Three new faculty are here to gladly learn and teach.
Ali Barenji
Ali Barenji comes to us from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he spent over four years as a senior research scientist in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE). He holds a B.A., M.S., and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, focusing on system integration, from Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU). His primary research areas are system modeling and AI-based decision-making, strongly emphasizing simulation and emulation. His research mainly uses agent-based simulation, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR). One of his favorite hobbies is creating and developing VR games. In his personal life, he enjoys hiking and kayaking.
Jordan Osborne
Jordan Osborne comes back to us with a recently earned master’s degree from Illinois State’s STEM education program, having first earned a bachelor’s from the Department of Technology’s own engineering technology program. He’s also held positions designing/fabricating switchgear and repairing/programming circuit boards for broadcast media. Some interesting projects he’s worked on at Illinois State have been studying the effects of plants in engineering technology classrooms on students’ academic performance and well-being, researching the usage of VR in robotics curriculum, and designing a haptic feedback system for VR applications. He looks forward to working with students and engaging them in the material through hands-on lab activities. He enjoys playing guitar, trying new recipes, and hiking with his wife when he’s not teaching.
Mike Williams
Originally hailing from nearby Peoria, Mike Williams is another alum of the Department of Technology. The faculty in the construction management program he attended here asked him back to interview for his current lecturer position, and the rest is history. He is looking forward to being able to share his knowledge, perspectives, and experiences to assist students in completing their construction management degrees. He values the opportunity to help people avoid the pitfalls he had to deal with as a student and show them that life, school, and work can all be balanced, coexist, and still be fun. Outside of work, he likes woodworking, traveling, and hiking, but most of all, spending time with his wife, children, and pets.
