TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama College of Engineering recently named Dr. Sally Anne M^cInerny as head of the department of aerospace engineering and mechanics. M^cInerny is the first female department head in the history of UA’s College of Engineering.

M^cInerny received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from California State University, Long Beach, in 1979. After working in industry for several years, she obtained both her master’s degree and doctorate at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1984 and 1987, respectively. Her studies emphasize aero-acoustics and vibrations, and instrumentation and signal processing for diagnostics and prognostics of rotating machinery.

M^cInerny has been a faculty member at The University of Alabama since 1993, most recently serving as an associate professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics. Her previous experience includes serving as a faculty member at California State University, Long Beach, and summer faculty research positions with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins, Ga., and Mercedes-Benz International in Stuttgart, Germany. She has also maintained an ongoing working relationship with The Aerospace Corp. in El Segundo, Calif., where she worked for several years.

M^cInerny has authored or co-authored more than 38 articles published in refereed journals and conference proceedings, and she has presented findings at numerous national conferences. M^cInerny is also a registered professional engineer.

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.