Content
Engineering Education Research Seminar
Spring 2026
Tuesday February 27, 2026, 3:30pm CT - Dr. H. Ronald Clements, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
What Guides Our Work?: Unpacking Graduate Students’ Experiences with Values in an Engineering Research Center
Hosted by the Mechanical & Materials Engineering Department Seminar Series
Abstract: In the current landscape, engineers are called to address highly complex, dynamic problems influenced not only by technology but also the sociopolitical realities in which we live. Because of this complexity, decision-making is directly influenced by individual and external goals and values, or beliefs about what solution or outcome is most desirable. The interaction between individually held and externally perceived values is particularly relevant for graduate students as they learn, grow, and socialize in the field. My research qualitatively examines the espoused values of engineering graduate students and faculty within a highly interdisciplinary NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC), and perspectives on external and internal value alignment. Two main findings from this research will be presented: (1) Diverse perspectives on the role, essence, and process of engineering research were often informed by disciplinary differences; (2) Graduate students and faculty highlighted a relationship between the alignment of values and social position within the ERC. The findings presented in this study hold implications for the socialization of graduate students into the field of engineering research and can provide transferable lessons for graduate students, faculty, and administrators in other locales of graduate education.
Bio: Dr. H. Ronald Clements (Ronnie) is a DBER-E Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. He received his B.S. in Psychology from Harding University and his M.S. in Industrial Engineering and Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University. His research focuses on graduate engineering systems, engineering research experiences, research environments, research values, and faculty-student interactions. His experiences with educational theory and the psychological sciences allow him to take a deep, theory-driven approach to complex engineering education research questions.
Friday March 6, 2026, 9am CT - Dr. Qualla Ketchum, Cal Poly Humboldt
Title and Abstract to come
Friday April 3, 9am CT - Dr. Samantha Brunhaver, Arizona State University
Title and Abstract to come
KH A549
Tuesday April 14, 3:30pm CT - Dr. Geraldine Gooding, ASME
Hosted by the Mechanical & Materials Engineering Department Seminar Series
KH A203
Title and Abstract to come