2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Scaling the Summit Together: Holding Effective Cohort Summits for an NSF EPIIC Grant

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session I

In 2023, the four institutions of REDACTED FOR REVIEW formed the REDACTED FRO REVIEW cohort under the inaugural EPIIC program. One of the cohort’s joint activities has been a cohort summit, which has rotated among the institutions. The summit has featured elements that were similar during the four summits, but there were also variations as the grant progressed and the needs of the cohort evolved. In this paper, we discuss the different elements of the summit, why they were chosen, best practices, and the effectiveness of hosting these summits. Theoretical models of team development are also used to better understand the summits’ impact, and emergent benefits and unforeseen pivots are discussed, which allowed the cohort to adapt and take advantage of new opportunities. The paper will provide recommendations for other institutions interested in hosting a similar summit model; which maximizes the team’s time spent at these in-person events.

Authors

Dr. Diane L Peters P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8177-8145 Kettering University [biography]

Dr. Peters is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Kettering University. She is the PI of Kettering University's NSF EPIIC grant.
Prof. Isaac Wanasika University of Northern Colorado [biography]

With 15 years of academic teaching and departmental leadership, Isaac has breadth and depth of unique attributes and has been responsible for the orchestration of an entrepreneurship ecosystem, innovative programs, acquiring external funds such as NSF EPIIC grant and leadership at the Monfort College of Business. Isaac has 12 years of Fortune 500 corporate experience in Strategy, Leadership, and B2B operations. His current role as Board Director of a public company provides a unique perspective of real-world business challenges and the intersection of academic theory and practice.
Dr. Michael Frye University of the Incarnate Word [biography]

Michael Frye, PhD is Professor and Jones Endowed Chair of Electrical Engineering in the Department of Engineering at the University of the Incarnate Word, in San Antonio, TX. He is the PI and Director of the Autonomous Vehicle Systems Lab.
Dr. Andrew Ritenour Western Carolina University [biography]

Andrew Ritenour is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering + Technology at Western Carolina University (WCU). In addition to teaching in the field of electrical engineering, he coordinates the senior engineering capstone program which is a multidisciplinary, two-semester course sequence with projects sponsored by industrial partners. Within this role, he focuses on industrial outreach and the teaching and assessment of professional skills. Prior to joining WCU in 2018, he spent a decade in industry managing and developing innovative technologies across a broad spectrum of applications: SiC and GaN high voltage transistors for energy-efficient power conversion, radio frequency (RF) surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters for mobile phones, and flexible paper-like displays for e-readers. He holds 31 patents related to semiconductor devices and microfabrication and has published in IEEE and AIP journals and conferences.

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