BLACKSBURG, Va., June 13, 2006 – Harry H. Robertshaw of Eggleston, Va., professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, was given the title "professor emeritus" by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors during the board’s quarterly meeting June 12.
The title of emeritus may be conferred on retired professors and associate professors, administrative officers, librarians, and exceptional staff members who have given exemplary service to the university and are recommended to the board of visitors by Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger. Nominated individuals approved by the board of visitors receive an emeritus certificate from the university.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1970, Robertshaw has made significant contributions to the research areas of active materials and adaptive structures. He has been a principal investigator or co-investigator on more than 20 funded research projects and has contributed more than 80 technical papers to his fields of expertise.
Robertshaw advised numerous undergraduate and graduate students during his career in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and also served as assistant department head for graduate studies for three years. In 2005, he received the College of Engineering Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service.
Robertshaw received his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.
The College of Engineering at Virginia Tech is internationally recognized for its excellence in 14 engineering disciplines and computer science. The college's 5,500 undergraduates benefit from an innovative curriculum that provides a "hands-on, minds-on" approach to engineering education, complementing classroom instruction with two unique design-and-build facilities and a strong Cooperative Education Program. With more than 50 research centers and numerous laboratories, the college offers its 1,800 graduate students opportunities in advanced fields of study such as biomedical engineering, state-of-the-art microelectronics, and nanotechnology.
Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech has grown to become among the largest universities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Today, Virginia Tech’s eight colleges are dedicated to putting knowledge to work through teaching, research, and outreach activities and to fulfilling its vision to be among the top research universities in the nation. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.