Updated August 7, 2024
Check these “quick reference” pages for help on items important to Mechanical Engineering staff. What else would you like to see here? What questions do you and your colleagues ask often? Send your ideas to co-webmaster Mike Bernard.
You can go to these people for help!
Finance
Ada Simari, Administrator
asimari@jhu.edu | 410-516-8542 | Latrobe 223
- Facilities
- Budget
- Liaison to the Whiting School Business Office
Alison Wampler, Grants and Contracts Manager
awampler@jhu.edu | 410-516-5253 | Latrobe 223
Amanda Terrell, Sr. Grants and Contracts Analyst
aterrel4@jhu.edu | Remote staff
Glennisha Fulton, Grants and Contracts Analyst
gfulton3@jhu.edu | 410-516-6782 | Latrobe 223
- Budget Reconciliation
- Funding Proposals
- Electronic Filing and Organization
- Hiring and Payroll
- Postdocs
- Staff
- Undergraduates
- Hourly-Paid Students
Academic Programs
Mike Bernard, Academic Program Manager
me-academic@jhu.edu
410-516-7154 | Latrobe 223H
- Graduate Applications and Admissions
- Graduate Student Financial Aid – Salary, Fellowships, Tuition and Health Insurance
- Visiting Student appointments – graduate (and back-up staff for high school and undergraduate)
- Academic Advising and Policies
- Course Scheduling and Classroom Assignments
- Website creation and maintenance
John Soos, Sr. Academic Program Coordinator
me-academic@jhu.edu
410-516-7154| Latrobe 223H
- Graduate
- DQE and GBO Scheduling
- Graduate Student Annual Evaluations
- Dissertation Defense Scheduling
- “Good Standing” letters
- Dissertation and Thesis Printing Orders
- Reserving rooms for class, lab, and group meetings
- Visiting Student appointments – high school and undergraduate (and back-up staff for graduate)
- Teaching Assistant hiring and payments
- E-mail list management
Administration
Barbara Adamson, Administrative Coordinator
brogows1@jhu.edu | 410-516-0463 | Latrobe 223
- Services for Profs. Katz and Meneveau and their students, postdocs, and researchers:
- Order supplies and equipment
- Arrange travel reimbursements
- Arrange shipping and returns
- Seminar Coordinator
- 500.602 – Center for Environmental and Applied Fluid Mechanics (CEAFM)
- 530.808 – Mechanical Engineering Graduate Seminar in Fluid Mechanics
Ada Simari, Administrator
asimari@jhu.edu | 410-516-8542 | Latrobe 223
- Budgeting and finance
- Career Growth, Training, and Guidance
- University, School, HR, and departmental policies affecting staff
Serene Davis, Administrative Coordinator
sdavi159@jhmi.edu | Latrobe 223
- Serves all faculty, staff, postdocs, and researchers except those associated with Professors Hemker, Katz, Meneveau, and Wang.
- Purchasing of supplies and equipment.
- P-card monthly reconciliation for faculty and staff
- Travel reimbursements
- Coordinate shipments and deliveries
- Check requests and purchase orders
- Reserves Latrobe Conference Rooms
Jonathan Deutschman, Communications Specialist
jdeuts10@jhu.edu | Latrobe 223
- Information about events
- Marketing materials
- Website news
- Social Media
- MechE Force newsletter production
- Department website maintenance
- 530.803 Mechanical Engineering Graduate Seminar schedules
Lucy Ng, Sr. Administrative Coordinator
lng7@jh.edu | Latrobe 223
- Assistant for Professors Jeff Wang and Kevin Hemker and their students, postdocs, and researchers
- Edit journal articles, dissertations, and correspondence
- Coordinate workshops and meetings
- Arrange purchasing for supplies and equipment
- Manage travel arrangements
- Coordinate travel reimbursements
Angela Brooks, Administrative Specialist
abrook65@jh.edu | 410-516-6451 | Latrobe 223
- Department Head’s schedule and administration
- Postdoc and Visiting Scholar appointments
- Faculty Search process
Policies that affect staff and operations.
Whiting School
- Educational Outreach
- Faculty and Staff Resources
- Business Cards
- Notary Services
- Faculty Financial and Administrative Policies
- Manufacturing / Machine Shop policies and forms (in the “Forms and Documents” tab).
