July 14, 2026
Held June 21-24 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, the conference is the organization’s largest gathering of the year.
Matthew Liberatore, Ph.D., chair and professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, Amanda Malefyt, Ph.D., professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, and Gurudutt Chandrashekar, associate professor in the Wade Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, presented papers related to engineering education projects they conducted.
Chris Carroll, Ph.D., dean of the Allen School of Engineering and Computing, also co-authored a paper presented during the conference.
In addition, Maria Gerschutz, Ph.D., chair and professor in the Bock Department of Biomedical Engineering, Max Gong, Ph.D., associate professor in the Bock Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sameer Sharma, Ph.D., chair and professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Sean Carroll, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, attended the event.
“The ASEE Annual Conference provides an outstanding opportunity for our faculty to share their scholarship, showcase innovative teaching and research, and engage with engineering educators from across the country,” said Dr. Chris Carroll. “Every presentation delivered by our faculty strengthens the Trine University brand and demonstrates our commitment to excellence in engineering education.”
Spreadsheets and outreach
Dr. Liberatore presented a paper on “Measuring Spreadsheet Skills: Engaging Students Through Personalized Formative and Summative Assessments.”
His paper offered a variety of tools, both throughout and at the end of a course, to help students become more proficient with spreadsheets and to help faculty measure that proficiency. He also highlighted use of an interactive textbook that he authored.
Dr. Malefyt presented a paper with other members of the ASEE’s Chemical Engineering Division (ChED) on “Expanding Access to Engineering: A Compilation of Chemical Engineering Outreach Programs and Resources.”
Their paper covered best practices for effective outreach and activities that university chemical engineering departments can use to spark curiosity and enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) among K–12 students, their families and teachers. The ideas were originally shared and collected during monthly virtual meetings hosted by the ChED.
Composites, sustainability and first-year courses
Dr. Chandrashekar presented two papers.
In “Linking Targeted Undergraduate Research with Capstone Design Projects: A Framework for Composites Fabrication by Resin Infusion,” he outlined the process of mentoring Trine students in fabricating composites, specifically employing a resin infusion procedure, to produce critical components for an aircraft used in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Design/Build/Fly competition.
Supported by funding from Indiana Space Grant Consortium (INSGC), the students created a booklet for student design teams that will serve as a resource for capstone projects and competitions incorporating composites as a primary structural material.
Dr. Chandrashekar also presented a paper on “Embedding the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Framework through Sustainability-Focused Activities in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Courses” that he co-authored with Dr. Gong and Rizacan Sarikaya, Ph.D., associate professor in the Wade Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
The faculty members implemented activities focused on sustainability in several mechanical and aerospace engineering courses this past school year, supported by the ASEE Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Mini Grant Program (MGP). Activities used a guided, self-learning format, which encouraged students to explore concepts independently while reducing the instructor’s teaching workload.
“The Evolution of a First-Year Engineering Course: Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned,” also presented at the conference, was co-authored by Dr. Chris Carroll.
The paper discussed coursework for first-year engineering students, with practical recommendations for integrating active learning and project-based methodologies into a class that introduces fundamental engineering skills and the engineering design process.
The ASEE promotes excellence in engineering instruction, research, public service and educational practice through publication, data analysis and national projects and events.
A digital marketing campaign developed and executed by a team member in Trine University’s Office of Marketing and Communications has been honored among the recipients of the 2026 Circle of Excellence Awards, announced by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education on July 1.
Trine University’s Allen School of Engineering and Computing hosted a seminar by Hideki Arahari, Ph.D., of Basic Research Laboratories at NTT, Inc. in Japan, on Monday, June 29.
Four Trine University mechanical engineering students presented their original research at an international conference focusing on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microsystems technologies.