Missouri S&T Professor Named 2025 Engineering Unleashed Fellow
Rolla, MO – Dr. Wumaier Maimaitiyiming, an assistant teaching professor of mathematics and statistics at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), has been selected as a 2025 Engineering Unleashed Fellow.
Dr. Maimaitiyiming is one of 29 fellows chosen from 23 universities nationwide for this honor, which recognizes faculty dedicated to fostering an entrepreneurial mindset in engineering education. The fellowship, awarded by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), provides a $10,000 grant to support his project. His work will focus on integrating modeling and optimization concepts into foundational math courses to demonstrate the practical application of mathematical theory in fields like engineering, biology, and architecture.
“Mathematics can feel abstract when it’s presented as a set of procedures instead of a way to understand the world,” Dr. Maimaitiyiming said. “By framing concepts through modeling and optimization, I want students to see how math explains the systems that engineers design and the decisions they make. When students connect equations to real applications, they can gain confidence, stay engaged and understand how their work creates value.” This approach aims to improve student engagement and prepare them for real-world problem-solving.
Dr. Maimaitiyiming joined Missouri S&T in 2023, following postdoctoral work at the University of California, Los Angeles, and teaching experience at Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics in China. He holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Iowa State University and degrees in computational mathematics from Xinjiang University. Further information on Missouri S&T’s KEEN initiatives is available here, and details on the Engineering Unleashed program can be found at Engineering Unleashed.
University officials stated that the fellowship will support innovative teaching methods and contribute to the university’s commitment to STEM education.
