Here is how we excel through leadership
Moore and Burke take the lead in equity and inclusion, student affairs
Faculty members Kristen Moore (left) and Kevin Burke (right) have been elevated to School of Engineering and Applied Sciences leadership.
Moore has been named the school’s first associate dean for equity and inclusion, a role in which she will develop faculty, student, and staff training; collect data regarding justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) initiatives; develop mentoring programs; and develop policy and practice around equity and inclusion.
Burke has been named associate dean for student affairs. In this role, he will oversee student scholarships, events and activities, including the school’s Pledge to Professionalism ceremony and commencement.
Advancing inclusive excellence
Moore is an associate professor in the Department of Engineering Education. Her research is focused on applied equity and inclusion, with a particular emphasis on technical communication and engineering education. She has authored or co-authored numerous award-winning articles and chapters on equity, inclusion, and justice, as well as the recent book, “Technical Communication After the Social Justice Turn: Building Coalitions for Action,” which won the 2021 Best Book in Scientific and Technical Communication from the National Council of Teachers of English.
Her commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is best exemplified in her work as chair of the school’s JEDI Committee. She has produced meaningful and practical resources for the SEAS community to advance its approach to equity, diversity and inclusion, including creating the Engineering Justice Across the Curriculum initiative to integrate social impact more directly into the engineering curriculum and extend inclusive pedagogies across the school; organizing the JEDI Micro-Grant Program to support faculty development; and serving as an investigator on the Engineering Design and Innovation Scholars Program, which is funded by a $1.5 million NSF grant to improve retention and graduation rates of high-achieving, low-income students pursuing STEM degrees.
The next advocate for student success
Burke is an associate professor of teaching and co-director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Electrical Engineering. His research and academic interests include insulation systems, energy and power management, partial discharge analysis, robotics, the use of non-thermal plasma on cancer cells, and engineering education. A member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Burke has co-authored numerous publications for IEEE refereed conference and journal publications.
Burke volunteers his time with numerous student advocacy and education organizations and initiatives, including Tech Savvy, founded by the American Association of University Women Buffalo Branch; Buffalo Engineering Awareness for Minorities (BEAM); the UB National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) chapter and New York Space Grant STEM Fair; and the National Grid STEM Mentoring Program, offered to Westminster Community Charter School students in Buffalo through a partnership with SEAS. He has also served as an advisor and mentor to the IEEE UB Student Chapter, UB Robotics, and UB Space Bulls Robo-Ops Team.
