Rate My Professor Amber Thompson

Dr. Amber C. Thompson serves as Associate Professor of Practice and Coordinator for the Engineering Technology-Technical Operations Distance Program in the College of Engineering and Technology at Western Carolina University. Her academic background includes an Ed.D. from Liberty University, an Ed.S. from Northwestern State University of Louisiana, an M.S.T. from Western Carolina University, a B.S. in Technology Education with a concentration in Trade and Industry from Appalachian State University, and an A.A.S. in Mechanical Drafting Technology from Isothermal Community College. She also holds several professional certifications, including a Certificate in Renewable Energy Management from North Carolina State University, State of North Carolina Teaching Licensure in Trade and Industrial Education (area 740) and Technology Education (area 820), NCCER Specialty Craft Instructor for Core Curriculum, Federal OSHA Authorized Trainer for 1910 General Industry, and NC Department of Labor MESH Certification.

Dr. Thompson teaches numerous courses in engineering technology, such as ENGR 132 Engineering Graphics, ET 331 Quality Systems, ET 342 Lean Manufacturing Systems Analysis/Planning, ET 362 Engineering Logistics, ET 421 Ergonomics, and ET 478 Integrated Systems Projects. Her scholarly contributions include peer-reviewed conference papers like "An Evaluation of Focused Outreach and Recruiting Efforts in a Nuclear-Related Workforce Development Program" (ASEE, 2019, co-authored with Karayaka and Ferguson), "Project Based Learning Program for Nuclear Workforce Development Phase I: Outreach, Recruiting and Selection" (ASEE, 2019), "Improving Production through Simple Software Solutions" (IEMS, 2019), "Human Factors in Agile Manufacturing: Developing the Existing Workforce" (IEMS, 2016), and "Assessment of Economic Impact in an Engineering Technology Distance Program" (Distance Learning Administration, 2015). She has secured funding through grants including the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Project Based Learning Program for Nuclear Workforce Development (2016, 2017, 2018), PPG Foundation Scholarship Grant (2015), Gene Haas Foundation Engineering to Rural Areas (2015), Duke Foundation Advanced Skills in Quality Control and Organizational Effectiveness (2013), and Golden Leaf Foundation grants (2012, 2013).