2016 - 2017
YEAR IN REVIEW
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership • George R. Brown School of Engineering • Rice University
Table of Contents 1
From the Faculty Director
5
Overview: RCEL Certificate in Engineering Leadership and Graduate Courses
7
Is RCEL Making a Difference?
9
2016 - 2017 Timeline
13
Student Leaders in Action
20
Learning Through Leading The ENGI 318/319 Experience
21
Pathways to Success
23
Industry Focus: Engineering Communication
25
Impact Beyond the Hedges
28
Thank You!
Anna Cowan, sophomore, Computational and Applied Mathematics Cover: Peter Lucido, junior, Mechanical Engineering
RCEL Mission: To educate, develop, and inspire ethical leaders in technology who will excel in research, industry, nonengineering career paths, or bold entrepreneurship.
1
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
From the Faculty Director It’s hard for me to believe that I have completed not only my first year as the Faculty Director of the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership (RCEL), but also my first year as a member of the amazing Rice University community of scholars, students, and staff.
C. Fred Higgs III, Ph.D. Faculty Director, Rice Center for Engineering Leadership John & Ann Doerr Professor of Mechanical Engineering Interim Vice Provost of Academic Affairs
As an important part of the Brown School of Engineering, RCEL supplements the rigorous academic engineering curriculum with leadership training and experiences. In addition to having some of the university’s most well-regarded communications and leadership development faculty, three of our instructors, who I like to call “The Three Engineers,” come to us after years as world-class leaders in Fortune 500 companies. They bring insights and knowledge to students that would take young professionals years to amass. The expertise and knowledge of our faculty team lead our students through the RCEL Certificate in Engineering Leadership, the
RCEL IN NUMBERS BREAKDOWN BY GENDER
31%
69%
BREAKDOWN BY MAJOR 34% 18%
17% 11%
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
COMPUTER SCIENCE
8%
CHEMICAL & UNDECIDED ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING ENGINEERING
2
only one of its kind in Texas and one of a small number in the nation.
We are staying in touch with RCEL students after they graduate to support them and to assess the advantages that the RCEL Certificate has given them. Using platforms such as LinkedIn and Rice’s SallyPortal, we can watch their journeys and help celebrate their career growth.
I have been amazed as I watch our RCEL students grow in ability and confidence. If you were to drop in on an Engineering Leadership Development (ENGI 140) class, for example, you would find students establishing baselines of their own leadership skills. I encountered one student who, as an incoming RCEL student, saw herself as lacking confidence and being adverse to confrontation. By the time she graduated with her RCEL Certificate, she was rating herself as ‘very confident’ in giving team members constructive criticism. This student’s journey is typical for RCEL.
And we want Rice alumni and friends of Rice to watch them with us. For example, the RCEL Mentorship program pairs professional mentors with RCEL students. We currently have a 1–to-1 mentor-to-student ratio, but we ultimately hope to get to 2-to-1 or higher. This type of mentorship could endure beyond the Rice years, as students excel in their chosen career paths with the support of mentors within their organization (as our students have been trained to seek), and also the mentors from the RCEL mentorship program who are likely outside their organizations.
Surveys of all Rice engineering students indicate that RCEL seniors are at least 25% more likely to consider themselves as ‘very confident’ compared to non-RCEL engineering students. We anticipate that, building on this confidence, RCEL students will be more likely to move into leadership roles in the workplace and move ahead in their professional career paths faster.
This will help increase the stature of Rice Engineering. For example, one of the factors used to determine the ranking of an engineering institution by US News & World Report is the rating of our students by industry recruiters.
TOTAL STUDENTS IN RCEL PROGRAM
Seniors: 21 Graduate Students: 50
Undergraduate Students: 160
29
STUDENTS COMPLETED INTERNSHIPS THROUGH ENGI 241
4%
6%
3%
26
MENTOR/MENTEE PAIRS IN RCEL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
<1%
CIVIL & COMPUTATIONAL & MATERIALS ENVIRONMENTAL APPLIED SCIENCE & ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS NANOENGINEERING
BIOENGINEERING
0% STATISTICS
3
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
RCEL engineering graduates who receive rich mentorship experiences are more likely to be excellent team members at companies (we call it “followership”) and later excellent leaders. Over time, this makes an impression on corporate recruiters and is reflected in our ranking. So RCEL is spearheading and driving a chain of events that is not only training our students to be tomorrow’s leaders, it is leveraging mentors, who are often Rice Engineering alumni, to fuel the growth of the stature of the George R. Brown School of Engineering. This is why you will see the Rice Engineering Alumni (REA) peppered throughout the pages of this annual report. We both share the same goal! We invite friends and alumni of Rice Engineering to come by and visit us in the Abercrombie Lab Building. We invite you to join our RCEL Mentorship program, which aims to help our students more efficiently navigate their time at Rice and their chosen career paths. Our students are not waiting five years to be tapped for leadership in companies and research organizations. They are leading now. During the 2016-2017 academic year, 81% of RCEL students held leadership positions in college government or student clubs and teams. Some Rice Engineering students are involved with entrepreneurial start-up company accelerators sponsored by RCEL, such as Owlspark. Others, such as Donaldo Almazan, who you will read about in this report, are using their leadership acumen to integrate engineering with art, producing, in one idea, a vehicle for students interested in both arts and engineering to work together. RCEL is constantly reviewing and funding ideas, engineering challenges in which RCEL students are competing, and student organizations that allow our students to get experience becoming leaders in technology. In the 2016-2017 school year, all of these activities were going on in the
midst of many others we cannot squeeze into this Annual Report. In addition to all of this, I have joined RCEL Executive Director Kaz Karwowski and a group of RCEL instructors to form a steering committee to redesign the RCEL curriculum. We have been developing what I call ‘RCEL 2.0.’ We aim to educate, develop, and inspire ethical leaders in technology who will excel in research, industry, non-engineering career paths, or bold entrepreneurship.
4
To give you a sneak peak into the future weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re designing, RCEL students will continue to get the fundamental and practical training they need to become leaders in technology. However, they will also be able to choose one of four specialized career tracks, in which they will receive more focused training. These tracks are Research, Industry, a non-engineering Pathway, and Entrepreneurship (RIPE). Recognizing that society needs more RIPE leaders in technology in key decision-making positions,
RCEL is responding by providing students with the nuanced thought processes and experiences they need to pursue their dreams. We know that RCEL, along with Rice Engineering faculty, the greater Rice community, and Rice alumni, will all be there watching and waiting to help our students lead the future.