- Centers and Institutes
- Resources, Policies, and Forms
- Research ethics, misconduct, grievances
- Research on humans and animals
- Intellectual Property
- Financial, Cost Sharing, Research Projects Admin, Controller’s Office
University
- University Policies – an excellent overview of all policies, easily searchable and sortable.
- Johns Hopkins – Brand Use
- Submit item to “Today’s Announcements”
- Academic Calendar
- Course and Academic Policy catalog including Mechanical Engineering’s section
- Technology Ventures – protect, license, and commercialize new inventions
- Commercialization Academy internships
Mechanical Engineering
- Work Schedules – most of the staff follow a regular Monday through Friday schedule.
- Outlook Calendars
- Personal – you can share your personal Outlook calendar with anyone.
- “ME Dept. Staff Vacation Calendar” – be sure to note vacation, sick, and time off on this calendar.
- Academic Administration Events – shows upcoming student exams and dissertation defenses.
- Latrobe Patio Schedule – shows upcoming events on the Latrobe Patio. Contact Deana or Mike to obtain access or to reserve an event.
- Faculty Calendars – you might need authorization from the faculty to view these
- Popular Department Shared Files
- Faculty Files – S:Faculty Folders & Data
- Finance – S:Financial and Payroll / Finance
- Electronic Filing – S:Financial and Payroll / Electronic Filing
- Electronic Filing of P-cards – S:Financial and Payroll / Electronic Filing/ _PCard
- Payroll – S:Payroll
- Office Space (inventory, policies) – S:Equipment INFO / Software / Facilities / Space Data / Office Space Inventory
- Letterheads – S:Forms, Logs, Lists, Applications/ Letterheads
- Room Reservations (contact info) – S:Forms, Logs, Lists, Applications / Room Reservations Info / Room Reservations Contact Information.xlsx
- Student Files
- Graduate Student Database (student history and financial aid) – S:Academic Program Administration / Graduate Students / 1 Graduate Student Database.xlsx
- Student Files
- Graduate Students – S:Academic Program Administration / Graduate Student Individual Files
- Undergraduate Students – S:Academic Program Administration / Undergraduate Student Individual Files
- Undergraduate and Master’s Student Advising – S:Academic Program Administration / Advising / MechE UG_MSE Advising List.xlsx
Office Hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., though some staff members’ hours may vary.
Machines and Printers
Canon Printer iR_ADV 6265 Latrobe 217
- Printing, scanning, faxing, file storage, copying
- Driver Access and Operations Guide
- IP Address: 10.160.48.40
- Service: 888-273-6989
- Serial Number NML02573 (that’s “zero,” not “O”)
Large Format Printer Latrobe 3rd Floor Hallway
- Print posters and large-scale documents
- IP Address: 10.160.48.244
- USB Drive accessible
- For questions questions and to request access, contact Lab Manager Patrick Caulfield or Administrator Ada Simari.
Canon Printer iR_ADV C2225 (in office)
- For staff and faculty use only (to students reading this page, do not connect to this machine).
- Printing, scanning, faxing, file storage, copying
- Driver Access and Operations Guide
- IP Address: 10.160.48.27
- Service: 888-273-6989
- Serial Number LYD07358 (that’s “zero,” not “Oh”)
Access and use the many features of our Voice Mail.
Visit the back-up person when the primary staff member is out.
- Academic Administration – Mike and John back each other.
- Financial
- Alison backs Ada.
- Alison, Glennisha, and Amanda back each other.
- Lab Management – Ada backs Patrick.
- Administration
- Nicole backs Carla.
- Accounts Payable
- Cost Analysis
- Financial Research Compliance
- Effort Reporting
- Cost Transfers – Payroll and Non-Payroll
- References and Training
- Sponsored Projects
HR/Payroll Shared Services – 443-997-5828
- Forms – direct deposit, tax, HR, Payroll
- Policies and Procedures
- Salary Overpayment
- Off-Cycle Check Requests – to order checks before the next payday
- Payroll Schedule
Deadlines and Payday
- University Experiential Learning, formerly known as Student Employment Services – ISR submission deadlines for semi-monthly student payroll.
- HR Shared Services
- CATS entries for hourly pay
- ISR submission deadlines for hourly student payroll
- ISR submission deadlines for all payroll for other Hopkins affiliates
- Payday schedules
Procurement Card Program (“P-cards”)
- PaymentNet – monthly reconciliation – logging in
- Policy Guide
- Training
- FAQs
Visit the SAP at Hopkins page for basic settings and navigation information, account information, finance, where to get help, and much more.
