Contact: Robbie Ward
STARKVILLE, Miss.--An aerospace engineering faculty member at Mississippi State is being honored for teaching by a leading world engineering organization.
Thomas E. "Tom" Lacy Jr. is receiving the Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers International.
The Pennsylvania-based organization of some 90,000 members in nearly 100 countries selected the associate university professor on the basis of his teaching and curriculum development, research and emphasis on student leadership. SAE's Teetor award recognizes outstanding faculty members who are early in their academic careers.
Before joining the Bagley College of Engineering faculty in 2003, Lacy spent eight years with aircraft manufacturers Boeing, Lockheed-Martin Aeronautical Systems Co. and Northrop Corp. Aircraft structures and solid mechanics are his research areas.
"I'm honored because the award is not just recognition of the department and the college's commitment to teaching and research, but the Ralph R. Teetor program provides an invaluable opportunity for academics to interact and team with industry partners worldwide to identify crucial skills for successful engineers," Lacy said. "It also helps solicit feedback on how we can improve our overall curriculum."
Tony Vizzini, head of MSU's aerospace engineering department, said his faculty colleague "provides that special viewpoint of a practicing engineer and embodies the best aspects of an educator by providing opportunities for his students to learn theories taught in classroom settings and by exposing them to ways to apply research in practical settings."
Lacy, a licensed professional engineer who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, previously was honored with selection to Who's Who Among America's Teachers and as a NASA Graduate Student Research Program Fellow. He also was named Professor of the Year in the department of aerospace engineering and inducted into the engineering college's Academy of Distinguished Teachers.
Established in 1953, the Teetor Award is named for a former SAE president.
Made up of engineers, business executives, educators, and students, the society works to share information and ideas that advance engineering mobility systems in areas related to the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of self-propelled vehicles used for land, sea, air, and space travel.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information on Dr. Lacy, contact him at 662-325-2754 or lacy@ae.msstate.edu.
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For more about SAE, visit www.sae.org/servlets/index.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.