Logan • A Utah State University professor who studies factors that can hinder diverse students in engineering education is being honored by the White House.
Assistant Professor Idalis Villanueva will receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, which honors junior faculty doing innovative research.
Utah State officials say she studies education in engineering, which has a relatively low student-retention rate. She specifically looks at how to spot and eliminate hidden academic rules and social cues that are understood by dominant social groups, but not necessarily clear to people from different backgrounds.