ASME Student Section

The North Carolina State University student section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering has become one of the largest and most active groups in the nation. Dr. Richard R. Johnson, professor of mechanical engineering, has been the section’s faculty advisor for 21 years. Under his guidance, the section has consistently maintained a large membership, placing in the top ten in this regard among other ASME student sections across the U.S.

This year has been an especially good one for the NC State ASME section. Last fall members learned that they had taken first place in the 2001-02 ASME Interrregional Student Section Contest, co-sponsored by ASME International and Ingersoll-Rand. In March a student design team called the “Sonic Death Monkeys” won the ASME Regional Student Design Contest. Dr. Hamid Davoodi, director of undergraduate advising, outreach and assessment in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NC State, advised team members John Dyess, Luke Davis, Joe Grappe and Ang Uy.

ASME International, the parent organization, recently recognized the NC State ASME student section in a special way. For the section’s positive impact on the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, the organization gave the department a Clarke Scholarship in the amount of $6,000 for incoming freshmen in fall 2003.

(Photo: Kathi McBlief)

Engineers' Council Pledges $100,000 for Scholarships

The College of Engineering salutes the Engineers' Council for their generous pledge of $100,000 to provide scholarships for undergraduate students in the College of Engineering. This level of giving by a student organization is unprecedented in the history of both the College and NC State University.

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(Photo: Jennifer Weston)

Dr. Richard M. Felder

Dr. Richard M. Felder is the Hoechst Celanese Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University and coauthor of Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes, an introductory chemical engineering text used by more than 90 percent of the chemical engineering departments in the United States. Since joining the NC State faculty in 1969, Dr. Felder has written more than 200 publications in science and engineering education and chemical process engineering. He authors “Random Thoughts,” a column on educational methods and issues for the quarterly journal Chemical Engineering Education. He has won numerous awards for his contributions to engineering education, including the University of North Carolina Board of Governors' Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1997, the Chester F. Carlson Award for Innovations in Engineering Education from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) in 1998, the Warren K. Lewis Award for Contributions to Chemical Engineering Education from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 2002 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in Chemical Engineering Pedagogical Scholarship from the Chemical Engineering Division of ASEE in 2003. Dr. Felder codirects the ASEE National Effective Teaching Institute and regularly conducts teaching effectiveness workshops on campuses and at conferences around the world.

(Photo: courtesy of Rich Felder)

Dr. Christine Grant

Dr. Christine S. Grant, associate professor of chemical engineering, was the first African-American woman faculty member in the College of Engineering and in the Department of Chemical Engineering at NC State.

Since her arrival in 1989, she has garnered numerous top honors: the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM), the National Technical Association’s Top Women in Science and Engineering Award, Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni of Georgia Tech, Exxon Engineering Foundation Research Award, 3M Company Young Faculty Award, Dow Chemical Company Young Faculty Award, Distinguished Service Award by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and many more.

Her research focuses on surface and interfacial science, mass transfer, tribology and environmental engineering. In June 2002 she celebrated the grand opening of her new research laboratory.

Dr. Grant has served as a research mentor to students in NASA’s Undergraduate Researchers program and NSF’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program. She has given numerous invited lectures across the globe, inspiring students on professional development and the merits of attending graduate school. She serves as mentor to engineering students at the University of Science and Technology in Ghana, West Africa, where they named a library in her honor.

She lives in Raleigh with her husband, Kwame Yeboah, an electrical engineering/computer specialist originally from Ghana, West Africa, and their son Kofie.

Lily Jeng

Lily Jeng, a rising senior majoring in biomedical engineering and chemistry, has always been interested in science, especially science related to the human body. A 2004-05 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship recipient, Lily will get an opportunity to feed her interest when she serves an internship at the Mayo Clinic in summer 2004.

Lily is a National Merit Scholar and Park Scholar and a member of the University Honors Program, the University Scholars Program, Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Beta Kappa. She is interested in research that combines biomechanics and tissue engineering and plans to go to graduate school, perhaps even into a combined PhD and MD program.

