Scott Hummel Appointed Director of Engineering Division

Scott Hummel has been named William A. Jeffers Director of the Engineering Division, with the current academic year as the first of a three-year term.

Scott Hummel

The appointment was announced by Wendy Hill, provost and dean of the faculty.

“Scott has been a strong advocate for the Engineering Division and the College. His leadership has provided much needed stability and a renewed vision to the Engineering Division,” Hill said.

Prior to this appointment, Hummel served 18 months as interim director of the Engineering Division. During that time, several strategic initiatives were accomplished. These include strengthening the interdisciplinary connections between the liberal arts and the Engineering Division and working with faculty across the campus to shape the concept for IDEAL, the new Center for Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership.

Hummel played a key role in developing new Bachelor of Science curricula that increase flexibility and provide students with increased opportunities to pursue entrepreneurial and innovative collaborations with faculty and students from all disciplines. He also led an initiative to restructure the Introduction to Engineering course to increase student retention and brought increased national attention to the Engineering Division through his participation in national conferences and boards. An essay he authored about engineering education will be featured in Inside Higher Ed.

A member of the Lafayette faculty since 1998, Hummel holds a Ph.D. from Lehigh University, an M.S. from Stevens Institute of Technology, and a B.S. from the University of Hartford. He chaired the faculty’s Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee for two years during the development of Lafayette’s new Common Course of Study. He served as head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 2006 until his appointment as interim director of the Engineering Division.

Hummel has taught courses ranging from introductory engineering classes to senior project seminars. He also has taught in the VaST (Values and Science/Technology) program and led a study-abroad semester in Brussels. He is the recipient of the College’s Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Faculty Lecture Award, in recognition of excellence in teaching and scholarship, and Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award, for excellence in teaching and outstanding contributions to campus life.

Hummel’s research is in the wear of materials. He has published extensively in this area and is recognized as a worldwide leader in adhesive wear testing. Recently named an ASTM Fellow, he has served since 2008 as the elected chair of the ASTM Technical Committee on Wear and Erosion, which develops internationally accepted standard test methods for determining the wear properties of materials.