2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

1. Dr. Carmen Cioc The University of Toledo [biography]

   Dr. Carmen Cioc is an accomplished Professor in Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) at The University of Toledo, passionate about teaching and innovation in pedagogical strategies. She has an extensive career in academia and research, demonstrating strong expertise in engineering education and tribology. Her career includes various leadership positions, such as ASEE North Central Section Board Chair and ASEE Campus Rep., ASME - METL Vice-Chair, 2023-24 ELATES Fellow, KEEN Ambassador and a 2021 Fellow, etc. She has numerous awards and recognitions to her credit, including several best paper awards.

2. Dr. Sorin Cioc http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5154-4089 The University of Toledo [biography]

   Dr. Sorin Cioc is a clinical associate professor and undergraduate program director in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering (MIME).

3. Dr. Ahmad Fayed http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-9461-8861 Southeastern Louisiana University [biography]

   Dr. AHMAD FAYED is the Bell South Endowed Professor, Interim Department Head, and Associate Professor of Engineering Technology at the Department of Industrial and Engineering Technology, Southeastern Louisiana University (SELU). He is currently serving as the chair of the ASMEs Mechanical Engineering Leadership Committee as METLC, and the chair-elect of the ASMEs Committee on Engineering Education - CEE. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Al-Azhar University, a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from King Saud University, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). His academic career spanning several esteemed institutions, including Purdue University Northwest (PNW) the University of Nevada Reno (UNR), University of Nevada Las Vegas, and Al-Azhar University. His research interests include Engineering Education, Additive Manufacturing, Computer Vision, Robotics, Active Vibration Control, and Optimization. He can be reached at ahmad.fayed@selu.edu and bit.ly/ProfFayed.

4. Dr. Sunil Mehendale Michigan Technological University [biography]

   Dr. Sunil Mehendale is an Associate Professor in the Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology at Michigan Technological University. Prior to joining Michigan Tech as a faculty member, he worked for Carrier Corporation, Syracuse, NY as a Staff Engineer and Scientist in the Heat

5. Dr. Irina Nicoleta Ciobanescu Husanu http://orcid.org/0009-0005-2006-1972 Drexel University [biography]

   Irina Ciobanescu Husanu, Ph. D. is Associate Clinical Professor and Director of the Engineering Technology Program, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. She received her PhD degree in mechanical engineering from College of Engineering at Drexel University and her BS/MS in Aeronautical Engineering from Aerospace Engineering College at Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Romania.
   Dr. Husanu’ s educational background is in propulsion systems and combustion. Dr. Husanu has more than a decade of industrial experience in aerospace engineering that encompasses extensive experimental investigations related to energy projects such as development of a novel method of shale natural gas extraction using repurposed aircraft engines powered on natural gas. As chair of the Engineering Technology Curriculum Committee, she is actively engaged in aligning the curricular changes and SLO to the industry driven student competencies. Her main current research interest is in engineering pedagogy, focusing on development of integrated mechanical engineering technology curricula for enhanced student learning experience. While her expertise encompasses thermo-fluid sciences with applications in micro-combined heat and power systems, recently, her research included educational investigations in Virtual and Extended Reality for engineering systems, renewable energy systems and energy conversion, social and sustainable engineering. During the past 8 years she led several overarching educational projects in green energy and sustainability in manufacturing environment and experiential learning modules for manufacturing related courses. Her current research is focused on investigating potential applications of CO2 separation and sequestration from either flue gases (as product of natural gas combustion) or biomass byproducts.
   As the Senior Design Project Coordinator (a capstone design sequence of courses), she is fostering industry-academia collaborative undergraduate research.

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026