Panels

Goals of the Special Session The goals of this session are to continue the presentation of a final report from an NSF sponsored workshop to envision the future direction of computer science education at the undergraduate level in the next 15 years. In presenting the ideas of the report, the workshop leaders and principal final report authors hope to create a dialog within the community about how to embrace the goals and ideals put forward in the report of rethinking the computing curriculum and working to infuse equity, social justice, and humanities as part and parcel of the discipline for all students. Anticipated Audience The anticipated audience are those interested in thinking about the future direction of computer science curricula, whether it be as decision makers in a department or simply faculty thinking about issues within their computing courses. 

Preparing an application or nomination for a significant professional award is important both for the individual being nominated, as well as for the society seeking to recognize high impact and achievement. IEEE elevates less than one tenth of one percent of the membership to the Fellow grade each year, which means that many qualified nominees may not be selected. To maximize the chances of selection, the nominator should carefully prepare the materials, paying close attention to stated requirements, but there are always additional tips to produce an optimum package. Societies and organizations benefit from awarding recognition to members who have significant achievements in their professional careers. This can raise the profile of the society and brings with it concomitant benefits to all society members.

Topics/Subjects of the Panel Session: There is a need for a significant increase in US workforce development in the electric energy sector as an increasing number of people in this field are close to retirement age. The field of humanitarian engineering has been found to attract a diverse range of students and motivate students to both engage in and persist through their engineering education. Yet, most of the students who are involved in the humanitarian engineering field tend to be students outside the electrical engineering. Incorporating themes related to humanitarian engineering may help diversify the field of electrical engineering which lags behind other engineering disciplines in participation of women, African American, and Latinx students in the USA. 

Studies show over 60% of college students in the United States struggle with at least one mental health problem (Flannery, 2023). A variety of factors can trigger mental health issues including but not limited to, finances, climate, sociopolitical issues, and cultural norms (Riachi et al., 2022). Engineering students operate within many distinct cultures including an "engineering culture". This culture is known to be exclusive, competitive, and very male-dominated (Cromley et al., 2023; K. Jensen, 2021). Engineering's toxic culture can cause depression, anxiety, and a lack of belonging for students (K. J. Jensen & Cross, 2021). Leaning on Godfrey and Parker's (2010) framework of different "levels" of engineering culture and norms. In this panel, we lean on three dimensions: "An engineering way of doing", "being an engineer", and "relationships". "An engineering way of doing" has to do with shared beliefs about how teaching and learning are accomplished in engineering (Godfrey & Parker, 2010).