Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A mechanical engineering professor and nationally recognized motivational speaker will lead a Nov. 17 public program at Mississippi State University.
Calvin Mackie's address begins at 6 p.m. in Bost Extension Center auditorium. A Tulane University faculty member and founder of ChannelZero motivational consulting company, he was a 2003 recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
His visit is sponsored by MSU's Bagley College of Engineering, Office of Graduate Studies and Division of Student Affairs.
A specialist in heat transfer and fluid dynamics, Mackie holds a 1996 patent for a safety mechanism that retrofits luggage stow bins on Boeing 735 and 757 airliners.
He also is the author of "A View from the Roof: Lessons for Life and Business" (Acanthus Publishing, 2005). His motivational column, "Think About It!" appears regularly in Black Collegian magazine.
"I've been inspired by Dr. Mackie's book, which describes the lessons his father taught him about the value of education and hard work," said Donna Reese, associate dean of engineering. "I know his message will inspire all who hear him at Mississippi State."
Mackie is a frequent speaker to such national institutions as Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Co. and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Since founding ChannelZero in 1992, he has appeared before more than 500 corporate, educational and civic groups.
Among numerous honors, Mackie has received the 2002 Black Engineer of the Year Award for College-level Education and Pi Tau Sigma/American Society of Mechanical Engineers Excellence in Teaching awards in 2000 and 2002.
He completed dual undergraduate degrees, respectively, in mathematics from Morehouse College and mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, both in Atlanta. He also holds master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech.
For more information about Mackie's visit, contact assistant dean Tommy Stevenson at (662) 325-8449 or tommy@engr.msstate.edu.