This is a past event.

Chemical Engineering Seminar

Dr. Rebecca Bates

Professor 

Minnesota State University, Mankato

This program/lecture is partially funded/sponsored by the Visiting Professor Program, which is funded by a grant to the Office of the Provost from the State of Michigan's King-Chávez-Parks Initiative.

Abstract

The Engineering Mindset Report was published in 2024 and a Blueprint for Change to enact the report’s recommendations is being published in 2025. The six key recommendations from the report include specific points that can be used by departments, programs, and individual faculty to increase access to bachelor’s degrees and better prepare graduates for the flexible and creative problem solving and systems thinking that will be required to address societal challenges in their careers. This interactive talk will be an opportunity for department members to learn about the recommendations and their motivation as well as discuss ways to implement the recommendations. Members are either already doing some of the innovations that have been recommended or may be interested in finding ways to do so. This talk will connect faculty, staff and students with a member of the writing team to help engage the community with ways to be part of the mindset movement. For more information, visit the Engineering Mindset Report and the Blueprint for Change website.

Bio

Becky Bates is one of the lead authors of both the Engineering Mindset Report and the accompanying Blueprint for Change. She was the founding chair of Integrated Engineering at Minnesota State University, Mankato, home of Iron Range Engineering (IRE) and Twin Cities Engineering (TCE). IRE is a co-op-based/workbased program and TCE is a project-based program. Both programs focus on upper-division coursework with most students transferring from community colleges around the nation. Dr. Bates is the chair of the Ethics Committee for the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), a past chair of the ASEE Commission on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, and has been a program officer for the National Science Foundation.