Department of Mechanical Engineering

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Department of
Mechanical Engineering

Top 12 – Faculty

top12
Updated June 14, 2018

Check these “quick reference” pages for help on the Top 12 items important to Mechanical Engineering faculty.  Links to websites are blue.

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.

  • 1. WHO'S WHO: Your 'Go To' People

    You can go to these Mechanical Engineering staff members for help!

    Marty Devaney, Administrator
    mdevane2@jhu.edu | 410-516-8542 | Latrobe 223

    • Facilities
    • Budget
    • Liaison to the Whiting School Business Office

    Lisa Elkund, Research Service Analyst
    | 410-516-7132 | Latrobe 223

    Lori Lewis, Sr. Research Service Analyst
    lori.lewis@jhu.edu | 410-516-6029 | Latrobe 223

    Alison Wampler, Research Service Manager
    awampler@jhu.edu | 410-516-5253 | Latrobe 223

    • Budget Reconciliation
    • Funding Proposals
    • Electronic Filing and Organization
    • Hiring and Payroll
      • Postdocs
      • Staff
      • Undergraduates
      • Hourly-Paid Students

    Shawna O’Brien, Administrative Coordinator
    sobrie22@jhu.edu | 410-516-6782 | Latrobe 223

    • Purchasing of supplies and equipment
    • Travel reimbursements
    • Coordinate shipments and deliveries

    Mike Bernard, Academic Program Manager
    mike.bernard@jhu.edu | 410-516-7154 | Latrobe 230

    • Graduate Applications and Admissions
    • Student Financial Aid for Salary, Tuition and Health Insurance
    • Academic Advising and Policies
    • Visiting Student Appointments – High School, Undergraduate, Graduate
    • Course Scheduling and Classroom Assignment
    • Department website and social media

    Kevin Adams, Academic Program Coordinator
    kadams24@jhu.edu | 410-516-5930 | Latrobe 223

    • DQE and GBO Scheduling
    • Graduate Student Annual Evaluations
    • Key Distribution
    • Visiting Student Appointments – High School, Undergraduate, Graduate
    • Dissertation Defense Scheduling
    • Dissertation and Thesis Printing Orders
    • Reserving rooms for class, lab, and group meetings
    • Teaching Assistant hiring and payments

    Tom Benassi, Laboratory Manager
    tbenass1@jhu.edu | 410-516-5586 | Latrobe 223

    All issues related to the Mechanical Engineering labs:

    • Equipment
    • Facilities
    • Space planning
    • Card swipe access

    Deana Santoni, Administrative Supervisor
    dsantoni@jhu.edu | 410-516-6451 | Latrobe 223

    • Department Chair’s schedule
    • Postdoc and  Visiting Scholar appointments
    • 530.803/804 Mechanical Engineering Graduate Seminar schedules
    • Faculty Search process
    • Department website

  • 2. HELP! Recognizing and Helping Distressed Students

    Visit the “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.

  • 3. UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION: Academic Council, Whiting School - Resources, Policies, Computers, Research, Course Instruction / Blackboard

    Visit the Faculty and Staff Resources page.

    Visit the Academic Council web page for information on:

    Select the Digital Measures link for displaying faculty CVs, service, publications, and activities.
    • Blackboard is the tool that most instructors use to post assignments, announcements, and grades (which provides a confidential way to do so). Your TA(s) can be given access to Blackboard.
    • Visit SIS to get info on your class, including time, day, location, and enrollment.  From there, you can e-mail the entire class using the class e-mail address.
      • Sign in with your JHED ID and password
      • Select the “Faculty” link, which will give you access to your course info.
      • Select the word “View” under the Roster to see more detailed info on your course.
      • In the Actions box in the middle-right of the screen, select the “Faculty & Class Information” link to see your class day, time, and location.
      • This is the screen where you will submit your grades online at the end of the semester. You will receive a notice as to when you can do so.
    • Academic Program Coordinator Kevin Adams (kadams24@jhu.edu) or Academic Program Manager Mike Bernard (mike.bernard@jhu.edu) can help find a room for make-up lectures and office hours.
    • If you’re new to teaching a course, previous instructors of the course can help you with updating or creating a syllabus, lectures, grading assignments and exams, and setting “audit” participation policy, as well as answer any questions that come up later.
    • To get your Teaching Assistants access to the e-mail list associated with your course, please ask Mike or Kevin to submit a Course Change Form to the Registrar asking them to give access.  They will need the TA’s name(s) and Hopkins e-mail address(es).
    • Here’s information on scheduling classrooms.
    • Check out these tips from the Registrar for course grading.
    • Read the Final Exam policy and schedule for information.  If you want/need to modify the schedule, we must get permission from Ed Scheinerman, Vice Dean for Academics in the Whiting School.  There would have to be exceptionally good reasons to allow a modification; instructor convenience is not one of those reasons.

