Epicenter principal investigator, Sheri Sheppard, named U.S. professor of the year

The University Innovation Fellows program is one of three strategic initiatives of the Epicenter, or National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation. This National Science Foundation funded center aims to change the way undergraduate engineers are prepared for the workforce. And, it couldn’t come at a better time. Today’s complex global challenges require game-changing solutions to preparing our youth to see the big picture, break it down into its constituent parts and tackle it with real and sustainable solutions. That’s what we train Fellows to do, in bringing such learning opportunities to peers across U.S. college campuses. It’s also reflected in the game-changing ways our Principal Investigator teaches Engineering.

The Epicenter principal investigator, Dr. Sheri Sheppard, was named U.S. professor of the year. She has been recognized for her accomplishments in taking the traditional 100+ student engineering lecture and breaking it down into pods of students who are thinking strategically and learning experientially. Stanford put together a great video that describes her impact on teaching and student learning in engineering:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKIc0aZKMKQ&w=560&h=315]

Following is Sheri’s statement about teaching and her acceptance speech: