Engineering moves

Manno named associate dean of engineering

Vincent P. Manno, professor and chair of mechanical engineering, has been named associate dean of the School of Engineering. The appointment took effect on January 1.

Manno's responsibilities will include graduate engineering programs, and he will also work with Dean Ioannis Miaoulis on what he described as operational issues associated with the school. Miaoulis assumed additional responsibilities when he was appointed an associate provost of the university last November.

Vincent P. Manno © Mark Morelli

Manno has stepped down as chair of mechanical engineering, and Prof. Anil Saigal, an engineering faculty member since 1983, has been appointed the new chair of the department.

In other changes at the School of Engineering, Kim Knox was promoted from assistant dean to associate dean of engineering. She will focus on student support and the introductory engineering curriculum. Arthur Winston, formerly the senior associate director of the Gordon Institute, is now the director, and former director Edward Aqua now reports to Miaoulis on special projects.

Among Manno's duties as associate dean will be to find common themes among the engineering departments in order to promote school-wide and interdisciplinary initiatives. "We want to strengthen traditional research-based engineering programs, but in addition, offer interdisciplinary engineering programs that might be of interest to practicing engineers looking for advanced degrees," he said.

Manno said one of his priorities will be to develop an interdisciplinary master's degree program aimed at professionals who are interested in continuing their education but for whom the completion of a master's thesis is difficult because of time constraints.