Dr. Mabub Ahmed received his B.S in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 1997. He also has earned his M.S in Industrial Engineering from Lamar University in 2001 and then completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering with an emphasis in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas-El Paso in 2008. Ahmed has taught at Georgia Southern and UTEP before joining the SAU Engineering program.
Why did you choose to start teaching at SAU?
“I chose to teach at SAU because I love the interaction I have with my students. When I was earning my Ph.D. at El Paso, I did not know exactly what I wanted to do with my degree. I started helping students by tutoring them and realized teaching was my passion. I found the mechanical engineering program at SAU, and I have been here ever since.”
Why did you choose to pursue a degree in engineering?
“I love math, science, and physics; all of those fit very well with engineering. I was born in Bangladesh, and it is very different over there compared to here. I wanted to elevate my family status by getting a degree in engineering. I wanted to make them happy.”
Is there a challenging project you were involved with during the past couple of years?
“A project that was very close to me was the accreditation process to make sure we were an accredited engineering program. I was the engineering coordinator, so I had to collect all kinds of data and make sure everything was in place for us to be able to receive the accreditation. Also, I had a student that I mentored last spring do a project titled, ‘Developing Soft Actuators at SAU Engineering.’ That student won first place in the Engineering category of the research poster presentation at the 103rd Annual Arkansas Academy of Science meeting in Spring of 2019.”
What do you think are the most important attributes of an excellent instructor?
“I believe we have to be patient when dealing with students. We need to give them good exposure and good communications skills they need to thrive as an Engineering graduate.”
Why should a student choose a career in engineering?
“Engineering is a practical profession. You have a lot of hands-on experience. You have many projects you can work on by yourself, with a group, or with a professor. Many of the students in the engineering program love what they do.”
If you could give one piece of advice to a student who is interested in pursuing a degree in engineering, what would you tell them?
“Work extremely hard. It is super important that you work as hard as you possibly can. There is a lot of math and physics involved, and you must understand that to be able to thrive in this program. You also need to have a good concept of time management. You should also make sure that you are involved in multiple activities like the engineering society that we have. When you pursue an engineering degree, you will learn so many traits that will help you throughout your life.”
