Decline in engineering enrollment continues and renewed efforts are required to improve enrollment and diversity. Herein, we address this problem by conducting research to understand engineering students through the lens of identity theory. Implications of this effort are twofold: (1) to contribute to our basic understanding of engineering students' identities as well as what factors (experiences and settings) foster the formation and transformation of these identities during the undergraduate experience, and from these findings (2) to gain insight into improving recruitment and retention of engineering students, particularly students underrepresented in engineering. By conducting focus groups and interviews, our goal was to understand professional identity development in freshman engineering persisters and freshman engineering switchers. Initial findings suggest that exposure to meaningful engineering-related experiences and engineers are critical in developing an engineer identity. Our future efforts involve understanding the longitudinal nature of professional identity development (from freshman to senior years).Index Terms -freshman engineering students, identity theory, identity development, recruitment and retention. MOTIVATION AND RELEVANCE

Prior to her graduate education, she graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in psychology. She currently serves as a graduate assistant to Dr. Olga Pierrakos working on an NSF funded BRIGE project investigating engineering identity. Olga Pierrakos, James Madison University OLGA PIERRAKOS is an assistant professor in the School of Engineering at James Madison University. Dr. Pierrakos holds a B.S. in Engineering Science and Mechanics, an M.S. in Engineering Mechanics, and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Virginia Tech. Her interests in engineering education research center around recruitment and retention, understanding engineering students through the lens of identity theory, advancing problem based learning methodologies, assessing student learning, as well as understanding and integrating complex problem solving in undergraduate engineering education. This latter project is funded through her recent NSF CAREER award. Her other research interests lie in cardiovascular fluid mechanics and K-12 engineering education. Jamie Constantz, James Madison University JAMIE CONSTANTZ is a first year graduate student in the School Psychology program at James Madison University. Prior to her graduate studies at James Madison, she graduated from Niagara University with a B.A. in psychology. She currently serves as a graduate assistant to Dr. Olga Pierrakos working on an NSF funded BRIGE project investigating engineering identity.