معرفی
Juan Cruz, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Experiential Engineering Education (ExEEd) department at Rowan University's Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering. His research focuses on systemic factors influencing faculty and student motivation in engineering education, particularly addressing barriers faced by underrepresented minorities in doctoral programs. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech, and M.S. and B.S. degrees in Education and Electronic Engineering from Universidad Javeriana, Colombia.
Research highlights include the Rising Doctoral Institute (RDI), a NSF-funded initiative ($1.7M) to improve retention of underrepresented minorities in engineering PhD programs. His work also explores AI's impact on programming education and instructional change through systems dynamics modeling. Additional grants include projects on entrepreneurial mindset assessment (Kern Family Foundation) and smart grid workforce development (NSF).
Awards & Grants:
- NSF Collaborative Award ($1.76M) for RDI
- Kern Family Foundation Co-PI grant ($499K)
- NSF Smart Grids Co-PI grant ($300K)
Professional memberships include the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). His advising focuses on systemic equity in engineering education, with recent work published in Education Sciences and Journal of Engineering Education.
