Nebraska Engineering takes six major awards at ASEE Midwest Section conference

Nebraska Engineering faculty and students received six major awards from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Midwest Section conference, which was held Sept. 8-10 at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.

The Midwest section of ASEE encompasses a 5-state geographical region comprised of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Faculty, staff, and students from multiple universities across these states participate in this conference annually.

Shudipto Dishari and her student team won First Place and the Best Paper Award under the Full Paper category. It was the second consecutive year Dishari’s team won the award.

The 2024 award-winning paper was based on more than five-years of work in creating a state-level energy literacy database for Nebraska high schools, and developing data-driven K-12 energy-focused STEM activities. This work provides critical support to teachers and students in remote schools, who often lack access to workshops and camps in Lincoln, broadens participation and contributes to energy workforce development.

Dishari, Ross McCollum Associate Professor of Chemical and Biolmolecular Engineering, also received the 2024 ASEE Midwest Conference Outstanding Teaching Award, which recognizes an individual whose activities embody outstanding contributions to engineering and/or technology education. Dishari was invited to give a brief talk about her teaching practices and outreach efforts for both engineering and K-12 education.

Jena Asgarpoor, director of the Master of Engineering Management program, received the 2024 ASEE Midwest Section Excellence in Service Award for her career of excellence in and service to engineering education.

Student teams advised by faculty Jessica Deters, Jamilla Teixeria and Logan Perry took the top three places, respectively, in the Student Paper Awards.

Tareq Daher, director of the Engineering and Computer Education Core, participated in a panel discussion about using generative AI tools in engineering classrooms. Daher also joined Deters and mechanical engineering undergraduate student Emily Fitzpatrick in delivering a workshop titled, “Adapting Teaching Practices to Support the Mental Health and Well-Being of Economically Disadvantaged Undergraduate Engineering Students”

The awards won by Nebraska Engineering:

• Midwest Section Excellence in Outstanding Teaching Award: Shudipto Dishari
• Midwest Section Excellence iOutstandingn Service award: Jena Asgarpoor
• First Place, Conference Best Paper Award: “Energy Literacy Infrastructure Study across Nebraska and Data-Driven Design of Energy-focused STEM Education and Virtual Outreach Activities for K-12 Students and Teachers.” Authors: Sourav Sutradhar, Oghenetega A. Obewhere, Karen Acurio Cerda, Moses Dike, Rajesh Keloth, Shudipto K. Dishari
• First Place, Student Paper Award: “Mentoring Relationships in Engineering Undergraduate Apprenticeship-Model Research: Students’ Perceptions of Faculty Mentors.” Authors: Nosakhare I. Idiaghe, Jessica Deters
• Second Place, Student Paper Award: “Effects of Grain Bag Waste Plastic on the Mechanical Performance of Asphalt Mixtures and the Role of Undergraduate Research in Civil Engineering Education.” Authors: Kaylee Cunning, Jamilla Teixeira, Joseph Tighi, Isabella Bueno, Jessica Deters
• Third Place, Student Paper Award: “Exploring High DFW Rates in an Engineering Statics Course: Insights from Faculty and Teaching Assistants.” Authors: Ibukunoluwa E. Salami, Segun Oladipo, Logan A. Perry