Tuesday, September 1, 2009

New CEAS dean returns to Michigan roots

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Dr. Anthony (Tony) Vizzini took the reins at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences this summer. The new dean comes to WMU from Mississippi State University where he had served as department head of Aerospace Engineering since 2003 when he earned the Bill and Carolyn Cobb Chair of Engineering. He comes to WMU with outstanding credentials.

From 1986 to 2003, Vizzini had been a member of the aerospace engineering faculty at University of Maryland where he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in composite structures and manufacturing and in aircraft structures. He also researched the integrity of composite structures and low-cost manufacture of composites.

After growing up in Allen Park, MI, Vizzini earned four degrees at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): a BS in mathematics and BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in aeronautics and astronautics. In 2006 he became a registered Professional Engineer in Mechanical Engineering in the State of Mississippi. He is now tenured in the CEAS Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering.

Vizzini’s primary interests include response and failure of composite structures, particularly in energy absorption and crashworthiness, in tailoring techniques to improve structural integrity, and in damage tolerance of sandwich structures. Additionally, he is interested in manufacturing methods for polymer-based structural components including affordable manufacturing and manufacturing for automotive and space applications, system design and mission planning of unmanned aircraft.

He was awarded the A. James Clark School of Engineering Poole & Kent Company Teaching Award for Senior Faculty, May 1998. Two years later, he was selected Professor of the Year, by the University of Maryland AIAA and SGT Student Chapters.

Vizzini’s honors include being an Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a fellow for the American Society for Composites (ASC). In September 2008 he served as general chair of the ASC 23rd Technical Conference. He was voted ASC vice president (president elect) for 2008-2009.

He is also a member of Tau Beta Pi (engineering), Sigma Gamma Tau (aerospace), and Phi Beta Kappa (arts & sciences) honor societies. Vizzini has been active in the Society for the Advancement of Material and Pro¬cess Engineering (SAMPE) and is presently serving as International Vice President of SAMPE’s Executive Cabinet.

He was also the founding faculty advisor for chapters at Mississippi State University (2003-2009) and at University of Maryland (1990-2003). He has also served SAMPE in numerous other positions, including technical co-chair in 2007.

Among his other credits, Vizzini has been the editor of several professional journals. He is presently an associate editor of the Journal of Advanced Materials, 2002. He also served five years on the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Composite Materials, two years on the editorial advisory board of AIAA Education Series, and eight years as an associate editor of the Journal of the American Helicopter Society.

He is presently a reviewer for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), a position he has held since 2004.

His wife, Patty, is originally from Birmingham, MI, and their three children – Anthony, Katrina, and Sean – are currently enrolled at Mississippi State University. Anthony and Katrina are pursuing degrees in aerospace engineering and Sean is pursuing a degree in computer science.