Engineering Unleashed Faculty Development

Dr. Heather Dillon is Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington Tacoma, where her research team is currently working on renewable energy systems, solid-state lighting, energy efficiency in buildings, fundamental heat transfer studies and engineering education. She is the Chair of the Council on Undergraduate Research Engineering Division and recently served as the Fulbright Canada Research Chair in STEM Education at the University of Calgary, Alberta. Before joining academia, Heather Dillon worked for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as a senior research engineer working on both energy efficiency and renewable energy systems, where she received the US Department of Energy Office of Science Outstanding Mentor Award. During her time at the University of Portland she received the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Member (2017) and the Outstanding Scholarship Award (2020).

Dr. Jenna P. Carpenter is Founding Dean and Professor of Engineering at Campbell University and Immediate Past President of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). She will be 2024-25 President-Elect of the Mathematical Association of America. Dr. Carpenter was one of four recipients awarded the 2022 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education from the National Academy of Engineering for cofounding the Grand Challenges Scholars Program. She received the 2023 ABET Clarie Felbinger Award for Diversity and Inclusion and the 2019 ASEE Sharon Keillor Award Carpenter for Women in Engineering. She is an expert on innovative STEM curricula and on issues related to DEI in STEM fields.

Shane Rogers is an associate professor of environmental engineering at Clarkson University, owner of an environmental consulting firm, and indie rock artist with the band Bee Children. His research and development programs are driven by an exigency to improve access to life-bearing resources, achieve environmental sustainability, promote social and environmental justice, and develop healthy, vibrant global communities. He has been principal investigator or co-PI on $6M in scientific research, development, and education funding at Clarkson in addition to his work with the U.S. EPA, which has led to new technologies and patents for biosensors, food and water sterilization, nutrient bioextractive aquaculture, and food and farm waste to energy systems. He is an Associate Editor for Renewable Agriculture & Food Systems, a Fulbright Scholar to Norway, and the recipient of the McKee Groundwater Protection, Restoration, and Sustainable Use Medal from the Water Environment Federation, among other recognitions. With a passion for education, Dr. Rogers has been highly active in the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) since 2009, including a recent role on the board of directors. He brings to the workshop experience designing and directing a long-running NSF-REU Site (ASSETs to Serve Humanity), an NSF-S-STEM program (ASPIRE: Academic Success Program to Improve Retention and Education for Underrepresented Students in STEM), immersive field-based programs (River University and the Adirondack Semester), academic year and summer camp programs for high-achieving high school students (MythOlympics and Young Scholars), and agricultural extension programs for farm waste to energy technologies. He also brings 12 years of experience directing international research and sustainable development programs including Clarkson’s Peace Corps Master’s International Program and chapters of Engineers Without Borders and Engineers for a Sustainable World, with water development and food security projects in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Ecuador. Dr. Rogers’ teaching and mentorship recognitions include the ASEE St. Lawrence Section Outstanding Teaching Award, the Clarkson University Student Association Outstanding Teacher Award, Tau Beta Pi Faculty Award, Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Award, and Phalanx Commendable Leadership Award.

Ben teaches Computer Science at the University of Portland where his research focuses on applications of machine learning spanning from robotics to bioinformatics. He has also taught undergraduate and graduate students at Seattle University. His interest in entrepreneurial education stems from his experience as a co-founder of a robotics and automation company. He believes that an entrepreneurial mindset is a critical component of a well rounded liberal arts education.

Dr. Rachel Louis Kajfez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at The Ohio State University. She earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from Ohio State and earned her Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech. Her research interests focus on the intersection between motivation and identity of undergraduate and graduate students, first-year engineering programs, mixed methods research, and innovative approaches to teaching. She is the principal investigator for the Research on Identity and Motivation in Engineering (RIME) Collaborative.

Dr. Brooke Mayer is an Associate Professor in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at Marquette University. She graduated from the Environmental Engineering program at Arizona State University (B.S. – 2004, M.S. – 2006, Ph.D. – 2008). Dr. Mayer’s teaching and research interests focus on physical-chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater applications, including the mitigation of harmful pollutants such as pathogens, nutrients, and disinfection byproducts. Her research emphasizes improved public health and safety as well as advancing the waste-to-resource paradigm. For her work in these areas, Dr. Mayer was awarded a NSF CAREER grant, Marquette University’s Opus College of Engineering Outstanding Researcher Award, Marquette University’s Way Klingler Young Scholar Award, and Arizona State University’s College of Engineering Teaching Award.