Dr. Frank Fisher was one of 49 of the nation’s brightest young engineering researchers and educators selected to take part in the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) first Frontiers of Engineering and Education (FOEE) symposium.

The symposium, which was held Nov. 15-18, 2009 in Herndon, Virginia, brought together engineering faculty members in the first half of their careers who are developing and implementing innovative educational approaches in a variety of disciplines.

This 2-1/2-day event allowed the faculty to share ideas, learn from research and best practice in education, and leave with a charter to bring about improvement in their home institution. The participants were nominated by fellow engineers or deans and chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants.

"The Frontiers of Engineering Education program creates a unique venue for engineering faculty members to share and explore interesting and effective innovations in teaching and learning,” said NAE President Charles M. Vest. “We intend for FOEE to become a major force in identifying, recognizing, and promulgating advances and innovations in order to build a strong intellectual infrastructure and commitment to 21st-century engineering education.”

The program focused on effective ways to ensure that students learn the engineering fundamentals, the expanding knowledge base of new technology, and the skills necessary to be an effective engineer or engineering researcher. “In our increasingly global and competitive world, the United States needs to marshal its resources to address the strategic shortfall of engineering leaders in the next decades,” said Edward F. Crawley, Ford Professor of Engineering at MIT, and chairman of the first FOEE. “By holding this event, we have recognized some of the finest young engineering educators in the nation, and will better equip them to transform the educational process at their universities.”