Background
The ASEE Best Diversity Paper Award was approved and first implemented in 2015 as part of the Year of Action on Diversity. The Award is now named the ASEE Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Paper Award. The award strives to enhance the visibility and sustainment of actions in support of diversity and engineering and engineering technology, which is empowering society in unprecedented ways. Engineering, engineering technology, and diversity are at the core of innovation and can address Grand Challenges facing the US and the world. In order for the engineering discipline to reach its full potential, however, the engineering education community and the engineering profession must better include all segments of our society. In particular, engineering and engineering technology must actively engage and help promote the pursuit of engineering education and engineering careers with those individuals who have been historically under-represented within engineering. ASEE believes that diversity and inclusiveness is essential to enriching educational experiences and innovations that drive the development of creative solutions in addressing the world’s challenges. We learn from experiences, beliefs, and perspectives that are different from our own. Diversity, demographically, intellectually, and socially, fuels innovation and the development of imaginative and enduring solutions to global problems. The ASEE Statement on Diversity and Inclusiveness is available here: http://diversity.asee.org/about.
Thus, the Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Paper Competition seeks to identify highly impactful efforts by ASEE authors that broaden participation in engineering and engineering technology and influence the inclusive, diverse future of engineering. The inaugural year, monetary awards were made possible by a generous donation from the Mechanical Engineering Division. In subsequent years, the award has been funded in the same manner as other ASEE Best Paper awards. Winners from previous years can be found below. Many of the finalists listed below presented their papers at a Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Paper session at their respective annual meeting.
2022 Finalists
| Paper Title | Division/Zone |
|---|---|
| WINNER: Integrating Race, Gender, and Indigenous Knowledge in the Introductory Physics Curriculum Author: Prasad Venugopal |
Engineering Physics & Physics |
| High-Quality Text Descriptions of Visual Elements in Online Interactive Versions of Traditional Print Mechanical Engineering Textbooks Author(s): Ryan Barlow, Adrian Rodriguez, Oscar Rios, James Eakins |
Engineering Libraries |
| Perspectives of Seven Minoritized Students in a First-Year Course Redesign toward Sociotechnical Engineering Education Author(s): Desen Sevi Ozkan, Chelsea Andrews |
Liberal Education/Engineering & Society |
| Professional merit in engineering career advancement: Student perspectives and critiques Author(s): Robert Loweth, Shanna Daly, Leah Paborsky, Sara Hoffman, and Steve Skerlos |
Educational Research & Methods |
| Collateral Damage: Investigating the Impacts of COVID on STEM Professionals with Caregiving Responsibilities Author: Kelli Paul |
Women in Engineering |
2021 Winner and Finalists
| Paper Title | Division/Zone |
|---|---|
|
WINNER:: The Politics of Citation Practices in Engineering Education: A Citation Network Analysis of Intersectionality by Dr. Kristen Moore, Dr. Nathan R Johnson, Dr. Fernando Sánchez, and Rev. Walter R Hargrove |
Educational Research & Methods |
|
Student-Led Summer Diversity Workshops for Built-Environment Majors by Dolores Herrera, Claire Marie Leader, Mr. Soham Patel, and Dr. Anahid Behrouzi |
Student |
|
Role with it: Examining the impact of instructor role models in introductory mathematics courses on student experiences by Tyler James Sullivan, Dr. Matthew K. Voigt, Dr. Naneh Apkarian, Mr. Antonio Estevan Martinez IV, and Dr. Jessica Ellis Hagman |
Mathematics |
|
