Professor Shi-Chune Yao Named Acting Head of Mechanical Engineering

In an email to the Mechanical Engineering community, Vijayakumar Bhagavatula, interim dean for the College of Engineering (CIT), announced that Professor Shi-Chune Yao will become acting department head of Mechanical Engineering, effective Sept. 1. Yao takes the helm from Nadine Aubry, who left CMU to become dean of the College of Engineering at Northeastern University. The following is Bhagavatula's email message.

Good afternoon,

I am very pleased to announce that Professor Shi-Chune (S. C.) Yao will become acting department head of Mechanical Engineering (MechE), effective Sept. 1. Professor Yao has been with the Mechanical Engineering Department for many years and has served as its interim department head from 2005 to 2006.

Professor Yao is an excellent teacher and researcher whose research interests include multiphase flow and heat transfer, research topics closely related to energy and thermal control industries. Professor Yao is also active in the development of micro-scale energy systems using micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. His research investigates micro-scale refrigeration systems on silicon chips and two phase fluidics in micro-scale Direct Methanol Fuel Cells.

Professor Yao has demonstrated leadership at the university in a variety of ways over the years. He has been a member of the Faculty Senate since 2008. He served on the CIT Promotion and Tenure AdHoc Committee many times and was also a member of the CIT Curriculum Review Steering Committee during 1989 and 1990. Over the last 30 years, Professor Yao has also served as a member or chair of several key committees within the Mechanical Engineering Department.

In addition to his commitment and service to the university, he remains actively involved in several professional associations. Among other important memberships and affiliations, he has served as a member of the International Conference of Multiphase Flow, Scientific Committee since 1998, as the program chair of 2000 National Heat Transfer Conference, as Conference Co-chairman of the 5th International Symposium on Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer in 2005, and Chairman of the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Heat Transfer Division, Long Range Directions and Issues Committee during 2003-2004.

Professor Yao has authored a multitude of technical papers and articles and has received several honors including the Sir Pao Yu-Kong Chair Professorship, Zhe-Jiang University, China, 2009-2012 and two ASME Awards of Appreciation for his leadership. He has also been a Life Fellow of ASME since his election in 1988.
 
Please join me in thanking S. C. for his willingness to serve in this important position during our transition to the next permanent department head of Mechanical Engineering.
 
Sincerely,
 
Kumar
 
Vijayakumar Bhagavatula
Interim Dean, College of Engineering and
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering