NEWS

Dr. Randal E. Null, director of Louisiana Tech University’s Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) has announced the formation of an external advisory board to provide strategic guidance and national and international support for IfM research.
The board will meet biannually and aid in the center’s mission to become a world-class, self-sustaining research and education facility in nano/micro technology, to provide advice on current trends and opportunities in research and to provide feedback on research projects and industry partnerships.
Board members, which includes representatives from industry, government and academia, will serve two-year appointments and include the following:

• Mr. Ralph Basham, Command Consulting Group, former director of the Secret Service, commissioner of Customs and Border Patrol, chief of staff of the Transportation Security Administration, and director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.
• Ms. Julie England, independent consultant, retired vice president and general manager of the Radio Frequency Identification Systems Division of Texas Instruments.
• Mr. Jay Guillot, Hunt-Guillot Engineering in Ruston, Louisiana.
• Dr. Ajay Malshe, founder and executive vice president and chief technology officer of NanoMech, professor of mechanical engineering, manufacturing processes and integrated systems at the department of mechanical engineering at the University of Arkansas.
• Dr. Mike McShane, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Texas A&M University.
• Dr. Gene Meieran, retired senior fellow at Intel Corporation, member of the National Academy of Engineers
• Dr. William Rees, principal associate director for global security, Los Alamos National Laboratory
• Mr. Thomas Ripp, president of L-3 Communications Security and Detection Systems, Incorporated
• Mr. Jack Yelverton, managing partner of the San Diego office of Willis Insurance Group

The board will also assist the IfM as it transforms research into commercial products by serving as a liaison between IfM faculty, staff and students as well as industry, state and federal government agencies, professional societies and universities, promoting national and international collaboration and assisting in the development of rewards and incentives for excellence in research.
Written by Catherine Fraser – cfraser@latech.edu