Black In Engineering: How the Social Justice Efforts of Black Academics Affect Change by Dr. Carlotta A. Berry, Dr. Audrey Bowden, Dr. Monica Farmer Cox, Prof. Tahira N. Reid, and Dr. Leroy L. Long III |
Minorities in Engineering Division |
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Impact of MESH teaching strategies on Latinx and URM students’ self-reported engagement in online Environmental Engineering courses in a Hispanic Serving Institution by Dr. Melissa Salazar and Dr. Margarita Otero-Diaz |
Pacific Southwest Regional Conference |
|
Embracing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Our Classroom and Teaching Dr. Jena Shafai Asgarpoor, Dr. Meg Handley, Dr. Alisha L. Sarang-Sieminski, Dr. John Brooks Slaughter P.E., Dr. Meagan C Pollock, Dr. Homero Murzi, and Dr. Monica Farmer Cox |
Engineering Leadership Development |
2020 Winner and Finalists
| Paper Title | Division/Zone |
|---|---|
|
WINNER: An Exploratory Study of Intentionality towards Diversity in STEM Faculty Hiring (Research) by Samara Rose Boyle, Canek Phillips, Yvette E. Pearson, Reginald DesRoches, Stephen Mattingly, Anne Nordberg, Wei Wayne Li, and Hanadi S. Rifai |
Minorities in Engineering Division |
|
How Does Enrollment Management Affect Student Population Diversity in Biomedical Engineering? by Rachel C. Childers and Handan Acar |
Biomedical Engineering Division |
|
A Review of the State of LGBTQIA+ Student Research in STEM and Engineering Education by Madeleine Jennings, Rod D. Roscoe Nadia Kellam, and Suren Jayasuriya |
Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division |
|
Faculty Development Mini-Modules on Evidence-Based Inclusive Teaching and Mentoring Practices in Engineering by Sarah I. Rooney, Joshua A. Enszer, Julia A. Maresca, S. Ismat Shah, Sheldon A. Hewlett, and Jenni M. Buckley |
Faculty Development Division |
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Interventions in Faculty Recruiting, Screening, and Hiring Processes Enable Greater Engineering Faculty Diversity by Robyn Sandekian, JoAnn Silverstein, and Beverly Louie |
Women in Engineering Division |
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Improving Student Accessibility, Equity, Course Performance, and Lab Skills: How Introduction of ClassTranscribe is Changing Engineering Education at the University of Illinois by Lawrence Angrave, Karin Jensen, Zhilin Zhang, Chirantan Mahipal, David Mussulman, Christopher D. Schmitz, Robert T. Baird, Hongye Liu, Ruihua Sui, Maryalice S. Wu, and Rob Kooper |
New Engineering Educators Division |
|
A Systemized Literature Review of the Factors that Predict the Retention of Racially Minoritized Students in STEM Graduate Degree Programs by Fantasi N. Curry and Jennifer DeBoer |
Graduate Studies Division |
2019 Winner and Finalists
Finalists for the 2019 Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Paper Award, listed below, presented their award-winning papers at a Best DEI Paper session at the annual meeting. To see recordings of these presentations, click here.
| Paper Title | Division/Zone |
|---|---|
| WINNER: Work in Progress: Aligning What We Want With What We Seek: Increasing Comprehensive Review in the Graduate Admissions Process by Dr. La’Tonia Stiner-Jones and Dr. Wolfgang Windl Check out the paper here! |
Graduate Studies Division |
| Institutional Agents’ Roles in Serving Student Veterans and Implications for Student Veterans in Engineering by Dr. Catherine Mobley, Dr. Joyce B. Main, Dr. Susan M. Lord, Dr. Catherine E. Brawner, and Prof. Michelle M. Camacho Check out the paper here! |
Military and Veterans Division |
| Effects of gender, effort, and spatial visualization abilities in an engineering graphics class by Ms. Hannah Budinoff, Ms. Audrey Ford, and Prof. Sara McMains Check out the paper here! |
Engineering Design Graphics Division |
| Investigating Children with Autism’s Engagement in Engineering Practices: Problem Scoping (Fundamental) by Ms. Hoda Ehsan and Dr. Monica E. Cardella Check out the paper here! |
Pre-College Engineering Education Division |
