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Six ME Students Chosen For Participation in Future Faculty Program

Six Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. students have been selected as participants in the Clark School’s Future Faculty Program (FFP) for 2012.  Adam Kareem, Ahmed Khalil, Edmon Perkins, Ivan Penskiy, Mostafa Nouh, and Zheng Jia will all represent the Department in this year’s program. The FFP is geared towards preparing Ph.D. students in the Clark School for careers as teachers at major engineering schools.  Participants also receive a $3,000 stipend to attend professional conferences as well as career placement assistance that maximizes their potential for success and opportunities to continue their connections to the Clark School. Prof. Hugh Bruck, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of Graduate Studies, praised the qualifications of year’s FFP class: “This year's group of Future Faculty Program (FFP) participants feature students that have significant achievements both in the research lab and in the classroom.” Bruck also noted that many members of this year’s class have found success in teaching and publishing, having released journal articles and served as teaching assistants. Additionally, he stated that students in the FFP will be able to co-teach a course, providing them with them even further preparation for future success in academia.

 Adam Kareem, one of the students selected, noted that the program closely matched his future career interests: “I chose to participate in the FFP namely because of my interest in pursuing a career as a professor.” Kareem noted that he’s “always had a strong interest in teaching and making engineering material easier for students to comprehend and learn,” and he sees the FFP as providing an excellent opportunity for him to do so. Even though he has only been enrolled for a month, “I’ve already benefited from it,” he noted. “It honestly feels like I’m basically ‘test-driving’ a faculty position.”

For more information on the Future Faculty Program, visit http://www.eng.umd.edu/academics/future-faculty.

Published February 13, 2012