New Faculty Member Honored by Prestigious Engineering Education Society
From early on, Maartje Van den Bogaard had an interest in STEM, yet she became interested in education as a phenomenon, pursuing an M.Sc. degree in education science and a Ph.D. in Technology, Policy and Management. She eventually built a career in STEM education, working in several capacities at Delft University of Technology, Leiden University, the University of Michigan and Iowa State University.
Just after joining UTEP in Fall 2023 as an associate professor in Teacher Education, Van den Bogaard was recognized with the Fellowship Award from the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) during their annual conference.
According to the organization, “Professor Maartje Van den Bogaard embodies the values and aspirations of SEFI.” SEFI describes their fellowship awards as a platform to celebrate excellence, commitment and dedication within the field, and stated that Van den Bogaard’s dual expertise in both STEM and education has “endowed her with a unique perspective and authority in the field of engineering education.”
College of Education Dean Clifton Tanabe, Ph.D., touted the high-profile accolade and the value Van den Bogaard brings to the college.
“The SEFI fellowship award is a highly prestigious international honor,” he said. “We are thrilled that Dr. Van den Bogaard has been recognized in this way and are excited about the contributions she will make here in the UTEP College of Education.”
Van den Bogaard brings experience in a range of areas, including aerospace engineering, systems engineering, medical education and teacher education, with a focus on student success issues and curriculum.
Through working with systems engineers she gained insight into the ways various modeling approaches can be combined for optimal results. “I worked on complex models and linear models for student success, and we found that if we combine narratives that these models generate, they would be largely complementary,” she said.
She also worked to create data-driven solutions as a higher education consultant, working to dispel myths about student success and create applicable solutions.
Van den Bogaard said that the insights she gained through her research are consistent with the culture she found at UTEP.
“There's no one size that fits all, and student success is really complex,” she said. “What works for one student doesn't work for the other, and sometimes even has adverse effects. So, if you want to do anything in the realm of student success, you need to be smart at monitoring what is going on. These are all things that seem to already be part of the UTEP DNA.”
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