Dr. Karim Muci-Kuchler, Principal Investigator (PI)
Mechanical Engineering – Professor and ME Program Coordinator
Dr. Karim H. Muci-Kuchler, Ph.D., is a Professor of Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Academic Program Coordinator at the Ingram School of Engineering of Texas State University. He is Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT), where he worked from August 2002 until December 2021. When he retired from SDSMT in December 2021, he was Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Experimental and Computational Mechanics Laboratory. From January 1999 to August 2002, he was an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Detroit Mercy. Before that, from January 1993 to December 1998, he was a faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), Monterrey Campus, where he started as an Assistant Professor and was later promoted to Associate Professor. He has taught various engineering-related undergraduate and graduate courses, and his main research interest areas include Engineering Education, Computational Mechanics, Solid Mechanics, Impulsive Loading Events, and Digital Twins.
Dr. Muci-Kuchler received his Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Iowa State University in 1992. He holds a BS in Mechanical-Electrical Engineering (1985) and a ME in Mechanical Engineering (1988) from ITESM, Monterrey Campus. As a graduate student, he was invited to join the following honor societies: Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and Phi Kappa Phi. Dr. Muci-Kuchler is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, co-author of a book about Adaptive Meshing with Boundary Elements, and author or co-author of over 85 publications. The latter include papers on engineering education, the boundary element method, the friction stir spot welding process, and surrogate perforating projectile wounds. He is an ABET PEV, has served as session chair or co-chair at international conferences, has reviewed papers for technical journals and conference proceedings, has served as a panelist for the National Science Foundation (NSF), and has consulted for industry in Mexico and the US.
Dr. Kristina Collins, Co-PI
Executive Director – Robison Center for Young Scholars, University of Washington
Teaching Interests
Social, Emotional & Cultural Contexts of Advanced Development
Research Interests
STEM Identity and Talent Development; Multicultural Gifted Education; Mentoring Across the Lifespan
Dr. Michelle Londa, Co-PI
Industrial Engineering – Co-op Program Coordinator & Associate Professor of Practice
Dr. Michelle Londa has a Ph.D. in Polymer Science from the University of Connecticut and over 25 years of professional experience progressing from “Research Scientist” at Shell Chemical Company to “Market Development Manager” at Southern Clay Products. She now holds the position of Cooperative Education Coordinator in the Ingram School of Engineering at Texas State University.
Dr. Jitendra Tate, Co-PI
Manufacturing Engineering – Professor
Dr. Jitendra S. Tate is a Professor of Manufacturing Engineering at Texas State University. Dr. Tate received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the NC A&T SU in 2004 and an MS ME and BS ME from the University of Pune, India, in 1996 and 1990, respectively. Dr. Tate has three years of industrial and over 30 years of academic experience. His research areas include advanced composite materials development, manufacturing, and characterization; additive manufacturing (conductive/magnetic/high-temperature composites); bio-based materials; and nanotechnology safety. He has supervised the Advanced Composites Lab at Texas State since 2005. Dr. Tate is a recipient of a prestigious national teaching award, The Educator of the Year 2020 and 2009, by the ‘Society of Plastics Engineers’ Composites Division. He is a member of AIAA, ASME, SAMPE, SPE, and ACMA. He has supervised 1 PhD dissertation, 22 Masters theses, and 22 undergraduate researchers under NASA, NSF, USDA, AFRL, and industrial grants. His students work at prestigious companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, GM, and Toyota. Many have joined MS and Ph.D. programs at Texas State or elsewhere.
Dr. Damian Valles, Co-PI
Electrical & Computer Engineering – Assistant Professor
Dr. Damian Valles is an Ingram School of Engineering Electrical Engineering Assistant Professor at Texas State University. He focuses on High-Performance Computing (HPC), Machine Learning (ML), and Embedded System implementations under the High-Performance Engineering (HiPE) research group. Dr. Valles received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of the University of Texas at El Paso, focusing on reconfigurable processors and HPC research. Dr. Valles did a post-doc at Montana Tech as the HPC Application Scientist under the Computer Science department. He also worked as an HPC system administrator in the information systems department and held an adjunct position in the computer science department at Wake Forest University. He is currently a member of IEEE, ACM, ACM’s SIGHPC, and SHPE.
Dr. Stacey Kulesza, Senior Personnel
Civil Engineering – Associate Professor
Dr. Stacey Kulesza is an associate professor at Texas State University in the geotechnical area of civil engineering. After she received her Ph.D. in civil engineering from Texas A&M University in 2013, she was an assistant/associate professor at Kansas State University from 2013-2021. Dr. Kulesza’s research focuses on in situ and laboratory characterization of geo-materials with applied geophysics, identifying anthropogenic impacts on soil properties, and monitoring deteriorating infrastructure. She also studies asset-based frameworks that support diverse pathways towards creating authentic engineering identities. Her research sponsors include the US Department of Transportation, the Federal Railroad Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Kansas Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She is the director of the CREATE University Transportation Center, sponsored by the US DOT and led by Texas State with four partner universities (https://create.engineering.txst.edu/). The mission of CREATE is to enhance the durability of coastal transportation infrastructure to ensure lasting impacts on society and the environment. She is also a member of the NSF Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) team and participated in the GEER evaluation of the city of Houston’s impacts from Hurricane Harvey in 2017. She is a registered professional engineer in the state of Kansas.
Dr. Kimbely Talley, P.E., Senior Personnel
Dept. of Engineering Technology – Associate Professor
Dr. Kimberly G. Talley, P.E. is an associate professor in the Department of Engineering Technology, PERSIST (Promoting the Engagement and Retention of Students in STEM) Lab Director at Texas State University, and a licensed Professional Engineer. She received her Ph.D. and M.S.E. in structural engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Her undergraduate degrees in History and Construction Engineering and Management are from North Carolina State University. Dr. Talley teaches courses in the Construction Science and Management and Civil Engineering Technology Programs, and her research focus is on student engagement and retention in construction, engineering, and engineering technology education.
Dr. Felipe Gutierrez, Senior Personnel
Civil Engineering – Assistant Professor of Practice
Felipe Gutierrez is an Assistant Professor of Practice at Texas State University and a Professional Engineer (PE, TX #134837). Felipe obtained a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on wastewater biological treatment. He has eight years of experience in engineering practice at international and national engineering consulting firms. His current work focuses on evaluating potable water availability and quality, designing water and wastewater systems, designing municipal solids treatment and management systems, and modeling biological processes and distribution systems. He is an active member of WEF and WEAT.
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation 2024-2029