GCOE Selects Inaugural Engineering Pathways Faculty

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The Engineering Pathways Program in the Gallogly College of Engineering at OU is creating new opportunities for engineering students starting this fall. Eight world-class faculty who are experts in engineering education and in technical areas of engineering research have been hired to provide student academic education and support. The faculty were hired to help address Oklahoma's growing need for engineers. 

Serving as program director is Susan Walden, Ph.D., an American Society for Engineering Education Fellow.

New faculty members will be housed in the McCasland Foundation Engineering Pathways Hub in historic Felgar Hall. They are:

Tierney Harvey, Ph.D., EP Assistant Professor

Harvey earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Virginia and a doctorate in civil and environmental engineering focusing on hydrology and fluid dynamics from Duke University. Before joining OU, she was an instructor and first-year engineering coordinator in the Engineering and Physics Department at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Casey Haskins, M.A., EP Math Catalyst and Math Retention Instructor

Haskins holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees, both in mathematics. She is a doctoral student in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education at OU. She recently served as the college algebra coordinator in the OU Department of Mathematics. Her research interests focus on emotions in problem-solving for first-year students who have been historically excluded from the STEM field. 

Javeed Kittur, Ph.D., EP Assistant Professor 

Kittur received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering, and a doctorate in engineering education from Arizona State University. His research interests include data analytics in engineering education and the persistence of online students.

Brian McSkimming, Ph.D., EP Assistant Professor

Most recently, McSkimming was a research scientist at the University at Buffalo studying the epistemological development of undergraduate engineering students. He currently serves as an assistant editor for the Journal of Engineering Education. He holds a doctorate in materials science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a bachelor’s in mathematics from the University at Buffalo.

Jude Okolie, Ph.D., EP Assistant Professor 

Before joining OU, Okolie was a Postdoctoral Fellow and sessional lecturer in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. His research interest is in renewable natural gas production from agricultural residues and the application of machine learning to optimize biofuel production processes. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Benin; a master’s degree from Imperial College London; a master’s degree in materials and sustainable energy from Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia; and a doctorate in chemical and biological engineering from the University of Saskatchewan.

Dominique Pittenger, Ph.D., EP Assistant Professor

Pittenger serves as director of the OU Women in Engineering program. She earned a doctorate in engineering with a focus on civil engineering and construction from OU. She has taught classes, conducted research and mentored students in local, national and international engineering programs for over 14 years. 

Allison Quiroga, Ph.D., EP Assistant Professor

Before joining EP, Quiroga was the Engineering Summer Bridge Program coordinator in the GCOE Diversity and Inclusion Program. She was a volunteer and member of the National Organization of Alpha Sigma Kappa – Women in Technical Studies. She earned a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering, a master’s in civil engineering and a doctorate from OU. Before rejoining GCOE, she practiced geotechnical engineering at an Oklahoma City firm.

Kim Wolfinbarger, Ph.D., EP Assistant Professor

Wolfinbarger is the founding director of the Jerry Holmes Leadership Program for Engineers and Scientists at OU. She designs and delivers leadership development curricula tailored to the needs of collegiate engineering and applied science students. Her research focuses on leadership development and teamwork among engineering and applied science students. Before establishing JHLP, she worked for the OU School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. She holds a doctorate in industrial and systems engineering, a master’s degree in industrial engineering and a bachelor’s degree in marketing, all from OU.

By Lorene A. Roberson, OU Gallogly College of Engineering





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