Clemson University: Engineering and Science Education

Julie Martin Trenor, Ph.D

Assistant Professor of Engineering & Science Education

Contact Information

Office: M-15A Holtzendorff Hall

Email: jtrenor@clemson.edu

Background/Education

B.S. Materials Science and Engineering, 1996 - North Carolina State University

Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering, 2001 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

Postdoctoral Fellow, Bioengineering, 2002-2003 - Clemson University

Areas of Expertise
  • Recruitment and retention of students who are under-represented in the field of engineering on the basis of their ethnicity, gender, and/or generational status in college
  • Career development of engineering students

Current Courses

CES 102 Engineering Discipline and Skills

Research Activities

1. Current projects include:Ethnicity & Educational Experiences in Engineering

Research Questions:

  • How is ethnicity related to female students' perceptions and experiences related to engineering?
  • How do these factors influence female students' intentions to persist in engineering majors?
  • What are the experiences of female engineering students of color attending an ethnically diverse university?

2. Generational Status in College & Educational Experiences in Engineering

Research Questions:

  • What distinctive barriers and supports do first generation college (FCG) students majoring in engineering perceive for their educational and career plans?
  • What factors motivate and influence FCG students to select and persist in engineering at the undergraduate level?
  • How does generational status in college relate to students' engineering self-efficacy?
  • How do the above factors relate to student selection, performance and persistence in undergraduate engineering majors?

3. Family Roles & Students' Academic and Career Decisions

Research Question:

  • What roles do the families of female students from diverse educational and ethnic backgrounds play in their decisions to select and persist in engineering?

4. Undergraduate Research & Students' Academic and Career Decisions

Research Questions:

  • How does a summer undergraduate research experience influence participants' self-efficacy for scientific research?
  • How does participation in a summer undergraduate research program influence students' academic and career plans?
  • What are the essential elements of a strong mentors?

Professional Leadership

President-Elect, Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN, www.wepan.org)

  • WEPAN is a national not-for-profit organization consisting of over 650 members from 200 engineering school, corporations, and non-profit organizations, and is the nation's leading organization and catalyst for transforming culture in engineering education to promote the success of all women.
  • Formerly Director of Communications (2007-2009) and Chair of the Communications Committee (2006-2007)

Chair, Apprentice Faculty Grant Committee, American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)

Grants
  • Principal Investigator for National Science Foundation (NSF), "Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site: Nanotechnology at the University of Houston," $318,688, Award #EEC-0647775, 2007-2008
  • Principal Investigator for NSF Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site at the University of Houston: "Innovations in Nanotechnology" $497,997, Award# EEC-0742296, 2008
  • Principal Investigator for Engineering Information Foundation grant, "Developing Programmatic and Pedagogical Support Mechanisms for Diverse Women in Engineering at an Urban University: An In-depth Look at Antecedents and Moderators for Their Success," Award#EiF06.01, 2007-2008
  • Principal Investigator for Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium (TETC) Innovative Strategies grant, "Retention of Female Undergraduate ECE Students at the University of Houston," $79,176, Award#00362-EE2005-2000, 2005-2008
  • Co-Principal Investigator for TETC Best Practices grant, "Undergraduate Recruiting and Retention of ECE Students at the University of Houston," $372,561, Award#03652-EE2005-1000, 2005-2008