- Getting Started, Tutorials, and Who Does What
- Help and Job Aids
- Analysis – the new report system replacing BW. See this page for training, tips, details, and info
- Shopping Cart – how to order items
- Supply Chain info
- SAP
- Shopping Carts – create them and manage settings
- Hopkins eMarketplace
Hiring Responsibilities
Those being hired will meet with the appropriate staff:
- Grants and Contracts Staff – student and other hourly positions, full-time and part-time staff positions
- Senior Academic Program Coordinator – Teaching Assistants
- Academic Program Manager – graduate student semi-monthly positions for research assistantships and departmental fellowships.
- Other positions not mentioned above, such as temporary positions and unusual or ad-hoc semi-monthly student positions will be addressed individually by either the Grants and Contracts Staff or Academic Program Staff as they are available.
Hourly Paid Positions
Most undergraduate students, a few graduate students, and occasionally, staff are paid hourly and record their time with time cards.
Student Eligibility
The following students are eligible to work on the Homewood Campus, including teaching assistant and hourly-paid positions:
- All full-time American and International students
- International students in their final semester who are part-time are eligible to work as a student worker. (International students are full-time students every semester except for the last semester if they need less than a full-time course load to complete the degree. They can then become part-time.)
NOTE: American students who are part-time are not eligible for student work.
Hourly Pay
These are the rates effective July 1, 2024:
- Undergraduate Students – $18.00
- Master’s Students – $19.00
- Ph.D. Students – $25.41
Note that some positions pay differently than these rates, depending on the salary stipulations of the grant or project.
A minimum of six weeks’ notice is required to hire Ph.D. students into hourly positions as an appointment letter must be sent to the student at least four weeks before the first day of work. This is necessary to comply with the Teachers and Researchers Union collective bargaining agreement.
Hiring Students Into Positions
To hire a student for Undergraduate Assistant or Graduate Assistant hourly positions, contact Grants and Contracts Manager Alison Wampler.
Generally, this is the process to hire an hourly-paid student:
- The supervisor will notify Alison Wampler or another financial staff member by e-mail that the student is being hired. The e-mail must include the date of hire, the position hired, student name and contact information, and student year to determine hourly pay.
- Note: a minimum of six weeks’ notice is required to hire Ph.D. students into hourly positions as an appointment letter must be sent to the student at least four weeks before the first day of work. This is necessary to comply with the Teachers and Researchers Union collective bargaining agreement.
- After receiving the supervisor notification, have the student provide necessary identification and complete the following forms:
- New Hire Information Sheet
- I-9 Form – if not already on file…use the ZHPA_DIR Employee Directory in SAP to confirm if a student is already employed.
- For International Students
- Foreign National Information Form – which is mailed to FNIF@jhu.edu.
- Apply for a Social Security Card
- Upload the Social Security Card to Hopkins HR
- Direct Deposit – Visit ESS, or “Employee Self-Service” to set up Direct Deposit or change accounts anytime.
- Please have your bank account’s “routing number” and “account number” handy before signing in.
- Go to my.jhu.edu and sign in with your JHED ID and password.
- Select the “HR” tab and then the “ESS” tab.
- Sign in again with your JHED ID and password.
- Select the “Payroll Info” tab and you will see the option to set up or edit Direct Deposit. Follow the instructions to set up or update the account.
- Refer the student to the appropriate “Info for…” page on the Mechanical Engineering webpage and tell him or her to use TimesheetX to submit time.
- In SAP Enterprise, look for the report that displays positions for Org Unit 10001495. Select an hourly undergrad position that’s open and if there are none, submit a Position Copy ISR to obtain one.
- Hire the student into that position and note the pernr, once hired.
Teaching Assistants
To assist in the teaching function of the Department, Teaching Assistant (TA) opportunities are provided to students who grade papers, conduct laboratories and hold office hours. TAs are remunerated according to a formula that quantifies the number of hours required for a particular course, multiplied by a standard hourly rate, to be determined by the beginning of each semester.
The semi-monthly rate is calculated according to a formula that quantifies the number of hours required for a particular course, multiplied by a standard hourly rate, to be determined by the beginning of each semester.
