Todd Receives UA Engineering’s T. Morris Hackney Leadership Award

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama College of Engineering announced Dr. Beth Todd, associate professor of mechanical engineering, as the 2008 T. Morris Hackney Endowed Faculty Leadership award recipient.

The award honors a faculty member who exemplifies the constant guidance and leadership necessary to make the College of Engineering exceptional.

Todd began working at The University of Alabama in 1992 as an assistant professor of engineering mechanics. She moved to mechanical engineering in 1996 and was promoted to associate professor in 2001.

She has served as mechanical engineering’s undergraduate program coordinator since 1998 and as the faculty advisor for UA’s student sections of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers. She has been named the national outstanding section faculty advisor for both ASME and SWE. In addition, Todd was named a SWE Fellow in 2004, and served as the SWE National Conference co-chair in 2003.

Todd has been active in various areas of research and has been awarded numerous externally-funded research grants, including a National Science Foundation GK-12 initiative for more than $1.6 million in 2004. She recently received a second NSF grant for almost $3 million. In addition, Todd has more than 63 reviewed publications, more than 40 technical reports, and 25 conference presentations.

In 1981, Todd received her bachelor’s degree in engineering science from the Pennsylvania State University. She went on to receive her master’s degree in applied mechanics and doctoral degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia in 1986 and 1992, respectively. Pennsylvania State University named her an Engineering Science and Mechanics Centennial Fellow in 2006.

This award was created as a tribute to T. Morris Hackney, and was made possible by the contributions from Mr. John H. Josey and his son, Mr. Howard Josey.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering classes. Today, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering has more than 2,300 students and over 100 faculty. In the last seven years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater scholars, Hollings scholars and Portz scholars.