Mechanical Engineering Student Receives Prestigious Fellowship for Graduate School

In a family of healthcare providers, graduating senior Kayla Pariser chose a different path to help people: mechanical engineering. Her undergraduate research in the field of computational biomechanics has earned her a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

The NSF fellowship provides three years of tuition and a $34,000 stipend, enough to cover her graduate education. Of the more than 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students who applied, she was one of 2,000 selected and among the 780 undergraduates to receive the award. She will continue her studies at the University of Delaware in the fall at one of the top biomechanics programs in the country. Read more about Pariser’s journey to a career in research.

Three Join Marianist Educational Associates

Over the years, the School of Engineering has been well represented in the Marianist Educational Associates, a group of faculty, staff and administrators that commit themselves to building strong partnerships with the members of the Society of Mary. There are active MEA groups at each of the three Marianist Universities in the United States.

After a year of formation studies, this year’s co-hort of 20 individuals made a public commitment to sustain and enrich the University’s Catholic and Marianist character. Joining MEA were Nancy Chase, director of cooperative education, Dean Eddy Rojas, and Karen Updyke, technical writer. Congratulations to all!

New Endowed Chairs Appointed

Provost Paul Benson, in consultation with President Eric Spina, has approved the School’s recommendations for the appointment of three faculty members to endowed chair positions:

Dr. Markus Rumpfkeil - Hans von O’Hain Chair in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Dr. Margaret Pinnell – The Bernhard Schmidt Chair in Engineering Leadership
Professor Rebecca Blust – Frank M. Tait Chair in Engineering

These appointments will commence with the new academic year and their installation will be on October 25. Candidates for department specific positions were nominated by the faculty development committee within the department and by a nominating and selection committee made up of current endowed chairs and the associate deans for positions not associated with a specific department. Margie Pinnell recused herself from the process upon her nomination. Appointments are for four years. Congratulations to these outstanding faculty members for this recognition of their leadership and accomplishments.

Steve Donaldson Retires

Steven Donaldson, associate professor of civil engineering, has retired after 12 years at UD and a “first” career at the Air Force Research Laboratory. Donaldson was honored at a retirement party on May 3 where department chair Robert Liang noted his extraordinary commitment to students and the amount of time he spent with advisees. In this next chapter, Donaldson plans to pursue his many hobbies, which include videography and classic cars.

Faculty in the News

Kellie Schneider, assistant professor of engineering management, systems and technology, and her students have been working on a number of projects with The Food Bank in Dayton in coordination with the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community. Her team successfully reduced the number of miles driven by The Food Bank’s delivery trucks by making routes more efficient. See how her efforts are providing more meals because of the savings on gas.