Effective Fall 2024, the standard hourly rates are…
- Undergraduate Students – $19.00
- Master’s Students – $21.00
- Postdocs – rate is determined from the hourly rate of their full-time employment appointment.
The department tries to hire Mechanical Engineering students and postdocs where possible.
Ph.D. students are required to act as a Teaching Assistant for two courses for approximately 10-15 hours per week during the semester to fulfill this portion of their degree requirements. Remuneration of Teaching Assistant positions – both the two required for the Ph.D. degree and any additional Teaching Assistant work – are included in the standard compensation per the Ph.D. Teachers and Researchers Union Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The Senior Academic Program Coordinator plans and executes the Teaching Assistant budgeting, recruiting, and hiring process.
New Hires
“New Hires” can complete these ahead of time or you can view or print these forms from these links:
- New Hire Information Sheet – NOTE: this form asks for social security numbers and other sensitive data.
- When the form is completed, do not e-mail this form to anyone.
- Be sure to tell any new hires completing this form to NOT e-mail the form but to print and deliver the form directly to you.
- After completing the Hire ISR and other ISRs requiring a social security number, but before filing the form electronically, erase or cover all but the last four digits of the SSN.
Not all files are encrypted and secure, so this will protect the new hire, the department, and University from harm, fraud, and potential liability.
- I-9 Form – if not already on file…use the ZHPA_DIR Employee Directory in SAP to confirm if a student is already employed.
- For International Students
- Foreign National Information Form – which is mailed to FNIF@jhu.edu.
- Apply for a Social Security Card
- Upload the Social Security Card to Hopkins HR
- Direct Deposit – Visit ESS, or “Employee Self-Service” to set up Direct Deposit or change accounts anytime.
- Please have your bank account’s “routing number” and “account number” handy before signing in.
- Go to my.jhu.edu and sign in with your JHED ID and password.
- Select the “HR” tab and then the “ESS” tab.
- Sign in again with your JHED ID and password.
- Select the “Payroll Info” tab and you will see the option to set up or edit Direct Deposit. Follow the instructions to set up or update the account.
TimesheetX
TimesheetX is what is used to record hours worked. Students are responsible to submit their time each week. The student’s supervisor will be responsible to approve the hours submitted each week. Both will receive e-mail reminders to submit and approve hours each week.
Deadlines
Time cards must be submitted by e-mail to meet the submission deadline of 2:00 p.m. one week before payday.
Visit the Hourly Payroll Submission Deadline Schedule for the deadline in the “Time Entry Cutoff 2:00 p.m.” column.
Hours submitted after the deadline will be paid at the next available pay period.
Bonus Supplemental ISRs
When submitting a Bonus Supplemental ISR for students, the University Experiential Learning office (Student Employment) is required to collect certain information to monitor number of hours works to ensure federal guideline compliance. When using these Wage types, please provide the following information in the ISR’s Comments section:
- 3017 (“Student Supp-2nd Assign”) – list the number of hours worked per week, the hourly salary amount, and the date range of the assignment, as well as the type of work that the student is doing and for which department.
- 3055 (“Supplment proj-misc”) – state the type of work that the student is doing and for which department
- Note that Departmental Fellows and other “non-employee” positions cannot use these Wage types. Only 3018 (“Lump Sum Fellowship Pymt”) or 3020 (“Foreign Sourced Income”) may be used.
Contact the University Experiential Learning office at 410-516-8414 with questions.
Pay Calculators
Use these semi-monthly pay rate calculators when determining the amount of pay for a partial pay period.
Graduate Student Financial Aid / Department Graduate Aid (DGA)
PH.D. STUDENTS
PhD students do not have to pay for tuition, health insurance, and matriculation fees, as these are covered by the admission and financial aid offers.
PhD students who work for the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory will have full tuition paid in the first year, and 80% tuition coverage from years 2-6. Salary and health insurance, in most cases, will be provided by the APL. We understand that the APL offers tuition coverage to pay some or all the 20% tuition.
