Engineering dean named society fellow

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers has made Associate Dean of Engineering Vincent Manno a society fellow.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) sets the standards for the mechanical engineering field, holds conferences, conducts educational outreach, and publishes numerous journals. he group selects two percent out of its 100,000-plus members to be fellows.

"In electing Dean Manno as a fellow of ASME, his colleagues in his discipline have recognized his extraordinary accomplishments as both a scholar and a professional," President Larry Bacow said.

Manno, who is a professor of mechanical engineering at Tufts , has been an ASME member for 20 years.

He said his selection should be viewed as an accomplishment for the entire School of Engineering. "It isn't about me -- for a small engineering school, Tufts does disproportionably well," he said.

Two mechanical engineering colleagues, professors Robert Greif and Frederick Nelson, are already ASME fellows. Manno said having three ASME fellows at Tufts "says a great deal about the department."

To become a fellow, ASME members must first be nominated for making a significant contribution to engineering education and research. A minimum of five people from the field must then provide letters of support, and a committee of long-standing society members makes the final decision.

In the past, Manno has been an advisor for the student chapter of ASME at Tufts, and was on the executive board of the ASME's New England region.

Manno is currently researching fluid mechanics and heat transfer, with a focus on electronics cooling, power production, and the modeling of manufacturing processes. In the past, both private corporations and various government agencies -- including the National Science Foundation -- have supported his work.

Manno said mechanical engineering professor Anil Saigal was his advocate throughout the selection process.

There is no term limit to the ASME fellowship. However Manno said, there is an "implicit expectation that the fellow will continue to be an active member of the organization."

Manno will continue his involvement with the ASME's technical publications. When a paper is submitted to one of ASME's journals, an editor selects experts in the field to peer-review it.

The experts must then decide whether the paper in question is worth archiving. Manno said this decision comes down to whether the paper's topic will be "relevant or interesting to those in the field twenty years from now."

He has been collaborating with mechanical engineering professor Chris Rogers on chemical mechanical planarization, which involves experimental and simulation work. Their project is sponsored by INTEL and Cabot Microelectronics Corporation.