Yevgeniya V. Zastavker

The Olin curriculum: thinking toward the future

In 1997, the F. W. Olin Foundation of New York established the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA, with the mission of creating an engineering school for the 21st century. Over the last five years, the college has transformed from an idea to a functioning entity that admitted its first freshman class in fall 2002. This paper describes the broad outlines of the Olin curriculum with some emphasis on the electrical and computer engineering degree. The curriculum incorporates the best practices from many other institutions as well as new ideas and approaches in an attempt to address the future of engineering education.

Uneasy Stories: Critical Reflection Narratives in Engineering Education

To respond to the calls of governmental, academic, and industrial leaders for critical changes in engineering education, engineering programs throughout the country refocused their mission and aspiration to include explicit statements about supporting development of engineers who are not only experts in their fields but also possess critical thinking and related skills. However, operationalization of these mission statements has been problematic, if not impossible, for most institutions. Using two case studies to drive its argument, this chapter spotlights one model for bringing critical into development of critically reflective engineers. We describe the ways in which a course on critical reflection embedded within the formal engineering curriculum that nonetheless allows for cross-pollination between formal and informal aspects of student experience at Olin College of Engineering allows for critical learning opportunities. Using Carper’s framework, we demonstrate how “personal way of knowing” can be integrated with professional ways of knowing to support development of more critically reflective engineer—bringing to the fore other ways of knowing, critical and creative, in engineering education. We further share a bit of our respective stories underscoring what motivates us to promote critical reflection in academia, and how such reflection transformed our two specific stories of integrated vision for change.

Defining moments: The link between definitions of teaching and the desire to teach

In response to the well documented lack of highly qualified STEM educators in the United States, this work seeks to understand how to increase interest in K-12 STEM teaching among engineering students. This paper presents a preliminary framework and findings exploring factors that motivate the choice of a teaching career among the alumni of a small engineering college. In particular, it focuses on the relationship between the ways in which study participants defined “teaching” and “teacher” and their post-graduate interests and pursuits. Fourteen subjects participated in semi-structured, open-ended interviews designed to elicit an understanding of their definitions of teaching as well as the experiences and influences that shaped those definitions. Preliminary analysis suggests that participants with very narrow views of teaching and learning are averse to teaching, while those with broader definitions are likelier to engage in teaching, teaching-related careers, or consider them in the future.

Work in progress - a provisional competency assessment system

Over the last two years Olin College has been defining and implementing a provisional system to develop and assess student competency levels. The system particularly emphasizes the importance of creating a community of practice that includes not only faculty but also staff and students. In this paper we provide an overview of the design process, and comment on the results of our first year of implementing the system

Beyond reflection: Using discourse analysis to understand your classroom culture

Understanding individual classroom culture is essential for constructing effective learning and teaching contexts. Largely underutilized in STEM classrooms to date, discourse analysis can serve as a tool to uncover, understand, and shape unique classroom culture. Used as a reflective tool, discourse analysis can enhance pedagogical understanding of quality and quantity of student participation and acquisition of knowledge. This workshop offers participants an opportunity to engage in a hands-on learning experience about ways to create learning opportunities for all students. The participants will learn the process of discourse analysis and will create a step-by-step plan to use this research perspective to comprehend what actually happens in their own classrooms so as to enhance interactions creating an effective learning and teaching context.

An interactive exploration of gender and computing: unpacking the student experience

Being a computer science and engineering student is experienced differently by male and female students; gendered interactions affect the development of academic and professional role confidence as well as professional identity. In this hands-on special session, participants explore concepts of gender schemas, privilege, and identity using a range of interactive activities. We have found these concepts useful in framing discussion with our students and in understanding and improving student experiences. The session introduces and obtains feedback on a Gender and Engineering Exploration Kit, which the participants are encouraged to review, use, and share at their home institutions.

Special session: An interactive exploration of Gender and engineering: Unpacking the experience

The engineering student experience is understood to differ for male and female students; gendered interactions affect the development of academic and professional role confidence, as well as engineering identity. The purpose of this session is twofold. First, we aim to introduce participants to concepts of gender schemas, privilege, and identity using a range of interactive activities, including brainstorming and structured discussion. Second, we intend to share information about and obtain feedback on a Gender Discussion Exploration Kit, which the participants will be encouraged to review, use, and share at their home institutions.

Spiraling Into Gallstone Disease: A Physicist’s Spin

Scientists have been fascinated for decades with the ability of nature to form self‐assembled structures of various configurations. One such configuration is a spiral or a helix. The (double) helical geometrical configuration is a well‐known secondary structure of DNA; however, DNA is not the only biological system possessing this shape. Spirals have been found in a variety of biological and synthetic systems, one of which is bile in the gallbladder. In this system, helical ribbons appear as metastable intermediates in the process of cholesterol crystallization that leads to the formation of gallstones. The bile system is particularly interesting and unique due to the richness in variety of the helical structures formed. Understanding the mechanisms for nature’s self‐assembly of helical ribbons is crucial in both the prevention of gallstone disease and in developing potential technological and medical applications. We describe a model bile system, composed of three major components of native bile in water...

Women in Physics in the U.S.: A Progress Report

1 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; 2 Duke University; 3 Louisiana State University; 4 Carleton College; 5 Heritage University; 6 University of Texas, Austin; 7 The CNA Corporation; 8 University of Alabama; 9 American Institute of Physics; 10 Barnard College, Columbia University; 11 University of Maryland; 12 Boston University; 13 Harvard University; 14 Argonne National Laboratory; 15 Johns Hopkins University; 16 Colorado College; 17 Shaw University; 18 Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Women in Physics in the United States

The underrepresentation of women in physics and related fields in the US remains significant despite an increase in doctoral degrees earned over the past 10 years. An even greater disparity is seen among minority women. Increasing recognition of the contributions of women to discovery and education in physics and related fields has led to government initiatives and other programs to promote broader inclusion, balance, and gender equity. These actions for advocating women in physics in the US since the first IUPAP Women in Physics Conference in 2002 are presented.