Jim Schaaf is Lecturer Emeritus of mechanical engineering at UC Davis. Prior to returning to UC Davis in 1993, Jim was named the first recipient of the Lee Hunter Assistant Professorship of Mechanical Design at Washington University in St. Louis. He held that position from 1988 to 1993. He was the lead faculty in developing a year-long, project-based senior design course using industry design briefs as starting points for the student design groups. He was named a National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts General Hospital for the academic year 1989-1990.
On his return to UC Davis, Jim dedicated his career to undergraduate education and advising. He was instrumental in designing a consistent capstone design experience for the mechanical engineering program. He also heavily participated in ABET accreditation efforts and eventually took the lead role for both the Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Science and Engineering programs. He worked with ABET and UC Davis’ Academic Senate in changing the name of the Aeronautical Science and Engineering undergraduate program to Aerospace Science and Engineering. He also, modernized the undergraduate academic advising in the department.
These experiences led Jim to be named the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Advising and eventually Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the College of Engineering. Together with colleagues, he designed the first college-wide Introduction to Engineering Design course for first-year students with a heavy communication component. He took the lead in the programmatic and conceptual design phases of the Diane Bryant Engineering Student Design Center (ESDC). In addition, he oversaw the Leadership in Engineering Advancement, Diversity and Retention (LEADR) center for first-generation and underrepresented students and the Student Startup Center currently housed in the ESDC. He was responsible for college-wide ABET accreditation and academic advising. On the advising front, he implemented consistent online tools for advisers to use both at the department and college level so that these professionals would know the advice being given to students and to assist in making decisions for students on academic notice or disqualification. These tools proved to provide consistent feedback and guidance to the undergraduate engineering population.
