Published: Aug. 6, 2019

Bielefeldt and Polmear receive their award onstage from Chris Swan of Tufts University and ASEE President Stephanie Farrell.

Bielefeldt and Polmear (center) receive their award onstage from Chris Swan of Tufts University and ASEE President Stephanie Farrell.

Four CU Boulder researchers received best paper awards at the American Society for Engineering Education’s 126th Annual Conference and Exposition in Tampa, Florida. 

Professor Angela Bielefeldt, research associate Daniel Knight, undergraduate David Zhao and PhD student Maddie Polmear were recognized for their hard work on three influential papers: 

Bielefeldt is a professor Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, and has recently taken over as the director of the Engineering Plus program. Her research focuses on engineering education and sustainable water and wastewater treatment in developing communities. 

Polmear, advised by Bielefeldt, is a PhD candidate in civil engineering. She also received her BS in environmental engineering and MS in civil engineering from CU Boulder. She is graduating with her PhD in August 2019 and will be starting a position as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Florida.

David Zhao is a rising junior, pursuing his bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics. He participated in the research project as part of a Discovery Learning Apprenticeship during the 2018-19 academic year. 

Knight is the program assessment and research associate at Design Center Colorado in CU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The ASEE conference is the nation’s only gathering dedicated to all disciplines of engineering education. The conference allows deans, faculty, students, and industry representatives to network and exchange ideas on teaching methods and curricula.