Keynote
Erik K. Antonsson, Ph.D., P.E., NAE
Founder and CTO, Streetscope, Inc.
Erik K. Antonsson is Founder and CTO of Streetscope, Inc., which provides quantitative assessments of traffic safety of drivers, AVs, streets, and mobility operations for vehicle and traffic infrastructure developers.
From 2013 to 2017 he served as Corporate Director of Technology for the Northrop Grumman Corporation. He previously served as the Director of Technology Strategy & Planning for the Aerospace Sector of Northrop Grumman and Director of Research.
Dr. Antonsson served on the faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology from 1984 through 2009, and Chair of Caltech's Mechanical Engineering Department from 1998 to 2002.
From September 2002 through January 2006, Dr. Antonsson served as the Chief Technologist for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
He was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2019. Dr. Antonsson earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and a masters and doctorate in mechanical engineering from MIT.
Opening Remarks
Thomas Costabile, P.E., FASME
Executive Director/CEO
Tom Costabile is a visionary business leader renowned for his strategic acumen in orchestrating transformative mergers and acquisitions that have revolutionized industries and spearheaded cutting-edge digital transformation.
With a keen eye for identifying synergies, Tom has consistently demonstrated his ability to navigate complex negotiations and drive transformative deals that drive growth and innovation. His track record of executing high-impact M&A transactions speaks to his exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to driving business success through strategic partnerships.
A dynamic force in the mechanical engineering space, Costabile, ASME's Executive Director/CEO has dedicated the last five years to establishing ASME as a global leader while championing the technical and societal contributions of engineers. Known for his calculated risk-taking and profound industry insights, he has been a vocal advocate for engineering education and career development. He orchestrated ASME's acquisition of Techstreet, aiming to diversify the revenue stream and explore opportunities in the for-profit arena.
With a focus on driving progress in key technology sectors such as manufacturing, bioengineering, robotics, clean energy, and pressure technology, Costabile has been instrumental in the development of groundbreaking products, services, and programs within in code and standards development; solidifying his reputation as a pioneering force in the field of engineering.
Before embarking on his transformative journey with ASME, Tom Costabile blazed a trail of innovation across diverse industries. His tenure as a consultant at Carlan Advisors and as a partner at 3ssentials, LLC showcased his acumen as a forward-thinking private equity investor. In the realm of music distribution, he ascended to an executive leadership position at industry giants such as SONY Music, WEA Manufacturing-Warner Music Group, and CBS Records, and played a pivotal role in shaping the future of these industry giants.
Costabile's legacy is defined by his trailblazing approach to developing cutting-edge business strategies, incubating disruptive business models, and revolutionizing channel programs. His innate ability to drive innovation and chart new pathways to success has established him as a leader who thrives on pushing boundaries and redefining industry norms.
Tom, a dedicated philanthropist, chaired the University of Oregon Foundation's Board and achieved the distinction of being its first president to serve a two-year term. His visionary leadership facilitated a groundbreaking billion-dollar campaign cabinet donation. Presently, he contributes his expertise as a valued member of the Board of Trustees at the esteemed Montgomery Academy. Notably, he also initiated a scholarship endowment specifically for women in engineering.
Costabile is a licensed professional mechanical engineer. With a Finance MBA and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, he brings a robust educational background to his professional endeavors.
Yannis C Yortsos, Ph.D.
Dean, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
and the Zohrab Kaprielian Dean's Chair in Engineering
Yannis C. Yortsos is the Dolley Professor of Chemical Engineering and, since 2005, serves as the Dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. He received a BS (Diploma) from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, and MS and Ph.D. degrees from the California Institute of Technology, all in chemical engineering. Yortsos is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) (2008), an Associate member of the Academy of Athens (2013), a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (2024), an elected member of AAAS (2023) and a Fellow of AICHE (2024). He received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2014), the ASEE President’s Award (2017), the Gordon Prize of the NAE (2022) for co-founding in 2009 the Grand Challenges Scholars Program, and a Los Angeles area Emmy (2022) for the documentary Lives not Grades. He is the editor-in-chief of PNAS Nexus, a multi-disciplinary journal of the National Academies (NASEM). His research interests are in flow, transport, and reaction of processes in porous media.
