Rowan engineering professor named KEEN Rising Star

Dr. Cheryl Bodnar, an associate professor in the Experiential Engineering Education Department at the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, will be honored as a KEEN (Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network) Rising Star at the 2021 KEEN National Conference, Feb. 3-5.  

The KEEN Awards Committee recognizes three faculty members each year who have gone above and beyond to equip undergraduate engineers to create personal, economic and societal value through the entrepreneurial mindset. 

Nominated by her peers, Bodnar is an educator who “helps faculty create unique experiential and entrepreneurial learning opportunities throughout the clinic-based engineering curriculum,” according to KEEN. 

The honor includes a $10,000 award to Rowan University from the Kern Family Foundation to advance KEEN’s mission, one that Bodnar champions. 

“As a KEEN champion on campus, Dr. Bodnar has led efforts to integrate the entrepreneurial mindset throughout Rowan’s innovative engineering curriculum,” said Dr. Stephanie Farrell, interim dean of the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering. “Through her work, our faculty are able to create unique experiential and entrepreneurial learning opportunities for our students.” 

Bodnar said she “has been very fortunate to work with a great team of faculty members in the Experiential Engineering Education Department and more broadly in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering to help ensure that all engineering students have the chance to develop their entrepreneurial mindset during their time at Rowan.” 

The researcher also attributes her success to the resources and support provided by the Rowan Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship where she serves as the assistant director of faculty programs.

“Workplaces are currently in a place where they’re pivoting the way they approach business functions,” Bodnar said. “By developing this entrepreneurial mindset, we ensure that our students will remain customer-focused and that they will develop solutions that will create value in the communities they’ll end up working in.” 

“Companies need engineers who know how to innovate, test and refine new products, but those employees also need to understand how they contribute to a company’s bottom line,” said Rowan University President Dr. Ali A. Houshmand. “Cheryl Bodnar is helping Rowan University meet the demand for technically skilled graduates with a sense for business. I am exceedingly proud that she’s been recognized as a KEEN Rising Star.” ​

Bodnar received her bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering, with a specialization in biomedical engineering, from the University of Calgary. She will be among the presenters at the 2021 KEEN National Conference, where she will discuss teaching and learning.