5
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
OVERVIEW: RCEL CERTIFICATE IN ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP AND GRADUATE COURSES The RCEL CERTIFICATE IN ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP is the only four-year engineering leadership certificate in Texas and one of only a handful of undergraduate educational innovations like it in the United States. The Certificate includes 10 credit-hours on top of the regular engineering degree curriculum at Rice. ENGI 140: ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Introduces students to engineering leadership and to RCELâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skill and competency domains. Students engage in a semester-long autobiographical analysis of their personal strengths, motivations, and aspirations as leaders and followers. This analysis is used to create a first draft of their leadership development plans. ENGI 218/219: ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP LABS Provides hands-on practice and application of leadership skills and techniques in a variety of practical situations. Through challenging and interactive engineering designbuild-activities, role-plays, simulations, and case studies, students begin developing their own styles of leadership. ENGI 315: LEADING TEAMS AND INNOVATION Reviews and develops skills needed to effectively launch, develop, and lead innovative engineering teams. Through a balance of theory and practice, students learn to diagnose and address some of the common challenges of leading teams. A major focus is creative methods for innovating in technical contexts. ENGI 241: PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERS Provides guided career and professional development for engineering students as they complete industrial, academic, research, or other professional internships. Through a structured internship experience, students are prepared to assimilate quickly and to exceed employer expectations. ENGI 317: LEADERSHIP ACTION LEARNING Students apply skills acquired through certificate courses to a specific leadership development project. Students work with faculty to develop and engage in a structured learning experience in which they apply selected skills, receive feedback, and deliver a final reflection on the experience. ENGI 318/319: ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP LABS Expands on the Engineering Leadership Labs (ELLs) presented in ENGI 218/219. Upperclass students serve as coaches for weekly labs, and each student must develop, refine, and lead multiple labs. During the ELLs, coaches provide guidance, feedback, and performance evaluation for ENGI 218/219 students, engaging in structured selfevaluation throughout the semester.
GRADUATE COURSE OFFERING Although the Engineering Leadership Certificate is available only to undergraduate students, RCEL has identified a need for leadership training at the Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Ph.D. levels as well. Several RCEL core courses and graduate level coursework in leadership coaching and communication are available to graduate students.
6
Students participate in ENGI 218: Engineering Leadership Labs
ENGI 242/542: COMMUNICATION FOR ENGINEERS Students develop a toolbox of skills to become an effective communicator with engineering and non-engineering audiences. Through collaborative exercises, simulations, and coaching, students develop confidence in interpersonal and intercultural communication, influencing others, and managing team dynamics. ENGI 600: GRADUATE COMMUNICATION SEMINAR This interactive seminar is open to graduate students actively writing a paper for publication, an extended PhD proposal, a Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thesis, or a PhD dissertation. The written and oral
assignments help students present research findings to a wide range of audiences - whether expert, interdisciplinary, international, or general. ENGI 615: LEADERSHIP COACHING FOR ENGINEERS Leadership coaching is a professional skill that leaders use to enhance another personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to achieve their goals. Students learn how to lead others in their own professional development through the use of coaching. This course emphasizes experiential learning and some graduates are selected to become coaches to Rice engineering undergraduates.
7
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
IS RCEL MAKING A DIFFERENCE? The skills taught in RCEL are relevant and applicable for our students, both immediately at Rice and in their future careers. Determining the effectiveness of RCELâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s curricula enables the program to evolve to meet the needs of the students. Each year, graduating seniors who complete all Certificate requirements are assessed through online surveys* against the total population of graduating Rice engineers. Based on the six RCEL Program-Level Learning Outcomes, students are assessed in 53 areas of development. Results of the survey show that students who completed the RCEL program have an increase in confidence over the general engineering senior population in many areas. 2017 marked the third graduating class to receive the official RCEL Certificate. To date, 48 students have completed all requirements to receive the Certificate. Future seniors will continue to be evaluated after their completion of Certificate requirements. RCEL also follows alumni through the first five years of employment via LinkedIn and individual outreach. These data are still being collected.
RCEL Program-Level Learning Outcomes: 1. Develop and articulate a personal point of view about what leadership means and how it is effectively practiced in engineering environments. 2. Learn how to be a valuable team member in engineering environments. 3. Learn how to be a capable team leader in engineering environments. 4. Communicate strategically in engineering and other interpersonal contexts. 5. Increase studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s selfawareness and confidence about their ability to achieve in their professional careers. 6. Position students strategically for first jobs aligned with unique strengths and selfdirected ambitions.
Based on industry interest and needs, the following areas have been highlighted for this report: 1. How confident are you in your ability to give team members constructive criticism that improves their performance? HIGHLY CONFIDENT VERY CONFIDENT CONFIDENT NOT VERY CONFIDENT GENERAL RCEL
NOT CONFIDENT
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS
2. How confident are you in your ability to step forward and take responsibility for a project activity when others fail to get started on it? HIGHLY CONFIDENT VERY CONFIDENT CONFIDENT NOT VERY CONFIDENT
GENERAL RCEL
NOT CONFIDENT
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS
* Assessment adapted from the GEL Exit Survey developed by William Lucas, Ph.D., Bernard M. Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Program.
