# Collaborative Research: Research Initiation: Engineering Identity Formation of Student Veterans Through Capstone Experiences

> **NSF 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VA) · $16,791

## Abstract

This project will examine how undergraduate students who are also military veterans develop engineering identity, professional confidence, and a sense of belonging over time as they move through capstone design experiences in engineering and engineering technology programs.  The project also explores how engineering identity interacts with an identity as a veteran within a capstone environment. Students who are also military veterans ("Student Veterans") bring valuable prior experiences to engineering education, including leadership, teamwork, technical training, mission-focused problem solving, and experience working under real-world constraints. However, little is known about how these prior experiences shape their transition into engineering roles, especially during capstone design, where students are expected to integrate technical knowledge, communicate with teammates and stakeholders, make design decisions, and begin seeing themselves as members of the engineering profession. This project will study how Student Veterans make meaning of their prior military identity while developing an emerging engineering identity, given that both are strong role identities. This work will contribute to our understanding of the professional formation of engineers which includes investigating how and why people become engineers, how identity develops through formal and informal educational experiences, and how engineering programs can better support students who enter engineering through

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2609427
- **Awardee organization:** Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VA)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** QDE5UHE5XD16
- **PI:** Marie C Paretti
- **Primary program:** 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** EDUCATION RESEARCH, ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Veterans Involvement
- **Estimated total:** $16,791
- **Funds obligated:** $16,791
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 07/01/2026 → 06/30/2028

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2609427

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2609427, Collaborative Research: Research Initiation: Engineering Identity Formation of Student Veterans Through Capstone Experiences. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2609427. Licensed CC0.

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