Schmidt Invited to NAE Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium

Department of Mechanical Engineering Professor Linda Schmidt has been invited to take part in the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) sixth Frontiers of Engineering Education (FOEE) Symposium. Schmidt was one of 77 invited educators who NAE called out for developing and implementing innovative educational approaches across a variety of engineering disciplines.

The symposium is a two-and-a-half day event that brings together the nation's most innovative engineering educators to share ideas, learn from research and best practice in education and leave with a charter to bring about improvement in their home institution.

"Professor Linda Schmidt has been a thought leader in the design education and research space for a number of years, and she has been one of the primary faculty members involved in establishing the design curriculum in the department," said Minta Martin Professor of Engineering and Department Chair Balakumar Balachandran. "She has co-authored a well-received textbook, which is used at Maryland and a number of other schools. Naturally, we are pleased to know that she was chosen to participate in this important NAE symposium."

Schmidt has been actively involved with Mechanical Engineering's hands-on curriculum, particularly the capstone design course: Integrated Product and Process Development. This class challenges senior-level students to identify and build a prototype product that solves an everyday engineering challenge. Students work in teams and are required to develop not only a working prototype, but a marketing plan as well. At the end of the semester, they present their work to a panel of judges during a showcase event.

“The Frontiers of Engineering Education program brings together top university faculty to explore preparing engineers for the world’s great engineering challenges,” said NAE President Dan Mote. “It is a no-holds-barred look at the front-edge of engineering education."

NAE members or deans nominated this year's attendees who were chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants. The symposium will be held October 26-29, 2014 in Irvine, Calif.

To learn more about the NAE Innovative Early-Career Engineering Faculty Selected to Participate in NAE's Sixth Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium, visit their website.

Published September 29, 2014