FACULTY NOTES

When ISAO ISHIBASHI first came to ODU in 1986, Ronald Reagan was president, gasoline was 86 cents a gallon and the top Billboard song of the year was "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick and Friends.

Thirty-six years later, Joe Biden is president, the top song is Wait For U by Future, featuring Drake and Tems and the price of gas - we won't talk about that.

And, after a long and storied career, Ishibashi, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is retiring. Read the article online.

John Sokolowski has already retired at least once.

In 2001, he retired from the Navy after serving 27 years as a submarine officer.

On June 1, he will officially retire again - this time from his position as associate professor of computational modeling and simulation engineering (CMSE) at Old Dominion University.

After his military service, Sokolowksi became the first person in the world to earn a Ph.D. in computational modeling and simulation engineering - at ODU.

Read the article online.

Sherif Ishak, professor and chair of ODU's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was recently named a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The fellow designation is a prestigious honor held by only 3% of ASCE's 150,000+ members. Candidates must hold a Professional Engineer (PE) or Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) license and have at least 10 years of continuous membership.

Read the article here.

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DEAN'S MESSAGE

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YEAR IN REVIEW

The 2021-2022 academic year has finally come to an end. It has proven to be a time of both great change and a return to normal at the Batten College of Engineering and Technology (BCET).

In October, we hosted a successful online ABET reaccreditation visit for four BCET programs (Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering). We further announced appointments of five new directors: Communications, Business Service Center, Makerspace, Outreach, Advising, and Assistant Dean for Research and Graduate Programs, respectively, after various internal and external searches.

In November, we hosted an online Townhall meeting for faculty to discuss the College's response to the Program Prioritization Initiative.

As the semester progressed, we gradually began to host both online and in-person events on a limited scale. In December, we held a small reception for BCET faculty and staff, many of whom we hadn't seen since 2020.

Old Dominion University's reputation has continued to grow over the academic year. In December, we were awarded the prestigious R1 designation. In January, the top 2% of most-cited researchers in the world included 53 ODU faculty. Fifteen of those were BCET professors and researchers.

In February, students, staff and faculty were treated to a plethora of activities during Engineers Week. We offered pop-up advising, department panels, a student appreciation social, networking activities and lab tours. Sharon Monica Jones, a NASA director and ODU alumnae, was our guest speaker.

In March, nearly 50 admitted and current students attended Women Excelling in Engineering (WE2). Guest speaker and ODU alumnae, Sarah Golden, offered unique advice on navigating the world of engineering.

The 13th annual Virginia-North Carolina Alliance Undergraduate Research Symposium was hosted virtually by the College in April. It was our first time hosting the event since joining the Alliance in 2017.

ESPEX, the engineering student projects expo, was held at the Ted Constant Center in April and featured over 70 undergraduate and graduate research projects. The event was attended by students, faculty, staff, alumni, ODU administration, industry and community members with 200+ in attendance. Thanks to our sponsors, STIHL Inc. and William "Billy" Sykes, monetary awards were offered for the first time.

BCET continues to develop connections with university partners, industry and regional high schools. At the beginning of the year, we announced a new program offering credit for courses at the Governor's STEM and Technology Academy at Landstown High School. In February, we launched the first manufacturing engineering technology major in Virginia in partnership with the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research and Patrick & Henry Community College.

Work and research experience opportunities for our students continue to expand. We recently announced a new joint traineeship program in accelerator science for our graduate students and faculty. In February, Catherine Fischer, a mechanical engineering technology student, was awarded the Brooke Owens Fellowship. Only 51 students were chosen from more than 1,000 applications. She was the first student ever accepted from a Virginia university.

As the academic year ends, we celebrate the success of our students, faculty and staff. In May, four department chairs were announced - two are new appointments while the other two are reappointments. Vukica Jovanovic's appointment as chair of the Department of Engineering Technology will make her the first ever female chair in the history of the department and the BCET. We also promoted three of our female colleagues to the rank of full professor during this academic year.

We wish farewell to those retiring colleagues after many years of dedicated service. We look forward to a great future at the Batten College of Engineering and Technology.

Please join me in welcoming the new dean, Kenneth Fridley, who will be joining us from the University of Alabama on July 1.

It has been an honor serving as your interim dean.