In Our Schools


THE ENGINEER AT SU REDEFINING by Erin Almaleh, Editor, INCAST Magazine


fall of 2016 from the National Science Foundation (NSF), they did not focus on the innovative design projects being produced by their students or the cutting edge technology like 3D printers being used at their school. Instead, the focal point of their study was around who the students are as individuals. What kind of education were students walking away with in their journey to become an engineer? Simple textbook knowledge or something more? This introspection led to a $1.86 million dollar grant award, with Seattle


W 10 ❘ December 2017 ®


hen Seattle University (SU) began their application process for a grant in the


University beating out submissions from other larger programs. As a result, students who graduate from SU's Mechanical Engineering Department in the future will not only benefit from an entire curriculum change, but a shift in the educational philosophy and values of its entire professional staff. "We knew our students were already


benefiting from our lab-based courses and our aggressive research. So we began to look at the role of the engineer from a new perspective," stated Assistant Professor Yen-Lin Han, PhD, at Seattle University. "We began this from a question of identity. We knew a lot of engineering programs were not looking at this piece


of the puzzle. We wanted to bridge the gap between minorities and engineering; between women and engineering; between industry professionals and our students; between the textbook and manufacturing facilities." Han explained. "We were asking, 'How were our students identifying themselves as engineers?'"


The Psychological Component The psychological component is a criti- cal aspect of the NSF program now un- derway at SU. Identifying and explor- ing the perceptions and paradigms that prospective engineers are confronted with, especially as it pertains to female students, differentiated the SU proposal


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