Program Speakers
Cynthia Anderson
Sustainability Consultant, Alula Consulting
Strategy Consultant, Engineering for One Planet (EOP)
Cynthia (Cindy) Anderson (she/her/hers) is a sustainability consultant with Alula Consulting, and a strategy consultant for Engineering for One Planet (EOP) with The Lemelson Foundation. Cindy specializes in innovative sustainability-focused research and curriculum projects for academic institutions, non-profits, government and corporations. Cindy has taught thousands of people through courses and workshops, around the world and online, in the fields of biology, sustainability and biomimicry. She is honored to be a collaborative partner on the EOP initiative since its inception, co-author of the EOP Framework and framework companion teaching guides, and active EOP Network Member. Cindy holds a MS from Oregon State University, a MEd from Griffith University (Queensland, Australia), and a BSc in biology from the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada). Cindy is based in Missoula, Montana.
Oscar Barton, Jr., Ph.D., PE
Dean, Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering
Morgan State University
Oscar Barton, Jr., PhD, PE is a Professor and Dean of the Morgan State University Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering. A native of Washington, D.C., he received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Tuskegee (Institute) University, his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Ph.D. in Applied Mechanics from Howard University in 1993. Serving as its 3rd Dean, he joined Morgan from George Mason University after having established its Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Volgenau School of Engineering. Prior to joining Mason, he began his academic career at the United States Naval Academy.
Dr. Barton's research focuses on the development of approximate closed form solutions for linear self-adjoint systems, those that govern the responses of composite structures, and the analysis of dynamic systems. More recently, he investigated the dynamic response of flexible composite structures subject to periodic and random excitation. He has mentored numerous midshipmen through independent research projects and has directed two Trident Scholars, the Naval Academy's flagship research program. He has published over 60 journal and conference articles on these topics. While at the US Naval Academy and in its 163- year history, Dr. Barton was one of only three African-Americans to obtain the rank of tenured full professor and the first to achieve this milestone in the Division of Engineering and Weapons, Division I. In 2010, he was the first African-American to lead the Mechanical Engineering Department as chair.
As the founding mechanical engineering department chair at Mason, Dr. Barton ushered growth of the department from 3 faculty and 12 students to 17 faculty and 385 undergraduate students and 6 doctoral students as of spring 2020. Under his leadership the undergraduate program received initial EAC-ABET accreditation retroactive to fall of 2015, reaccredited to fall 2024, established state-of- the- art teaching and research labs on the Mason’s Sci-Tech campus, and established an interim Ph.D. program.
Dr. Barton is an elected fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Registered Engineer licensed to practice engineering in the State of Maryland. He chaired ASME's Committee on Engineering Education, served as a member of ASME Public Affairs and Outreach Council, and served as a member-at-large on the Engineering Accreditation Commission's Executive Committee of ABET, after having served numerous years as a program evaluator and commissioner. He currently serves as a member on the Board of Trustees for Missouri University S & T, ASME Foundation, chairs ASME's Nominating Committee, Army Education Advisory Committee and National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. He is Vice-Chair for the Council of HBCU Engineering Deans and is a member of the Academic Advisory Council for ABET.
Ty Booker
Director, Programming and Engagement Section Operations
ASME
Ty Booker is the Sr. Manager of Programming and Engagement and a member of the Section Operations team for ASME in New York City. Ty serves as the lead for program development and engagement for professional and student sections.
Andrew Danowitz, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Computer Engineering
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Andrew Danowitz is an Associate Professor with the Department of Computer Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. His research interests include exploring factors that shape student motivation and success in engineering education. As part of this work, he has published numerous articles on student mental health and has co-founded a Mental Health and Wellness Virtual Community to bring together researchers who work in this critical area. Dr. Danowitz also serves as the treasurer for the American Society of Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Chapter.
Jessica Deters, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Jessica Deters is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education in the Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Deters holds her PhD in Engineering Education and a M.S. in Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and a B.S. in Applied Mathematics & Statistics from Colorado School of Mines. Her research focuses on student retention strategies and the development of professional skills.
Geraldine Gooding, D.Eng.
Director, Engineering Education and Outreach
ASME
Geraldine Gooding, D.Eng. is an engineer, educator, entrepreneur, and change agent whose career spans over 15 years in the urban planning, engineering, and education fields. Dr. Gooding currently serves as Director of the Engineering Education & Outreach Department at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), where she oversees projects and initiatives impacting the global K-12 and college/university communities through innovative classroom and curriculum support, professional development, scholarships, workforce development, and academic program accreditation (ABET). Dr. Gooding also seeks opportunities to lead initiatives at the intersection of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and engineering to improve formal and informal education for all. Outside of work, she enjoys mentoring and empowering youth from elementary to high school to reach their highest potential and teaches after-school enrichment classes in engineering.
