Robert J. Simoneau

NASA, Retired
 

Robert J. Simoneau is a retired mechanical engineer. His professional career included positions as: Director of the School of Engineering & Engineering Technology at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College; Distinguished Service Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University; researcher and Chief of the Heat Transfer Branch at the NASA Lewis (now Glenn) Research Center; and Junior Engineer at the A. O. Smith Corporation. The longest tenure by far, over thirty-two years, was with NASA.

Dr. Simoneau received his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Detroit in 1960. He received his MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1962 and 1970, respectively. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Dr. Simoneau's early research at NASA was in heat transfer and fluid flow of cryogenic fluids directed towards rocket nozzle cooling. His later work was in forced convection in highly disturbed high temperature fluids directed toward gas turbine cooling. He has authored or co-authored more than 50 technical papers and reports in his field. At Penn State Behrend and CMU his focus was on teaching and academic administration with responsibility for both engineering and engineering technology.

Dr. Simoneau has been very active in the affairs of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for over 35 years. He has served as a member of the ASME Board of Governors, and also as: Senior Vice-President for Education, Vice-President for Engineering Education, Chair of the Heat Transfer Division, and Chair of the Aerospace Heat Transfer Committee. He has served as an Associate Technical Editor of the Journal of Heat Transfer and an Advisory Editor of the International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow. He was also very active in ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), serving as a Mechanical Engineering Program Evaluator for approximately ten years and on the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission for five years. He currently serves on the Executive Board of the Ohio Mathematics and Science Coalition.

Dr. Simoneau has received a number of professional and community awards and recognition for his work, including: ASME Fellow, AIAA Associate Fellow, NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal, Carnegie Mellon University Mechanical Engineering Professor of the Year, Co-author for two best paper awards, University of Detroit Mercy Engineering Alumnus of the Year Award, and a Federal Executive Board Award for Outstanding Community Service.