Scott L. Hendricks of Blacksburg, associate professor of engineering science and mechanics in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, was appointed to the W.S. “Pete” White Chair for Innovation in Engineering Education by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors during the board's quarterly meeting March 31.
The White Chair was established by a gift from American Electric Power (AEP) to honor W.S. “Pete” White, who graduated from Virginia Tech in 1948 with a degree in electrical engineering and later became chairman and chief executive officer of AEP. The endowed chair, which helps generate new interest in the teaching of engineering, is rotated every two years to a new recipient.
Hendricks has served the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics for almost 30 years. An engaging teacher who believes in active learning, he has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses in engineering science and mechanics and in the Department of Physics. He has received the College of Engineering’s Certificate of Teaching Excellence three times, and in 2000 received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
In addition, Hendricks has made significant contributions to innovative supplemental software that is used in engineering science and mechanics service courses. In 2006 he was part of a team that won Virginia Tech’s XCaliber Award for Teaching with Technology.
Hendricks completed his Ph.D. in engineering physics at the University of Virginia and received his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Utah.
The College of Engineering at Virginia Tech is internationally recognized for its excellence in 14 engineering disciplines and computer science. The college's 5,700 undergraduates benefit from an innovative curriculum that provides a "hands-on, minds-on" approach to engineering education, complementing classroom instruction with two unique design-and-build facilities and a strong Cooperative Education Program. With more than 50 research centers and numerous laboratories, the college offers its 1,800 graduate students opportunities in advanced fields of study such as biomedical engineering, state-of-the-art microelectronics, and nanotechnology. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.