Dr. Richard Marklin

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Winner of the Robert and Mary Gettel Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence • Also winner of the College of Engineering Outstanding Researcher of the Year Award for 2006.

For Richard Marklin, enthusiasm trumps chalk and blackboard. The mechanical and industrial engineering professor grabs students’ attention by showing them how excited he is about engineering and about an engineer’s opportunity to solve problems. His research specialty, ergonomics, is all about designing tools and tasks to reduce the risk of injury, especially of lower back pain, carpal tunnel disease and shoulder tendonitis. Take, for instance, the shovel. Marklin’s research proved that a perforated shovel lessens by 12 percent the adhesive force between the soil and the blade, reducing the physical effort it takes to shake the soil loose. Those small perforations could prevent life-changing injuries for the hundreds of millions of people who use shovels daily on construction sites or simply digging flower gardens. No wonder Marklin is excited.

“Engineering is more than just equations and manipulations of numbers. Engineering is about solving problems for people, whether you are designing a better sewer system to reduce toxic run-off or designing a better shovel. What I really like about teaching Marquette students is that they have an interest in the moral and ethical aspects of engineering. I make a pledge to every student that if he or she ever has any questions about the material or about something in life that I can possibly help them with, just e-mail or call. It doesn’t matter if it’s next year or 10 years or 20 years from now. Part of my mission as a faculty member is to prepare students to flourish. Our grads do flourish; they’re very happy because they seek out meaningful work.”