Transformational Research

The origins of this work began several years ago at a workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). My collaborator (Patrick Little) was invited to describe the early phases of the work we had done to transform the Hive from a early notion to a functioning center for collaborative creativity. The presentation sparked a spirited discussion by the engineering researchers, academic deans, and NSF program officers in attendance. The conversation sparked a question that became the focus of our EAGER Grant. “Why are some of the students with the most potential for transformative research choosing not to go to graduate school?” We used design thinking methodologies to explore how potential, current, and past graduate students conceptualize varied facets of transformation in engineering graduate programs. This human-centered approach led us to more deeply understand why engineering students and recent graduates who seem like excellent candidates for graduate studies opted out.

For the full details of this project, including publications, activities, prototypes and the full team, visit germination-transform.com