Professor Jason Foster

Research

My research is most broadly described as engineering education and philosophy of engineering. Within these broad areas I am exploring how to increase both their rigour and their practicality (their “praxis”, to use a formal term).

At a meta-level, I am exploring “Research Through Design”, which is using design as a means of researching other topics. So in a sense I am researching a new way to do research.

Some of the research projects that I am pursuing (in no particular order) include:

Design Tool Use in Small-to-Medium Enterprises

In their undergradaute education, engineering students learn many engineering design tools to (e.g.) choose design alternatives; document requirements; and, manage their projects. This research explores whether these tools are in fact useful “in industry” and specifically in the smaller companies that make up the majority of the Canadian economy. The specific approach I am using is to leverage CO-OP students as field researchers.

A Coherent and Connected Engineering Requirements Model

In their engineering design courses, undergraduate engineering students are exposed to various models of engineering requirements (e.g. stakeholders, objectives, constraints, etc.) These models are inconsistent within the engineering design community, and perhaps more important were also developed without reference to the work done in other disciplines (e.g. metrology, multi-criteria decision making (MCDM), etc.) This research is intended to address the lack of rigour and the internal focus of engineering requirements models.

Open Source (Desktop) Lab Equipment

Schools with limited budgets, especially those in remote locations, may find it difficult to obtain lab equipment that meets their space and budget needs. Most commercial lab or experiment equipment is specialized and not user-serviceable or user-modifiable. This project will change that.

Graduate Students

I am currently taking on new graduate students. If you are intersted in engineering education or engineering design (which can include everything from philosophy of engineering through to designing open source hardware and software) and you have some of the following attributes, then please contact me.

• You believe that it’s important to add rigour to things that have been historically treated in a more laissez-faire manner.
• You believe that the Oxford Comma is the one true way to punctuate.
• You hold yourself to account to do things “the right way” (occasionally to a fault).
• You can recognize when it’s the right time ask for help and when it’s the right time to forge ahead.
• You are comfortable professionally disagreeing with others, including your supervisor (or others in positions of authority).

My approach to student supervision is based on a junior colleague / collaborator model. As in all human interactions, adapting to people and their personalities, goals, and needs is key.