"It takes a village to raise a child" is an African proverb that is commonly mentioned when we talk about the role of a wider community in the development of a young person and the positive impact that we can collectively have on a child as they grow. This talk will build on this idea but situate this proverb in the context of broadening participation of Black and brown engineers.
The preliminary findings of this CAREER award include evidence of the institutional and interpersonal villages that surround undergraduate engineering students at six universities that are consistently named among the top producers of Black and brown engineers. By focusing on the macro-organizational structures and micro-interactions with caregivers and peers, we begin to understand facets of students’ lived experiences that promote and impede success. One idea that will become paramount is the role that everyone, regardless of where they sit in an institution or the life of an engineering student, plays in broadening participation of Black and brown engineers. In many ways, this talk will cause us to rethink what it means to be members of a village that is collectively striving to shift who gets to be an engineer.
For those interested in: Broadening Participation in Engineering and Engineering Technology
Dr. Jeremi London is an Assistant Provost for Academic Opportunities and Belonging, and an Associate Professor of Practice of Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. London started her faculty career at Arizona State University (ASU) in 2015 and joined Virginia Tech’s Department of Engineering Education in Fall 2018. As Director of the RISE (Research’s Impact on Society and Education) Research Group, she uses mixed methods research designs to advance the scholarship of impact; investigate impact-driven questions in engineering education as a whole, and in the context of organizational changes that rectify inequities in engineering. Said differently, London focuses on the complicated relationship between research and practice in engineering education with hopes that an understanding of the barriers to integrating research and practice will someday lead to scalable solutions that shrink the time between what we know (from research) and what we do (in practice.)
Her scholarly interests have been supported by over $11M, has resulted in 30 journal articles and over 60 peer-reviewed conference papers. London has also received best paper awards and given keynote addresses as part of the community’s recognition of her work. London’s most notable research award, an NSF CAREER award entitled, “Disrupting the Status Quo Regarding Who Gets to be an Engineer'', focuses on discovering and sharing what’s in the “secret sauce” of five institutions that are consistently named among the top producers of Black and brown engineers.
London’s commitment to bridging the gap between research and practice in engineering education has also led to meaningful student outcomes in the classroom and national leadership roles--the most notable of which was Chair of the American Society for Engineering Education’s Commission on Diversity Equity and Inclusion during its Year of Impact on Racial Equity (2021-2022). London’s scholarly approach to teaching courses like mixed methods research designs, engineering statistics, and use-inspired design led to the receipt of the 2017 ASU Poly Faculty Teaching Excellence Award, the 2021 Virginia Tech Presidential Principles of Community Award, and the 2021 Virginia Tech Dean’s Award for Excellence for Outstanding New Assistant Professors.
She is now occupying what feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as the Curriculum Innovation Lead on the new Virginia Tech Innovation Campus (opening Fall 2024). London is wielding insights about graduate engineering education, inclusive pedagogy, and experiential learning to guide the structural design of a 1-year professional master’s in computer science and computer engineering that centers student engagement with industry mentors through sponsored projects. The campus leaders aspire for the Innovation Campus to be the most diverse graduate tech program in the nation, and London is doing her part to help make this a reality.
She is also a consultant on the team that is developing the recently announced PBS KIDS television show, Weather Hunters. Weather Hunters is “a new animated science series for kids ages 5-8 from Al Roker Entertainment (ARE), the production company led by beloved Emmy-winning TODAY weatherman and host, Al Roker. The series is designed to support kids’ understanding of weather through adventure and comedy. The main character is 8-year-old Lily Hunter, a weather detective who shares her investigations with her family, including dad Al Hunter, voiced by Roker. The series will help further young viewers’ interest and knowledge of Earth science and meteorology, both key building blocks of climate education” (PBS, 2023). Weather Hunters will comprise 40 22-minute episodes; and London will influence the engineering content of this STEM-oriented show. London will also serve as the lead STEM education researcher on the project, leading efforts to secure funding from the National Science Foundation for the show. Since Weather Hunters represents a rare example of an animated series centering a Black family engaged in science exploration, London sees this as an opportunity to advance the science of broadening participation investigating the value of STEM pursuits as a family endeavor – rather than an individual one.
London has worked at the National Science Foundation, GE-Healthcare, and Anheuser Busch. She holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering, and Ph.D. in Engineering Education, all from Purdue University. London also completed a postdoc at ASU in the Engineering Education Systems & Design program before joining their faculty.