2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Panel Discussion: Ideas for an Enjoyable and Productive Sabbatical

Presented at EE/NEE Joint Panel Discussion: Ideas for an Enjoyable and Productive Sabbatical

Ideating and planning for the sabbatical process so that it is an enjoyable and productive activity can be challenging. A sabbatical can take many different forms depending on career goals, interests, and institution. The purpose of this panel discussion is to provide faculty who have yet to conduct a sabbatical with ideas of activities and the process. A variety of personal experiences will be presented of sabbatical activities that were enjoyable and productive. These may include sabbaticals focused on independent engineering research, engineering education research, development of classes or programs, industry or government collaboration, and/or travel. Discussion topics will also include process requirements of applying, conducting, and documenting the outcomes of the sabbatical.
The suggested layout of the panel session is:
• 5-minute introduction of panel topic and panelists
• Overview of each panelist’s sabbatical activity (5 minutes each)
• Brief whole group Q&A session to engage audience and panelists
• Small group activities with documentation of Q&A:
o What resources did you find helpful in planning your sabbatical?
o What was the timeframe of planning, applying for, conducting, and documenting your sabbatical?
o What were the requirements of your sabbatical?
o When or how often have you conducted a sabbatical?
• Bring whole group back together to discuss learnings

Authors

Dr. Jean M. Andino P.E. Arizona State University [biography]

Jean M. Andino is a faculty member in Chemical Engineering and Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU). She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Sciences at Harvard University and a PhD in Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology
Dr. David V.P. Sanchez http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7398-3130 University of Pittsburgh [biography]

David V.P. Sanchez is an Associate Professor in the Swanson School of Engineering’s Civil & Environmental Engineering department and the Associate Director for the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh. He serves as the Program Director for the Master’s in Sustainable Engineering, the Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability, the John C. Mascaro Faculty Fellows, and the Sustainability Global Engagement grant. He is the faculty lead for the University Honors College Food Ecosystem Scholar Community.

His research lab, Sustainable Design Labs, focuses on fusing analytical chemistry, sustainability design principles and data analytics to address Water and Sustainability grand challenges. Current thrusts focus on Smarter Riversheds, Microbial Fuel cells and advanced oxidation and separation processes.

Focused on co-creating long term partnerships that synergize community vision with Pitt’s core competencies of research and education, Sanchez has built up Pitt Hydroponics in Homewood, founded Constellation Energy Inventor labs for K-12 students, and re-created the Mascaro Center’s Teach the Teacher sustainability program for science educators in the region.

As a teacher he designed and created the Sustainability capstone course which has annually partnered with community stakeholders to address sustainability challenges at all scales. Past projects have included evaluating composting stations in Wilkinsburg, studying infrastructure resilience in Homewood, enabling community solar in PA, improving energy efficiency in McCandless Township, and improving water quality in our rivers. He teaches core Sustainability courses, labs in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, electives in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program, the First-Year Engineering program, and International Study Abroad programs.
Dr. Michelle Marincel Payne Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology [biography]

Dr. Michelle Marincel Payne is an Associate Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. She earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, her M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology, and her B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla (same school, different name). At Rose-Hulman, Michelle is co-leading a project to infuse an entrepreneurial-mindset in undergraduate students’ learning, and a project to improve teaming by teaching psychological safety in engineering education curricula. Michelle also mentors undergraduate researchers to investigate the removal of stormwater pollutants in engineered wetlands. Michelle was a 2018 ExCEEd Fellow, and was recognized as the 2019 ASCE Daniel V. Terrell Awardee.
Dr. John D. Carpinelli http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3621-0168 New Jersey Institute of Technology [biography]

John Carpinelli is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and ASEE Campus Representative. He received his Bachelor of Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and his Masters and PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has served in numerous positions throughout his career at NJIT, including Director for the Computer Engineering Program, Executive Director of the Center for Pre-College Programs, and Associate Director of the Institute for Teaching Excellence. He has been designated a Master Teacher at NJIT. His research interests focus on engineering education at the pre-college and undergraduate levels. He is the author of the textbook Computer Systems Organization and Architecture and the upcoming open textbook An Animated Introduction to Digital Logic Design.
Dr. Shannon L. Isovitsch Parks P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8479-1756 University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown [biography]

Dr. Shannon Parks is a registered Professional Engineer with 20 years of broad-based experience in the water resources and environmental engineering fields. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the Pennsylvania State Universit
Dr. Daniel B Oerther P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6724-3205 Missouri University of Science and Technology [biography]

Dr. Daniel B. Oerther, PhD, PE, BCEE is a professor of environmental health engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

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