Rose-Hulman Faculty Earn KEEN and Grant Honors

Engineering students at Rose-Hulman gain new entrepreneurial programs as faculty receive national recognition and foundation funding.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Financial Aid

Rose-Hulman Faculty Earn KEEN and Grant Honors

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology faculty member Adel Alhalawani was named 2026 Campus KEEN Rising Star, one of 19 recipients nationwide. Separately, colleague Michelle Marincel Payne was named principal investigator for a Kern Family Foundation grant.

Why it matters

For students weighing engineering programs, faculty recognition and foundation-funded projects shape the kinds of educational experiences a school can offer. KEEN, a network of more than 70 undergraduate engineering programs, recognizes early-career faculty who focus on entrepreneurial mindset in teaching.

Eligibility for KEEN recognition is limited to faculty with less than a decade of experience, selected by their institution's KEEN leaders. Alhalawani will receive a commemorative trophy and certificate at the 2027 KEEN National Conference.

The players

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

A private engineering and science college in Terre Haute, Indiana, known for its undergraduate engineering focus.

KEEN

A network of more than 70 undergraduate engineering programs that promotes an entrepreneurial mindset in engineering education.

Kern Family Foundation

A foundation founded in 1999 that funds engineering education initiatives, including grants to undergraduate programs.

The details

Rose-Hulman's KEEN leaders choose the faculty nominees, and the national network then selects the Rising Star recipients. Payne, as principal investigator of the Kern Family Foundation grant, will develop educational projects under the Engineering Unleashed Ambassador program. For students, this means the faculty and programs they encounter in Terre Haute are part of a national effort to build entrepreneurial thinking into undergraduate engineering.

- 1999: The Kern Family Foundation is founded.
- 2020: Rose-Hulman begins receiving KEEN recognition, and has done so every year since.
- 2026: Alhalawani is named 2026 Campus KEEN Rising Star.
- 2027: Alhalawani is to receive a trophy and certificate at the 2027 KEEN National Conference.

Education Landscape

Engineering schools across the country compete for faculty and funding that support hands-on, entrepreneurial teaching. Rose-Hulman's steady KEEN recognition since 2020 places it within that national push to rethink undergraduate engineering education.

If you are considering engineering at Rose-Hulman, ask the admissions office how KEEN-recognized faculty and foundation-funded programs show up in the courses you would take. Students interested in project-based learning can also ask whether ambassador or outreach programs are open to undergraduates.

The takeaway

Recognition for faculty and grant funding can signal the teaching priorities of an engineering school. Before enrolling, ask the financial-aid or admissions office which programs your award would support.