Mary B. Vollaro

Location Main Campus

Office IST-2099

Directory Mechanical Engineering, Office of the President

Dr. Mary B. Vollaro is chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Florida Polytechnic University. Prior to that, she was assistant, then associate professor of mechanical engineering from 1997 to 2016 at Western New England University (WNE) in Springfield, Massachusetts. While there she was involved in university governance and chaired the Faculty Senate (twice) and the General University Requirements Committee and the Academic Standards Committee multiple times. She developed the Honors Program in the College of Engineering, as well as the Grand Challenge Scholars Program at WNE.

Vollaro has held engineering positions in industry and holds one patent. Involved with engineering education, she was chair of the ASEE Materials Division and continues to be active in that ASEE Division. She has written in the area of materials science education and is now working on leadership and teaming activities for engineers.

Awards and Honors

September 2011, Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN), Phase 1, $75,000
Summer 2011, Scholarship for Olin I2E2 faculty workshop, Meeting the Needs of the 21st Century: Designing for Student Engagement, Franklin W. Olin College

Education

Ph.D. in Materials Science, Field of Metallurgy, University of Connecticut, 1996
M.S. in Metallurgy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Hartford Graduate Center, 1986
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Western New England University, 1983

Expertise

Engineering education in materials science
Teamwork and leadership development
Materials selection
Thin films and materials characterization
Welding and joining processes

Professional Activities

Representative of ASEE Materials Division on the ASEE Committee on Diversity
ABET workshops, training, training and seminars
Attended 2017 Summer Institute on Project-Based Learning at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, June 21-24, 2017.
Attended workshop, Engineering Leadership Lab Demonstration, at 2015 ASEE Conference
Attended workshop, Web-Enabled Tools and Resources for More Effective Teaching and Learning, at 2014 ASEE Annual Conference

Select Publications

Vollaro, M.B., Klein, R.R., “Completing the pass: Leadership ‘on’ and ‘in’ the field,” Proceedings of the 2016 ASEE Annual National Conference
Waters, C., Krause, S., Weeks, P., Vollaro, M.B., Dupen, B., and Callahan, J., “Revealing Student Misconceptions and Instructor Blind Spots with Muddiest Point Formative Feedback,” Proceedings of 2016 ASEE Annual National Conference
Vollaro, M.B., Klein, R.R., “Training for Leadership and Team Skills from Freshman Year Forward,” Proceedings of the 2015 ASEE Annual National Conference
Vollaro, Mary B., and Brennan, Michael, “Leveraging student’s interests in a senior design project through integration of materials selection methodology,” Proceedings of the 2014 ASEE National Conference
Vollaro, M.B., “Information Literacy as part of the Materials Science Course,” Proceedings of the 2011 ASEE Annual Conference
Vollaro, M.B., “Student Perception of a Series of Activities in a Manufacturing Processes Course,” Proceedings of the 2009 ASEE Annual National Conference
Vollaro, M.B., “Materials Selection Exercises based on Current Events,” Proceedings of the 2007 ASEE Annual National Conference
Vollaro, M.B., “Engineering Exploration for Junior Girls Scouts: Partnership, Activities, Insight, and Reflection,” Proceedings of the 2006 ASEE Annual National Conference
Vollaro, M.B., “More than Science Fair Fun: Poster Session as an Experiential Learning Activity in the Classroom,” Proceedings of the 2005 ASEE Annual National Conference
Vollaro, M.B. and Potter, D. I., “Phase Formation in Coevaporated Ni-Cr Thin Films,” Thin Solid Films, 239 (1994) 37-46.
Vollaro, M.B. and Miller, J.A., “Quality and Inspection of Brazed Joints,” American Society of Metals (ASM) Handbook, Vol. 6, Welding, Brazing and Soldering, 1993, American Society of Metals (ASM), 1117-1123.

Mary Vollaro