Robin Coger facts for kids

Robin Noelle Coger is an amazing American engineer and university leader. She used to be a top leader, called the provost, at East Carolina University. As a biomedical engineer, she studies and creates things that help people's bodies. Her special focus is on artificial organs, especially systems that help the liver work.

Early Life and Education

Robin Coger loved engineering from a young age. She went to Cornell University and studied mechanical engineering, finishing in 1988. After that, she continued her studies at the University of California, Berkeley. There, she earned her master's degree in 1990 and her doctorate degree in 1993.

Career in Engineering and Leadership

After her studies, Dr. Coger worked as a researcher at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1996, she joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. While there, she started the Center for Biomedical Engineering Science. This center helps create new technologies for health. She also served as a temporary leader for a department.

In 2011, Dr. Coger moved to North Carolina A&T State University. She became the dean of engineering, which means she was in charge of the entire engineering school. She also taught as a professor of mechanical engineering. In 2022, she took on a new big role at East Carolina University. She became the provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. This made her one of the highest-ranking leaders at the university.

Dr. Coger is an African American leader. She has also led the Council of Engineering Deans for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Coger has received many important awards for her work. In 2010, she was named an ASME Fellow. This is a special honor from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In the same year, she also became a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She earned these honors for helping to build biomedical engineering programs. She was also recognized for her work in creating liver tissues and preserving biological materials.

In 2019, Dr. Coger was featured on the cover of US Black Engineer magazine. The magazine called her a "true visionary leader." They also highlighted the engineering program she led as the country's best at producing Black engineers.