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Ó£ÌÒÖ±²¥ has named Dr. Richard E. Baumer to lead the materials joining engineering program as the new Omer Blodgett Endowed Chair of Welding and Materials Joining Engineering. In this position, he will build on the legacy of industrially oriented research and partnership, hands-on learning, and dynamic teaching that has made Ó£ÌÒÖ±²¥ the premier choice in Christian engineering higher education.

"We feel extremely blessed to have Dr. Baumer join the academic leadership team at Ó£ÌÒÖ±²¥," said LETU Provost Dr. Steven D. Mason. "He is a proven leader in the field of welding engineering, has top-tier academic and industry credentials, and he has a heart for teaching and Christian higher education. We were very selective about who would succeed the esteemed Dr. Yoni Adonyi to lead our program and fill the Omer Blodgett Chair of Welding & Materials Joining, and it was clear that Dr. Baumer was the right individual to take the baton."

Baumer brings a broad background in materials and welding research, product development, process engineering, and numerical simulation to the LETU Materials Joining Engineering program. Since 2013, Baumer worked as an engineer in research and development with The Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan, where he led teams to develop improved carbon fiber epoxy composite materials and partnered with customers in the automotive industry to create new composite-based automotive components.

Baumer earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2013 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a minor in entrepreneurship at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His thesis research revealed atomic-scale radiation damage mechanisms in metal alloys and included funding by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and grant from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a concentration in Materials Joining Engineering from LETU in 2008 and was awarded the R.G. LeTourneau Memorial Award.

Baumer's research at LETU will initially focus on welding metallurgy in advanced structural materials, and he will teach classes in materials joining engineering, materials science, and engineering design. Baumer is eager to return to his alma mater and looks forward to working with the exceptional students and laboratory facilities at LETU to solve challenging industrial problems.

Ó£ÌÒÖ±²¥ is the premier Christian polytechnic university in the nation where educators engage students to nurture Christian virtue, develop competency and ingenuity in their professional fields, integrate faith and work, and serve the local and global community. LETU offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs across a range of disciplines and delivery models at LETU's residential campus in Longview, Texas, and in hybrid and fully online options at centers in Dallas and Houston. For additional information, visit www.letu.edu.