Professor Philippa Martin has won the 2024 University of Canterbury (UC) Teaching Medal for transforming engineering education to support greater diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Professor Martin’s colleagues describe her as an inspiring role model and mentor, who has continually advocated for under-represented groups to thrive in engineering during her teaching career of more than 20 years.
“We need diverse perspectives to solve complex world issues and to be able to excel in engineering, we need diverse engineers,” Professor Martin says.
Professor Martin (pictured) founded the award-winning ENG ME! peer mentoring programme, which helps first-year engineering students develop a sense of belonging.
Since its launch, the programme has supported several thousand students and developed hundreds of student leaders for the engineering profession. For her outstanding contributions, she received the 2023 Te Whatu Kairangi Aotearoa Tertiary Teaching Award.
“The wonderful thing about UC is that you have this community of incredibly skilled and dedicated people. What I’ve done is not something I’ve done alone but with these amazing people that cared about the same things as me, such as a more inclusive engineering and supporting our students through Covid 19. It was a privilege to work with them all,” she says.
Her efforts towards inclusion encompass both visible initiatives and behind-the-scenes work, such as a three-year research project focused on helping first-year students transition to their second year, emphasising the importance of connection among cohorts.
She also led efforts to adapt the Faculty of Engineering’s programmes during the pandemic by creating online pathways for hands-on courses. Professor Martin also developed guides for staff on responding effectively to student concerns, providing a safe environment for students to voice their issues.
“This initiative aimed to provide a safe environment for students to voice their issues and ensure those concerns were appropriately addressed,” she says.
Two core themes drive Professor Martin’s teaching: creating an inclusive, supportive learning environment and challenging students to expand their understanding of engineering beyond technology.
“As a woman in engineering, I have a deep desire that the next generation of women have a different experience than I had, so it’s just a constant effort to try to make UC engineering more inclusive for diverse people from all different backgrounds, different ways of life and identities.”
Professor Martin says she checks in with students at the beginning of class, asking how they are doing and encouraging them to share their feelings.
“Additionally, I consider the varied experiences of my students – some are adult learners, others are recent high school graduates, and students’ prior experiences with engineering differ widely. Recognising these diverse pathways is essential,” she says.
Professor Martin’s favourite assessment involves students exploring the future use of emerging wireless communications technology, considering its political, social, and environmental implications, and debating whether it should be pursued.
“The answers and the variety of ideas I get are really exciting,” she says.
“For me the UC Teaching Medal recognises about 20 years of service and a passion for creating incredible environments for our students to grow and learn.”
The prestigious 2024 UC Teaching Medal is the University’s highest award for teaching excellence.
