SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
Dear ASEE K12 and Precollege Engineering Division Members,
Since the adoption of the first set of bylaws for our division in 2004, our division has been named the “K-12 & Pre-College Engineering” Division. The Executive Committee for our division is proposing a division name change to: “Pre-College Engineering Education” Division(or as an acronym, PCEE Division). While we have the utmost respect for those who founded the division and carefully crafted its name, the reasoning this proposed change is as follows:
- K-12 is not inclusive of exciting and relatively new emphases in not only pre-kindergarten, but also in preschool efforts in engineering education.
- Instead of substituting K-12 with P-12, we opted to remove these references, which are somewhat redundant with Pre-College Engineering.
- Pre-College Engineering Education is inclusive of formal and informal efforts to engage a wide range of students in engineering education before the college years; this term is used widely, including in the journal J-PEER (the Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research).
A name change impacts our bylaws document, and thus necessitates a 21-day comment and voting period for the division. This comment/voting period begins today, and will extend through September 30, 2015. Please see the revised bylaws here. All changes that have been highlighted yellow relate to the name change and clarifying it throughout the bylaws document.
In addition to this name change in the bylaws, we made three other changes to the bylaws document that require the same comment period and voting process:
- We removed a specific dollar amount for dues within the bylaws. What was added was that “dues changes will be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.” The intent here isn’t to make wild changes to our dues (we are currently at $7 per year, and may consider increasing to at the most $10 per year). Rather, the intent is to remove the need to have a precise dues amount in the bylaws; having a precise dues amount in the bylaws means that we need a division bylaws vote each time a dues change is made. Other divisions in PIC IV, our Professional Interest Council in ASEE, are making similar changes. This change has been highlighted in turquoise/teal in the bylaws document.
- Duties and terms of the Immediate Past Chair and Immediate Past Program Chair were added to the Duties and Terms section. Also highlighted turquoise/teal.
- An addition was made to the P12 Representative sub-section of the Duties and Terms section to clarify that their terms would begin “at the end of the ASEE annual meeting in the year of their election.” This change was also highlighted turquoise/teal. Additionally, gray highlighted text related to P12 Representatives was moved from another part of the bylaws document.
The division’s Executive Committee, following the process for bylaws changes in our bylaws document, has approved all of these bylaws changes in a simple majority vote during the Executive Committee Meeting on September 9, 2015.
We ask you to please:
- Look at the proposed bylaws document on which changes have been highlighted in yellow, turquoise, and gray, as described above.
- Go to this SurveyMonkey survey to input your ASEE ID Number and your vote of YES (to accept the bylaws changes as shown on the website) or NO (to reject them). A comment box has been provided for you to provide an explanation if you choose; this is optional.
Thank you for your time and consideration of these changes! Please look at the text, below, after my signature for some Division reminders and job postings.
Feel free to contact me about the division or your interest to post in upcoming newsletters. If you have a posting to share, please keep the text as short as possible, and provide a link to more information.
Take care,
Pam
—
Pamela S. Lottero-Perdue, Ph.D.
Chair, K12 & Precollege Engineering Division
American Society for Engineering Education
Associate Professor of Science Education
Director, Integrated STEM Instructional Leadership (PreK-6) Post-Baccalaureate Program
Department of Physics, Astronomy & Geosciences
Towson University
DIVISION REMINDERS
Abstracts: Don’t forget that abstracts for the 2016 Annual Conference are due October 19th.
Final reminder about Division Committees: Please consider contributing to one of our Division’s committees this year: Saturday K12 Workshop, Sunday Workshop, Diversity, Branding, Website, and Mentoring. Please go to the August 12th Newsletter on our website,k12division.asee.org, for details.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Allen Distinguished Educators Awards through the Paul G. Allen Foundation. From the website: “The Allen Distinguished Educators program supports educators that are developing programs that teach entrepreneurship and engineering in more engaging, practical ways.” From Jody Allen, co-founder and president of the foundation: “We look to support the creative and the untapped.” These awards are for K12 teachers. Learn more here.
Reviewers needed to review Allen Distinguished Educators. The Paul G. Allen Foundation is seeking reviewers to review Allen Distinguished Award applications (see above). If you are interested, contact Stephanie Harrington-Hurd, Manager of International and K12 Activities for ASEE: s.harrington-hurd@asee.org
Northrop Grumman Foundation Excellence in Engineering Education Award. A partnership between the Northrop Grumman Foundation and NSTA recognizes excellence in the field of engineering education. One award will be presented annually to a K–12 public school science/technology teacher with a minimum of 3 years’ teaching experience. Awardees will be recognized for exhibiting excellence in engineering science education. The award consists of $5,000 for classroom materials and equipment, a cash prize of $3,000, and $2,000 to attend the NSTA National Conference on Science Education. Apply by November 30. Learn more, or download an application.
NEW POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS
Assistant Director for Precollege and Outreach Programs in the Diversity Affairs Office of the College of Engineering at UW-Madison. We are seeking a professional who is committed to increasing the diversity of engineering through developing and executing recruitment programs for high achieving pre-college students. Ideally, the person will have knowledge of the methods and models for recruiting and retaining underrepresented students in engineering as well as the ability to establish methods for ongoing program evaluation. This role includes directing the highly successful, 6 week residential Engineering Summer Program. Details are outlined in PVL #83785.
Director of PreK-12 Engineering Education and Outreach – Texas A&M Engineering. The Director will provide vision, leadership, coordination and expertise in support of faculty and system efforts to develop effective preK-12 outreach programs throughout the state. The successful candidate will coordinate, manage and lead all aspects of building and maintaining local, state and national partnerships for preK-12 engineering education outreach and research. Awareness of and sensitivity and demonstrated commitment to inclusive education and social justice, access, equity for all students, and the educational goals of a multicultural population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience. Strong knowledge of current research and best practices in the field of preK-12 engineering education, including but not limited to charter school models, early engineering programs and initiatives, state and national standards, etc., is required.
