Kansas State University

It is my pleasure to wish you and yours a happy and healthy new year. The department of mechanical and nuclear engineering (MNE) has enjoyed quite a successful year in 2013.

We have some new faces in the department. This fall, we hired two new Assistant Professors Melanie Derby and Jeremy Roberts. We also added a new academic program coordinator, Heather Markson and an assistant academic program coordinator, Mitzi Farmer. Please look for details about our new faculty and staff in articles that follow below. I am not a new faculty member but am now serving as the MNE interim department head. The College of Engineering has recently completed interviews for a new dean and the search is in progress for a permanent MNE department head as well.

The mechanical and nuclear engineering department continues to expand.  For the past 10 years, we have grown in undergraduate enrollment every year. This year we had another record enrollment of 850 undergraduate students. This growth shows that we are meeting the requirement pertinent to the University Engineering Initiative Act (UEIA) to significantly increase engineering graduates within the three engineering schools in the state of Kansas. As the largest and most recognized engineering program in Kansas, we intend to lead the UEIA’s charge. To accommodate the growth of our college, the Engineering Complex will be adding a fourth building (Phase IV) to our existing Rathbone-Durland-Fiedler buildings forming an integrated College of Engineering complex. Please visit the website http://www.engg.ksu.edu/phaseiv/ for: status updates, projected timeline, and details of the expansion which kicked off in Oct. 2013 with the groundbreaking.

Retirement is on the horizon for two valued faculty members. Daniel Swenson, professor will retire at the end of the spring 2014 semester. Another faculty member, Sameer Madanshetty, associate professor is on phased retirement. We are in the process of searching for a number of new members of the MNE faculty.

We are excited to present department updates, events, and accomplishments in this electronic newsletter. A limited amount of paper versions are available upon request, please contact Mitzi Farmer at mwfarmer@k-state.edu to request a printed copy. We value your connection and involvement with the MNE department and welcome a visit from you whenever you are on campus.

My very best regards,

Bill Dunn

dunn@ksu.edu

  If you would like to support the department of mechanical and nuclear engineering at Kansas State University, please visit the donation page at http://goo.gl/bVS7wr.