Faculty
Dr. Beshoy Morkos
Associate Professor, Mechanical and Civil Engineering
Beshoy Morkos is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology where he directs the STRIDE Lab (SysTems Research on Intelligent Design and Engineering). His engineering design research focuses on developing computational representation and reasoning support for managing complex system design. The goal of Dr. Morkos’ research is to fundamentally reframe our understanding and utilization of system representations and computational reasoning capabilities to support the development of system models which help engineers and project planners intelligently make informed decisions at earlier stages of engineering design. On the engineering education front, Dr. Morkos’ research explores means to integrate innovation and entrepreneurship in engineering education through entrepreneurially-minded learning, improve persistence in engineering, address challenges in senior design education, and promote engineering education in international teams and settings. Dr. Morkos’ research is supported by government (National Science Foundation (NSF), Office of Naval Research (ONR), United States Navy, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)) and industry (Lockheed Martin, Sun Nuclear, Northrop Grumman, Rockwell Collins, PTC).
Dr. Morkos received his Ph.D. from Clemson University in the Clemson Engineering Design and Applications Research (CEDAR) lab under Dr. Joshua Summers. In 2014, he was awarded the ASME CIE Dissertation of the year award for his doctoral research. He graduated with his B.S. and M.S in Mechanical Engineering in 2006 and 2008 from Clemson University and has worked on multiple sponsored projects funded by partners such as NASA, Michelin, and BMW. His past work experience include working at the BMW Information Technology Research Center (ITRC) as a Research Associate and Robert Bosch Corporation as a Manufacturing Engineer. Dr. Morkos was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Engineering & Science Education at Clemson University performing NSF funded research on engineering student motivation and its effects on persistence and the use of advanced technology in engineering classroom environments. Dr. Morkos’ research thrust include: design automation, design representations, computational reasoning, systems modeling, engineering education, design education, collaborative design, and data/knowledge management
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University - 2012
Ph.D. Dissertation: Computational Representation and Reasoning Support for Requirements Change Management in Complex System Design [ Dissertation PDF] - Recipient of ASME CIE Dissertation of the Year Award. Thesis advisor: Dr. Joshua Summers
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University - 2008
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University - 2006
Additional information may be found in his Curricula Vitae
Ph.D. Graduate Students
Phyo Htet Hein
Phyo graduated with BS degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2013 from Florida Institute of Technology. He also earned his MS degree in Mechanical Engineering while working under academic supervision of Dr. Beshoy Morkos in STRIDE lab. His master degree focused on Dynamics Systems and Robotics coursework and Mechanical Design research which investigated the role of physical and functional relationships of requirements in predicting engineering requirement change propagation. Phyo's current ongoing research tries to study engineering requirement evolution and volatility utilizing complex network metrics to predict change propagation and impact. His interests also expand to product design and development, manufacturing, computational reasoning for complex systems, systems modeling/simulation/optimization, and data analysis. His hobbies include swimming, soccer, cycling, reading, traveling, and weight training.
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2015
M.S. Thesis: Predicting Requirement Change Propagation through Investigation of Physical and Functional Domains
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2013
Elisabeth Kames
Elisabeth Kames is originally from Aurora, IL. She graduated cum laude with her Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in May 2015. She also graduated with her Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Dynamic Systems- Robotics and Controls in December 2016. Elisabeth is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in design education. Her research focuses on the impact of motivation on performance and persistence in mechanical engineering design courses under the of Dr. Beshoy Morkos. She also serves as a graduate student advisor to senior design teams within the mechanical engineering department. Elisabeth is a member of ASME, ASEE, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and Pi Tau Sigma International Mechanical Engineering Honor Society.
In her spare time, Elisabeth enjoys traveling, hiking, working on cars, watching sports, and listening to music.
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2016
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2015
Deep Patel
Deep is pursuing his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology. His current research topics are engineering design and Internet of Things. He was a Teaching Assistant for MAE 1024: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering during Fall 2015. He really enjoyed this opportunity that he has to help introduce incoming freshmen not only to Mechanical Engineering, but also to life as an engineering college student. He completed his undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering at Florida Tech, graduating in May 2015. During his undergraduate career, along with academics, he was involved in a number of campus organizations including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, etc. His senior design project was the NASA JPL Smart Breakout Box, which won the “Best in Show for Mechanical Engineering” at the Florida Tech Student Design Showcase held in May 2015. Deep is currently the Graduate Student Assistant for the Florida Tech Makerspace and Electronic Support Laboratory. Deep's current research is regarding design of smart and connected products. He is working with Darshan Yadav to develop a methodology to determine the smartness and connectivity of a product early in the design stage. Outside of academics, Deep is an advent follower of tennis and football (soccer). He is a passionate supporter of Rafael Nadal and Chelsea F.C. He is also a big technology fan - keeping up with the latest and greatest in emerging consumer technology. He loves the Android operating system and has proudly used every single Android operating system since Android 1.5 (Cupcake). One of his prized possessions is his Android Wear Smart Watch – the LG G Watch R.
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2017
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2015
Darshan Yadav
Currently pursuing his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Darshan earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in India. He graduated with his MS in Mechanical Engineering in Spring 18. His master’s thesis work focused on relationship between product recyclability and early stage DFA and DFD parameters. He is currently working on exploring requirement change propagation in the physical domain on the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. Darshan has also served as the Graduate Student Assistant at the Florida Tech Makerspace. Along with his academic activities, he is a member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Darshan is a huge Mass Effect fan and boasts a decent collection of items from the franchise.