This summer at the Mayo Clinic, she will be working on research related to fibroblasts, connective tissue cells. One of Lily’s goals has been to see how different labs work. Last summer she worked in a biomechanics lab at the University of Pittsburgh. Even while in high school at the NC School of Science and Mathematics, Lily worked in labs at the Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle Park and at UNC Chapel Hill. According to Lily, her experiences in the labs have allowed her to see how much persistence and time it takes to produce work one can publish.

Achiever Lily Jeng is definitely up to that kind of challenge.

(Photo: Kathi McBlief)

Dr. Richard Johnson

As professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University, Richard R. Johnson manages to balance a large number of administrative, research and teaching activities. However, it is his commitment to teaching that has won him the special admiration of his students and 32 teaching excellence awards during his tenure at NC State.

Nowhere is that commitment more apparent than in the work he does as faculty advisor to the NC State chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, known as ASME. Dr. Johnson has guided the ASME student chapter for 21 years. Under his guidance, the chapter has become one of the largest and most active student groups in the nation. In 1996 ASME International honored Dr. Johnson with the national Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award.

Dr. Johnson, who is an alumni distinguished professor, has received numerous such awards over the years for his teaching style and effectiveness, including several NC State outstanding teacher awards, as well as special student awards such as the Square Wheel Award for the teacher with the most unique teaching style.

Dr. Johnson represents the very best of those achievers who are in the frontline of the classroom — every day — while guiding students toward successful careers and achievements of their own.

(Photo: Kathi McBlief)

Dr. Linda Krute

“No matter where you are in the world, you’re still connected to the College of Engineering at NC State through the Engineering Online program,” says Dr. Linda D. Krute, director of distance education for the College of Engineering at NC State University.

When Dr. Krute arrived at NC State in spring 2002, the master’s of civil engineering online program was being developed; it has been the most successful program so far. Since her arrival, the master’s in computer science, the master’s in mechanical engineering, the master’s in aerospace engineering and the master’s in chemical engineering have been launched. These NC State offerings are unique.

“Other universities have distance master’s programs, but we’re really one of the first to offer these programs totally online,” says Dr. Krute. “I’m hoping to be able to expand into other areas of engineering, such as electrical, materials science and industrial.”

For more on what Linda Krute is achieving for the College of Engineering at NC State, see http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/news/innerviews/krute.html.

(Photo: Sheri Thomas)

Dr. Gianluca Lazzi

Dr. Gianluca Lazzi, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State University, was recently honored for both his teaching and research achievements. This spring the NC State Alumni Association recognized Dr. Lazzi as a 2003 Alumni Outstanding Teacher. He also received an Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Achievement Award from the College of Engineering at NC State. This award is intended to recognize young faculty who have accomplished outstanding research achievements during the preceding three years. Lazzi’s research is in the area of applied electromagnetics and biomedical engineering.

Other prestigious awards and honors include the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (Career) Award, the Whitaker Foundation Biomedical Engineering Grant and Young Investigator Award, the International Union of Radio Science Young Investigator Award and the Curtis Carl Johnson Memorial Award. He is currently completing work on a book entitled Safety Assessment and Medical Applications of Electromagnetic Fields with Dr. Om Gandhi. Lazzi is also an associate editor for IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

(Photo: Dulce Altabella Lazzi)

Leaders of the Pack

You see before you four computer science and engineering students. But what you're also looking at is the leadership of student life at North Carolina State University. This year, four top leadership positions are all held by students from the College of Engineering -- presidents of the Student Senate, Engineers' Council, and senior class, and the Technician editor. Although their backgrounds and goals vary, they share a dedication to excellence typical of NC State's student achievers. Dedication to excellence and the leaders of the Pack -- a winning combination for NC State.

Technician Co-Editor Thushan S. Amarasiriwarden is a computer science student, political science minor, published writer, web designer, graphic designer, startup company president and cofounder.

Student Senate President Erich M. Fabricius is a chemical engineering and economics student, web programmer/designer, computer consultant, former Engineers' Council president and honor societies member.

Engineers' Council President Joshua D. Hitzemann is a mechanical engineering student, teaching assistant, head student engineering leader, director of engineering summer programs, major events organizer and career fair director.

Senior Class President Anup M. Shah is an electrical engineering student, history minor, Cisco Systems testing engineer, web and database programmer, teaching assistant, software engineer and future patent lawyer.

