Cal Poly’s College of Engineering dean Mohammad Noori was selected to serve on the Engineering Deans Council (EDC) Executive Board of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).
The ASEE is an organization of individuals and institutions nationwide, which works to improve and promote engineering education. Noori has served on the ASEE Engineering Deans Council for several years, and was chosen by his council peers to serve as a board member, based on his participation in council activities and his dedication to the organization’s goals.
Noori has served as the dean of Cal Poly’s College of Engineering since 2005. He also served on the faculty of Worcester Polytechnic University and North Carolina State University, where he held the R.J. Reynolds Professorship for excellence in engineering education.
The EDC represents engineering deans from more than 400 schools of engineering at universities across the country. Appointment to the executive board is the most prestigious recognition a member can receive from his or her peers. Noori said he is humbled and honored to represent the EDC.
The ASEE works to improve engineering education by campaigning for new government funding and cooperating with federal agencies and corporations. Noori has been a liaison between the EDC and institutions such as these for many years.
“Dean Noori actively participates in groups such as the EDC Public Policy Committee, which is concerned with policies and legislation in Washington that impact engineering education,” EDC chair Ken Galloway said in an e-mail. “He has also participated in the EDC Engineering Deans Institute, which examines a host of issues affecting academic engineering from diversity to research support.”
Noori said he is eager to share his concerns about the future of engineering education with the other executive board members during his two-year term.
“I hope to be able to work with my colleagues to educate our policymakers about legislation that would benefit engineering education across the country,” Noori said. “I believe that promoting engineering education among K-12 students and women is very important as well.”
Noori’s appointment to the EDC Executive Board will be enthusiastically welcomed by his colleagues at the ASEE, EDC vice chair Nicholas Altiero said.
“I know Dean Noori very well, as I have worked with him in the past on panels that address current issues in engineering education and research. I know that he will bring many new ideas to our board, and I am looking forward to his joining in June,” Altiero said in an e-mail.
Noori’s work in promoting engineering education has also gone beyond the ASEE. In 2002, he and representatives from six other universities formed the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA), an organization that involves faculty and graduate students in conducting innovative research in areas such as aerospace, mechanical and electrical engineering, all sponsored by NASA.
“Dr. Noori was crucial in developing our graduate studies program. His vision has made significant inroads in how science and engineering graduate study will be conducted in the 21st century,” NIA President Robert Lindberg said.
Noori said his election to the EDC Executive Board will also be an opportunity for Cal Poly.
“I hope to be a voice that speaks for Cal Poly to the EDC. This is a great chance to share what we think and promote the activities that our school has done in the field of engineering,” he said.
Noori’s term on the EDC Executive Board will begin on June 23 at the ASEE’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Louisville, Kentucky.