Stathis Michaelides, Ph.D., P.E., W.A. “Tex” Moncrief, Jr. Founding Chair of Engineering at Texas Christian University, was awarded the 2021 Edwin F. Church Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in recognition of his “development of several noteworthy mechanical engineering programs and for significant outreach efforts to increase the diversity in mechanical engineering education.”
The Church Medal was established in 1972 from a bequest of Edwin F. Church Jr. (1879-1964), an ASME member who served for 32 years as professor of mechanical engineering and head of the department at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. The annual award honors an individual who has rendered eminent service in increasing the value, importance and attractiveness of mechanical engineering education.
“The Edwin F. Church medal represents an award for career accomplishments. In the past, the medal has been awarded to several of my most distinguished colleagues for their contributions to the education of mechanical engineers. I am delighted that the members of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers appreciate my contributions to the profession and the education of young engineers and have chosen my name to join those who have received this distinction,” said Michaelides, who joined the TCU faculty in 2011.
Michaelides has published more than 160 journal papers, given more than 260 presentations in national and international conferences and authored six books, including the widely used Alternative Energy Sources (Springer, 2012) and Energy, the Environment and Sustainability (CRC Press, 2018). He is also editor of the Journal of Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics.
Additional honors include Tulane University’s Lee Johnson award for teaching excellence and its Outstanding Researcher award; a Senior Fulbright Fellowship; and the ASME’s Freeman Scholar award, Fluids Engineering award and 90th Anniversary FED Medal.
“The TCU community joins ASME in celebrating Dr. Michaelides’ accomplishments and outstanding contributions to the field of mechanical engineering,” said Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. “We applaud his career impact on students and efforts to grow and increase the diversity of mechanical engineering education, and are proud that he is receiving national recognition for his work.”
As head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Tulane University, Michaelides established the five-year BS-MSE program with Xavier University (an HBCU institution) and obtained funds from the Office of Naval Research to support the first students. The program was extended to all the engineering departments at Tulane when he became associate dean of engineering. He also raised more than $3 million in extramural support to fund fellowships for students in these programs.
While serving as founding chair of the Mechanical and Energy Engineering Department at the University of North Texas, he hired the first faculty and developed the laboratories. The thriving department now has more than 600 undergraduate students.
As chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Michaelides coordinated the efforts to build a doctoral program in mechanical engineering. He also was founding director of the National Science Foundation-supported Center for Simulation, Visualization and Real Time Computing, which supported the research work of more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students at UTSA, most of whom were underrepresented minorities.
On a state level, he was a member of the committee that established the Mechanical Engineering Departments Compact, which provides for common and uniform numbering codes and uniform standards/outcomes for mathematics, physics and chemistry courses at all state universities and community colleges in Texas.
While at TCU, Michaelides has developed and annually taught the elective course Sustainable Energy. In this course, students are required to write a paper on renewable energy and conservation topics. He hosts an annual formal symposium, which includes a published proceeding where the students present their research and papers.
More than a dozen TCU undergraduate students have been involved in his research projects, resulting in seven archival publications in top and highly cited engineering journals. Five of his undergraduate research students continued to pursue graduate degrees at first tier research universities. All were awarded fellowships or research assistantships that fully cover their graduate school expenses.
In addition, Michaelides was the chair of the TCU Faculty Senate in 2015-16.
For more information about the Edwin F. Church Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, visit ASME.