By Mike Lehman
Dr. Mary Lynn Realff has recently been awarded the prestigious Ben C. Sparks Medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The award recognizes Dr. Realff’s work in helping students from different disciplines to work together with effective, innovation methods.
Established in memory of Ben C. Sparks, this award recognizes demonstrated long-term commitment to advancing mechanical engineering through multidisciplinary research, mentoring and impactful work in education, leadership, and innovation in connecting research to industry and policy. Winners receive a cash award, certificate, and travel allowance to attend the ASME Mechanical Engineering Education Summit.
Leading innovation in education and with a passion for working with students, faculty, and staff across disciplines, Dr. Mary Lynn Realff has provided effective training with a keen awareness of the necessity of providing systematic change to education. Over a storied career at Georgia Institute of Technology as Associate Professor in the School of Material Science and Engineering (MSE), the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Programs, and the Founding Director of the Effective Team Dynamics Initiative, Dr. Realff has made significant contributions to the field through her innovative teaching methods and dedication to student success.
Teaching and Innovation
Dr. Realff’s passion for teaching led her to found GT’s Effective Team Dynamics Initiative (ETD). During her time teaching across the curriculum at Georgia Tech, she discovered the necessity for effective group work for students to succeed in both academia and industry. Dr. Realff discovered that blending strength-based assessment with team-based projects was an effective tool to enhance working in teams across disciplines.
Due to her contributions and impact on students at Georgia Tech and at other universities, several of Dr. Realff’s colleagues nominated her for Ben C. Sparks Medal. Explaining the impact of ETD, a colleague at Georgia Tech noted that Dr. Realff creates “innovative solutions, assesses their effectiveness, finds ways to sustain them for future students, and enables other institutions to implement these innovations.” Another colleague from the University of Texas stated that her work on UT’s campus “better prepared students to work in interdisciplinary teams to solve problems that could not be solved individually.”
The ETD has significantly impacted students at Georgia Tech and beyond. As the founding director, Dr. Realff has equipped students with essential teamwork skills, preparing them for multidisciplinary teamwork across industries. Her work on teambuilding has been integrated into several courses, including First Year Seminars, Introduction to Engineering Graphics and Design, Creative Decisions and Design, and Capstone and Interdisciplinary Capstone Design courses. Her approach draws from strength-based concepts of education and implements tools such as Gallup Strengths to improve team dynamics.
Service and Leadership
Beyond her teaching and research, Dr. Realff is actively involved in the engineering education community. She was the principal investigator for the National Science Foundation Innovations in Graduate Education Grant, for which she developed curricula for interdisciplinary graduate research teams. She additionally led a team that built a facilitator guide for trainers that is used at other institutions, including the University of Texas Health San Antonio which has been used on an annual basis for training.
Additionally, Dr. Realff has advocated for new policies and practices to increase diversity for both Georgia Tech and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. These policy changes have had an impact in graduate, undergraduate, and K-12 education. More recently, she has helped build teamwork skills and interdisciplinary teams with students and research personnel in National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centers.
Conclusion
Dr. Realff’s dedication to teaching and innovative approaches to education make her a deserving recipient of the Ben C. Sparks Award. As noted by a colleague, “Mary Lynn is a person who can see ways to innovate and systematically change the educational experience to prepare students in an ever-changing world.” Her work inspires students and colleagues, shaping the future of engineering education and practice.