In this edition of Engineering News, as well as those over the last several years, you’ll find a faculty profile; in this case Dr. Kailash Satyamurthy. These profiles present a personal look at our faculty to give you the opportunity to learn about them outside their roles as instructors. Wherever I go, whether it be meeting with colleagues at University Park or industry representatives, I am always proud to say that we have an excellent engineering division faculty. Great Valley has a special mission in higher education, i.e., providing graduate professional education to working adults. And that mission requires the individual talents of our faculty. They are excellent researchers, a number of whom are nationally or internationally recognized. That, in itself, is not unusual since most research universities make that claim. What does set our faculty apart is the ability to bring their research to the classroom in a way that is relevant to their students who are working professionals. This is possible, in part, because the majority of our faculty has worked in industry, giving them insight into our students’ needs for succeeding professionally. Also, I can confidently say our faculty are passionate about teaching, dedicated to providing our students with the best graduate education possible.

This is apparent from my observations of what takes place in the classroom and my talking to students about their experiences.

Greetings from Dr. Nemes

Master of Engineering Management

When asked about his first-year as a student in the master of engineering management (MEM) degree program, Jim Dougherty, a senior software engineering manager at Iron Mountain, finds it hard to contain his enthusiasm. “I’ve got to say 2010 was a great year!” And a great year it has been for the program. One year since its launch, the MEM degree has a lot to brag about: double residential enrollment, an increase in the number of new applications, and an expansion of the geographic residential delivery.

Kailash Satyamurthy, M.B.A., Ph.D., assistant professor, engineering and management, attributes this success to developing a curriculum that recognizes the changing role of today’s engineers. “When engineers get promoted, their responsibilities increase to include new challenges such as managing teams,” says Satyamurthy. “Most [of them] don’t know how to manage [staff] since their focus has always been on designing and practical job responsibilities.” He contends

that a major part of the program focuses on creating a balance of two disciplines – engineering and building team relationships – which help technology-based engineers develop a better overall perspective of managing in an engineering-related management position.

But what makes this program truly successful is how students feel they are not compromising the technological aspect of their background while executing the financial, economic, and people aspects of engineering and technology management positions. Students also appreciate the immediate applicability of what they learn in class. Aaron Falcone, IT manager/technical architect at Lincoln Financial Group, couldn’t agree more. “In retrospect, enrolling in Penn State’s MEM program was an excellent decision. I’ve been able to apply newly learned skills to my work environment almost immediately.” Dougherty concurs. “I’ve learned lots of things that apply to real-world problem solving. I have never had school work track the real world so closely.”

As for the future, MEM program development includes an expansion of the residential program to include a fully online program delivery through Penn State’s World Campus.

SPRING 2011

OneyearLater

Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies

Kailash Satyamurthy, M.B.A., Ph.D.assistant professor engineering and management

He may never admit it but Kailash Satyamurthy, M.B.A., Ph.D., assistant professor, engineering and management, loves a challenge. It’s what made him leave his native homeland of India in 1973 to come to the United States with only $6 in his pocket. It’s what made him run a half-marathon three years ago after only three months of training. It’s what keeps him motivated.

Born in India, Satyamurthy comes from a large, extended, and close-knit family. After receiving an undergraduate degree in civil engineering, he worked various jobs including construction. Eventually, he began teaching and presenting lectures. It was at this time that his life took a new direction.

In 1973, Satyamurthy packed his bags, said goodbye to his family, and boarded a plane for the United States. “I arrived in Rapid City, South Dakota, in the middle of winter where there was 40˝ of snow on the ground. I had only seen snow in the movies,” recalls Satyamurthy. Not only that, Satyamurthy didn’t own a coat, knew no one, and had barely enough money to last a day.

