Facilitators' Biographies

JOHN T. DEMEL
John T. Demel is a Professor of Engineering Graphics in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Science. Dr. Demel is a registered professional engineer in Texas and is involved in engineering education research. He is a coauthor on four textbooks. Dr. Demel serves as the Faculty Coordinator for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Program and teaches in both the FE and the Fundamentals of Engineering for Honors (FEH) programs. He helped create and develop the FEH program. Dr. Demel earned his B.S.M.E. at the University of Nebraska Lincoln in 1965 and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Metallurgy from Iowa State University in 1968 and 1973, respectively. He taught at Savannah State College and Texas A&M University prior to joining the faculty at Ohio State in 1980.

RICHARD J. FREULER
Richard J. Freuler is a Senior Researcher in the Aerospace Engineering and Aviation Department at The Ohio State University. Dr. Freuler is the Coordinator for the OSU Fundamentals of Engineering for Honors (FEH) Program and teaches the three-quarter FEH engineering course sequence. He is also the Associate Director of the Aeronautical and Astronautical Research Laboratory and conducts scale model investigations of gas turbine installations for jet engine test cells and for marine and industrial applications of gas turbines. Dr. Freuler received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering in 1974, a B.S. in Computer and Information Science in 1974, and a Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering in 1991, all from The Ohio State University.

JOHN A. MERRILL
John A. Merrill is the Director for the First-year Engineering Program at The Ohio State University College of Engineering. His current responsibilities include operations, faculty recruiting, curriculum development, and program assessment. He also works with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and with key faculty, in the establishment of outcome-based assessment processes. Dr. Merrill received his Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Technology from The Ohio State University in 1985, and has an extensive background in public education, corporate training, and contract research. He presented a workshop and paper at the ASEE 2002 Conference in the areas of program implementation, assessment, and on-line curriculum management.