Engineering organization seeks new solutions to big issues.

The Engineering Research Visioning Alliance has an ambitious goal to influence the future of engineering while helping to change its face.

The organization, founded by the National Science Foundation in April to unite the diverse voices of the engineering community in pursuit of innovative research and problem-solving, recently relocated its headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Columbia. Funded by the NSF, EVRA's founding partners include members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research/Institutional Development Award Foundation, and the University Industry Demonstration Partnership.

ERVA named its first executive director last month. Jennifer Carinci, who has a background steeped in STEM education research, is passionate about expanding the reach of science, technology, engineering and math fields to all demographics. Carinci, who holds master's and doctoral degrees in education from Johns Hopkins University with a focus in teacher development and leadership, brings an interdisciplinary approach to ERVA and the issues it is tackling some of which may not be ones the average person would immediately associate with engineering.

Soon after being named executive director Sept. 1, Carinci explained ERVA's mission and vision to the Columbia Regional Business Report.

CRBR: Tell us a little about what ERVA's goals are.

JC: It's really a first-of-its-kind engineering research visioning organization, which is really exciting. I love building things. I had an opportunity earlier in my career to be an inaugural researcher director at an accreditor which was kind of a novel position there, but I love being able to build and shape things, especially things that are interdisciplinary.

CRBR: That seems to fit in with your background, which includes your previous position at the American Association for the Advancement of Science and managed NSF-funded national initiatives.

JC: I do have a background in education and I really enjoy convergence across disciplines, which I think that ERVA really allows us to do. We have a really exciting group of advisory members, 36 Standing Council members from different disciplines of engineering. We're really looking to bring the engineering community together with one voice to identify bold, new research directions.

CRBR: What issues will ERVA be tackling first?

JC: We have our first visioning event set for Dec. 7 and 8. The topic of that is the Role of Engineering in...