Ellen Lackey
OXFORD, Miss. – Ellen Lackey, a University of Mississippi mechanical engineering professor at the Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence, has won the 2015 Professor of the Year Award from ASTM International, a global standards development organization.
The group, previously known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, has more than 30,000 global members. The ASTM Professor of the Year Award, which is given every two years, recognizes and rewards the contributions of teachers who develop students’ understanding of standards.
Lackey was nominated by several colleagues from academia and industry, but the recognition came as a surprise, she said.
“It was a shock because there are a lot of great universities out there with a lot of great professors,” Lackey said. “This is a very nice recognition that shows we’re teaching our students what the industry feels like they should be learning here. That’s a great thing.”
The award is no surprise to her former boss, James Vaughan, director emeritus of the Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence, who retired in June.
“Dr. Lackey’s innovative integration of standards development into composites education over the past several academic years is unique in this field,” Vaughan said. “By bringing projects to the classroom, her students have the unique opportunity to not only learn about, but to also participate in, the real-world activities of the standards development process.”
ASTM International works across borders, disciplines and industries to harness the expertise of its members to create consensus and improve performance in manufacturing and materials, products and processes, systems and services.
Lackey incorporates standards into her curriculum, using her experience as a member of ASTM Committee D20 on Plastics to stress the importance of engineering standards. Research by her graduate and undergraduate students has helped an ASTM subcommittee on reinforced thermosetting plastics with standards development. An active ASTM member since 2010, Lackey’s contributions to the committee have resulted in new industry standards.
Lackey earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering, a master’s in mechanical engineering and a doctorate in materials science and engineering, all from UM. She joined the faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1995 and was promoted to full professor in 2010.
She has received several teaching awards, including the UM ASME Student Section Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Teacher Award seven times, the UM Faculty Achievement Award and the School of Engineering Outstanding Faculty Award. In 2012, Lackey joined 10 other industry professionals on the 2012 list of Bright, Energetic, Skilled Trailblazers in the composites industry as selected by the American Composites Manufacturers Association.
Scott Kilpatrick, cooperative education program director at the CME, notes Lackey’s significant contributions to both the university and her field.
“Dr. Lackey is an essential part of the faculty here in the Center for Manufacturing Excellence,” Kilpatrick said. “Her scholarly work and research are well respected by her colleagues here on campus and around the country as well. Most importantly, Dr. Lackey has a dedication to instilling those same principles of excellence into her students through instruction in not only sound theoretical knowledge, but also practical skills and abilities that will be necessary for her students in their professional careers.”
Lackey epitomizes someone who not only has a passion for the subject matter around which she has built her career, but also a sense of duty to instill that same passion in her students, said Ryan Miller, programs manager and CME assistant director.
“She has faithfully given of her time, talent and experience to make sure men and women are prepared for the real world’s challenges and problems, and equipped them to offer meaningful solutions to those problems,” Miller said. “Her recognition in this field is wholeheartedly deserved. It’s a privilege to get to work with her and learn from her.”