School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering

Tapping design automation to improve consumer products, the power grid, and more

After completing her Ph.D. in nuclear engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Julie Tucker worked in industry for five years as a lead scientist, helping design nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers at a government-owned, contractor-operated power lab in Schenectady, New York.

Kyle Niemeyer, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, develops advanced numerical methods for computational modeling of combustion and reactive flows.

Assistant Professor Ravi Balasubramanian specializes in robotics and human control systems.

Students spent 30 consecutive hours of engineering design, teamwork, and development at HWeekend on October 8-9, sponsored by the College of Engineering.

Welty Faculty Fellow and Assistant Professor David Blunck’s research focuses on four domains: combustion, ignition, radiation, and energy.

Dr. Joseph Piacenza, MSME 2012, PhD 2014, reports that he has joined the faculty at Cal State Fullerton. Dr Piacenza is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering & Computer Science.

Dr. Douglas L. Van Bossuyt – 2007 HBSME, HBAME (international degree program); MSME 2009; PHD ME 2012 – is entering his third year as an assistant professor at the Colorado School of Mines seated in the Mechanical Engineering Department and working with the Nuclear Science and Engineering Program and Center for Space Resources. He focuses […]

Dr. Sarah Oman, PhD ME 2012, is currently teaching Mechanical Engineering design courses at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. Oman was hired on to develop a brand new course for sophomore design practices and to supervise senior Capstone Design projects.

Dr. Hoda Mehrpouyan, PhD ME 2014, has joined the Columbus State University, Computer Science faculty as an assistant professor. At Oregon State, Mehrpouyan’s PhD advisor was Prof. Irem Tumer, and her dissertation research addressed assessment and Improvement of the resilience of complex engineered systems during the early design process.

Mark Owen was an honor student and a hall of fame athlete in gymnastics as a high schooler in Portland, Oregon. After graduating from Oregon State, he joined Tektronix as a design engineer. The Portland-based company pioneered engineering tools like computer-aided design and finite element analysis, and Owen was one of the first engineers to […]

Even after Paul McKenney’s long and illustrious career as a software engineer, he continues to benefit from the emphasis during his graduate and undergraduate coursework on solving real-world problems. “The thing about Oregon State University then and now is a strong focus on practice and practical matters,” he said. After graduating, McKenney worked as a […]

Hearing his story, Wes Snyder might just be the envy of any engineering student anywhere. It may seem as if he has lived a charmed life. But in his mind, it has been perseverance that has served him most. As a student participant in MECOP (Multiple Engineering Cooperative Program), Snyder completed a six-month internship at […]

Amber Nyssen’s biggest takeaway from her time at Oregon State was the ability to solve problems. “It sounds like a really simple thing, but being able to assess a situation, ask questions, and develop a logical path forward has served me very well in all of the roles I’ve held professionally,” she said. Through her […]

Olivia Girod, HBS IE 2014, has joined Intel Corporation as an Operations Manager managing a team of 15-25 manufacturing technicians to support operations across three fabrication facilities. As well, Girod has earned the recognition of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers – named to SME Manufacturing’s list “30 Under 30: Recognizing the Future Leaders of Manufacturing” […]

Jeff Stebel, MS IE 2005, has joined Sierra Nevada Corporation to provide risk analysis for the Dream Chaser space plane, a NASA space travel project. He is the flight test vehicle lead with a focus on electric power systems and hybrid propulsion systems. Stebel previously worked for Lockheed-Martin on NASA’s Orion contract.

Ben Rivera, BS ME 1991 has been promoted at Leatherman Tool Group to the position of president of the company’s tool-making division. Rivera has been with Leatherman for more than 20 years and played a pivotal role in the design and evolution of the company’s multi-function tools. Rivera’s appointment comes as the company enters new […]

Steve Bastion, BS IE 2005, has started a new position with Kroger as NW Regional Industrial Engineer based in Clackamas, Oregon. Steve says that he is happy to provide tours of Fred Meyer distribution centers for fellow School of MIME Industrial Engineers.

Terry Kelley (BSME 1974, MSME 1975) is currently the Business Development Manager for GeoGlobal Energy LLC, a privately-held geothermal company headquartered in Chevy Chase, MD, and focused on the worldwide development and acquisition of geothermal resources to generate base load, renewable, low-carbon electricity.

Jerry Young (BSME 1989) was recently promoted to Master-Level Senior Technologist in Hewlett Packard’s Intellectual Property Department  (Boise campus). He is also a current member of the MIME Industry Affiliates Board.

Luke Bortnem (BSIE & MfgE 2009) has worked at Boeing since 2010 after completing his second MECOP internship with the company. Bortnem has been involved on a number of projects for Boeing including working on 737 Pilot Controls, 777 Flap Supports, and 737 Flap Tracks.

Six MIME alumni were honored at the 2013 Oregon Staters banquet in February: David West (BSME 1969), Lewis Danielson (BSME 1979), Elizabeth Hammack (BSIE 1981), Paul Anderson (BSIE 1980), Nancy Adcock (BSME 2001), and Meagan Bozeman (BSME 1997).

Nans Kunz (BSME 1978) has worked at NASA since graduating from OSU. Kunz was the Chief Engineer for the development of the Stratoshperic Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Program. Currently, Kunz is the NESC Chief Engineer for NASA Ames Research Center.

David C. Jensen (BSME 2008, MSME 2009, PhD ME 2012) has joined the University of Arkansas ME faculty as an assistant professor. At OSU, Jensen’s PhD advisor was Irem Tumer, and his dissertation research addressed model-based predictions of system failure behavior and systems validation.

David Browning (BSME 1986), cofounder and chief technology officer of Altman Browning and Company, and Kay Altman(BsChE 1978) hosted an MIME “Decade Dinner” at their home in Portland this summer. Attendees included Lew Danielson(BSMET 1979), Mike Miles (BSME 1980), Mark (BSIE 1978) and Kim Childs, and Thomas (BSME 1983) and Tandra Teramura. (Photos courtesy of […]

Jacquelyn K. Nagel (PhD ME 2010), an assistant professor at James Madison University, was nominated by IEEE-USA as one of the National Engineers Week Foundation’s 2012 New Faces of Engineering. This program honors outstanding engineers under the age of 30. Nagel was recognized for her pioneering work in bio-inspired sensor, instrumentation, and energy systems design. […]

Six MIME alumni were honored at the 2012 Oregon Staters banquet in February: Katherine Hammack (BSME 1981), Andrew Hill (BSME 2000), Scott Henry III (BSME 1958, MSME 1959), Steve Smith (BSIE 1969), Leonard Weitman (BSIE 1978) and Ian Wendler (BSIE 2000).