Adam Kirn

Adam Kirn serves as Associate Professor of Engineering Education within the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno, where his research bridges student motivation, identity formation, and inclusive practices across engineering education pathways from K-12 through doctoral studies.

His academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Engineering in Science Education from Clemson University (2014)
• M.S. in Bioengineering from Clemson University (2012)
• B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (2008)

Kirn's research program investigates how students connect classroom content to future goals through mixed-methods analysis of engineering team dynamics, graduate training efficacy, and identity development. He examines how motivation shapes inclusive practitioner development and educational outcomes, with particular emphasis on creating actionable frameworks for educators to enhance student belonging and retention.

Analysis of Kirn's recent publication trajectory (2023-2025) reveals intensifying focus on mental health, systemic discrimination, and identity validation within engineering graduate education. His work increasingly develops measurement tools like the DEGrE Scale while exploring racialized stress, trauma-informed frameworks, and the role of recognition in degree completion. Cross-cutting themes include the intersection of race/gender with academic experiences and the structural barriers affecting underrepresented groups.

No scientific awards were documented in the source materials.

Kirn actively mentors graduate students through courses like ENGR 720 (Teaching Undergraduate Engineering) and leads multiple NSF-funded initiatives:

• S-STEM: Creating Retention and Engagement for Academically Talented Engineers (DUE-1833738, 2019-present) as Co-PI developing cohort-based support systems
• Improving Performance and Retention of Engineering Graduate Students (2015-present) as PI studying motivation-identity relationships
• Building Supports for Diversity through Engineering Teams (2015-present) as PI designing inclusive teaming protocols
• Engineering Summer Camps Impact Study (2018-present) as Co-PI analyzing K-12 interest development

His collaborative network spans institutions through projects like the InIce initiative (2014-2018) examining non-normative identities, with current work expanding into trauma-responsive graduate education frameworks and recognition theory applications.