Just before writing this, I put the finishing touches on my last quiz for the semester. I know I’m probably not the only one scurrying around frantically trying to wrap up the semester (and/or trying to get well deserved rest as the summer starts), so I will try to keep this short! Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter and engage with our division.
I am continually impressed by the dedication of our division members, and particularly our officers, to not only our community of chemical engineering educators, but to our students and the quality of the field. We in chemical engineering have a tight-knit group that sets a high bar for quality and consistency of teaching and learning, which makes us stand out amongst engineers.
To that end, I’m looking forward to the ASEE Conference in beautiful Portland, where we will be able to catch up with old friends, make new friends, celebrate achievements, and learn from others about how to be better at our craft. This year’s theme is “The Future of Engineering Education”, which invites us to imagine what the future can and should be. I know I am striving for a future that is more diverse, more inclusive, and more effective at training our students to be responsible, ethical, and of course competent at engineering. When I ponder what will get us to that future, I have every confidence that our community of educators is on the right track.
Greetings from the ASEE Membership Committee! George Prpich, Joanne Beckwith, and I (Tracy Carter) are your committee members. We are the folks that remind you to renew your membership. We recognize the importance of this community for our professional development, and we encourage you to reach out to your faculty colleagues and invite them to join. We also suggest you invite our future faculty, graduate students, to become members of ASEE! Please be sure to check the Chemical Engineering Division box when you renew.
The full description of responsibilities for each office are posted on the Division website and can be found through the links with each officer above.
Nominations are being accepted by the current Past Chair, David Silverstein, at david.silverstein@uky.edu). Self-nominations are encouraged, as are nominees for Director and Secretary-Treasurer who are fairly new to the Division and looking for a way to meaningfully contribute. Nominations are requested as soon as practical but will be accepted through February 29, 2024. Questions about the offices may be sent to the same email address as nominations.
ChE Division “Engineering Education” Mentoring Grant
All chemical engineering or chemistry faculty who have not attended an ASEE Annual Conference in the past five years are eligible for this grant. More than one grant may be given annually. A faculty member may apply for this grant by the last day of February. The application consists of a curriculum vitae and a maximum one-page statement of interests in educational scholarship.
Applications will be reviewed by a committee consisting of the awards chairs and directors. If there is a conflict of interest, the directors will identify another member of the committee.
The grant will be a ticket to the ChE Division Banquet. The grant winner(s) will be provided with a ChE Division mentor (an individual determined by the ASEE ChED executive committee) who will meet with the grant winner for both formal and informal interactions during the meeting. Nomination information can be found on the division website: http://ched.asee.org/awards/ and any questions can be directed to our awards chair, Ashlee Ford Versypt, at ashleefv@buffalo.edu.
ASEE CP12 Teacher Conference
The 2024 ASEE CP12 Teacher’s Conference (centered on K-12 teaching) will be held immediately before the 2024 ASEE Conference on June 22, 2024. It will be hosted at Portland State University’s Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science.
ASEE Map of PreK-12 Engineering Opportunities
Get listed on the ASEE map of PreK-12 engineering opportunities. Check out the map and provide feedback using the gray button on the home page. If you have an engineering program, camp, or event it can be highlighted on this website!
Call for Abstracts for the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education
Abstract submission is now open for oral and posters presentations for the 28th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE 2024) to be held at the University of Kentucky July 28-August 1, 2024.
The conference will be organized around four themes:
Classroom Practice and Learning Environments
Curriculum and Cognition
Assessment and Research Methods
Professional Development – within the K-12, two-year college, and university communities.
College/university faculty and staff, K-12 teachers, graduate students, postdocs, and anyone else working in chemical education are welcome to submit an abstract. The deadline for submissions is February 28. Information about the conference is available at https://bcce.divched.org/ or by contacting the program co-chairs, Kim Woodrum or Irv Levy at bcce2024@uky.edu. Abstracts should be submitted at https://bcce24.exordo.com/. Instructions for presenters can be found at http://bcce.divched.org/presenters.
Teaching Professor Position at UC Merced
The Chemical Engineering faculty at the University of California Merced invites applications for the open-level position of Assistant/Associate/Full Teaching Professor to coordinate, develop and teach undergraduate courses and coordinate laboratories in all areas of Chemical Engineering with an anticipated start date as early as July 1, 2024. Please see the link for more information or email Kara McCloskey (kmccloskey@ucmerced.edu) directly with any questions. Apply by March 15. More info: https://aprecruit.ucmerced.edu/JPF01645
Postdoc Position at Cornell
The Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) is seeking a highly motivated and talented individual to join our Active Learning Initiative (ALI) team as a Postdoctoral Researcher in Engineering Education. This position is part of an exciting project aimed at deconstructing the existing Unit Operations Laboratory course and developing new inquiry-based learning modules to be embedded across the curriculum to achieve our vision of making the School a “living laboratory.”
The postdoctoral scholar will work directly with Professor Allison Godwin, a tenured engineering education faculty member in CBE. The impacts of this change will be studied using both qualitative and quantitative tools to understand how active and open-ended problem-solving throughout the curriculum affects student learning, identities as engineers, motivation, and career pathways. Interested candidates should apply online at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/27060. If you have other questions or comments, please contact: Allison Godwin, afg64@cornell.edu
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break, are refreshed, and aren’t TOO stressed with the start of the semester for many of us. As your out-going Director (but soon to be in-coming Program Chair), I wanted to write the introduction to this newsletter to highlight two major announcements in this newsletter.
