Interim Dean of the College of Engineering andComputing Appointed
October 18, 2007
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M E M O R A N D U M
TO:FIU Community
FROM:Ronald M. Berkman, Executive Vice President &Provost
DATE:October 18, 2007
SUBJECT:Interim Dean of the College of Engineering andComputing Appointed
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Amir Mirmiran, Professor and Chair,Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has accepted my offer toserve as Interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Computing. Thechoice of Dr. Mirmiran was easy because he was recommended by the FacultyCouncil of the College and was highly recommended by Dr. Nino Masnari, whowas an outside candidate who declined the position. Dr. Mirmiran hasprepared a well thought out plan for moving the College forward during histime of stewardship. A primary activity will be the successful ABETreaccreditation. Because of the ABET timeline, I have asked Dr. Mirmiran toserve through the entire process: Self Study submission in Spring 2008, SiteVisit in Fall 2008, and responses to Site Visit in Spring 2009. Hence hisappointment will be through June 2009. A Search Committee for a permanentDean will begin its work in the Spring of 2008.
Dr. Mirmiran received his MS and PhD degrees in Civil Engineering from theUniversity of Maryland. He has held academic appointments at the Universityof Central Florida, the University of Cincinnati, and North CarolinaStateUniversity prior to his appointment at FIU. He is the recipient of an NSFFaculty CAREER Development Award and is an elected Fellow of the AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers and the American Concrete Institute. He holds twopatents on innovative composite construction systems. One of these patentson fiber reinforced plastic sheathed concrete bridge pilings may provide asubstitute for corrosion prone steel reinforced bridge pilings. Work such asDr. Mirmiran's has recently attracted great interest in the aftermath of thebridge collapse in Minnesota.
Dr. Mirmiran's research is currently supported by the National ScienceFoundation, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program of theTransportation Research Board of the NationalAcademies, and the FloridaDepartment of Transportation. His collaborators on these awards includefaculty from Stanford, University of California-Berkeley, University ofCalifornia-San Diego, and the University of Missouri-Rolla. He has published67 peer reviewed journal articles; 17 of which were published in the pastthree years while he was serving as department chair at FIU. He is currentlysupervising 5 PhD students and was the mentor of 6 PhD students whocompleted their degrees.
Dr. Mirmiran was the driving force behind the establishment of theStructures and Construction Laboratory at FIU. He convinced local industryto provide much of the labor and materials needed to build a facility thatprovides hands-on educational experience for students; supports research anddevelopment of innovative hurricane-resistant and durable constructionmaterials, and advances the safety, durability, and economy of our civilinfrastructure. In the emerging economic environment in Florida, the abilityto marshal resources outside the university and the state government is anessential requirement.
Dr. Mirmiran meets all the essential requirements for an Interim Dean. Hehas a plan with definite goals, he has demonstrated leadership skills, andhis record in research, external funding, and graduate student mentoringwill allow him to lead by example in the College. In order for the Collegeto be successful, Dr. Mirmiran will need to be successful, and he can onlybe successful if all members of the College give him the same level ofsupport I intend to give him.
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