Dr. Uchechukwu C. Wejinya, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has taught at the University of Arkansas since Fall 2008. He earned a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State Univeristy.
Intro to Engineering
Wejinya grew up in Nigeria, and originally wanted to be a medical doctor, but his first observation of a surgery changed that. He was still interested in math and science, so his dad suggested that engineering would be a good fit for him, since it is an application of math. From there, he said, “Engineering became a passion of mine.”
Wejinya tutored students since he was a boy, and lectured for his professor as a graduate student.
Influential Researcher
Wejinya’s main scientific influences were his Ph.D. advisor, who particularly loved his research and his job, and another one of his mentors, Dr. Percy Pierre. “He helped a lot of people achieve their dreams in science and engineering, he made me who I am today,” he said. “Professor Pierre is well accomplished. He was recently elected to the National Academic Engineering.”
University of Arkansas experience
Wejinya visited the University of Arkansas to explore the possibility of teaching here, after meeting Steve Tung, UA mechanical engineering professor, at an IEEE conference in Hong Kong in 2007. The two lectured on the same topic, so they spent time networking at the conference.
At the time, Wejinya was doing Post-Doctoral work, and although he had multiple job offers, none of them were the right fit.
During his visit to the Fayetteville campus, he met the Dean, Provost and various faculty members. “The department head was very accommodating,” he said. “I decided to accept because I wasn’t going to be a number; I saw that I was wanted here.” He saw opportunities for growth in the department, for personal and professional success, and wanted to be a part of that.
Research
Dr. Wejinya is passionate about nanotechnology, an interest that began during his grad school experience. Now, he pursues two areas of research- macrobiotic systems and nanotechnology.
In macrobiotic systems, essentially large robots, he wants to continually improve them, make them more intelligent. Within nanotechnology, where researchers work with small things, he focuses on materials properties, mechanical, physical and electrical properties.
A few other UA researchers are doing similar work, but Wejinya said he’s looking for different applications for the research. For example, with technologies such as a cell phone, biosensors and medical devices, it is his job to think of the effects of any possible extreme conditions: temperature, the effect of humidity, and more. “You don’t want these (devices made with nanomaterials)to fail at extreme temperatures,” he said. “If you’re in the middle of the desert and your car breaks down, you would be relying on a cell phone exposed to extreme heat.”
Working to ensure the reliability of these devices “is my bread and butter,” he said.
Other projects
He is involved with the African Students Organization, and is forming a Robotics and Automation Society, with plans for activation in early 2013. The group will complement the University of Arkansas labs and summer programs that already focus on robotics projects. His vision is to “make a formal multi-disciplinary team, where computer science, intelligence is central to the group.”
Off the Clock
In his free time, Wejinya spends a lot of time on the Fayetteville trails. He likes to run and bike, because it keeps him focused.
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