PhD students receive a stipend, as well. The standard annual graduate student rate in US dollars:
- September 1, 2020-August 31, 2021 – $33,112 / $1,379.67 semi-monthly
- September 1, 2021-August 31, 2022 – $34,104 / $1,421.00 semi-monthly
- September 1-December 31, 2022 – $36,000 / $1,500.00 semi-monthly
- January 1-June 30, 2023 – $37,000 / $1,541.67 semi-monthly
- July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024 – $38,500 / $1,604.17 semi-monthly
- July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025 – $47,000 / $1,958.33 semi-monthly
- July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026 – $50,000 / $2,083.33 semi-monthly
- July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027 – $52,000 / $2,166.67 semi-monthly
The stipend rates usually rise slightly each year. Some graduate students’ stipend rates will vary. If they have financial aid through a fellowship or other source that does not meet the standard annual graduate student rate, the student’s advisor or the department will pay stipend to fill the gap so the student is paid the standard rate.
MASTER’S – HOPKINS ALUMNI
Hopkins alumni returning for their master’s degree have partial financial aid. This include alumni returning after earning a BS degree or combined BS/MSE students continuing their master’s degree.
- 50% tuition – Dean’s Tuition Fellowship
- Coverage of full health insurance.
Matriculation fees are not charged. The Johns Hopkins Student Accounts office can help with questions about billing and payment information.
MASTER’S – NEW TO HOPKINS
Master’s students new to Johns Hopkins pay all of their expenses:
HOW TO ENTER DEPARTMENT GRADUATE AID (DGA) IN SIS
The SIS Help for DGA Users provides a complete guide on how to enter Department Graduate Aid in SIS. This is where tuition, matriculation fee, health insurance, dental, and vision support are submitted for each student.
American students have the option of waiving the health insurance, dental, and vision.
Whiting School
Purchasing / Reimbursement
There are specific rules and guidelines that the University requires for purchases to be made, whether that is for a research project, a club, or any other purchase where University funds are used in either a grant or in department funding.
- Purchasing and Reimbursements guide – read this before making purchases to ensure you’re properly reimbursed.
- SAP Concur – self-service reimbursement
- The University has moved to a self-service reimbursement system where anyone seeking reimbursement can make a direct request instead of waiting for a staff member to make a request, which saves you time!
- SAP Concur will allow you to submit reimbursements easily and quickly.
- Visit the Johns Hopkins Expense Processing page for training links to the Concur system and to take advantage of real-time training sessions.
- Submit Reimbursement Requests Before 60 Days have Passed – Reimbursement requests must be submitted for reimbursement to the University within 60 days of the purchase date. Please submit your requests at least several days before this deadline to allow the department to submit the request on time. If they are submitted after 60 days, the expenses will be paid to the purchaser as a payroll supplement instead of reimbursement and will be subject to payroll taxation.
Orders
Typically, students or faculty send a web link with the item they would like to purchase to:
- Barb Adamson – Profs. Katz and Meneveau’s researchers, postdocs, and students
- Nancy Lippi – Profs. Hemker and Wang’s researchers, postdocs, and students
- Glennisha Fulton – everyone else
If you do not have the link, the following information is necessary to make an order:
- Company name
- Item number(s), or link(s) to item(s)
- Cost
- Quantity
- Shipping – the least expensive shipping method will be used.
- If the item weighs >100 lbs. or will be shipped on a pallet.
- Budget number and approval from advisor.
- If purchase exceeds $2,500, provide either three independent quotes or a Sole Source Justification provided by the advisor, so a Purchase Order can be placed in the Johns Hopkins SAP system.
Deliveries
- All items delivered to the department will be received in Latrobe 217.
- Items weighing >100 lbs. or are shipped on a pallet must be delivered to the end destination and not to Latrobe 217. Please contact Shawna for assistance.
Shipping
- Items being delivered to the department must be shipped to
Johns Hopkins University
3910 Keswick Road
Latrobe Hall, Room 217 – Attention: (recipient)
Baltimore, Maryland 21211
- International Shipping must be arranged through the Mechanical Engineering Administrative Office.
- Outgoing packages related to University business will be packed by the sender, who will deliver the package to Latrobe 223 Front Office. Senders must provide a cost center or internal order number. The package will be sent by FedEx.
Packing Slips
In order to comply with federal and JHU auditing policies we are required to collect and file all packing slips from items purchased by our department. The packing slip is our proof the item was received.
When receiving a package in Latrobe 217, everyone must take these steps:
- Open the package and verify the contents are what were ordered.
- Place the Packing Slip into the bin on the wall adjacent to the receiving table that corresponds to the faculty member who authorized the purchase.
- Sign the Shipping and Receiving book before leaving the room.
