The 2017 Engineering Deans Institute (EDI) is being held in Miami, April 2nd thru April 5th, with FIU serving as this year’s local host. Events will be held at The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables and at FIU, among other locations. Engineering and Computing Interim Dean Dr. Ranu Jung is the conference chair.
The annual EDI is the largest gathering of Engineering Deans in the country with more than 200 in attendance. The conference provides an opportunity for Engineering Deans to meet and discuss the critical issues facing their schools, colleges, and profession.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Building the Future: People, Spaces, and Beyond.” Conference discussions will highlight a number of important issues to engineering educators and practitioners alike. A panel entitled “Focus on the Americas” and a discussion called “Dean to Dean: Building the future through the NAE Grand Challenge Scholars Program” will allow the attendees to touch on a number of themes that impact the future of engineering education.
On Sunday April 2nd, invitees will tour FIU’s NSF NHERI Wall of Wind facility at the Engineering Center. Wall of Wind Director and Associate Professor, Dr Aridam Gan Chowdhury, and Assistant Professor, Dr. Ioannis Zisis will be on hand to discuss their work and give visitors a tour of the facility.
Participants will then attend a panel discussion and reception at the FIU School of International and Public Affairs on the Maidique campus. The panel presentation is entitled “Infrastructure and Logistics Engineering.” It will be moderated by Elizabeth Ogden, Assistant Port Director at the Port of Miami. Participants in the panel discussion will include Senior VP and CIO of Ryder System Inc. Melvin Kirk, Director of Outbound & Mexico Logistics for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Marc Brazeau, and VP of Power Delivery Distribution Operations for Florida Power & Light Company Bryan Olnick.
To close out the day on Sunday, Provost … will welcome invitees to the conference, and to FIU during the opening reception. He will highlight the groundbreaking work being done by the College of Engineering, and the university as a whole.
One of the conference keynote speakers will be Thomas P. Russell, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research and Technology) and Army Chief Scientist. Deputy Assistant Secretary Russell will offer his perspectives on Engineering Education and the need for a new generation of scientific minds to shape our future.
Another conference keynote addresses will be given by FIU President Dr. Mark B. Rosenberg. President Rosenberg will offer a president’s perspective on “Engineering in the 21st Century – Entrepreneurship, Diversity and the Future of Engineering.” The 2017 Engineering Deans Institute promises to provide a benchmark for excellence for all future EDI conferences, and will highlight the groundbreaking work being done by FIU faculty, staff and students to a national audience.
For further information on the 2017 Engineering Deans Institute, including a full description of conference events, please visit the American Society for Engineering Education website at https://asee.org/engineering-deans-institute-edi