Dr. Daniel Stutts, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla, is one of nine U.S. researchers selected to participate in this year’s Boeing A.D. Welliver Faculty Summer Fellowship program.

As part of the eight-week program, Stutts will "look over the shoulder" of working engineers and professionals at several levels of the technical, business and management career paths to develop a better understanding of Boeing’s business, including its research needs. At the end of the summer, the fellows will present a joint report containing their collective observations and recommendations. In addition, each fellow will present a personal plan to begin activities aimed at improving engineering and business education.

Stutts is the fifth UMR faculty member to participate in the program since 1997. The others are Dr. Venkata Allada, associate professor of engineering management, Dr. K. Krishnamurthy, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and associate dean of graduate affairs, Dr. Frank Liou, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the manufacturing engineering program, and Dr. Hank Pernicka, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.

"Such an experience allows participating faculty members to develop a unique perspective on ‘the business of engineering education,’ to play an important role in enhancing the learning environment at UMR in the design and manufacturing areas, and to influence the engineering curricula to be more relevant and responsive to the changing needs of the workplace," says Dr. Ashok Midha, chair and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UMR.

Established in 1995 in honor of the late A.D. "Bert" Welliver, corporate senior vice president of engineering and technology at Boeing, the program’s purpose is to provide faculty with a better understanding of the business realities of engineering in industry.

Stutts’ research interests include the design and modeling of ultrasonic actuators and transducers. His memberships include Sigma Xi, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Society for Engineering Education, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Stutts received bachelor of science and master of science degrees in mechanical engineering from Louisiana State University in 1983 and 1987, respectively. He earned a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University in 1990. He joined the UMR faculty as an assistant professor in 1991 and accepted his current position in 1997.