Ashok Agrawal
Ashok Agrawal is the Dean of Math, Science, Engineering & Technology Division, and Director of the Emerson Center for Engineering & Manufacturing. His responsibilities include leading and administering a division that includes the departments of Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Engineering & Technology. Career and transfer programs offered by the division include AS degree programs in Engineering Science, Life Science, and Computer Science, and AAS degree and certificate programs in Biotechnology, Chemical Technology, Biomedical, Civil, Construction, Electrical, Electronics, Computer, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Plastics, Quality, and Telecommunications Engineering Technologies.
Prior to assuming the responsibilities of dean, Ashok was Professor and Chair of the Engineering and Technology Department at St. Louis Community College. He holds an MS degree in Materials Science, a second MS degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Kentucky, and a BS degree in Metallurgical Engineering from India. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of West Virginia. He has served as a program officer for engineering and Advance Technological Education programs at the National Science Foundation’s Division of Undergraduate Education.
He recently led a team of faculty and professional staff in planning and establishment of a $15 M advanced manufacturing center at the Florissant Valley campus. The center dedicated on November 22, 2004 is named “Emerson Center for Engineering and Manufacturing”. Development of the center involved a capital campaign and extensive partnerships with area businesses, professional societies, and government agencies.
He is the 2003 recipient of the David L. Underwood Lecture Award, and the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He was awarded the 1996 Fredrick J. Berger Award for Excellence in Engineering Technology Education by the American Society for Engineering Education. The League for Innovation in the Community Colleges has recognized Ashok twice as Innovator of the Year.
Ashok currently serves on the National Science Foundation’s Committee on Equal Opportunity for Science and Engineering. He has also served on the National Academy of Engineering’s Committee on Community College Role in Engineering Education and National Research Council's Board on Engineering Education.
He received a fellowship from the Japan Society for Promotion of Science to visit Japanese technical schools and universities, some selected industries and their educational programs. He led a team of experts for the National Science Foundation to study the technician education system in Germany, and has also visited technical schools and industries in Brazil and Mexico.
Currently Ashok and his colleagues are leading the effort to establish St. Louis Regional Engineering Academy for St. Louis area schools which includes implementation of Project Lead The Way engineering curriculum. He is also serving on the State Leadership Team for implementation of the Project Lead The Way curriculum.
He and his academic unit have received several NSF grants, which includes funds to establish a Basic Technology Concepts Laboratory to promote understanding of basic science and engineering principles for under-prepared students, hosting robotics workshops for K-12 teachers, and a $650,000 Gateway to Manufacturing Excellence grant to promote manufacturing education. Ashok and colleagues received a $600,000 grant for College Career Transition Initiative from the League of Innovation in Community Colleges, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. He currently serves on the advisory board of several NSF funded projects to improve engineering technology programs.
He has been a member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the Engineering Technology Division (ETD) for over 25 years. He has served as the program chair for the Engineering Technology Division of American Society for Engineering Education's annual conference and the Conference for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC). Ashok also led a team that hosted the 1996 Engineering Technology Leadership Institute (ETLI) in St. Louis. He has served on the ETLI Executive Committee for three years, was a member of the International and Federal Liaison Committees of the Engineering Technology Council, and was Vice-Chair of the Engineering Technology Division of ASEE for 1996-97. He served on the Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC) of ABET for ten years; serving on the TAC Executive Committee for five of those ten years.
Prior to joining St. Louis Community College, he was associate professor and Chair of Department of Engineering Technology at West Virginia Institute of Technology.
In his local community Ashok served on the Chesterfield Community Development Corporation Board. He also was the chair of the Tax Increment Financing Commission for the city of Chesterfield. He has served as the president of the Citizens' Advisory Council to the Parkway School District's Board of Education and the district's Science Advisory Board. He currently serves on the planning team of the St. Louis Region FIRST Robotics Competition and the FIRST Lego League Competition. While in West Virginia, he served on several community and business organization boards, including the West Virginia Mining Safety Technical Review Committee, the Energy Task Force of Governor Gaston Caperton's campaign committee, and served as president of the India Association of the Greater Charleston area.