he Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) went through a formal review in Spring 1998. The members of the External Review Committee were:

Professor Richard O. Buckius, Head, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois­Champaign-Urbana; Professor Ronald K. Hanson, Chair, Department of Mec hanical Engineering, Stanford University; Professor J. Karl Hedrick, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California-Berkeley; Dr. Roger L. McCarthy, Chairman of the Board, Failure Analysis Associates; Dr. William Powers, Vice-President for Research, Ford Motor Company; Professor Nam P. Suh, Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); and Professor David Wormley, Dean, College of Engineering, Pennsylvania State University-University Park.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), originally Mechanical Engineering, was founded in 1868 and has had 15 Chairs over the past 130 years. Another chang e in leadership is occuring in September 1998, as Panos Y. Papalambros completes six years as MEAM Chair and A. Galip Ulsoy begins a five-year term.

This distinguished group spent two days with MEAM faculty, students, and staff. They also toured the facilities, visited various laboratories, and were provided with a detailed report on the Department compiled by an Internal Review Committee chaired by former MEAM Chair Professor Richard E. Sonntag.

The following are some brief excerpts from the External Review Committee's report:

"...we found evident, justified, and growing pride in the continued improvement of the Department in all areas: faculty, staff, students, and facilities."

"In summary, we believe that the Department has made very significant progress in the past five years and has a good foundation to move forward."

They also urged MEAM to look ahead, with... "... the development of a strategic vision, and consensus-building process, while maintaining a strong focus on continued recruitment of top students and the development of outstanding faculty." We take pride in their positive assessment of the state-of-the-Department and appreciate their advice for moving ahead in the coming years. This 1997-98 MEAM Annual Report sumarizes our activities for the past year. You will find described in the following pages some of the specific accomplishments that contributed to the conclusions of the External Review Committee. Even as we celebrate these recent accomplishments by MEAM students, faculty, and staff, we look forward to the future. This is a highly opportune time in the history of the Department to reaffirm our commitment to excellence and innovation in all of our core activities.

photos: U-M MEAM CPO / Shekinah Errington Professor Panos Y. Papalambros (rt.) hands over the keys to Professor A. Galip Ulsoy.

Panos Y. Papalambros		A. Galip Ulsoy
MEAM Chair, 1992-98		MEAM Chair, 1998-02