2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Empowering Student Innovation and Experiential Learning through the Vertically Integrated Projects Model in a Conservative Higher Education Ecosystem

Presented at Community Engagement Division (COMMENG) Technical Session 3

The VIP model, originally developed at Georgia Tech, provides a sustainable structure for experiential, long-term, and multidisciplinary learning. It enables students from sophomore to graduate levels to collaborate on ongoing research and innovation projects guided by faculty mentors, often in partnership with industry and community stakeholders.
The expansion and adaptation of the VIP model within a conservative higher education ecosystem characterized by rigid curricular structures and limited undergraduate research opportunities can be a challenging task. The implementation of such process involves aligning VIP projects with existing academic requirements, fostering faculty buy-in, and cultivating a culture of research-based learning among undergraduates. Case studies from non-US institutions including, two international institutions, demonstrate how project-based learning and vertical team integration can thrive even within traditionally structured higher education frameworks. At the first university, the VIP+ program emphasizes entrepreneurship and real-world problem solving, while promoting teamwork and innovation across disciplines and academic levels. Similarly, the second university’s VIP implementation nurtures continuity in research and leadership development through multi-year student engagement. Together, these initiatives demonstrate how long-term, credit-bearing projects can bridge academic learning with industrial and societal needs, cultivating leadership, creativity, and professional competencies in engineering education.
This paper will share lessons learned from establishing and scaling the VIP model in international and regional university settings, showcasing how sustained, multidisciplinary teamwork transforms traditional teaching into an innovation-driven, experiential learning environment aligned with global educational trends.

Authors

Dr. Pierre Rahme Lebanese American University [biography]

Dr. Pierre Rahme is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Director of the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program at the Lebanese American University (LAU). He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toulouse, France. From 2017 to 2021, he served as Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Lebanese University. Dr. Rahme is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and his research has been published in several internationally recognized journals.
Joseph Zeaiter American University of Beirut [biography]

Dr. Joseph Zeaiter is an Associate Professor in the Baha and Walid Bassatne Department of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Energy at the American University of Beirut (AUB).
Prior to joining AUB, Dr. Zeaiter spent several years in the process industry as a senior consultant and lead engineer and worked for international firms such as Process Systems Enterprise in London, and Invensys (now Schneider Electric) in Dubai, Singapore, and Sydney. His work in industry focused on advanced process control, modeling and optimization in the oil & gas/petrochemicals, power and mining industry.
Daniel Asmar http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4932-9777 American University of Beirut [biography]

Daniel Asmar is a Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the American University of Beirut. He is also currently serving as the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development at the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. Daniel received his Ph.D. in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 2006. Daniel’s research is in Robotics and Computer Vision. He has interests in visual perception, autonomous robot navigation and mapping, digital twins, and digital cultural heritage. He has over one hundred publications in these areas in refereed journals and conference proceedings. Daniel is an ASME member, a senior member in IEEE, and was the founder of the joint IEEE Lebanese chapter in Robotics and Automation, Instrumentations and Measurements, and Control Systems. Daniel was a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) council on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Virtual and Augmented Reality from 2018 to 2022.
Michel Elkhoury http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-2732-4190 Lebanese American University [biography]

Dr. Michel Khoury is the Dean of the School of Engineering at the Lebanese American University (LAU), where he leads strategic initiatives in academic innovation, industry partnerships, and program development. Previously Assistant Provost and Associate Dean, he played a key role in implementing LAU’s strategic plan and launching new programs such as Engineering PreMed and Chemical Engineering. A Professor of Mechanical Engineering, he has led ABET accreditation renewals, curriculum modernization, and major lab expansions. His research focuses on turbulence modeling and CFD for wind energy. He holds degrees from METU and Lehigh University and serves as an ABET evaluator representing ASME.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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