On the Move

Online Program Recognized by U.S. News and World Report

U.S. News and World Report has listed the  College of Engineering’s Master of Science  in Engineering program as 25th out of 66  online graduate engineering programs in  its Best Online Programs rankings.

The Master of Science in Engineering  program, directed by Ed Pohl, associate  professor of industrial engineering, has  been offering online degrees since 2009.  It is taught by graduate faculty from the  College of Engineering. This program  is designed for students who want to  further their education in a variety of  engineering topics, and its graduates are  well-prepared for a career in engineering  and management of engineering systems,  processes and organizations.The Master of Science in Engineering  program is open to students with a  bachelor’s degree in any engineering  field and incorporates classes from the  traditional master of science degrees  in biological, chemical, civil, computer  systems, electrical, environmental,  industrial, mechanical and transportation  engineering, as well as operations  management.

Professor Elected President of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Lalit Verma, head of the department  of biological and agricultural engineering,  has been elected as the 2013-2014 president  of the American Society of Agricultural  and Biological Engineers. Verma, who  is currently serving as president-elect of  ASABE, will take office as president in July.The American Society of Agricultural  and Biological Engineers is a scientific and  educational organization dedicated to the  advancement of engineering applicable to  agricultural, food and biological systems.  Founded in 1907, ASABE has members  in more than 100 countries. ASABE  members serve in industry, academia and  public service and are uniquely qualified  to determine and develop more efficient  and environmentally sensitive methods of  cultivating food, fiber and timber for an  ever-increasing world population.Verma is a fellow of ASABE, the  American Institute for Medical and  Biological Engineering and the Institute  of Biological Engineering. Verma is also  internationally recognized for his research  in rice and forage post-harvest engineering  and technology.

 

 

 

 

Two Professors Selected for Frontiers Symposium

Norman Dennis, University Professor of  civil engineering and interim associate dean  of the College of Engineering, and Christa  Hestekin, assistant professor of chemical  engineering, were selected to attend  the National Academy of Engineering’s  fourth Frontiers of Engineering Education  symposium. The symposium was held in  Irvine, Calif., in October.Seventy-two engineering educators  from across the nation were invited to the  symposium, where they shared ideas and  learned about research and best practices  in engineering education. The focus of this  year’s forum was innovations in the context,  curriculum, and delivery of engineering  education.

 

“The Frontiers of Engineering  Education program creates a unique venue  for engineering faculty members to share  and explore interesting and effective  innovations in teaching and learning,”  said

NAE President Charles M. Vest. “We  want FOEE to become a major force in  identifying, recognizing, and promulgating  advances and innovations in order to build  a strong intellectual infrastructure and  commitment to 21st-century engineering  education.”

 

 

Haggard Chosen as National Institutes for Water Resources President

Brian Haggard, professor of biological  and agricultural engineering, has been  elected president-elect of the National  Institutes for Water Resources. Haggard will  serve as president-elect until October and  then serve a year as president.The NIWR consists of water resource  research centers in each state that serve  under a congressional mandate to form the  primary link between water experts in the  nation’s universities and those who manage  and use water.

Haggard is also the director of the  Arkansas Water Resources Center of the  University of Arkansas System Division of  Agriculture. At the water center, Haggard  coordinates with researchers working  on several projects funded from sources  including the Arkansas Natural Resources  Commission and the U.S. Geological  Service.

Mantooth Elected Society’s Vice President of Operations

Alan Mantooth, a Distinguished  Professor in the department of electrical  engineering, was elected as the 2013-2014  vice president of operations for the Power  Electronics Society in November.

The Power Electronics Society is part of  the Institute for Electrical and Electronics  Engineers. The Power Electronics Society  is one of the fastest growing technical  societies in IEEE and works to facilitate  and guide development and innovation in  power electronics technology.

As the vice president of operations,  Mantooth will coordinate and supervise  committees in the society, coordinate  chapter activities and work to refine the  Technical Interest Profile of the society  through membership interests and  emerging trends in the field.

Matlock named Executive Director of the Office for Sustainability

Marty Matlock, professor of biological  and agricultural engineering, has been  named as the first executive director of  the campus-wide office for sustainability at  the University of Arkansas. Provost Sharon  Gaber and Associate Vice Chancellor for  Facilities Mike Johnson appointed Matlock  to demonstrate the increased emphasis on  sustainability across all campus activities.Matlock will coordinate program  implementation and strategy development  for sustainability activities across the U of  A community. He will work with Johnson  to coordinate the director and staff of  the office for sustainability in a number  of initiatives. The U of A Sustainability  Council, composed of representatives of  academic units and student groups, will  advise the office for sustainability.

Osborn Wins Gold Medal Award From Professional Society

Scott Osborn, associate professor of  biological and agricultural engineering,  is the winner of a Gold Medal award  presented by the American Society of  Agricultural and Biological Engineers.  Osborn won the Massey Ferguson  Educational Gold Medal, which honors  people whose dedication to the spirit  of learning and teaching in agricultural  engineering has advanced with distinction  agricultural knowledge and practice.Osborn was selected in recognition of  his exceptional achievements in teaching  and for his leadership in developing new  curricula in the rapidly developing area  of biological engineering and in reform  of engineering education to more fully  integrate design and discovery-based  learning.