Walters, Dennis named associate directors
Two recognized leaders in engineering, research, service, and education are filling the associate director positions for the Center for Advanced Vehicle Systems located at Mississippi State University and for CAVS-Extension in Canton.
Keith Walters, a professor of mechanical engineering and a faculty researcher at CAVS, spent seven years at Clemson University earning his bachelor of science, master’s and doctorate degrees. He joined the Bagley College of Engineering’s ME department in 2003 as an assistant professor. This year, Walters was promoted to full professor and most recently tapped for the administrative role at CAVS.
Keith Walters
“My association with CAVS has benefited me tremendously throughout my career at MSU. The computational fluid dynamics group is a great team of researchers. I'm excited about my new role and I look forward to continuing to work with the team to find new opportunities for growing our research portfolio,” Walters said.
Walters’ research includes using high performance computing to simulate and study fluid dynamics of the human lung to predict realistic airway ventilation and particle inhalation. His work helps the medical field analyze respiratory disease and how to best develop pulmonary drug devices. In another research project of equal importance, Walters is leading a computational turbulence modeling team at CAVS to analyze, refine and improve established computational models that simulate turbulence around all moving things in order to make them safer and more cost effective.
CAVS’ sister organization, CAVS-E, is elevating its manager of engineering extension, Glenn Dennis, into the role of associate director. Dennis uses his 30-years of industrial experience to help numerous manufacturers like Hol-Mac, Mueller Industries, Navistar Defense, Franklin Furniture, NauticStar, CITE Armored, Griffin and Systems Electro Coating to solve problems and create innovative solutions that make them more competitive in the global market. To date Dennis has managed more than $2 million in external contracts with private sector clients.
Glenn Dennis
“At CAVS-E we are actively pursuing the wonderful opportunity we have to expand our staff and increase our presence around the state of Mississippi,” Dennis said. “I’m looking forward to working with our management team to improve quality and productivity of existing, as well as new industrial clients as we grow our organization.”
Dennis’ work has been nationally recognized, including earning the prestigious National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership “Practitioner of the Year” award. He has a bachelor of science in industrial engineering from Mississippi State University, and a master’s of science in industrial and systems engineering at the University of Memphis, and he is a registered professional engineer in Mississippi. In addition, he is a Six Sigma Black Belt with strong expertise in process engineering, quality engineering, plant master planning, and new business startup and commercialization.
“Keith and Glenn both bring a wealth of experience to these important roles they have accepted,” said Roger King, director of the Institute for Computer Research in Engineering and Science, the umbrella organization for CAVS and CAVS-E. “I anticipate them both playing critical roles in elevating their centers to the next level.”
CAVS is an interdisciplinary center comprised of research, engineering design and development, and technology transfer teams for industry and government partners.
CAVS-E works to develop capabilities based on needs of the manufacturing enterprise, as well as assist Mississippi industries with logistics and risk management solutions, among other projects.
Mississippi's flagship research university capabilities include the Portera High Performance Computing Center, which is home to the nation's 11th fastest supercomputer at an academic institution.
For more information, please visit www.cav.msstate.edu or www.cavse.msstate.edu or Mississippi State at www.msstate.edu.
Diane Godwin | High Performance Computing Collaboratory
