Education
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 2000
M.S.E., Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 1995
B.E., Mechanical Engineering, minor in Technology & Society, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1988
Contact Information
512-232-5804
tjconn@austin.utexas.edu
Tom Connolly
Program Coordinator
Dr. Thomas Connolly is a program coordinator on the Higher Education Team at the Charles A. Dana Center. His work involves the reform of developmental mathematics via the development of curricular pathways that guide students into college-level mathematics courses that are relevant to their academic and career aspirations. In addition to the development and planning of Statistics and STEM pathways, Dr. Connolly works on the development of data analysis and implementation tools to facilitate the adoption of these pathways in community college systems.
Prior to joining the Dana Center, Dr. Connolly served for nine years on the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio, where he taught classes in Dynamic Systems Modeling, Control Theory, Computer Programming, Structural Dynamics, and Computerized Data Acquisition. In addition to his basic research in dynamic systems modeling and simulation, Dr. Connolly established the first research programs in Engineering Education at UT San Antonio, under the auspices of the National Science Foundation. These programs, which developed innovative instructional design approaches for increasing the relevance and efficacy of laboratory courses, included novel applications of lean computing and data acquisition technologies to merge lecture-based and kinesthetic learning experiences to improve retention, concept mastery, and creativity. During his time at UT San Antonio, Dr. Connolly also served as a mentor to historically underrepresented students who aspired to STEM fields of study and careers, as part of the National Science Foundation's Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) initiative.
In 2004, Dr. Connolly spent a semester abroad as a Visiting Lecturer and Scholar in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The Boğaziçi (Bosphorus) University in Istanbul, Turkey.
Prior to his graduate studies, Dr. Connolly worked for five years as a systems integration engineer on several Department of Defense and NASA programs, including the B-2 Stealth Bomber, the Space Shuttle, and the Space Station.