Select Publications and Conference Proceedings
  • Recruiting Women for Programs in Engineering, Julie Martin Trenor and Chidiogo Madubike, in The College Admissions Officer's Guide, Barbara Lauren, Ed., American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Washington, DC, 2008
  • "The Relations of Ethnicity to Female Engineering Students' Educational Experiences and College and Career Plans in an Ethnically Diverse Learning Environment," Julie Martin Trenor, Shirley L. Yu, Consuelo L. Waight, Katherine S. Zerda, and Ting-Ling Sha, Journal of Engineering Education: in press for October 2008 issue
  • "Utilizing a Social Cognitive Theoretical Framework to Investigate the Influences of a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience on Participants' Academic and Career Plans," Julie Martin Trenor and Olga Pierrakos 2008 Annual American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exhibition, June 2008, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • "Developing a Strong Brand Identity for Your Organization: Lessons Learned from the WEPAN Branding Initiative," Julie Martin Trenor, Sheila Edwards Lange, Carlie Bower and C. Diane Matt accepted to 2008 WEPAN National Conference, June 2008, St. Louis, Missouri
  • "First Generation College Students in Engineering: A Qualitative Investigation of Barriers to Academic Plans," Michael J. Fernandez, Julie Martin Trenor, Katherine S. Zerda and Cassandra Cortes, paper accepted to 2008 Frontiers in Education Conference, October 2008, Saratoga Springs, New York
  • "Social Capital and Influences for Selecting in Engineering: Insights from Two Case Studies," Julie Martin Trenor, Shirley L. Yu, Consuelo L. Waight and Katherine S. Zerda, paper accepted to 2008 Frontiers in Education Conference, October 2008, Saratoga Springs, New York
  • "Investigating the Relations of Ethnicity to Female Students' Perceptions and Intention to Major in Engineering Using Social Cognitive Theory," Julie Martin Trenor, Shirley L. Yu, Ting-Ling Sha, Consuelo L. Waight, and Katherine S. Zerda, 2007 Frontiers in Education Conference, October 2007, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; honorable mention for Benjamin S. Dasher Best Paper Award
  • "Establishing a Women in Engineering Program at an Urban University," Julie Martin Trenor, Chidiogo Madubike, and Frank J. Claydon, Proceedings of the 2006 WEPAN National Conference, June 2006, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Invited Talks
  • "The Millennial Generation in the Classroom and Workplace," an interactive workshop for the NASA Administrators Fellowship Program, July 2008, Baltimore, MD
  • "Creating a More Diverse Engineering Workforce: Recruiting and Retaining Under-Represented Persons in Engineering Majors and Careers," an interactive workshop for the NASA Administrators Fellowship Program, July 2007, Cleveland, Ohio
  • "The Power of External Mentors for Women Pursuing Academic Careers in Engineering and Science: Stories of MentorNet ACE and its Proteges and Mentors" panel discussion, 2007 WEPAN National Conference, June 2007, Lake Buena Vista, Florida (panelist)
  • "Advancing the Engineering Pipeline at UTEP: What You Can Do to Help Recruit and Retain Undergraduates," an interactive workshop for the University of Texas-El Paso College of Engineering, April 2007, El Paso, Texas
  • "Women and Minorities: Climbing the Ladder of Science Success," The Science Cafe, November 2006, Houston, TX (invited panelist)

Webinar

"Advancing the Pipeline of Women in Engineering: What You Can Do to Help Recruit and Retain Female Undergraduates," National Engineer's Week Foundation Global Marathon: For, By, and About Women in Engineering, March 2007

Prior Appointments

2004-2008: University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering
* Director of Undergraduate Student Recruitment and Retention
* Research and Instructional Assistant Professor

2003-2004: Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University Division of Engineering Fundamentals (now Department of Engineering Education) and Department of Materials Science and Engineering
* Visiting Assistant Professor

Honors and Awards
  • Honorable mention, 2007 Benjamin S. Dasher (best paper) award, Frontiers in Education Conference (out of approximately 450 papers)
  • American Society for Engineering Education Apprentice Faculty Grant recipient, 2007
  • Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP) Distinguished Alumni Career Award, 2007
  • Cullen College of Engineering Outstanding Lecturer Award, 2006
  • Virginia Tech Dean's Faculty Dean's List for Teaching Fall 2003 and Spring 2004

Significant Contributions to Engineering Education
  • Founded and directed the award-winning women-in-engineering program: Women in Engineering Learning Community for Maximizing Excellence (WELCOME) (www.egr.uh.edu/welcome) at the University of Houston. WELCOME received the 2008 Women in Engineering Initiative Award from WEPAN for serving as a national model for institutions which serve commuter students.
  • Developed and piloted curriculum for multidisciplinary, project-based freshman engineering course (ENGI 1100) at the University of Houston; led expansion of course, serving as course coordinator.