Eric Spina
Professor, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost
Eric F. Spina served as the Douglas D. Danforth Dean of Engineering & Computer Science at Syracuse University and a Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Spina received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in mechanical & aerospace engineering from Princeton University; he has been on the Syracuse faculty since 1988. Prof. Spina has 20 years of research experience in experimental fluid mechanics ranging from fundamentals of simple canonical flows to flow control methods. His most important work has been on the physics of high-speed turbulent boundary layers, which culminated in a paper in the Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics. Spina holds two U.S. patents, has published more than 30 refereed archival and conference papers, and has edited one book and one conference proceeding.
Prof. Spina has also been deeply involved in service, research, and administrative activities focused on the improvement of engineering education. He has been PI or co-PI of several grants focused on engineering education, including 2 NSF REU site awards, an NSF Leadership in Laboratory Development grant, and several projects that created innovative educational partnerships with industry. Dr. Spina has played a key role in the development and implementation of Syracuse University’s and New York State’s initiatives in indoor environmental quality and environmental quality systems. These efforts are the foundation for federal and state research and technology transfer funding of tens of millions of dollars. Prof. Spina has been awarded the Syracuse University Chancellor’s Citation for Outstanding Contribution to the University’s Academic Programs, the 40 under 40 Leadership Award by the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Greater Syracuse, and has received several department, college, and University teaching awards.
About the Douglas D. Danforth Deanship
The Douglas D. Danforth Deanship in Syracuse University’s L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) was generously funded in 2001 by alumnus and Pittsburgh civic leader and philanthropist Douglas D. Danforth ’47, H’99.
Mr. Danforth joined Westinghouse Electric Corp. in 1955 as executive vice president and general manager of Industria Electrica de Mexico in Mexico City, and became company vice president in 1961. He retired as chair and CEO of Westinghouse in 1987. He has served as director of British Petroleum, Rubbermaid, Whirlpool Corp., PNC Financial, PPG Industries, American European Associates, Greenwich Partners, Dal-Tile and Atlantic Express Transportation and chair of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club. He currently serves on the boards of Sola International and Envirosource, the United Way of Allegany County, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the Greater Pittsburgh Council of the Boy Scouts of America and Carnegie Mellon University He has served on SU’s Corporate Advisory Council, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management Corporate Advisory Council and the ECS Board of Visitors.
Mr. Danforth funded the ECS deanship in his belief in the vision and leadership commitment of ECS and in the critical role of the dean as the ambassador for engineering education.
Research Interests
Experimental research in high-speed fluid dynamics and turbulence. Structure of supersonic and hypersonic turbulent boundary layers. Development of improved techniques and instrumentation for turbulence measurement in supersonic flows. Control of high-speed impinging jet flows. High-speed jet noise reduction. Physics of high-speed cavity flow resonance.
Teaching Interests
Introduction to ECS, Heat and Mass Transfer, Compressible Fluid Mechanics, Hypersonics, Viscous Flow