Partings
Penn State Intercom......August
15, 2002
Scholarship honors
retiring department head
In honor of Richard McNitt,
department head emeritus of Engineering Science and Mechanics and professor
emeritus of engineering mechanics, the department's faculty and staff
have created the R.P. McNitt Scholarship in Engineering Science and Mechanics.
McNitt is retiring after 21 years of service. He began his teaching career in 1959 as an instructor at Penn State and then at Purdue University. In 1965, McNitt became an assistant professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and rose to the rank of full professor.
In 1981, McNitt returned to the University as professor and head of the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics. McNitt expanded the department from 18 to 30 faculty members, oversaw significant increases in research expenditures and cultivated two research laboratories into collegewide centers.
McNitt's research interests include continuum mechanics, environmental degradation, and vehicular safety.
He received his bachelor's degree in engineering science and master's degree in engineering mechanics from Penn State in 1957 and 1959, respectively, and his doctoral degree in engineering science from Purdue in 1965.
The McNitt scholarship will be given to undergraduate and graduate students in engineering science and mechanics who demonstrate superior academic achievement or who show promise of academic excellence.