Engineering Educator of the Year

Utah State University professor Christine Hailey was selected as the 2006 Utah Engineers Council Engineering Educator of the Year.

The UEC is an umbrella organization of 15 chapters and sections of engineering societies. The UEC advances the art and science of engineering and provides a forum for communication between the varying engineering societies.

 

Each year, each of these professional societies nominates an educator from one of the engineering universities in Utah.

 

“The nominees are all interested in educating the next generation of engineers, and many have impressive education credentials,” said Hailey. “So it is an honor to be selected as the ‘best’ of the nominees for 2006.”

 

Prior to her promotion as associate dean in the college of engineering at Utah State, Hailey served as department chair of mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Tyler and as a faculty member in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at Utah State. She has been recognized for her teaching abilities at both institutions.

 

This semester, Hailey is teaching a class titled “Women in Engineering Seminar,” a course she developed to inform female freshmen about the career opportunities that engineering provides.

 

“This course represents an informed effort on Chris’ part to solve one of the problems haunting us — retention of female freshmen,” said H. Scott Hinton, dean of the College of Engineering.

 

Hailey’s influence extends beyond the walls of her classroom. She is involved in three projects funded by the National Science Foundation that involve research in engineering education. Hailey is also the principal investigator and director of the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education, a $10 million NSF-funded Center for Learning and Teaching. The center, located at Utah State, is one of only 17 such institutions in the country. The ultimate goal of NCETE is to infuse engineering design and problem solving into grades K-12.

 

In addition to her research and her role as an educator, Hailey is involved in several professional societies of engineers. She served as chair of the Rocky Mountain Section of the American Society for Engineering Education and currently serves as an evaluator for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

 

“One advantage to belonging to a professional society is the interaction with practicing engineers,” said Hailey. “It helps keep our curriculums connected with practice.”

 

Hailey challenged Utah State students to make a commitment to learning throughout their careers.

 

“Each engineering program on campus emphasizes that lifelong learning is critical to students’ success in an engineering career,” said Hailey. “One of the attributes of the engineer of 2020 will be an individual who is a lifelong learner.”