DISCOVERY AND DIALOGUE:

DIVERSITY LESSONS IN ENGINEERING

Villanova’s 2020–2030 Strategic Plan—“Rooted. Restless.”—identifies a number of initiatives intended to connect to and advance the University’s Augustinian Catholic values and mission. Among them are “enhancing dialogue across varied groups and perspectives” and “promoting institutional diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.” One Mechanical Engineering professor was determined to make a difference in this regard. This fall, Assistant Teaching Professor Dr. Jeffrey Koller began integrating the biographies of underrepresented engineers and scientists into his Dynamic Systems and Finite Elements classes. While lessons in DEI are not typically associated with STEM courses, Dr. Koller believes they have a place in every classroom, regardless of topic. “Representation matters in the classroom, department and industry,” he says. The goal is to educate students who in turn will be more committed to creating an inclusive engineering environment.

Approximately every other week, Dr. Koller spends 15–20 minutes at the end of one class doing what he calls “storytelling.” Over the course of the fall semester, he presented the contributions of seven different engineering change makers, including those whose race, gender, religion and sexuality are historically underrepresented in STEM fields. Among those he introduces:

• Elijah “the Real” McCoy, a 19th century African American inventor best known for inventing lubrication devices used to make train travel more efficient.

• Katherine Johnson, one of NASA’s human “computers” who performed the complex calculations that enabled humans to successfully achieve space flight.

• Alan Turing, the famed code-breaking war hero, now considered the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, who was criminally convicted under the U.K.’s homophobic laws.

• Ursula Burns, who became the first African American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company when she was named CEO of Xerox, where she began as an intern.

Dr. Koller also shares the story of Guion Stewart Bluford Jr., a Philadelphia native who was the first African American to go to space. “The city has a statue of a fictional character—Rocky—but very little recognition for this NASA astronaut who helped break the color barrier.”

“My goal is to get students to engage in dialogue about these topics outside of the classroom,” says Dr. Koller, and based on the unsolicited responses he’s received, the biographies are having the desired effect. “I’ve had several students email me to say how much they appreciate having these stories included. If one or two conversations come out of this that wouldn’t otherwise have taken place, I’m happy.”