# Research Initiation: Improved Safety Awareness for Future Engineers: Cultivating Safety Attitude among Engineering Graduates

> **NSF 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · Purdue University (IN) · $199,998

## Abstract

Even though safety is a critical element of engineering education and profession, the awareness about safety topics remains limited, which impacts the safety attitudes of individuals and safety culture of the organizations. The importance of safety education in engineering has been well-recognized by academic institutions, accreditation bodies, and professional societies. However, there is limited attention and time allocated to safety education in most undergraduate engineering programs, and there is limited understanding of the existing safety awareness levels among undergraduate engineering students. This project aims to understand the current safety awareness level and attitudes of undergraduate engineering technology students and the factors influencing them, develop an educational intervention to improve students’ safety knowledge, and examine the impact of this intervention on students’ safety awareness and attitudes. While traditional workplace safety interventions experience implementation challenges due to resistance from employees, educating students about safety before they enter the workforce can have a lasting influence on organizational safety culture. Engaging in the proposed theoretically grounded educational intervention will help students to develop metacognitive skills to better identify safety risks and develop strategies to mitigate those risks in their future careers. The results from this project will support the professional formation of engineers by 

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2508670
- **Awardee organization:** Purdue University (IN)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** YRXVL4JYCEF5
- **PI:** Gaurav Nanda
- **Primary program:** 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** EDUCATION RESEARCH, ENGINEERING EDUCATION
- **Estimated total:** $199,998
- **Funds obligated:** $199,998
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 09/01/2025 → 08/31/2027

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2508670

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2508670, Research Initiation: Improved Safety Awareness for Future Engineers: Cultivating Safety Attitude among Engineering Graduates. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-09 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2508670. Licensed CC0.

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