Engineering professor conferred special service award
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Dr. Larry Mallak, professor of industrial and entrepreneurial engineering and engineering management, has been awarded a special service recognition from the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM) in recognition of his work producing a full training series for the organization's certification exams.
Mallak teamed up with eight experts across the United States to create the training series and served as the subject matter expert in leadership and organizational management, adding his broad skills in creating virtual content to the mix.
“This award further reinforces my role in advancing online and hybrid teaching here at WMU, as I have done as faculty champion and in our own graduate and undergraduate engineering management programs,” he says.
The Frank Woodbury Special Service Award is given annually to an ASEM member who has provided outstanding service to the society. He was nominated by Simon Philbin, director of engineering and enterprise at London South Bank University and past president of ASEM.
“I am delighted that Larry and other members of the certification training course team have been recognized for their hard work in developing this important new training program on engineering management,” says Philbin. “These certifications offer robust pathways for technical professionals and technical managers to expand their career options through gaining a solid appreciation across the field of engineering management.”
Mallak says the experience has added to his knowledge for delivering effective online training. He works with corporations in this realm and, most recently, converted a Fortune 500 in-person series to a fully virtual offering during the pandemic to enhance access to training across the globe.
“If we can make engineering management education more accessible and affordable, both to our students and to working professionals, we have much to gain as they apply what they learn to improve many aspects of our lives,” adds Mallak.
Mallak teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in engineering management. He is the director of WMU’s Engineering Management Research Laboratory, and his research interests include corporate ethnography and empathic design; organizational culture and change management; and workplace resilience. Mallak is an ASEM fellow, currently serves as ASEM regional director for the North Central U.S. and is a member of the board of directors. He is chair of the ASEM fellows, a member of Council of Engineering Management Academic Leaders, associate editor for the Engineering Management Journal and the president-elect of Epsilon Mu Eta engineering management honor society.
The American Society for Engineering Management is a global professional society dedicated to the promotion and advancement of the engineering and technical management profession.
Follow Mallak’s professional activities on LinkedIn.
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