Wolfpack Engineering Unleashed (WEU)

Why should you join the WEU network?

• To foster and grow engineering education at NC State and beyond
• To inspire students and enhance student learning experiences
• To become an advocate for integrating the 6 C’s into classrooms and research cultures
• To collaborate with Faculty in the creation of new approaches to overcome individual and contextual challenges
• To support other educators in their practice

What are the 6 C’s?

• Curiosity, Connections, and Creating Value: Curiosity inspires successful engineers to connect ideas to create value in the world.
• Communication, Collaboration, and Character: The combination of engineering skills and personal skills create strong global leaders.

Using the 6 C’s in the classroom connects our students’ schooling to their desire to make the world a better place. The 6 C’s complement the delivery of engineering skills and technical knowledge.

This pedagogy emphasizes discovery, opportunity identification, and value creation and builds on active learning and problem-based learning techniques, adding the “Why should I care?” by explicitly connecting classroom content to the real world.

Three reasons to teach with the 6 C’s:

1. Increase student motivation
   • Adds purpose and direction; allows students to integrate topics into their lives; decreases anxiety by providing multiple ways to demonstrate learning.
2. Increase instructor satisfaction
   • Shows students coming alive as they search for pressing problems; invigorates lectures and office hours.
3. Increase student learning and retention
   • Builds on active learning and problem-based learning techniques which are known to improve learning.

Certificate Program

WEU has developed a five-tier certificate program open to all faculty and staff at NCSU. Applying is quick and
easy and helps us build the community. Learn more about the program here.

The Wolfpack Engineering Unleashed Incubator

May 2025

The Wolfpack Engineering Unleashed Community will help you create value for and with your students through course activities and projects. Discover how the 6 C’s: Curiosity, Connections, Creating Value, Communication, Collaboration, and Character, can develop your teaching methods, increase student motivation, and improve learning outcomes. This workshop is an opportunity to join a community of faculty equipping students with the skills they need to impact the world.

The annual May workshop is hosted on NC State’s Centennial Campus in Engineering Building II, Room 3001, Dean Suite. Led by NC State College of Engineering and NC State College of Natural Resources Faculty Members Drs. Anna Howard, Nathalie Lavoine, and Kate Saul. The workshop is sponsored by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) and NC State Engineering Office of Faculty Development and Success. Registration will open in Spring 2025.

For questions, please contact Anna Howard at anna_howard@ncsu.edu.

Workshops

KEEN National Conference/Engineering Unleashed Faculty Development Opportunities

Go to the KEEN National Conference in Austin on January 23-25, 2025, or attend a KEEN Engineering Unleashed Faculty Development Workshop. Apply for a Golden Ticket, which pays most of your expenses, including airfare, hotel, registration, and some meals. Apply for the conference golden ticket below by September 15th.

Crescendo, February 7, 2025

Ranen Mclaughlin will present a one-day workshop about implementing the first 3C’s in the classroom.

NC State Story Lab, March 21, 2025

Janece Shaffer from Georgia Tech will present a one-day workshop on the power of story-telling in your classrooms.

Lunch & Learns

2024-2025

Monthly

The Wolfpack Engineering Unleashed community is launching its new series of monthly Lunch & Learn events! Once a month, you will have the opportunity to meet with the WEU community, discuss teaching practices, tips and tricks, and learn more about the 6 C’s and the entrepreneurial mindset. A link will be shared for virtual attendance. Lunch will be offered for in-person attendance; you will receive a link with lunch options. Each event will include a 15-min lecture on one topic and time for practice, questions, and networking.

• Aug 28 (Register here) – WEU Certificate Program
• Sept 12 (Register here) – Incorporating a micromoment activity
• Oct 11 (Register here)- Engineering Unleashed Card – Writing guidelines and review
• Nov 14 (Register here) – DEI best practice with entrepreneurial mindset (EM)
• Dec 9 (Register here)- Gradescope
• Feb 20 – Re- How can a student story drive learning?
• Apr 10 – Assessment of the 6C’s

Please find the full list and details of our Lunch & Learns here. Contact Nathalie Lavoine at nmlavoin@ncsu.edu for further questions. 

Our Partners and Collaborators

The Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network

• NC State is now a KEEN partner school.
• KEEN is a partnership of >54 Colleges and Universities including both large R1 universities (Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Duke, etc.) and smaller schools (Ohio Northern, Campbell, Lawrence Tech, Univ. New Haven, etc.)
• One Mission: Reach all engineering students with curiosity, connections, and creating value so they can create personal, economic, and societal value through a lifetime of meaningful work.

For more information, please visit https://engineeringunleashed.com/what-is-keen.

Engineering Unleashed

• A national community to join for free!
• More than 4,000 engineering faculty and staff working to promote the entrepreneurial mindset: curiosity, connections, and creating value.
• Thousands of classroom activities are ready to be used in all kinds of classes, so faculty don’t have to start from scratch.

For more information, please visit https://engineeringunleashed.com.

Engineering Unleashed Faculty Development National Workshops

Engineering Unleashed Faculty Development National Workshops cover different topics, including teaching and learning, research, leadership, and industry. These workshops provide a valuable opportunity to connect with faculty, staff, and administrators nationwide, offering ideas and techniques to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset for integration into your courses and research.

Interested in exploring specific topics and connecting with the broader Engineering Unleashed Network? Explore their professional offerings here and contact OFDS for more details at engineeringfds@ncsu.edu.

WEU Newsletter

Check out our bi-annual newsletter on our website for the latest updates, insights, and highlights from our community. Stay informed and engaged with our latest news and events!

WEU Spring 2024 Newsletter

WEU Authored Engineering Unleashed Cards

Below is a list of activities to implement the entrepreneurial mindset published as an Engineering Unleashed Card. A card is an online template for members to publish projects, labs, and classes. Use the filters below to refine results. 

Want to share your activities? Start with the Card Author Guide. 
See the KEEN website for more Card examples and information.

WEU Leads

Joel Ducoste

Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Success
Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering

Phone: (919) 515-8150
Email: jducoste@ncsu.edu
Office: Fitts-Woolard Hall 3250

Anna Howard

Teaching Professor
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
College of Engineering

Phone: (919) 513-4019
Email: akhowar5@ncsu.edu
Office: Engineering Building III (EB3) 3405

Nathalie Lavoine

Assistant Professor
Department of Forest Biomaterials
College of Natural Resources

Phone: 919 513 3235
Email: nmlavoin@ncsu.edu
Office: Biltmore Hall (Robertson Wing) 1022F

Katherine Saul

Professor
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
College of Engineering

Phone: (919) 515-1273
Email: ksaul@ncsu.edu
Office: Engineering Building III (EB3) 3162

Megan Morin

Associate Director for Faculty Development and Success
College of Engineering

Email: megan_morin@ncsu.edu
Office:  Engineering Building II (EB2) 2016C

Madilynn Smith

Assistant Professor
Textile Engineering, Chemistry, and Science
College of Textiles

Email: mmccoll@ncsu.edu