Eng. Lueny MorellAwarded 2009-2010 LACCEI Academic Merit Medal
Eng. Lueny Morell was chosen to receive the 2009-2010 LACCEI Academic Merit Medal for her leadership and global impact on engineering curriculum innovation and fostering industry-university partnerships in support of economic development. A licensed professional chemical engineer and ABET evaluator, she is on the Strategy and Innovation Office. Before joining HP in 2002, her 24 year career at the University of Puerto Rico brought advances in multidisciplinary curriculum innovation funded by NASA and US National Science Foundation and recognized through many awards, including the prestigious 2006 US National Academy of Engineering Bernard M. Gordon award for the creation of the Learning Factory, an environment where multidisciplinary student teams develop engineering leadership skills by working with industry to solve real-world problems. She is currently President of the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies, and Vice Chair for Job Creation on the Advisory Board of the Engineering of the Americas initiative, two organizations that she helped create.
Lueny Morell is member of the Strategy and Innovation Office (SIO) of Hewlett Packard Laboratories (HP Labs). A licensed professional engineer, she holds a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez and an MS degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University. As part of SIO, she is responsible for developing and leveraging external research collaborations and partnerships for HP Labs. She is responsible for developing government and engineering education initiatives worldwide in support of HP Labs research and technology areas. From 2002 to 2008 she was Director of HP University Relations for Latin America and the Caribbean in charge of building research and education collaborations with universities throughout the region. She is also involved in curriculum development, advising industry, facilitating accreditation initiatives, supporting student and faculty research, and philanthropic projects. Before joining Hewlett Packard (HP) in 2002, Professor Morell had a 24-year career at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), where she held various positions, both at the Mayaguez Campus (UPRM) and the UPR system level. A full professor of chemical engineering, she held various positions, among them director of the UPRM Research and Development Center; associate dean of engineering; and special assistant to the chancellor and dean of engineering in charge of strategic alliances, new educational initiatives, and outcomes assessment, including coordinating the ABET 2000 accreditation for UPRM. She was Director of theCurriculum Innovation Center of the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Puerto Rico Alliance for Minority Participation (PR-AMP) Project and Project Director for various NASA and NSF multidisciplinary curriculum innovation grants involving strong industry partnerships. A licensed professional engineer and certified ABET evaluator, she has done professional consulting work and is a member of many professional and honorary societies, including Tau Beta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, Alpha Delta Kappa, American Society of Electrical Engineers (ASEE) and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). She is co-founder and member of both the Engineering of the Americas Initiative, a group leading quality assurance and mobility of professionals in the Americas, and the Puerto Rico TechnoEconomic Corridor, a multi sectorial initiative to foster economic development based on high technology. Lueny is currently President of the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES), and serves on several national and international boards, including the US National Science Foundation International Science and Engineering Advisory Committee, the ASEE International Advisory Committee, SEFI Industry Advisory Board and the IFEES Executive Committee. Professor Morell has received many honors during her academic career, including the 2006 US National Academy of Engineering Bernard M. Gordon award forcreating “the Learning Factory”, where multidisciplinary student teams develop engineering leadership skills by working with industry to solve real-world problems. She has presented workshops throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and the world on the Learning Factory, curriculum innovation, quality assurance and accreditation and nurturing industry-university partnerships. Her work in curriculum, research, accreditation and economic development activities has been published in more than 80 papers, book chapters and journals. Lueny is married to Engineer Waldemar J. Ramírez-Beiso, has three children (Juan Antonio, Ana Carolina and Gabriel Antonio) and five grand children (Damia Migdalia, Laria Carolina, Luis Pablo, Jaime Enrique and Lara Elisa) and resides in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
