{"40041":{"#nid":"40041","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Wepfer is New Chair of Mechanical Engineering","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECollege of Engineering Dean Don Giddens has announced that Professor William Wepfer will be the new the Eugene C. Gwaltney Jr. Chair of the School of Mechanical Engineering (ME), effective Jan. 1. Wepfer replaces the retired Ward Winer, who started as an associate professor at Georgia Tech in 1969.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The school chair is responsible for creating an outstanding learning environment. Ward did a great job; words cannot express how much I learned from him,\u0022 said Wepfer, who worked with Winer from 1989 to 2002 when he served as the associate chair for Graduate Studies in Mechanical Engineering. \u0022I look forward to working with Don Giddens,\u0022 Wepfer said. \u0022He\u0027s been a colleague through the years.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile Wepfer is quick to point out ME\u0027s accolades, he says the school, along with the Institute as a whole, needs to continue creating more opportunities. \u0022While Tech has been a leader, other folks copy what we do, so we can\u0027t stay still.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESome initial projects on Wepfer\u0027s agenda include growing the graduate programs and focusing on energy initiatives, as well as building a cohesive school identity amid forging new collaborative elements.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The Woodruff School is doing some great things,\u0022 he said. \u0022We\u0027re attracting so many students. We need to focus on quality and not quantity. In the science, engineering and computing arenas, we have to focus on [fostering] a collegial and creative environment.\u0022 He says that within the school there is some discussion on more flexibility in the curriculum, allowing for classes outside of the major. \u0022We are supportive of lifelong learning-providing an education that leaves students wanting more.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWith his own research interests consisting of thermal systems, heat transfer and thermodynamics with an emphasis on energy systems, Wepfer seeks to explore how the school can focus on the area of energy research and increase its role in the Institute\u0027s Strategic Energy Initiative.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne example is the nuclear engineering program, which he says is the second largest body of nuclear engineering students in the country. \u0022We [also] have a strong group in ME that\u0027s performing research to improve efficiency in systems,\u0022 he said. \u0022I hope to engage and grow our faculty in these areas where we can make a difference.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother school strength Wepfer identifies is one germane to the Institute-partnerships. Strong collaboration is already prevalent with the schools of Physics, Chemistry and Biology and the College of Computing. The goal, he says, is for ME to expand on these contributions. \u0022Engineering, science and computing are all starting to blur. [On the research level] we are all starting to ask the same questions.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen asked about any rivalry between engineering programs, Wepfer smiled. \u0022The College is very special,\u0022 he said. \u0022There\u0027s always been a unique kinship-you compete, but you\u0027re in the same family. I\u0027m [ready] to work with other school chairs and faculty.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother role he\u0027s prepared to assume is that of fund-raiser as the Institute nears the public phase of its capital campaign.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Building and growing the endowments-for faculty chairs and students\u0027 scholarships-are important. It\u0027s all about relationships and [their] stewardship,\u0022 adding that Tech alumni as a whole are loyal and generous. He smiled as he said, \u0022I look forward to working with graduates I had as students.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWepfer\u0027s career at Tech began in 1980 as an assistant professor in mechanical engineering. He became a full professor in 1993. Since 2003, he has served as vice provost of Distance Learning and Professional Education (DLPE). In this capacity, Wepfer was responsible for professional education and distance-delivered programs, the English as a Second Language program and operation of the Global Learning Center.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Coming to DLPE was really challenging,\u0022 Wepfer said, referring to the tech market\u0027s downturn after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. \u0022It has given me a deeper understanding of how Georgia Tech operates.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWepfer said he doesn\u0027t doubt the department\u0027s capabilities without him. \u0022The future of the DLPE is bright,\u0022 he said. \u0022The team I\u0027m leaving is very capable.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA representative from the Office of the Provost said an interim DLPE director would soon be named, with a full search for a replacement beginning early next year.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn all, he says he is glad to be back and involved in the daily interaction with faculty and students. \u0022At the end of the day, I\u0027m a faculty member,\u0022 he says. While he would like to teach again, he says he prefers to first gain his bearings as school chair. \u0022When I was associate chair, I taught,\u0022 he said. \u0022And I think it\u0027s important for a school chair to maintain a connection with the students. I will be broadly engaged.\u0022 \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"Dr. William Wepfer has been named the Eugene C. Gwaltney Jr. Chair of the School of Mechanical Engineering, effective Jan. 1.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Bill Wepfer will be Georgia Tech"}],"uid":"15436","created_gmt":"2007-12-18 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:01:10","author":"Automator","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2007-12-18T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2007-12-18T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"40042":{"id":"40042","type":"image","title":"Bill Wepfer","body":null,"created":"1449174146","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:22:26","changed":"1475894231","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:37:11","alt":"Bill Wepfer","file":{"fid":"189596","name":"tir92465.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tir92465_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tir92465_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1645734,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tir92465_0.jpg?itok=DZhtLXDH"}}},"media_ids":["40042"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/","title":"George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2222","name":"chair"},{"id":"541","name":"Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"2152","name":"William Wepfer"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003ELisa Grovenstein\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=lgrovenste3\u0022\u003EContact Lisa Grovenstein\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-8835\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["lisa.grovenstein@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}