Bruk Berhane

Biography

Dr. Bruk Berhane received his B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland.  He holds an M.S. in engineering management from the George Washington University and a Ph.D. in minority and urban education from the University of Maryland.  In 2003, Bruk was hired by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), where he worked on nanotechnology and microsystems.  In 2005 he left JHUAPL for a fellowship with the National Academies and researched methods of increasing the number of women in engineering.  Later that year, he briefly served as a mathematics instructor in Baltimore City High Schools. 

From 2005 through 2018, Dr. Berhane directed engineering recruitment and scholarship programs for the University of Maryland.  He oversaw an increase in the admission of students of color and women during his tenure and supported initiatives that reduce the time to degree for transfers from Maryland community colleges.  The broader implications of his research are informed by his comprehensive experiences as a college administrator.  His areas of scholarly interest include:

•       Broadening participation in engineering through community college pathways
•       Entrepreneurship and the “entrepreneurial mindset” in the context of engineering
•       Experiences of first and second-generation Americans in engineering undergraduate programs