The Department of MechE would like to honor our Asian-American and Pacific Islander students, current faculty and alumni during AAPI Heritage Month. Get to know what this month means to them, what got them interested in MechE, and what advice they have to share. Join us in celebrating these Lehigh Engineers.
Name: Titinat (Knot) Angsirikul
Education:
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (Class of 2024)
Where are you from?
Phuket, Thailand
What is your favorite part about being a Lehigh engineer?
My favorite part about being a Lehigh engineer is the people. I enjoy working and meeting other students especially those in the same major as I am. Since the Mechanical Engineering classes are relatively small, I enjoy being able to recognize other classmates which makes it a lot easier when it comes to collaborating for work.
How did you first get interested in mechanical engineering?
At first, I could not decide which branch of engineering I should study, but since I really enjoyed math and physics during secondary school, I chose to study Mechanical Engineering as it is a combination of both.
What else are you involved with at Lehigh outside of course work?
I am in the Society of Asian Scientists & Engineers, Asian Cultural Society, and Southeast Asia at Lehigh.
Tell us about any teachers or mentors who have inspired you to get where you are today.
My former high school physics teacher back in Thailand, Mr. Brian Seve, really changed my perspective on physics through his entertaining yet very informative ways of teaching, which really helps solidify the fundamentals and understanding of physics for me.
What are your plans for after graduation?
I plan on finding a job back in Thailand.
What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?
AAPI Heritage Month to me is about remembrance and appreciation of our culture and where we are from. As no matter where you are or go in the world, your place of origin will never change and this creates diversity in societies.
Name: JaeYong Ju
Pronouns: he/him/his
Education:
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, B.S. Integrated Business and Engineering, Minor in Aerospace Engineering - Lehigh University - 2022
Where are you from?
I was born in Seoul, South Korea then I moved to and grew up in Singapore.
What is your favorite part about being a Lehigh engineer?
My favorite part of being a Lehigh engineer is the wide variety of resources made available to me including courses, laboratories, equipment, research opportunities, alumni networks and extracurricular organizations where I can pursue my true interests and excel as an engineer, while only being limited by my own initiative and willingness to learn.
How did you first get interested in mechanical engineering?
Coming out of high school, my academic strengths were in science and math. I knew I wanted to pursue an engineering major and I was most interested in mechanical engineering for its incorporation of design elements and hands-on projects as well as its demand and applicability in various industries.
What else are you involved with at Lehigh outside of course work?
Outside of course work, I am mainly involved with the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers and Asian Cultural Society. I am currently the president of the Lehigh chapter of SASE. Within the community of SASE, we help advance students' professional development and provide them with opportunities to interact with industry professionals and to pursue employment, while also celebrating diversity as an inclusive Asian community and giving back to our local community. I am also the Vice President of ACS, an organization that demonstrates various forms of Asian culture and aims to create an inclusive community where members can embrace their culture or learn about others', their history and significance through unique activities, games and food.
Tell us about any teachers or mentors who have inspired you to get where you are today.
In my early stages as a mechanical engineering student, I was inspired by the passion, expertise and patience of Professor Christina Haden and Professor Edmund Webb. They truly make a difference in how many students decide to pursue a degree in MEM and establish a solid foundation of the fundamental concepts that allow their students to succeed in advanced courses down the road. Their commitment to making sure that every student in the classroom succeeds and their time invested into research projects and other involvements on campus outside of the classroom inspired me to work hard and to approach problem solving with more perseverance.
What are your plans for after graduation?
After graduation I plan to pivot my career into professional roles that are technology integrated and involve automation as well as process optimization. I hope to progress into an engineering manager while adapting to the evolving trends of utilizing machinery and manufacturing.
What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?
To me, AAPI Heritage Month means taking a moment to appreciate my background and the culture I grew up in, while not allowing my surroundings to shape me as a person or stray me away from my roots and family on the other side of the world.
What is the history, mission, and vision of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) and Lehigh's Chapter of SASE (LU-SASE)?
SASE was founded in November of 2007 to help Asian heritage science and engineering professionals achieve their full potential. P&G provided the initial membership contribution to establish SASE as a non profit, 501(c)3 organization. SASE’s mission is to prepare Asian heritage scientists and engineers for success in the global business world, celebrate diversity on campuses and in the workplace and to provide opportunities for members to make contributions to their local communities. Currently there are 84 collegiate chapters and 5 professional chapters.
