Improving Middle-School Girls’ Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Interests in ‘Sustainable Construction Engineering’ through a STEAM ACTIVATED! program

Dr. Ofori-Boadu is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Built Environment at North Carolina A & T State University. Her research interests are in bio-modified cements, sustainable development, and STEM education. Dr. Ofori-Boadu has served in various capacities on research and service projects, including Principal Investigator for two most recent grants from the Engineering Information Foundation (EIF) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Andrea has various levels of affiliations with the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), Association of Technology Management and Applied Engineering (ATMAE), the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE), and the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International (AACEI). Furthermore, Dr. Ofori-Boadu serves on several departmental, college, university, and industry committees. She has also served as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation (NSF), Journal of Construction Engineering and Management (JCEM), American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), American Society of Engineering Management (ASEM), and the Association of Technology Management and Applied Engineering (ATMAE). In 2017, Dr. Ofori-Boadu received both the College of Science and Technology (CoST) Rookie Research Excellence Award and the North Carolina A & T State University (NCAT) Rookie Research Excellence Award. She also received the Teaching Excellence Award for the Department of Built Environment. Under her mentorship, Dr. Ofori-Boadu’s students have presented 10 research posters at various NCAT Undergraduate Research Symposia resulting in her receiving a 2017 Certificate of Recognition for Undergraduate Research Mentoring. She was also selected as a 2018 National Science Foundation NC A & T ADVANCE IT Faculty Scholar. She has received $170,000 to support her teaching, research, and outreach projects. Overall, Dr. Ofori-Boadu’s research work has resulted in 1 book publication, 12 publications in peer-reviewed journals, 5 conference proceedings, 3 manuscripts under conditional acceptance, 4 accepted abstracts, 29 presentations at national conferences, and 27 poster sessions. In 2016, her paper to the Built Environment Project and Asset Management journal was recognized as the 2016 Highly Commended Paper. In 2015, Dr. Ofori-Boadu established her STEM ACTIVATED! program for middle-school girls in Guilford county. She has also worked with the STEM of the Triad home-schooled children at Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 2017, Dr. Ofori-Boadu established the REAL Professional Development Network for developing the leadership, networking, and other soft skills of undergraduate students at NCAT. She is married to Victor Ofori-Boadu and they are blessed with three wonderful children.