Texas A&M is located in the twin cities of Bryan and College Station, with a population of more than 175,000, and is conveniently located in a triangle formed by Dallas, Houston and Austin. Texas A&M has more than 50,000 graduate and undergraduate students enrolled. Research expenditures at Texas A&M total more than $820 million annually, ranking in the top tier of universities nationwide. With an endowment valued at more than $5 billion, the university ranks fourth among U.S. public universities and 10th overall. Texas A&M University is aware that attracting and retaining exceptional faculty often depends on meeting the needs of two careers and having policies that contribute to work-life balance. For more information, visit http://dof.tamu.edu/content/
Please apply at the following posting location; www.tamuengineeringjobs.com/
K-12 Technology & Engineering Education Faculty, Tenure-Track Faculty Position – Department of Technological Studies in the School of Engineering at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). The department invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position starting August 2016. This position is at the Assistant or Associate Professor level. The Department of Technological Studies has created a series of STEM focused K-12 education programs. Started in 1998, one of the largest elementary education majors on campus is our integrative-STEM dual major that produces a large number of integrative-STEM capable K-6 and middle school teachers. The department was also one of the first programs in the country to create a secondary technology education K-12 program with a substantial engineering emphasis, as represented by content and methods course requirements. The department also supports a Masters-in-the-Art-of-Teaching (M.A.T.) degree, which was enhanced in 2013 with a grant from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. A Masters of Education in integrative-STEM degree is also under development. The department is taking leadership in K-12 STEM education both regionally and nationally. Our mission is to graduate the next generation of educational leaders with expertise in both pedagogy and STEM content knowledge, as well as the capabilities necessary to create STEM-literate citizenry.
An earned doctorate in Technology Education, Engineering Education, Science Education, Mathematics Education, Engineering, or a closely related field is required. ABD candidates will be considered, but must complete all requirements for the Ph.D. or Doctoral degree by the start date of appointment. Each successful candidate must present evidence of capabilities in all of the following areas: K-12 STEM education with a substantial emphasis on technology and engineering education (with substantial direct experiences with K-12 students preferred), undergraduate teaching, curriculum and laboratory development, evidence of sustained STEM-education focused research, an understanding of integrative STEM methods, directing student design projects, involving undergraduate students in research, and a potential for national leadership in the field. TCNJ HR website link: http://goo.gl/Epw3yP. Online application: https://goo.gl/Nymjvz.
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS (Also in last newsletter)
Lecturer, Instructional Professor, Professor of Practice & Research Professor (All Ranks) – Texas A&M Engineering Academies of the Dwight Look College of Engineering. The Texas A&M Engineering Academies, in partnership with two-year institutions, is a new and innovative program offering students interested in pursuing an engineering, engineering technology, or computer science degree at Texas A&M University the opportunity to be co-enrolled at a partner two-year institution and Texas A&M University – College Station. These talented students will be enrolled in Texas A&M engineering courses, taught by Texas A&M faculty, while simultaneously taking their science, mathematics, and core curriculum courses at the two-year college.
The Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University invites applications for non-tenure track faculty position at the lecturer, instructional professor, and professor of practice level with teaching expertise in engineering. Successful applicants will teach primarily at the undergraduate level and provide extensive support for the Texas A&M Engineering Academies including developing and implementing improvements to instructional techniques and participating in all aspects of the first-year faculty meetings in College Station. Applicants will be responsible for the organization, delivery, evaluation and assessment of the engineering courses and student outcomes associated with those courses. The engineering courses include, but may not be limited to introductory engineering design; statics and dynamics; and engineering ethics. Successful applicants will serve as a liaison between engineering faculty/staff and the two-year partner institutions and advise and mentor undergraduate students and student organizations. Strong written and verbal communication skills are required. Applicants should consult the Engineering Academies department’s website to review the program (https://engineering.tamu.edu/
Applicants will be expected to work/teach at the Texas A&M-College Station campus during the 2015-2016 academic year, collaborating with engineering faculty on course content and teaching pedagogy. Starting with the fall 2016 semester, faculty will transition to the two-year institution to teach specified Texas A&M engineering courses to students enrolled in the Engineering Academies. The two-year partner institutions are located in the Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Brownsville areas along with Brenham, Texas. Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching statement, and a list of four references (including postal addresses, phone numbers and email addresses) by applying for this specific position at www.tamengineeringjobs.com. Please list all geographic locations in order of preference in the cover letter. The appointment will begin fall 2015. Please apply at the following posting location; https://www.
Postdoctoral Research Associate Positions Available in Robotics Research and Curriculum Design – Mechanical Engineering Department, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. We are seeking to recruit two postdoctoral research associates, with an immediate start date, under an externally funded project. The project will research, identify, and build an effective model of teacher education and associated curriculum to facilitate the integration of robotics in science and math learning in middle school classrooms. Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a closely related field (robotics research) or in STEM education (curriculum design). They should have a strong aptitude in their disciplinary specializations as well as interests in STEM education and learning science. The research engineer and curriculum designer are expected to conduct scholarly research in robotics and STEM education. They will have opportunities for broad training including graduate student mentoring. The project is on-going and requires highly motivated and dedicated individuals who are self-driven to excel in education and research. For further information, please contact Prof. Vikram Kapila, vkapila@nyu.edu. Applicants can send a single pdf file containing a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, statement of research interest, and a list of three references to Prof. Kapila. http://engineering.nyu.edu/