What does Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month mean to you?
AAPI Heritage Month is a time for us to celebrate and embrace our diverse variety of cultures. We are able to come together as a community to share our experiences, learn about our cultures and practices and to appreciate our roots and supportive families. We become empowered, confident and proud to make up the AAPI population.
What do you consider some of the highlights and major accomplishments for LU-SASE so far?
We have successfully provided our members a large network of connections to alumni, professionals and other chapter members, creating an inclusive environment where we help each other grow professionally and personally. We have also hosted a variety of events over the years to spread awareness of different aspects of Asian culture and consistently give back to our local community through donations, fundraisers and volunteering. We have also built and expanded our mentorship program for members to connect on a more personal level with upperclassmen of common interests and academic prospects for long lasting relationships with meaningful advice and mentorship.
Looking forward, what are some of the challenges that LU-SASE would like to address?
Looking forward, we are working to promote our regional and national conferences for higher attendance as they have been virtual in recent years. We believe that getting exposure at conference workshops and interacting with professional recruiters is a valuable experience for college students in support of developing their professionalism and confidence. We are also always looking to expand our inclusive membership to have better representation of groups among Lehigh’s scientists and engineers.
What advice or message would you like to send to the student community at large / RCEAS / or any other group on campus regarding LU-SASE?
SASE is an inclusive community where science and engineering students of any background can meet peers who share similar interests and career aspirations, find personalized mentorship and take advantage of job opportunities. We are also always looking for fun ways to celebrate Asian culture and would love to see new members join us at our events!
Name: Matt Tallo | 小川 マット 
Education:
Major – Mechanical Engineering | Minors: Aerospace Engineering, Japanese | Class of 2023
Where are you from?
This is a bit of a tricky question for me! While I would say I am from Long Island, New York, I have also spent a significant part of my childhood in Chiba, Japan, so I feel as if I have two homes.
What is your favorite part about being a Lehigh engineer?
My favorite part about being a Lehigh engineer is the sheer amount of opportunities the engineering college affords to students – so long as you go out and try to find them! For instance, the engineering college is quite generous in its funding for student experiences, and one particular use of these funds are for student-led engineering clubs like LU Aero, Baja, and Formula. In addition, class projects (especially in ME240 – manufacturing and ME355 – Space Systems Engineering) set the stage for learning valuable skills that are useful for industry.
Another one of my favorite parts about studying at Lehigh is the small class sizes. While it’s great to be able to get to know your classmates in a more intimate setting, it’s also nice to know that everyone is learning (and, at times, struggling) together! Another perk about small class sizes is that it allows students to have a more personal relationship with professors, which can lead to great opportunities down the line!
How did you first get interested in mechanical engineering?
In retrospect, I believe I was always destined to study engineering. Between my paternal grandfather working on the Apollo Lunar Module at Grumman and my maternal grandfather working as a Civil Engineer designing and building the suspended monorail in Chiba, Japan, you can say engineering was in my blood. Since my childhood, I have been fascinated with all forms of transportation, eventually taking a keen interest in rocketry and aerospace engineering.
Like some of my fellow classmates, I also had a knack for taking things apart and putting them back “together” – something I can’t say my parents appreciated! I’d also say that having a ton of Legos while growing up certainly helped to put me into the “engineering” mindset.
What else are you involved with at Lehigh outside of course work?
Outside of the classroom, I am involved in the Student Senate (Club Affairs Committee), LU Aero, the Douglass Dialogues, and I am part of Professor Moored’s research group. I also play classical and jazz piano in my spare time.
Some of the most fulfilling work I have done during my time at Lehigh is through the Student Senate and LU Aero. Through Club Affairs, I had the privilege to meet with passionate student leaders to help mentor and approve clubs and organizations on campus. I’ve come to realize that Lehigh’s rich club culture is one of our university’s strongest assets, and I encourage any student who feels that there is a club that should exist that currently doesn’t to meet with Club Affairs. We will make sure to give you the guidance to create a healthy and sustainable club!
