Educating the Engineer of the Future with Dr. Kris Ropella

Manufacturing Happy Hour · 11 Nov 2019 · 1h 00m

What this episode covers

Dr. Kris Ropella, Dean of the Opus College of Engineering at Marquette University, discusses the evolution of engineering education to produce creative, diverse, and ethical leaders rather than just technical experts. She highlights the E-Lead program, which teaches leadership and innovation to undergraduate students, and emphasizes the importance of integrating business acumen and customer-centric design into the curriculum. Ropella shares anecdotes about student projects, such as designing women's steel-toed shoes, to illustrate the need for manufacturability and real-world problem solving. The conversation also covers her personal approach to leadership, drawing parallels between ballroom dancing and engineering creativity, and the shift toward servant leadership in modern organizations.

Mentioned

Companies
Marquette University, Opus College of Engineering, Marquette Electronics, Hewlett-Packard
Products
E-Lead, Audible
Also
Innovators DNA, The Power of Moments, Heroic Leadership

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Being an Engineer · 42m

    S4E34 Carla Minett | Departmental Rotations, Ship Building, & Engineering Leadership

    Carla Minett, founder of Minett Consulting, discusses her transition from a mechanical engineer in the shipbuilding industry to a leadership development strategist. She explains her 'Engineers to Leaders' program, which utilizes departmental rotations and emotional intelligence (EQ) assessments to help technical professionals develop the soft skills necessary for effective leadership. Minett highlights the importance of empathy, self-awareness, and understanding the human impact of engineering work to reduce turnover and improve organizational performance.

  • EE Times Current · 33m

    How to Build an Engineer

    Kristina M. Johnson, President of the Ohio State University and the inaugural recipient of the IEEE Mildred Dresselhaus Medal, discusses her career in optoelectronics, academia, and government service. She explains her philosophy on engineering education, advocating for 'STEAM' (adding arts to STEM) and inverted curricula that start with design projects to motivate students. Johnson also details her work in clean energy, including co-founding the hydropower startup Enduring Hydro, now part of Eagle Creek Renewable Energy.

  • Being an Engineer · 47m

    Dean Michael Jensen | Developing People, & How An Engineering Degree Can Be Used Beyond Engineering

    Dean Michael Jensen, Dean of the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering at BYU and co-founder of Wavetronix, discusses the dual roles of academia and entrepreneurship. He explains that while his primary focus is mentoring students through research, he balances this with his company, Wavetronix, which manufactures radar systems for traffic management. Jensen emphasizes that engineering education must evolve to better teach soft skills and emotional resilience, arguing that an engineering degree provides transferable analytical skills valuable in non-traditional careers like management consulting.

  • Being an Engineer · 55m

    S7E10 Daniel Gledhill | How to Win at People-Centered Leadership in Engineering Teams

    Daniel Gledhill, a senior engineering leader at Edwards Lifesciences, discusses his transition from heavy industry at Rio Tinto to medical device manufacturing, focusing on transcatheter heart valve delivery systems. He explains how his teams navigate the high-stakes regulatory environment by fostering creativity within validation boundaries and eliminating tribal knowledge through robust documentation. Gledhill emphasizes people-centered leadership, detailing how he coaches engineers to shift from solving problems themselves to facilitating solutions through questioning and removing administrative obstacles.

  • Being an Engineer · 49m

    S2E03 Engineering Empathy, Identifying Needs, & Developing Strong Work Ethic | Blayne Roeder

    Blaine Rader, who holds three engineering degrees from Purdue and has held senior director roles at Med Institute and Cook Group, discusses his journey from a farm upbringing to leading R&D for aortic stent grafts. He emphasizes the importance of engineering empathy, spending significant time defining unmet clinical needs, and the value of working directly with physicians to understand surgical procedures. Rader also shares advice on career development, highlighting the need for a strong work ethic, mentorship, and the willingness to fail fast in product development.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Manufacturing Happy Hour. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.