Dr. Rachel Kajfez Selected for Tenure Track Assistant Professor Position in EED

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Dr. Kajfez
Dr. Rachel Kajfez
Dr. Rachel Louis Kajfez has been selected for the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at OSU. Dr. Kajfez will begin serving in her new position on September 1, 2016.

Dr. Kajfez earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from OSU where she studied construction. She then earned her Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech where she studied graduate teaching assistants’ motivation and identity development in first-year engineering programs.

Dr. Kajfez studies demonstrate ways in which research has recently been translated to practice and suggests avenues for future work related to graduate student development and change.

In addition, Dr. Kajfez is a chief collaborator on the Toy Adaptation Program at Ohio State University, which provides hands-on educational opportunities to engineering students, while making a positive societal impact through the modification of electronic toys for children with special needs.

The Toy Adaptation Team with some of the adapted toys.
The Toy Adaptation team with some of the adapted toys being donated to children. Dr. Kajfez is on the far right.

Engineering students learn to apply problem-solving and technical skills to adapt toys so that children with special needs are able to use them. The toys are then donated to toy lending libraries or directly to families.

By developing this connection between academia and the community, TAP strives to address social issues through experiential learning.

Contact Dr. Rachel Kajfez