Amy Dunford

  • Manager of Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program

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Amy's research interests focus on engineering students' conceptual understanding of the engineering sciences and pedagogical approaches for authentic learning experiences. She is interested in faculty training using technology to enhance engineering pedagogy and students' development of professional skills such as technical documentation and communication through team-based activities. 

Purdue University

Master of Science in Engineering Education

University of California, Irvine

Master of Science in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Textbook

Dally, J., Wu, L., & Dunford, A. (2017). Introduction to engineering design: Engineering skills and quadcopter missions (4th Edition). Knoxville, TN: College House Enterprises, LLC.

Journal Article

Wirtz, E., Dunford, A., Berger, E., Briody, E., Guruprasad, G., & Senkpeil, R. (2018). Resource usage and usefulness: academic help-seeking behaviours of undergraduate engineering students. Australasian Journal of Engineering Education, 23(2).

Conference Proceedings

Dunford, A.K., Berger, E., Rhoads, J.F., & Deboer, J. (2019, July). Motivational insights into students’ help-seeking behaviours in a resource-rich engineering course. Paper presented at 8th Research in Engineering Education Symposium: Making Connections, Cape Town, South Africa.

Evenhouse, D.A., & Stites, N., & Dunford, A.K., & Kandakatla, R., & Rhoads, J.F., & Berger, E.J., & DeBoer, J. (2019, June). Bringing research to practice: Exploring applications of resource usage research in undergraduate mechanics education. Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Tampa, FL.

Engineering Education

Graduate Student Researcher at the Mechanical Engineering Education Research Center at Purdue (MEERCat Purdue)

  • Sought to characterize and understand students' use of technology for academic help-seeking in mechanical engineering using mixed-methods research

Lead Lab Instructor & Lecturer for Introduction to Engineering at UC Irvine

  • Developed and taught new project-based courses in which students built autonomous quadcopters and wearable fitness trackers with mobile applications

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Graduate Student Researcher at the UC Irvine Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP)

  • Created a component-based thermodynamic simulation model of a hydrogen refueling station to optimize design layouts for various operating conditions using MATLAB Simulink

Current Projects, Research Labs, and Groups