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09/2025

SEFI NEWSLETTER

Monthly news feed about engineering education in Europe and overseas

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ANNUAL CONFERENCE

SEFI 2025 Annual Conference

The SEFI 2025 Annual Conference, held at Tampere University in Finland this year, reflected on the topic of "Engineering and Society". With over 400 participants from more than 40 countries — half of them attending for the first time — and more than 240 presentations, we hope everyone left inspired and full of fresh ideas to carry forward until we meet again. Check out the highlights below!

  • Watch the recordings of the keynotes here.
  • And the full photo gallery, available to download here. 

Save the date! in 2026 the Annual Conference will be hosted by Czech Technical University in Prague between 7–10 September 2026. More details will be available on www.sefi2026.eu soon!

SEFI AWARDS

Celebrating excellence in engineering education

Leonardo da Vinci Award

SEFI’s highest distinction, was awarded to Arnold Pears (KTH Royal Institute of Technology). This medal honours individuals whose contributions to engineering education have had a profound international impact.

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Maffioli Award

Tom Børsen (Aalborg University) and Fiona Truscott (UCL) were awarded the Francesco Maffioli Award—one of SEFI’s highest honours. This award celebrates open-minded innovation in teaching, curriculum design, and student learning, continuing the legacy of Prof. Francesco Maffioli.

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SEFI Fellowship

The SEFI Fellowship Award celebrates collegiality, mentorship, and service, and may be awarded to individuals or groups whose contributions reflect the values and mission of SEFI.

  • Christian Kautz (Hamburg University of Technology) - was unfortunately not able to come to the conference.
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Best Paper Awards

Best Research Paper: Sandra Ireri Cruz Moreno, Shannon Chance (Technological University Dublin) - Evolving gender dynamics in teamwork experiences among female engineering students in PBL settings



Best Practice Paper: Ruth Fisher, Divya Jayakumar Nair, Javier Videlo Mario, Shamim Aryampa (University of New South Wales) - Reviewing Reviews: Using multistage peer reviews to provide feedback and improve student learning



Best Student Paper: Anup Shrestha, Julia Sundman, Sudeep Lamsal, Josias Láng-Ritter, Maija Taka, Olli Varis (Aalto University, Sagarmatha Engineering College) - ARE DISASTER-PRONE COUNTRIES’ UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS PREPARED? INSIGHTS FROM A CIVIL ENGINEERING PROGRAM IN NEPAL

Susanne Ihsen Award: Eva Murphy, Mary Nolan, Mary Carden, Colin Keogh, Lizbeth Goodman (ATU, Sapien Innovation, UCD) - INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN: EMBEDDING EDI IN ENGINEERING THROUGH DESIGN THINKING HACKATHONS

European Journal of Engineering Education Best Paper Award

The European Journal of Engineering Education (EJEE) Best Paper Award recognises scholarly quality and practical value in engineering education research. It highlights EJEE’s ongoing commitment to honouring outstanding accomplishments that advance both theory and practice in the field. This year the winning paper was:

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SEFI GENERAL ASSEMBLY

New President, Vice-president, Treasurer and Board Members

16 September 2025, Tampere University. The SEFI general assembly elected the new SEFI president, one Vice-president, Treasurer and five new Board Members, and re-elected two Board Members whose first mandate finished. They all take position today, 1 October 2025. Read the message from the new president here. 

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Emanuela Tilley, UCL, UK

SEFI President (2025-2027)

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Johanna Naukkarinen, Lappeenranta University of Technology, FI

SEFI Vice-president (2025-2028)

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Raffaella Manzini

Università Carlo Cattaneo - LIUC, IT

Treasurer

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Gabriela Achtenová

Czech Technical University in Prague, CZ

Board Member

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Patricia Caratozzolo

Tecnologico de Monterrey, MX

Board Member

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Matteo Di Benedetti

The University of Sheffield, UK

Board Member

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Christopher Smith

Glasgow Caledonian University, UK

Board Member

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Tatiana Vakhitova

ANSYS, US

Board Member

Congratulations to the reelected officers: Sonia Gomez Puente (Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, NL) and Wojciech Sitek (Silesian University of Technology, PL) as board members until 2028.



