Program: UCARE, John Woollam Scholar

Project Year: 2022 – present

Project Advisor: Dr. Jessica Deters

Project Titles: 

• Improving Retention in Engineering: Understanding How Engineering Students' Perspectives Influence their Experience in Statics (UCARE, 2024 - 2025)
• Investigating the Invisible: Qualitatively Exploring How Finances Constrain Undergraduate Engineering Student Experiences, Mental Health, and Career Opportunities (UCARE, 2023 - 2024)
• Mental Health in Engineering (2023 - 2024)
• Faculty Perceptions of the Impact of COVID-19 on Undergraduate Engineering Student Readiness (2022 - 2023)

Project Dissemination: 

Conference Papers:

Fitzpatrick, E., Pearson, A., & Deters, J. R. (2024, Dec. 8 – 11). Defining academic terminology differences between Australia and the United States. Proceedings of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education Annual Conference, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Fitzpatrick, E., Mann, C., Idiaghe, N., & Deters, J. R. (2024, Oct. 13 – 16). Exploring undergraduate engineering students’ definitions of mental health. Proceedings of the Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference, Washington, D.C.

Mann, C., Fitzpatrick, E., & Deters, J. R. (2024, Sept. 8 – 10). Enduring commitment: Exploring why low-income and first-generation students choose to stay in engineering. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Midwest Section Conference, Lawrence, KS.

Fitzpatrick, E., Mann, C., Chin, M. Y. & Deters, J. R. (2024, June 23-27). Exploring the impact of professors and peer-relationships on undergraduate mechanical engineering students’ well-being. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, Portland, OR.

Fitzpatrick, E., Mann, C., & Deters, J. R. (2024, June 23-27). Investigating how faculty perceptions of students are influenced by experience level. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, Portland, OR.

Fitzpatrick, E., Idiaghe, N., Mann, C., Chin, M. Y. & Deters, J. R. (2024, June 23-27). Comparing first- and fourth-year undergraduate engineering experiences of first-generation students using narrative analysis. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, Portland, OR.

Fitzpatrick, E. & Deters, J. R. (2024, Feb. 25 – 27). Qualitatively exploring how finances constrain undergraduate engineering student experiences, mental health, and career opportunities. Proceedings of the Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD) Conference, Crystal City, VA.

Fitzpatrick, E., Baldwin, H., Adams, I., Chin, M. Y., & Deters, J. R. (2023, Sept. 10 – 12). What universities should know about minoritized undergraduate engineering students’ mental health. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Midwest Section Conference, Lincoln, NE.

Fitzpatrick, E. & Deters, J. R. (2023, June 25 – 29). Work in progress: A pilot study on faculty perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on undergraduate engineering student readiness. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Poster Sessions:

Fitzpatrick, E. & Deters, J. R. (2024, Sept. 8 – 10). Engineering effective conversations: Developing an interview protocol to uncover engineering students’ preconceptions of Statics. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Midwest Section Conference, Lawrence, KS. [Poster Session]

Fitzpatrick, E. & Deters, J. R. (2024, August 5). Understanding How Finances Restrict Undergraduate Engineering Students and How YOU Can Help. UNL Engineering Summer Research Fair, Lincoln, NE.  [Poster Session] Poster

Fitzpatrick, E., Mann, C., Chin, M. Y. & Deters, J. R. (2024, June 23-27). Exploring the impact of professors and peer-relationships on undergraduate mechanical engineering students’ well-being. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, Portland, OR. [Poster Session]

Fitzpatrick, E., Mann, C. & Deters, J. R. (2023, March 26). Developing Culturally Competent Engineers: Enhancing First-Year Engineering Curricula. UNL Student Research Days: Undergraduate Student Poster Session, Lincoln, NE.  [Poster Session, Competition Winner]

Fitzpatrick, E. & Deters, J. R. (2023, June 25 – 29). Work in progress: A pilot study on faculty perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on undergraduate engineering student readiness. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Conference, Baltimore, MD. [Poster Session]

Workshops:

Fitzpatrick, E., Daher, T. & Deters, J. R. (2024, Sept. 8 – 10). Adapting Teaching Practices to Support the mental health and Well-Being of Economically Disadvantaged Undergraduate Engineering Students. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Midwest Section Conference, Lawrence, KS. [Conference Workshop] 

Seminars:

Deters, J. & Fitzpatrick, E. (2024, Sept. 17). “Supporting Student Well-Being in Engineering through Pedagogy and Community.” Lincoln, NE. Invited Seminar at the UNL Mechanical & Materials Engineering Seminar. 

Deters. J., Idiaghe, N. & Fitzpatrick E. (2024, Sept. 19). “Mental Health in Engineering: Exploring Intersections Between Faculty and Peer Relationships, Finances, and Student Well-Being.” Lincoln, NE. Invited Seminar at the UNL Disciplinary Based Education Research (DBER) Seminar.