Recently, two Elizabethtown College engineering professors received awards at the annual American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) conference. The conference is a yearly event dedicated to engineering educators, and it includes technical events and workshops for the attendees.
This year’s conference included speakers who were in the field of engineering education at many different accredited universities, and spoke on varying aspects of engineering education. Peer-reviewed papers were also presented, providing valuable research on the topic of engineering education.
Dr. Jean Batista is the Assistant Professor of Engineering & Physics Civil Engineering at Etown. He was the recipient of the 2021 Ferdinand P. Beer and E. Russel Johnston, Jr. Outstanding New Mechanics Educator Award, recognizing his commitment to education, especially in the field of engineering mechanics education.
This prestigious award is given to up to two engineering educators with no more than five years of experience in the field each year.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 ASEE conference was held virtually this year, but Batista will have the opportunity to be recognized in person at the 2022 ASEE Annual Conference, yet another reminder of the pandemic’s effects on daily lives.
“The pandemic has definitely been challenging. On several occasions, it has made me reshape and even completely change some of my plans and goals. As a result, intentional flexibility plays an essential role in my lesson planning, not as a remedial measure but as an imminent need,” Batista said.
He also credits his colleagues at the College.
“Their creativity and innovation paired with their passion for engineering education are unavoidably contagious,” Batista said.
The award and the conference have had an impact on his outlook on education.
“My course contents and teaching methods are always evolving and being adjusted based on students’ needs, so I constantly invest time in assessing what works and revising what needs to be changed. This award ratifies my commitment to continue doing so,” he said.
Dr. Mark Brinton is the Assistant Professor of Engineering & Physics Electrical Engineering, Biosignals at Elizabethtown. He received a Faculty Travel Award from the Biomedical Engineering Division. This award is a grant given to no more than two engineering educators to cover the expense and travel fees of the annual ASEE conference.
Unfortunately, the conference was virtual this year, so there were no travel fees involved, but Brinto said that the virtual conference was still helpful to him as an educator.
“The conference itself was exciting,” he said. “It’s really fun to go to a conference with people who think the same way. You can sit down and have a conversation about how to improve student retention and how to design a class better, and all of the things I think about on a daily basis. I just found it thrilling to be surrounded by people who care about education.”
Educators from across the United States and Canada were there, providing their diverse perspectives on engineering education, and sharing with each other their backgrounds and experience.
“I come from a background that’s all research, so my colleagues here have encouraged me and guided me, and they’re the ones that pushed me in the direction to attend a conference like this,” Brinton said.
The conference will prove valuable to Brinton as he continues his career in engineering education, and it will prove just as valuable to the students he teaches.
The ASEE conference will be held again next year, and hopefully more Etown engineering educators will be able to attend the conference. The Etownian extends its congratulations to both Batista and Brinton on their awards and accomplishments.
