Engineering is about using science to find creative practical solutions. The question then becomes - how do we train engineers to understand the problems and work with teams to get to those solutions? The best way is to give potential engineering students an opportunity to practice the class-gained skills in the real world as part of their course.  This will prepare them to analyze problems, communicate solutions, engage stakeholders, and create project plans, among others. It’ll also stir their passion because they’ll get to see the potential impact that real engineering can create on communities all over the world. In this episode, Dora Smith interviews Will (Bill) Oakes, an award-winning educator and the Director of the EPICS Program at Purdue University. He’ll share with us what motivated his transition from the industry to academia. He’ll also help us understand the EPICS program, its mission, challenges, and some of its success stories. In This Episode, You Will Learn: The objective of the Purdue EPICS Program (08:11) The major benefits of the program (17:12) How the work of the students in the program is graded (21:19) The differences between students that come from the program and those from traditional education setting (25:12) What it takes to build lasting relationships with communities (28:14) Some of the program's success stories and the impact they’ve had on the communities (33:29) Connect with William: Linkedin EPICS - Purdue University Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.