MAE Seminar – Transforming ME Education Via Remote Learning & Capstone Entrepreneurship

Details

Transforming ME Education Via Remote Learning & Capstone Entrepreneurship

August 27, 2024 at 12:50pm, Location: MAE-A 303

Matthew J. Traum, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer & Instructional Associate Professor, University of Florida

Abstract
This talk highlights Dr. Traum’s innovative initiatives in mechanical engineering education, citing evidence for how his activities advance UF MAE’s strategic goals: 1) improving educational quality, 2) enhancing student experience, and 3) expanding the department’s visibility.

To enhance educational quality and provide premier learning experiences, Dr. Traum designs, implements, and assesses educational laboratory kits for hands-on learning in remote, in-person, and hybrid environments. Successfully implemented with high school students, first-year college students, and upper-division undergraduates, these pragmatic kits have demonstrated statistically significant improvements in student learning outcomes, academic achievement, and self-efficacy.

Building on this foundation of hands-on learning, Dr. Traum restructured ME capstone to cultivate development of students’ skills and experiences necessary to thrive professionally. In these courses, students execute design and realization projects for real clients external to the course. As a result, Dr. Traum’s capstone students have competed successfully in business plan competitions, founded companies, and generated economic value for clients.

Dr. Traum concludes with a vision to propel MAE’s visibility and global leadership in education innovation. He is harnessing remote instruction to build STEM K-14 pipelines for disadvantaged students; internationalizing the ME curriculum through Virtual Exchange; and building an entrepreneurial ecosystem within MAE through capstone spin-offs uniquely positioned to solve vexing challenges and drive economic growth.

Biography
Dr. Traum leads UF’s GatorKits Laboratory, pioneering remote STEM education through innovative hands-on kits and curricula. As a Fellow and elected Director of Sigma Xi, the international scientific research honor society, Dr. Traum is an internationally recognized educator, administrator, fundraiser, and researcher with co-authorship of 85 refereed papers and over $1.36 Million in funding secured as a PI or Co-PI. Previously, Dr. Traum founded a successful EdTech startup that pioneered lab kits creation for remote instruction. Prior to joining UF in 2019, Dr. Traum was an Associate Professor and Director of Engineering Programs at Philadelphia University. He previously served on the Milwaukee School of Engineering faculty as well as co-founding the Mechanical and Energy Engineering Department at the University of North Texas – Denton. He holds mechanical engineering Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from MIT and B.S. degrees from UC Irvine in mechanical and aerospace engineering.

MAE Faculty Host: SA Sherif