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Dr. Priya Deshpande, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Opus College of Engineering, has been honored as a 2025 Engineering Unleashed Fellow by the Kern Family Foundation. This esteemed national recognition was awarded to 29 faculty members representing 23 institutions across the United States. The award highlights educators who exhibit exceptional leadership in enhancing undergraduate engineering education and who exemplify the entrepreneurial mindset promoted by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN).
Deshpande earned this recognition for her work to redesign Marquette University’s undergraduate database design course and share her experience and ideas with engineering educators across the country. Her project transforms the course into a platform for entrepreneurial learning through gamified modules, real-world case studies and stakeholder-driven capstone projects. This approach equips students to connect technical skills with societal impact, preparing them to become proactive problem solvers who create meaningful value beyond the classroom.
As part of the fellowship, Deshpande will receive national recognition across KEEN, a $10,000 grant to advance her project and opportunities to collaborate with a network of Fellows nationwide. Her work is expected to directly impact undergraduate students at Marquette and extend its reach to peer institutions through publications, workshops and the Engineering Unleashed online platform.
This is the second year in a row that Marquette has been named among the Engineering Unleashed Fellows.
