The Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) initiative was launched by NSF “to create and support an innovative and inclusive engineering profession for the 21st Century.” There is much empirical evidence about why PFE is an important initiative, as highlighted by three broad issues that have been identified in the professional formation of engineers: 1) the gap between what students learn in universities and what they practice upon graduation; 2) the perception that engineering is solely technical, math, and theory oriented, leaving little perceived room for students who want to utilize a broader set of skills and/or engage in work with clear benefits to people, society in general, and/or the environment; and 3) the lack of diversity (representation) and inclusion (incorporation of difference in perspectives, values, and ways of thinking and being engineers) in many engineering programs.

These issues are highly complex, situated, and interconnected; they are dynamic and reflexive—changing as they both influence and are influenced by the culture, curriculum, and practice. Moreover, they are related to the epistemological and ontological underpinnings of engineering (i.e., what counts as knowledge and what it means to be an engineer) and not amenable to simple solutions, that is, they are “wicked.”

In her seminar, Dr. Carla Zoltowski will describe her recently funded NSF project (co-PIs Drs. Patrice Buzzanell and Andrew Brightman) that is using design thinking mindsets and processes to address this “wicked” problem and develop holistic solutions that better prepare students for practice and make engineering, specifically Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), more diverse and inclusive.  

Bio | Carla B. Zoltowski is an assistant professor of engineering practice in the Schools of Electrical and Computer Engineering and (by courtesy) Engineering Education at Purdue University.  She holds a B.S.E.E., M.S.E.E., and Ph.D. in Engineering Education, all from Purdue.  Prior to this she was Co-Director of the EPICS Program at Purdue where she was responsible for developing curriculum and assessment tools and overseeing the research efforts within EPICS. Her academic and research interests include the professional formation of engineers, diversity and inclusion in engineering, human-centered design, engineering ethics, leadership, service-learning, and accessibility and assistive-technology.