Momentum - The Magazine for Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Vol. 1 No. 1 | Page 2

Momentum | 2

Momentum: It's what we're about

Azim Eskandarian
ME Department Head

I am very pleased to share with you
the inaugural release of our new
Mechanical Engineering Magazine,
Momentum, with ME embedded in
the title, which is truly reflective of
our department’s current direction.
The activities of our department
have soared beyond imagination in recent years after a period of continued
growth. In the 2015-16 academic year,
since I have been honored to serve
the department, we have started a
renewed momentum to expand and
enhance our research, scholarship,
educational and service missions
through a set of new initiatives and
strategic directions which have been
shaped by our outstanding faculty.
The Momentum Magazine, along with
a new bi-monthly digital ME UPDATE
newsletter, a forthcoming Annual Report, and several other on-going media are designed to reflect the results
of these new initiatives and highlight
the strong research and multitude of
discoveries of our faculty. Momentum
Magazine is also a new venue to highlight our students, staff, and alumni’s
activities and achievements.
The accomplishments of our faculty, students, and staff never cease
to amaze me; whether it is a new
discovery published in one of the best
journals in the field, a professional
achievement award of our faculty, our
students' leadership making its mark
in a national competition, or a staff
member's self-initiative to enhance
diversity in our work environment,
our people are continuously striving
for excellence in every aspect of scholarship, teaching, and service.
Among many stories in this issue you
will find how Professor Shashank Priya
and his post-doctoral associate have

discovered a new method of making
piezoelectric ceramics without lead
- one that looks very promising for
commercial development and could
eventually lead to greatly reducing
lead use and waste. Several new
publications, books, and presentations are highlighted and Professors
Walter O’Brien and Lei Zuo have
been selected as Fellows of AIAA and
ASME, respectively. Zuo is also highlighted for his new $2 million Dept. of
Energy Grant for ocean wave energy
research. We get to meet graduate
student Maleshia Jones, and join in
the excitement of a top five finish for
our Hyperloop team against more
than 100 worldwide universities team
and who move on to compete again
this summer at Space-X in California.
Finally you will see the list of seven new faculty hired in 2015 and
five more on-going faculty position
searches which are being filled successfully this year to complement our
department’s community of scholars.
Currently with 60 core faculty, 35
affiliate and adjunct faculty, and 18
research faculty and research scientists and associates, we are among
the largest and most comprehensive
mechanical engineering departments
in the nation with a continued plan
of growth. We serve about 1200
undergraduate and 350 graduate
students, 65 percent of whom are
PhD students. We are also annually
receiving an ever increasing number
of highest quality applicants which is
testimony to the quality and demand
for our graduate and undergraduate
programs.
As you can see from this initial issue,
our ME Department is progressing
rapidly with a renewed momentum
just as the title of this new Magazine
implies. I would like to invite you
to join us with this momentum and
engage with our department, visit
our web site often as we have big
plans in store for our online presence
later this year. Plan a visit in person
through the College of Engineering
or contact us with any questions you
may have about our programs. All of
us at the ME department always welcome you and your feedback.