In January, the School of Engineering celebrated the retirement of Dr. Sen Nieh after his 40 years of service as a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Catholic University. Dr. Nieh started in the school as an assistant professor immediately after completing his Ph.D. in 1983. Throughout his tenure, Nieh served as chair of the Mechanical Engineering department five times and guided many graduate students through master’s theses and Ph.D. dissertations. He was the recipient of the Lectureship Award of the United Nations in 1992 and the Charles H. Kaman Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2007.
Dr. Nieh has many good memories of his time at the university, vividly recalling the days when he was the junior-most faculty member in the department. He also spoke on the strengths of being a small university. “This is like a family. You have big brothers, younger brothers, sisters. Everybody cares about you,” he said. Dr. Nieh added that he had the unique capability to teach 34 different courses during his tenure, 19 of which were brand new and introduced to the university for the first time.
As a researcher, Dr. Nieh published over 100 scientific research papers and has served as the principal investigator in numerous funded research projects. Dr. Nieh is also an advocate for religious freedom, human rights, and China affairs. He has been invited to speak to colleges, in community settings, and to Congress on these topics, and is a fellow at Catholic University’s Center for Human Rights.
Dr. Nieh’s nomination as professor emeritus will facilitate his continuing contributions to the department and school. “I feel proud to be here. I appreciate that the University, school, and department provided an opportunity for me to grow academically, and in the meantime feed the family and develop my other interests in human rights and religious freedoms. This is part of my life,” he said. Dr. Nieh is eager to start a new chapter of life in retirement, and plans to travel and learn the five-string banjo.