“What is research but a blind date with knowledge?”
- William J. Henry
My experience with formal research began relatively early in my academic career. I stumbled upon an undergraduate research opportunity the summer following my freshman year at Virginia Tech, and haven't looked back since! I remember thinking, "You can get paid to explore and discover whatever you want?!". Now, I realize it's not quite that simple, but I'm still fascinated by all the opportunities research can provide.
My research interests include informal learning experiences, professional identity and development, and design education. More specifically, I am interested in investigating how informal and extracurricular learning experiences influence student learning and professional development in engineering education contexts. I also have interests in design education, specifically how engineering design is taught, as well as how engineering design learning environments influence student learning and professional development.
Recent presentations:
Kusano, SM and Johri, A (2014). Student Autonomy: Implications of Design-Based Informal Learning Experiences in Engineering. Presented at the 2014 ASEE Annual Conference (ERM Division), Indianapolis, IN, Paper#: 9018
Chowdhury, BT, Kusano, SM, Johri, A, and Sharma, A (2014). Student Experiences in an Interdisciplinary Studio-Based Design Course: The Role of Peer Scaffolding. Presented at the 2014 ASEE Annual Conference (DEED), Indianapolis, IN, Paper#: 9073
Kusano, SM, Murzi, HG, Shekhar, P, Kinoshita, T, Seimetz, CN, Goff, RM, and Basu, D (2014). Preparing Future Engineering Educators Through Round-Table Practicum Course Discussions. Presented at the 2014 ASEE Annual Conference (Graduate Studies Division), Indianapolis, IN, Paper#: 10873
Researcher
View my LinkedIn profileCurriculum Vitae | Stephanie M. Kusano | skusano@vt.edu