The Riccio College of Engineering, in collaboration with the College of Natural Sciences, will host nationally recognized engineering education scholar Idalis Villanueva Alarcón on Thursday, Feb. 26, as part of the Distinguished Scientist and Engineer Seminar Series.

Image

Alarcón is chair and professor in the Department of Engineering Education at the University of Florida, within the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. A leader in engineering education research and practice for more than two decades, her work examines how engineers develop from early education through professional practice, with particular attention to student motivation, mentorship, and the use of multimodal tools (biological and physiological) to study learning. In 2019, Alarcón received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for her NSF CAREER project on hidden curriculum in engineering. 

On Thursday evening, Feb. 26, Alarcón will present “Our Students Are Multimodal Learners” during a public lecture and community dinner in the Cape Cod Lounge of the Student Union. A dinner buffet begins at 6:15 p.m., followed by the lecture at 7:00 p.m. Alarcón will explore how artificial intelligence, sensing technologies, and evolving student needs are reshaping engineering education. Drawing on her work as an engineer and education researcher, she will introduce innovative multimodal research methods that reveal how students learn in real time, and what institutions can do to better support them. 

Earlier that afternoon, Alarcón will present a technical talk titled, “How Lifelong Engineers Are Formed,” beginning with a meet-and-greet at 3:30 p.m. and the talk at 4:00 p.m., also in the Cape Cod Lounge. This discussion will explore how engineering has historically evolved with society and how considerations based on structures, motivations, and perspectives shape the external and internal views of the profession, as well as an individual's professional identity. 

Both events are free to attend, though RSVP is encouraged.