With LU Aero, I had the opportunity to work alongside engineering students from a wide range of disciplines to build a RC plane for the annual AIAA DBF Competition. The countless hours and sleepless nights spent in Packard Lab finally paid off when we were able to go to competition in Wichita, Kansas for the first time in our club’s history.
Tell us about any teachers or mentors who have inspired you to get where you are today.
Without a doubt, my parents are my number one inspiration and without their support and guidance, I would not be anywhere near where I am today. Since I was a child, they made it clear to me that I can be anything and anyone I wanted to be and made sure I stayed on the right track – through both my successes and failures. As my father (Lehigh Class of 1987) would tell me, “We [my parents] are both your number one supporter and your number one critic”. In this sense, I feel very lucky to have parents who understand and respect the person I am and support me through both the choices and mistakes I make.
Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the many professors who have inspired me to dig deeper into engineering and pursue graduate studies – namely Professor Hart and Professor Moored. Both have made themselves available for me to talk about their experiences in the aerospace industry as well as how to best achieve my goals as an engineer. From talking to my friends from other universities, it seems that this is a dynamic unique to Lehigh.
What are your plans for after graduation?
My plans for after graduation are still up in the air. On one hand, I am really excited to get straight to work as an engineer and am starting to look at jobs in the aerospace industry, leaning towards propulsion and aerodynamics. On the other hand, I hope to be able to continue my studies in aerospace engineering as a graduate student. I am currently looking to go back to my roots and study engineering in Japan.
What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?
To me, AAPI Heritage Month is a time for me to reflect on my shared heritage, and to learn more about myself and what my place is in the world.
I’ve had the immense opportunity to grow up in and experience the dichotomy of East Asian and Western ways of life. I believe that this affords me a unique perspective when it comes to looking at and solving problems – which is an important asset for engineers. It has also helped me to see the merits and demerits of both societies and cultures, which I hope to utilize to bring better and more efficient solutions in my work as an engineer.
Being half-Japanese and half-Italian American is an interesting dynamic, but at times it makes me unsure of my identity as a person. However, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Name: Arindam Banerjee
Education: I received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Jadavpur University, Calcutta, India, in 1999. After my undergraduate degree, I worked for a year at Tata Motors in Jamshedpur before coming to the U.S. for graduate school. I received an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, in 2002. I then moved to Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, where I received my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2006. I then worked for a year and a half at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, in their Computational Physics Group before taking a faculty position.
Where are you from, and where do you currently reside?
I am from Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India. It is the third-largest city in India and is on the banks of the Hooghly River. I currently reside in Bethlehem Township, PA.
What is your current professional position?
I am currently a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics at Lehigh University.
What are some courses you teach at Lehigh?
During my time at Lehigh, I have taught undergraduate fluid mechanics (ME231), advanced fluid mechanics (ME331), and renewable energy (ME364/464). In addition, I have also taught graduate-level courses in unsteady and turbulent flows (ME424) and measurements in fluid mechanics (ME450).
Tell us about your research interests.
My current research interests include marine renewable energy (tidal and wave energy harvesting) with emphasis on energy-water nexus, fluid dynamics in extreme environments (hydrodynamic instabilities in inertial confinement fusion), and computational pulmonary flows (drug delivery in human lungs under different mechanical ventilation conditions).
How did you first get interested mechanical engineering?
In India, one has to take a very competitive entrance exam where less than 1% of the students get selected to study engineering. I was one of the few fortunate ones to make that list, and at the onset, the choice was between mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. I have always been fascinated with automobiles and aircraft and so was inclined to mechanical engineering.
Tell us about your experiences as a STEM professional. What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of and what do you hope to accomplish in the future?
In my academic career, I have focused on problems related to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges as well as the United National Sustainable Development Goals. In my role as a researcher (both as a student and as a university professor), I have worked with STEM professionals ranging from entrepreneurs to nuclear physicists to emergency room physicians. Working with such a vast range of individuals has given me exposure to working on problems ranging from basic science discovery to commercialization of products. Working on complex multidisciplinary projects allows me to look at societal problems from a broader perspective. I am proud of the numerous research accomplishments of my students and the highly competitive federal research funding we have been received over the years. However, my proudest achievement to date is receiving the Outstanding Doctoral Student Advising Award from the College of Engineering at Lehigh. This is a student-nominated award, and I was humbled to receive it from my graduate students.