8
3. How confident are you in your ability to motivate a team of peers to complete a project? HIGHLY CONFIDENT VERY CONFIDENT CONFIDENT NOT VERY CONFIDENT GENERAL RCEL
NOT CONFIDENT
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS
4. How confident are you in your ability to help a team achieve its goals by securing the necessary resources? HIGHLY CONFIDENT VERY CONFIDENT CONFIDENT NOT VERY CONFIDENT GENERAL RCEL
NOT CONFIDENT
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS
5. How confident are you in your ability to make firm decisions and take action, even though you may not have all of the necessary information? HIGHLY CONFIDENT VERY CONFIDENT CONFIDENT NOT VERY CONFIDENT
GENERAL RCEL
NOT CONFIDENT
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS
6. I feel I have a duty if I am asked to lead others.
7. I would agree to lead the group even if there were no special reward or benefit. STRONGLY AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE AGREE
AGREE
NEUTRAL
NEUTRAL
DISAGREE
GENERAL RCEL
STRONGLY DISAGREE
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS
DISAGREE STRONGLY DISAGREE
GENERAL RCEL
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS
9
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
2016 - 2017
TIMELINE
RCEL Engineering Liftoff 2016
SEPTEMBER RCEL Engineering Liftoff - September 10 More than 170 incoming freshmen, upperclass coaches, and faculty facilitators come together for a day of fun design challenges and inspiring messages. RCEL student leaders share personal experiences with Rice Engineering’s “Three Ships”: Leadership (Austin James, senior, Mechanical Engineering); Internships (Emma Baker, junior, Mechanical Engineering); Entrepreneurship (Senthil Natarajan, senior, Electrical and Computer Engineering). Dean Ned Thomas closes with an enthusiastic call to action to the freshmen.
2016 International Enterprise & Entrepreneurship Conference (IEEC) September 8 Executive Director Kaz Karwowski keynotes during the leading 3-day global forum for educators and practitioners at Liverpool John Moores University, England, sharing RCEL’s leadership program and development process. He introduces two hypotheses: leadership training encourages entrepreneurship; entrepreneurs who have leadership training are more successful and build companies that last.
10
Fifth Annual SCREECH Graduate Research Pitch Competition - November 9 The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department almost sweeps the field, claiming four of the five top prizes, at a fast-paced competition organized by RCEL’s Graduate Committee. Jasper Tan, first-year ECE grad student, places first with his pitch “Gesture Recognition with Lenseless Cameras.” Students from Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Computer Science, and Statistics departments also present before an audience of more than 130. Networking reception follows.
‘Why in the world should I get a Ph.D. in Engineering?’ Seminar - November 18 C. Fred Higgs III, Ph.D., John and Ann Doerr Professor of Mechanical Engineering and RCEL Faculty Director, presents a seminar challenging prevailing myths and opinions about obtaining a Ph.D. in engineering, suggesting that many of society’s game changers of tomorrow will be leaders in technology, and the clearest path to that end is via a Ph.D. More than 60 students attend.
NOVEMBER REA Trivia Night - November 21 “Baker College was established at Rice University in 1957. Sherlock Holmes lived at 221B Baker Street. Name the first Sherlock Holmes novel, published in 1887.”
RCEL Mentorship Kick-Off September 30 Paired engineering undergraduates and industry professionals participate in an evening of introductions, networking, and individual conversations over refreshments. Committee lead Emma Gray, senior, Computer Science, explains program expectations and offers advice to mentors and mentees about moving forward in their relationships.
A crowd of engineering students and alumni meet outdoors at Brockman Portico for an evening of Rice themed trivia, networking and dinner sponsored by Rice Engineering Alumni (REA). The competition is aced by Team “MeChemical Engineering,” consisting of four Mechanical Engineering undergrads and REA member Neil Rahey ’12, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
11
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
TIMELINE
CONTINUED
JANUARY
RCEL Faculty Conduct Leadership Training at Fort Benning, GA - January 15
RCEL Ethics and Leadership Panel - April 3
RCEL Executive Director Kaz Karwowski (retired Army Sergeant First Class) and RCEL professor David Van Kleeck (retired Brigadier General) guide a two-day workshop for more than 50 soldiers and staff at Martin Army Community Hospital. Jana Danley, Head Nurse, comments: “The little ‘aha’ moments add up. I’m using the information in my daily duties and find it very beneficial… Their expertise, not only in leadership but also the military, makes it even better.”
A brimming audience learns about how ethics can affect an engineer’s decisions and innovations. Panelists include Rakesh Agrawal, Snapstream founder and CEO; C. Fred Higgs III, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and RCEL Faculty Director; Yvette Pearson Weatherton, Associate Dean for Accreditation and Assessment, Brown School of Engineering; and George Webb, Attorney and Rice Engineering’s Director of Industry Relations.
MARCH
APRIL
RCEL End-of-the-Year Celebration - April 17 RCEL students, faculty, and staff fête another year at RCEL and deepen their sense of community as they work their way through 120 pounds of crawfish and a dozen pizzas. Executive Director Kaz Karwowski recognizes the outgoing senior class and introduces next year’s incoming student leadership.
Ignite Silicon Valley Trek - March 1-4 RCEL sponsors 15 Rice engineering graduate and undergraduate students to join the Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship on a trip to meet and learn from some of the most successful and upand-coming entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. Students visit over a dozen companies, including Square, Parsable, AirBNB, LendUp, Tesla, Maana, Benchmark Capital, BOX, Proteus, 23&Me, Five Prime, and 5am Ventures. Entrepreneurs share personal stories of working to build their companies and learning from successes and failures.
12
Higgs Testifies to U.S. House Committee - June 28 RCEL Faculty Director C. Fred Higgs, III, Ph.D. testifies before the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Joint Subcommittee on Energy and Subcommittee on Research and Technology at the hearing “Materials Science: Building the Future” in Washington, D.C.
JUNE
3rd Annual Rice Drone Camp June 12-17 RCEL and Trumball Unmanned develop an intensive and entertaining STEM enrichment program for 20 competitivelyselected middle schoolers, offering a unique opportunity to learn about cutting-edge advances in technology from university faculty, industry professionals, Air Force pilots, and content area experts. Field trips include the Houston Zoo, BP Helios Education Center, and Microsoft Technology Center.
