EP 6 TEASER - DONNA RILEY

Donna Riley is a trailblazer in engineering education and a passionate advocate for inclusive excellence. As a founding faculty member of the Picker Engineering Program at Smith College, the first engineering program at a U.S. women’s college, Donna spent 13 years shaping the future of engineering through a gender-equity lens. Her innovative approaches earned her a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award in 2005, where she developed critical pedagogies to revolutionize the engineering classroom.   A recognized leader in her field, Donna is a fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and was elected vice president of scholarship for ASEE in 2023. Her academic leadership extended to prestigious institutions like Purdue University, where she served as the Kamyar Haghighi Head of the School of Engineering Education, and Virginia Tech, where she was a professor and interim head in the Department of Engineering Education. Donna’s impact also reached national policy during her time as a program director for engineering education at the NSF from 2013-2015.   Donna is the author of two influential books, Engineering and Social Justice and Engineering Thermodynamics and 21st Century Energy Problems. Her contributions to the engineering world have earned her numerous accolades, including the Alfred N. Goldsmith Award from the IEEE Professional Communications Society and the Sterling Olmsted Award from ASEE.   Education   - Ph.D. Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University   - M.S. Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University   - B.S.E. Chemical Engineering, Princeton University     Donna Riley continues to challenge the status quo, pushing for an engineering field that embraces diversity, social justice, and innovation.