MAE Distinguished Seminar Series - Speaker: Michael W. Hudoba

Speaker: 

Dr. Michael Hudoba, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Engineering, Computer Science, and Physics, Otterbein University

Seminar title: An Academic Career in Undergraduate Education

As space is limited, guests are asked to register to attend this seminar by completing the short registration form at https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_esN6eEzU5pyLwVw. This seminar is currently only open to Ohio State students, faculty and staff.

Bio: 

Dr. Mike Hudoba, Ph.D., moved from Canfield, Ohio in 2005 to begin his undergraduate career in Mechanical Engineering at The Ohio State University. He graduated magna cum laude and began working towards his master’s degree in 2009 with a focus of user-centered product design. In 2011, he became Dr. Carlos Castro’s first graduate student in the Nanoengineering and Biodesign Lab at OSU where his researched focused on the development, characterization and implementation of DNA based nanomachines to measure forces in biological systems using a process known as DNA origami. In 2015, he created the OSU Marching Band’s famous Script Ohio out of DNA, earning him a Guinness World Record. He was awarded his Ph.D. in December 2016.

Dr. Hudoba, known to his students as Dr. Mike, has developed a total of eleven undergraduate courses during his seven years at Otterbein University.  He developed the freshman engineering lectures and labs, and currently teaches Statics and Mechanics of Materials, Dynamics, Thermal-Fluid Sciences, Automation Lab, Senior Capstone, and an engineering elective focused on his research in DNA origami.  He also developed a general education course available to any Otterbein student in their Integrative Studies program, which is a course titled “Video Games and Society” that is co-taught with his colleague in Sociology, Dr. Carla Corroto.  Dr. Mike earned his tenure and promotion to Associate Professor during the 21/22 academic year, and in June of 2022 he became chair of the Department of Engineering, Computer Science, and Physics at Otterbein.

Dr. Mike spends much of his free time involved with different educational outreach programs, volunteering with different STEM educational programs throughout Columbus. When he is not teaching, you can find Dr. Mike in the kitchen, on the golf course, at the bowling alley, or gaming on twitch as ‘FakeDoctorPhD’.

Abstract: 

For many Ph.D. students, post-graduation options at first seem limited to industry or academic positions at research-based institutions.  Although ultimately this job was a perfect fit for me, a faculty position at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI) was not on my radar until late in my graduate career.  As an alumnus of The Ohio State University Mechanical Engineering graduate program, I am familiar with these graduate seminars.  Most of these talks were focused on the speaker’s research, which proved valuable during my time at OSU.  However, none of them covered opportunities outside of a research setting.

This seminar aims to provide information to graduate students that might be interested in obtaining a tenure-track position at a PUI.  Knowing the roles of my friends and colleagues at places like OSU, it was immediately apparent to me that although we might have the same title, we have very different day-to-day jobs.  I will present what it is like to be at a PUI by sharing my past experiences, from first getting involved in STEM education as a graduate student all the way to my role as Department Chair.

During my seven years at Otterbein University, I have been on seven search committees to hire new faculty members.  I will share what I have learned and what we look for in applicants, in hopes to help those interested in PUI faculty positions develop a strong application.