Dr. marjan eggermont

You May Find Yourself Living in Another Part of the World

Core Areas of Investigation

Practice as Research

Trained as a printmaker, I'm interested in materials and transformative processes. Early on I found I was more interested in the metal plates from which etchings were made than the resulting prints. This has led to investigating other materials including steel, copper, concrete, acrylic and ceramics. Through the course of my career, I have dealt with issues of identity. No longer feeling entirely Dutch nor Canadian, as an artist in an engineering world and a scientific mind in the arts, I explore a sense of place and through the work, attempt to create a world onto itself. See 'Work' for more.

Education as Research

As a professor (teaching) in an engineering school, I work on engineering education research (EER): an interdisciplinary field focused on understanding how engineers learn, how engineering learning environments can be improved, and how educational systems can better prepare students for the realities of engineering practice. See Publications for more and my take on EER as an artist.

Bio-inspired design as research

My research focuses on design practices and processes (design praxiology) and an adaptable bio-inspired design method that is the outcome of 15 years of engaging in reflective inquiry. My reflective inquiry aligns most closely with that of Schön's (1991) reflection-in-action: I tend to reflect on teaching as it happens, observing students closely and asking for immediate feedback. With each iteration of a project or course, I build on previous experiences, update material continuously, and link it to current and future practice both in research and in teaching (reflection-on-action). See Research for more.