Current ExEEd Graduate Students

Martha Cano, Pursuing Ph.D. in Engineering with a Concentration in Engineering Education
Advisor: Dr. Juan Cruz
Email: canoma14@students.rowan.edu
M.S. Critical and Dependable Systems, Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/marthalcano

I'm originally from Colombia, where I received the B.S. degree in Electronics Engineering from Universidad Javeriana. After a couple of years of working in the car industry, I moved to France and obtained the M.S. degree in Critical and dependable Systems from Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse. I returned to my home country and worked for several years in my own company and as a professor at Universidad Javeriana. I decided to move to the USA to pursue doctoral studies, to continue my career in Education and educational research.

Savanna Dautle, Pursuing Ph.D. in Engineering with a Concentration in Engineering Education
Advisor: Dr. Stephanie Farrell
Email: dautles5@students.rowan.edu 
M.S. Chemical Engineering, Rowan University, B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a B.A. in Mathematics, Rowan University
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savanna-d-ba9bb2165

Hi, I'm Savanna! I started my graduate studies at Rowan in the fall of 2020 and I'm originally from Cherry Hill, NJ. My academic interests include inclusive pedagogy, the ways in which people solve spatial skills problems, and how spatial skills can impact students' engineering careers. Outside of work, I enjoy knitting & crochet, being a plant mom, and video games (mostly RPGs!).

Nour Elatky, Pursuing Ph.D. in Engineering with a Concentration in Engineering Education
Advisor: Dr. Juan Cruz
Email: elatky19@rowan.edu
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, AAST

Hi! You can call me Nour. I am originally from Egypt. I am pursuing my M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and my Ph.D. in ExEEd. I earned my bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2019 and started my graduate studies at Rowan in 2021. My previous research focused on students' motivation and project management in engineering classes. I am passionate about understanding and improving educational systems, especially in engineering schools; I am also interested in enhancing students' motivation in engineering classes. In my free time, I enjoy reading, walking, and practicing Yoga.

Alexandra Jackson, Pursuing Ph.D. in Engineering with a Concentration in Engineering Education
Advisor: Dr. Cheryl Bodnar
E-mail: jacksona4@students.rowan.edu
Degrees Obtained, Institution: B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rowan University

My name is Alex, and I graduated from Rowan University with my Bachelor's Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2021. I am now pursuing my MS in Biomedical Engineering, and my PhD in Engineering within the ExEEd Department. I am very passionate about understanding and putting into practice the best ways to instill an Entrepreneurial Mindset in engineering students. In the future, I hope to work in STEM education and research. 

Eduardo Rodriguez Mejia, Pursuing Ph.D. in Engineering with a Concentration in Engineering Education
Advisor: Dr. Cheryl Bodnar and Dr. Juan Cruz
E-mail: rodrig237@students.rowan.edu
Degrees Obtained, Institution: M.S. in Electronic Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia

Hi, my name is Eduardo, I am a Rover Scout and professional Electronic Engineer with a Masters degree in Electronic Engineer. I am pursuing my PhD in Engineering with a Concentration in Engineering Education within the ExEEd department. I am interested in new teaching methodologies that involve a hands on experience that let students see, smell, and feel the things that they are learning about.

Pawan Mishra, Pursuing Ph.D. in Engineering with a Concentration in Engineering Education
Advisor: Dr. Cheryl Bodnar
Email: mishra62@students.rowan.edu
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, India. (2021), M. Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak. Haryana, India. (2012)

Having more than a decade academic & research experience as assistant professor in India and with a PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from the IIT-ISM, Dhanbad, I decided to move to the United States to pursue my graduate studies in the domain of engineering education. Currently, I am a research scholar in the ExEED Department at Rowan University. My research focus is the development of entrepreneurial mindset (EM) among engineering students. I will be contributing to the development of EM among engineering students conscious about social and societal impact of their plan of action. I will also explore the integration of innovation and entrepreneurship into the engineering curriculum and the impact of these factors on student perception of the classroom environment as a supporting tool for EM.

Darby Riley, Pursuing PhD in Engineering with a Concentration in Engineering Education
Advisor: Dr. Kaitlin Mallouk
E-mail: rileyd1@students.rowan.edu
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Rowan University

Darby Riley is a student of engineering education at Rowan University. She has a special interest in issues of diversity and inclusion, especially as they relate to disability and accessibility of education. Her current research is focused on the adoption of pedagogy innovations by instructors, specifically the use of reflections and application of the entrepreneurial mindset. Her previous research experience includes examination of implicit bias in the classroom, and application of VR technologies to improve student engagement. Darby hopes to pursue a career in STEM education and educational research.

