Dr. Jamie Gurganus (she/her/hers)
Dr. Jamie R. Gurganus is Director of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) in the Graduate School and an Assistant Teaching Professor in UMBC’s Engineering and Computing Education Program within the College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT). She also serves as a Faculty Fellow with the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Her work advances engineering education from P–12 through postgraduate levels, with expertise in engineering identity, global and entrepreneurial competencies, failure culture, first-year experiences, work-integrated learning, and multidisciplinary capstone design. Through CIRTL, she supports graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in developing inclusive, evidence-based teaching practices and preparing for future faculty roles.
Dr. Gurganus integrates experiential learning, gamification, and authentic design challenges into her teaching. She leads the Entrepreneurial Learning Lab and collaborates internationally through a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Global Engineering course with partners in Brazil, Portugal, and Germany.
She serves on the national CIRTL leadership board and has held leadership roles within the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), including Program Chair and Co-Chair of the ASEE Interdivisional Town Hall. Her service also includes UMBC’s Global Advocacy Council, the Center for Women in Technology, and the editorial board of Engineering Education Review for Tsinghua University.
Her recent honors include the 2026 COEIT Teaching Excellence Award, the 2026 Michael P. Malone International Leadership Award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the 2025 Outstanding Faculty Award from UMBC’s Alumni Association, and the 2024 Diane M. Lee Endowment for the First-Year Experience Teaching Award. She has also received the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies’ Presidential Award for Student Engagement and Erasmus+ support for international collaborations.
Dr. Robin Cresiski (she/her/hers)
- Assistant Vice Provost for Graduate Student Development and Postdoctoral Affairs
- Director, Maryland’s AGEP PROMISE Academy Alliance
- The Graduate School at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)