A virtual “who’s who” from mechanical and aerospace engineering will return to West Virginia University April 9-11 as part of the Statler College’s 25th anniversary celebration of its Academy of Distinguished Alumni in both disciplines.

On Friday, April 10, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering will host a panel discussion entitled “Launchpad Morgantown: Starting Your Career from Here.” The following Academy members will serve as panelists at the event, which will be held in room 113 of the Mineral Resources Building on WVU’s Evansdale Campus at 2 p.m.:

• Gregory S. Babe, BS 1980, DSc 2012, president and CEO of Liquid X Printed Metals and executive vice president at Matthews International

• Thomas J. DeWitt, BSME 1971, MSME 1972, former president and CEO of Swanson Industries and member of the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame

• David B. Doman, BSAE, 1991, principal aerospace engineer and director of the Air Force Research Laboratory Control Science Center

• Col. (ret) Sean M. Frisbee, BSAE 1989, president of IES Global, Inc.

• Keith L. Funkhouser, BSAE 1982, defense industry consultant, former president of Chemring Ordnance and former vice president and general manager at ATK

• John S. Tomblin, BSAE 1990, MSME 1991, PhD ME 1994, Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering, vice president for research and executive director of the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University

“The panelists represent a variety of career paths, including private sector, military, research and academia,” said Larry Banta, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and event organizer. “All have built impressive careers on the education they acquired here at WVU and have inspiring stories that I hope will resonate with our students. The purpose of this event is to allow our current students to ask questions of these very successful people. We think the students will be interested in and inspired by the achievements of some of their predecessors.”

The panel discussion is free and open to the public.

On Friday evening, three new members will be inducted into the Academy, which honors alumni and friends who have distinguished themselves in the fields of engineering, business, academia or the military.

“In the last 25 years, a total of 85 graduates of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering have been inducted into its two Academies of Distinguished Alumni,” said Jacky Prucz, department chair. “The outstanding career accomplishments of these alumni have brought great honor and pride to our Department and they provide strong testimonials to the quality of the engineering education that we offer to our students”.

E. Richard White, who earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from WVU in 1972, will be inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni of Aerospace Engineering. White is vice president of ViGYAN Inc., which provides engineering analyses, wind tunnel services and computer support for its government and commercial customers. White is responsible for program management, technical management of engineering and technical personnel, business development and other duties. He previously serves as program manager for the Experimental Aeronautics Group of Dynamic Engineering Incorporated, and as a senior specialist engineer at PRC Kentron in Hampton, Virginia, where he worked as a wind tunnel aerodynamicist in support of research activities at several NASA Langley wind tunnels.

Richard W. Black and Mark F. Reeder will be inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni of Mechanical Engineering.

Black, who earned his bachelor’s degree in the discipline from WVU in 1982, recently began his own business in industrial business consulting, Consulting and Coaching, LLC. He previously served as the vice president of fabricated products at Performance Fibers, a world leader in the production of industrial polyester fibers and fabrics with operations in North America, Europe and Asia and the second largest producer of tire cord fabric globally. Black successfully led an investment project doubling the company’s tire cord fabric capacity in China and increasing company global sales by $60 million in less than 18 months. Prior to taking on the Asia role in 2011, he served as vice president of technology, where he drove and coordinated technical strategies for growth and innovation for the company globally.

Reeder is professor of aeronautics and astronautics at the Air Force Institute of Technology where he teaches graduate aeronautical engineering courses in fluid flow, hypersonics, aircraft survivability and the theory of gases among others. He has advised more than 30 master’s students and three doctoral students and has served as principal investigator for more than $1 million of externally funded research.

Reeder is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a licensed professional engineer and a member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He currently serves as editor-in-chief for the “International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles,” and he reviews articles for several archival journals, including “Physics of Fluids”. Reeder, who earned his bachelor’s degree from WVU in 1989, has published 32 refereed journal articles and holds four U.S. patents.

Also scheduled for induction is Tomblin, who was inducted in 2014 but was unable to attend. During his time at Wichita State, Tomblin has directed numerous multi-disciplinary and multi-investigator projects with external funding exceeding $125 million. As NIAR executive director, he oversees 15 laboratories in four locations and a yearly budget of more than $45 million. Under his leadership, NIAR has gained worldwide recognition in the area of composites and advanced materials.

-WVU-

mcd/04/07/15

CONTACT: Mary C. Dillon, Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
304.293.4086, Mary.Dillon@mail.wvu.edu

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