Chris Barr cjbarr@umich.edu
I’d like to strongly encourage everyone to consider nominating yourself (or others) for candidates for leadership of the division. Being one of the Directors for the past two years has given me the opportunity to see and assist in the operations of the division. I’ve been able to help with minor projects, some not-so-minor projects (revising the website… I’m always looking for suggestions for content), and help with award judging at the conferences. It’s been a very rewarding two years that I’m hopefully going to continue as the Communications Co-chair for the website and for the program chair for the 2025 conference.
Secondly, I’d also recommend nominating your colleagues for the division awards. One of my favorite parts of the ASEE ChE Division is the community and being able to celebrate people’s successes as well as awarding them for these successes to assist in their professional careers at their home institution is a great opportunity.
Chris Barr
To submit announcements to future newsletters: Please send announcements to ched.ASEE.newsletter@gmail.com. Moving forward, we will be sending newsletters mid-month, so try to submit announcements by the 10th of the month. Thank you!
Email completed packet to awards co-chair Ashlee Ford Versypt (ashleefv@buffalo.edu) and the most complete version of each award description, criteria, and nomination materials please see: http://ched.asee.org/awards/ andhttp://ched.asee.org/awards/
Awards with a nomination deadline of January 16:
The Thomas and Donna Edgar CACHE Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering Education
This award, sponsored by the CACHE Corporation, is presented for significant contributions in the development of computer aids for chemical engineering education.
Ray W. Fahien Award
This award is given in honor of Ray Fahien, who was editor of Chemical Engineering Education from 1967-1995, and who was effectively the founding father of the journal, establishing it as a premier publication vehicle in the field of chemical engineering education. The award is given annually to an educator who has shown evidence of vision and contribution to chemical engineering education. Educators who have been faculty members for not more than ten years as of July 1st in the year of the award are eligible.
The Donald R. Woods Lectureship Award for Lifetime Achievement in Chemical Engineering Pedagogy
This award is presented to a distinguished engineering educator to recognize and to encourage outstanding achievement. This award will normally be given for lifetime achievement, recognizing a sustained career of contributions to pedagogical practice, scholarship, and mentoring that not only caused innovative and substantial changes, but also inspired other educators to new behaviors that benefit students in Chemical Engineering. The recipient will be obligated to present a lecture at the ASEE annual conference.
Award with a nomination deadline of February 1:
ChE Division “Engineering Education” Mentoring Grant
All chemical engineering or chemistry faculty who have not attended an ASEE Annual Conference in the past five years are eligible for this grant. The grant will be a ticket to the ChE Division Banquet. The grant winner(s) will be provided with a ChE Division mentor (an individual determined by the ASEE CHED executive committee) who will meet with the grant winner for both formal and informal interactions during the meeting.
The Gamry Instruments Sponsored Joseph J. Martin Best Paper Award in the ASEE Chemical Engineering Division, the Best Poster Award, and the William H. Corcoran Award for the best paper in Chemical Engineering Education.
ASEE ChED is Seeking Candidates for Elected Leadership Roles
The ASEE Chemical Engineering Division is seeking candidates for elected leadership roles in the Division:
Division Chair Elect
Secretary-Treasurer
Director
The full description of responsibilities for each office are posted on the Division website http://ched.asee.org/about/officers/officer-resources/. Nominations are being accepted by the current Past Chair, David Silverstein, at david.silverstein@uky.edu). Self-nominations are encouraged, as are nominees for Director and Secretary-Treasurer who are fairly new to the Division and looking for a way to meaningfully contribute. Nominations are requested as soon as practical but will be accepted through February 29, 2024. Questions about the offices may be sent to the same email address as nominations.
Interested in Hosting ASEE/AIChE Summer School in 2027?
Planning for the 18th ASEE/AIChE Summer School for Chemical Engineering Faculty, to be held in 2027 is underway. The Summer School provides an opportunity for new faculty to develop knowledge and skills in both teaching and scholarship, and for almost a century has been vital to strengthening our community of chemical engineering educators. For now, we are seeking proposals for host sites.
Historically, Summer Schools have been held both on university campuses and, though less frequently, in resort-style retreats. Please consider whether your institution or a nearby location might be a welcoming and enjoyable venue for the next Summer School.
The site proposal questionnaire (linked below) addresses the criteria that will be considered in choosing the site. Please do not hesitate to reach out (cwwest@southalabama.edu) if you have any questions.
Teaching Professor Position at Northeastern University.
The Northeastern chemical engineering student body includes approximately 400 undergraduate and 100 Masters and PhD students. Candidates would join a department of 25 tenure-track and 4 non-tenure-track teaching faculty, as well as several affiliated and visiting faculty. Northeastern University teaching professor faculty have opportunities for educational impact in both the university and their broader professional field. The main responsibility of the Chemical Engineering teaching faculty is high-quality student-centered teaching, including course preparation, delivery, and assessment. The annual course responsibility is six courses. The Assistant/Associate/Full Teaching Professor also participates in department, university, and professional service activities and will be engaged in a modest level of scholarship for their own professional development around education and pedagogy. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until through November. Applications can be submitted at https://northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/careers/job/Boston-MA-Main-Campus/Assistant-Associate-Full-Teaching-Professor—Chemical-Engineering_R113747
Instructional Consultant Position at University of Michigan.
The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching in Engineering (CRLT-Engin) at the University of Michigan seeks a colleague to join our vibrant, collaborative team as an instructional consultant and make a significant impact on advancing equitable educational environments. Our Center is a key partner in the College’s efforts to support instructors with in-person, online, and hybrid learning, ensuring a pre-eminent engineering education that is innovative, equitable, and accessible regardless of modality.
