Engineering Professors Receive SAE International's Educational Award

WARRENDALE, Pa., April 25, 2006 - Professors representing universities across the globe have been selected to receive SAE International’s Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award.  Ten were presented the award during the SAE 2006 World Congress in Detroit, April 3-6.

The award, established in 1965, recognizes outstanding engineering educators and offers them the opportunity to meet and exchange views with practicing engineers in their fields.  The award is funded by the late Ralph R. Teetor, 1936 SAE International President, who believed that engineering educators are the most effective link between engineering students and their future careers.

Dr. Gregory D. Buckner

Buckner is an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at  North Carolina  State  University.  Previously, Buckner was a research engineer at the  University  of  Texas  at Austin’s Center for Electromechanics.  His research interests include electromechanical systems, intelligent system identification and control, and precision engineering.  Buckner has researched active and semi-active vehicle suspension systems since 1997, and has demonstrated innovative and effective control strategies for implementations on military HMMWVs and other off-road vehicles. He received the Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation, the New Faculty Research Award from the American Society for Engineering Education, and the Outstanding Teacher Award from North Carolina State University.  Buckner earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the  University  of  Texas  at Austin.

Dr. Kuang-Hua Chang

Chang is a professor at the  School  of  Aerospaceand Mechanical Engineering, University of Oklahoma (OU).  He is also the faculty advisor for the OU Formula SAE team, the Sooner Racing Team.  Previously, Chang worked at the  University  of  Iowa  and  Northern  Illinois  University.  He has co-authored with his students more than 100 technical papers, 35 of which are in referred journals.  His research led to the publication of Mechanism Design and Analysis, a textbook widely used by engineering students.  Chang has attracted close to $3 million in research funding with the support of the National Science Foundation and other agencies.  He has delivered talks, taught courses and served as a technical consultant to and foreign companies.  His dedication to teaching, research and community service has been recognized through numerous awards, including his most recent honor of being named Williams Companies Foundation Presidential Professor by OU President David L. Boren.  He is a member of SAE International.  Chang received a degree in mechanical engineering from the National Taipei Institute of Technology, , and his master’s and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from the  University  of  Iowa.

Dr. Wei Chen

Chen is an associate professor in the mechanical engineering department at  Northwestern  University  and the director of the “Integrated Design Automation Laboratory.”  She is also an associate editor for the Journal of Mechanical Design for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and an editorial board member for the Journal of Engineering Optimization and the Journal of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization.  She has published more than 50 referred journal papers.  She received the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Award and the ASME Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal.  She is a member of SAE International, ASME, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, and an Associate Fellow of American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics.  Chen earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from  Shanghai  Jiao  Tong  University, a master’s degree from  University  of  Huston, and a doctorate from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. Adelbert Cheng

Cheng is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at  San Francisco  State  University  and the faculty advisor for the SAE Collegiate Chapter and SAE Mini Baja team.  His research focuses on alternative fuels and advanced combustion strategies for compression-ignition engines.  In his most recent work, carried out in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, Cheng investigated the mechanisms that contribute to increased NOx emissions from biodiesel fuels.  Cheng received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Universityof California, Los Angeles, his master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and technology and policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the  Universityof  California, Berkeley. 

Dr. Jim Cowart

Cowart is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy.  Previously, he taught at the  University  of  Connecticut  and worked at Ford Motor Co. as a product development engineer.  He is a member of SAE International and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.  Cowart received his bachelor’s degree from the Universityof California, Davis, and his master’s and doctorate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Hong Im

Im is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the  University  of  Michigan.  Previously, he worked at the Combustion Research Facility at Sandia National Laboratories and was a Research Fellow at the Center for Turbulence Research, Stanford University.  He has published more than 40 papers and technical reports in the areas of combustion, propulsion and engine research.  He is a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Award and a member of SAE International, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Combustion Institute, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association.  Im received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from  Seoul  National University  and master’s degree and doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering from  Princeton  University.

Dr. Valentin Ivanov

Ivanov is an associate professor of automotive engineering at  Belarusian  National  Technical  University  in Minsk.  He also supervises the school’s young research group on vehicle safety and collaborates as a senior researcher with experts from the National Academy of Sciences of .  In 2001, he was one of the founders of the Academic Automotive Association, an SAE International partner in and member of the International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies.  He has authored/co-authored more than 50 papers and six patents.  He is a member of SAE International, the International Federation of Automatic Control, and a Council Delegate in the European Automotive Engineers Cooperation.  Ivanov received an engineering degree and doctorate in wheeled and caterpillar machines.

Dr. Brad Kinsey  

Kinsey is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the Universityof New Hampshireand the faculty advisor for the school’s Robotics Club, which supports FIRST Robotics programs.  He is a member of SAE International, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society for Engineering Education, and the North American Deep Draw Research Group.  He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the  University  of  Michiganand his master’s degree and doctorate in mechanical engineering from  Northwestern  University.

Dr. Charles Koch

Koch is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the  University  of  Alberta  in  Edmonton, .  He is involved in student vehicle projects and served as the faculty advisor for Future Truck.  Previously, he worked for DaimlerBenz/DaimlerChrysler and General Motors.  He is a member of SAE International and the  Institute  of  Electrical  and Electronic Engineers.  He earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the  University  of  Alberta  and his master's degree and doctorate in mechanical engineering from  Stanford  University.

Dr. John-David Yoder

Yoder is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at  Ohio  Northern  University  and the advisor to the school’s SAE Collegiate Chapter.  During Yoder’s 20-year career in the automotive industry, he has started a small research and consulting company and worked for Grob Systems, Inc., a machine tools and automation supplier.  He has published more than 25 documents and authored four NASA Small Business Innovation Research final reports.  He holds a patent in the area of vision-guided robotics.  He is a two-year recipient of  Ohio  Northern  University’s Lytle Chair of Mechanical Engineering and 2004 recipient of the Ohio Magazine Excellence in Education Award.  He is a member of SAE International, American Society for Engineering Education, Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi, and Phi Beta Delta.  Yoder received his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Notre Dame.