American Society For Engineering Education Elects BU Professor Fellow Member

Dr. James Farison, professor and chair of the electrical and computer engineering department at Baylor University, has been elected a Fellow Member by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), a prestigious distinction only given to a select few of ASEE members in any one year.

The Fellow grade of membership is in recognition of outstanding contributions made to engineering or engineering technology education and is only given to members who have been part of ASEE for at least 10 years. Nominated by a former ASEE president, the Fellow Member Committee evaluated each selection then passed its recommendations on to the ASEE Awards Policy Committee, which confirmed Farison's nomination. The thorough review process enhances the high regard in which Fellow membership in the society is held.

"Dr. Farison is perhaps the most consummate engineering educator I know," said Dr. Benjamin Kelley, dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science at Baylor. "His career is replete with innovative teaching scenarios, cutting-edge research, and service contributions at the national level."

Before coming to Baylor, Farison served for more than 30 years as a faculty member in the electrical engineering department at the University of Toledo. There, he was dean of the engineering and also a founding member of the bioengineering department.

When Farison became department chair upon his arrival at Baylor in 1998, the engineering department comprised of 10 full-time faculty positions and offered a bachelor's degree in Engineering (B.S.E.). Today, there are 18 full-time faculty positions, three accredited bachelor degree programs (Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering), and masters degrees in four different areas. During 2004-05, the university approved a plan to divide the department of engineering into the department of mechanical engineering and the department of electrical and computer engineering (ECE), of which Farison is now chair.

"It has been a great privilege to be part of such a dramatic transformation in such a short time and to work with such dedicated and outstanding colleagues," Farison said.

Farison currently teaches a junior-level course in signals and systems and a senior-level elective in image formation and processing. In addition to his teaching, research, and administrative roles at both public and private universities, Farison has actively served in societies of his profession. He was a founding member of the Multidisciplinary Engineering Division of ASEE, and currently serves as chair of the division. He also serves on ASEE's Accreditation Activities Committee.

In March 2006, Farison was named an ASEE member of the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), which overseas the accreditation process for engineering programs throughout the country. He is a member of six honor societies, and is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He recently finished a three-year term as a trustee of Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minn., and currently serves on the governing board of his local church in Waco.

Farison also has published research in discrete-time system modeling, stability and control, and in medical image processing specifically involving image compression of large sets of images of a common object or scene. He has authored or co-authored 34 journal articles and 81 conference papers, and has served as an advisor for 23 master's thesis and 15 doctoral dissertations. He received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from The University of Toledo and his master's and doctoral degree from Stanford University. He is a licensed professional engineer in both Ohio and Texas.

The 2006 induction of ASEE Fellows will take place in June at the annual awards banquet in Chicago. The banquet is the culmination of the Society's Annual Conference and Exposition.

For more information, contact James Farison at (254) 710-4188.