Engineering Leadership Network

Engineering Leadership Network (ELN)

Mission: To Prepare the Next Generation of Technology Leaders

The Engineering Leadership Network (ELN) program helps positively motivated students gain the knowledge and abilities needed to lead technology development and its implementation in the 21st century. ELN recognizes that in addition to technical expertise, true technological leadership requires several key abilities:

  • Critical thinking to define and address new technological needs and problems, with the ability to analyze the impact of technology on societies across the globe
  • Emotional intelligence and expertise in collaboration to bring people from multiple disciplines and multiple cultures together to address technology needs
  • A spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, along with practical business sense, to bring new ideas to fruition
  • High-level communication strategies to act persuasively in a range of situations.

By helping students understand the problems facing contemporary society, the impact of technology solutions on all stakeholders, the full array of economic and social factors that influence the implementation and adoption of technology, and the human dimensions of collaborative problem-solving and innovation, ELN will prepare the next generation of technology leaders.

Program Overview

ELN will fund 10 engineering students each academic year to participate in biweekly seminars (7-8 each semester) that will include:

  • Discussions of relevant readings on a range of topics, including models of contemporary leadership practices; the impact of globalization; case studies of successes and failures in engineering leadership; and analyses of the problems and potentials in intercultural and interdisciplinary collaboration
  • Activities designed to build leadership skills (critical thinking, emotional intelligence, collaboration, innovation, communication)
  • Workshops on specific professional skills, ranging from appropriate etiquette for business meals to strategies for influencing technology policy by approaching government leaders
  • Speakers from politics, business, and engineering who model excellence in leadership

As the culmination of their ELN experience, each spring these students will plan and conduct a half-day workshop for students across the College of Engineering on a topic designed to lead their colleagues into a more sophisticated awareness of the professional roles and challenges facing today’s engineers.

In subsequent years, we will invite alumni of the ELN program approximately twice a semester for mentoring, networking, and continued professional development. Through this cycle, we will build a strong network for sharing knowledge and experience.

Questions about the program should be directed to Dr. Lisa McNair(lmcnair@vt.edu)

Application (Word Format)

All students in the College of Engineering are eligible for the program. To apply, students should submit the following to Dr. Lisa McNair (Engr. Edu) by August 15, 2007.

  • An essay of 500-700 words describing why they believe engineers need to develop leadership ability, what they believe they will bring to the program, what they would like to gain from the program, and how they hope to put the program into action in their careers. Applicants should support their discussions with concrete details, drawing on prior readings or experiences that have helped motivate or shape their views.

  • A letter of recommendation that addresses the student’s interest in and potential for leadership

  • A current résumé

ELN Fellows 2006-7:

Mark Brown, Industrial Systems

Robert Gaines, Engineering Science & Mechanics

Catherine Brunson, Mining

John Helveston, Engineering Science & Mechanics

Fred Cook, Engineering Science & Mechanics

Jennifer Kammer, Computer Science

Erin Crede, Aeronautical

Monica Sno, Industrial Systems

Kimberly Dear, Industrial Systems

Jason Weiskopf, Engineering Science & Mechanics