg designed and implemented a graduate level course, Gender-and- Race-Based Minoritization in Engineering Education (ENGREDU 6194); this course is formalizing education related to social justice within the College. Piloted in Autumn 2020, she designed her course to support critical reflection on how participants theorize about the cause(s) of gender- and race-based inequity and empower them to act as change agents in a way that makes sense for their individual context and positionality. The course design is informed by the research component of Dringenberg’s CAREER project, which is to analyze 1) the beliefs that engineering faculty, staff and administrators hold about the dominant cause of the on-going minoritization of women and Peoples of Color in engineering, 2) how they justify these beliefs, and 3) the experiences that they recognize as key to their evolution. Dringenberg’s work in this space is advancing the field’s ability to unpack beliefs and their sources in novel ways that can directly inform future professional development efforts and ultimately broaden participation in engineering. Related work can be found on the website for her team, BERG.
The Lumley Research Award recognizes faculty for their research accomplishments and productivity made during the five-year period prior to nomination. Recognized for her research on methodological activism, Martin was one of 13 to receive the distinguished Lumley Research Award in 2022. Martin advocates for researchers to intentionally choose research methods that will empower marginalized populations in a process termed methodological activism. What this means practically is that researchers find ways to conduct research with marginalized populations, rather than “on” marginalized populations. Related work can be found on the website for her team, Elevate.
“Emily and Julie’s work showcases the broad range of our faculty’s creative expression in phenomenal ways. Their work highlights the university shared values and will enable us to more effectively prepare our graduate students for a nationally and globally diverse workforce” said Dr. LaTonia Stiner-Jones, the College of Engineering’s Associate Dean of Graduate Programs.
The Ohio State Department of Engineering Education continues to be a leader in DEI research within the College of Engineering. Awards such as the Lumley Research Award and Faculty Diversity Excellence Award serve as a reminder that their work is valued by our institution.
Prepared by Department of Engineering Education
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