Rowan Professor and Chair of Experimental Engineering, Dr. Stephanie Farrell, has been presented with the 2020 IDEAL Star Award for her work surrounding LGBTQ+ Safe Zone Training in Conference Programming. 

She was awarded this title by the renowned American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) after the society’s annual gathering in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Dr. Farrell is the founding chair of the Department of Experimental Engineering Education (ExEEd) and was the Interim Dean of the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering at Rowan University. She served on the Rowan Faulty board from 1998 until she created ExEEd in 2016 and taught chemical engineering as a professor for 18 years.

As a member of AIChE for 17 years, Dr. Farrell was elected as the institute’s highest grade of membership which is only achieved through hard work, dedication, leadership, and active contributions to the institute.

The IDEAL Star Award recognizes those who excel in creating a more welcoming and open environment for students to participate in through inclusion, diversity, equity, anti-racism, and learning (IDEAL). 

“I’m really glad that this work is being recognized, not that it’s my work or my team’s work but just the work itself,” Farrell said. “It’s something different for professional society conferences. It’s been a long road for us, we’ve been working on this project for many years and it’s really meaningful to me that it’s getting some traction and recognition.”

Through her work in inductive pedagogy, spatial skills, and inclusion and diversity, Dr. Farrell has also campaigned for higher education in engineering as well as encouraged LGBTQ+ advocacy in STEM research. Farrell has introduced SafeZone Workshops that provide allies for LGBTQ+ and STEM faculty through Rowan’s Campus which was honorably noted by AIChE.

Farrell continues to demonstrate an unwavering commitment to developing and increasing education in engineering programs. She has traveled extensively to countries in Central Asia on behalf of Rowan and in doing so, expanded her expertise and insight to issues such as academic mobility and international accreditation. 

Growing up, Dr. Farrell resonated most with engineering principles. Through daily experiences, Farrell found creative ways to incorporate engineering into her everyday life. As a professor at Rowan University, she builds upon these views and provides modernized experiential learning experiences for students. 

Dr. Farrell has been honored by the American Society of Engineering Education with several teaching awards, including the National Outstanding Teaching Medal, the Quinn Award for Experiential Learning, the Joseph J. Martin Award, and the Ray W. Fahien Award. She has also served on the executive committee of The International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES). 

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