    You 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.

  • 4. GRANT PROPOSALS: Writing and Submissions

    Visit the Research Administration webpage for tips on proposal writing:

  • 5. SHIPPING and HANDLING: Purchases and Orders, Deliveries, Shipping, Packing Slips, Sales Tax Exemption, Mail, and Travel Registry

    Typically, you can send a web link with the item you would like to purchase to:

    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.
    • Budget number and approval from advisor.
    • If the item weighs >100 lbs. or will be shipped on a pallet.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.

    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:

    1. Open the package and verify the contents are what were ordered.
    2. 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.
    3. 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 Coordinator Shawna O’Brien or Administrator Marty Devaney in Latrobe 223 for help.

    The University is generally exempt from sales tax.  All purchases qualifying for sales tax exemption that are arranged through the University (e.g. Cindy or Barb in the Mechanical Engineering Administrative Office) will automatically be charged without sales tax.

    While personal purchases are discouraged for University business, they are occasionally necessary.  Please remember to use the Tax Exempt Sales Certificate before purchasing items with personal funds so you are not charged Sales Tax.  Johns Hopkins does not reimburse Sales Tax.

    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 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.

  • 6. FACILITIES: Labs, Printers, Get Facilities Help, Office Space for Students and Others, Reserving Latrobe Conference Rooms

    The Mechanical Engineering department has over 30 laboratories in six buildings on the Homewood campus, managed by the department’s Lab Manager Tom Benassi.

    Canon Printer iR_ADV 6265 (in Latrobe 223 kitchen)

    • Printing, scanning, faxing, file storage, copying
    • Driver Access and Operations Guide
    • IP Address:  10.160.48.40
    • Service:  888-273-6989
    • Serial Number NMK02573 (that’s “zero,” not “O”)

    Large Format Printer (on the 3rd floor of Latrobe Hall)

    • Print posters and large-scale documents
    • IP Address: 10.160.48.244
    • USB Drive accessible
    • Contact Tom Benassi with questions

    Canon Printer iR_ADV C2225 (in the Latrobe 223 MechE office by the staff desks)

    • For staff and faculty use only – please do not give students this printer information (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 “O”)

    Get help for your labs or office!

    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.  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.

    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. Academic Program Coordinator Kevin Adams will provide this information.
    • A faculty member can request a desk for a student, postdoc, and others under the faculty member’s supervision.  Kevin will issue keys and charge the usual deposit for an available desk.
    • The department head, Gretar Tryggvason will moderate disputes over desk allocation.

    Contact Administrative Coordinator Shawna O’Brien to reserve Latrobe 106 or Latrobe 320.

  • 7. GRAD STUDENTS - Advising, Release Holds, Forms, Courses, Evaluations, Seminars, Catalog and Policies

    There will be an “Advising Tips for Graduate Students” document available soon.  In the meantime, here are resources that will help:

    • Visit the MechE Graduate – Academic Advising webpage for info and the latest Advising Manuals.
    • To release a student’s advising hold, sign into SIS, select the Advisor tab.  You should see a list of your students or can look them up by name. You will see a “Release Hold” button on the right side of that student’s listing. Select that button and the advisor hold will be released. If you want to reverse the release, select the button again (which will be displayed as “Apply Hold.”)
    • Grade Change form – use this to change grades or to submit new grades after the initial online submission deadline.  Forms can be sent directly to the Registrar at grregistration@jhu.edu.
    • Course Registration form –
      • Basic Form – for students who cannot register online before the end of the semester Add/Drop period.
      • Form with Permissions – for students who forgot to register before the end of the semester Add/Drop period and need Whiting School Academic Affairs’ permission.  This will need the signature of the Vice Chair and the Whiting School Academic Affairs office before being delivered to the Registrar (in the basement of Garland Hall).

    Course Schedules

    • MechE Graduate Course Schedules
    • SIS Classes – seek class information – course numbers, titles, meeting days and times, instructors, and descriptions – in all forms for the last five years to the present.
    Ph.D. and “thesis-option” master’s students must complete an annual graduate student evaluation with their advisors, which typically are due to the department before the first day of class in the Spring semester.

