Dr. Diann Brei has been named the new chair of Integrative Systems + Design (ISD), effective July 19, 2018. She succeeds the ISD founding chair Panos Papalambros, the James B Angell Distinguished University Professor, the Donald C. Graham Professor of Engineering, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Professor of Architecture, and Professor of Art and Design.
“ISD will continue to evolve in the
years to come and I am delighted that Diann Brei will be taking the ISD
chair responsibilities bringing new ideas and energy to the task,” said
founding chair, Professor Panos Papalambros.
A faculty member of Michigan
Engineering since 1994, Dr. Brei is a vanguard leader in research,
education and service, building highly effective communities that work
across boundaries and disciplines to create lasting value to society.
“We are living in compelling times
with the world undergoing rapid technological and societal changes,”
said Dr. Brei, “ISD is positioned extremely well to turn current
challenges into exciting opportunities that have meaningful impact for
our students and our world. I am thrilled to be the next chair of ISD!”
As a trailblazer in the field of
smart materials and structures, Dr. Brei has led its development from
basic material research through disruptive technology design into
groundbreaking and widespread industrial applications. She is quite
literally a mover and shaker, focusing on integrating active materials
in systems and structures to make them move in unimaginable, but highly
useful ways. Her inventive, collaborative research work in intelligent
materials has resulted in new technologies for improving the quality of
life such as MEND: Michigan ENdoluminal Distraction,
a device for the treatment of children with Short Bowel Syndrome and
Liftware, a computerized assistive device for people with hand tremors
or limited hand and arm mobility. She has been recognized for her
collaborative medical research with the Ted Kennedy Team Excellence Award and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Da Vinci Award and Hartwell Award.
Dr. Brei has been co-director of the
U-M / General Motors Collaborative Research Laboratories (CRL) for over a
decade. She has led synergistic teams of faculty, students, GM
engineers and researchers to mature smart materials, and through design
science, bridge the gap to successfully incorporate revolutionary smart
devices into automotive platforms. Dr. Brei has long served as a
national leader, earning the ASME dedicated service award, being named fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME and an Associate Fellow by the American Institute of Aeronautics. Most
notably, in recognition of her lifetime contributions, Dr. Brei was
recently presented with the top award in her field, the prestigious 2018
Adaptive Structures and Material Systems Award.
Dr. Brei is a proven innovative,
compassionate educator. A professor of design for nearly 25 years, she
was essential in establishing the Mechanical Engineering design
curriculum, which set the national standard for an experiential team
based course. As ME undergraduate chair, she established a highly
successful undergraduate program — Research, Innovation, Service,
Entrepreneurship (RISE) – which provides opportunities for students at
all levels to engage in one-on-one projects mentored by our world-class
faculty, encouraging and preparing students to further pursue graduate
studies.
Dr. Brei’s forward thinking approach
to education resulted in her launching a powerhouse intercampus
community leadership team to develop a strategic approach to create
effective Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) learning environments
and educational experiences through a progressive inclusive team (PIT)
curriculum. She has also created a core class incubator that inspires
faculty members to develop and test innovative teaching methods in small
classes resulting in best practices for student learning and teaching
that faculty across the College have adopted. Additionally, she formed
an Academic Student Success Working Group to aid struggling students,
boosting their GPAs and leading to increased awareness and a culture of
support within the College. The College has recognized her tremendous
impact with the Monroe-Brown Foundation Service Excellence Award and with the Ruth and Joel Spira Outstanding Teaching Award.
Dr. Brei led ISD’s Design Science
program as Program Director for the past six years. This unique,
transdisciplinary graduate program engages in the systematic pursuit of
design knowledge across all fields, challenging students to create,
study, apply, and teach design principles using quantitative,
qualitative, and analytical methods and processes. Dr. Brei built a
robust community cultivating key industrial partners and growing the
affiliates to over 60 faculty across campus. In 2015, She extended the
doctoral program launching the Master of Science in Design Science. U-M’s Rackham Graduate School selected her for a Master’s Mentoring Award.
“Diann’s innovative research,
educational and service mindset will bring dynamic leadership to ISD to
guide its next stage of development,” said Alec D. Gallimore, who is the
Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering, the Richard F. and Eleanor A.
Towner Professor, an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, and a professor both
of aerospace engineering and of applied physics.