Lisa G. Bullard

History of an ASEE Fellow

Lisa G. Bullard

As of May 27, 2020

Birthplace: Raleigh, NC

Birthdate: July 17, 1964

Family: Husband Michael and daughter Meredith

Education:

BS Chemical Engineering, NC State University (1986)
PhD Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (1991)

Employment:

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (April 2000 to present)

• Teaching Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies (July 2011 – present) • Teaching Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies (July 2007 – June 2011) • Teaching Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies (July 2005 – June 2007) • Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies (July 2002 – June 2005) • Visiting Assistant Professor (April 2000 - June 2002)

Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, TN (December 1991 to April 2000)

Business Market Manager (October 1999 - April 2000)
Business Process Improvement (January 1999 - September 1999)
Chairman's Quality Assessor (July 1998 - December 1998)
Group Leader for Civil/Structural/Architectural Group (June 1997 - June 1998)
Process Engineering, Engineering & Construction Division (December 1991 - May 1997)

Research and Scholarship

My research interests lie in the area of educational scholarship, including teaching and advising effectiveness, academic integrity, process design instruction, and organizational culture.

R.M. Felder, R.W. Rousseau, and L.G. Bullard, Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes. 4th Edition Hoboken: Wiley. 2016. Print. Additional on-line resources, including reading questions, autogradable end of chapter problems, and videos are available on WileyPLUS.

Philosophy of Engineering Education

As one who entered the teaching profession after nearly ten years of industrial practice at Eastman Chemical Company, I carefully considered my gifts and abilities and their suitability for teaching as a career. While preparing to teach, I reflected on the characteristics of those influential teachers from high school, college, and graduate school who have had such a profound effect on my life and my career. I identified those characteristics that I wanted to emulate, I sought training from the best teachers in the engineering profession, and I developed a philosophy of my own which complements my own personality and professional experience.

• Engaged. After seeing Richard Felder demonstrate the effective use of active and cooperative learning in the classroom environment, I will never go back to the traditional lecturing approach. My class time is characterized by periods of lecture interspersed with students solving problems, answering questions, formulating questions of their own, discussing, explaining, or brainstorming during class. Outside the classroom, students work in teams on problems and projects under conditions that assure both positive interdependence and individual accountability.

• Enthusiastic. When facing bleary-eyed, yawning students at 8:05AM, enthusiasm is key. This is something that can’t be faked; it comes from a genuine belief that the subject matter is important and a sincere desire to have the students learn the material. In addition, I make it a point to learn each student’s name by the second or third week. It’s much harder to skip class when the instructor knows your name and has a personal interest in your presence.

• Experienced. As a newly minted PhD having just completed a thesis in the area of computer-aided design, it seemed ludicrous to me that I should immediately begin to teach having never done any engineering design. In my career at Eastman Chemical, I deliberately sought exposure to many facets of engineering, including equipment design, process simulation, economic analysis, supervisory and team leadership roles, quality management, and business management. As a result, I have confidence and credibility in teaching process design and other chemical engineering courses because I have practiced the art.

• Easy to talk to. It’s easy to forget how intimidating a “professor” can be to a freshman, or even to a senior. I try to put students at ease by being approachable and easy to talk to. I’m one of the few faculty in our department who keeps her office door open. My first words to an entering student are, “How can I help you?” My office is comfortable and personal, filled with artwork done by my 6-year old daughter, family photographs, and characterized most notably by a beautiful Amish rocking chair. At first, students are tentative about sitting in the rocking chair, but as they nestle into its comfortable curves, they visibly relax and open up about their questions or problems. I want my students to know that I welcome their questions and concerns and will address them with respect.

• Expectations. I set clear expectations in the classroom and hold students accountable for their performance. Course objectives as well as detailed study guides for each exam clearly outline what the student should be able to do. Classroom management details, such as deadlines for turning in assignments and attendance requirements, are provided upfront so that students understand the consequences of not meeting those expectations. I find that when expectations are clear, most students will rise to the occasion.

• Excellence. I strive to provide clear, complete, and creative class notes for students’ use. As much as possible, I work to incorporate practical, real-life examples in the course content and address the students’ varied learning styles through deliberate choice of lecture content and in-class exercises. Assignments are returned promptly with appropriate feedback. Course materials are well organized and made available on the class web site. These aspects of the job can sometimes be overwhelming, especially in a first-time course offering. However, it’s important to me that the students have the best classroom materials and experience that I can provide.

• Experimental. As I continue to learn and grow as a teacher, I want to avoid the temptation of getting comfortable with the material and rolling out the same content year after year. My involvement with the NSF Action Agenda has stretched my perspective regarding the ways that teaming, writing, and speaking can be incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum. Multidisciplinary design teams present new challenges that must be addressed. I am considering the role of process simulation in the curriculum and how it can best be taught. New web-based technology presents innovative ways to present course content. I want to continue to try new approaches and technologies within the classroom so that my teaching doesn’t become stale.

• Example. I want to serve as a role model of professional demeanor and performance to my students by the way that I speak, dress, resolve conflicts, interact with individuals, and serve the department. I am especially conscious of my role as a mentor to female students – a model that was not available to me as an undergraduate when there were no female professors in my department. I want these young women to know that they can practice engineering and still have a family and a life outside of their profession. As someone who has taken time off to have a child, worked part-time, and chosen assignments that allowed me more flexibility during various times during my career, I can assure students that work and family can be balanced successfully. To maintain this balance in my own life, I scrupulously evaluate new “opportunities” and avoid becoming overcommitted to activities that do not contribute to my primary mission of teaching and advising undergraduates.

ASEE Activities

ASEE Leadership/Service

Team member for ASEE Southeast Regional Meeting, 2018-19
Team member for the ASEE Chemical Engineering Faculty Summer School, 2017
Chair of ASEE Chemical Engineering Division, 2015-16
ASEE Chemical Engineering Division Director, 2011 – 2013
Awards Committee, Chemical Engineering Division, ASEE, 2010 – 2013

ASEE Awards

ASEE Fellow (2019)
Joseph J. Martin Award, presented by the Chemical Engineering Division of ASEE annually for the best paper presented (and published in the proceedings) of the Annual Conference, with Matthew Cooper, Steven Peretti, and David Ollis (co-authors) (2013)
ASEE Southeast Section Mid-Career Teaching Award (2013)
Joseph J. Martin Award, presented by the Chemical Engineering Division of ASEE annually for the best paper presented (and published in the proceedings) of the Annual Conference, with Jason Keith, David Silverstein, and Donald Visco (co-authors) (2010)
ASEE Raymond W. Fahien Award (2010)
ASEE Graduate Studies Division Best Student Paper award, with Adam Melvin (co-author) (2008)
Joseph J. Martin Award, presented by the Chemical Engineering Division of ASEE annually for the best paper presented (and published in the proceedings) of the Annual Conference, with Richard Felder (co-author) (2008)
ASEE Southeastern Section New Teacher Award (2004)
ASEE-ERM Apprentice Faculty Grant Award (2003)

Other Professional Activities:

American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), 2002 – present
American Institute for Chemical Engineers (AIChE), 1987 – present
Tau Beta Pi, 1984 – present; President of NC Alpha Chapter, 1985-86