Satyandra K. Gupta, Ph.D.
Director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing
University of Southern California
Dr. Satyandra K. Gupta holds Smith International Professorship in the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California and serves as the Director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing. He is also Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at GrayMatter Robotics. His research interests are embodied artificial intelligence, computational foundations for decision-making, and human-centered automation. He has published more than five hundred technical articles in journals, conference proceedings, and edited books. He also holds twenty four patents. He is a fellow of the ASME, IEEE, and SME. He is a former editor-in-chief of the ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering. He has received numerous honors and awards for his scholarly contributions. Representative examples include a Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research in 2000, Robert W. Galvin Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from SME in 2001, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2001, Invention of the Year Award at the University of Maryland in 2007, Kos Ishii-Toshiba Award from ASME in 2011, Excellence in Research Award from ASME Computers and Information in Engineering Division in 2013, Distinguished Alumnus Award from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee in 2014, ASME Design Automation Award in 2021, Distinguished Alumni Award from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 2022, and Lifetime Achievement Award from ASME Computers and Information in Engineering Division in 2024. He has also received eleven best paper awards at international conferences.
Stephanie Harrington
ABET Director Constituent Relations
Stephanie Harrington has spent over 25 years in STEM education as an expert in academic and professional society environments. Stephanie is currently the director of Constituent Relations at ABET, previously serving as the director of Marketing and Development at the American Society for Engineering Education. In addition to working with STEM education programs at professional organizations, she been on faculty at the Catholic University of America and is currently an adjunct at Northern Virginia Community College. With a background as a structural engineer, she brings professional practice expertise to her roles in advancing education. Stephanie holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia and a master's degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Daniel R. Isaacs
CTO and GM, Digital Twin Consortium
Chief Strategy Officer, Object Management Group
Dan Isaacs is Chief Technology Officer and General Manager of Digital Twin Consortium® (DTC™), where he is responsible for driving the technical direction for the Member Consortium, liaison partnerships and business development support for new memberships. Dan is also the Chief Strategy Officer for Object Management Group® (OMG®), where he develops and implements a comprehensive strategy to align OMG consortia (AREA, CISQ, DTC and OMG Standards Development Organization).
Previously, Dan was Director of Strategic Marketing and Business Development at Xilinx where he was responsible for emerging technologies including AI/Machine Learning, including defining and executing the ecosystem strategy for the Industrial IoT. Prior to joining the Digital Twin Consortium, Dan was responsible for Automotive Business Development focused on Automated Driving and ADAS systems.
Dan represented Xilinx to the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC). He has more than 25 years of experience working in automotive, Aerospace and consumer-based companies including Ford, NEC, LSI Logic and Hughes Aircraft.
An accomplished speaker, Dan has delivered keynotes, presentations and served as panelist and moderator for IIC World Forums, Industrial IOT Global conferences, Embedded World, Embedded Systems, and FPGA Conferences. He is a member of international advisory boards and holds degrees in Computer Engineering: EE from Cal State University, B.S. Geophysics from ASU.
Rajesh Jha
Founder and CEO of SimInsights Inc.
Raj Jha is the Founder and CEO of SimInsights Inc, a California company with the vision to enable everyone to teach and learn using AI and XR at scale. SimInsights is the developer of the HyperSkill no-code XR platform that enables non-technical users to author, publish and evaluate immersive digital twins for skills training, credentialing and other applications. The no-code approach delivers large improvements in cost, time and risk compared to code based alternatives. Prior to SimInsights, Raj was Program Manager at Altair for 3D simulation and optimization and shipped several enterprise software products used by largest manufacturers globally. He holds BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from IITBHU and Ohio State University, respectively and an MBA degree from UCLA.
Vukica Jovanovic /Vukitsa Yovanovich/Ph.D.
Chair, Full Professor, Batten Endowed Fellow
Department of Engineering Technology
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Dr. Vukica Jovanovic is a Full Professor and Chair of the Engineering Technology Department at Old Dominion University (ODU). She holds a Ph.D. From Purdue Polytechnic, West Lafayette, Indiana with a focus on Digital Manufacturing. With industry experience as a Design and Manufacturing Engineer, she enhances her academic leadership with practical expertise. As Chair, Jovanovic successfully led the ABET accreditation process for three-degree programs. She has been a Program Evaluator (PEV) for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) through the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) since 2018 and served as a Board Member of the ASME National Engineering Education Committee from 2018 to 2022. She also held leadership roles with the Mechanical Engineering Technology Leaders (ASEE/ASME), serving as Chair (2020–2022) and Vice Chair (2018–2020). Jovanovic's achievements have earned her multiple awards, including the A. Rufus Tonelson Faculty Award. Additionally, she earned the Creating Excellence Award from the Virginia Department of Education and the Junior Faculty Award from ASEE’s Manufacturing Division. Jovanovic's leadership and commitment to engineering education make her a key contributor to advancing academic and professional communities.
