March 30, 2023
Several of members of the University of Georgia recently attended and participated in the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Southeastern Section Annual Conference held at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Here are a few highlights!
Ramana Pidaparti (School of ECAM) presented two papers: (1) “Middle School Teachers Lesson Modules on AI topics from Summer Workshop” (co-authors: Suren Jayasuriya, Arizona State University); Dr. John M Mativo, University of Georgia; Kimberlee Ann Swisher, Arizona State University); and (2) “Space Race: A Voyage to the Moon Board Game for K5-K8 Students”; Dr. Pidaparti also advanced to the role of Chair of the Bio and Chemical Engineering Division as well as moderating the “Capstones and Economics” session
Edwin Lim (School of ECAM) presented “A Comparison between Blended and Online Teaching Method for Statics Course: a perspective in a Community College”
Wayne Johnson (School of ECAM) presented “Reverse Engineering an Engineering Design Challenge with Low-Cost 3D Printing” (co-author: Dr. Priya T. Goeser, Georgia Southern University)
Ramaraja Ramasamy (Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Assessment, School of CMB) advanced to the role of Vice-Chair of the Bio and Chemical Engineering Division.
John Brocato (School of CMB, Southeastern Section Proceedings Editor) moderated a roundtable on “Inclusive Curriculum & Pedagogy: Creating Engineering Learning Environments for Student Success”; moderated the “Using Research in Engineering Education” session; and became Secretary of the Bio and Chemical Engineering Division.
Although the ASEE national conference is the organization’s flagship event, our Southeastern Section annual conference has a long history of excellence with a few noteworthy advantages over the national gathering:
- The Section conference usually costs less than half of what national costs (this year: $325 v. $775 for early-bird registration).
- This lower registration cost also includes all meals during the duration of the conference: Sunday-evening reception hors d’oeuvres; Monday breakfast, lunch, and dinner; and Tuesday breakfast and lunch.
- Southeastern Section papers count for scholarly activity at exactly the same level as national-conference papers — i.e., both papers go into PEER, ASEE’s proceedings repository (https://peer.asee.org/).
- The smaller size of the section conference (~150-200 attendees v. 4,000+ attendees at national) enables easier and more efficient conference activities in general, including networking and session participation.
- Participating in section leadership — as conference-paper reviewers, division and unit officers, executive-board members, and so on — is an easy way to get involved with both ASEE and others in your specific field (these are also excellent line items for your CV).
Section conference locations are often closer to Athens and thus drivable, which can help defray conference expenses (see below).
Next year’s section conference (2024) will be held about 90 minutes away at Kennesaw State, meaning not only can you get there easier/faster but your students can as well: our conference hosts an Undergraduate Student Poster Competition each year, and competing students pay a significantly reduced rate ($75 this year) to attend, while graduate students who author and present conference papers also pay a reduced rate ($150 this year). All of this means your students can get professional-conference experience for a minimal amount of money with no need to pay for airfare. Below are the locations for section conferences beyond 2024:
- 2025: Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS (~6-hour drive)
- 2026: University of Memphis, Memphis, TN (~7-hour drive)
- 2027: Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA (~7-hour drive)
- 2028: University of Georgia, Athens, GA
- 2029: University of Florida (exact city TBD)