Two notable educators – Jim Conwell and Jay Walsh – will join the School of Engineering’s Board of Visitors at its fall meeting on campus Friday, Oct. 10.
The 35-member board is comprised of distinguished alumni and friends of the school who serve as advisers to the Dean and senior staff and meet twice annually.
Conwell, a mechanical engineering alumnus (Ph.D.’89), was named president of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 2013. Conwell is a former engineering executive and engineering educator. As a former vice president of a Fortune 500 engineering company, he has headed projects in a number of countries and across a variety of industries: automotive, defense, mining, oil/gas, aerospace and pharmaceuticals.
Walsh is Vice President for Research and a professor of biomedical engineering at Northwestern University. Walsh received a Ph.D. in medical engineering from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Walsh’s research on laser-tissue interactions helped frame the understanding of laser ablation. This work formed the scientific foundation for now standard laser-based procedures in medicine and surgery.
In addition to a State of the School presentation by Dean Philippe Fauchet, members will participate in sessions on trending topics, hear student presentations and visit the school’s biophotonics laboratories with Anita Mahadevan-Jansen, Orrin H. Ingram Professor of Engineering, and professor of biomedical engineering and neurological surgery; and Melissa Skala, assistant professor of biomedical engineering.
Three morning session topics are Regenerative Medicine, led by Craig Duvall, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and Scott Guelcher, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering; Novel Computer Science Master Degree Program, led by Doug Schmidt, professor of computer science and computer engineering, and Jules White, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science; and, Global Internships, led by Tom Bogenschild, director of Vanderbilt’s Global Education Office, and Engineering Associate Dean Cynthia Paschal.
The BOV luncheon will include presentations by students Megan Madonna, Anjola Olayemi Zach Elliott and Mike Papakonstantinou.
Madonna is a biomedical engineering student with aspirations for medical and doctoral degrees. She has participated in a study abroad program in Ireland. Olayemi, a Microsoft intern, is a computer engineering senior and will offer his perspective on being a dual-degree student with Nashville’s Fisk University. Elliott, a civil engineering senior, is an officer on Vanderbilt’s Solar Decathlon team and he studied in Dubai this summer. Papakonstantinou, a senior engineering science major with minors in engineering management and computer science, is a leader in the Vanderbilt student entrepreneurial community. He was instrumental in organizing Vanderbilt’s participation in the 3-Day Start Up program.
The meeting will conclude with an Engineering Alumni Mentoring Program reception in Adams Atrium of Featheringill Hall.
Contact:
Brenda Ellis, (615) 343-6314
Brenda.Ellis@Vanderbilt.edu
Twitter @VUEngineering