Dr. Beth A. Todd is Associate Professor and Undergraduate Program Coordinator in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alabama. Following graduation from Penn State (B.S., Engineering Science, 1981), she worked for two years at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in West Mifflin. She then entered graduate school at the University of Virginia earning an M.S. degree in Applied Mechanics and a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Her research focused on the use of finite-element analysis in the design of devices for the physically disabled. Following two years as an Instructor at GMI Engineering and Management Institute (now Kettering University) in Flint, Michigan, she joined the faculty at Alabama in 1992. Her initial appointment was in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, and she moved to Mechanical Engineering following restructuring of the College of Engineering in 1996. She has received research funding from the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Air Force. Currently, her research focuses on engineering education and hydrogen fuel cells in vehicles, and she teaches courses in design and biomechanics.

Dr. Todd is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Pi Tau Sigma, and Sigma Xi honorary societies. She is a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers and has received the national Student Section Advisor Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Through her roles as advisor to student organizations, she volunteers with Angel Tree, Toys for Tots, Hurricane Katrina relief, and Habitat for Humanity. She currently serves on the Vestry at Canterbury Chapel and Episcopal Student Center in Tuscaloosa.

NOTE: Two of our Centennial Fellows are spotlighted each week.