Dean John M. Ting

John Ting became the Dean of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in July 2003, having previously been Professor and Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UMass Lowell (1999-03).  Before coming to Lowell in 1990, he was a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Toronto (1983-90) and postdoctoral Research Fellow and Lecturer at the California Institute of Technology (1981-83).

John Ting has been involved in teaching, research and software development in civil & environmental engineering since the late 1970s and, more recently, in engineering education, recruiting and retention.  For his recent work on incorporating service-learning into engineering as a means to improve student learning while fostering meaningful community engagement, he was awarded the 2006 President’s Public Service Award from the University of Massachusetts system.  He was elected as a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2008.

Dr. Ting has published more than 45 refereed papers and reports and presented more than 25 seminars and conference papers. He has helped obtain and directly participated in externally funded research in geotechnical engineering, exceeding $1.7 million on topics ranging from lateral pile behavior, centrifuge modeling of frost action, discrete element numerical modeling of granular materials and analysis of integral abutment bridges and exceeding $1.1  million on incorporating service-learning in engineering education.   He has taught more than 20 different undergraduate and graduate courses in civil engineering and computer programming at Caltech, University of Toronto and UMass Lowell.

Dr. Ting graduated from McGill University (1975) with a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering as the E. Brown Gold Medal holder for Highest Ability in the Faculty of Engineering. He holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (1976) from the California Institute of Technology, where he worked with Prof. R.F. Scott on geotechnical centrifuge modeling of laterally loaded piles. He holds a Doctor of Science in Civil Engineering (1981) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he worked on the mechanical behavior of frozen sands under the supervision of Drs. C.C. Ladd and R.T. Martin.

Since becoming Dean of Engineering, Dr. Ting has continued working on issues in recruiting and retention of students into engineering, science and technical fields.  He has actively promoted K-12 outreach activities and service-based multidisciplinary projects and activities for the College, as a means to help both recruiting and retention.

Dr. Ting has worked for a geotechnical consulting company in Montreal, Canada, and is a registered professional engineer in California.  In addition, he has coached MathCounts middle school teams for several Massachusetts school systems (Groton-Dunstable and Parker Charter Essential School, Devens) and in the mid-1990s helped direct and operate the Groton Chess Club, a chess club devoted to children.

Some significant University and professional service activities include:

• Commissioner, Lowell Arena and Stadium Commission (1995-2007)
• Member of the Academic Advisory Board, NSF Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing (Northeastern University, UML, UNH)
• Judge, American Council of Engineering Companies Excellence Awards Program 2001-02
• Member of Executive Board, Merrimack Valley Venture Forum, 2004-06
• Journal reviewer for ASCE J. Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Engineering, Geotechnical Testing Journal, ASTM, ASCE J. Engineering Mechanics, Int’l J. Numerical & Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, Int’l J Solids & Structures, Canadian Geotechnical J., Computers & Geotechnics, Computers & Geosciences
• Research proposal reviewer for National Science Foundation (several programs), US Army Research Office, and US Dept. of Energy

Presentations:

• “Institutionalizing your Service-Learning Program”, Opening Plenary Panel, National EPICS Conference, Purdue University, W. Lafayette, Indiana, May 2008.
• “Perspectives on Integrating Service-Learning in a College of Engineering,” invited keynote address, Workshop on Integrating Appropriate Sustainable Technology and Service Learning in Engineering Education, Sustainable Resources 2004, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, Sept. 2004.

Sample list of Funded Research Projects (either as sole Principal or Co Principal Investigator):

• Service-Learning Integrated throughout a College of Engineering (SLICE): Implementation (J. Duffy - PI, D. Clark, C. Barry, X. Zhang), 2005-08, National Science Foundation.
• Service-Learning Integrated throughout a College of Engineering (SLICE) (J. Duffy - PI, D. Clark, C. Barry, X. Zhang) , 2004-05, National Science Foundation
• Streamlined Analysis and Design of Integral Abutment Bridges (w/ S. Faraji), 1999-2002, Mass. Highways Dept.
• Force-Displacement Testing for Integral Abutment Bridges (w/ S. Faraji), 1996-97, Mass. Highways Dept.
• Behavior of Multiphase Granular Media: Modeling the static-to-viscous flow regime, 1994-96, Dept of Defense AASERT.
• Effect of Particle Shape on the Mechanical Behavior of Granular Materials, 1991-95, Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
• Multiphase Discrete Granular Model for Soil Mechanics, 1990-93, NSERC Canada (at U. Toronto).
• Multiphase Discrete Granular Modeling of Soil, 1987-90, NSERC Canada (at U. Toronto).
• Analysis of Lateral Pile Behavior, 1984-87, NSERC Canada (at U. Toronto).
• Centrifuge Modeling of Frost Heave Phenomena: A Feasibility Study (R.F. Scott - PI), 1983, U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (at Caltech).

Sample publications:

• Zhang, X., Gartner, N., Gunes, O. and J. Ting. 2007. “Integrating Service-Learning Projects into Engineering Courses,” International Journal for Service-Learning in Engineering. 2(1), 44_63.
• Duffy, J., Kazmer, D., Barrington, L., Ting, J., Barry, C., Zhang, X., Clark, D. and A. Rux 2007.  “Service-Learning Integrated into Existing Core Courses throughout a College of Engineering,” Proc. National Conference, American Society for Engineering Education, Honolulu, Hawaii June 24-27, 2007
• Faraji, S., Ting, JM, Crovo, D.S. and H. Ernst 2001. “Nonlinear Analysis of Integral Bridges: Finite Element Model,” ASCE J.Geotechnical and GeoEnvironmental Engineering, 127(5):454-461.
• Ting, J.M. and S. Faraji. 1998. "Streamlined Analysis and Design of Integral Abutment Bridges," Civil Engineering Research Report to Massachusetts Highways Dept., Univ. Massachusetts, Lowell, Mass.
• Ting, J.M., Khwaja, M., Meachum, L.R. and J.D. Rowell1993. "An Ellipse-based Discrete Element Model for Granular Materials," Int'l Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 17(9):603-623.
• Ting, J.M. and B.T. Corkum.1992. "A Computational Laboratory for Discrete Element Geomechanics," ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, 6(2):129-146.
• Ting, J.M., B.T. Corkum, C.R. Kauffman and C. Greco 1989. "A Discrete Numerical Model for Soil Mechanics," ASCE Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 115(3):379-398.
• Ting, J.M., C.R. Kauffman and M. Lovicsek 1987. "Centrifuge Static and Dynamic Lateral Pile Behavior," Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 24(2):198-207.

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