First-Year Research in Engineering Education

First-Year Research in Engineering Education


Welcome to FYRE!

FYRE aims to connect research and practice in first-year engineering to improve teaching practices, student learning, and student experiences.

FYRE Members Outside

FYRE is an interdisciplinary team of graduate and undergraduate researchers that investigates teaching practices, student learning, and student experiences within first-year engineering. We use the "Research to Practice Cycle" to drive innovations and assessment in first-year engineering. These classroom innovations include programming instruction, entrepreneurial mindset, and technical writing. Additionally, the research group focuses on larger questions within engineering education including major selection, retention of students, and the training of faculty and teaching assistants. 

Our Team

/people/kecskemety.1
Photo of Dr. Krista Kecskemety
Dr. Krista Kecskemety
Principal Investigator, Associate Professor of Practice EED, Director FEH Program
Dr. Kecskemety received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from OSU. Her EED research interests focus on investigating First-Year Engineering student experiences, including programming education and the entrepreneurial mindset.
Tyler Milburn
Tyler Milburn
Virginia Tech ECE Instructor, FYRE Ph.D. Alumni
Tyler has both his B.S. and M.S. from Ohio State in ECE and his Ph.D. in Engineering Education. His research interests include first-generation college students and their choice of engineering major.
https://engineering.osu.edu/people/phillips.1166
Photo of Drew Phillips
Drew Phillips
Ohio State ECE Lecturer, FYRE Ph.D. Alumni
Drew earned his B.S. and M.S. from OSU in ECE and his Ph.D. in Engineering Educatio. His EED research interests include teaching assistants, first-year engineering, personality type theory, systematic literature reviews, and quantitative analysis methods.
https://oied.osu.edu/ashouri-mandana
Photo of Mandana Ashouri
Mandana Ashouri
EED Ph.D. Student, Associate Director of Licensing (Engineering)
/people/stump.211
Photo of Tyler Stump
Tyler Stump
EED Ph.D. Student
Tyler earned his B.S. and M.S. in Biosystems from MSU. His research interests focuses on first-year engineering computing education to investigate the shifts of identity and self-efficacy through evidence-based decision making in course design
Photo of Ethan Cartwright
Ethan Cartwright
EED URA, Aerospace Engineering Student
Ethan is currently pursuing his B.S. from OSU in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. His EED research interests include concept map literature, and he has been with FYRE since 2021.
Photo of Connor Jenkins
Connor Jenkins
FYRE Collaborator, ECE Ph.D Student
Connor earned his B.S. from OSU in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in ECE. His EED research interests include programming concept inventory and TA feedback on technical writing. He has been with FYRE since 2019.
Photo of Jake Rose
Jake Rose
EED URA, Finance Student
Jake is currently pursuing his B.S. from OSU in Finance. His EED research interests include teaching assistant training. He has been with FYRE since 2022.
Photo of Richa Mahajan
Richa Mahajan
EED URA, Chemical Engineering Student
Richa is currently pursuing his B.S. from OSU in Chemical Engineering. She has been part of the Communications team for FYRE since 2022 and has also participated in the TA Feedback project.
Photo of Lauren Wagner
Lauren Wagner
EED URA, Environmental Engineering Student
Lauren is currently pursuing her B.S. from OSU in Environmental Engineering. Her EED research interests include concept mapping. She has been with FYRE since 2022.
Photo of Laine Rumreich
Laine Rumreich
FYRE Collaborator, CSE Ph.D Student
Laine received her B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science Engineering from OSU. She has been on the FYRE team since 2018 and is currently working on projects related to KEEN. Outside of academics, Laine enjoys playing golf and reading.
Photo of Josh Marino
Josh Marino
EED URA, Mathematics and Finance Student
Josh is currently pursuing his B.S. from OSU in Mathematics and Finance. He has been part of the Communications team for FYRE since 2022.
Heather Schwab
EED URA
Peyton O'Reilly
EED URA, FEH Student Assistant

