2019 Best Paper Finalists

Graduate Admissions Process

2019 Best Diversity Paper Winner: Realigning the Graduate Admissions Process to Increase Diversity

This paper is the winner of the ASEE 2019 Best Diversity Paper Award, and was presented at the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference by Dr. La’Tonia Stiner- Jones of The Ohio State University.

According to the most recent Council of Graduate School study, only 50% of PhD students enrolled in STEM disciplines complete their degree in 7 years. In this presentation, Stiner-Jones describes the need for a graduate student admissions review process for that assesses applicants’ non-cognitive variables, how her department at the Ohio State University piloted this process, and the results they achieved in terms of increasing enrollment of women and under-represented minorities.

Read the full paper at http://bit.ly/2OoB9IJ

Student Veterans in Engineering

Retention of Student Veterans in Engineering Education

This paper is an ASEE 2019 Best Diversity Paper Award finalist, and was presented at the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference by Dr. Catherine Mobley of Clemson University.

Research shows that institutional agents (IAs), those who serve student veterans in various capacities, can both help and hinder the success of these students. This presentation highlights the views of institutional agents (IAs) who serve student veterans in engineering (SVEs). The SVEs themselves recognized that veterans are important to the university’s efforts to diversify engineering education.

Read the full paper at http://bit.ly/2yp8Sqo

Children with Autism’s Engagement in Engineering

Investigating how Children with Autism Engage in Engineering

This paper is an ASEE 2019 Best Diversity Paper Award finalist, and was presented at the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference by Hoda Ehsan, a graduate student at Purdue University.

Although the number of children with autism is growing rapidly, there is limited research considering the aspects of engineering thinking of children with disabilities. Given the importance of participating in engineering learning opportunities from childhood and its impact on future engineering performance, engaging children with autism in appropriate engineering experiences is necessary. The main purpose of this study is to investigate how 8-to-10-year-old children with autism engage in problem scoping. The findings of this study lay the foundation for future studies on children with autism and engineering design, and how to effectively engage in them in these activities.

Read the full paper at http://bit.ly/2Mp5Tqi

Engineering Graphics Class

Overcoming the Spatial Visualization Gender Gap in a First-Year Engineering Course

This paper is an ASEE 2019 Best Diversity Paper Award finalist, and was presented at the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference by Hannah Budinoff, a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley.

Only 12% of US engineering positions are held by females, signals a persist underrepresentation of women in engineering. This presentation summarizes a study that focused on understanding the interaction between gender, spatial visualization ability, effort, and course outcomes in an engineering graphics course. With improved understanding of gender differences in engineering graphics classes, we can help identify pedagogical areas to support women, with the goal of increasing their retention in engineering programs.

Read the full paper at http://bit.ly/3188ARn

Engineering Students’ Career Outcomes

Diversity’s Impact on Engineering Students’ Career Outcomes

This paper is an ASEE 2019 Best Diversity Paper Award finalist, and was presented at the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition by Dr. Alexis Ortiz- Rosario of The Ohio State University.

Motivated by a noticeable gap in undergraduate biomedical engineering students in the industry pipeline, the goal of this work was to investigate if gender and ethnic diversity have any impact on career outcomes for each of the majors studied. This work advances our understanding on the factors that drive students from this major away from industry careers.

Read the full paper at https://bit.ly/2K8Ph3r