| To What Extent Does Gender and Ethnicity Impact Engineering Students’ Career Outcomes? An exploratory analysis comparing biomedical to three other undergraduate engineering majors by Dr. Alexis Ortiz-Rosario, Dr. Amena Shermadou, Dr. David A. Delaine, and Dr. Tanya M. Nocera Check out the paper here! |
Biomedical Engineering Division |
2018 Winner and Finalists
| Paper Title | Division/Zone |
|---|---|
| WINNER: Effects of Research and Internship Experiences in Engineering Task Self-efficacy on Engineering Students through an Intersectional Lens by Abisola Kusimo (Stanford University), Marissa Thompson (Stanford University), Sheri Sheppard (Stanford University), and Sara Atwood (Elizabethtown College) Check out the paper here! |
Minorities in Engineering Division |
| Diversity and Inclusion in Electrical and Computer Engineering: Students’ Perceptions of Learning and Engaging with Difference by Sean Eddington, Carla B. Zoltowski, Andrew O. Brightman, Rucha Joshi, Patrice Marie Buzzanell, and David Torres (all of Purdue University) Check out the paper here! |
Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division |
| The Power of Peer Mentoring of Undergraduate Women in Engineering: Fostering Persistence through Academic and Social Integration by Jennifer A Gatz, Dr. Angela M Kelly, and Dr. Monica Bugallo (all of Stony Brook University) Check out the paper here! |
Women in Engineering Division |
| Gender, Motivation, and Pedagogy in the STEM Classroom: A Quantitative Characterization by Jonathan D. Stolk (Olin College), Yevgeniya V. Zastavker (Olin College), and Michael D Gross (Wake Forest University) Check out the paper here! |
Educational Research and Methods Division |
| Uncovering Latent Diversity: Steps Towards Understanding ‘What Counts’ and ‘Who Belongs’ in Engineering Culture by Brianna Shani Benedict, Dina Verdin, Rachel Ann Baker, Allison Godwin, and Thaddeus Milton (all of Purdue University) Check out the paper here! |
ASEE Diversity Committee |
2017 Winner and Finalists
| Paper Title | Division/Zone |
|---|---|
| WINNER: The Inequality of LGBTQ Students in U.S. Engineering Education: Report on a Study of Eight Engineering Programs by Dr. Erin A. Cech (University of Michigan), Prof. Tom J. Waidzunas (Temple University), and Dr. Stephanie Farrell (Rowan University) Check out the paper here! |
Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division |
| Mobile Aerospace Education Lab (m-AEL): A NASA Supported K-12 “Roadshow-In-A-Box” Initiative to Advance Aviation/Aerospace Education in Underserved Counties by Dr. Kuldeep S. Rawat (Elizabeth City State University), Dr. Ellis Eugene Lawrence (Elizabeth City State University), and Cmdr. Orestes Devino Gooden (Elizabeth City State University) Check out the paper here! |
Aerospace Division |
| Climate Control: Gender and Racial Bias in Engineering? by Dr. Su Li (U. C. Hastings, College of the Law), Dr. Roberta Rincon (Society of Women Engineers), and Prof. Joan Chalmers Williams (University of California, Hastings College of the Law) Check out the paper here! |
ASEE Diversity Committee |
| Closing the Gap: Using Supplemental Instruction as a Tool to Assist Minorities in Engineering by Lt. James Blake Gegenheimer (Louisiana State University STEP ), Mr. Charles Algeo Wilson IV (Louisiana State University), Adrienne Steele (Louisiana State University), and Dr. Warren N. Waggenspack Jr. (Louisiana State University) Check out the paper here! |
Student Division |
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Calculus Reform – Increasing STEM Retention and Post-Requisite Course Success While Closing the Retention Gap for Women and Underrepresented Minority Students by Dr. Doug Bullock (Boise State University), Dr. Janet Callahan (Boise State University), and Ms. Jocelyn B. S. Cullers (Boise State University) |
Mathematics Division |
2016 Winner and Finalists
| Paper Title | Division/Zone |
|---|---|
