By Em Jankauski
The Battery Workforce Challenge is chalked full of engaging, inspiring faculty advisors. A few of those advisors are truly exceptional. Meet Polina Ringler, winner of the BattChallenge’s Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award for a university faculty member.
Ringler, who is the lead faculty advisor for the Colorado School of Mines & Arapahoe Community College’s BattChallenge team and a teaching assistant professor for Colorado School of Mines’ Department of Mechanical Engineering, was crowned the award-winner during the Battery Workforce Challenge Year One Competition’s Awards Ceremony, held May 9 at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. Under Ringler’s leadership, the team earned a first-place overall finish in year one of the competition.
Let’s catch up with the award-winner in a fun Q&A. Check out what this accolade means to Ringler and the entire Colorado School of Mines & Arapahoe Community College team.
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Q: What does earning this award mean to you and the entire Colorado School of Mines & Arapahoe Community College BattChallenge team?
A: “While the award is incredibly touching and validating on a personal level, what means the most to me is how it reflects the team and culture we have built. This student-nominated award required significant coordination, time and effort during a busy, deliverable-heavy period. It demonstrates the Mines & ACC team’s culture of gratitude, respect, selflessness and mutual support. This award both symbolizes and directly exemplifies those values.”
Q: What’s your why behind providing your team all that it needs to succeed?
A: “My why stems from a belief that education is not just about imparting knowledge, but about fostering a sense of belonging, ability and confidence.
“I see my role as an educator as one where I help students become their best selves by offering them opportunities to grow authentically in environments that both challenge and support them. When students feel included and valued, they are more likely to take intellectual risks, collaborate with others and push not only technical boundaries but also their own personal boundaries.”
Q: What do you hope your legacy is on the future of the battery workforce?
A: “I hope to empower students to spearhead innovation in the battery industry and shape the workforce into a community where both skill and camaraderie are foundational principles. Ultimately, my goal is to cultivate confident, collaborative, inquisitive and inclusive leaders poised to make a lasting impact.”