From July 1 of this year, I start my role as the department chair of Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics (MEM) at Lehigh. Our department is nationally known as a premier institution in engineering education and research. Our students are recognized for their solid background in mechanical engineering fundamentals, hands-on approach to solving complex problems, and strong work ethics. I envision building on MEM's strong reputation and firmly establish the department as one of the top M.E. departments in the country. Several strategic initiatives will be pursued in collaboration with MEM faculty, students, staff, and campus leadership and will focus on (a) recruiting tenure-track faculty in areas of growth and strategic research interests of societal and national needs; (b) facilitating faculty participation in the development of large research programs in collaboration with Lehigh's Interdisciplinary Research Institutes; (c) making curricular changes with an emphasis on integration across the curriculum; (d) remain committed to the principles of equity, diversity, and broadening participation and enable the faculty and students to succeed in their research and educational endeavors; and, (e) increase student diversity and quality by increasing the pool of students interested in MEM at Lehigh through expanded outreach efforts.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Make your life count, and the world will be a better place because you tried. There is no set blueprint in life that you need to follow. You go through different experiences to help shape and understand the difference between what your skills are, what you love to do, and what drives you. It is okay to make mistakes and to come up short; however, you must learn from your mistakes.
What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?
Asian Americans have played a significant role in the creation of a dynamic and pluralistic America, with their enormous contributions to our science, arts, industry, government, and commerce. The AAPI Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate its contributions to modern American society. It is great that we can all come together and celebrate our history and all of the Asian excellence that has occurred in the United States throughout the years.
Name: Subhrajit Bhattacharya
Education:
B.Tech, Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, India, 2002-2006.
M.S.+ Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 2006-2012.
Where are you from, and where do you currently reside?
I grew up in the city of Kolkata in the state of West Bengal in India. I completed my bachelors degree from IIT Kharagpur. I came to the U.S.A. in 2006 and lived in Philadelphia until 2016, where I completed my M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, and was then a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. Since 2016 I have been an assistant professor at Lehigh University and have been residing in the Lansdale/Hatfield region of Pennsylvania.
What is your current professional position?
I am currently an assistant professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics of Lehigh University.
What are some courses you teach at Lehigh?
I teach Mech 102 (Dynamics), which is an undergraduate course, as well as two graduate courses: Mech 425 (Analytical Methods in Dynamics and Vibrations) and ME 450 (Robot Motion Planning and Control).
Tell us about your research interests.
My research interests are centered around planning and control algorithms for autonomous, intelligent systems. More specifically, I am interested in applications of topological and geometric methods (algebraic/differential topology, differential/discrete geometry) to the design and analysis of algorithms in robot motion planning, coverage, sensor networks, distributed systems and control.
How did you first get interested in mechanical engineering?
From childhood I was fascinated by physics, and in particular, Newtonian mechanics. I wanted to pursue career in a field with real-world applications of mechanics. Complex dynamical systems such as robots fascinated me. Mechanical Engineering was thus the obvious choice that would have allowed me to pursue a career in dynamics and controls in which Newtonian mechanics is a foundational pillar. During my graduate studies I got introduced to the rich mathematical world of algebraic and differential topology. These formed the foundations to my current research interests in the area of robotics within the field of mechanical engineering.
Tell us about your experiences as a STEM professional. What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of and what do you hope to accomplish in the future?
As a STEM researcher the experience that I enjoy most is the process of discovery. The joy of finding something for the first time (in my area of research this is most often algorithms along with theoretical properties) and being able to share that with the world (through publications) is, I believe, the most exciting part of being in STEM research. Being in STEM also means learning, reading, and expanding my horizon everyday. Helping students find the joy of learning and discovery is also something that I enjoy thoroughly. Over the years, the advances made in my field by my students and myself are most certainly the main sources of my pride. Also the fact that I have been able to transfer some of my knowledge to the next generation of STEM researchers, and the thought of the possibilities that they can create using that knowledge, is very exciting to me. I hope to keep pushing the boundaries of scholastic research and discoveries within and around the fringes of my primary field, and build a strong, globally-acclaimed research group here at Lehigh University.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I will inform him that the depth and breadth of human knowledge is most certainly vaster that he thinks, and it will likely be so forever. Never be complacent about what you know. Expand your boundaries of understanding by learning more and reading more. Every now-and-then you’ll come across a gem that will define you, transform you or become an integral part of who you are moving forward.