Sameer Kher
Senior Director, Ansys
Sameer Kher is currently Senior Director at Ansys, leading Digital Twin and System Simulation products. He has driven the launch of award-winning products like Twin Builder and TwinAI. Sameer holds a BE in Electronics and Telecommunications, an MS in Computer Engineering, and an MBA. Sameer is a Senior Member of the IEEE and has multiple patents and publications.
Pierre Larochelle, Ph.D.
Department Head of Mechanical Engineering
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
Pierre Larochelle serves as Department Head and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Previously, he served as an Associate Dean and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology. His research focuses on the design of complex robotic mechanical systems and enabling creativity and innovation in design. He is the founding director of the RObotics and Computational Kinematics INnovation (ROCKIN) Laboratory, has over 100 publications, holds three US patents, and serves as a consultant on robotics, automation, machine design, creativity & innovation, and computer-aided design. In 2012, at NASA's request, he created a 3-day short course on Creativity & Innovation. This course has been very well received, and he has taught it exclusively more than 35 times at NASA's various centers and laboratories across the nation to more than 700 of NASA's scientists and engineers. He currently serves as the Chair of the ASME Committee for Engineering Education (2024-27). He is the past chair of the U.S. Committee on the Theory of Mechanisms & Machine Science and represented the U.S. in the International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism & Machine Science (IFToMM) (2016-24). He served as a founding Associate Editor for the ASME Journal of Autonomous Vehicles and Systems (2020-24). Moreover, he serves on the Executive Committees of ASME’s Department Heads Committee. He served on the Executive Committee of ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) (2017-24). He serves as an ABET Accreditation Visit Team Chair and Program Evaluator (2006-). He has served as Chair of the ASME Design Engineering Division (2018-2019) and the ASME Mechanisms & Robotics Committee (2010-2014), and as an Associate Editor for the ASME Journal of Mechanisms & Robotics (2013-19), the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design (2005-11), and for Mechanics Based Design of Structures & Machines (2006-13). He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of Tau Beta Pi, Pi Tau Sigma, ASEE, and the Order of the Engineer.
Azad M Madni, Ph.D.
Professor of Astronautics, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
University of Southern California
Azad Madni is a University Professor of Astronautics, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and holder of the Northrop Grumman Foundation Fred O'Green Chair in Engineering in the University of Southern California. He pioneered the field of transdisciplinary engineering, and wrote an award-winning book on the subject, Transdisciplinary Systems Engineering: Exploiting Convergence in a Hyperconnected World (Springer, 2018).
He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, an Honorary Fellow of AIAA, Honorary Member of ASME, Life Fellow of IEEE, INCOSE, WAS, and Fellow of ACM, AAAS, IISE, AIMBE, and several others. He is a life member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, and Omega Alpha Association, an international systems engineering honor society. His research sponsors include the major government agencies such as DARPA, NSF, NASA, DHS, MDA, DOE, NIST, as well as aerospace and automotive companies. He has authored three books, edited eight volumes, and is credited with 425+ journal publications, peer-reviewed conference papers and research reports. He received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. degrees in Engineering from UCLA. He is a graduate of AEA/Stanford Executive Institute.
He is the creator of TRASEE™, a transdisciplinary engineering education paradigm for which he received the NAE's 2023 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology. He also received the prestigious 2023 IEEE Simon Ramo Medal, which is the highest honor in systems engineering and systems science. In 2025, he has been selected to receive USC’s Associates Award for Creativity in Research and Scholarship.
Leigh McCue-Weil, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, George Mason University
From June 2015-December 2018 Leigh McCue was the executive director of the American Society of Naval Engineers. Prior to that, from December of 2004 through May of 2015, she was an Assistant, then Associate Professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering. Her research interests are in maritime robotics, nonlinear and chaotic vessel dynamics, and computational fluid dynamics, coupled with an emphasis on fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering.
Sam Meleika, Ph.D.