| WINNER: Mapping Assets of Diverse Groups for Chemical Engineering Design Problem Framing Ability by Vanessa Svihla, Abhaya K. Datye, Jamie R Gomez, Victor Law, and Sophia Bowers (University of New Mexico) |
Chemical Engineering Division |
| Instructional Strategies for Incorporating Empathy in Transdisciplinary Technology Education by Colin M. Gray, Luciana de Cresce El Debs, Marisa Exter, and Terri S. Krause (Purdue University, West Lafayette) |
Engineering Ethics Division |
| Where are they Now? Analyses of Alumnae Data by Andrea L Welker (Villanova University) |
Civil Engineering Division |
| ‘Turning away’ from the Struggling Individual Student: An Account of the Cultural Construction of Engineering Ability in an Undergraduate Programming Class by Stephen Douglas Secules, Andrew Elby, and Ayush Gupta (University of Maryland, College Park) |
Educational Research and Methods Division |
| The Effect of Financial Support on Academic Achievement and Retention of Female Engineering Students by Yang Lydia Yang and Bette Grauer (Kansas State University) | Women in Engineering Division |
| A Multi-Institutional Study of the Relationships between Nontraditional and Traditional Undergraduate Engineering Students by Tressa Kay Mikel, Frank Q. Hoang, Emi Okada, Pedro Sung Hoe Kim, Audrianna Rodriguez, Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, Shannon Ciston (University of California, Berkeley/ University of New Haven) |
Pacific Southwest Section |
2015 Winner and Finalists
Winners of the 2015 Best Diversity Paper Award presented their award-winning papers at a Best Diversity Paper session at the annual meeting (Monday, June 12:30 – 2 pm, Washington State Convention Center, Room 309).
| Rank | Paper Title | Division/Zone |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Place | Creating Inclusive Environments in First-Year Engineering Classes to Support Student Retention and Learning by Dr. Christina H. Paguyo (Colorado State University), Dr. Rebecca A. Atadero (Colorado State University), Dr. Karen E. Rambo-Hernandez (West Virginia University), and Jennifer Francis (West Virginia University) |
First-Year Programs |
| 2nd Place | Into the pipeline: A freshman student’s experiences of stories ‘told’ about engineering by Mr. Michael Brewer (Affiliation unknown), Dr. Nicola Sochacka (University of Georgia), and Dr. Joachim Walther (University of Georgia) |
Liberal Education/ Engineering & Society |
| 3rd Place | Leadership, Management, and Diversity: Missed Opportunities within Student Design Competition Teams by Dr. Susan E. Walden (University of Oklahoma), Ms. Cindy E. Foor (University of Oklahoma), Dr. Rui Pan (University of Oklahoma), Dr. Randa L. Shehab (University of Oklahoma), and Dr. Deborah A. TryYen (University of Oklahoma) |
Mechanical Engineering |
| 4th Place | Students Seeking Different Paths to Entrepreneurial Education by Dr. Sergio Celis (Universidad de Chile) and Dr. Aileen Huang-Saad (University of Michigan) | Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation |
| 5th Place | Changes in Latino/a Adolescents’ Engineering Self-Efficacy and Perceptions of Engineering After Addressing Authentic Engineering Design Challenges by Dr. Joel Alejandro Mejia (West Virginia University), Mr. Dustin Drake (Utah State University), and Dr. Amy Wilson-Lopez (Utah State University – Teacher Education and Leadership) |
K-12 and Pre-College Engineering |
| 6th Place | The Summer Undergraduate Research Bridge Experience for Community College Students: Providing Connections from Community College to the Four-Year Institution by Ms. Jeanne R. Garland (New Mexico State University), Ms. Michele A. Auzenne (New Mexico State University), and Dr. Ricardo B. Jacquez (New Mexico State University) |
Multidisciplinary Engineering |
2015 Nominees
The following nominees fit within one of two categories: (a) paper directly addresses a diversity project, topic and/or initiative or (b) paper describes a project, topic and/or initiative while integrating themes of broader impact and diversity. While these papers were not selected as winners, they are recognized for their contribution and listed below in alphabetical order:
