Dr. Matthew Young, assistant professor of electrical engineering at Arkansas Tech University, has been recognized as a 2021 Engineering Unleashed fellow.
Young is one of 27 individuals from the United States who were selected for the honor this year in recognition of their leadership in undergraduate engineering education.
“Dr. Young is truly an ambassador of excellence for Arkansas Tech and is distinguished both through a fellows project and through interactions with the greater Engineering Unleashed community,” wrote Dr. Douglas Melton, program director for the Kern Family Foundation, which sponsors the fellowship program.
According to the Engineering Unleashed website, the organization consists of more than 3,000 engineering faculty and staff who are committed to graduating engineers “with an entrepreneurial mindset so they can create personal, economic and societal value through a lifetime of meaningful work.”
Young has participated in Engineering Unleashed faculty development workshops and actively contributes to the organization through online publications. He was nominated for the fellowship by his workshop peer coaches and his application was reviewed by an independent review committee of past Engineering Unleashed fellows.
“I am appreciative of the recognition and support I am receiving for my efforts in teaching undergraduate engineering students,” said Young. “The framework provided by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) provides tools and a supportive network that assists you in transforming the way you can teach in the classroom. When I have used techniques that I have learned from KEEN, it has been amazing to see the shift in how students begin to think about their own learning.”
A 2009 graduate of Arkansas Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering degree, Young went on to earn his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Arkansas. He has served on the ATU faculty since 2016. Young graduated from Leadership Tech, a professional development program for ATU faculty and staff, in spring 2021.
Young’s research interests include engineering education, photovoltaics, semiconductors and robotics.
“This award will allow me to impact undergraduate engineering students more broadly at ATU by setting up programming to teach my colleagues about the techniques I have learned and to also connect them to the broader Engineering Unleashed network so they can become regular contributors as well,” said Young. “I am excited to bring together local individuals so that they also benefit from participation in the network and learn how we can enhance teaching of undergraduate engineering students.”
Learn more about ATU’s engineering programs at www.atu.edu/engineering.
