Friday, October 14, 2005
Behrend professor selected as
The campus community of Penn State Eric The Behrend
College is celebrating the achievements of one of its own. William
Lasher, Ph.D., the chair of the Mechanical Engineering program at
Behrend, has been selected as a Fellow of the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers (ASME). ASME is a program that focuses
on technical, educational and research matters in the field of engi
neering, and many engineering students and faculty at Behrend are
involved in it. Lasher received this honor for his achievements
and contributions to
the field of engineer
ing, which include his
accomplishments in
assisting the start of
and continually
improving, the engi
neering department
here at Behrend.
An Erie native,
Lasher graduated from
McDowell High
School then began his
career by earning both
a Bachelor's and
Master's Degree in
naval architecture and
marine engineering
from the University of
Michigan. He then
returned to Erie and
started a boat design
business. After decid
ing not to do that for a
living, he made his
way into the field of education, teaching at Gannon University for
four years. Lasher then worked for a local company for two years
but then decided to get hack into teaching. He went on to the
State University of New York at Buffalo where he earned a
Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering.
Lasher said transitioning from naval architecture and marine
engineering to mechanical engineering was not as difficult as it
may sound. "It turns out that there really isn't a significant differ
ence at the Ph.D. level because what you are doing is solving
equations. The same equations that I would solve as a naval archi
tect use the same techniques, and it is just a question of what the
problem is that you are solving. Mechanical is a little hit broader
than naval architecture also: I thought that that would open more
doors than a PhD in naval architecture."
Lasher has made quite an impact on Behrend's engineering
department since he joined the teaching staff in 1984. He was
very involved in the development of the Mechanical Engineering
program at Behrend, and has helped the program achieve the status
that it is at today. Lasher, who has been a member of the faculty
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since the beginning of the engineering program, said that he is
amazed at how much the program has grown. "We started off
with two interdisciplinary programs in environmental science in
engineering and energy science in engineering. They were really a
cross between engineering and a science program, so I started
teaching the engineering classes in that. After a few years, they
evolved into a general engineering program with options in
mechanical and electrical engineering, because that's where the
demand was. - Lasher was involved in making that transition, and
eventually they were split into two separate programs, the mechan
ical engineering program and the electrical engineering program.
He assisted in designing the courses and putting the pro-
grams together.
Lasher's involvement in the engineering department did
not stop there. "At the program level, there a number of
courses that I have designed
and continually modified,"
he said. He typically teach
es the equivalent of two
courses per semester, and
also supervises senior
design projects.
Lasher's involvement in
ASME has included pre
senting papers at their
conferences, and most
recently, chairing regional
meetings involving pro
gram chairs from different
schools. At these meet
ings, they would discuss
issues like accreditation
and program development.
"That's been really good
in terms of getting ideas
for how to address some
of the problems we've had
he said. Behrend students
are also involved in ASME.
Members attend the annual
regional student conferences
where there are competitions and
presentations of senior design
projects and research projects.
Lasher not only devotes his
time to the engineering depart
ment. hut also our entire campus
He has chaired the United Way
campaign in the past, and was
also a university senator for four
years. While serving in the uni
versity senate, he was on the
undergraduate education corn
`We looked at different
things, like improving the aca
demic culture at Penn State in
FOR FALL 2006
e -
C:j
New Minor offered to students
By Earl Gordon
staff writer
engsoo2o p,,u.cdu
When you hear the phrase "give hack to your
community," what comes to mind? Most people
think of some form of community service, such
as volunteering at a soup kitchen or helping to
clear neighborhoods of litter. Faculty and
administration have devised a way for universi
ties, such as Penn State, to give hack to their
states and possibly even the rest of the world.
A new minor has been approved 14 college
students to take for which they will receive
credits for helping their communities. Civic and
Community Engagement is beginning its fresh
man year at the Penn State Eric campus. The
new minor was created by a group of faculty
members and was designed to help students
become active participants in the community. It
was developed as a way to address the growing
number of students who expressed a desire to
become active and engaged members of the
global community.
Communications professor Dr. Rodney
Troester is one of several faculty members who
will teach courses in the new minor. Dr.
Troester says civic engagement is a key compo
nent of all disciplines. "It is a minor for which
students of almost every major can use," he
This minor only requires the students
enrolled to take a class called YFE 211. This
ASME fellow
general. - he said. More recently, he was the chair of the faculty
council.
Watching our campus become what it is today has been quite an
experience for Lasher. "When I started here, the computer center
consisted of a couple of key punch machines over in Turnbull.
This building 'Nick] wasn't here, the Hammermill-Zurn buildings
weren't there, the library wasn't there and so watching all that
happen and being a part of, at least at a program level, making all
that grow has been pretty neat," he said. He also mentioned that
when he began at Behrend, there were five students in the engi
neering program. and today there are 65 in the junior class alone.
Lasher's dedication to Penn State Erie and the field of engineer
ing has made him an asset to our school. He has accomplished
and contributed a great deal to the field, and has helped to develop
Behrend's engineering program into what it is today.
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The Behrend Beacon I
course will help students to learn about the
basic concepts of Penn State, which is a land
grant university (a university that has been
given federally controlled land). "Because of
Penn State being a land-grant university, it is a
way to give hack to the community," Professor
Troester said. YFE 211 will also he used as
one of the building blocks students can use as a
way to become familiar with the primary goal
of the course. It will eventually help them to
fully understand their own majors and help to
decide what they want to do upon graduation.
This new course will also he unique in the
way in which it will he taught. The new pro
gram will incorporate a variety of teaching
methods such as projects, cases, films, hands
on experiences and guest speakers. The stu-
dents enrolled in this minor will be responsible
for creating an analysis of the different topics
covered, writing an editorial on topics they like
and participating in a lab. Also, students will
only have to take one test throughout the entire
course. In order to be eligible for this minor,
students must apply to the Civic and
Community Engagement committee. They must
also have an overall grade point average of 2.0
and submit a description of their plans for this
minor along with a brief academic summary of
their college career.
The new Civic and Community Engagement
minor will help students grow academically, as
well as become more polished individuals
throughout their college careers and life