Mechanical Engineering Welcomes Students Back to Campus

On August 29 the Department of Mechanical Engineering will welcome the arrival of nearly 950 undergraduate students and 300 graduate students to campus. Returning undergraduate students will see some changes in personnel.

Graduate Assistant Academic Advisor Ekaterina “Katya” Demiyanova has graduated from the College of Education and will be replaced by Jessica Wismer, a former teacher who is starting her graduate degree in the College of Education.

Mechanical Engineering will also welcome a new Director of Undergraduate Studies who is a familiar face on campus. Dr. Ken Kiger will assume the role from Dr. David Bigio, who served in the position for five years. This transition will occur over the fall semester.

Students will also notice more teaching assistants in class. The department will increase the number of Undergraduate Teaching Fellows in several courses. This will provide upperclassmen the opportunity to give back to the department while mentoring incoming students, according to Kiger.

Both undergraduate and graduate students will have chances to interact with their peers beyond the classroom. The Mechanical Engineering Graduate Association (MEGA) will host a picnic on September 21 at 3 p.m. in Calvert Park on Drexel Road and Dartmouth Avenue in College Park.

The department’s Seminar Series will begin September 14 at 2 p.m. in the DeWalt Seminar Room with a discussion featuring Gary Ignacio from Cochlear, Ltd. on “Safety and Reliability Assurance of Medical Implantable Devices as Applied to Cochlear Implants.”

Published August 28, 2012