> ScholarshipWinnerThe SEMS Board of Visitors is proud to present their firstscholarship to Jessica Sales, a freshman in the industrialengineering program. Jessica’senthusiasm and positiveattitude towards RMU wasamazing! She was aparticipant in the PresidentialScholars Day, a veryprestigious event where 100+high-achieving studentscompeted for scholarships. Shepresented a portfolio/dossier with all of her accomplishments, which were impressive.

She decided to studyengineering because engineerssolve problems and makethe world a better place. Sheis now part of Engineers for aSustainable World in SEMS.Jessica speaks German andFrench, loves vintagephotography, and is thepresident of the photographyclub. She has taken classes in air traffic control andprivate pilot theory and flew a plane with an instructor over Myrtle Beach.

> From the DeanThe School of Engineering, Mathematics and Science(SEMS) has so much to be proud of. We have one of the university’s best freshman retention rates, at 94%. Typically more than half the university’sPresidential Scholars who receive full tuition are SEMS students. Our degrees feature mandatoryinternships and research seminars, and we arerecognized as a national and international leader inSTEM education. It is amazing to recall that we startedthe school in 1999 with only 22 engineering students. We now have well over 1,000 students, and last May we had a graduating class of 160 enrolled in more than10 majors, minors, and certificate programs.

One of the main reasons our graduates find good first jobs and establish successful careers is because ofRMU’s engaged learning opportunities. Our studentsexperience hands-on learning, collaborate withprofessors, participate in mandatory internships,publish in peer-reviewed journals, and present atconferences. RMU has played a major role in shapingthe region’s professional workforce, and we are wellpositioned to help grow Pittsburgh’s energy industryand spark a revival in manufacturing.

The future holds more exciting opportunities as weexpand and modernize our facilities, hire more expertand diverse faculty and students from all walks of life,and collaborate through cross-disciplinary research andpartnerships with industry and the wider community.This newsletter highlights some of the work we aredoing at SEMS, so I hope you will enjoy it and share itwith your friends and colleagues.

My best wishes,

M A R I A V. K A L E V I T C H , P H . D . ,

D E A N & U N I V E R S I T Y P R O F E S S O R

F A L L 2 0 1 6

School of Engineering,Mathematics & Science

1020-50-16

>> VIS

IT RM

U.ED

U/S

EMS

TO LEA

RN

MO

RE A

BO

UT O

UR

DEPA

RTM

ENTS

AN

D P

RO

GR

AM

S.

> Getting RecognitionThe undergraduate engineering program was recognizedby U.S. News and World Report on their list of the nation’sBest Undergraduate Engineering Programs. CollegeFactual has ranked the engineering program as the thirdmost affordable nationwide. We have Pennsylvania’sonly ABET accredited bachelor’s degree inmanufacturing engineering, and our manufacturingprogram is nationally recognized through a White Houseinitiative on additive manufacturing. And thanks to a$350,000 grant from the R.K. Mellon Foundation, RMU will build a 3-D printing lab and classroom in the Energy Innovation Center in Pittsburgh for appliedresearch and training.

The engineering management online program wasranked on SuperScholar’s list of the 50 Best OnlineMaster’s in Engineering Management Programs at No. 32 — higher than Drexel. Our B.S. in environmentalscience program was rated in the top 50 in the nation by EnvironmentalScience.org — higher than UC-Davis. The actuarial science program is one of only 16 schoolsnationwide classified as a Center of Actuarial Excellenceby the Society of Actuaries.

> Faculty ProfileRika Wright Carlsen isassistant professor ofmechanical and biomedicalengineering. Her researchinterests include injurybiomechanics and shedeveloped computational toolsto study the mechanismsleading to traumatic braininjury. She is now workingwith researchers at HarvardUniversity, Carnegie MellonUniversity, and the Universityof Pittsburgh Medical Centerto develop experimental andcomputational models oftraumatic brain injury.

Carlsen received three degreesin mechanical engineering: B.S. from the University ofPittsburgh, M.S. and Ph.D.from Johns HopkinsUniversity. She was apostdoctoral research fellow in the mechanical engineeringdepartment at CarnegieMellon University.

>> LIKE U

S O

N FA

CEB

OO

K... S

EAR

CH

RM

U S

EMS

.

Contact UsMARIA V. KALEVITCH, PH.D.

Dean, School of Engineering,Mathematics & Science

412-397-4020

kalevitch@rmu.edu

> Global PerspectiveThe School of Engineering, Mathematics and Scienceplaces high importance on the expansion of internationalopportunities. The faculty represents eight differentforeign countries: Bahrain, Nepal, India,Turkey, the UK, South Korea,China, and Russia. The schoolhosted a trip to Germany for thestudents in the Energy andSustainability class, as wellas a developmental exchangeprogram between RMU andENU in Scotland for bothstudents and faculty.

Additional connections have beenbuilt with universities in NorthernIreland and Slovakia, and we would like to expand theseopportunities to countries in Africa, Asia, South America,and Australia.