    View the WSE Guide to Effective Annual Reviews for information on conducting an effective evaluation.

    Check the Seminars and Events page for the 530.803/804 Mechanical Engineering Graduate Seminar and other seminars of interest.

    Visit the University Course Catalog for information on degree programs, academic policies, majors, majors, and faculty.

    Some policies that students find important:

    Academic Program Manager Mike Bernard will answer your questions about any advising or academic policy question.

  • 7a. NEWS - GRAD STUDENTS - Credits are now part of Graduate Course Registration

    Effective Fall 2016, all Whiting School of Engineering graduate students will register for courses with credits. Some things to know:

    • The Mechanical Engineering degree requirements do not change for the number or types of courses.
    • All Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) graduate-level courses (.600-level or higher) now have credits assigned to them.
    • To maintain full-time status, all WSE graduate students must be enrolled in at least 9 credits.
      • PhD students will be enrolled in at least 20 credits per semester.
      • Master’s students will be enrolled in at least 9 credits per semester.
    • Students can achieve full-time status by registering for any combination of courses and seminars, as approved by their advisors. SIS is set to select appropriate credits:
      • Seminars – 1 credit
      • WSE courses, both undergraduate and graduate – 3 or 4 credits
      • 530.600 Master’s Graduate Research – 3-10 credits
      • NEW! 530.602 Master’s Thesis Research and Writing – 3-10 credits – students will enroll for this “Pass/Fail” course when doing thesis research and writing, but only in the semesters they are doing actual thesis research and writing.
      • 530.801/530.802 PhD Graduate Research – 3-20 credits
      • NOTE:
        • Audited courses do not count toward a student’s full-time credit load.
        • Krieger School of Arts and Sciences’ graduate-level courses will not have credits listed in SIS, but will be recognized as 3-4 credits toward one’s full-time credit load.
    • Students enrolled in fewer than 9 credits per semester are part-time, which may affect residency requirements for all and visa concerns for international students. Please ask Academic Program Manager Mike Bernard any questions you have before your students register or if they want to change a course from “letter grade” to “audit.”
    • Visit the Whiting School’s Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.

  • 8. GRAD STUDENTS - DQE, GBO, and Dissertation Defenses

    View the Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Graduate Student manual for information.

    Section 4.1 describes Departmental Qualifying Examinations (DQEs)

    • Students are asked to work with their advisors to become familiar with suggested courses to prepare for the exam.
    • Academic Program Coordinator Kevin Adams will arrange DQE schedules beginning usually in November, and will contact students and professors directly.  The DQEs take place the third week in January, with occasional exceptions.
    • Students usually take the DQE after the completion of the third semester.
    • Please contact Kevin to explain unusual circumstances or otherwise request to take the DQE at a different time.

    Section 4.2 describes Graduate Board Oral examinations (GBOs)

    • Students usually take the GBO about one year after taking the DQE, usually around the sixth semester.  The GBO is a two-hour oral exam.
    • Examiners include two Mechanical Engineering professors and three professors from other departments, plus one more MechE professor and one more professor from another department who will be available as alternate examiners.  All seven examiners/alternate examiners must be available in the same two hour period.
    • Advisors (not students) will select the examiners and alternates, with the Department Chair’s approval.
    • The University has GBO process policies.
    • To schedule a GBO, please complete the GBO Exam Request form and have it delivered to Academic Program Coordinator Kevin Adams.

    Section 4.3 describes Dissertation Defenses

    • Your advisor will determine when you are ready for your dissertation defense.
    • Visit the “PhD – Before the Defense” and “PhD – After the Defense” tabs of the Graduate – Academic Advising Page for information.
    • The student and advisor will select the date and time of the defense and find the dissertation readers, who besides the advisor are another Johns Hopkins professor (from any department) and one other reader of the advisor’s choice.
    • Academic Program Coordinator Kevin Adams will reserve a room for the defense.
    • The advisor will prepare the Readers’ Letter and have it ready for the readers’ signatures at the defense.
    • When received, Mike will send the signed Readers’ Letter to the University’s Graduate Board, who will certify the degree at the next available conferral – usually in April, December, and August.

  • 9. UNDERGRAD STUDENTS - Advising, Starfish, Course and Grade Forms, Tracks, 5-year Master's

    There are various resources available for advising undergraduate students.  Visit the MechE Undergraduate – Academic Advising webpage for info.

