The U of A College of Engineering hosted the 2025 American Society for Engineering Education Midwest Section Conference Sept. 14-16, drawing more than 100 engineering educators from across the region to discuss building resilience in a changing academic landscape.

The three-day conference, themed "Engineering Resilience: Building Skills for a Dynamic World," addressed how faculty can adapt teaching methods as student needs evolve. Sessions explored connections between engineering resilience and educational innovation.

"It is a privilege to host a space where individuals who share a passion for advancing engineering education can gather and share ideas," said Aysa Galbraith, 2025 Midwest Conference chair. "Being able to showcase what the University of Arkansas has to offer while helping share knowledge and foster collaboration made this a truly special event."

Noel Schulz, a professor at Washington State University and director of the university's Institute for Northwest Energy Futures, delivered the keynote address titled "Turbulent Waters: Navigating Change and Building Resilience in Yourself and Your Students."

The ASEE Midwest Section deans sponsored the Outstanding Teaching awards and the Best Faculty Paper awards. Student poster awards were sponsored by Dean Kim Needy of the U of A College of Engineering.

Award winners

Best Paper Awards

1st Place

From Ideation to Prototype: A Collaborative Project-Based Learning Course Across Engineering, Computer Science, Graphic Design, and Business
Kimberly J. Cornett and John Lee
John Brown University

2nd Place

A Deeper Dive into the Importance of Math in Predicting the Graduation of Chemical Engineering Undergraduates at the University of Arkansas
Heather L. Walker, Seyram W. Kwame, James T. McAllister III, Bryan W. Hill and Edgar C. Clausen
U of A

3rd Place

From Engagement to Excellence: Time Investment and Academic Performance in an Interactive Programming Course
Jennifer Glenn and Prafulla Sature
Oklahoma State University

Best Student Paper Awards

1st Place

Promoting Cultural Understanding and Global Health Collaboration Through a Project-Based Biomedical Innovations Course
Nickolas A. Gustavison and Raj R. Rao
U of A

2nd Place

Unpacking ADHD in Engineering: First Looks at Learning, Living, and Looking for Help
Connor Henson, Allison Quiroga and Casey Haskins
University of Oklahoma

3rd Place

Visualization Using Open-Source Software ParaView for Finite Element Class and Research
Naveen Shiju Joseph, R. Panneer Selvam and Andre S. Hanley
U of A

Best Student Poster Awards

1st Place

Traffic Safety from Data to Action: A High School Summer Outreach Experience
Karla Diaz-Corro and Sarah Hernandez
U of A

2nd Place

Calculation of Stress Concentration Factors for Round Shafts with Shoulder Fillets
Landon Rogers and Robert Fleming
Arkansas State University

3rd Place

AI-enabled Framework for Early Detection of Respiratory Diseases via Cough Sounds
Shelbie Raney and Muhammad Riaz
University of Oklahoma Polytechnic Institute