Cayla Ritz, Pursuing Ph.D. in Engineering with a Concentration in Engineering Education
Advisor: Dr. Cheryl Bodnar
Email: ritzc6@students.rowan.edu
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Rowan University, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Rowan University

Cayla, originally from Baltimore Maryland, has attended Rowan University for all undergraduate and graduate-level degrees. She graduated in Spring 2020 with her BS in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Honors Studies. Cayla is currently pursuing her MS in Mechanical Engineering with a COGS in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and a PhD in Engineering with a concentration in Engineering Education. Specifically, her research interests are focused on combining the humanities and social sciences with STEM education to create a unique learning experience. Previous research includes developing a humanities-focused virtual reality experience for classroom and museum use to improve and support Holocaust education. Cayla hopes to incorporate humanities-based education into the engineering curriculum to promote a more diverse learning experience for students.

Jeffrey Stransky, Pursuing PhD in Engineering with a Concentration in Engineering Education
E-mail: stranskyj6@students.rowan.edu
Advisor: Dr. Cheryl Bodnar
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Rowan University, B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Rowan University
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-stransky/

 Jeffrey Stransky is a PhD candidate in the Experiential Engineering Education (ExEEd) Department at Rowan University. His research interests involve studying engineering ethics and decision making and using digital games as safe teaching environments. He has published in the overlap of these topics by integrating digital games into chemical engineering curriculum to help students build an awareness of the ethical and practical implications of their decisions. Jeffrey obtained his BS and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Rowan University (Glassboro, NJ).

Alumni of the ExEEd Graduate Program

Brittany Butler, MS in Engineering 
E-mail: brittany.butler1@us.nestle.com
Advisor: Dr. Cheryl Bodnar
B.S. Chemical Engineering, Rowan University
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-butler

Current Role: SH&E Specialist at Nestle

Brittany's thesis was focused on the development and validation of the Engineering Process Safety Research Instrument, or EPSRI, which assists in measuring how senior chemical engineering students make process safety decisions. During her research, she spent a lot of time learning about moral reasoning and informal reasoning. She also spent a lot of time reading about process safety incidents that had occurred in industry, and how some of them were caused by poor decision making. From this, Brittany became interested in process safety, and wondered if her knowledge of decision making could make a difference in industry. She now works for the Nestle factory in Freehold, NJ where they specialize in making spray dry and freeze dry coffee. Using what she learned during her research, Brittany and her department are continuously working to improve the safety culture in the factory.

Brian Moore, MSc in Engineering, BS Mechanical Engineering, Rowan University
Advisor: Dr. Scott Streiner
E-mail: brianmoore9603@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-moore-007146123/
 
Role and Company:
Engineering Teacher, Westwood Regional Middle School

Math/Science/Test-Prep Tutor
BrainStorm Learning & Arts Center
Franklin Lakes, New Jersey

As a graduate assistant under Dr. Scott Streiner, I completed research highlighting the importance of including globalized components within an engineering education. My study used an instrument called the Global Perspectives Inventory to measure the effect of certain courses, activities, and experiences on the global perspectives of incoming first-year and graduating senior engineering students. Overall it was determined that these experiences benefit a student's education and that student's desire to have these experiences and broaden their global skills. I have a passion for engineering and a passion for people. I include problem solving in every aspect of my life and believe that teaching the methods of problem solving to all students will result in more success for the individual student as well as all the communities that these students make up. In addition to engineering and education, I love spending time outdoors and being creative with art and music.

Joshua Reed, MSc in Engineering 
Advisor: Dr. Scott Streiner
E-mail: reed7@students.rowan.edu
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Rowan University

Josh Reed is an engineering master’s student at Rowan University working for the Experiential Engineering Education department.  He has graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rowan University.  Josh is very passionate about education as well as the social issues in both the engineering and education systems.  He hopes to further his understanding in both of these fields.

John Schneider, MS in Engineering Management, BS in Chemical Engineering, Rowan University
Advisor: Dr. Scott Streiner
Email: John.Schneider@iff.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/schneidej1

Role and Company:
Process Specialist Continuous Improvement; International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF)

John is originally from Glassboro, NJ and attended Rowan University for both his undergraduate and post-graduate degrees. During his time at Rowan, he was actively involved throughout campus. Some of these activities included Admissions Ambassador and being President of Engineers Without Borders. John’s research explored how study abroad and recreational international experiences fostered Intercultural Wonderment - the curiosity for an individual to explore and seek new experiences while abroad. This research was conducted through both qualitative and quantitative methods. Currently employed at the fragrance manufacturing plant for IFF in Hazlet, NJ, John leverages both the engineering and entrepreneurial mindsets while working in Global Procurement. Using what he learned from his research, he has been able to effectively understand how to work and continuously improve working in a global team environment every day.