    View these advising tips for helpful info on policies and questions.

    Starfish is a portal to note your students’ academic performance or other concerns that will interfere with their well-being and success. It is accessible through your course’s BlackBoard 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 to provide this information as you 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 you have a small class or do not find it important, it actually is important to share your concerns through Starfish.

    Visit the Starfish page for instructions and help info.

    Checkout Sheets – document completion of degree requirements (also known as “4-year plans” or “Degree Plans.”).

    Course Dependency Maps are a visual guide through the degree requirements.

    Mike can help you help your students with their checkout sheets, especially if they want to explore minors or 2nd majors.  Please have them contact Mike directly to arrange a meeting.

    Visit the Undergraduate Academic Advising page for checkout sheets and course dependency maps.

    • Grade Change form – use this to change grades or to submit new grades after the initial online submission deadline.  Forms can be sent directly to  the Registrar at ugregistration@jhu.edu.
    • Course Registrations – if a student cannot register online through SIS, they must use an Add/Drop form, which is available from the Registrar in the basement of Garland Hall or through Mike Bernard, Academic Program Manager.
    The Course Exception Waiver Form is required to document approved deviations from the standard degree requirements.

    Advising Manuals

    Visit the University Course Catalog for information on degree programs, academic policies, majors, majors, and faculty.

    Some policies that students find important:

    Course Schedules

    Visit the Aerospace and Biomechanics Tracks page for info on these tracks, formerly called “concentrations.”

    Academic Program Manager Mike Bernard will answer your questions about any advising or academic policy question.

  • 10. STUDENT EMPLOYMENT: Hourly Employees / Time Cards, Graduate Student Leave Policies

    Most undergraduate students, a few graduate students, and occasionally, staff are paid hourly and record their time with time cards.

    Hourly Pay
    Undergraduate Assistant or Graduate Assistant

    • Freshmen – $12
    • Sophomores – $13
    • Juniors – $14
    • Seniors – $15
    • Graduate Students – $16

    Hiring
    To hire a student for Undergraduate Assistant or Graduate Assistant positions, contact Research Service Manager Alison Wampler.  Provide the date of hire, the position hired, and student year to determine hourly pay.

    Student Eligibility

    The following students are eligible to work on the Homewood Campus, including teaching assistant and hourly-paid positions:

    NOTE: American students who are part-time are not eligible for student work.

    Time Cards
    Time Cards must be used to record hours worked.  Please use either:

    How to Submit Hours

    1. Complete all sections of the time card.
      • Name: the employee’s full name
      • “Pernr”: the SAP personnel number
      • Principal Investigator for Grant/CC: supervisor name
      • Cost Center/Internal Order: the account number to charge salary
      • Signature:  employee signature and date. Both can be typed.
      • PI/Supervisor Signature: supervisor’s signature and date. Both can be typed.
      • Hours Submitted by…: leave blank, as the MechE staff will complete this.
    2. Have the Principal Investigator (PI) or designee sign the card to confirm and authorize the hours.
    3. Send the card by e-mail to meadmin@jhu.edu
      • Subject line must read:  “Time Card”
      • Attach the completed time card.
    4. Designated staff will record the time in the CATS system in SAP and file the submitted time cards.

    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.

    View the Whiting School’s Graduate Student Assistant Leave Guidelines for information on paid vacation, illness, and holidays.

  • 11. APPOINTMENTS: Visiting Scholars, Visiting Students, and Postdocs

    To start the process to appoint visitors or postdocs, please contact…

    View this list for the types of available appointments.

    Only faculty members and PIs can initiate these requests.

    • 8-12 weeks’ notice before the intended appointment date is required for international visitors.
    • 2-6 weeks’ notice before the intended appointment date is required for American visitors.

    Please do not hire any visitor or postdoc (“appointee”) before ensuring pre-notification to Deana or Mike, as appropriate.  If an appointee arrives on campus without an approved appointment, there are consequences:

    • International appointee will likely be sent back to their home country and possibly will suffer visa consequences and re-entry restrictions. You may be requested to pay for their return transportation.
    • Before the appointment, appointee cannot work in your laboratory (and would first need to complete any necessary lab safety training) and will have no access to campus services, including receiving keys to buildings or labs.

  • 12. SERVICE: Faculty Committees / ABET

    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 (next in Fall 2016 and Spring 2017)

  • And one more thing...

    Go have some fun!

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