Dina Verdín

Dina Verdín, a first-generation college graduate and Latina engineer, was propelled into her engineering education career based on her own experiences as a student. Now Verdín is an expert in the field, researching and advocating for educational disparities among underrepresented groups in engineering.

“When I sought to understand my experience and the experience of other first-generation college students, there was a pervasive deficit-based theme,” Verdin says.

Verdín’s overall research objective is to broaden participation in engineering. She hopes to do that by understanding the factors that promote and impede access to engineering, learning what contributes to persistence and determining the barriers that inhibit engineering degree completion for underrepresented students.

“At ASU, I am excited to research strategies that promote students’ funds of knowledge, which are students’ accumulated bodies of knowledge acquired from home or community practices, in the engineering classroom,” Verdín says.

Verdín comes to ASU with recognition and various accolades in engineering education, and she has spoken on the topic at more than 30 conferences. She’ll continue to build upon her award-winning research as a new assistant professor at ASU.

“I chose ASU because of its commitment to embrace the rich cultural diversity in its metropolitan area and commitment toward connecting with the local communities,” Verdín said.

Verdín will be teaching an undergraduate-level foundations of engineering design project and a graduate-level quantitative methods course to engineering students this fall.

When she isn’t buried in data analysis, Verdín enjoys long bike rides and walks and she is teaching herself how to play the violin.