At the end of each week the packing slips will be collected, scanned, and matched with the order in accordance with audit policies. Failure to properly retain and submit packing slips will result in the loss of ordering privileges.
Please contact Administrative Supervisor Deana Santoni for help.
Interoffice and postal mail are delivered daily, usually in the early afternoon. The front office staff will distribute the mail to mailboxes the same day or early the next morning.
Packages larger than the mailboxes will be stored and registered in Latrobe 217 and recipients will be notified. They should not be picked up until the packages are logged in.
The Johns Hopkins Central Mail Services officeis at 410-735-6623.
Travel Registry
The International Travel Registry provides an easy-to-use way for those traveling internationally on university-related business to register their travel plans.
In partnership with International SOS, registered travelers will receive assistance with pre-travel preparations, including notifications about the destination country, risks, and prevention measures.
Be sure to create your own Travel Profile so staff can contact and support you in the event that there is a natural disaster, political unrest or other emergency situation in locations where you travel.
Tax Exempt Certificate
Before making purchases using a personal account, obtain a Tax Exempt Sales Certificate before purchasing items with personal funds so you are not charged Sales Tax. Johns Hopkins does not reimburse Sales Tax.
Labs
The Mechanical Engineering department has over 30 laboratories in six buildings on the Homewood campus, managed by the department’s Lab Manager. The position is temporarily vacant. Contact Lab Manager Patrick Caulfield with questions for now.
- All concerns and questions about our labs.
- Homewood Campus – Laboratory Safety
Facilities
The Whiting School and University provide facilities maintenance and services throughout the Homewood campus.
- Johns Hopkins Facilities Management
- Service requests
- Maintenance services
- Event planning – order tables, chairs, waste services
- Maintenance and Repairs
- Design and Construction
- Space Management and Allocation
- Service requests
- WSE Manufacturing / Machine Shop– services, equipment, reservations, training.
Facilities Help
The Mechanical Engineering department has 30 laboratories throughout the Homewood campus. With the depth and breadth of our research, labs can be as simple as a laptop on an office desk to as complex as a full laboratory with elaborate equipment and potentially dangerous situations and substances that need vigilant maintenance.
Inevitably, there will be problems with offices, facilities, and equipment that need attention beyond our department’s ability to address them. These could be as simple as an overflowing trash can to non-working radiators and air conditioners or as complex as discovery of major structural problems. There is a central reporting tool that the department uses to vet, record, and refer such problems to get the appropriate help.
Visit the Mechanical Engineering Department Facilities Concerns site to report your problem, no matter what type or size, except for computer and IT issues.
For computer or IT help, see #9 COMPUTING for info.
J-Card Access
Certain staff are authorized to grant J-Card Access to offices and labs. Visit the J-Card Admin page to grant this access.
Office Space
The department administration is responsible to keep inventory of desk space in the Latrobe Hall offices it controls.
- The department will inform faculty and students what desks are available. Senior Academic Program Coordinator John Soos will provide this information.
- A faculty member can request a desk for a student, post doc, and others under the faculty member’s supervision.
- First, it is understood that PhD students are given first precedence for available seats.
- Second, Postdocs are assigned desk space in order of arrival date in Latrobe 319, if seats are available. They will be assigned seats in other areas if Latrobe 319 is not available.
- Third, visiting students and visiting professors will be provided a desk space if available after all PhD students and postdocs have desk space.
- In addition…
- We regret that we do not have desk space for master’s students.
- We will do our best to keep students and postdocs working with the same professor together when possible, but this is not guaranteed.
- It is expected that when possible, faculty members offer desk space in their labs to allow seating for those where lab desk space is not available.
- Rare exceptions to this protocol will be accommodated, if possible.
- The department head, Prof. Gretar Tryggvason will moderate disputes over desk allocation, not the staff.
- John will have keys issued and have charged the usual deposit for an available desk.
- If John is not available, Academic Program Manager Mike Bernard will help.
- Contact John and Mike at me-academic@jhu.edu or through Microsoft Teams.
Latrobe Conference Rooms
To reserve Latrobe 106, 313, or 320, contact any of these staff:
- Administrative Supervisor Deana Santoni
- The academic staff – John Soos or Mike Bernard
The Academic Program Administration is responsible for the administration of Mechanical Engineering’s academic programs. Duties include academic advising, course scheduling, Teaching Assistant budgeting and hiring, recruiting, social media, website maintenance of student-related pages, financial aid administration, exam scheduling, student orientations, events, and data management.
