Executive Committee
Biography
Dr. Gloria Kim is the Associate Chair for Research of the Department of Engineering Education in the UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. She received her B.S. degree in Chemistry from Seoul National University, M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Her technical expertise is in biomaterials, molecular imaging and drug delivery. She has taught and developed courses in circuits, biomechanics, biomaterials, bioinstrumentation, and nanotechnology. She is interested in educational environments and student learning; and social and ethical issues in STEM research and teaching. Her work includes creating opportunities for students to globalize their engineering degrees and mentoring students in teaching. In addition, Dr. Kim has mentored numerous student entrepreneurial teams to success. Dr. Kim has secured research funding from NSF and other funding agencies for her efforts to transform engineering education. She is an active member of ASEE and has served in various leadership positions at the Korean American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA) and the Korean Society for Engineering Education (KSEE).
Rationale
To be nominated to serve as a member of the IFEES Executive Committee is a great honor. This will be an opportunity for me to play a significant role in facilitating global networking and collaboration in a time engineering education is facing unique challenges due to COVID-19.
Engineering educators were forced to adopt new technology for content delivery and to figure out how to turn hands-on experience into a remote practice during this pandemic. They have responded with remarkable resilience by generating new knowledge about how to teach and how students learn this new environment. Yet, diffusion and adoption of research-based instructional practice across the globe is still slow. I am eager to contribute to enabling people from all backgrounds and perspectives with the skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to address the world’s grand challenges for engineering. As an educator and researcher, I have created opportunities for US undergraduates students to develop a global perspective in research through immersive programs in Germany and South Korea. As Executive Director of the Korean American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA)’s administration, I led new initiatives to engage K-12 students in STEM and shaped professional development programs for Korean graduate students and scholars visiting the US in collaboration with the Korean Federation of Science & Technology. As a member of Korean Society for Engineering Education (KSEE)’s International Affairs Team, I am working on relationship building with engineering educators around the world.
Growing up in five different countries which required me to acquire three languages by the time I was ten infused me with a pioneering spirit that fueled me through new and different endeavors in my career. If elected, I will harness my experience in research, mentoring, teaching, leadership, service, and community engagement and work diligently on behalf of IFEES.