Graduate Assistant Position: NSF-funded Project Engineering for US all (e4usa)
We are inviting applications for a full-time, year-round graduate assistant in the area of engineering education starting by the Fall of 2021 with opportunities to start earlier. This position will work on the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project: “Engineering for US all (e4usa).” The initial appointment is for the academic year 2021-2022, with expectation for an additional appointment in academic year 2022-23 and 2023-24, pending funding from NSF.
The position will be part of a multi-institutional collaborative research grant funded by NSF that aims to democratize the learning and practice of engineering by engaging high school students and their teachers to think and solve problems like engineers (https://e4usa.org). The overarching goal is to introduce a broad spectrum of students to engineering careers through a high school level, introductory engineering course. Current NSF support has led to the development of an e4usa curriculum and professional learning. The e4usa curriculum is designed to expose all high school students to engineering guided by four big ideas: 1) discover engineering; 2) engineering in society; 3) engineering professional skills; and 4) engineering design. Curriculum development efforts have been paired with parallel professional learning – professional development (PD) and a community of practice (CoP) – to support any teacher interested in teaching the curriculum. The overall e4usa programming seeks to ‘demystify’ engineering and empower teachers to gain the self-confidence and skills to teach and assess students' engineering-based competencies. To date, the e4usa program has involved 56 teachers with over 2,000 students.
The graduate assistant will have significant research responsibilities as well as professional development activities for high school teachers. The graduate assistant will be taking supportive roles in developing research projects and/or producing publication and dissemination materials, be responsible for collecting and analyzing data, and support the role of ‘university liaison’ to support the implementation of e4usa curriculum at a local high school. This position will be mentored by Dr. Jennifer Kouo.
Preferred qualifications are:
- Experience in qualitative (e.g., case study, etc.) research
- Motivation and ability to engage with diverse students (both undergraduate and graduate) and junior/senior researchers from other institutions in the e4usa team
- Motivation and ability to engage with a high school teacher(s)
- Organized, proactive, and responsive via e-mail
- Proficient with shared drives, Excel, Zoom, and other similar tools for effectively working remotely
In addition, please note that experience in the engineering design process is desired.
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Interested candidates should submit a 1-2 page cover letter, transcript, and a CV to Dr. Jennifer Kouo (jkouo@towson.edu). The cover letter should explain the candidate’s interest in the position and why they are a good fit for it, based on alignment with the required qualifications and any other desirable qualifications (e.g., past experience relevant to the job responsibilities). The cover letter should also specify a preferred state date. The CV should include a list of professional experiences, and contact information for three professional references. Shortlisted candidates may be asked to submit one to three letters of recommendation.
Questions about compensation can be directed to Dr. Jennifer Kouo at jkouo@towson.edu.