Mentor Statements from Honorees – 2011 through 2015

The exemplary mentors and advisors celebrated here have much to offer all of us. These initial insights and comments are truly just introductions to their lives and the personal "messages" provided through their diverse contributions.

As we all know, "Our actions speak better than words..."

Those honored here are exemplary mentors and advisors, and each has significantly and consistently supported the personal and professional development of others. In a university setting, these efforts will have included students and colleagues; in industry, government, or service organizations, they will have included a variety of developing personnel.

Beginning with the first award in April 2005, the program is designed to celebrate annually those who have enduringly engaged minds, elevated spirits, and stimulated best efforts. It also aspires to help spread the virtues of excellent mentoring and advising in the engineering and applied sciences community – just as these individuals do!

Titles and affiliations are listed as at the time of each contribution. Websites are the most recent known.

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Dr. William R. Goodin, UCLA Extension

Dr. Goodin's Tau Beta Pi nomination statement declares, in part, ”Bill has provided constant support and counsel to the UCLA Chapter officers and the entire membership... Bill continually offers career advice, job search strategies, and feedback on résumés to many members and is regularly asked to provide letters of recommendation for students pursuing careers and graduate-school opportunities.

"Bill has consistently helped improve the leadership skills of the Tau Beta Pi officers by providing feedback and advice on a variety of issues related to strategic planning, meeting and event planning and logistics, and day-to-day operation of the chapter. He has also extended his support to junior officers and helps them prepare for senior leadership postions."

The statement also describes how he set up the Tau Beta Pi Alumnus Advisory Board on campus to support the chapter in areas such as career workshops and mock interviews. Other encouragement occurs in coaching areas such as public speaking, leading meetings, creating an environment for people to succeed, and managing the life-work balance.

Dr. Goodin serves as an advisor and mentor to the Society of Women Engineers, which honored him for his steadfast support for advancing women in engineering, and as his SWE region's outstanding collegiate mentor.

It was said that serving as a faculty advisor and student-group liaison takes up the majority of his weekends and time after work. His concern for students has created a great rapport between them, while his close relationship with the alumni and ties to industry through his extension role bring great benefit to the Tau Beta Pi chapter at UCLA.

Website: https://www.uclaextension.edu/tmp/r/aboutUs.aspx

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EUR ENG Robert Birkmyre, CEng.

"In 1999, Robert...became Head of Training and Professional Development for the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) in Nuneaton – a role he had always been interested in.

"In 2003 he took early retirement, but rather than put his feet up and enjoy a well-earned rest, Robert decided that he would like to carry on mentoring. In Coventry, he found the Midland Group Training Services which offers a service to companies which do not have the time or resources to mentor in-house. At one point, he had 69 mentees on his books: a combination of undergraduate placement students and long term mentees. He has mentored in a variety of plant schemes around the UK including those at Cummins, SKF, Caterpillar, and the Murco oil refinery in Wales, which have also been very diverse: attracting engineers from Denmark, India, Spain, Portugal and China.

"Robert has been a strong supporter of eMPDS [online career development recording system] since its inception and has absolutely loved it. He explained why: 'When one of my mentees went to Western Australia on a year’s placement, he could carry on with his chartership. We could talk on the phone, and we could both see everything we needed to online. It all worked very well.' Jane Noakes, the senior executive for professional development at the Institution commented: 'Robert’s enthusiasm and commitment to the mentoring process is second to none. His early uptake of the online reporting system and informed feedback have helped us develop the system into what it is today, ie Career Developer.'

"In his lifetime, Robert has seen huge changes in the opportunities for enhanced engineering skills and education. He said: 'It’s now possible to go from the shop floor to university and then on to the boardroom. What has also been very rewarding to see is the increasing diversity of engineering workforces – this is a really positive change for the better. I always encouraged my mentees to volunteer in local schools as well because companies are always very keen to have these associations.'

"Summing up what the award means to him, Robert said: 'I have really enjoyed working with these young people throughout my career. I have now fully retired so this award is a wonderful accolade at the end of my working life.'

"Terry Spall FIMechE, the Commercial Director at MIRA, has known Robert for many years, both whilst he worked for MIRA and subsequently since he retired. He was extremely proud of Robert’s achievement, saying: 'The energy and enthusiasm he has shown in mentoring a very significant number of young engineers successfully towards becoming Chartered has been simply outstanding. I am delighted that his efforts have been recognised in such a high profile manner and he has become the first UK recipient of this international award.'

"Steven Gasser, the Institution’s Senior Business Development Manager agreed, saying: 'I have known Robert and worked with him at MIRA and Midland Group Training for the last eight years and I have seen at first hand his passion and commitment for the engineering profession. This award is a reflection of the high regard in which he is held by the engineering community. The time and dedication that he has given to the development of Professional Engineers for the future is a testament to his knowledge and determination to apply the highest standards whilst providing an environment that allows the developing engineer to explore their own development and work towards professional registration. I would like to congratulate Robert on this accolade and take the opportunity to thank him for all of his hard work – the Institution and the professional engineering community has benefited greatly from his energy and expertise.'"