RCEL WINS RICE GLOBAL E&C FORUM AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE The Rice Global E&C Forum named RCEL the winner of the 2016 Award for Excellence in recognition of enriching engineering education at Rice University. “The Rice Global E&C Forum is pleased to recognize the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership as the 2016 recipient of our Award for Excellence,” said Martin Van Sickels, RGF Executive Director. “Instilling non-traditional skill sets that enhance the ability of new engineers to conceive, develop, and implement innovative solutions to complex engineering problems has the potential to improve both processes and outcomes across all engineering disciplines.” The Award for Excellence was established in 2011 to acknowledge an individual, group, or organization for a significant event or outstanding performance in an engineering and construction industryrelated activity. The award is presented once a year at the RGF fall conference. C. Fred Higgs III, Ph.D., Faculty Director of RCEL, accepted the RGF award at the VIP Banquet opening the RGF’s 19th annual fall conference on September 19. “I am honored that the Rice Global E&C Forum is recognizing RCEL with this year’s Award for Excellence,” Higgs said. “RCEL faculty and staff strive every day to make an impact on our students, who will one day be the new engineers and leaders making an impact in the industry and the world.“
13
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
STUDENT LEADERS IN ACTION Experiential learning and applied practice are key components of the RCEL experience. As a supplement to formal educational exercises and lectures, students are encouraged to engage in leadership activities outside the classroom and beyond the Rice hedges. During the 2016-2017 academic year, 81% of RCEL students held leadership positions in college government or student clubs and teams. Through these extra-curricular endeavors, our students refine their ability to create and communicate a shared vision, build a high performing team, make ethical decisions, develop and execute a plan of action, and create innovative solutions to important problems.
RCEL STUDENT LEADERSHIP Each academic year, RCEL students compete for positions on a variety of key RCEL Student Leadership committees. Collectively, these committees help to facilitate RCEL programming, create and maintain student engagement, and shape the program for future generations of Rice engineers. Student Director Austin James, senior, Mechanical Engineering Assistant Student Director David Fraga, junior, Mechanical Engineering Section Leads Nicholas Sepulveda, junior, Mechanical Engineering Juan Pablo Luna, junior, Mechanical Engineering James Phillips, junior, Mechanical Engineering Student Engagement Committee Emma Baker, junior, Mechanical Engineering Elizabeth Goodnight, junior, Mechanical Engineering William Jones, junior, Mechanical Engineering External Relations Committee Senthil Natarajan, senior, Electrical and Computer Engineering Chukwudi Nnali, sophomore, Mechanical Engineering Mentorship Committee Emma Gray, senior, Computer Science
Speaker Series Committee Peter Lucido, junior, Mechanical Engineering Mary Bao, junior, Mechanical Engineering Fabshops Committee Randy Zhang, senior, Electrical and Computer Engineering Andrew Elsey, senior, Mechanical Engineering Assessments Committee Frank Chen, junior, Computer Science Kevin Zhang, sophomore, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Graduate Student Committee Souptik Barua, Electrical and Computer Engineering Emily Reiser Evans, Bioengineering Sarah Kim, Computer Science Krishna Badhiwala, Bioengineering Sharan Naribole, Electrical and Computer Engineering Manuela Sushnitha, Bioengineering
14
COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT Student Engagement The Student Engagement Committee, a new addition to RCEL this year, was organized to increase campus-wide student engagement in the RCEL program and sponsored activities. “Our goal is to show people that RCEL is a community,” said committee member Emma Baker, Mechanical Engineering. “It’s more than just kids you see in class.” The committee facilitated a series of RCEL community-building events throughout the year, including the “Save Santa’s Sleigh” Holiday Design Challenge and a Boba Tea and Board Games Study Break. SEC members also created a new RCEL t-shirt design and worked to attract new students to the Certificate Program with the #whyRCEL promotional campaign, which allowed current RCEL students to share personal insights into the value of the program.
Tara Martin, sophomore, Mechanical Engineering
“I think we made a significant impact on the Rice/RCEL community as a whole,” said Will Jones, Mechanical Engineering. “It was satisfying to hear students all over campus talk about the #whyRCEL posters. We also received feedback from RCEL students themselves, directly stating that a stronger RCEL sense of community developed this year and was a very positive change.”
15
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Student Leader Spotlights INNOVATION Donaldo Almazan | Rice Art & Engineering Club Donaldo Almazan, a QuestBridge Scholar and winner of the 2017 Layton Scholarship, demonstrates the value of innovation, creativity, and interdisciplinary collaboration in engineering.
ALMAZAN COMBINES PASSIONS IN THE RICE ART & ENGINEERING CLUB Almazan, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, is the co-founder of the Rice Art and Engineering Club, which encourages students to combine their artistic and engineering skills on a variety of projects. During the Fall 2016 semester, Almazan worked with fellow RCEL student Vidya Giri and a team of motivated arts and engineering students to create an interactive “doodlebots” installation for the new Moody Center for the Arts. The event was born out of Almazan’s experience in the ENGI 317: Leadership Action Learning course. Almazan was coached by RCEL faculty who helped him hone his leadership skills to effectively conceive and execute the art event. Almazan explains that the club emanated from his desire to see similarly-minded people come together to create something new and exciting, saying, “Linking engineers and artists in new situations should be part of that. I want to help grow this kind of community, where people who are interested in both the arts and engineering can work together.” Adapted from “Layton Scholarship winners combine engineering, arts” by Patrick Kurp, Engineering Communications, February 6, 2017.
OUTREACH Cassie Wang | Engineers Without Borders Graduating RCEL senior Cassie Wang exemplifies the role of a leader as an advocate for positive change through her outreach work with Engineers Without Borders.
LEADING POSITIVE CHANGE: MAKING A DIFFERENCE THROUGH ENGINEERING Wang, Computer Science, shared her impressions of how RCEL contributed to her leadership effectiveness as the President of Engineers Without Borders, including the success that she had in facilitating fieldwork and design projects in Nicaragua: What were your roles in the club this year? As president, my major roles have been to provide mentorship and guidance to the project leaders, fundraising for the organization as a whole, and managing the finances, recruitment, and other aspects of the operations. Coming into the position, I wanted to increase our funding sources to enable more students to travel. Another big goal has been to make the transition between each year’s officers smoother. How did your experience in RCEL help you? RCEL provides a supportive environment where it’s okay to fail. Sometimes we are even encouraged to fail, as long as we learn from that failure. Through the different labs and leadership opportunities that RCEL provided, I was given a head-start in understanding what it takes to be a leader. RCEL emphasized the value of receiving feedback and reflecting on what you could have done, and how to do things better next time. RCEL has not only improved my leadership skills and confidence, but it has also taught me the importance of taking time to evaluate and continuously improve my work.
