Normal development of the mammary gland is a multidimensional process that is controlled in part by its mammary microenvironment. The mammary microenvironment is a defined location that encompasses mammary somatic stem cells, neighboring signaling cells, the basement membrane and extracellular matrix, mammary fibroblasts as well as the intercellular signals produced and received by these cells. These dynamic signals take numerous forms including growth factors, steroids, cell-cell or cell-basement membrane physical interactions. Cellular growth and differentiation of the mammary gland throughout the developmental stages are regulated by changes in these signals and interactions. The purpose of this review is to summarize current information and research regarding the role of the mammary microenvironment during normal glandular development.

Background: There is limited research exploring the experiences of engineering education scholars transitioning into faculty positions. It is an opportune time to explore these transitions because there is a growing number of scholars identifying with the community, a growing number of doctoral programs being developed, and growing interest in hiring people with engineering education expertise. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study is to examine the transitions experienced by our research team of early career engineering education faculty. We describe and systematically analyze our personal experiences to capture the significant events and isolating factors that impacted our transitions. Design/Method: We engaged in a multiphase, multi-method, longitudinal research design grounded in collaborative autoethnography and collaborative inquiry. We leveraged Transition Theory and a multiple case study approach to examine written reflections recorded monthly for two years and ultimately identify the incidents that were critical to defining our experiences within our new roles. Results: While we each held positions in different institutional contexts, we found ourselves negotiating our legitimacy as faculty members, researchers, educators, and administrators. Three themes emerged: 1) understanding the expectations of our roles, 2) establishing our visibility, and 3) fulfilling our own purpose within our institutions. In response to these experiences, we sought support from others within our institutional context and among the engineering education community. Yet, the success of this support-seeking strategy varied across our group. Conclusions: The results of this work signify a need to support early career engineering education scholars in the development of local support networks as well as in their attempts to negotiate their legitimacy in faculty positions. Continued education of administrators and faculty members on the differences between engineering education research and scholarship will be helpful in ensuring that early career engineering education faculty have the support and resources necessary to succeed as researchers and educational change agents.

Lisa Benson is an Associate Professor of Engineering and Science Education at Clemson University, with a joint appointment in Bioengineering. Her research focuses on the interactions between student motivation and their learning experiences. Her projects involve the study of student perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards becoming engineers and scientists, and their problem solving processes. Other projects in the Benson group include effects of student-centered active learning, self-regulated learning, and incorporating engineering into secondary science and mathematics classrooms. Her education includes a B.S. Identifying Factors That Enhance Undergraduate Engineering Students' Global Preparedness AbstractThe increasingly global scope of engineering requires both academic and industry stakeholders to seek engineering graduates who work effectively with peers from diverse national and cultural backgrounds. As a consequence, U.S. engineering programs are challenged to include international perspectives and experiences through a variety of approaches including curricular and co-curricular activities. Yet, research has not provided sufficient evidence about the types and programmatic components of such learning experiences that best promote the preparation of engineering students for the global workforce. This paper offers findings from the second phase of a multi-university research project, aimed at delineating how particular experiences and their components are associated with engineering students' global preparedness. Using two established assessment instruments, the Global Perspective Inventory (GPI) and the Engineering Global Preparedness Index (EGPI) for measuring outcomes related to global learning, the study investigated a sample of 185 undergraduate engineering students from three universities. Results from relational and predictive statistical analyses indicate that participation in such experiences as study abroad, engineering/non-engineering-focused service learning; engineering/nonengineering courses with a global focus, and personal tourism are associated with increased global preparedness. Further, students' performance on the instruments was found to be correlated with particular programmatic elements of the experiences such as duration of study abroad, the number of non-engineering courses students took with global foci, number of times traveled abroad, and the amount of student reflection that occurred during or after travelling abroad. The study broadens the knowledge base about contextual factors associated with engineering global preparedness.

In this work-in-progress, we will illustrate how we used two collaborative, qualitative research methods to narrate the experiences of six engineering education researchers (EERs) as we transition into new faculty roles within the EER community. To explore this phenomenon, we developed a community of practice where we shared our experiences and informed our practice through written reflections and weekly meetings. Using the Q3 qualitative research framework as a guide for establishing procedures, we combined elements from collaborative autoethnography and collaborative inquiry to narrate our experiences. We analyzed a subset of our first semester reflections to understand the challenges we faced in our new positions and support we received from our weekly meetings. We found the time management of teaching, research, and service to be overarching challenges. Additionally, the support from our weekly meetings provided a sense of community and place to receive advice to address these and other challenges. We found that the proposed collaborative qualitative research methodology was useful for not only exploring the experiences of new faculty, but also supporting the development of EERs.

Dr. Bodnar's research interests relate to the incorporation of active learning techniques in undergraduate classes as well as integration of innovation and entrepreneurship into the engineering curriculum. In particular, she is interested in the impact that these tools can have on student perception of the classroom environment, motivation and learning outcomes. She obtained her certification as a Training and Development Professional (CTDP) from the Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD) in 2010, providing her with a solid background in instructional design, facilitation and evaluation.