Fast forward several years later, Satyamurthy received his master’s and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from Clemson University and later joined the faculty of Virginia Tech. While he enjoyed teaching, he realized he needed industrial experience to become a better instructor. Satyamurthy was hired by General Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio, as an engineer and spent the next 20 years designing myriad products, eventually being promoted to head of engineering. When the company was sold and relocated to California, Satyamurthy decided it was time to leave and branch out on his own. For two years he owned and operated a recycling company before being hired by Vanguard.

For the next seven years he “had one of the best jobs in the world” teaching and training Vanguard employees, and writing course curriculum. It was during this time that he enrolled at Penn State Great Valley for an M.B.A. Satyamurthy soon began teaching evening courses at St. Joseph’s University and Penn State Berks, and was also an adjunct professor in the management division at Penn State Great Valley. “I had five jobs at one time,” he laughs.

Satyamurthy was soon hired as an assistant professor in the engineering division at Penn State Great Valley, a position he has held for three years. He is currently a lead professor in the master of engineering management degree program and serves as co-chair of the School’s Diversity Action Council, a University-wide program devoted to delivering and shepherding diversity within the School community.

While he has endured some difficult times including when his wife was seriously injured in a car accident a few years ago, Satyamurthy continues to contemplate his next challenge. Encouraged by his daughters, Satyamurthy started running and already has an impressive race résumé. He has done several half marathons including the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, which he did with his daughters.

February 22-24All events are free and open to the public. More info: www.sgps.psu.edu/eweek2011/

Information SessionTuesday, February 225 to 6 p.m.Main BuildingStaff and faculty will be on hand to speak with prospective students who wish to learn more about engineering programs at Penn State Great Valley.

The Behind the Scenes Story of the Chilean Miners Rescue Wednesday, February 237 to 8:30 p.m.Musser AuditoriumPeter Christian, VP of engineering at Schramm, Inc., shares the inside story of how Schramm was part of the international rescue team for 33 men who were trapped for 69 days in an underground mine. While this is a free event, registration is required due to limited seating. Visit www.sgps.psu.edu/chilean-miners/ for more information and to register.

Student/Alumni/Faculty MixerThursday, February 245:30 to 6 p.m.Main Building LobbyProspective and current students are invited to join faculty and alumni for appetizers and mingling.

FACULTY PROFILE

Growing up in southeastern Michigan, the epicenter of the American automotive industry, Ryan Prose, a systems engineering student, hoped to work for a leading-edge technology corporation. Today, he is living his dream as a production quality engineer at Sikorsky Aircraft, a division of United Technologies and a world leader in the design, manufacture, and service of military and commercial helicopters.

Being responsible for the in-process and delivered quality of S-76 and S-92 commercial helicopters, Prose manages full-spectrum projects that impact corporate bottom-line financials. In December 2010, Prose met with Sikorsky Aircraft President Jeff Pino and senior management team members at Sikorsky’s Coatesville site to deliver a presentation on the quality clinic and material review board (MRB) system he recently implemented in the FAA Part 145 Repair Station. Pino complimented Prose on his “world-class” system and suggested that the Stratford, Connecticut, office should visit his office’s project site to benchmark the system. During this moment, Prose reflected on how the systems engineering program at Penn State Great Valley has significantly equipped him to construct these major systems.

“The ability to apply the systems principles I have learned in the classroom has had a direct impact on the projects I am working on at my job,” says Prose. “I am able, aided by the systems engineering approach, to roll out key projects. Because of this, senior managers at my company have given me more of a day-to-day leadership role.”

Prose received a bachelor of science in applied engineering sciences with a minor in business and supply chain management from Michigan State University. After graduation, he secured a job as a quality systems auditor and process mapping coordinator at Detroit Diesel, a division of Daimler Trucks North America. At Sikorsky, Prose chairs two MRB teams for the S-76 and S-92 product lines, analyzes quality data, performs root cause analysis for recurrent aircraft discrepancies, and implements initiatives aimed at reducing in-process scrap, rework, and repair costs. He is interested in the core product realization disciplines and hopes to soon receive invaluable, hands-on, aircraft experience as an aircraft maintenance officer in the Air Force Reserve. He also plans to pursue an M.B.A. focusing on operations management or strategic development.