16
COLLABORATION Emma Baker, Chris Chee, Elizabeth Goodnight, Martin Torres The ability to collaborate with people from diverse, interdisciplinary, and often international backgrounds is an essential skill for engineers in the emergent global technology economy. RCEL student ambassadors embraced the opportunity to engage with engineering students from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) Centre for Entrepreneurship in England. George Zhu, left, with the Arovia team
ENTREPRENEURSHIP George Zhu | Arovia As an engineer and Chief Technology Officer for Arovia (an OwlSpark launched start-up company), George Zhu displays the passion and innovative vision necessary to excel as an entrepreneur.
AROVIA: A START-UP SUCCESS STORY In 2015, then sophomore and RCEL Certificate student George Zhu, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Alex Wesley, Rice MBA student, completed the OwlSpark Startup Accelerator and founded Arovia. The team developed a prototype for the Spontaneous Pop-Up Display (SPUD) – the world’s first and only high resolution, 24-inch display with the benefit of ultra-portability. SPUD collapses to the size and weight of a paperback book and expands to produce a sharp, bright image using DLP technology. The device features easy connectivity for syncing with smartphones, tablets, and laptops. OwlSpark helped the founders conduct customer discovery and formulate a business model. Zhu and Wesley garnered strong media attention and generated a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $711,000 - far exceeding the original goal of $30,000. The team was also awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Commercial production of the SPUD began in May 2017, and Zhu stepped into the role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Arovia upon graduation from Rice in 2017.
EMBRACING CULTURAL DIVERSITY During the Fall 2016 semester, RCEL hosted four LJMU students for a week-long visit to Rice. The group learned about leadership and entrepreneurship education in the United States by shadowing a group of RCEL Certificate students: Emma Baker, Mechanical Engineering; Chris Chee, Electrical and Computer Engineering; Elizabeth Goodnight, Mechanical Engineering; and Martin Torres, Civil and Environmental Engineering. In return, RCEL student hosts visited Liverpool over Spring Break to gain a new cultural perspective on leadership and university life. Reuniting with their British counterparts, the RCEL students attended classes at LJMU and toured a variety of cultural sites in Liverpool and London. Kaz Karwowski, RCEL Executive Director, highlights the critical importance of cultural awareness and collaboration: “Through 20 years of military service, I gained a deep appreciation for the value of effective intercultural communication and cooperation. This is no less important for engineers, who will increasingly find themselves working with diverse cultural teams on mission critical projects.”
17
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
PERSONAL GROWTH Leadership Conferences
GRADUATE LEADERSHIP Emily Reiser Evans, Bioengineering Ph.D. Student Drezek Nanobiotechnology Laboratory Rice University “RCEL is one of the leading institutions developing graduate students at Rice. Through RCEL, I have had opportunities including coordinating professional development events, understanding my personal and professional goals, and coaching undergraduates through professional development projects. “I first interacted with RCEL through a grant to attend the Ignite Silicon Valley Trek to learn about entrepreneurship first hand. This trip changed my career path, enabling me to contribute to early stage development of eight medical startups over the past three years. I wouldn’t have been able to take control of my career in this way and manage my time as well if not for RCEL’s Leadership Coaching for Engineers course, which opened my eyes to my own potential and gave me tools I still use to be successful in my Ph.D. program and other areas of my life. RCEL has also been tremendously supportive in continuing to help graduate students host the Screech elevator pitch competition for their fellow graduate student engineers each fall. “The entire RCEL team has continued to support graduate student initiatives over the years and is always eager to help grad students bring their professional development visions to reality. RCEL offers experiential learning opportunities, courses designed for student development, and a team of individuals dedicated to supporting graduate student endeavors. I would not have had as much success in grad school and I would not have felt as prepared for life after graduation without the opportunities provided by RCEL.”
Key to the success of students in the RCEL program is the creation of a dynamic Leadership Development Plan that helps to set benchmarks for progress at Rice, while also providing a road map for continued growth after graduation. Professional affiliations provide an expanded network for students as they embark on a journey of life-long learning.
STUDENTS GAIN NEW PERSPECTIVES AT NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCES As part of an ongoing sponsorship initiative, RCEL provided funding and support for students to attend a variety of national leadership conferences during the 2016-2017 term. • U.S. Naval Academy Leadership Conference – Attended by Rachel Nguyen, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Saurabh Harohalli, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering – Accompanied by David Van Kleeck, Ph.D., RCEL Professor in the Practice and Brigadier General, U.S. Army, retired. • National Conference on Ethics in America at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point – Attended by Constantine Tzouanas, Bioengineering • Hatton W. Sumners Student Leadership Conference – Attended by Eduard Danalache, Computer Science. Hosted by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs Rachel Nguyen was particularly impressed by the exchange of diverse perspectives. “The Naval Academy Leadership Conference was an incredible experience,” said Nguyen. “While many of the ideas presented were familiar to me from RCEL, it was really eyeopening to be able to get the viewpoint of military leaders and students from across the nation.”
RCEL delegation at the U.S. Naval Academy
18
RECOGNIZED EXCELLENCE Senior Leadership Awards As a metric of leadership development, performancebased awards and honors provide evidence of growth and efficacy in a real-world context.
