Session Description

This panel will convene 3 to 4 industry professionals from the Charlotte, NC region who occupy leadership roles that blend technical expertise with organizational oversight such as senior engineers, technical leads, engineering managers, and directors. Each panelist will bring a perspective grounded in real-world engineering practice, offering insight into broader trends that shape workforce readiness, digital transformation, and sustainability initiatives.
The foundation for this panel emerged from discussions about the increasing difficulty new graduates face in finding meaningful employment, ... (continued)

For those interested in: Academia-Industry Connections

Moderated by

1. Dr. Raymond L. Smith III

Speaker

1. Ms. Jennifer Braganza

   University of North Carolina at Charlotte

   Jennifer Braganza is an engineering executive with experience in operational excellence, strategy & transformation, customer experience, digital transformation and risk management. She is currently the Vice President of Global Recruitment Operations Transformation at the Adecco Group. Prior, she led a global organization that included functions in operational excellence, design thinking, customer experience, and change management. She helps organizations transform and sustainably scale by understanding their processes and customers’ needs, developing a strategic future state and roadmap to ... (continued)

Session Description

Previous winners of the LEES Division's highest honor, the Sterling Olmsted Award, share insights and perspectives.

For those interested in: Broadening Participation in Engineering and Engineering Technology and New Members

Session Description

Best practices for teaching common courses in materials science both in and out of materials engineering departments and their impact on students beyond materials engineering majors.

Moderated by

1. Dr. James "Jamie" Canino

Session Description

This panel brings together Women in Engineering program leaders from a diverse range of academic institutions - from large public research universities to small private liberal arts colleges - to share broad perspectives on designing, building, and implementing initiatives that support undergraduate engineering student success. Originating from ongoing discussions at ASEE WIED meetings, this session addresses a pressing need for effective, proven strategies to recruit and retain engineering students, especially women. This panel discussion will benefit professionals looking to start or refresh pr ... (continued)

For those interested in: Academia-Industry Connections, Advocacy and Policy, and Broadening Participation in Engineering and Engineering Technology

Moderated by

1. Dr. Suzanne Zurn-Birkhimer

Speakers

1. Prof. Yuting W. Chen

   University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

   Dr. Yuting Chen is Teaching Associate Professor in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

2. Ms. Kathrine Ehrlich-Scheffer

   Rochester Institute of Technology (COE)

   Kathy brings a rich array of life experiences to the position of Director of WE in RIT. After graduating from a women’s college where she learned first-hand the value of a female-centric support network, Kathy made her way to Silicon Valley. There she studied CMOS Mask Layout Design which eventually led her to a position in IT for a semiconductor IP start-up. Fast forward through coast-to-coast moves to Boston, San Diego and finally Rochester, Kathy spent the better part of the past decade in the fitness industry while raising her daughter, wearing every hat from personal trainer and cycling inst ... (continued)

3. Sarah Dubois

   Sarah Dubois is a Senior Program Specialist for the Iowa State University Program for Women in Science and Engineering.

4. Leah Austin

   University of New Haven

   Leah is the coordinator of Women in Engineering at the University of New Haven.