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CEER researchers span Michigan State University and Lansing Community College. At MSU, CEER extends from the College of Engineering, to the MSU College of Natural Science, and to the MSU College of Education. Beyond MSU, CEER has current collaborative linkages to Lansing Community College.

CEER has been since its inception cross-disciplinary and highly collaborative. We intend to expand the circle of CEER engagement. 

Click on the links at the beginning of each vignette for full bios. 


 Jon Sticklen is the Director of CEER. Dr. Sticklen also serves  the Director of the Applied Engineering Science undergraduate major and is a member of the Computer Science faculty. He lead the establishment of a successful CS lab in artificial intelligence spanning over a decade in his first research career at MSU before he went on to focusing on engineering education research. His EER interests focus on the use of web-based screen movies as a medium active learning, and broadly on the issues of learning robust problem solving methods.

Daina Briedis is another founding member of CEER.  Dr. Briedis is also a member of the MSU Chemical Engineering Faculty. She has long served as an assessment and evaluation expert for ABET. Her EER interests focus on assessment and evaluation to drive outcomes-based education, and on promoting a culture shift of disciplinary doctoral students to embrace active learning and outcomes-based learning. Prof. Briedis was appointed as Assistant Dean of Engineering for Student Advancement and Assessment in early 2012. Assessment and CEER research will work closely together in the years to come.


Neeraj Buch is the Chairperson of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and another founding member of CEER.  InHis efforts in CEER are important to foster strong articulation between his programs and the programs of CEER. Dr. Buch is a former MSU Lilly Fellow. 



Abdol Esfahanian is Associate Chairperson of the Computer Science and Engineering Department. Dr. Esfahanian joined MSU in 1983. His research interests include applied graph theory, computer networks, fault-tolerant computing, web mining, and engineering education issues. From 1996 to 1999, he was an Associate Editor of NETWORKS, an international journal. He served as the department’s graduate director for 10 years prior to becoming the Associate Chairperson. 

Jim Fairweather is a faculty member in the HALE PhD program, MSU College of Engineering. He has a long track record of research collaboration with engineering programs, both at Penn State University and here at MSU. At MSU, he was a mainstay on a long standing General Electric Fund project aimed at curricular development. Dr. Fairweather's research focus is on the process of cultural change in higher education. Dr. Fairweather will act as the formal liaison between CEER and the College of Education.





Louise Paquette is a faculty member of the Mathematics and Computer Science at Lansing Community College. She has been engaged in educational linkages between the College of Engineering and LCC for a number of years. Notably, she has been point for the very successful 2+2+2 program, a program targeting students in the Lansing Public Schools district that provides support beginning in high school, extending to two years at LCC, and culminating in two years to complete an engineering major at MSU.



Mark Urban-Lurain is the Associate Director of CEER. He is an  Associate Professor in the College of Engineering, with broad responsibilities in CEER. He carries on a varied and leveraged program of educational research in the biological sciences and in engineering. His EER focus has been on promoting sound instructional design. His work on text protocol analysis is gaining national attention.

Claudia Vergara. Dr. Vergara holds degrees in Plant Biology and in education/higher ed with emphasis in STEM education. She has served as a post doc in the Plant Research Laboratory (MSU), and is currently an academic research specialist in the College of Engineering, appointed with responsibility in CEER. Her EER
interests focus on institutional change in higher education, in assessment and evaluation of educational programs linked to research projects in higher education, and in data management and analysis flowing from educational research. 


Brad Marks is a faculty member of the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering program. He has led educational improvement efforts in his department, and played a role in the committees which designed the courses in the new first year engineering program. 




Bill Punch is a Computer Science Faculty member, and Director of the High Performance Computing facility of MSU. His teaching focus has recently been on introductory computer science, where he has written (along with Dr. Rich Enbody) the first college textbook on CS1 with PYTHON. 

Volodymyr Tarabara is faculty member in Civil and Environmental Engineering.  He is increasingly engaged in engineering education research and in particular on issues of forming international perspectives within students. Dr. Tarabara is a former MSU Lilly Fellow. 



Pat Walton is Director of the CoRe program at MSU: our first year engineering program and our residential living/learning community. He is a member of the Chemical Engineering Faculty. Dr. Walton has been increasingly engaged in issues of engineering education, and is a past MSU Lilly Fellow. 


Tom Wolff. Dr. Wolff is Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, College of Engineering, MSU. He is a faculty member in the Civil and Environment Engineering program. Dean Wolff has played a key role in the development of EER at MSU.