College of Engineering to Host Alumni Celebration, Guest Lecture on Friday

College of Engineering to Host Alumni Celebration, Guest Lecture on Friday

The University of Toledo College of Engineering will celebrate the achievements of its mechanical engineering alumni while highlighting opportunities for current and prospective students on Friday, Sept. 12.

The Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering will host a day of facility tours, networking opportunities and student research presentations ahead of an alumni panel and a ceremony inducting seven graduates into the Mechanical Engineering Alumni Network of Experts and Scholars (MEANES). The celebration culminates in the Dr. Theo Keith Distinguished Lecture at 2:30 p.m. in the Nitschke Hall's SSOE Seminar Room (Room 1027).

"This celebration is about creating connections," said Dr. Hossein Sojoudi, chair of the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. "We are bringing our alumni and community together to inspire students, showcase research and innovation and honor the legacy of Distinguished University Professor Emeritus Theo Keith."

Dr. John W. Weidner, the interim provost and former dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Cincinnati, will present the 2025 Dr. Theo Keith Distinguished Lecture.

Weidner specializes in electrochemical engineering, including advanced batteries, fuel cells and hydrogen production. Before he joined the University of Cincinnati, he served as director of the University of South Carolina's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Center and chair of its Department of Chemical Engineering with a joint faculty appointment at the Savannah River National Laboratory.

In his lecture titled "Hydrogen at Scale," Weidner will explore the enormous potential of hydrogen as a renewable energy source and align with national efforts to accelerate clean energy adoption.

The Theo Keith Distinguished Lecture Series is presented annually by the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering to honor Keith, who in his more than 50 years of service to the department and the University secured more than $75 million in research funding and helped establish a close research relationship between NASA Glenn Research Center and UToledo.

For more information and to register for the free, public lecture, visit the Theo Keith Distinguished Lecture Series website.