Tim Simpon Named New Learning Factory Director

University Park, Pa. — Timothy Simpson, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering and engineering design, and director of the College's product realization minor, has been selected as the new director of the Learning Factory.

He will replace John Lamancusa, professor of mechanical engineering, who co-founded the facility in 1994.

The Learning Factory is the hands-on laboratory for 17 design-related courses in six engineering departments as well as the product realization minor. It provides modern design, prototyping and manufacturing facilities, including machining (CNC and manual), rapid prototyping, welding, metrology and CAD/CAM.

Simpson has been involved with the Learning Factory since he came to Penn State in 1998. He explained, ''The first course I taught was one of the senior capstone courses in mechanical engineering, which had five projects from the Learning Factory. In fact, I was hired into a joint appointment in both mechanical and nuclear engineering and industrial and manufacturing engineering that was created by Al Soyster, the former head of industrial and manufacturing engineering and one of the Learning Factory co-founders.''

Although his exact start date has not yet been set, Simpson is anxious to start learning the ropes. He said, ''I plan to immediately start working with John Lamancusa to ensure a smooth transition this fall. We don't want to lose any of the great momentum that the Learning Factory has.''

Before coming to Penn State, Simpson was a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow and Teaching Fellow at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

His research interests include engineering design and design methodology, mass customization, product family and product platform design and multidisciplinary design optimization and visualization.

The author of more than 175 journal and conference papers and lead editor of the book, ''Product Platform and Product Family Design: Methods and Applications,'' Simpson has received many awards including the Society of Automotive Engineers' Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award in 2005, an NSF Career Award; the 2007 President's Award for Excellence in Academic Integration, Penn State Engineering Society Outstanding Research and Teaching Award in 2004 and 2002, and the mechanical and nuclear engineering Department Head Faculty Award in 1999.

He is an active member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Society of Engineering Education.

Grateful for his new opportunity, Simpson said, ''There are not many chances in one's career to take something that is already so successful and try to make it better, and I am excited by the opportunity to do so by expanding the Learning Factory to better serve the College.''

* * *

More information about the Learning Factory can be found at: www.lf.psu.edu

News release from the College of Engineering