Silverstein to Chair 2017 ASEE Chemical Engineering Summer School

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 25, 2017) — In her preface to Richard Felder and Rebecca Brent’s "Teaching and Learning STEM," Barbara Oakley writes, “For many university professors, teaching is like being handed the keys to a car without being taught how to drive.” To help new faculty members in chemical engineering get a more effective and efficient start to their careers and their teaching roles, the Chemical Engineering Division of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) has offered a “summer school” for faculty teaching in the discipline every five years since 1931.

For the 2017 event to be held this summer at North Carolina State University, the conference planning team has been led by University of Kentucky Chemical Engineering Professor and College of Engineering Paducah Extended Campus Director David Silverstein.

The event features a teaching workshop led by Richard Felder and Rebecca Brent as well as 10 workshop sessions on professional development topics including teaching, advising, diversity support, grant writing and work/life balance. For 2017, a new addition is an “Industry Day” with workshop presenters from industrial representatives to help bridge the gap between academia and industrial practice.

“This was a transformative event for me back in 2002," Silverstein said. "It changed how I viewed teaching and gave me insight into the scholarship of teaching and learning that became my scholarly pursuit. It also allowed me to establish a broad network of faculty colleagues in my discipline. I’ve tried to pay it forward by conducting workshops at summer schools in 2007 and 2012, and now by working with a terrific team to create an impactful experience for others.”

The 2017 American Society for Engineering Education Chemical Engineering Division Summer School for Faculty will be held July 29-Aug. 3, at North Carolina State. Almost 200 chemical engineering faculty members representing approximately 100 institutions will be participating. UK chemical engineering faculty attending include assistant professors Sarah Wilson, Derek Englert and Hyun-Tae Hwang. The event is supported by the National Science Foundation and corporate sponsors Chevron, ExxonMobil and International Paper.