2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Pathways to Entrepreneurship (PAtENT): Addressing the National Academies Recommendations

Presented at Graduate Studies Division (GSD) Technical Session 2: Graduate Student Pipeline and Workforce Development

Pathways to Entrepreneurship (PAtENT): Addressing the National Academies Recommendations

Though the field of engineering has experienced significant changes over the last several decades, many graduate programs have not made any substantive changes in their curriculum. This is particularly important given that data show that over sixty percent of new doctorate program graduates do not go into academic research [1]. Recognizing the critical need for change, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine [2] made recommendations for graduate STEM education programs. The intent was to examine how graduate STEM education can focus on evidence-based practices which better respond to the needs of students and broader society. The Committee on Revitalizing Graduate STEM Education identified key competencies for educational systems so that they are dynamic in addressing current needs of students while anticipating future contexts in STEM graduate education. These competencies were the framework for this research which employed curriculum analysis methods to the PAtENT (Pathways to Entrepreneurship) program, an alternate pathway to the doctorate in engineering. The curriculum analysis included the two components of the Academies’ recommendations: 1) Develop scientific and technological literacy and conduct original research and 2) Develop leadership, communication, and professional competencies. The research used a dimensional core curriculum analysis [3 - 4] to analyze program information including documents, artifacts, and other data related to coursework, original research, student classroom experiences as well as laboratories and fieldwork. The descriptive content analysis used a systematic process to allow for identifying attributes within documents and data in order to align identified components to program activities and structures. Coding for the curriculum analysis used an inductive, thematic and descriptive approach in aligning program components and activities to 10 elements listed for the 2 components in the Academies’ recommendations. Document analysis identified curriculum expectations and program outcomes that were tagged to the elements in the recommendations. The goal of this research was to identify PAtENT program activities and features that best addressed a particular element. Procedures followed key processes from curriculum study methodology including identifying desired outcomes, determining what content and activities contributed to those outcomes, and identifying experiences developed to result in those intended outcomes [5 - 7]. This systematic process identified attributes and components of PAtENT program features that aligned to the ten elements.

Authors

Dr. David K. Pugalee http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3356-1600 University of North Carolina at Charlotte [biography]

Dr. David Pugalee is a full professor, and Director of the Center for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (STEM) at UNC Charlotte. The recipient of millions of dollars in grant-funding, Dr. Pugalee has also published works on STEM teaching and learning.
Praveen Ramaprabhu [biography]

Praveen Ramaprabhu is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Sciences at UNC Charlotte, where he heads the Laboratory for Multiscale Computational Fluid Dynamics (LMCFD). Starting with his Ph.D. research at Texas A&M University, Dr. R
Dr. Mesbah Uddin http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2945-6744 University of North Carolina at Charlotte [biography]

Dr. Mesbah Uddin is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Williams States Lee College of Engineering. He is currently leading Charlotte’s new multidisciplinary public-private research partnership initiative, Digital Design and Optimization (DDO), which is intended to strengthen Charlotte’s connections to North Carolina defense and security-related companies interested in multidisciplinary advanced manufacturing, engineering design and optimization, computer science and cybersecurity, and manufacturing innovation. He is currently serving as the Chair of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Road Vehicle Aerodynamics Forum Committee, a committee responsible for developing and maintaining SAE standards, technical papers, and special publications related to road vehicle aerodynamics and wind noise performance and test techniques. He is a member of UNC Charlotte Military Affairs Committee. In addition to the SAE International, he is an active member of various professional societies, such as the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and American Physical Society. He is a member of the AIAA Turbulence Model Benchmarking Working Group. In the past, he served as: the Director of North Carolina Motorsports and Automotive Research Center during 2012-22, a member of North Carolina Governor’s Motorsports Advisory Council during 2012- 2017, and a senior CFD analyst at the then Chrysler’s in its NASCAR, NHRA, street and passenger car computational aerothermal development programs. At present, Dr.Uddin’s group focuses on the improvement of the aerothermal predictive capabilities of virtual and physical systems using machine learning and reduced order methods
Dr. H. P. Cherukuri University of North Carolina at Charlotte [biography]

Harish Cherukuri is the Chair and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science at UNC Charlotte. Dr. Cherukuri obtained his Ph.D. from the Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His
Prof. Terry Xu University of North Carolina at Charlotte [biography]

Dr. Terry Xu is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She currently serves as the Associate Chair for Graduate Programs. Her research interest is in the field of
Audrey Rorrer [biography]

Audrey Rorrer, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department at UNC Charlotte, where she also serves as Assistant Director of the Center for Education Innovation & Research. Dr. Rorrer’s scholarship areas include the science of broadening participation in computing, SoBP, which is a recognized domain of critical importance in STEM workforce development and educational programming. Her work has focused on educational programs, outreach and collective impact activities that expand the national pipeline into STEM careers. College student development and Faculty career development are central themes across her body of work.

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