What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?
Connecting to my roots as an Indian and a Bengali (that’s the name of the ethnic group from the region in and around the state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh) is something that I try to do every now-and-then. Bengalis have a strong cultural heritage with an unique repertoire of music, poetry, literature and arts, which has always greatly influenced me and defined me as a person. I hope AAPI Heritage month helps shine light on all the amazingly diverse and rich cultural backgrounds that we come from.
Name: Deliya Kim
Education: PhD in Mechanical Engineering (exp. May 2021); MSc in Aerospace Engineering (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 2017); BEng in Aerospace Engineering (Queen Mary University of London, 2014).
Where are you from?
Almaty, Kazakhstan
What is your favorite part about being a Lehigh engineer?
An opportunity to meet and connect with great people.
How did you first get interested in mechanical engineering?
I loved math and physics since high school, and I wanted to do something that combines both. I was also amazed and intrigued with airplanes, spacecraft, and spaceflights.
What else are you involved with at Lehigh outside of course work?
I am involved with the Swing dance club, the Women in Science and Engineering, and liked to play squash in the Taylor gym (pre-Covid).
Tell us about any teachers or mentors who have inspired you to get where you are today.
My undergraduate tutor and supervisor Dr Eldad Avital inspired me with his passion for the research. Before my 3rd year of study, Dr Avital offered me a summer research project in aeroacoustics that I continued later as a final year undergraduate degree project. I was very excited with it and wanted to be involved more in the research field.
What are your plans for after graduation?
I will start a job in Kazakhstan.
What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?
It means diversity and remembrance of my ancestors. It is an opportunity to be reminded and be thankful to my ancestors for the life I have today.
Name: Durlav Mudbhari
Education:
MS Mechanical Engineering ‘17
BS Mechanical Engineering ‘15
BS Economics (IBE) ‘15
Lehigh University
Where are you from, and where do you currently reside?
I’m originally from a small town in Nepal named Birgunj. I now live in Savannah, Georgia.
What is your current professional position?
Currently, I work as a stress/structures engineer at Gulfstream Aerospace supporting the design, engineering and structural certification of the G500/G600/G700 Gulfstream aircraft
How did you first get interested in mechanical engineering?
Growing up in Nepal, we experienced a lot of power outages due to low power supply. During summer nights of power outages, my family and I would spend a lot of time relaxing on our rooftops stargazing. The starlit sky always amazed me as a kid and even more, I loved spotting satellites and airplanes, almost like a game. The blinking airplanes and the non-blinking satellites zipping through the night sky really piqued my interest in space, and the science/engineering involved to get high up there, early on.
Tell us about your experiences as a STEM professional. What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of and what do you hope to accomplish in the future?
My experience as a STEM professional has been very rewarding. I have been lucky enough to try out two different Mechanical Engineering career paths (Design Engineer and Structures Engineer) within the last five years in the Aerospace industry. These two roles have truly given me an appreciation for the amount of STEM and non-STEM effort that goes into designing and mass-producing safe aircraft.
One of the things I am very proud of during my professional career involves a story of process improvement at my workplace. In my previous team, there weren’t many engineers who were familiar with the implementation of programming, even though they knew its potential. Since my team and I were heavy Excel users, I decided to learn Excel VBA (as I was only familiar with Python and MATLAB in school) in a matter of about a week. I was then able to implement automation to numerous manual processes. This effort saved my employer over $100,000 a year in cost savings, and I was awarded for it. This also set the tone for conversations regarding use of automation to automate much of data processing and handling that my team, and I went on to continue building even more tools as side projects.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Be kinder to yourself and take care of your physical and mental health because health truly is the biggest wealth.
What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?
For me, AAPI Heritage month is about taking pride in who I am and celebrating my cultural heritage. It’s also a time to celebrate and appreciate the vast cultural and linguistic diversity within the AAPI community itself and the enrichment it brings to the social fabric of this nation.