Engineering Unleashed Faculty Development

Dr. Heather Dillon is Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington Tacoma, where her research team is currently working on renewable energy systems, solid-state lighting, energy efficiency in buildings, fundamental heat transfer studies and engineering education. She is the Chair of the Council on Undergraduate Research Engineering Division and recently served as the Fulbright Canada Research Chair in STEM Education at the University of Calgary, Alberta. Before joining academia, Heather Dillon worked for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as a senior research engineer working on both energy efficiency and renewable energy systems, where she received the US Department of Energy Office of Science Outstanding Mentor Award. During her time at the University of Portland she received the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Member (2017) and the Outstanding Scholarship Award (2020).

Michael J. Rust received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH) in 2003 and 2009, respectively. In 2009, he joined the faculty of Western New England University, where he is currently a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Director of Experiential & Entrepreneurial Learning. He teaches undergraduate courses in data acquisition, physiology, lab-on-a-chip, and global health. As a result of his work with students in the classroom, Dr. Rust received the Excellence in Teaching Award at Western New England University (2022) and the Biomedical Engineering Teaching Award from the American Society for Engineering Education (2013).

Glenn R. Gaudette, PhD, is the inaugural John W. Kozarich '71 Chair of the Department of Engineering at Boston College. Working together with his colleagues, they have developed the first Engineering program in the history of BC. His research has pioneered the use of plants as scaffold for heart regeneration. This work lead to significant recognition, including Prof Gaudette and his colleagues being featured throughout the world including Bill Nye Saves the World (on Netflix), CBS’s Innovation Nation, the BBC (live interview) and Popular Science. The work was displayed at the Centre Pompidou (Paris) as part of an exhibit entitled “The Factory of Life”. Recently, a children’s book (From Plant to Human: The Extraordinary Spinach-Leaf Heart by Oscar Silver) was published about this inspiring work. His recent research aims to develop cost-effective methods for growing meat in the laboratory setting, which could reduce our reliance on conventional animal agriculture. Dr. Gaudette also teaches engineering mechanics, design and innovation, biomechanics and physiology. He promotes the development of a mindset for helping others, especially in the technical courses he teaches. He was named the 2015 Faculty Member of the Year by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network and was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the National Academy of Inventors.

Andy is a Fellow of the Engineering Society of Detroit and is actively involved in ASEE and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He serves as Faculty Advisor for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Student Chapter at LTU, director of IDEAS (Interdisciplinary Design and Entrepreneurial Applications Sequence), chair of the First Year Engineering Experience committee, supervisor of the LTU Thermo-Fluids Laboratory, coordinator of the Certificate/Minor in Aeronautical Engineering, and faculty advisor of the LTU SAE Aero Design Team. Andy conducts workshops on active, collaborative, and problem-based learning, entrepreneurial mindset education, creative problem solving, and innovation. He is an author of a fluid mechanics textbook.

Anna Howard graduated from the Penn State Rotorcraft Center of Excellence before beginning a teaching career at North Carolina State University. She has championed flipped classrooms and teaching with technology in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department with a special focus on how to teach Engineering Statics. She has developed extensive materials for Statics including short concept videos, example videos, quizzes, full class-notes, and demonstrations. She uses gamification, student-response activities, and teamwork built on Scale-Up principles in class to teach almost 600 students per year. She is currently converting these materials for open-source use. Howard is active at ASEE at both the national (Mechanical Engineering Division and the Mechanics Division) and regional levels (Southeastern Section). She is the Campus Rep for ASEE and is one of the campus leaders for KEEN at NC State.