Loren Hedgecock and Kaitlin Hall presenting at ASEE
Author: Loren Hedgecock | Major: Biomedical Engineering | Semester: Summer 2022
My name is Loren Hedgecock. I am a recent graduate of the Biomedical Engineering program at the University of Arkansas. During the past two years, I have worked on undergraduate research with my mentor Dr. Mostafa Elsaadany and partner Kaitlin Hall. We have been studying the impacts of entrepreneurial-minded learning on a sophomore-level biomechanical engineering course on the development of curiosity, connections, and creating value. Our research focuses on entrepreneurship as a personal quality and an essential skill that can be learned. Entrepreneurship is critical as it drives innovation and accelerates economic growth.
The KEEN- Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network- foundation recognized this importance and created a learning framework to bolster entrepreneurial skills in engineering. We have used this learning framework to teach technical skills that coincide with the three C’s- Curiosity, Connections, and Creating Value. These three traits are essential to developing what is known as an entrepreneurial mindset (EM). Ultimately, the value of developing an entrepreneurial mindset is that graduates can create personal, economic, and societal value through a lifetime of meaningful work.
The American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) is a national organization that promotes excellence in instruction, research, public service, and practice. During the 2022 spring term, we had the pleasure of submitting our research to be published and shared at this national conference. The national conference accepted our study, and in June, our team presented our research in the form of a poster presentation. The 2022 annual conference was held at the convention center in Minneapolis. I traveled with my research partner Kaitlin Hall, research mentor Dr. Elsaadany, and fellow student- Mary Jia- to present her research.
During the first two days of the conference, we were able to attend special sessions for the Biomedical Engineering Society. We participated in a networking event, practicing our elevator pitches and introducing ourselves to strangers. At this event, I met the department chair for BMES and officials representing Kern- the organization based on our research. The following day we attended a special session BMEG poster division. Here we listened to speakers discuss their engineering education research, including topics such as un-grading. At the conference, we attended a career fair with different engineering companies and schools. It was fun speaking to companies such as TI (Texas Instruments) and engineering schools and listening to the type of research they were performing.
On the conference’s final day, my partner and I presented our research. We had about 15 minutes to discuss entrepreneurial-minded learning and how we implemented it in the biomechanical engineering course. We got a lot of positive feedback from the audience and tips on how we could improve our experimental design (implementing pre-surveys). Overall, this conference was highly beneficial for me. I feel a lot more confident in myself and my ability to speak in an academic setting. The best advice I could give any student wanting to attend a conference is to experience as much as possible and get out of their comfort zone because that is where the most growth happens!