Engineers are charged with devising solutions to a myriad of societal challenges.  These challenges are not one-size-fits-all, and neither are their optimal solutions. To best serve society, we must educate, graduate, and employ engineers from diverse backgrounds and engage them in inclusive problem solving with, not just for, the communities we serve. With examples from her research and leadership roles, Dr. Pearson will present strategies for accomplishing this rooted in her call to REDEFINE engineering education: “RE-image who we see as engineers and what we see as engineering; DE-silo education and problem solving; and FINE-tune climate and culture in academia and practice.”

Bio

Yvette E. Pearson, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE
Dr. Yvette E. Pearson is Associate Dean for Accreditation, Assessment, and Strategic Initiatives in the George R. Brown School of Engineering at Rice University and Founder of The Pearson Evaluation and Education Research Group (The PEER Group). Her mission is to inspire, impel, and institutionalize change towards ubiquitous inclusion (UI) so that it becomes a universal standard of practice in engineering education and practice. A Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), she is recognized globally for 25 years of contributions to engineering education, particularly for her work along the intersections of sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).  In 2019, Pearson was appointed inaugural chair of ASCE's board-level advisory council, MOSAIC (Members of Society Advancing an Inclusive Culture), which is charged with leading the Society in all matters of DEI for the profession. As past vice chair of ASCE's Committee on Diversity and Inclusion she was part of the team that authored Canon 8 of ASCE's Code of Ethics, providing specific leadership for the principle that requires engineers to consider the diversity of the communities they serve and to include diverse perspectives in planning and performing their work.  As past chair of ASCE's Formal Engineering Education Committee she led initiatives to infuse engineering curricula with principles of sustainability and to promote strategies toward the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing targets aimed at ensuring equity for people in traditionally marginalized populations. Among her numerous awards are ABET's Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity and Inclusion, ASCE's Professional Practice Ethics and Leadership Award, and the University of Texas Regents Award for Excellence in Teaching. Pearson is a registered Professional Engineer in Louisiana, a Commissioner on the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET, and host of Engineering Change Podcast, which has listeners in over 30 countries on six continents.