ROBERT H. PARKS JR. PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP | Kelly Kidder Kelly Kidder received this year’s Parks Award in recognition of ongoing dedication to excellence in leadership. During her time at Rice, Kidder has engaged in a variety of leadership roles, including Team Captain for the Chem-E Car Club and Lead Engineer on the “Village Innovators” capstone design team. Demonstrating the diversity of her skill set, Kidder also wrote a technical guide for a low-resource, zero-electricity refrigerator for use in developing African countries. According to Rafael Verduzco, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Adviser for the Chem-E Car, there was no infrastructure for the team or the course prior to Kidder’s involvement as Team Captain. Highlighting Kidder’s organizational leadership skills, Verduzco explains that “Kelly led the team to the successful design and construction of a fuel cell-powered vehicle. The design is still being used by the current Chem-E car team.” RCEL ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP AWARD | Andrew “Drew” Petty Drew Petty was awarded the 2017 RCEL Leadership Award after receiving strong praise for his outstanding initiative and ability to execute a plan of action. Among his many leadership roles, Petty served as Treasurer and President of the Rice student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). In his nomination letter, Andrew Dick, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and faculty adviser to ASME, writes, “In the eight years that I advised the club, Mr. Petty was the club’s most
active, innovative, and effective leader. In addition to fulfilling the standard role as an officer, Drew led numerous efforts and took action to enhance the club.” Laura A. Schaefer, Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering, mirrors these sentiments, describing Petty as “a perfect example of engineering leadership.” Schaefer adds, “He is bright and intensely driven, but also excellent at relating to other people on all levels. He has both breadth and depth, which he has demonstrated in the classroom and on the public stage.” ADDITIONAL AWARDS AND HONORS RCEL students are regularly recognized by outside organizations for their leadership and scholarship. Here are some additional examples of RCEL students who were recognized this past year: • Constantine Tzouanas | Goldwater Scholarship Recipient • Senthil Natarajan | REA Electrical Engineering Merit Award • Xiaoran (Randy) Zhang | George R. Brown Excellence in Engineering Award • Shengliang (George) Zhu | REA Distinguished Senior • Drew Petty | REA Leadership Excellence Award • Aaron Jeffery Velasquez-Mao | REA Research Excellence Award • Constantine Tzouanas | REA Research Excellence Award • Samuel Soyebo, David Fraga, Ryan Li | ASME National Conference People’s Choice Pitch Competition Award • Aida Castillo and Drew Petty | REA Willy Revolution Award • Constantine Tzouanas and Alejandro Akerlundh | REA Engineering Hardhat Volunteers
A.J. Mao receives the Research Excellence Award from REA President Joanna Papakonstantinou
19
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
Students participate in the Leadership Reaction Course at Texas A&M University as part of ENGI 219
20
LEARNING THROUGH LEADING The ENGI 318/319 Experience Experiential learning is central to the RCEL Certificate Program. In addition to presenting students with an academic framework for understanding and approaching leadership, students are required to actively engage in the practical application of skills. In ENGI 218/219: Engineering Leadership Lab, taught by Executive Director Kaz Karwowski and Lecturer Cesare Wright, Ph.D., students focus on a distinct leadership concept each week – e.g. time management, ethics, decision-making, etc. Through a variety of exercises and controlled simulations, students address these focus themes by applying core leadership and teamwork concepts and skills that they have learned in other RCEL courses. Students enrolled in the ENGI 318/319: Engineering Leadership Lab course act as coaches for ENGI 218/219 student teams. As the year progresses, ENGI 318/319 coaches work with faculty to customize existing exercises. In addition, once each semester, ENGI 318/319 coaches have the opportunity to create a “Student Led Lab” from start to finish, giving them the chance to demonstrate their creativity and content-area understanding, while allowing them to take “ownership” of a portion of the course. “In addition to further developing their leadership, presentation, and project management skills, having the students facilitate portions of the class allows them to dynamically contribute to the evolution and improvement of the program,” said Kaz Karwowski.
A student coach observes ENGI 218 students during an Engineering Leadership Lab
“Student led labs take [Engineering Leadership Labs] to the next level. Planning a lab forces you to understand the material and theory inside and out. It’s an opportunity for the class to be designed by students for students.” - Section Lead Pablo Luna, junior, Mechanical Engineering
Under the supervision of the RCEL instructors, leadership of the student-facilitated lab rotates among the ENGI 318/319 coaches and is overseen by “Section Leads” who ensure learning objectives are met and that coach feedback is appropriate and relevant to student and team performance. “Student led labs take ELLs to the next level,” said Section Lead Pablo Luna, junior, Mechanical Engineering. “Planning a lab forces you to understand the material and theory inside and out. It’s an opportunity for the class to be designed by students for students.” “Student involvement in the Engineering Leadership Labs highlights the growth and development of RCEL students’ capabilities, while allowing them to improve the overall program,” added Section Lead Nick Sepulveda, junior, Mechanical Engineering.
21
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS Beyond the academic curriculum, RCEL develops active programs and opportunities for students to practice and hone skills learned in the classroom. Through internship experiences, access to a wide mentorship network of alumni and industry mentors, and support in entrepreneurial ambitions, RCEL students have many options to explore their future pathways. During the past year, RCEL internship, mentorship, and entrepreneurship programs impacted over 100 RCEL Certificate students.
DEVELOPING A MENTORING NETWORK
The second year of the RCEL Mentorship Program was a great success, matching 26 students from every major with mentors from 10 different industries. Spearheaded by Student Lead, senior Emma Gray, the program considered factors such as similar career path interests, majors, personal interests and hobbies as ways for pairs to connect more deeply. Gray introduced a monthly newsletter, which provided suggestions for discussion topics and local events for pairs to attend. End of year feedback indicated that 87% of participants felt that their mentorship relationship benefited them personally, and 40% said they benefited professionally. “My mentor and I discussed internships, career paths, and interviews. His input about my early career plans was very important to me. We also talked about my engineering leadership lab every week, and he gave good insights about the topics we covered in class. - Charlene Pan, sophomore, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering “I enjoyed the casual talks with my mentor... It has been a relationship that helps me feel more comfortable interacting with adults outside of the university setting. He helped me keep the big picture in mind and not worry too much about small things that in two years won’t mean anything.” - Pablo Luna, junior, Mechanical Engineering “I enjoyed the student interaction and opportunity to give back in terms of experience and wisdom. My student was engaged and listened. She also shared things about applied math that I enjoyed learning. It was a good exchange throughout our mentorship.” - Wendy Hoenig ’86, Mentor, President & CEO, H&H Business Development
22 Rebecca Lee, sophomore, ECE, worked as an Engineering Intern at Facebook University
INTERNS MAKE MOST OF EXPERIENCE Internships provide critical opportunities for students to practice leadership skills, learn about the engineering profession, and build a network of professional mentors. In summer 2016, 27 RCEL students completed internships. To aid in their leader development, weekly blogs gave them a platform to reflect on their experiences, and how those experiences could make them better engineering leaders. Alejandro Akerlundh, junior, ChBE
