From original piece on OSU Student Success Research Lab News

Identifying Structures and Practices that Support/Hinder Engineering Identity Development Using Critical Frameworks (Geraldine L. Cochran, associate professor, Department of Physics) 

This study aims to understand the structures and systems that impact engineering identity development among engineering students enrolled in introductory physics courses. Findings will have implications for the structure, design, and transformation of introductory physics sequences, particularly those designed for engineering majors.

As an Associate Professor, Geraldine Cochran conducts equity-oriented physics education research, with the aim of making physics more accessible and enjoyable for learners and professionals, and enabling them to connect with the information and find it meaningful to their lives. As Dr. Cochran says, “With the SASR grant project, I look forward to learning more about student engineering identity, physics identity, and math identity. Prior research shows an important relationship between student disciplinary identity and their persistence, success, and enjoyment in learning. However, there is very little research connecting identity development to course components. There is a growing body of literature connecting disciplinary identity to other aspects of identity but there is still a lot that we don’t know. I look forward to contributing to these two areas.”

Congratulations to Professor Cochran on being awarded a 2024 Student Academic Research Grant!