Jennifer L. Cole Honored for Service to Chemical Engineering Education

Northwestern Engineering’s Jennifer L. Cole has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the Award for Service to Chemical Engineering Education, presented by the education division of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). 

Cole will formally be presented the honor in October in San Diego. She was cited for “dedicating her career to enhancing equity in engineering education, innovating teaching strategies, and prioritizing mentorship for students and faculty in Northwestern, AIChE, and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).”

An associate professor of instruction in the McCormick School of Engineering’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Cole has worked to re-contextualize engineering examples and homework problems where technical details in textbooks are often divorced from their societal impacts. Working with undergraduate and graduate students, Cole crafted a workshop for Northwestern faculty on how to add anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice into course content. This workshop was also held nationally at the 2022 AIChE Summer School for new chemical engineering faculty.

Cole also directs the Northwestern Center for Engineering Education Research (NCEER). Launched in 2007, NCEER is the umbrella organization for engineering education research at Northwestern University. Primarily focused on faculty development, NCEER's mission is to spark engineering education within Northwestern and beyond. NCEER offers faculty the opportunity to learn about and share pedagogical innovations and evidence-based classroom practice, as well as to mentor faculty newly interested in pursuing engineering education research.