2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

1. Dr. Jennifer Curry Louisiana State University and A&M College [biography]

   Jennifer R. Curry, Ph. D., NCC, Vira Franklin and James R. Eagles Endowed Professor in the College of Human Sciences and Education, teaches in the Counselor Education program at Louisiana State University. Her research interests focus on career and college readiness for students from low income and underrecognized groups. Her professional experiences include serving as an elementary, middle, and high school counselor. She is the author of six books including Promising Practices for High School Apprenticeships published by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), P-12 Career and College Readiness Counseling (3rd ed.) by Springer and co-authored with A. Milsom, and African Americans’ Career and College Readiness: The Journey Unraveled, co-edited with M. Ann Shillingford-Butler published by Lexington. Dr. Curry has consulted with over 40 school districts nationally and internationally on career development topics. Dr. Curry has served as a delegate of ASCA’s national assembly and President of the Louisiana School Counselor Association (LSCA). She is the recipient of the American Counseling Association's Ross Trust Award, ASERVIC’s Judith Miranti Lifetime Service Award, the ASERVIC Meritorious Service Award, the Biggs Pine Publication Award, LCA’s Research Award, LCA’s Advocacy Award, LSU’s Distinguished Faculty Award, and Vanderbilt’s Roger Aubrey Northstar Award. She is Co-PI on the NSF S-STEM grant that funded this research.

2. Adrienne Steele Louisiana State University and A&M College [biography]

   Adrienne Steele has over 25 years of experience in STEM education and is currently the Director of Student Leadership and Engagement for the College of Engineering at Louisiana State University. In this role, she consults with faculty on broader impacts of their research, manages transitional programs for first-year students, oversees initiatives to increase student retention, and facilitates several student enrichment programs. Through mentoring and experiential learning opportunities, the programs Adrienne facilitates empower students to be better leaders, future employees, and contributors to their communities. Previously, she coordinated an educational outreach program for the Department of Biological Sciences at LSU, where she led 175 professional development workshops for over 2,600 PreK-12 teachers.

3. Dr. Theda Daniels-Race Louisiana State University and A&M College [biography]

   Theda Daniels-Race, PhD, is an M. B. Voorhies Distinguished Professor in the Division of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) at Louisiana State University (LSU) with joint appointment to LSU’s Center for Computation & Technology. Her research expertise in nanotechnology involves the study of electro-optical phenomena in nano-electronic materials, experimental thin-film deposition, and the design and development of next-generation solid-state electronic devices. In ECE, she is the founder and principal investigator of the NEST (Nano Electronic Structures & Technology) Lab and serves as the division’s Director of the Electronic Materials and Devices Laboratory. For the College of Engineering, she is the Principal Investigator for the NSF-funded PRISE (Preparing Resilient Individuals for Success in Engineering) Program. As a former LSU Provost’s Fellow, she designed and executed university-wide programs for faculty professional development and enhanced academic resources for students. On the national level, Dr. Daniels-Race is an ELATES (Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering & Sciences) Fellow. She is also an alumna of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC). Dr. Daniels-Race is the author of a combined total of over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference abstracts. She has been an invited speaker on engineering research, STEM education, and science policy to audiences on every continent, thus far, except Australia and Antarctica. Dr. Daniels-Race earned her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rice University, with an introduction to chemistry under the late Nobel Laureate, Professor Richard E. Smalley. She earned a master’s and a PhD, with a concentration in electro-physics, from Stanford and Cornell universities, respectively. She was awarded and is recognized as a Worley Professor of Excellence for her achievements in academia, industry, and government.

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