SEFI would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the Board Members and President who ended their mandate on 30 September.

  • Balázs Vince Nagy(Budapest University of Technology and Economics, HU)
  • Mihalache Ghinea (National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, RO)
  • Ramon Vilanova Arbos (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, ES)
  • Janusz Szpytko (AGH University of Krakow, PL)
  • Antoine Lanthony (ISAE-Supméca, FR)

And a special thanks to Klara Kövesi (ENSTA | Institut Polytechnique de Paris, FR) for her diligent stewardship, financial expertise, and unwavering commitment to the responsible management of the Society’s resources in your tenure as Treasurer. 



You can find the full composition of the SEFI board here.



We apologise for the error in listing Fiona Truscott as the Person of Trust. While she held this role during the SEFI 2025 Annual Conference, it was a temporary appointment and not a permanent position.

PARTNERSHIP

Memorandum of Understanding with IGIP

At the SEFI 2025 Annual Conference, International Society for Engineering Pedagogy (IGIP) represented by Tiia Rüütmann, and SEFI formalised a new partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement marks a shared commitment to enhancing the quality of higher engineering education, promoting innovation in teaching, and strengthening collaboration at both European and global levels.



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SEFI JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION ADVANCEMENT

Social Innovation in STEM Education for Grand Challenges

A new SEFI JEEA paper by Julia Berg-Postweiler and Carmen Leicht-Scholten from RWTH Aachen University, explores potential of interdisciplinary and socially oriented education in STEM fields, underscoring the need for curricular reform to better prepare students for addressing complex grand challenges.

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SEFI PODCAST

Season 7 Episode 1: The Board of European Students of Technology

In this episode, we aim to bridge the gap between engineering educators and students by going straight to the source—asking students what they really think. To explore this perspective, the hosts welcomed Katrijn Vandenborne, former President of BEST, and Nadica Koloska, Coordinator of the Educational Involvement Department at the Board of European Students of Technology (BEST).

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    SEFI@WORK

    Reporting Survey and Questionnaire Studies, Part 2

    Register now for Part 2 of the webinar series on Reporting Survey and Questionnaire Studies, hosted by the editorial team of the European Journal of Engineering Education (EJEE). This session will cover how to select and report descriptive statistics, use effect sizes and confidence intervals to highlight practical significance, and apply scientific language when presenting statistical results.

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      FROM MEMBERS

      ABET

      Launch of Recognition of Credentials

      ABET officially launched the Recognition of Credentials - a trusted validation service for today’s rapidly growing non-degree learning pathways, including micro-credentials, certificates, badges and professional training.

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              SEFI CALENDAR

              27–29 May 2026

              Gliwice, Poland

              Save the date! European Convention of Engineering Deans

              Silesian University of Technology

              7 - 10 September 2026

              Prague, Czech Republic

              Save the date! SEFI Annual Conference 2026

              Czech Technical University in Prague

              FROM PARTNERS

              CALL FOR PAPERS

              2026 American Society for Engineering Education

              The 2026 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, 21-24 June 2026. The abstract submission period ends on 15 October! ASEE is using the New Monolith (NEMO) as its paper management system. There are several stages of the submission process that require peer review.

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              INVITATION

              EUCEET 2025 - Teaching Gen Z Civil Engineers

              

              The European Civil Engineering Education and Training Association (EUCEET) Conference will take place between 16-17 October 2025 in Budapest. The theme of the conference is "Teaching Gen Z Civil Engineers", and SEFI is proud to support the event! Explore the programme here.

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              FROM EUROPEAN UNION

              Erasmus+ STEM scholarships

              

              Starting in 2028, the European Commission will launch targetted scholarships for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as part of the next Erasmus+ programme.

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