> Collaborative EducationProgramRobert Morris University and the Energy Innovation Centerhave worked together for the past year to develop threeengineering and technology certificates, including theManufacturing Engineering Certificate (18 credits),Advanced Additive Manufacturing Certificate (12 credits)and Energy Engineering and Technology Certificate (18 credits). These certificates allow engineering andtechnology personnel working in industry to obtain theiracademic and professional credentials and develop theirfuture career paths. Credits obtained via certificates will befully transferable should students choose to continue theireducation leading to undergraduate or graduate engineeringdegrees at RMU. The courses will be delivered by RMUfaculty in the EIC building in downtown Pittsburgh.

To support the academic activities of these certificates, a brand new, fully equipped advanced manufacturing,energy, and sustainability laboratory is being developed on the EIC campus by RMU faculty. The laboratory will include hands-on experiments and demonstrationsassociated with advanced additive manufacturing, 3-D modeling and printing, and renewable energy topicssuch as solar, wind, hydro, and biofuels. The laboratory will also be used to teach topics related to energy efficiency,thermodynamic cycles, and conventional energy sourcessuch as clean coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels. Finallythe laboratory space will be used for the instruction on lifecycle assessment and associated embodied energy ofproducts and goods.

> Game TheoriesRecent M.S. Engineering Management graduate Bandar Al Tassan presented his findings from his master’s thesis at the 2015 ASEM (American Society forEngineering Management)International Conference inIndianapolis. His presentation, “Game-Based Simulation in Urban Planning Decision-Making,”was co-authored by his advisorArif Sirinterlikci, universityprofessor of industrial andmanufacturing engineering andengineering department head.This novel work is based on utilization of the “Sim City”computer game as a simulation tool in understanding theimpact of decisions made by urban planners andmanagers on their cities’ development and satisfaction oftheir residences.

> Profile: Matthew Dieterich ‘13I chose to study environmental science as I knewcombining multiple sciences was of interest to me.Looking back, I was fortunate to not only have intelligentprofessors, but professors who were dedicated andinvested in their students’ future. I recall my freshmanmicrobiology course where Dean Kalevitch put usthrough a rigorous amount of coursework. She set me up with an environmental science mentor at theBayer Corporation, where I subsequently interned for 15 months.

In 2012, I was accepted into a research fellowshipprogram at the Department of Energy – National EnergyTechnology Laboratory in Pittsburgh. During my senioryear at RMU I worked there researching how variousfluids interacted with Marcellus Shale, a hot topic due tothe active natural gas industry in the region. During myfinal senior semester, I worked with Dr. LaSota to write athesis on my research of the Marcellus Shale. That spring,Dr. LaSota and I traveled to the Alpha Chi NationalConference in Nashville, where I presented my researchand was awarded a fellowship towards graduate school.

I continued to work at NETL throughout graduate school in the field of geochemistry, and now I currentlywork in the Morgantown, W.V.,NETL office assisting withgeologic research projects. The knowledge and workethic I developed at RMUhelped prepare me for therigors of graduate school. In 2015 I embarked on a road trip to work at MountRainier National Park inWashington, where I was a geoscience park rangerintern. That summer I captured a memorable photographof the night sky, which was chosen by the U.S. PostalService as a Forever Stamp to celebrate the National ParkService 2016 Centennial. Fulfilling my dream of travelingout West to share my passion for science with others was an incredible experience that I documented on my website: www.MDieterichPhoto.com.

AnthonyRobins isassociateprofessor inscience and

also deputychief diversity

and inclusion officer inthe university’s Office ofDiversity, Inclusion, andEquity. Robins holds degreesin biology and psychology anda Ph.D. in epidemiology. Hisprofessional training inpsychiatric epidemiology andhealth disparities has affordedhim unique opportunities to serve his community for morethan 20 years. He has beeninstrumental in guiding efforts for developing policies,procedures and guidelines atlocal, state, and regional levels.

Woodrow W.Winchester IIIis associateprofessor ofengineering

managementand coordinator

of graduate programs.Winchester received all threeof his degrees from NorthCarolina A & T StateUniversity: B.S. and M.S. inindustrial engineering andPh.D. in industrial andsystems engineering. Hecomes to RMU fromKennesaw State University inGeorgia. Winchester’s currentresearch and teaching interestsare focused on exploring andunderstanding the productdevelopment process inproduct ecosystems design.

> Q&A Sessionwith MatthewDid some aspect of yourstudies at RMU help youdevelop your interest incelestial photography? Mycoursework in environmentalscience helped me develop myappreciation for not onlypreserving resources on theground, but also in the sky,mainly due to the fact that weare losing our connection tothe night sky because brightcity lights drown out the faintstarlight. The goal of myphotography is to help shedlight on the environmentalissues that light pollutioncauses in our night sky.

How did RMU impact yourcurrent career? First andforemost was the professionalopportunity I had duringfreshman year when Dr.Kalevitch saw that I would be a good fit for the BayerEnvironmental ScienceScholarship. I will never forgethow excited I was knowingthat my professor saw Ipossessed the work ethic anddrive to represent the schoolfor this great experience at the Bayer Corporation.

What are you up to currently? I am working as a geology research fellowwith the Department ofEnergy National EnergyTechnology Laboratory in Morgantown, W.V.

>> SEE MATTH

EW’S A

MA

ZING

PHO

TOS AT: W

WW

.MD

IETERICHPH

OTO

.COM

.

> New Hires