Jenna P. Carpenter is the Founding Dean and Professor of Engineering at

Campbell University Campbell University is a private Baptist university in Buies Creek, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (Southern Baptist Convention). Southern Baptist ConventionColleges and Universities sbc.net ...

. She was on the faculty at

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activ ...

for twenty-six years, where she was most recently the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Wayne and Juanita Spinks Professor of Mathematics in the College of Engineering and Science. She became the Founding Dean of Engineering and Professor of Engineering at

in 2015. She researches the importance of diversity in

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

fields, mainly focusing on women, as well as innovative STEM curricula.

Early life, education and career

Carpenter was born in

Corsicana, Texas Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 56 miles northeast of Waco, Texas. The population was 23,770 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Navarro County, and an important Agri-busines ...

. She grew up in

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, and went on to receive her B.S. in Mathematics from

. She furthered her education to receive her M.S. and Ph.D. in Mathematics at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

, where she held an LSU Alumni Federation Fellowship. After receiving her Ph.D. in 1989, she returned to

to become an assistant professor. She later on rose to become a Director (Department Head) in the College of Engineering and Science for 10 years and later as the Wayne and Juanita Spinks Endowed Professor and Associate Dean for another 8 years. In 2015, she was hired by

for the position of Founding Dean of Engineering. Carpenter's research focuses on integrated

curricula and improving the success of women in

fields. To date she has received over 4.3 million dollars in federal funding. She regularly speaks around the country about her research, and one of her most well known speeches is her

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talk (“Engineering: Where are the girls and why aren’t they here?”). In October 2023 Carpenter was elected president of the

Mathematical Association of America The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure a ...

, effective July 2024.

Awards and honors

Carpenter has received several awards, among which are: * College of Engineering and Science T. L. James Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching (awarded to the Freshman Integrated Engineering Curriculum Team), Louisiana Tech University (1997-1998) * Louisiana Tech University Foundation Professorship Award (for excellence in teaching, research and service) (2004) * Louisiana Tech University Foundation Professorship Award (for excellence in teaching, research and service) (2004) * Mathematical Association of America Louisiana-Mississippi Section Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics (2004) * American Society for Engineering Education Mathematics Division Distinguished Educator and Service Award (2006) * National Recognition Award, College of Engineering and Science, Louisiana Tech University (2012) * American Society for Engineering Education Fellow (2013) * Transformative Research Award (with Dr. Patrick O’Neal), College of Engineering and Science, Louisiana Tech University (2014) * Wayne and Juanita Spinks Endowed Professorship, Louisiana Tech University (2004-2015) * Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN) Founder's Award (2018) * American Society for Engineering Education

Sharon Keillor Award for Women in Engineering Education The Sharon Keillor Award for Women in Engineering Education "recognizes and honors outstanding women engineering educators." Recipients hold an earned doctoral degree in an engineering discipline or related field, have at least five years of teachi ...

(2019) * National Academy of Engineering Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education (2022)

Selected publications

* Using Makerspaces to attract and retain women in STEM (J. P. Carpenter) MAA FOCUS (2018) * Attracting and retaining a diverse cohort of engineering majors: Building a program from the ground up (J. P. Carpenter, L. K. Rynearson, L. A. Albers, et al.) Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Conference (2017) * Building a more supportive climate for women in STEM: Discoveries made, lessons learned (J. P. Carpenter and D. P. O'Neal) Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Conference (2013) * Undergraduate mathematics for the life sciences: Models, processes, and directions (G. Ledder, J. P. Carpenter and T. Comar) MAA Notes Series (2013) * Using Web-based technologies to reach and engage millennial students in calculus (J. P. Carpenter) Proceedings of the 2009 American Society for Engineering Education Conference (2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Jenna 1961 births Living people Louisiana Tech University alumni Campbell University faculty American women mathematicians 21st-century American women