Membership Activities Committee | IEEE Education Society

VP for Membership & Geographic Activities

Rosa Maria Vasconcelos

Professor

University of Minho

Portugal

Rosa Maria Vasconcelos

Biography

Rosa Maria de Castro Fernandes Vasconcelos is an Associate Professor at the Department of Textile Engineering since 2005. Degree in Textile Engineering by the
University of Minho (1984). Professor at the University of Minho since 1984. PhD in Engineering –Technology and Textile Chemistry by the University of Minho in 1993.
Receive the Rieter Award, 1993. Responsible for several curricular units in the integrated study cycles in Textile Engineering and Engineering and Industrial Management, in the 1st cycle course of Design and Fashion Marketing, in the 2nd cycle courses of Fashion Design and Communication, Textile Chemistry, Advanced Textiles and Design and Marketing and also in the PhD of Textile Engineering and in the PhD of Fashion Design. Integrated researcher at 2C2T Research Centre (UM), being responsible for the supervision of several postgraduate students and the coordination of several R&D projects, mainly in the Engineering Education as well as Textile Technology. As main author or co-author presented many dozens of scientific journal papers and communications in international conferences.
The strategic academic leadership and management experience was adquired across her mandate in the following positions:
President of the Engineering Council Courses (1996-2011)
President of the Pedagogical Council of the School of Engineering and Vice-Dean of
the School of Engineering (2011-2019)
Minho University Student Ombudsperson since 2019

2023-2024 Vice President for Membership and Geographic Activities Position Statement:

The efforts of my academic career are heavily focused on both the research and implementation aspects of engineering education. I aim to understand how engineering students at all levels can best be prepared for dynamic and fulfilling careers. I hope to serve as VP MGA because the Society is in a position to impact how engineering education evolves to meet ever-changing workforce needs and student populations. I am passionate about elevating the importance of engineering education research and of documenting and sharing best practices. I aim to help create mechanisms for sharing knowledge across institutions, particularly as that
knowledge relates to broadening the diversity of engineering graduates and serving students who arrive in engineering programs via non-traditional pathways. In
addition, I aim to help build connections between education researchers, educators, and practitioners such that advances in electrical engineering education can be both transformative and practically applicable. The Society and IEEE during these two last years faced some significant challenges due to the pandemic situation.
Diversifying its membership, exploring new ways of working and ensuring that we collaborate with other educational areas of IEEE such as the Educational Activities Board will be crucial to its future success With the experience I acquired during these years, I believe I am in a position to give a positive contribution to the Education Society, specifically in the field of Engineering Education whose challenges are enormous in today's world.

Affiliation(s)

Professor

University of Minho

Portugal

Membership Activities Committee Members

Kai Pan Mark

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong SAR China

Jill K. Nelson

George Mason University

United States

Alan Cheville

Bucknell University

United States

Alan Cheville

Biography

R. Alan Cheville received degrees in electrical engineering at Rice University, specializing in ultrafast optical spectroscopy. After postdoctoral work in ultrafast optoelectronics, he joined the faculty of Oklahoma State University in 1998. He continued his work on high-speed THz optoelectronics—supported by funding from the Department of Energy, the Army Research Office, and the National Science Foundation including a CAREER award—in areas such as THz time-domain spectroscopy of molecular vapors and flames, pulsed ranging, and optical tunneling. During his time at Oklahoma State University, he slowly transitioned his research interests from optoelectronics to engineering education, with an initial focus on effectively integrating research-based pedagogies into engineering curricula in the areas of photonics and electromagnetics. He led a five year, $1.2M NSF-sponsored department-level reform project at OSU that sought to integrate relevant design experiences and mathematical competencies across the curriculum. Following the conclusion of this project, he served for two and a half years as the program director for engineering education in the National Science Foundation’s Engineering Directorate. During this time he developed several funding programs, served as NSF liaison to a Federal working group on games, as well as on several internal working groups. He was recognized by the Director’s Award for Program Management Excellence. He currently serves as chair of the Electrical & Computer Engineering at Bucknell University, an associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Education and the Journal of Engineering Education, and on several advisory boards. He is currently interested in engineering design education, engineering education policy, and the epistemology of engineering.

Affiliation(s)

Bucknell University

United States

Elio San Cristobal Ruiz

National University of Distance Education

Spain

María M. Larrondo Petrie

Florida Atlantic University

United States