Engineering Faculty
Community College of Aurora
Dr. Sam Meleika joined the Community College of Aurora (CCA) in 2023 after spending three years at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, CO. He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Riverside and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University. His Ph.D. research focused on developing new laboratory test methods for heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment. Prior to completing his Ph.D., Dr. Meleika worked as a mechanical engineer for 4 years in the aerospace/defense industry and 2 years in the biomedical industry. As an engineer he supported multiple aspects of product development, including manufacturing, design, and performance testing.
Karim H. Muci-Kuchler, Ph.D.
Professor and Mechanical Engineering Academic Program Coordinator
Texas State University
Dr. Karim Muci-Kuchler is a Professor and Mechanical Engineering Academic Program Coordinator at the Ingram School of Engineering of Texas State University. Before joining Texas State University, he was a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Experimental and Computational Mechanics Laboratory at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Iowa State University in 1992. He has taught a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate engineering courses and his main interest areas include Engineering Education, Computational Mechanics, Product Design and Development, and Solid Mechanics. Dr. Muci-Kuchler is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, co-author of a book about Adaptive Meshing with Boundary Elements, and author or co-author of over 85 publications. The latter include papers related to engineering education, the boundary element method, the friction stir spot welding process, and surrogate perforating projectile wounds, among others. He is an ABET PEV, has served as session chair or co-chair at international conferences, has reviewed papers for technical journals and conference proceedings, has served as panelist for the National Science Foundation (NSF), and has done consulting for industry in Mexico and the US.
Joseph J. Rencis, Ph.D., P.E.
Associate Dean of the School of Engineering and Professor, College of Aviation
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide
Dr. Rencis has a career spanning over thirty-nine years of experience in higher education and is a national leader in engineering education. He takes pride in being a first-generation college graduate with a humble background. He holds a B.S. in architectural and building construction engineering technology from Milwaukee School of Engineering and an M.S. and Ph.D. in civil engineering from Northwestern University and Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Rencis has served as a tenured professor of mechanical engineering and director of engineering mechanics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He was the department head of mechanical engineering at the University of Arkansas and dean of engineering at Tennessee Tech University and Cal Poly Pomona. He has served as interim dean of engineering at the University at Albany, SUNY, and the University of Texas Permian Basin. Dr. Rencis has also served as interim department head of mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas. He is currently the inaugural associate dean of the school of engineering within the college of aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Worldwide. Dr. Rencis has made a significant contribution to the field of mechanical engineering by serving as chair and vice-chair of the ASME mechanical engineering department heads committee and president of the ASEE. He is a fellow of ASME and ASEE, and his research work is in computational solid mechanics and engineering education. Dr. Rencis has won several awards; some include the ASME Edwin F. Church Medal, ASEE Hall of Fame, ASEE Mechanical Engineering Division Ralph Coats Roe Award, ASEE Isadore T. Davis Award for Excellence in Collaboration of Engineering Education and Industry, ASEE Mechanics Division Archie Higdon Distinguished Educator Award, and ASEE Northeastern Section Outstanding Teaching Award. Additionally, Dr. Rencis is a professional engineer in Massachusetts.
Eric T. Sunada
Principal Engineer/Thermal Technologist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Eric Sunada has over 35 years of spacecraft thermal engineering experience supporting missions ranging from Earth orbiters, surface rovers, and outer planet exploration. Eric's technical interests are in the development of enabling technologies for JPL's spacecraft to extreme environments. Specific research areas include two-phase thermal control systems and the accompanying use of advanced manufacturing technologies that enable novel designs. Eric's vocation is working with disadvantaged students to develop skills that allow them to contribute to JPL and to be presented with employment opportunities. Toward this end, he has helped create funded partnerships with various universities and colleges.
Michael T. Tolley
Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Director of the Bioinspired Robotics and Design Lab
Jacobs School of Engineering, UC San Diego
Michael T. Tolley is Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and director of the Bioinspired Robotics and Design Lab at the Jacobs School of Engineering, UC San Diego (bioinspired.eng.ucsd.edu). Before joining the mechanical engineering faculty at UCSD in the fall of 2014, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University. He received the Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering with a minor in computer science from Cornell University in 2009 and 2011, respectively. His research seeks inspiration from nature to design robotic systems with the versatility, resilience, and efficiency of biological organisms. Example topics include soft robots, origami robots, and systems capable of self-assembly. His work has appeared in leading academic journals including Science and Nature, and has been recognized by awards including a US Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program award and a 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award. He is active in the robotics community, serving in multiple associate editor and conference organizer roles including as Program Chair of the IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft) in 2020 and General Chair in 2024. Prof. Tolley is a Senior Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a member of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS), and of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Jalal Torabzadeh, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department
College of Engineering
California State University, Long Beach
Dr. Jalal Torabzadeh is Chair of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department and Coordinator of the Mechanical and Petroleum Engineering programs at CSULB. He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Abadan Institute of Technology (Iran) and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering from USC. Before joining CSULB in 1986, he taught and conducted research at USC and worked as a Reservoir Engineer for the National Iranian Oil Co. and a Research Engineer for Chevron.
