Join BB Innovators & Innovations host Dave Goldberg on Monday, 2 March 2015 at 1:30 pm ET for a live Google On-Air Hangout (link here) with VP & Associate Provost for Research & Graduate Studies, Alan J. Snyder, at Lehigh University as they discuss Lehigh's transformative Mountaintop Program (more at http://lehigh.edu/mountaintop). The Mountaintop website describes the program as follows: Inside a former Bethlehem…
In the last decade, the popularity of student maker and innovation spaces at colleges and universities has grown exponentially, especially among students majoring in STEM fields. These types of spaces are often used to supplement classroom-based courses or provide students with a place to work on projects that may not have a natural home in a research lab. Innovation spaces…
If birds of a feather, flock together, then how do we make engineering ed better? Stale stereotypes of engineering as a haven for rare birds persist, and continue to perpetuate an image of an environment that is not welcome to other birds, or even rarer- female and colorful birds. After all, a sense of belonging is a fundamental avian motive. It also happens to be…
Students for a Whole New Education (SWNE) launched in January 2015 with a mission to empower students to take ownership of their education. SWNE is an organization of student advocates of Big Beacon. This is the first of many blog posts about our journey to achieve the changes we hope to see in our education. Who are we? We are a…
The 2nd Big Beacon Real Innovators and Innovations show of the year is looking forward to speaking with real innovator Rohit Bhargava, Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign talking to Dave Goldberg about the new innovative program Illinois Cancer Scholars. This new program, launched in the fall of 2014 engages freshmen in the forefront of cancer research and…
We started as a three passionate students studying at the University of Calgary, focusing on research topics related to Engineering Education (EngEd). As graduate students, we quickly learned most conversations and introductions start with an inquiry about our area of study. When we answered “engineering education research,” this would often lead to engaging conversations with people who either already had…
Though women make up nearly half of the working population, they remain underrepresented in STEM occupations, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In fact, women accounted for just 24 percent of workers in STEM, and only one in 10 STEM professionals is a minority woman. Experts point to a number of reasons for this gender disparity, from girls losing interest…
Big Beacon invites students to join in our monthly Twitter Chats focused student-centered issues! We want to engage students in our conversations to transform engineering education. We want to bring student voices to a platform that listens to students’ thoughts and experiences and cherishes them. Students for a Whole New Education is aimed that bringing together students across the world…
Welcome to Engineering Culture, a semi-monthly conversation about the most important values, motivations and assumptions we hold. All are welcome to the conversation as we explore the culture of engineering students, practicing engineers, organizations and institutions. Part of the Big Beacon New Media Network, this show kicks off on January 14th 2015, live from the Engineers Without Borders Canada…
Big Beacon is pleased to announce the relaunch of the #BigBeacon weekly twitter chat as The Big Beacon Media Network for Educational Transformation (BBMNET). Combining the reach of the twitter chat with new programming from both new and existing media affiliates and affiliated bloggers, BBMNET will carry the voice of educational transformation around the globe with renewed vigor and force. This…