TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama’s Dr. Beth Todd, associate professor of mechanical engineering, recently received the 2004 Student Section Advisor by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Todd was honored with the top national award at the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress in Anaheim, Calif.

Todd was selected for this award because of her leadership and service qualities that have contributed to the program and operations of UA’s ASME student section. She received a $1,000 honorarium, a silver medal, a certificate and travel expenses to the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress.

In the congratulatory letter to Todd, the executive director of ASME, Virgil R. Carter, commented on Todd’s superb leadership at The University of Alabama. This resulted in a rejuvenated student section, which gained the chapter an Ingersoll-Rand award for most improved section and then led to being a Little Giant award winner and a major contender at the national level.

Under Todd’s leadership, students in the UA section have won awards at the regional level, such as the Old Guard Student Design contest, and in oral presentation and poster design. At a recent ASME Human Powered Vehicle East Coast Contest, two UA teams competed and one team won first place in the Overall Utility Competition and the Utility Design Competition. Nationally, the chapter has Ingersoll-Rand points and has held a perfect baseline score for the past two years. In 2003, the chapter was the recipient of the Little Giant Award.

“Dr. Todd’s dedication and leadership has lead to many awards for the students in the ASME chapter. She encourages students to get involved and succeed in their field,” said Dr. William Sutton, professor and department head of mechanical engineering.

ASME was founded in 1880 and is a professional organization focused on technical, educational and research issues of the engineering and technology community. The organization conducts one of the world's largest technical publishing operations, holds numerous technical conferences worldwide, and offers hundreds of professional development courses each year.

In 1837, UA became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering, with about 1,900 students and more than 95 faculty, is one of the three oldest continuously operating engineering programs in the country and has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.