ExxonMobil - Optimization and Modeling Section Intern
Nathanael Assefa, sophomore, ChBE Naval Research Laboratories - NREIP Intern Emma Baker, junior, MECH Trumbull Unmanned - Intern Richard Branscomb, junior, MSNE Thomas Research Lab (Rice University) - Research Assistant Aida Castillo, senior, MSNE Thomas Research Lab (Rice University) - Summer Undergraduate Researcher Xi (Stephen) Chen, sophomore, CS Boom Fantasy - Software Engineering Intern Kaelan Cuozzo, sophomore, CS Spiceworks - Software Development Intern Paul Duke, sophomore, MECH ATA Associates, Inc. - Intern Andrew Gatherer, senior, ELEC Space Exploration Technologies - Test Engineering Intern Zilu (Lucy) Guo, junior, MECH BreviTest Technologies, LLC - Product Engineering Intern Iris Gau, sophomore, CS Katalyst Education - Digital Tools for Education Intern
Lawrence Harari, junior, ChBE University of Southern Mississippi School of Polymer Science and High Performance Materials - REU Participant William Jones, junior, MECH Chevron ETC - Subsea Intervention Intern Rebecca Lee, sophomore, ECE Facebook University - Engineering Intern Ryan Li, senior, MECH Rice Network Group - Researcher Juan Pablo Luna, junior, MECH GE Aviation - Lean Manufacturing Co-Op Intern Marius Mueller, junior, CS GE Healthcare - Software Development Leadership Program EID Intern Senthil Natarajan, senior, ELEC Mercury Fund - Venture Fellow Nicholas Sepulveda, junior, MECH Anadarko Petroleum Corporation - Midstream Field Intern Naoki Shiba, senior, ChBE Vallourec - Continuous Improvement Intern Samuel Soyebo, senior, MECH Lockheed Martin MFC - College Technical Specialist Constantine Tzouanas, sophomore, BIOE Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, National University of Singapore - Jr. Research Assistant AJ Velasquez-Mao, senior, BIOE Takeda Pharmaceuticals - Intern in Global Pharmacovigilance Iker Wang, junior, MECH Cactus Wellhead - Process Design Intern Avery Whitaker, sophomore, CS Audible (Amazon) - Software Development Engineer Intern Kevin Zhang, sophomore, ChBE Smalley-Curl Institute (Rice University) - Research Intern Xiaoran (Randy) Zhang, senior, ECE Capital One - Technology Intern
23
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
Industry Focus:
ENGINEERING COMMUNICATION A conversation with RCEL Communication Lecturers, Dr. Beata Krupa and Dr. Gayle Moran
Communication Program Reach:
21
Collaborated with 21 engineering faculty
25
Lectures, assignments, coaching, and materials in 25 courses in BIOE, CEVE, COMP, ECE, MECH, and ENGI
2,260 2,260 touch points while engaging with approximately 1,039 students (Some took more than one class with a communication component) Supported nondegree programs, including Nakatani RIES, Tomodachi STEM, OwlSpark and SCREECH
Typically, teaching communication skills is not part of an engineering school curriculum. Why are communication skills important for Rice engineering graduates? Employers consistently list communication as one of the top skills they want to see in newly hired engineers. We want all graduating Rice engineers to be high-impact communicators. They’ll be entering a multidisciplinary profession, working on global teams, and explaining their work to nontechnical audiences – executives, clients, and investors. As Rice students advance in their careers, they will need to collaborate effectively, talk about their projects clearly, and convince others that their ideas are worth implementing. Neil Learner from MIT stressed the need for strong communication skills in engineering careers when he said, “An engineer who cannot communicate works for one who can.” Engineering students are already busy. How do you fit teaching communication into the curriculum? We use a communication in the disciplines (CID) model. We collaborate with engineering faculty to include communication-related assignments in their engineering courses. Students learn public speaking, professional writing, idea pitching, poster presentations, and other communication skills as they complete course assignments, and don’t mind the extra work. Feedback has been very positive:
“I wanted to send one last thank you for your help! I’ll be headed to Stanford next year with an NSF fellowship – all of which you helped me prepare essays for – and hope to focus on global health work.” – Sarah Hooper ’17, Electrical and Computer Engineering How has engineering faculty responded to the CID program? Faculty has been extremely supportive of the program. In the survey distributed at the end of the 2016-17 academic year, faculty told us that they see the program as successful and that they have observed significant improvements in students’ communication skills. “RCEL made a huge difference in the quality of presentations this year, and I am deeply grateful to you all for the great help.” - Phil Bedient, Herman and George R. Brown Professor of Civil Engineering “[The program] had a big influence. In their presentations on their final project, many of the teams did an excellent job.” – Ray Simar, Professor in the Practice, Electrical and Computer Engineering
“These interventions are critical to the success of ENGI 120 and instrumental in the students’ foundational development of communication skills.” - Matthew Wettergreen, Ph.D., Lecturer, Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen
24
RCEL COMMUNICATION:
2017 SENIORS
RCEL’s five core communication faculty work with RCEL students and the School of Engineering:
• Collaborating with engineering faculty on developing communication-related assignments, rubrics, and materials • Lectures and workshops on – Oral presentation skills – Professional writing – Data presentation – Poster design and presentation – Course-specific communication topics • Coaching students/teams for in-class presentations, competition pitches, and conference presentations • Assisting engineering faculty in grading assignments with communication components • Working with graduate students to prepare doctoral theses and materials for publication
“Outside representatives from businesses …were highly impressed with the professionalism of the student presentations.” – Dan Cohan, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering “The quality of writing improved as the students turned in better lab reports with the appropriate level of content and detail.” – Deepa Ramachandran, Lecturer/ Lab Coordinator, Electrical and Computer Engineering “Lectures and materials were exceptional. There was an across the board large improvement in the quality of the students’ presentations.” – Scott Cutler, Professor in the Practice of Computer Science and in Electrical and Computer Engineering
The 2017 RCEL seniors represent the largest graduating class of RCEL Certificate students to date. These 21 leaders represent seven different engineering departments, and a wide range of Rice student clubs and organizations. Included for many listed below is information on their post-graduation career destinations. Manuel Arenas Ruenes • Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering • Dallas, Texas Aida Castillo • Materials Science & NanoEngineering Andrew Elsey • Mechanical Engineering • HP, Inc. • Houston, Texas David Fraga • Mechanical Engineering Andrew Graham • Electrical & Computer Engineering • U.S. Army, CECOM Division • Aberdeen, Maryland Emma Gray • Computer Science • U.S. Navy • Honolulu, Hawaii Austin James • Mechanical Engineering • Booz Allen Hamilton • Washington, D.C. Jeffrey Joyce • Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Kelly Kidder* • Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering • Air Liquide Ryan Li • Electrical & Computer Engineering • M.E.E. at Rice University • Houston, Texas Jack Lynch • Mechanical Engineering • Pratt & Whitney • Hartford, Connecticut Nicole Moes • Mechanical Engineering • Arup • Houston, Texas Senthil Natarajan • Electrical & Computer Engineering • CapitalOne • Dallas, Texas Drew Petty* • Mechanical Engineering • Lockheed Martin • Los Angeles, California Samuel Soyebo* • Mechanical Engineering • Northrop Grumman • Huntsville, Alabama Martin Torres • Civil & Environmental Engineering • UC Berkeley • Berkeley, California Nick Treuil • Mechanical Engineering • Deloitte • Austin, Texas A.J. Velasquez Mao • Bioengineering • UC Berkeley - UCSF Ph.D. • San Francisco, California Cassie Wang • Computer Science • Google • Mountain View, California Xioaran (Randy) Zhang • Electrical & Computer Engineering Shengliang (George) Zhu • Mechanical Engineering • Arovia • Houston, Texas *Denotes students who have been accepted into industry leadership programs.
