Winners of the 2019 IES Abroad Faculty-Led STEM Program Award

About Dr. Hall: Dr. Margaret Hall is an Assistant Professor of IT Innovation with the School of Interdisciplinary Informatics at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Before her current role, she was a Senior Researcher and head of the IBM-supported Strategic Initiative ‘Participation and Crowd Services’ at the Karlsruhe Service Research Institute (KSRI) in Germany. Dr. Hall’s research investigates the integration of digital systems and people, and the digital lifestyle. Prior to starting her PhD, she worked at the United Nations Office in Geneva and at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and at Bayer Business Services. She completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in Policy Studies in the United States, Lebanon, and Switzerland. With her extensive network across industry and academia in Germany, Dr. Hall will facilitate experiential STEM learning throughout the course.

About the Program: With its leading role in the world economy, reputation for excellence in innovation across technical sectors, and commitment to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), Germany is leading the transition to the future digital, service-based economy. “Innovation, Analytics, and the Role of Services in the Modern Startup Scene” is an experiential study abroad program designed to allow students to look under the hood of the drivers of the modern German economy: startups and data-intensive service firms. Check out a video of the program in action!

About Dr. McNeil: JC McNeil, PI, has been an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Fundamentals at the University of Louisville since 2015. Dr. McNeil has experience with assessment and evaluation and has successfully published multiple publications from her research. She was awarded both the 2016 American Society for Engineering Education Educational Research Methods Apprentice Faculty Award and the 2016 Frontiers in Education Faculty Fellow Award. Dr. McNeil has over 20 publications of peer-reviewed conference proceedings and journal articles.

About the Program: The University of Louisville's J.B. Speed School of Engineering will collaborate with IES Abroad Shanghai to create a two-week study abroad program focused on global engineering systems. Students may enroll in this jumpstart program to gain early entry into the Speed School's new Global Engineering Track (GET). The goal of this short-term program is to prepare first and second year engineering students to critically think about engineering from an international perspective and engage them in an immersive academic experience abroad before declaring their major and engaging in upper-level coursework. Faculty will introduce engineering students to core cultural experiences through lectures, site visits, and guided studies in a peer-to-peer setting.