TSU University Chair
Dr. Lonnie Sharpe, P.E.

Prior to joining the faculty as the Massie Chair of Excellence at Tennessee State University, Dr. Lonnie Sharpe, Jr., was Professor and Dean of Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. Dr. Sharpe received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina A&T, M.S. from North Carolina State University, and his PhD from the University of Illinois. Dr. Sharpe spent over 20 years at NCA&T as a faculty member and administrator in the College of Engineering. He has extensive industrial and governmental experience with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Western Electric, and General Motors. In addition to these agencies, Dr. Sharpe maintains an excellent working relationship with Sandia National Laboratories (SNL).

Dr. Sharpe has worked extensively in the field of environmental engineering including considerable time spent on LLNL, EPA, and ORNL projects. He was instrumental in setting up the Environmental Technology and Waste Management Consortium at NCA&T, a consortium that initially included 15 HBCUs and MIs. The North Carolina State Speaker of the House appointed Dr. Sharpe to serve on the North Carolina Hazardous Waste Management Commission. The Commission was tasked to site, design, and build a hazardous waste facility for North Carolina.

Dr. Sharpe has been involved in many educational and research projects over the years. He secured millions of dollars of funding while at NCA&T and was named to the University's Million Dollar Researcher Program. He has authored or co-authored over 40 publications. His early articles were in the area of computational fluids and heat transfer. More recent publications were co-authored with Dr. J. Y. Shen in the structures area.

Dr. Sharpe is very active in many professional organizations and community projects and is a registered engineer in the State of North Carolina. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and presently serves on the ASME Pre-College Education Board. He also serves on the Board of Directors for SECME, a pre-college program for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology students. In 1994, the Governor North Carolina appointed Dr. Sharpe to the North Carolina State Board of Refrigerant Examiners.

Recent Publications in Refereed Journals

1. "Alleviation of Deformation of Cylindrical Shell Using Piezoelectric Rings," J.Y. Shen, Meldon Human, Lonnie Sharpe, Jr., and James T.S. Wang, Journal of Aerospace Engineering, Vol.12, No.3, July 1999, pp.92-97.
   
2. "Alleviating Deformation of Shell-Type Structures by Using Piezoelectric Ring Stiffeners," J.Y Shen, Meldon Human, and Lonnie Sharpe, Jr., International Journal of Modelling and Simulation, Vol.19, No.2, 1999, pp.205-212.
   
3. "Inclusion of Flexibility of a Large Flexible Manipulator System in the Implementation of Its End-Effector Vibration Suppression," J.Y. Shen, Lonnie Sharpe, Jr. and Claude R. Keckler, International Journal of Modeling & Simulation, Vol.17, No.3, 1997, pp.191-199.
   
4. "Identification of Dynamic Properties of Plate-like Structures by Using a Continuum Model," J.Y. Shen and Lonnie Sharpe, Jr., Journal of Mechanics Research Communications, Vol.22, No.1, 1995, pp.67-78.
   
5. "A Strain Energy Criterion for Recognition of Identified Modes of the Continuous Structural Models," J.Y. Shen and Lonnie Sharpe, Jr., Journal of Mechanics Research Communications, Vol. 20(6), 1993, pp.507-518.
   
6. "A Continuous Dynamic Model for Tapered Beam-like Structures," J.Y. Shen and Lonnie Sharpe, Jr., et al., Journal of Aerospace Engineering, Vol.7, No.4, October, 1994, pp. 435-445.
   
7. "Numerical Analysis of Heat and Mass Transfer from Fluid Spheres in an Electric Field," Lonnie Sharpe, Jr. and Frank A. Morrison, ASME Journal of Heat Transfer, Vol. 108, pp. 337-342, 1986.
   

Program Affiliations

National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE)
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE)
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)

Timeline

2005-2001

Treasurer, SECME Board of Directors
Massie Chair of Excellence, TSU

2000-1994

Mechanical Engineering Alumnus of the Year, University of Illinois
Dean of Engineering, NCA&TSU
Member, NC State Board of Refrigerant Examiners
President, Nat Greene SERTOMA Club

1993-1984

Associate Dean of Engineering, NCA&TSU
Member, Hazardous Waste Management Commission, State of North Carolina
Faculty of the Year, Mechanical Engineering, NCA&TSU, (1982, 1986, 1989)
Member, Board of Directors, Triad Sickle Cell
Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award
Finalist, NASA Astronaut Candidate Program

A Discussion with Dr. Sharpe on Program Goals

Tennessee State University has developed a team approach to solve environmental research problems.  The Environmental Team main research focus is bioremediation.  Environmental justice and brownfields issues are also research and educational areas for the TSU Environmental Team.  The program uses an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates faculty from business, geography, biology, chemistry, and engineering.  Other research areas are encouraged among faculty members here at TSU.

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