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Session Description

Free ticketed event
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Professional Formation of Engineers Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (PFE: RIEF) funding opportunity provides an excellent opportunity for engineering faculty members with little to no experience in engineering education research to work with an experienced mentor on a funded project (two years, up to $200,000). The workshop’s highly interactive structure consisting of mini-presentations and activities is combined with tangible resources for prospective PIs.

Participants will: 1. Review the RIEF solicitation and understand criteria specific for the solicitation; 2. Identify and discuss strengths of funded RIEF proposals; 3. Identify resources for developing project budget and writing an effective PI mentoring plan; and 4. Develop strategies to find potential mentors.

The workshop is facilitated by an experienced team consisting of Julie P. Martin (former NSF program director for RIEF and RIEF mentor), Karin Jensen (former RIEF mentee and current RIEF mentor), and Sindia Rivera Jimenez (former RIEF mentee).

Speakers

1. Dr. Julie P Martin

   University of Georgia

   Dr. Julie P. Martin is the Director of the Engineering Education Transformations Institute (EETI) at the University of Georgia. She a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and a member of ASEE’s Hall of Fame. Dr. Martin is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering. She is a former program director at the National Science Foundation (NSF), where she managed the Engineering Education portfolio which included the Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (RIEF), Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE), Revolutionizing Engineering Department (RED), and CAREER program. While at NSF, she worked on an interagency group headed by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to write the 5-Year STEM Education Strategic Plan for the federal government.

2. Dr. Sindia M. Rivera-Jiménez

   University of Florida

   Dr. Rivera-Jiménez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education (EED) at the University of Florida. She also holds affiliations with the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Institute of Higher Education. Her research is centered on understanding engineering communities and their potential to drive transformative change, especially on how social learning systems aid engineering communities in higher education and professional organizations. She examines the impact of professional development on shaping organizational cultures to broaden the participation of minoritized communities. Through a qualitative and mixed-method approaches, she seeks to refine practices and policies that bolster workforce development and influence the career decisions of various communities, including faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and transfer students. Dr. Rivera-Jiménez graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez with a B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. She earned an NSF RIEF award recognizing her effort in transitioning from a meaningful ten-year teaching faculty career into engineering education research. Before her current role, she taught STEM courses at diverse institutions such as HSI, community college, and R1 public university.

3. Dr. Karin Jensen

   University of Michigan

   Karin Jensen, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in Biomedical Engineering and Engineering Education Research at the University of Michigan. Her research interests include mental health and wellness, engineering student career pathways, and engagement of engineering faculty in engineering education research. She was awarded a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation for her research on undergraduate mental health in engineering programs. Jensen is currently an associate editor for the Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Education. She earned a bachelor's degree in biological engineering from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Virginia.