Website: Career Developer: Supporting You from Graduate to Fellow

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Prof. Roger Brockett, Harvard SEAS

“Roger Brockett has clearly earned the admiration of his current and former students, who describe him as ‘a big ideas man,’ ‘a role model,’ ‘instrumental,’ and ‘inspiring,’” Dean Cherry A. Murray said. “He continues to play an important role in their professional development, in some cases decades after they have earned their degrees.”

“Roger Brockett has made enormous contributions to mentoring, advising, and development of both undergraduate and graduate students at Harvard,” says Vahid Tarokh, a close colleague of Brockett’s who is Perkins Professor of Applied Mathematics...at SEAS. “He is truly well deserving of SEAS’ recognition of his contributions.”

“What I find most interesting about Roger’s mentoring of his graduate students is that the mentorship does not end with the student’s graduation,” says Tarokh. “In every manner, his career matches perfectly the criteria for the award.”

"Brockett...began his teaching career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1963, joining the Harvard faculty in 1969. He delivered his final lecture here earlier this week and will now retire from teaching. ...Over the course of his career, Brockett has mentored more than 60 Ph.D. students, about 50 of them at Harvard, consistently guiding their research toward seminal dissertations that defined new fields within control and systems theory.

"In 1983, he founded the Harvard Robotics Laboratory (HRL), which today continues its research in areas such as robotic manipulation and control of quantum systems. HRL created new opportunities for undergraduates to take part in engineering and mathematics research, and Brockett has supervised many of their senior theses. ...His generous open-door policy, both figurative and literal (he once lost a laptop from his office while speaking with a group of students nearby), applies to undergraduates, graduate students, and colleagues alike.

"Navin Khaneja...came to Harvard as Brockett’s Ph.D. student and found a home at SEAS; he is now Gordon McKay Professor of Electrical Engineering. ...Through effective teaching, prescient research, and accessible writings; and through his decisions regarding curricula and teaching and research appointments, Khaneja says, Brockett “has had a major influence on the culture of SEAS.”

Website: http://www.seas.harvard.edu/news-events/press-releases/roger-w.-brockett-honored-with-mcdonald-mentoring-award

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Prof. Gang Chen, M I T

”I consider Gang to be many things: an ambitious visionary, a brilliant academic scholar and an inspirational leader just to name a few. However, I think the quality that truly defines Gang is his tireless and unyielding effort to teach and mentor students, from high school through graduate school. His love of science and engineering and his dedication towards his field are certainly well known amongst many. But, for those fortunate to work in close concert with him, it is his desire for all of us to learn and engage in science and engineering and his willingness to explore our own curiosities and ideas that truly set him apart." -- Jonathan K. Tong, second year Master's candidate, Spring 2011.

Website: http://meche.mit.edu/people/faculty/index.html?id=15

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PAGE IMAGES:

Top Row: (L) Award program medallion, obverse. (C1) Night view of Great Dome at MIT. (C2) Gilman Hall and Keyser Quadrangle at Johns Hopkins University at night. (C3) Evening view of entrance to Hudson Hall, "Old Red," original Engineering building at Duke University. (R) Tau Beta Pi logo on lapel pin.

Sidebar: DR. GOODIN: (1) Tau Beta Pi 2011 honoree Dr. William R. Goodin. (2) Tau Beta Pi medal with brown and white ribbon. EUR ENG BIRKMYRE: (1) ASME 2011 honoree EUR ENG Robert Birkmyre. (2) European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI) logo. (3) ASME and ASME Foundation logos. (4) ASME medal with blue and white ribbon. PROF. BROCKETT: (1) Harvard 2011 honoree Prof. Roger W. Brockett. (2) SEAS logo. (3) Harvard SEAS medal with crimson ribbon. PROF. CHEN: (1) MIT 2011 honoree Prof. Gang Chen. (2) MIT Seal. (3) MIT medal with red and gray ribbon.

This Web site and all images it contains are being used for limited and noncommercial purposes, principally teaching and personal mentorship. Several ASME images © 2007 ASME International; several Duke images © 2006, 2007 Duke University; several Harvard images © 2007, 2008 The President and Fellows of Harvard College; several Johns Hopkins images © 2005-2008 The Johns Hopkins University; several MIT images © 2006, 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology; several Northeastern images © 2007 Northeastern University; several SDSM&T images © 2006-2008 SDSM&T; and several Tau Beta Pi images © 2006, 2007 The Tau Beta Pi Association, Inc. McDonald Mentoring Award medallion art © 2005 Capers W. McDonald.

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