His expertise spans thermodynamics, heat transfer, porous media transport, hydrocarbon reservoir engineering, and enhanced oil and gas recovery. He has authored over 30 technical papers and textbook chapters and led research projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Southern California Gas Co., and Chevron.
A recognized expert in enhanced oil and gas recovery, Dr. Torabzadeh has consulted for global oil companies, research centers, and universities. He is an active member of ASEE, SPE, and other professional societies, holding multiple teaching and service awards, including the SPE Distinguished Service Award. He is also an SPEI Distinguished Member, a Fellow of the Institute for the Advancement of Engineering, and a board member of LASPE and LACES.
Mehdi Vahab
Academic Manager for Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
MathWorks
Mehdi Vahab is the Academic Manager for Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at MathWorks. His academic background is in physical modeling, specifically for fluid and thermal systems, and applications of computational modeling in different engineering problems. Before joining MathWorks, he developed numerical methods for the computational modeling of multiphase/multimaterial systems and phase-change dynamics throughout his research career. He applied those methods to study scientific and engineering problems, such as using active vortex generators to manipulate heat transfer in pool boiling, thermal management of hypersonic vehicles with heat pipes, and understanding how the melting process enhances heat transfer when snowing in open waters. At MathWorks, he helps researchers, faculty, and students in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with their research and teaching challenges by collaborating and consulting to find better and more accessible solutions.
Regina Vrikkis, Ph.D.
Teaching Associate Professor
UNC Charlotte
Dr. Regina Vrikkis is a Teaching Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UNC Charlotte, where she has been a faculty member for nearly a decade. She specializes in teaching courses in the thermal fluids area and serves as the Accreditation Coordinator for the mechanical engineering program. In addition, Dr. Vrikkis is the Director of the College of Engineering Office of Student Recruitment, leading strategic outreach efforts to engage future Niner Engineers. Her work focuses on building connections with high schools and community colleges across North Carolina and select out-of-state regions to strengthen pathways into engineering education.
Tom Walker
ABET Manager of US Accreditation
Tom is ABET's Manager of US Accreditation, where he works with volunteers and institutions to oversee all elements of US reviews, as well as with ABET Commission leadership to support their efforts in delivering training and criteria changes. Prior to coming to ABET, Tom was the ABET society liaison for the American Society for Engineering Education. Tom holds a MA in Education Policy and Leadership from the University of Maryland and taught English Literature for four years before moving to the US. In his personal life, he fosters old or disabled dogs, enjoys playing and collecting specialist board games, and unwinds through cryptic crosswords and variant sudoku.
Victoria Webster-Wood, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University
Vickie Webster-Wood is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University with courtesy appointments in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, and the Robotics Institute. She is the director of the C.M.U. Biohybrid and Organic Robotics Group and has a long-term research goal to develop completely organic, biodegradable, autonomous robots. Research in the C.M.U. B.O.R.G. brings together bio-inspired robotics, tissue engineering, and computational neuroscience to study and model neuromuscular control and translate findings to the creation of renewable robotic devices. Dr. Webster-Wood completed her postdoc at Case Western Reserve University in the Tissue Fabrication and Mechanobiology Lab. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the same institution as an N.S.F. Graduate Research Fellow in the Biologically Inspired Robotics Lab. She received the NSF CAREER Award in 2021 and leads the SSymBioTIC MURI. She is also a co-PI of the N.S.F. NeuroNex Network on Communication, Coordination, and Control in Neuromechanical Systems (C3NS) and has received numerous additional awards and grants, including recognition as one of MIT Technology Reviews 35 Innovators under 35 in 2023. Dr. Webster-Wood currently teaches undergraduate Dynamics and a graduate course on Bioinspired Robot Design and Experimentation, as well as mentoring both undergraduate and graduate students as researchers in her lab.