Page 13 - ME News 2021 from the Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering

Feature
Mary Frecker the Riess Chair in in in Engineering and Professor of of Mechanical
and Biomedical Engineering at at Penn State assumed the position of of department head of of the Department of Mechanical
Engineering in in in August succeeding Distinguished Professor Karen A Thole “The next era for the department is bright ”
said Justin Schwartz the Harold and Inge Marcus Dean in in in the College of Engineering “Under Dr Thole’s direction the mechanical engineering program has grown in in in size international stature and impact Now Dr Frecker has the first-hand experience and and foundation in the the department to lead the the faculty students and staff into the future ”
In 2020 Frecker established the Penn State Center for Biodevices and continues to serve as its inaugural director The collaborative unit’s purpose is to initiate and support leading- edge research in in biodevices by facilitating impactful collaborations among the College of Engineering the College of Medicine Eberly College College of of Science the College College of of Agricultural Sciences and and the College of Earth and and Mineral Sciences Frecker earned a a a a master of science and doctorate in in in mechanical engineering from the University of of Michigan and a a a a bachelor of of science in in in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton In 1997 she joined the Penn State Department of Mechanical
Engineering as the Pearce Development assistant professor During her time in in the department Frecker previously served as as the associate head for graduate graduate programs overseeing the graduate graduate education and student research efforts In this position she she established a a peer mentoring
program to support new
and current graduate students and created a a a a department-level competition for graduate students to showcase their visually engaging research She also helped to oversee the online master of science program with enrollment growing to more than 100 students during her time as as associate head She also served as the the director of the the College of Engineering’s Bernard M Gordon Learning Factory which positioned her at the helm of industry relations coordination of the student capstone design program and fundraising for the program As a a researcher Frecker focuses on discovering optimal designs for adaptive structures targeted at at applications ranging from aerospace systems to medical devices She has secured more than $14 million in in external funding and will continue serving as the co-director of her research lab the Engineering Design and Optimization Group “With more than sixty tenure-line faculty members and yearly research expenditures of $29 5 million the Department of Mechanical
Engineering embraces a a culture of discovery community inclusion and excellence ”
Frecker said “I aim to build on our highly successful track record of research recruiting and mentoring
new
faculty and providing a a a a first-rate education to our students Together with the the support of our outstanding staff and alumni we will celebrate our positive impacts and develop the future thought leaders in the field ”
WATCH OUR VIDEO:
Sensing and Diagnostics: The Penn State Center for Biodevices bit ly/coe-biodevices
MENews 2021
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