Mary Frecker, department head and professor of mechanical engineering, received the 2023 McDonald Mentoring Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Credit: Tyler Henderson/Penn State
Mary Frecker receives American Society of Mechanical Engineers mentorship award
June 1, 2023
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Mary Frecker, department head and professor of mechanical engineering, Riess Chair of Engineering and director of the Penn State Center for Biodevices, received the 2023 McDonald Mentoring Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Established in 2007, this award recognizes the outstanding mentoring of other professionals by an engineer in industry, government, education or private practice, according to the ASME website.
Frecker was recognized for her mentorship of students, faculty and industry professionals. According to her nominator, former Fulbright postdoctoral fellow at Penn State Jovana Jovanova, Frecker has helped individuals identify their career strengths, provided encouragement and constructive feedback when needed and celebrated the successes of her mentees.
“As a working professional, I continue to stay in touch with [Frecker] and seek her mentorship,” Jovanova wrote in her nomination letter. “In her role as head of mechanical engineering at Penn State, she has shown a passion for mentorship and continues to create opportunities for students in mechanical engineering. I cannot think of a more deserving person than Dr. Frecker for the ASME McDonald Mentoring Award.”
Over the course of her career, Frecker has had the opportunity to mentor many people as she served in numerous roles, including her time as associate head of graduate programs in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, chair of the ASME Mechanisms and Robotics Technical Committee, Executive Leadership in Academic Technology and Engineering Fellow and in her current leadership roles as department head and the director of the Center for Biodevices.
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