Larry J. Shuman, professor of industrial engineering and associate dean for academic affairs in the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering, was recognized as one of 12 new fellows of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) at a special awards ceremony held at the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition in June in Chicago, Ill.
Fellow member status is a distinction conferred upon those who have been members for at least 10 years and have made outstanding contributions to engineering or engineering technology education. Candidates nominated for Fellow status are reviewed by the Fellow Member Committee, which makes recommendations to the ASEE Board of Directors.
Shuman received the Ph.D. degree in operations research from Johns Hopkins University in 1969, joining the Pitt industrial engineering department that same year. His primary areas of research are improving the engineering educational experience, applying operations research to health-delivery systems, and studying the ethical behavior of engineers and engineering managers.
Shuman is the founding editor of the ASEE's new journal Advances in Engineering Education. He previously served as coeditor of the Journal of the Society for Health Systems and was senior associate editor of the Journal of Engineering Education.
Shuman has directed several National Science Foundation-funded studies, including a redesign of Pitt's freshman engineering experience, which resulted in methods for assessing changes in student attitudes and predicting those students most likely to leave engineering, and "The Ethical Behavior of Engineers: An Analysis of the Space Shuttle Program," which examined how engineers perceive, articulate, and resolve ethical dilemmas arising from complex, advanced technologies.
In the area of health delivery, Shuman has helped to design and simulate prehospital care systems and hospital subsystems, including diagnostic imaging, emergency departments, operating rooms, and nurse scheduling and staffing.
Shuman has served as principal or coprincipal investigator on more than 20 sponsored research projects funded by government agencies and private foundations. He also has served as a consultant to Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania, the Western Pennsylvania Emergency Physicians, and numerous hospitals.
Founded in 1893, the American Society for Engineering Education is a nonprofit organization of individuals and institutions committed to furthering education in engineering and engineering technology. It accomplishes this mission by promoting excellence in instruction, research, public service, and practice; exercising worldwide leadership; fostering the technological education of society; and providing quality products and services to members. For more information, visit www.asee.org.