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Shiley School of Engineering professor Heather Dillon named Fulbright Canada Research Chair in STEM Education

Engineering

Awards and Rankings

July 15, 2019

photo of Heather DillonShiley School of Engineering mechanical engineering professor Heather Dillon has been named Fulbright Canada Research Chair in STEM Education by Fulbright Canada. Dillon will test a STEM faculty peer observation protocol at the University of Calgary from August to December 2019.

“I applied to the Fulbright program because I hoped to explore the research and teaching culture of another country,” Dillon said. “Many other countries have very different higher education models and this is a unique opportunity to share and learn from one another.”

The goal of the Fulbright project is to significantly increase the use of highly effective, evidence-based STEM teaching methods at the University of Calgary using faculty peer observation. The peer observation framework has been developed by a research team at the University of Portland to help STEM faculty adopt new evidence-based instructional practices. The research development team includes University faculty Stephanie Salomone, Carolyn James, Tara Prestholdt, Valerie Peterson, and Eric Anctil.

At the University of Portland, Dillon teaches thermodynamics, numerical methods, and heat transfer courses. Her research team is currently working on renewable energy systems, solid-state lighting, energy efficiency in buildings, fundamental heat transfer studies and engineering education. She has received awards for mentoring undergraduate students including the US Department of Energy Office of Science Outstanding Mentor Award and the University of Portland Provost’s Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Member.

This program is supported by Fulbright Canada, a joint, bi-national, treaty-based organization created to encourage mutual understanding between Canada and the United States of America through academic and cultural exchange.