OUR MISSION: The Johns Hopkins Mechanical Engineering Academic Administration provides service that delights our customers and colleagues – faculty, students, staff colleagues, and central administration – by providing impeccable service that creates an environment of trust, respect, and efficiency.
OUR VISION: We strive to make the lives of our customers and colleagues easier by allowing them to focus on academic and research goals while leaving the administrative details to us.
OUR VALUES: Customer Delight, Quality and Excellence, Compassion and Respect, Trust and Reliability, Knowledge
Programs
Questions about the full-time BS, MSE, or PhD programs can be referred to Mike or John.
Undergraduate / Bachelor of Science (BS) – full-time
- Undergraduate Program Overview
- Summary of Undergraduate Degree and Concentration Options
- Undergraduate Programs – advising manual, checkout sheets, forms
Visit the ABET Accreditation Process page for information.
- Calendar, Events, Submissions, and Deadlines
- Objectives and Outcomes
- Partial Grade Assessments – every two years
- Course Samples – only in review year
Graduate / Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – full-time
- Graduate Program Overview
- Graduate Programs – advising manuals, policies, forms
- DQEs, GBOs, and Dissertation Defense planning on the Academic Advising – Graduate page
Engineering for Professionals– evening, on-site, and online programs
The Engineering for Professionals (EP) program is a separate division in the Whiting School of Engineering that offers master’s degrees in a variety of fields, including a Master of Mechanical Engineering (MME) degree. Some of our professors are also involved with the EP, but administration of most EP items is performed by EP staff.
If someone calls for information to the EP, refer them to ep@jhu.edu or 410-516-2300 or 800-548-3647.
Forms
Graduate
- Graduate Course Changes – for grad students to add or drop courses
- Master’s Degree Course Exception Waivers – to record approved exceptions to degree requirements
- Graduate Board Oral Exam scheduling
- Annual Evaluations – for PhD students and master’s students doing a thesis.
Undergraduate
- Undergraduate Course Exception Waivers – to record approved exceptions to degree requirements
- Paper forms for undergraduates are available from the Registrar or Mike or Kevin
- Course Add/Drop Forms
- Change of Major
- Independent Research and Study Registration
SIS – Student Information System
SIS is an integrated system that includes every aspect of business for students, such as course scheduling and registration, advising, communication, grades and transcripts, financial aid, student accounts, and information management. Staff, faculty, and students are given access to selected sections of SIS as their duties require.
- SIS – sign in with your JHED ID and password to see which services you have access.
- SIS Classes – public system open to all to search for courses, instructors, classrooms, and schedules.
- DGA – Department Graduate Aid is the subsystem where tuition, matriculation fee, and health insurance financial support is entered. Mike and John handle all questions on DGA.
The Registrar grants access to SIS. They require an e-mail from the department Chair to grant access. Scott Spencer, the Associate Registrar for IT Systems can answer your questions.
Canvas
Canvas is the platform in which instructors use to upload course information, such as syllabi, assignments, exam preparation, and other pertinent items. The system allows confidential grade posting and interactive communication between instructors, teaching assistants (TAs), and students.
- Canvas sign-in (needs JHED ID and password)
Instructors are usually able to assign access directly to their TAs. Students will be given access upon registration. Access concerns and questions should be sent to the Registrar’s Course Management office at ASENScheduling@jhu.edu.
Starfish
Starfish is a portal to note students’ academic performance or other concerns that will interfere with their well-being and success. It is accessible through faculty and instructors’ course’s Canvas page, and information entered in Starfish will be shared with the Whiting School Academic Advising office as they can initiate and coordinate any remedial actions to help students in trouble.
It is important that instructors provide this information as they see it happening, as Starfish collects data from every instructor and alerts the Academic Advising office of patterns of concerns that students may have. Even if instructors have a small class or do not find it important, it actually is important to share concerns through Starfish. If a faculty member or instructor expresses concerns to you, encourage them to use Starfish.
Visit the Starfish page for instructions and help info.
Prospective Student Visits
Prospective students and their families will visit the department to obtain information about our academic programs. Some will plan their visit ahead of time, others will walk in to the office on a whim.
Please refer visit requests directly to Mike Bernard and John Soos in Latrobe 223 (x6-7154 or me-academic@jhu.edu), who will schedule a time for a visit where one of them will describe the programs and as time allows, give a tour of a lab or two, and take them to visit classes and professors when available. Walk-in visitors will be welcomed, as well, as time and presence in the office allows.
