Doctoral student exploring first-year engineering experience

I came to UC for my bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, graduating in 2024. During my undergraduate program, I worked as a TA for the first-year engineering courses (ENED), which was my first introduction to engineering education. I had been interested in teaching and education in general, but didn't think there was a way to combine that interest with my aerospace engineering degree. During my years as a TA, I became familiar with other returning TAs, faculty, and staff members in UC's Department of Engineering and Computing Education. I also became very familiar with the engingeering education classes and was interested in their evolution to ensure student success. That interest, combined with my desire to teach, led me to stay at UC to pursue my PhD. 

As a returning teaching assistant to the engineering education classes, I became very aware of their strengths and weaknesses. This was informed by helping students in class and grading work as a TA as well as my own experience taking the classes. I tried to understand what students were struggling with and why they were struggling, leading me to become curious about course design and content delivery. As I became more critical of the classes I was helping to teach, I also became more critical of the upper-level classes that I was taking. As I had expected when I started my bachelor's program, earning an aerospace engineering degree wasn't easy, but it could be improved. Working as a TA provided me with the tools to understand and criticize those courses as well. Ultimately, a deep desire for improving engineering education overall led me to where I am today. 

During my second semester I was given the opportunity to teach a section of ENED1120 as the instructor of record. I love teaching and was very excited to get the opportunity to teach the same class that I spent years working with as a TA. I learned a lot about teaching, course design, and content delivery firsthand while also understanding engineering education from an instructor's perspective. This opportunity provided me with the ability to view the ENED courses as a student, TA, and instructor, informing much of my work. My students and TAs were also wonderful, which made the experience that much better. 

I've had the opportunity to publish and present my work at multiple conferences including the annual American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) conference and IEEE's Frontiers in Education conference. Last year at ASEE I presented a study that explored students' co-op reflections to gain a deeper understanding of how students develop their career goals while on co-op. This year, I'll be presenting our work on first-year engineering students' stress levels and factors contributing to that stress. 

Additionally, I have had the opportunity to turn my research design concerning rural students into a grant proposal with the guidance of my adviser. The original proposal was submitted to the Paul P. Fidler Research Grant and received an honorable mention. I'm currently awaiting a decision on my most recent grant application. 

I plan to remain in academia after finishing my degree and work as a professor in an engineering education department. I want to remain involved in the first-year experience by teaching first-year and other introductory engineering classes while continuing to work on research that improves them. 

In addition to my academic reading and writing, I read and write creatively in my free time. I just finished reading Project Hail Mary and loved it! I also like to crochet, play video games, and tend to my small garden. My cat, Asteroid, likes to supervise whether I'm working or relaxing. 

Featured image at top: Madeline Martin earned her bachelor's at UC and is pursuing her PhD in engineering education. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC Marketing + Brand