Karen Haberstroh named Director of Undergraduate Programs for School of Engineering

Professor Karen Haberstroh has been named the director of undergraduate programs at the School of Engineering at Brown University for the 2011-12 academic year.

“As a former undergraduate engineer at Brown and a professor who has excelled at teaching the introductory Engin 3 course to first semester freshmen, Karen is well-suited to this important role,” said Larry Larson, Dean of the School of Engineering.

Haberstroh is the Director of STEM Outreach and an Assistant Professor of Research (Engineering) at Brown. Prior to joining the University, she served as an assistant professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University.

Her degrees are in biomedical engineering from Brown University (Sc.B., 1995) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (M.S., 1996; Ph.D., 2000). Prof. Haberstroh's research addresses the use of novel nano-structured polymeric materials in soft tissue engineering applications.

In addition to her research accomplishments, Dr. Haberstroh is dedicated to engineering and science education, and especially focuses on novel methods of education geared towards increasing the percentages of females and minorities in various physical science fields. Finally, she has worked to build connections between the Providence Public School system and Brown University, so that students in the rising generation might consider futures in science.