Visits can happen anytime, but tend to occur in the spring, summer, and early fall.
If neither Mike or John are available, please contact the following to see if they are available to speak with walk-in visitors:
Undergraduate
- Steven Marra, Director of Undergraduate Studies – marra@jhu.edu or 410-516-0034
- Ada Simari – asimari@jhu.edu or 410-516-8542
Graduate
- Noah Cowan, Graduate Recruiting Chair – ncowan@jhu.edu or 410-516-5301
- Ada Simari – asimari@jhu.edu or 410-516-8542
- Tamer Zaki, Director of Graduate Studies – t.zaki@jhu.edu or 410-516-6599
Helping Students – Careers
Visit our Careers and Life page to help our students with career exploration, networking, and internships and jobs!
Students in Distress
Visit the Counseling Center’s Recognizing and Helping Distressed Students page for information on recognizing and helping students in distress, who may have been assaulted, who may be suicidal, or who may be dangerous. There is help.
This document describes Recognizing Students in Distress, which provides information on distressed student behavior, services to help students, and how to address situations where a student may post a danger to self and others.
Visit the Student Well-Being page for a comprehensive list of help resources
Also, visit the Academic Advising for Faculty page for specific information on reporting academic and research troubles for both undergraduate and graduate students.
If you are unsure where to get help for a student’s situation, contact the Academic Staff at me-academic@jhu.edu.
Faculty Committees
View the Mechanical Engineering Faculty Committee assignments.
For information on these activities:
- Contact Carla Diaz, Sr. Administrative Coordinator at cdiaz8@jhu.edu for…
- Postdoc and Visiting Scholar appointments
- Faculty Searches
- Contact Mike Bernard or John Soos for Visiting Graduate Student, Visiting Undergraduate Student, and Visiting High School Student invitations.
- Visit the “Top 12 – Faculty” page for information on the faculty’s role in requesting appointments.
Need Help for your Computer?
Sign in to your MyJHU account wiht your JHED ID and password. Then select the “Technology” icon on the left blue bar, then select “Service Request” to be taken to an online portal to request help.
Alternately, contact the Help Desk at 410-516-HELP to speak to a human.
Computers and Software
Students are welcome to use the computer facilities throughout campus, especially in the Milton S. Eisenhower Library and the Brody Learning Commons.
Laptops, pads, and software are available at a discount student rate when purchased through Hopkins.
- HAC Lab – Krieger 160
- Software from the Whiting School of Engineering
- Software for staff from “On The Hub” with significant discounts!
- Johns Hopkins Technology Store – purchase computers at a discount.
- Whiting School IT Services
- IT “Onboarding” for newly hired staff – getting started
Library Services
Visit the Johns Hopkins Library page for information about our libraries.
- Visit the library Engineering reference page.
- Online sources for Engineering
We have a librarian! Contact Engineering Librarian Steve Stich at 410-516-8357 or sstich@jhu.edu. He can help find engineering research resources and show you how to use the library’s resources and services.
Johns Hopkins asks that we devote at least three full workdays to training each year. We are asked to note our training on our performance reviews. Take advantage of training opportunities in office skills, information technology, communication, maximizing performance, career growth, leadership, management, and more!
- Professional Development
- MyLearning basics
- MyLearning – sign in at MyJHU, select the “Education” tab and then the “MyLearning” tab.
- MyLearning – questions and troubleshooting
- Information Systems – SAP, financial applications, accounting
- Leadership, Management, and Professional skills – career growth and advancement
- Information Technology – Microsoft Office, Adobe, IT, and more!
- Resources – quick and easy reading on all kinds of titles
Administrator Ada Simari can help you create a skill development and career growth plan.
The E-210 is used to record time worked and time off. Sign on with your JHED ID and password.
Pay and Benefits
- Pay – salary ranges, classifications, and growth
- Benefits – health, wellness, financial planning (403b and pension), tuition assistance, retirement
- Health and Life – medical, dental, prescription, vision, flexible spending, insurance, disability
- Work Life – workplace support, community, family life, FASAP, discounts
University and HR Policies
- Johns Hopkins University policies, including academic affairs, health and safety, human resources (pay and time off, e.g.), and university guidelines and operations