Who we are

Lisa D. McNair is a Professor of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech and Deputy Executive Director of the Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology (ICAT). From 2018 to 2023 she was Director of the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts (CENI), the education, outreach, and engagement arm of ICAT. She has held leadership positions in the university’s interdisciplinary initiatives and served as Assistant Department Head of Graduate Programs and Chair of the Promotion & Tenure Committee in the VT Engineering Education department. In 2013 she began training as a sculptor and stone carver with Bob Lockhart and Darcy Meeker and applies this experience to both her art and to collaborative education. 

Her funded NSF projects have included revolutionizing the culture of the VT ECE department, identifying practices in intentionally inclusive Maker spaces, and exploring professional identity development in Civil Engineering students with disabilities. She is currently conducting ethnographic research on historical and social forces shaping cold climate building projects in Alaskan housing; building an NEA Research Center at Virginia Tech;  and beginning a collaborative project with researchers from the arts, neuroscience, and immersive technologies to bridge physical and disciplinary distances. 

Her overarching goal is to create learning experiences that are research-informed and that combine perspectives within and beyond the university. Her work in CENI focuses on building networks between the university and multiple community sectors and supporting engagement in science, engineering, arts, and design. In addition to directing 11 PhD dissertations and serving on an additional 17 PhD committees, Dr. McNair has funded and mentored 6 post-graduate scholars (5 PhD, 1 MFA) with a range of professional accomplishments and goals, including scholars seeking tenure-track positions as well as academic and industry-based administrative careers.  

She earned a PhD in Linguistics at the University of Chicago, and an M.A. and B.A. in English at the University of Georgia. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6654-2337

Adam S. Masters is a graduate student at Virginia Tech (VT) simultaneously pursuing a Ph.D. in Engineering Education and a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. They hold two Graduate Certificates from VT, one in Higher Education Administration and another in Human-Centered Design. Prior to attending VT, they earned a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware (UD), worked for DuPont as a Global Business Product Steward, and advised the UD Society of Women Engineers student section.

Masters studies issues of access, equity, and inclusion in engineering education research, spaces, and curriculum using qualitative methodological approaches such as ethnography, participatory action research, and autoethnography. Along with their co-authors, Masters received the William Elgin Wickenden Award in 2022 for their JEE article on the impact of positionality on engineering education research.

Masters has diverse teaching experiences, ranging from 1-on-1 coaching to co-teaching large classes. As a Writing Coach at the VT Writing Center, they specialize in coaching STEM graduate students on theses/dissertations, conference papers, journal manuscripts, and job materials. As a Graduate Assistant for “Graduate Student Success in Multicultural Environments” (GSSME), Masters made major contributions to the development of the course’s curriculum and assessments, and co-taught 900 students. Masters received the VT Presidential Principles of Community Award in 2021, VT SSD’s Access and Inclusion Award in 2022, and VT’s Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Award in 2023 for their contributions to GSSME, inclusive pedagogical practices, and commitment to accessibility.

Masters also has an impressive service record, for which they received VT's Graduate Student Service Excellence Award in 2021. Masters has tirelessly advocated for trans inclusion and accessible, safe facilities at VT since 2016, and has served on numerous university committees focused on these goals. Masters’s work and leadership have directly led to policy changes, the construction of all-gender restrooms in numerous previously-inaccessible buildings, as well as a financial commitment from VT for the construction of dozens more all-gender restrooms on campus.