In his free time, Prose enjoys golfing, playing tennis, reading, and spending time with his girlfriend, Michele, who is a 7th grade science teacher in New Castle, Delaware. His family resides on the east coast where his mother works part time at the American History Museum in Washington, D.C., his twin brother is a federal TSA agent, and his sister is completing her LLM at American University after finishing law school in 2010. And while he no longer lives in Michigan, Prose frequently vacations on Mackinaw Island located between the upper and lower peninsulas.

Ryan Prose systems engineering

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTSJoanna DeFranco, Colin Neill, and Roy Clariana had “A Cognitive Collaborative Model to Improve Performance in Engineering Teams – A Study of Team Outcomes and Mental Model Sharing” accepted to the Systems Engineering Journal. DeFranco had “An Empirical Measure of Instructional Technology Policy Effectiveness” accepted to ELearning 2010 in October 2010.

Kathryn Jablokow had the following papers published: “IT Leadership from a Problem Solving Perspective,” Information Technology and Management; and “Managing Cognitive and Cultural Diversity in Global IT Teams,” Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Global Software Engineering. She also had the following paper accepted in ASEE Advances in Engineering Education: “The Impact of Cognitive Style on Social Networks in Online Discussions.” Jablokow is the recipient of the 2009-2010 Arthur L. Glenn Award for Faculty Innovation.

Phil Laplante presented “Mining Security Patterns: Creating a New Tactics Hierarchy” at SMU in October 2010. Laplante received an outstanding contribution award from the IEEE Computer Society for Leadership in establishing a path to integrate the Computer Society digital library content into the IEEE platform.

Mike Piovoso had the following paper accepted in the Journal of Process Control: “Controlling the Evolution of Resistance.” It is co-authored with graduate students and colleagues from the University of Delaware.

Robin Qiu has been invited to review research proposals for the Center for Energy, Economics, and Environmental Policy at Rutgers University, N.J. Along with his colleagues G. Wang, J. Wang, and X.R. Ma, Qiu had “The Effect of Standardization and Customization on Service Satisfaction” accepted by the Journal of Service Science. Qiu was invited to serve on an NSF Grant Review Panel in December 2010 and spoke at the 2010 INFORMS Annual Meeting in Austin. His presentation was “Redesign of Automobile after-sales Service Systems.” He was also recognized as a recipient of “Outstanding Service” as chair of the Service Science Section of INFORMS. Qiu was recently appointed an associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics.

STUDENT PROFILE

Engineering News is published by the Engineering Division, Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies, 30 East Swedesford Road, Malvern, PA 19355, 610-648-3243, gvengin@psu.edu. This publication is available in alternative media on request. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. GV U.Ed. 11-019.

School of Graduate Professional Studies30 E. Swedesford Road Malvern, PA 19355

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Spring Classes to Consider SYSEN 554 Problem Solving Leadership with Dr. Kathryn Jablokow (elective for INSC, MEM and SYSEN) Students will explore strategies for coordinating the problem-solving preferences and their abilities and those of others for problem solving to obtain desired solutions. Other selected topics will include leaders and bridgers, the management of cognitive diversity, and the management of change.

IN SC 597 Business Process Management (BPM)with Dr. Robin Qiu (elective for INSC and SWENG). This course introduces and examines the fundamental cores of BPM solutions, including key terms and concepts, the major methodologies and techniques for implementing BPM, and the various technologies that support BPM.

SWENG 545 Data Mining with Dr. Adrian Barb (elective for INSC, SWENG, and SYSEN) The course’s main focus includes the theory and the methodology behind the tools used in data mining, including techniques for data preprocessing, associative data mining, and various techniques for classification and prediction of problems. Preprocessing techniques such as variable reduction/selection, scaling of data, and noise reduction are discussed.