Momentum - The Magazine for Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Vol. 3 No. 3 Fall 2018 | Page 4

From the Dept Head Azim Eskandarian Growing: A perfect theme for the year Growing takes a lot of different forms and this year many of those forms are on display in the department. Amrinder Nain's STEP Lab uses engineering to control cells to behave in ways that could be used for wound closure. First, the department is growing. We added eight new faculty members who start this academic year, six in the fall and two in the spring. Our increased faculty numbers come on the heels of several years of steady growth in our student population, which includes more than 1,100 undergrads (sophomore-se- nior) and more than 300 graduate students. The world of mechanical engineering is growing by getting smaller. Working at the micro and nano levels we are uncovering truths about structures and materials that would have been science fiction as little as two generations ago. Assistant Professor Ling Li is working with sea urchin spines to develop stronger, lightweight materials, while Assistant Professor Rayne Zheng is working on the 3D printing of graphene. Growth can also be seen by the number of companies who want to talk to our students, resulting in the growth of internships and jobs after graduation. We also see growth in the number of senior design teams sponsored by industry which shows us that we are providing what industry wants - students who are problem solvers, leaders, and inter- disciplinary team players. We are also seeing growth in the diversity of our student population and our faculty. Although we are working on this persistent- ly, the growth isn't what we'd like yet, but the trend is definitely in the right direction. In this issue, you'll see research involving growth as well, particularly in our cover story that looks at how Associate Professor MOMENTUM FALL 2018 Gordon Kirk We are deeply saddened to report the pass- ing of beloved Professor Emeritus Gordon Kirk on Sept. 6. A link to his obituary can be found on the opposite page. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Distinguished Alumni To our ME alumni, please let us know your nomination for the 2019 Class of Distin- guished Alumni. Last year we inducted the first class of ME Distinguished Alumni and we're opening nominations to any ME alums. For information, email Brandy McCoy at: [email protected] or to fill out a nomination form, click the link here. Deadline is Jan. 15. PAGE 4