Dr. Jennifer Howcroft, Lecturer in the Department of Systems Design Engineering, received the Ron Britton Engineering Education Vanguard Award at the 2024 Conference of the Canadian Engineering Education Association – Association Canadienne de l’éducation en génie (CEEA-ACÉG).
The award is given annually to a person who, early in their career, has committed to the development of engineering education in Canada through practice and research, and contributed to the field in a way that demonstrates their commitment to innovation, change and improvement in engineering education.
The CEEA-ACÉG was founded as an organization for individuals interested in engineering and design education and working toward a common national goal to highlight and direct engineering education. The association is working to lead Canadian engineering education towards a stronger community and enhance the profession’s contribution to a better world. The 2024 event was hosted at the University of Alberta and brought together education experts to share research, network and acknowledge excellence.
Howcroft's pedagogical research addresses the teaching of engineering, and encompasses engineering design, holistic engineering education, and empathy. Her technical research is predominantly focused on sensor-based human movement analysis encompassing signal analysis, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence techniques. At the conference Howcroft spoke about her research and practice innovations on empathy in engineering education, engineering value perspectives, value sensitive design, and student-stakeholder interactions with a first-of-its-kind Biomedical Stakeholder Cafe.
This article was originally posted on the Waterloo News website.
Jenny Howcroft accepting her award with Mary Robinson, associate dean, outreach, equity and diversity with Waterloo Engineering