Harlow named chair of mechanical engineering and mechanics

	D. Gary Harlow

D. Gary Harlow, a renowned scholar of fracture mechanics and applied probability, has been named chair of the department of mechanical engineering and mechanics.
Harlow, a professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics, joined Lehigh’s faculty in 1982. His appointment as chair, which took effect July 1, was announced by S. David Wu, Iacocca Professor and Dean of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. Harlow succeeds Herman Nied, professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics, who had served as department chair since 2002.
“Gary has a thoughtful vision for the future of his department,” said Wu. “His vision will complement and help strengthen the future of the engineering college and Lehigh.”
Harlow is the author of more than 70 refereed journal articles, and is a recipient of a research fellowship from the National Research Council. He has received several top teaching awards, including Teacher of the Year from Lehigh’s chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honorary society, and Professor of the Year from Lehigh’s chapter of Pi Tau Sigma, the international mechanical engineering honor society.
In his research, Harlow has addressed such topics as the modeling of failure processes in aluminum alloys, steels, and composite materials under various loading conditions. Recently he has been involved extensively in the reliability and life extension of structural components of aging aircraft. He has also applied probability, statistics, and stochastic processes modeling to other engineering problems, including mechanical and system reliability.
Harlow holds a B.A. from Western Kentucky University, an M.S. in applied mathematics from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. in applied probability and stochastic processes, also from Cornell.
Wu commended Nied for his “excellent service” as department chair.
--Kurt Pfitzer