Smith

Janet Cogley

Professor Gene E. Smith (BSE ME '59, MSE '60, PhD '63) has received bouquets of flowers, letters, e-mails, Christmas cards, and wedding invitations over the years from grateful students and alumni who want to thank him for his help or to just stay in touch with him.

More importantly, Smith has received an enormous sense of personal satisfaction from the success he has seen so many of his students experience in their careers and lives.

Profesor Smith, third from left, and U-M's Sunrunner team pose with Vice President Al Gore at the Capitol. The team was the winner of the first General Motors (GM) sunrayce.

CoE Dean Stephen W. Director, right, congratulates Professor Smith on his 12 years of dedicated service as the CoE assistant dean responsible for counseling and career planning

The team also has the opportunity to show the solar car to Sen. Carl Levin, center, at the Walter E. Lay Automotive Lab.

Smith retired this year after nearly 40 years with MEAM where he has focused his teaching and research in the field of thermodynamics. For the past 12 years, he has served as the assistant dean of the College of Engineering (CoE), responsible for counseling and career planning for prospective and freshman students. He has also served as the faculty advisor for the Solar Car Team.

Professor Smith, and his wife, Darlene, at his MEAM retirement party May 1999

"My involvement with students has been the highlight of my career," says Smith. "It's been tremendously rewarding to see so many of my students go on to challenging and successful careers."

Whether as a teacher, assistant dean, or advisor, Smith has been a mentor, counselor, career planner, tutor .someone who provides a listening ear, extra help before for a test, or gentle guidance in what direction to take. His stories are many.

"One student did poorly on his first exam," says Smith. "He was very discouraged. I worked closely with him, especially on his approach to problem solving. He earned an A in the class. Another student came to talk to me several times because he wasn't sure he wanted to be an engineer. He eventually selected Mechanical Engineering and has been happy with that decision."

Smith began his career at the University of Michigan as an undergraduate. He earned his BSE, ME, and PhD, all in Mechanical Engineering, at the U-M. He joined MEAM as an assistant professor in 1963, and rose to the rank of associate professor in 1968 and to full professor in 1978. He left MEAM for a short time in the mid-1960s to work at General Motors Corp.(GM), but he found he missed the academic environment .and his students.
His experience at GM and his interest in alternative energy systems and electric vehicles led him to create a new course in direct energy conversion and energy optimization. He also served as a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo in 1973 and at the University of Osaka in 1980.

An ardent proponent of electric cars, Professor Smith drives an electric-powered can as part of a U-M study for Detroit Edison in the late 70s

"I have been a proponent of electric or hybrid vehicles for many years," says Smith, "and believe they will become viable in the U.S. in the next two decades. They won't replace our current cars, but they will be great for short trips and commutes."
In his role as assistant dean in the CoE, Smith points to several accomplishments in the areas of counseling and career planning. He has expanded the number of professional counselors, introduced peer counselors, expanded the hours of the office, implemented new computer databases that track students once they leave the CoE, and increased the number of workshops for students.
Whatever role he has taken during his career, Smith has focused on his students .and their needs. For his efforts, he has received many awards, including the CoE's Citation for Outstanding Teaching and Excellence in Service Award.

The happy couple enjoys the CoE retirement party in January 1999 with members of their family .including his twin brother, Glen, at far right

Now that retirement is here, Smith and his wife, Darlene, have bought a new travel trailer and plan to visit their five adult children who are "strategically located" across the country. "We've always been a close family, even though we're spread out now. We used to take a lot of family trips; now our trips will be to where they live." Smith also plans to do many of the things for which he never had enough time when working .volunteering, woodworking, reading, and photography.

Smith looks back at his years at the U-M with fondness. "I've appreciated the intellectual stimulation and the professionalism of my colleagues. The U-M's fine reputation has given me the opportunity to lecture in the U.S. and abroad. I've spoken to more than 40 U-M alumni clubs about the solar car and when I do, I'm always impressed with the loyalty people express toward the U-M. I feel exactly the same way."