Current Students

Janice Higuera. Janice is pursuing her PhD in civil engineering with a focus in civil systems / construction engineering management. She is researching military service experiences. 

 

Joan Tisdale Joany Tisdale
Joany is pursuing her PhD in civil engineering with an engineering education and civil systems focus. Her dissertation research is focused on sustainability education in mechanical engineering. Joany is currently a Teaching Assistant Professor / Instructor with the Integrated Design Engineering Program at CU Boulder, teaching Engineering Tools and Analysis for first-year students. Previously she was a Graduate Part Time Instructor leading sections of GEEN 1400 FirstYear Engineering Projects and MCEN 3012 Thermodynamics.  More information

 

Former Students

D.C. Beardmore (2023). Desi completed their PhD in civil engineering with an emphasis in Construction Engineering Management. Their research explored the experiences of graduate students with invisible dis/abilities. Desi was previously a graduate fellow working with the CU Engineering Goldshirt Program and a Graduate Part Time Instructor teaching GEEN 1400 First-Year Engineering Projects. Desi is currently the Goldshirt Program Manager for the BOLD Center of the CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science.   Website 

 

Sabina Schill Sabina Schill (2021)
Sabina earned her PhD in environmental engineering with an engineering education focus. Her dissertation research focused on the impacts of mentoring K12 students in STEM on the STEM identity of the mentors. Sabina was previously a GK-12 fellow, a Teaching Assistant in environmental engineering, an editor for TeachEngineering, and a Chancellor's Fellow for STEM Education at CU (2019/2020). She also explored the relationship of mentoring and identity on learning assistants (LA's), work in collaboration with Valerie Otero of CU's School of Education. Sabina is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Florida International University working at the STEM Transformation Institute. 

 

James Harper James Harper, P.E. (2020)
James earned his PhD in civil engineering with a civil systems / global engineering focus. His dissertation research focused on fecal sludge management in Cambodia, in collaboration with iDE. Co-advised by Amy Javernick-Will.  Website

 

 

Rebecca Komarek Rebecca Komarek (2020) 
Becky earned her PhD in civil engineering with a civil systems / engineering education research focus. Her dissertation studied leadership development in engineering students. She is the Assistant Director for the Idea Forge in the College of Engineering & Applied Science at the University of Colorado Boulder. More information

 

MMaddie Polmearaddie Polmear (2019)
Maddie earned her PhD in civil engineering with an environmental and engineering education focus. Her dissertation research focused on macroethics education.  Maddie earned her BS in Environmental Engineering and MS in Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. She has been involved in outreach projects in communities affected by oil and natural gas development. She has worked with community groups in Colorado and tribal students in North Dakota on citizen science projects relating to air and water quality monitoring. She was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Florida working with Prof. Denise Simmons from 2019-2021, and is now a EUTOPIA Science & Innovation Fellowship/Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND Fellow at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. ResearchGate page

 

Beth Myers Beth Myers (2016)
Evaluating Admission Practices as Potential Barriers to Creating Equitable Access to Undergraduate Engineering Education. Awarded the WEPAN Leader in Engineering Education Award from the Women in Engineering ProActive Network in 2020. Beth is currently the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness at the University of Colorado Denver. Previously, Beth was the Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success Initiatives (2019 - 2022) and the Director of Accreditation and Assessment in the College of Engineering & Applied Science (2016-2019), both at the University of Colorado Boulder. More information

 

Greg Rulifson Greg Rulifson, P.E. (2015)
Evolving Social Responsibility Understandings, Motivations, and Career Goals of Undergraduate Students Initially Pursuing Engineering Degrees. Currently: AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, US AID. Formerly: Lecturer, University of Maryland; Assistant Professor, Division of Engineering, Design, and Society, Colorado School of Mines. More information

 

Marissa Forbes Marissa Forbes (2015)
Course Choice Opportunity and Technical Non-Technical Balance in Undergraduate Engineering Education. Marissa was also lead editor of the TeachEngineering Digital Library and an NSF GK=12 Fellow. Currently: Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of San Diego.  More Information

 

Nathan Canney Nathan Canney, P.E. (2013)
Assessing engineering students’ understanding of personal and professional social responsibility. Currently: Senior Project Manager at Taylor Devices, Inc. Previous: Instructor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Seattle University (2013-2017); Structural Engineer, CYS Structural Engineers, Sacramento CA (2017-2020). Nathan's Google Scholar page

 

Malinda S. Zarske Malinda S. Zarske (2012)
Impacts of Project-Based Service-Learning on Attitudes towards Engineering in High School and First-Year Undergraduate Students. Current: Teaching Professor / Principal Instructor and Assistant Director, Engineering Plus Program, College of Engineering & Applied Science, University of Colorado Boulder. Website

 

Todd Cort (2000) Lecturer in Sustainability; Faculty Director of Sustainability Program. School of Management, Yale University. Website