Michelle M. Blum

Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Teaching Professor
Dean’s Faculty Fellow for Assessment

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

239 Link Hall

mmblum@syr.edu

315.443.2840

Degrees:

  • May 2012 Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
  • Jan. 2011 M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
  • May 2007 B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
  • May 2007 B.S., Physics, University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY

Areas of Expertise:

  • Engineering Education
  • Inquiry Based Learning Methods
  • Mechanical Characterization of Materials
  • Tribology & Lubrication

Dr. Blum is interested in research in improving undergraduate engineering education, including development of inquiry-based activities for first year engineering courses, improvement of student design projects, hands-on activities, professional skills development and inclusion and outreach activities. Her expertise includes developing inquiry-based educational materials that enables students to learn by actively engaging with course content, as well as creating streamlined materials for instructors. Dr. Blum also specializes in high performance materials development and characterization for tribological (friction and wear), structural, and biomedical applications.

Honors and Awards:

  • 2016 Syracuse University Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professorship Teaching Award
  • 2017 TACNY College Educator of the Year
  • 2017 SU Dean’s Award for Excellence in Engineering Education
  • 2018 The Filtertech, Pi Tau Sigma, and Sigma Gamma Tau Award for Excellence in Education in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
  • 2022 Award for Outstanding Assessment, Mechanical Engineering B.S. program, One University Assessment Awards.

Selected Publications:

  • Michelle M. Blum, An Inquiry-Based Introduction to Engineering, Published by Springer, 2022.
  • Dawn R. Johnson, Michelle M. Blum, Katharine E. Lewis, and Sharon W. Alestalo, Chapter Nineteen: Intersectionality as Praxis for Equity in STEM: A WiSE Women of Color Program, in Intersectionality & Higher Education: Theory, Research and Praxis, Second Edition, Published by Peter Lang, 2019.
  • K. Cadwell, M.M. Blum, C. Stokes-Cawley, J.M. Hasenwinkel, A Gateway Course Redesign Working Group Model, Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education 2018 Annual Conference and Exposition, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Blum M.M., Dannenhoffer, J.F., 2017, Integrated Use of Programing in Machine Design Course, Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education 2017 Annual Conference and Exposition, Columbus, OH.
  • Blum, M.M, Cadwell, K.D., Hasenwinkel, J.M., 2015. A mechanics of materials outreach activity: Reconstructing the human body – biomaterials and biomimicry. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education 2015 Annual Conference and Exposition, Seattle, WA.
  • Synthesis and Characterization of Zwitterionic Polymer Brush Functionalized Hydrogels with Ionic Responsive Coefficient of Friction. Allen O. Osaheni, Ariel Ash-Shakoor, Ivan Gitsov, Patrick T. Mather, and Michelle M. Blum, Langmuir 2020 36 (14), 3932-3940
  • Mechanics and Tribology of a Zwitterionic Polymer Blend: Impact of Molecular Weight, A.O. Osaheni, P.T. Mather, M.M. Blum, Materials Science & Engineering C (2020) (In press https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2020.110736
  • The Use of a Hydrogel Implant in the Repair of Osteochondral Defects of the Knee: A Biomechanical Evaluation of Restoration of Native Contact Pressures in Cadaver Knee, R. Sismondo, F. Werner, N. Ordway, A.O. Osaheni, M.M Blum, . Scuderi, Clinical Biomechanics (2018) (in Press: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2019.04.016
  • Osaheni A.O., Finkelstein, E.B., Mather P.T., Blum M.M., Synthesis and Characterization of a Zwitterionic Hydrogel Blend with Low Coefficient of Friction. Acta Biomaterialia Volume 46, December 2016, Pages 245–255.
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