Albert Segall, associate professor of engineering science and mechanics and distinguished visiting professor at the American University in Cairo, delivered an invited short course, "Thermal Stresses in Piping and Vessels" to the mechanical engineering department at the American University of Cairo in Cairo, Egypt, April 17, 2007. The course was given collaboratively with the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME).

Dr. Segall also gave four invited seminars titled as follows:

“Dual- Lasers and the Micro-Manipulation of Transient Stress-States: Explorations from Welding/Joining to the Amelioration of Damage at Multiple Scales”,

“Science Fiction and New Opportunities for Engineering Instruction”,

“Ti and Boron-Nitride Self-Lubricating Coating Systems Manufactured by High Velocity Particle Consolidation”, and

“Sliding Wear Behaviors of Cryogenically Treated Alloys and the Estimation of Interfacial Temperatures using a New and Analytical Inverse Approach”

Richard Powers, Swanlund Chair and professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, presented ''Cognitive Science, Disability and Selfhood: A Conversation with Novelist Richard Powers'' on April 26.

Joining him were Steven Schiff, Brush Chair and professor of engineering; Chloe Silverman, assistant professor in the Science, Technology, and Society program; Elana Farace, associate professor of neurosurgery and health evaluation sciences, College of Medicine; and Jenell Johnson, graduate student in English.

Charles E. Bakis, professor of engineering science and mechanics, delivered a short course on "Introduction to Classical Lamination Theory for Composite Plates" to the Structural Engineering Department of the University of Naples (Italy) on March 13-16, 2007. During his visit to the University of Naples, Professor Bakis also gave an invited seminar on "Durability of Glass Fiber Reinforced Bars in Conctrete: Bond and Tension" on March 16, 2007.

Dr. Bakis is the coordinator of the Composites Manufacturing Technology Center. His research activities center on the design, manufacturing, test, and analysis of fiber reinforced composite materials for lightweight structures and concrete reinforcement.

Former Penn State professor, Robert M. Haythornthwaite, passed away at the age of 84. Haythornthwaite, who died Feb. 24, served as the head of Penn State's engineering mechanics department from 1967 to 1974.

In addition to his time with Penn State, Haythornthwaite was a faculty member with the University of Sheffield in England, Brown University and the University of Michigan, finishing his career in education at Temple University. In addition, he worked with the Building Research Station in Watford, England.