Michael Ramsdell is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Director of First Year Physics at Clarkson University. He has over ten years of experience in the design, implementation, and assessment of laboratory curriculum within introductory physics courses. He has also developed, refined and taught a Pre-Freshman Physics course designed to assist student s with the transition to post-secondary education. He is a Co-Director of the NYS STEP Program, IMPETUS which provides economically disadvantaged students the opportunity to pursue their interest in math and science though educational summer camps, workshops, school-year tutoring and mentoring programs. He has helped provide numerous students and teachers with the opportunity to integrate STEM disciplines using real-world problem solving strategies through teacher/coach training institutes and contest coordination. He is the Adirondack Regional Science Olympiad Coordinator. Robert Prout Jaspersohn, Clarkson UniversityRobert Jaspersohn is a PhD candidate in Physics at Clarkson University, where he received his master's degree, also in Physics. He received his bachelor's degree at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in Astronomy, in 2006.c American Society for Engineering Education, 2015 Page 26.967.1 Innovating Engineering Curriculum for First-Year Retention AbstractAn ongoing effort to improve retention rates for first-and second-year engineering students at Clarkson University has resulted in the modernization of the curriculum including 1) the design, development, and rollout of a new course that emphasizes the links between engineering and society for first-year students, and 2) the introduction of a more flexible first year curriculum that offers two paths for incoming First-Year Engineering (FYE) students. The new course was piloted in Spring 2011, has grown into a key element of the modernized curriculum, and was made required for all first-year engineering students beginning in the 2014/15 academic year. In the context of engagement as much as retention, significant changes have been made to the new course curriculum to increase the active learning opportunities offered to the students as well as to link the various elements of the course (e.g., class activities, team-based design project, and summative assessments) to the engineering challenges facing engineers and society today. ABET assessment results demonstrate that the students are not only meeting expectations for the course but also for several key "ABET Criterion 3. Student Outcomes" through the exploration and study of real-world engineering and technological problems. The course addresses ABET criteria (c), (d), (f), (g), (h), and (j); recent assessment results will be presented for (c), (f), and (h), which are emphasized in the course. The impacts of the course on the students' attitudes towards engineering are being assessed with a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches, including the administration of a survey each semester at the beginning (pre survey) and at the end...

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