This Talk is Not About AI or is it? Designing How We Learn and Lead

Event Date:
April 23, 2026
Speaker:
Senay Purzer, PhD
Speaker Affiliation:
Purdue University
Type:
Research Seminar
Time:
3:30-4:20 p.m.
Location:
WANG 3501
Open To:
Graduate and undergraduate students, staff, and faculty with an interest in educating engineers
Priority:
No
School or Program:
Engineering Education
College Calendar:
Show
Senay Purzer, PhD
Senay Purzer presents a seminar exploring how design shapes learning and leadership. Drawing on her research journey at Purdue, she rethinks engineering education through “conscientious design,” connecting problem solving, perspective taking, and innovation. This talk challenges audiences to intentionally design how we learn, lead, and imagine future possibilities, and asks whether AI is central or a backdrop to human-centered design questions.

For the high-flex option, register in advance. You will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.


Title:
This Talk is Not About AI or is it? Designing How We Learn and Lead

Abstract:
In this seminar, Senay Purzer will weave together years of insights from her research and leadership, to present a vision for the future of engineering education. Her entry into engineering began with a simple question: "How do people learn engineering?" She pursued the unconventional path of becoming one herself, and along the way, discovered design as a passion.

Looking back, she sees clearly how years of research on design reasoning have also shaped the kind of leader she is today.

Design is a conscientious negotiation, so is leadership, and so is learning. Design requires noticing pain points, eliciting diverse perspectives, and making deliberate improvements. And, at times, the most effective solutions emerge after conventional options are exhausted. Ultimately, this seminar invites a redefinition of learning and leading. She invites the audience to engage in an intentional design of potential futures and an opportunity to re-think engineering learning.

Bio:
Senay Purzer is a Professor and Associate Head for Graduate Programs in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Dr. Purzer developed the Conscientious Design framework and the Honeycomb of Engineering framework, demarcating diverse inquiries of engineering aligned with engineering philosophy and practices.