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology – 2018
Outstanding Student of the Year, Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, 2017-18
Thesis- Development of Recyclability Index: A Design for Assembly and Disassembly Approach
B.Tech. Mechanical Engineering, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University – 2014
https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan-42/
Cheng Chen
Cheng Chen is a Ph.D. student, who joined the Design Research Lab as a research assistant in summer 2018. His master thesis studies the effect of fourth-order moments to calculate droplet probability density functions using the Principle of Maximum Entropy. Currently, Cheng is working on the development of requirement change management by applying numerous numerical methods. He looks forward to contributing his knowledge and skills to design research community.
His other interests include Machine Learning, Neural Networks, Parallel Computing, and Statistics.
M.S., Aerospace Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2016
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Central College of BUPT, China - 2012
M.S. Graduate Students
Elizabeth Schmitt
Elizabeth Schmitt is a graduate student pursuing her M.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology under the advisement of Dr. Beshoy Morkos. She completed her Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology in 2015. Her research thrusts lie within engineering design education, specifically: designer empathy, designing for handicapped/disabled users, and human and user centered design.
B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2015
Tyler Johnson
Tyler is originally from Merritt Island, Florida, and earned his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida Tech in 2016. Currently, Tyler is pursuing his Master’s in Mechanical Engineering and conducting research into how changes in requirements networks propagate through a design matrix, and investigating how to apply neural networks to predict these changes. He also serves as an advisor to the Lockheed Martin senior design team, and is active in several campus organizations, including Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, Drop of a Hat Improvised Comedy, and Order of Omega Honor Society. In his spare time, Tyler enjoys long distance running, camping, kayaking, and working on small electronics.
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2016
Devanshi Shah
Devanshi Shah completed her Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering in 2016 from India. She is currently pursuing Master Degree also in Mechanical Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology with a specialization in Structures, Solid Mechanics and Materials. She is currently working as a graduate research assistant in STRIDE lab under the guidance of Dr. Beshoy Morkos. Her research background in Engineering (Design) Education, with focus on student motivation and performance in senior capstone design. She aspires to continue working in the same research field and give her best in contributing to the society. She absolutely loves traveling, cooking and cricket.
B.E., Mechanical Engineering, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technical Education and Research Center, India - 2016
Mckenzie Clark
McKenzie Clark earned her Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering and is now pursuing her Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering as well. Her research interests lie within engineering education and product design.
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2018
Kyle Koren
Kyle Koren is originally from Ashland, VA and started his studies at Florida Tech in 2014. In 2018 he graduated with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering (ME) and is currently pursuing his M.S. in ME with a specialization in Design and Manufacturing. His current research applies to helping Blue Origin with manufacturing capacity analysis and production optimization for their new manufacturing facility. Kyle’s senior design project won awards for Best in Show for ME and the President’s Cup for Engineering at FIT’s Senior Design Showcase, as well as first place at the inaugural Florida-Wide Student Engineering Design Invitational. His hobbies outside of school include swimming, video games, and music production.
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2018
Adam Madison
Adam Madison is a Graduate Student from Greensboro, North Carolina. He is working towards completing his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Design & Manufacturing. His current research involves working with Blue Origin to perform a capacity assessment of their new manufacturing facility in Cape Canaveral. Adam recently completed his undergraduate studies at Florida Institute of Technology in 2018 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. During his time as an undergrad Adam’s senior design team won several awards including Best in Show for Mechanical Engineering at FIT, The President’s Cup for Engineering at FIT, and 1st place in the inaugural Florida-Wide Student Engineering Design Invitational in which all engineering programs in Florida participated. In his free time Adam likes to play on the school’s club baseball team, watch sports (Atlanta Braves, Carolina Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Tennessee Volunteers), play video games, and spend time in Disney World!
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2018
Undergraduate Students
Jason Williams
Jason Williams is an undergraduate student pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology. He intends to advance his education to the graduate level and aspires to obtain his Master's degree in the field of Applied Mechanics. He is currently a member of the ASME organization and often spends his free time cooking, woodworking, and piloting UAS.
Lab Alumni
Amanda Bessette
Currently: Systems Engineer, FIRST
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2015
M.S. Thesis: Impact of Student Motivation on their Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Capstone Performance
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2013
Varun Menon
Currently: Mechanical Engineer, Michigan Spring and Stamping
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2015
M.S. Thesis: Application of Complex Network Metrics to Support Computational Reasoning of Requirement Change Propagation in Complex System Design
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2013
Vitalis Okafor
Currently: Mechanical Engineer, BRPH
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2015
M.S. Thesis: Utilizing Gaze Data to Develop Product Preference Design Models Incorporating Eye Tracking in Product Design
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2013
George Vrampas
Currently: Control Systems Engineer, Ford Motor Company
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2016
M.S. Thesis: Towards the Development of a Method to Utilize Gaze Data to Obtain Customer Feedback on Product Designs
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2015
Nate Voris
Currently: Mechanical Engineer, Harris Corporation
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2017
M.S. Thesis: Investigating the Influence of Functional and NonFunctional Requirements on Change and Change Propagation
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2016
Andrea Piazza
Currently: Product Development Engineer, Embraer
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2018
M.S. Thesis: Cost Model Evaluation for Large Scale Additive Manufacturing
B.S., Aerospace Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology - 2015