Engineering Excellence

Ryan focuses on transformational education as new engineering chair

Amid the calculus and complex mathematical equations lies a simple formula for success for East Carolina University engineering students: Get a degree, change your life and transform the region.

“The life-changing power of an ECU engineering degree for people born and raised in the east and who stay in the east when applied at scale transforms the east,” said Dr. Teresa Ryan, the new chair of the Department of Engineering.

Dr. Teresa Ryan, left, stands with an engineering graduate during the College of Engineering and Technology Graduate Recognition Ceremony in December. (Photo by Ken Buday)

That’s because engineering jobs can pay more than $100,000 annually, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and having grown up in rural Georgia, Ryan knows the impact that amount of money can have in eastern North Carolina.

“The effect of these degrees on the individuals is nothing short of amazing,” Ryan said. “When these people who are from the area stay here, that’s the transformative power of the program. That’s our magic.”

Ryan brings a passion for students and research to her new role. She came to ECU to teach in 2013 for one reason.

“This department values quality undergraduate education,” she said.

The Bachelor of Science in engineering at ECU offers six concentrations — biomedical, biochemical, electrical, environmental, industrial and systems, and mechanical engineering. Ryan said that diversity is the program’s strength.

“A general engineering program is still fairly uncommon, but it’s perfect for our region because it gives the students a broad overview of the different disciplines,” Ryan said. “They all get the same core that has a little bit of mechanical, a little bit of systems and a little bit of electrical, so they are the chameleons of the engineering disciplines. And so, the smaller firms throughout the east, they can hire one person who can be the general engineer. They don’t need to hire a mechanical and an electrical and a systems person.”

The program started 20 years ago with broad industry input, Ryan said, with the goal to create a pipeline of people to support industry job needs, ranging from pharmaceutical and manufacturing companies to aerospace.

“The program exists because of industry support, and the concentrations that we have have evolved by being responsive to the industry needs in our region,” she said. “We are the engine of regional transformation.”

As the new chair, Ryan plans to continue the program’s emphasis on quality undergraduate education while being responsive to industry needs. She highlights the program’s hands-on approach to educating students, the student experience through organizations and research, and the quality faculty — attributes she said sets the program apart from others.

“We’ve been here 20 years and still we’re the hidden gem,” Ryan said of the engineering program. “I don’t want us to be the hidden gem. I want us to be the known gem.”

She plans to continue to build the reputation of the program by engaging with alumni — she’s already hosted online alumni connection events — and providing a top educational experience to students. She credits faculty and staff for providing those experiences and said students should take advantage of the program’s small class sizes to engage with instructors and fellow students.

Dr. Teresa Ryan, center, stands with Chancellor Philip Rogers after receiving the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2022. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)

“Our faculty are passionate, amazing educators, so get to know them. That’s No. 1, 2 and 3. And No. 4 is to go to class and engage with your peers,” Ryan said. “We are heavy in lab and group experiences and projects from their freshmen year. We’ve got this design cycle that they have design projects every year of the of the curriculum, so they are often working in groups and often in various disciplines because of our different concentrations and so they are working in this interdisciplinary microcosm that our department represents.”

Ryan also stresses research and encourages students to seek those opportunities. She received a $1.06 million grant from the Office of Naval Research last summer to continue her work on aspects of atmospheric sound propagation. She’s been conducting research on the subject since 2015 and has engaged dozens of students to support the work that has included sound recording under various weather conditions on the Outer Banks.

Ryan grew up in a farming community in Georgia. It sparked an early interest in engineering.

“I was not afraid to take stuff apart and not afraid to fix stuff,” she said. “As a young teenager, I worked on the farm with one of my uncles, so I saw engineering firsthand to keep the combines and tractors going. My uncles and my grandfather before that, they were engineers of practice, so to speak. They didn’t have engineering degrees, but they were clever in the ways of keeping a farm running.”

Ryan attended Georgia Tech, earning a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, and worked in the biomedical industry until she was laid off during a recession. As a marching band instructor in college, she always enjoyed teaching and taught science in Georgia schools for four years.

“But I missed the research,” Ryan said.

She then went to Catholic University to obtain master’s and doctoral degrees, working on acoustic research along the way, and landed at ECU in 2013. She has received numerous honors, including the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2022 and an ECU Scholar-Teacher Award in 2018.

“I always enjoyed teaching and that satisfaction of helping a group of people accomplish a collective goal,” Ryan said. “Teaching has always been key and important, and that’s why ECU made sense because this department values quality undergraduate education.”