Wells delivers keynote address at international conference
David L. Wells, professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, delivered a keynote address to the International Conference on Advances in Mechanical and Building Sciences for the 3rd Millennium (ICAMB 09) in Vellore, India. The conference was hosted by VIT University and attracted about 500 participants, including speakers from 11 Asian, European and North American countries.
Wells’ keynote address was titled “The Engineering of Products and the Preparation of Engineers.” His remarks traced the deliberate engineering stages in the creation of new industrial and consumer products and advocated undergraduate engineering curricula that emphasize product development. He also delivered seminars for VIT faculty and students on “Engineering Methodology for Product Realization” and on “Graduate Study Opportunities at North Dakota State University.”
ICAMB 09 was part of the 25th anniversary celebration for VIT University. The institution is the first university in India to earn professional accreditation of engineering programs by ABET Inc. (Accreditation Board of Engineering for Technology), the same organization that accredits engineering programs at NDSU.
VIT successfully completed the rigorous documentation and on-site examination for ABET Inc. accreditation of its mechanical and civil engineering programs in 2008 and was awarded accredited status in July 2009. This university now enrolls more than 15,000 students from 40 countries, with about 80 percent pursuing engineering degrees. Overall, VIT offers 15 bachelor degree programs and 30 graduate programs on its modern 350-acre campus.