Perkins Named Director of Undergraduate Programs

U-M MEAM CPO / Rodney Hill Professor Noel C. Perkins

Professor Noel C. Perkins loves to teach—especially undergraduate students.

That helps make him an ideal choice to be the new director of MEAM's undergraduate program, a role he began in July, 1999.

"The greatest challenge we have is to convey to undergraduates the ideas that are second nature to us as professors," says Perkins. "Graduate students are easy to teach because they are already well-versed in the fundamentals. Not so with undergraduates. We are presenting them ideas that they are seeing for the first time and we must continue to develop ways to engage them."

Perkins has had an ongoing interest in the quality of undergraduate education since he joined the MEAM faculty in 1987. In addition to teaching several undergraduate courses, he worked closely with the Mechanical Engineering Student Leader Board (MESLB) to establish the MEAM Learning Center, where students can meet together one-on-one or in small groups to study.

Perkins recognizes Associate Professor Michael Thouless for his accomplishments as director of the undergraduate program, including starting the position of peer advisor, fostering an active role for the Undergraduate Program Committee, and upgrading and re-tooling the undergraduate curriculum.

"I hope to continue raising the overall level of attention given to undergraduate education in MEAM," says Perkins. "My early plans are to focus on continued curriculum improvement and continued integration of the College of Engineering's (CoE) threads of learning across the curriculum— technical communications, teamwork, engineering ethics, and environmental awareness."

Perkins received his BS, MS, and PhD, all in Mechanical Engineering, from the University of CaliforniaBerkeley. He completed a postdoctoral appointment at the Institute for Sound and Vibration Research in Southampton, England. His research interests include vibration analysis, nonlinear dynamics and stability, acoustics, machinery/vehicle noise and vibration, and fluid/structure interaction. He serves as an associate editor for the ASME Journal of Applied Mechanics and is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Vibration and Control. He has received an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, the SAE Ralph R. Teetor Award, the College of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award, and the U-M Faculty Recognition Award.