| Paper Title | Division/Zone |
|---|---|
| A Series of Singular Testimonies: A New Way to Explore Unearned Advantages and Unearned Disadvantages by Dr. Julie P Martin (Clemson University), Ms. Aubrie Lynn Pfirman (Clemson University), Rachel K. Anderson (Clemson University), Ms. Shannon K Stefl (Clemson University), Mr. Frederick Paige (Clemson University ), and Mrs. Lindsey Whitfield Cain (Clemson University) |
Educational Research and Methods Division |
| Assessing the Impact of Research Experiences on the Success of Underrepresented Community College Students by Dr. Amelito G. Enriquez (Canada College), Prof. Wenshen Pong P.E. (San Francisco State University), Prof. Hamid Shahnasser (San Francisco State University), Hamid Mahmoodi (San Francisco State University), Dr. Cheng Chen (San Francisco State University), Dr. Xiaorong Zhang (San Francisco State University), Dr. Kwok Siong Teh (San Francisco State University), and Mr. Nick Patrick Rentsch (Canada College) |
Minorities in Engineering Division |
| Building The Two-Way Bridge: A Software Engineering Master’s Program for Liberal Arts Graduates by Professor Linda Laird (Stevens Institute of Technology) and Dr. Ye Yang (Stevens Institute of Technology) |
Spring 2015 ASEE Mid-Atlantic Conference |
| Career Advancement through Academic Commercialization: Acknowledging and Reducing Barriers for Women Engineering Faculty by Ari Turrentine (VentureWell) |
Women in Engineering Division |
| Comparison of Mastery Learning and Traditional Lecture-Exam Models in a Large Enrollment Physics Course by Dr. Barbara Masi (University of Rochester), Dan M. Watson (University of Rochester), Prof. Arie Bodek (University of Rochester), Mr. Dev Ashish Khaitan (Affiliation unknown), and Erik Garcell (Affiliation unknown) |
Engineering Physics & Physics Division |
| Design for Aging with BIM and Game Engine Integration by Dr. Wei Wu (California State University, Fresno) and Mr. Ishan Kanshik (Affiliation Unknown) |
Architectural Division |
| Diversity in Chemical Engineering Education: Status and Perspectives by Dr. Cheryl A. Bodnar (University of Pittsburgh), Dr. Arthur Felse (Northwestern University), Dr. Karen A. High (Oklahoma State University), Dr. Jason M. Keith (Mississippi State University), Dr. Adrienne Minerick (Michigan Technological University), Dr. Ann Saterbak (Rice University), and Dr. Jennifer Cole (Northwestern University) |
Chemical Engineering Division |
| Enhance Computing Curricula with High Performance Computing Teaching and Research by Dr. Suxia Cui (Prairie View A&M University), Dr. Lin Li (Prairie View A&M University), Dr. Lei Huang (Prairie View A&M University), and Dr. Yonghui Wang (Prairie View A&M University) |
Systems Engineering Division |
| Human-Centered Computing Scholars: Fostering a New Generation of Underrepresented and Financially Disadvantaged Researchers by Juan E. Gilbert (University of Florida) and Lamont A. Flowers (Clemson University) |
2015 ASEE Southeast Section Conference |
| Impacts of Service Learning Projects on the Technical and Professional Engineering Confidence of First Year Engineering Students by Dr. Matthew Siniawski (Loyola Marymount University), Dr. Sandra G. Luca (Loyola Marymount University), Prof. Jeremy S. Pal (Loyola Marymount University), and Dr. Jose A. Saez (Loyola Marymount University) | Community Engagement Division |
| Incorporating Engineering in a High School FACS and Chemistry Class by Bonnie Boyd (Saint Paul Public Schools), AnnMarie Thomas (University of St. Thomas), and Alex Zierden (University of St. Thomas/ University of Minnesota Duluth) |
2014 ASEE North Midwest Section Conference |
| Increasing Diversity in Engineering: Capacity Building Matters by Joanita M. Kant (South Dakota State University), Suzettee R. Burckhard (South Dakota State University), Whitney K. Kilts (South Dakota State University), and Kyungnan Min (South Dakota State University) |
2014 ASEE North Midwest Section Conference |