Thanks for visiting our posters during the NSF EEC Grantees Conference! Both Caroline and Dr. Rivera can’t believe we are here! This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so thanks NSF! It is an honor to have you see how we grow professionally.
We presented two posters thanks to the support of UF ChemE REU Site NSF EEC-185211 and NSF RIEF Grant No. (2106206)! Also, for Caroline for being so awesome and being selected to represent our ChE REU site (Proud advisor here!).
Caroline Lubbe’s Poster
Validation of a Semi-Structured Interview Protocol to Explore Faculty Agency in Transformational Pedagogical Changes
Reflection: Living in a new place at the University of Florida and exploring Gainesville and the state of Florida was very exciting! I have found a lifelong mentor in Dr. Rivera and learned so much from her. I am also very grateful for the workshops and seminars that I attended this summer. I learned many useful professional skills and research strategies from these events.It was great to hang out with the other students in the REU program. I liked meeting people from around the country who had similar interests and ambitions as I did. I especially enjoyed hearing about everyone else’s research projects and their accomplishments over the summer. My REU experience showed me a new career path in which I could combine my interests in engineering and the humanities. I love engineering, but I also had a great time conducting social research this summer. In the future, I plan to earn a PhD in Engineering Education and then become a professor.
Dr. Rivera-Jiménez Poster
Research Initiation: Facilitating Professional Formation of Engineers through Strategic Agency of Engineering Faculty
Reflection: Coming from a technical engineering background to start doing social research is not easy. So having Caroline as my first research mentee was a breath of fresh air. I was so nervous about being the right mentor for her. I didn’t want to push the idea of doing a Ph.D., but at the same time, I wanted her to know how much having a doctorate changed my life. As an REU participant myself, I knew that a good experience could change the course of her life. I selected Caroline (out of 20 direct applicants) because she already had a conference publication in engineering education working with underrepresented minorities in engineering. Her application essay was compelling and well-written. I knew right then that this REU would be transformative. Caroline paved the way for the future of my research group. Because I had no graduate student yet, she worked directly with me. Her work ethic and commitment to research are extraordinary, and I wish she would like to be part of my group in the future. No matter what she decides to do, I am so thankful.
References:
[1] Wenger, E., McDermott, R. A., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice: A guide to managing knowledge. Harvard Business School Press.
[2] Bajaj, M. (2018). Conceptualizing Transformative Agency in Education for Peace, Human Rights, and Social Justice. International Journal of Human Rights Education, 2(1), 22.
[3] Rodriguez, A. J., Ciftci, A., Howell, K., Kokini, K., Wright, B., & Nikalje, A. (2021). Promoting Equity, Diversity and Social Justice Through Faculty-Led Transformative Projects. Innovative Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-021-09560-y
[4] Castillo-Montoya, M. (2016). Preparing for Interview Research: The Interview Protocol Refinement Framework. The Qualitative Report. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2016.2337
[5] Sochacka, N. W., Walther, J., & Pawley, A. L. (2018). Ethical Validation: Reframing Research Ethics in Engineering Education Research To Improve Research Quality. Journal of Engineering Education, 107(3), 362–379. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20222
What to learn more?
For both posters, if you have any questions, please reach out to rivera.jimenez@eng.ufl.edu.