In This Story
As a child, Kursten Szabos attended computer and engineering camps, where she was inspired by mentors who made engineering feel accessible and exciting. Now a doctoral student in power and energy engineering in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) PhD program at George Mason University, she serves as that same kind of influence for students just beginning their own engineering journeys. Szabos brings decades of industry experience, a passion for teaching, and a deep commitment to project-based learning to her work in the College of Engineering and Computing.
After earning her undergraduate and master’s degrees, Szabos spent years in industry, leading engineering and software development teams on large-scale government systems. Her industry background informs her teaching today, especially her emphasis on systems thinking and real-world context. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) at George Mason, she teaches and coordinates multiple sections of ECE 101, guiding more than 140 students each semester through their first exposure to electrical and computer engineering labs.
“I really enjoy trying to make difficult concepts accessible to others,” Szabos said. In the classroom, she emphasizes experimentation, iteration, and learning from failure. “We learn more from failure than we do from success,” she tells her students.
That mindset extends beyond campus. Szabos was a co-author on the paper Bridging Academia and Industry Through Project-Based Learning: Insights from a High School Renewable Energy Engineering Summer Camp, published in the proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference in 2025. The paper highlighted a hands-on renewable energy summer camp for high school students at George Mason that combined lab activities, teamwork, and industry engagement.
Szabos presented on the camp at the 2025 Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference hosted by George Mason University’s Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning. “One of the catch phrases I used was ‘putting the power in their hands,’” she said. “Being able to experiment with things and have success or failure—that’s where real learning happens.” Szabos played a major behind-the-scenes role in designing activities for the renewable energy camp, from creating solar-powered model houses to sourcing equipment and shaping lab experiences.
“With a clear passion for teaching, Kursten is highly dedicated to her GTA role, consistently engaging students in their learning,” said Associate Professor Liling Huang, Szabos’ advisor. “She brought the same level of dedication to the summer camp I directed, going above and beyond to support students.”
Locally, Szabos brings her outreach-driven perspective to volunteer work with Science Olympiad, helping K-12 students explore various science and engineering topics. She just completed her thirteenth year teaching students to read and interpret science project requirements, plan, and problem-solve like a scientist.
As she progresses in her PhD journey, Szabos is increasingly drawn to a career in engineering education. “I could go to a desk job, or I could positively impact the next generation of engineers more directly,” she said.
As a recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award and a role model for women in engineering, Szabos embodies the intersection of education, industry, and service that defines George Mason’s mission. Whether in a first-year lab, a conference session, or a summer camp lesson, her goal remains the same: empower students to experiment, fail, learn, and try again.