Mechatronics expert named Greenheck Chair in Engineering Design
Distinguished professor from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will begin in January
Kevin Craig, Ph.D., a leading proponent and practitioner of mechatronics, which integrates physical systems, electronics, controls and computers from the very beginning of the design process, has been named Marquette University’s first Greenheck Chair in Engineering Design. In this role, Craig will focus on the development of innovative design and problem-solving skills throughout a student’s four-year curriculum.
“We are building the 21st century workforce in the College of Engineering, engineers who know that there is more than one answer to a problem,” said Opus Dean Stan Jaskolski. “Kevin Craig’s expertise in mechatronics, which blends engineering disciplines through the design process, and his ties to industry will bolster this effort. Kevin will complement our existing core of dedicated faculty who have begun this critical groundwork.”
Craig will be responsible for significant changes in the engineering curricula by introducing new courses and modifying existing courses to bring together students of all engineering disciplines starting at the freshmen level in a multidisciplinary setting. The curricula will focus on basic engineering concepts, processes and tools that students will use throughout their time at Marquette and careers as engineers. The focus on solving multidisciplinary engineering problems is a change that parallels what is happening in industry.
Aside from teaching, Craig will be also responsible for forging new relationships with industry locally and nationally to give students more understanding of and access to practical, relevant, hands-on experiences.
“To educate students for 21st-century engineering practice, we must give them on-going opportunities, starting at the freshman year, to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams, to conduct research that solves real-world problems, and to work one-on-one with faculty and industry partners,” said Craig. “Industrial collaboration will help shape our engineering curricula and with a strong foundation in science and mathematics fundamentals, Marquette engineering graduates will be well prepared to face the challenges of the 21st century.”
Craig brings nearly two decades of academic experience as a mechanical engineering professor at the esteemed Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, and as a consultant with ties to industry, including Proctor & Gamble and Xerox.
Marquette has the largest College of Engineering of any Catholic university. The college is aggressively working to transform engineering education and develop the 21st century workforce through the construction of a new facility, endowed faculty chairs and endowed student scholarships.
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