Cinnella to serve as interim department head for ASE
May 21, 2009
STARKVILLE, Miss.—A veteran faculty member is being named interim department head for aerospace engineering (ASE) at Mississippi State University.
Pasquale Cinnella, an MSU Hearin Distinguished Professor, will assume the post July 1, which has been held by Dr. Tony Vizzini, recently named dean of engineering and applied sciences at Western Michigan University.
“Dr. Cinnella has an impeccable record in the areas of teaching, research and publications,” said Sarah Rajala, dean of the Bagley College of Engineering. “His commitment to service and active involvement in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics will help us move the college forward as we search for the best candidate to fill the role as ASE’s department head.”
From 1990-2009, Cinella worked his way up the university system, serving first as assistant professor of ASE and securing tenure as a full professor in 2003. He holds memberships in the American Society of Engineering Education and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. In addition, he served on the international organizing committee for the Third International Conference on Nonlinear Problems in Aviation and Aerospace. He also serves as an annual review panelist for the American Society for Engineering Education’s National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, as well as for NASA Aeronautic Scholarships.
Cinnella is an associate fellow with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and serves as adviser for ASE seniors, as well as graduate coordinator. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications and presentations.
Cinnella graduated Summa Cum Laude with a mechanical engineering bachelor’s degree from the University of Bari, Italy. He earned his doctor of philosophy degree in aerospace engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
According to the latest National Science Foundation report of engineering colleges’ research expenditures, the Bagley College of Engineering now resides in the top 10 percent of all engineering colleges in the nation.
“Under Dr. Cinnella’s interim leadership, the BCoE will continue to build on this positive momentum,” Rajala said.
A national search to fill the position permanently will be underway as soon as university faculty members are named to a broad-based committee to find the ideal candidate.