Contact: Bob Ratliff
Robert A. Altenkirch
Mississippi State University's research vice president is being honored by his Indiana alma mater.
Robert A. Altenkirch is receiving one of Purdue University's 2001 Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Awards. He and others selected this year will be formally recognized Thursday [Nov. 15] during campus ceremonies sponsored by Purdue's School of Mechanical Engineering.
The MSU administrator received bachelor's and doctoral degrees at the West Lafayette institution, as well as a master's from the University of California at Berkeley. All are in mechanical engineering.
"We deem this to be a very prestigious award, since the school has more than 16,000 living alumni and no more than six are recognized annually," said school head E. Dan Hirleman.
Altenkirch became Mississippi State's research vice president in 1998. In the four years since then, research expenditures have increased from $100.4 million to $160 million. The university also has risen to a National Science Foundation ranking of 58th among public research universities (out of more than 600 public four-year institutions).
MSU has established a goal to reach NSF's top 50 by 2004 and the Starkville school currently is on track to meet that goal ahead of schedule.
Altenkirch was dean of MSU's College of Engineering 1988-95. Additionally, he has been a member of the University of Kentucky mechanical engineering faculty and, from 1995 to 1998, was dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture at Washington State University.
His previous honors include the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award for outstanding achievements and election as a Fellow of ASME.
Altenkirch's research includes several NASA Space Shuttle projects dealing with the behavior of flames in the absence of gravity. He is the author of more than 50 publications and has given almost 100 presentations on combustion and heat transfer.