25
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
IMPACT BEYOND THE HEDGES Interest in engineering leadership is broadening, and the benefits of RCEL programming are being recognized nationally and internationally through partnerships and the sharing of best practices with universities, companies, and organizations. RCEL also continues to impact the local Houston community through outreach programs.
CULTIVATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENGINEERING LEADERS Influencing the next generation of engineering leaders is pivotal to RCEL’s outreach efforts, which focus on opportunities for RCEL students, faculty, and staff to engage the Houston community through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, community volunteer opportunities, and engagement.
This year, RCEL sponsored several events to encourage STEM education. Faculty Director C. Fred Higgs III, Ph.D. led Project SLAM, an engineering activity for the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Cesare Wright, Ph.D., Outreach Specialist, represented RCEL at various events throughout the year, including serving as a judge for the Microsoft “Digital Learning Day” competition, and leading an engineering and teamwork activity for the Rice School of Engineering’s “VISION 2017,” an invitation-only program for over 100 academically talented and ethnically diverse high-school seniors from across the country.
ENGINEER BIG. DREAM BIG. LEAD BIG.
Professor in the Practice. RCEL Certificate students also acted as coaches.
To celebrate 2017 National Engineer’s Week, the George R. Brown School of Engineering and RCEL hosted “Engineer Big. Dream Big. Lead Big.” to introduce local middle school students to engineering. More than 50 HISD seventh-graders and five teachers took part in the event. Students moved between different engineering challenge stations focused on fields of engineering at Rice. Activities include building water filtration systems, designing a self-propelled vehicle, and creating a mock heat shield for a satellite. Stations were led by Yvette Pearson Weatherton, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Accreditation and Assessment at the School of Engineering; Kaz Karwowski, RCEL Executive Director; and David Van Kleeck, Ph.D.,
While students worked, Cesare Wright, Ph.D., RCEL Outreach Specialist, and Shelea Majors, Media Specialist for HISD, led a professional development session for teachers focused on best practices in project-based STEM learning, using the Rice Drone Camp as a case study. “I had an awesome time at Rice and so did the students,” said Dahia Penrice, James Hogg Middle School. “We enjoyed coming out of the classroom for a few hours to brainstorm with other educators about ways to engage the students. I wish there were more activities like it.”
26
RCEL AT OWLSPARK: GREAT ENTREPRENEURS ARE GREAT LEADERS RCEL believes leadership training encourages entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurs who have leadership training are more successful. Through sponsorship and mentoring of young founders in entrepreneurship programs at Rice, RCEL faculty work to encourage leadership and communication skills alongside innovation. During the summer of 2016, RCEL co-sponsored OwlSpark Startup Accelerator, a 12-week experience hosted by the Rice Alliance for teams from Rice University and the University of Houston. The program allowed students, faculty, staff, and recent alumni to launch companies based on innovative business ideas. RCEL Executive Director Kaz Karwowski led modules on leadership, ethics, decisionmaking and negotiation, while Beata Krupa, Ph.D. and Gayle Moran, Ph.D., RCEL Lecturers, served as mentors, advisers, and pitch coaches.
RCEL HOSTS THIRD ANNUAL RICE DRONE CAMP During the week of June 12th16th, 2017, RCEL hosted the Third Annual Rice Drone Camp – an intensive STEM enrichment program for 7th-8th grade students. Developed by Dyan Gibbens, CEO of Trumbull Unmanned, and Cesare Wright, Ph.D., RCEL Outreach Specialist, the Rice Drone Camp offers a unique opportunity for students to learn about cutting-edge advances in technology from RCEL faculty, industry professionals, Air Force pilots, and content area experts. Through sponsorships from BP and Microsoft, students attend 100% tuition free. Rice Drone Camp introduces students to the possibilities of UAS/UAV technologies, engaging them in STEM learning that is fun and relevant, while preparing them to be competitive in higher education and next generation technical careers. The program consists of applied exercises and lecture sessions on sensor design, aerodynamics, GPS and control systems, machine learning, the engineering design
process, and more. Students explore key ethical, cultural, and political issues relating to the societal use of drones. Each team of four middle school students is assigned to a RCEL undergraduate mentor, who provides guidance throughout camp. Coaches for 2017 included: • Emma Baker, junior, Mechanical Engineering • Sonia Mulayath, sophomore, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering • Charlene Pan, sophomore, Bioengineering • James Phillips, junior, Mechanical Engineering • Samuel Soyebo, senior, Mechanical Engineering “It was an honor to be able to work with these incredibly talented students,” said Emma Baker. “I was most impressed with their understanding of the new technology and the development of their leadership skills in just one week! I can truly say that my team taught me as much as I taught them.”
27
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership | Annual Review
28
THANK YOU!
Thank you to all of our donors and proponents for your support and sponsorship of RCEL students and programs. You are the reasons RCEL is able to have an impact on young Rice engineers.
“When I stepped into my leadership roles at Rice, I had an advantage of having gone through the different labs and leadership opportunities that RCEL provides. I was given a head-start in understanding what it takes to be a leader.” - Cassie Wang, ’17, Computer Science Currently works at Google, Inc.
6100 Main, MS 363 Houston, Texas 77005 (713) 348-3181 rcelconnect.org @rcelconnect