CLARKSVILLE, TN – Austin Peay State University has received a National Science Foundation planning grant to enhance student success by ensuring engineering physics and engineering technology students find their ideal academic path from day one.
The two-year RED (Revolutionizing Engineering Departments) planning grant brings together faculty from both programs. While Dr. Alex King serves as principal investigator in his role as chair of the Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy, the grant emerged from collaborative work with Dr. Emmabeth Vaughn from engineering physics and Ravi Manimaran and Jody Alberd from engineering technology.
With this grant, Vaughn, who also holds another active NSF grant with Dr. Bobette Bouton in the College of Education for engineering empathy research, becomes the first woman in Austin Peay history to have two NSF grants running simultaneously.
“Last year alone, I had four students who had been at least a semester, if not a year, in engineering technology, switch to engineering physics,” Vaughn said. “This showed us there is a need to help students make more informed decisions earlier in their academic journey.”
The grant aims to raise awareness of how Austin Peay offers distinct engineering pathways, each designed to prepare graduates for different but equally valuable career trajectories.
Austin Peay’s unique engineering landscape
Austin Peay’s situation is distinctive in higher education. Many universities develop engineering programs first, with engineering technology housed within the same college as a supporting department. Here, engineering technology blazed the trail – starting in the late 1980s as a two-year program before evolving into robust four-year degrees in the mid-1990s.
Engineering physics arrived in 2017, representing a milestone decades in the making after regulatory barriers in Middle Tennessee were finally lifted.
“Because Austin Peay has had engineering technology for so long, we have deep industry relationships and a strong track record of graduate success,” King said. “This grant helps us leverage that strength while expanding opportunities for our newer engineering physics program.”
Strengthening industry partnerships
The grant also focuses on enhancing industry understanding of both programs’ strengths. Manimaran, chair of the Department of Engineering Technology, points to the perfect match between his program and the booming regional economy.
“The growth around here has been incredible,” Manimaran said. “Hankook, LG, all these major manufacturers – they’re building like crazy. Engineering tech brings that hands-on, applied approach that connects directly to what they need. This grant helps us showcase that strength even better.”
From planning to implementation
Success with this two-year planning grant opens the door to a much larger implementation grant, with a long-term vision to create smoother pathways for students to transition between programs when needed, while ensuring most students land in their ideal program from the start.