(Photo: Roger Winstead)

Dr. David Ollis

“Find an educational need, and fill it.” In paraphrasing J. Paul Getty, Dr. David Ollis, Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University, discovered a philosophy that has guided his teaching efforts throughout his career. This problem-solving approach, borrowed from research, has earned Dr. Ollis respect and admiration of colleagues and students alike. It has also earned him the Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching, the university’s highest honor for superior teaching.

During the 33 years that he has taught at NC State he has initiated many innovations in engineering education. He originated several undergraduate and graduate courses and laboratories, and he launched a study-abroad summer program in technical French in Lyon, France. Dr. Ollis has received numerous awards for his university teaching, including the Outstanding Teaching Award from NC State, the Sterling Olmsted Award from the Liberal Education Division of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), the United Technologies Excellence in Teaching Award and the Corcoran Award from the American Society of Engineering Education. He is an Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor at NC State and is a member of the Southeastern University and College Coalition for Engineering Education (SUCCEED).

Dr. Ollis joined the College of Engineering at NC State in 1984. His research interests include photochemical and biochemical engineering. Dr. Ollis’ achievements reflect highly on the quality of our faculty in the College of Engineering at NC State University.

(Photo: Jay Mangum)

2006 Outstanding Seniors

The College of Engineering Outstanding Senior awards were announced at the Engineers’ Council annual spring banquet on April 20. The award for scholarly achievement went to two individuals, Blake C. Lucas, an electrical and computer engineering and computer science double major, and Jessica H. McCoy (not pictured), an industrial engineering and applied mathematics double major. The award for citizenship and service was given to Margaret C. Linak, a chemical engineering and applied mathematics double major with a minor in Spanish language and literature, and the humanities award was presented to Patrick J. Cleary, a paper science and engineering, chemical engineering and history triple major. The leadership award was given to two individuals, Nathaniel Derbinsky, a computer science major, and Robert Moorefield, a chemical engineering and polymer and color chemistry double major.

(Photo: Jennifer Weston)

Dr. Bill Roberts

Dr. William L. “Bill” Roberts, associate professor of aerospace engineering, was the first recipient of the Progress Energy Endowed Faculty Fellow Award, established last year. The Endowed Progress Energy Faculty Fellow program is designed to help the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NC State, in partnership with Progress Energy, to integrate undergraduate and graduate education and provide more research opportunities for undergraduates.

Dr. Roberts’ area of research is thermal science. During his first year as a Progress Energy Endowed Faculty Fellow, he successfully fulfilled the program goals of recruiting students; engaging undergraduates in hands-on projects; and bringing visibility to Progress Energy at the department, college and national levels. With award funding, he supervised and partially funded two students to conduct energy-related research during summer 2002. One student was an undergraduate in mechanical and aerospace engineering, and the other was a high school senior. He also provided support for three graduate students to present their research at the Third Joint Meeting of the U.S. Sections of the Combustion Institute.

Dr. Roberts joined the College of Engineering faculty in 1994. During his tenure, he has published numerous papers in his area of research and has received National Science Foundation Career and Army Research Office Young Investigator awards. He is an active member of the Combustion Institute and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

(Photo: Kathi McBlief)

Catherine Ward

A senior with a double major in chemical engineering and biochemistry, Catherine Marie Ward has achieved many successes at NC State over the past four years. Catherine has been active in the University Scholars program, the student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Biochemistry Club. She has been inducted into several honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Omega Chi Epsilon, Golden Key and Gamma Sigma Delta. She has received Goldwater and Robert C. Byrd scholarships and is a Caldwell Fellow. She has received the Faculty Senior Scholar Award and the Senior Award for Scholarly Achievement from the College of Engineering.

Since 1999 Catherine has worked in the NC State Entomology and Behavioral Biology Laboratory, where she studies the genetic architecture of moths. During summer 2001 she had the opportunity to conduct protein research at the Max Planck Institut in Germany. Ultimately Catherine would like to earn a PhD in chemical engineering with the idea of becoming a research professor.

Without a doubt, Catherine is one of the top achievers at North Carolina State University.

(Photo: Kathi McBlief)