FYRE Alumni & Former FYRE Collaborators

Photo of Meagan Ita
Dr. Meagan Ita
Former Postdoctoral Researcher
Meagan was a part of FYRE for almost 3 years working with the EML grants and projects associated with KEEN. With her Biomedical and Bioengineering backgrounds, she is currently working in industry in the Biotech field.
Photo of Nick Sattele
Nick Sattele
Former Undergraduate Researcher
Nick was a member of FYRE for 3 years and his research focused on the Entrepreneurial Mindset. He completed his B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering and completed the Integrated Business and Engineering Honors. He is currently working at Google.
Photo of Ada Barach
Ada Barach
Former Undergraduate Researcher
Ada was a member of FYRE for 2 years and her research focused on creating a Concept Inventory for Matlab Programming (MCS1). Ada is currently a Ph.D. student in CSE at Ohio State.
Photo of Sery Gunawardena
Sery Gunawardena
Former Undergraduate Researcher
Sery was a member for FYRE for 3 years and her research focused on the classroom connections and supports formed during the time of COVID 19. After completing her B.S. in CSE she currently is a software engineer at JPMorgan Chase.
Photo of Faith Logan
Faith Logan
Former Undergraduate Researcher
Faith was a member of FYRE for 3 years and her research focused on EML in First Year Classes. After completing her B.S. in Secondary Education and Teaching she currently is a graduate student in Child Studies at Vanderbilt.
Photo of Josephine Fabea
Josephine Fabea
Former Undergraduate Researcher
Josephine was a member of FYRE for 2 years and her research was focused on EML. She completed her B.S. in Civil Engineering in Dec 2021.
Photo of Courtney Staniak
Courtney Staniak
Courtney earned her B.S. from OSU in Aerospace Engineering. Her EED research interests include concept map literature, scoring techniques, and teaching assistant training. She was with FYRE from 2021-2022. She is currently a Flight Controller at NASA.

FYRE News

FYRE News
https://engineering.osu.edu/news/2023/09/kecskemety-selected-2023-engineering-unleashed-fellow
Photo of Krista Kecskemety
Dr. Kecskemety Selected as Engineering Unleashed Fellow
Sep 26, 2023
Dr. Krista Kecskemety as been recognized as a 2023 Engineering Unleashed Fellow by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN). She is among just 30 faculty to receive the honor this year.
https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/101356
Photo of Sery Gunawardena
Undergraduate Research Distinction: Sery Gunawardena
April 7, 2022
Sery Gunawardena completed her Honors Undergraduate Thesis and will graduate with Honors Research Distinction in Engineering Education. Her work focused on peer connections in virtual learning.
https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/92973
Photo of Connor Jenkins
Undergraduate Research Distinction: Connor Jenkins
November 19, 2021
Connor Jenkins completed his Honors Undergraduate Thesis and will graduate with Honors Research Distinction in Engineering Education. His work focused on technical communication feedback classification.
Certificate for 2020 Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring
Dr. Kecskemety Receives Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award
July 27, 2020
This award offered by the Office of Student Academic Success- Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry is awarded to honor individuals who have demonstrated success in mentoring undergraduates in their research and/or creative inquiry endeavors.
ASEE 2020 Virtual Flyer
ASEE 2020 Conference
June 29, 2020
Undergraduate researchers Laine Rumreich, Ada Barach, Zachary Dix, Nick Sattele, Sery Gunawardena, Connor Jenkins, and Faith Logan participated in the 2020 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference.
https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/91465
Photo of Ada Barach
Ada Barach Defends her Undergraduate Research Distinction
April 6, 2020
Ada Barach completed her Honors Undergraduate Thesis and will graduate with Honors Research Distinction in Engineering Education. She is the second student to complete an undergraduate thesis in Engineering Education at Ohio State.
Laine Rumreich's 3M Thesis Presentation
3 Minute Thesis Competition
October 8, 2019
Laine Rumreich, URA, presented at the 3 Minute Thesis Event hosted by OSU's Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry. Her research was on quantifying and analyzing code complexity of first year engineering students’ software design projects.
https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/88760
Photo of Laine Rumreich
Undergraduate Research Distinction: Laine Rumreich
January 3, 2020
Laine Rumreich completed her Honors Undergraduate Thesis and will graduate with Honors Research Distinction in Engineering Education. She is the first student to complete an undergraduate thesis in Engineering Education at Ohio State.

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Publications