Quanser Café: Conversations with Academic Leaders

In our final episode this season, we’re back with Dr Balázs Vince Nagy and Dr Ken Ball to explore skills that go beyond traditional technical expertise which are becoming increasingly vital in modern engineering. From lifelong learning to ethics, we discuss how education is changing to prepare the next generation of engineers to tackle complex, global challenges.

In this episode we’re joined by Dr Balázs Vince Nagy and Dr Yannis Yortsos to unpack how we can shape the engineers of the future, integrate ethical and societal considerations into technology, and embrace interdisciplinary collaboration to solve today’s challenges.

In this episode, we hear from two brilliant female leaders in engineering education. Prof. Dr Paloma Diaz and Dr Jane Goodyer discuss how universities can bridge the skills gap by integrating lifelong learning and professional skills to prepare students and mid-career engineers for a tech-driven world.

In this episode, we’re back with Prof. Dr. Paloma Diaz, Prof. Euan Lindsey, and Dr. Gerhard Muller to explore how simulations and digital twins are reshaping the way we train engineers to tackle the complex challenges of tomorrow.

In this episode, we welcome Prof. Euan Lindsay to discuss how tailored and problem-based learning transforms engineering education. By engaging students with real-world design challenges, fostering teamwork, and embracing iterative learning, we explore ways to build resilience, interdisciplinary skills, and adaptability - preparing students to navigate the complexities of modern engineering.

In Season 2, Episode 3, Dr Yannis Yortsos, Dr Ken Ball, and Dr Gerhard Müller are back to help unpack the possibilities and challenges of interdisciplinary learning and why it’s so important for preparing the next generation of engineers.

In Season 2, Episode 2 of Quanser Café, the podcast explores the role of AI in engineering education. Educators discuss how current programs often fall short of preparing students for complex modern technologies. They address the limitations of traditional curricula focused on foundational theories and highlight the need to better equip students for a rapidly advancing field that increasingly reli...

In the debut episode of Season 2, we’re joined by Dr. Ken Ball (Dean, George Mason University), Dr. Gerhard Müller (Senior VP, TU Munich), Dr. Paloma Díaz (Dean, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid), and Dr. Yannis Yortsos (Dean, USC) for a discussion on the future of engineering education. They explore topics like cybersecurity engineering, AI in learning, and the importance of interdisciplinary ski...

In the final episode, Prof. Croft discusses advancing women’s representation and participation in engineering, open-ended learning, why you should be friends with mathematicians!

In this episode, Paul chats with Dr. Ramiro Jordan, an innovator, entrepreneur, but above all an educator. Ramiro touches on many topics, including his ground-breaking Peace Engineering initiative that brings the arts, STEM ,health sciences, and humanities together.

An international ambassador and a founding member of the African Deans Council, Dr. Yacob Astatke discusses his tireless efforts in brining hands-on experiences to students in Ethiopia and improving the delivery of engineering education across Africa. 

In this episode, Prof. Michael Faborode, former Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, discusses the challenges faced by West African universities and his vision for transferring innovation from university laboratories to the outside world through his Knowledge Park initiative.

Don brings a wealth of industrial experience to his deanship. In this episode Paul and Don talk about the desirable impacts of the COVID pandemic, including aggregation of expertise among smaller universities, sharing resources, and a renewed emphasis on democratization of education and access to technology. 

In this episode, Prof. Şirin Tekinay, a global champion for diversity in engineering, discusses the need for gender neutralization of the professional identity of engineering, as well as implementing engineering education reform to attract and retain today’s digital natives.

In this episode Dean Janusz Kozinski talks about the positive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education, and how it has accelerated educational change by expanding the learning continuum. He also discusses the need for integrated engineering programs and why he does not believe in traditional exams.

In this episode, Prof. John Mitchell discusses the importance of learning practical applications and how he helped introduce the Integrated Engineering Program, a methodology that combines innovative teaching methods and an industry-oriented curriculum.

In this episode, Paul chats with legendary control theory expert and textbook author, Professor Robert Bishop, about engineering education, and a few NASA-related stories, including how he got to meet and work with Buzz Aldrin.

As a role model for women in STEM, in this episode Prof. DePaola talks about her early inspirations and challenges of getting into STEM and biomedical engineering, as well as her educational initiatives that apply ongoing learning and technical knowledge to solve problems of local and global impact.

In this episode Mr. Cukierman discusses modernization of engineering education, the need to train professors on engineering pedagogy, proper use of technology in the class room, and much more.

In our debut episode, Dean Puri discusses a range of topics including what engineering means to him, as well as the challenges and success strategies of rolling out McMaster's new first year program: The Pivot.