Daniel F. Walczyk, Ph.D., PE is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical , Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering and also Associate Director of Manufacturing for the Center of Automation Technologies and Systems. He received a B.S. from Syracuse University in 1986, a M.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1991, a P.E. License from New York State in 1994 and a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1996, all in mechanical engineering. Prior to his graduate work, Dr. Walczyk worked for seven years industry, primarily with the GE, as a mechanical design engineer. Since becoming an academic in January 1996, he has received several awards and honors including a DAAD Fellowship (1995), NSF Faculty Early CAREER Development Award (1998), Loctite Corporation Summer Engineering Faculty Fellowship (1998), and a Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (1999), SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award in the Aerospace Category (2000), and ASME Fellow (2011). He is also a holder of five U.S. patents and two pending.