L. A. Lacy Distinguished Professorship in Engineering
History of Past Recipients and Projects
The Board of Visitors elected Professor Barry W. Johnson to the L. A. Lacy Distinguished Professorship in Engineering in 2009. In 2010-11, Professor Johnson continued to serve as senior associate dean and associate dean for research in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). He also serves as director of the U.Va. Center for Safety-Critical Systems. As senior associate dean, Professor Johnson continues to lead the SEAS participation in the U.Va. strategic partnership with Rolls-Royce, Virginia Tech, the Virginia Community College System, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The partnership has created two new research centers, the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) and the Commonwealth Center for Aerospace Propulsion Systems (CCAPS). On behalf of U.Va., Professor Johnson serves on the board of directors of both CCAM and CCAPS. Professor Johnson also leads the SEAS strategic partnership with SAIC, pursuant to which U.Va. has been named as one of SAIC's seven strategic partner universities nationwide.Professor Johnson also continues to conduct his personal research in safe and secure computer-based systems for critical applications. The research is currently funded by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, industry, and others. A new research facility focused on safe and secure nuclear energy has been designed and constructed in collaboration with industry and the Center for Advanced Engineering Research in Lynchburg, VA, and opened in June 2011.
The Board of Visitors elected Professor Barry W. Johnson to the L. A. Lacy Distinguished Professorship in Engineering in 2009. In 2009-2010, Professor Johnson continued to serve as senior associate dean and associate dean for research in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). He also serves as director of the U.Va. Center for Safety-Critical Systems. As senior associate dean, Professor Johnson led the SEAS participation in the U.Va. strategic partnership with Rolls-Royce, Virginia Tech, Virginia Community College System, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The partnership resulted in the creation of two new research centers, the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) and the Commonwealth Center for Aerospace Propulsion Systems (CCAPS). Both centers have enabled new research opportunities for U.Va. faculty, as well as created new employment opportunities and internships for SEAS students. Professor Johnson also continues to conduct his personal research in safe and secure computer-based systems for critical applications. The research is currently funded by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, industry, and others and has recently led to the creation of the Center for Advanced Engineering Research in Lynchburg, Va. Professor Johnson's paper titled "A Quantitative Safety Assessment Methodology for Safety-Critical Programmable Electronic Systems Using Fault Injection" was judged by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) to be among the most outstanding SAE Technical Papers of 2009.
The Board of Visitors elected Professor Lester Hoel to the L. A. Lacy Distinguished Professorship in Engineering in 2000. In 2008-2009, Professor Hoel continued to serve as director of the Center for Transportation Studies (CTS). Professor Hoel completed a revision of the noted textbook titled "Traffic and Highway Engineering Fourth Edition," with N.J. Garber, which was published in 2009. He serves as the lead editor for a textbook titled "Intermodal Transportation: Moving Freight in a Global Economy" (published fall 2009); has completed four research reports for the Virginia Transportation Research Council; and has written for, or published in, several national professional transportation venues. He is a member of the Report Review Committee of the National Research Council of the National Academies, a member of the Transportation Board Transit Research Advisory Council, and has served as monitor for several national policy studies.This past year he received the prestigious Harland Bartholomew Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for "significant contributions to the enhancement of civil engineering urban planning and development through research, publications and education in urban and regional transportation planning." The University of Virginia Board of Visitors elected Professor Hoel the L.A. Lacy Distinguished Professor Emeritus upon his retirement on June 25, 2009.
- Lester A. Hoel 1999-2009Barry W. Johnson 2009-present