18 MOMENTUM • VIRGINIA TECH MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Lance Collins named to the National Academy of Engineering
Lance R . Collins , vice president and executive director of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus , is one of 106 new members elected to the National Academy of Engineering for 2021 , among the highest professional distinctions for an engineer .
Collins , the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering at Cornell University for a decade before joining the Innovation Campus last year , is being honored for his contributions to understanding turbulent processes , leadership in engineering , and contributions to the diversity of the profession .
“ I am excited , humbled and honored by the opportunity to join leaders at the National Academy of Engineering ,” Collins said . “ I share this honor with the mentors , colleagues , and students at Cornell who guided me and supported my research and ideas . It infuses me with energy as we move forward to build partnerships and create a new model of graduate education at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus .”
Collins , who led Cornell ’ s College of Engineering from 2010-20 , was a key member of the leadership team that successfully bid to partner with New York City to build Cornell Tech , which opened its Roosevelt Island campus in 2017 . He first joined Cornell in 2002 as a professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering .
Collins ’ appointment to Virginia Tech culminated an international search for the leader of the Innovation Campus , which was announced by the university as part of the state ’ s successful effort to attract Amazon ’ s HQ2 to Northern Virginia .
The Innovation Campus leader has made recruiting a diverse faculty and student body among the highest priorities of his new job in Northern Virginia . He came to Virginia Tech last month with a proven record in that area .
At Cornell , Collins accelerated efforts to diversify the college ’ s faculty and student body : From 2010 to 2020 , the proportion of underrepresented minority students increased from 8 to 19 percent and the undergraduate female enrollment from 33