Emi Sasanami
Ronald D. Smetzer knows how glorious is it to be given a “Distinguished Engineering Educator Award” without having a doctorate degree.
A professor of industrial technology and director of Cooperative Work Experience Education at Pierce College, Smetzer got the award last month from the San Fernando Valley Engineers’ Council.
There were 22 recipients before Smetzer. All of the recipients of the award except one and Smetzer have a doctorate.
“It’s a special award. You know there are a lot of people who couldn’t get the award but I was selected,” said Smetzer, 58.
Smetzer is also the only community college professor to receive the award from SFVEC so far.
SFVEC was instituted in 1955 by the California Society of Professional Engineers, the American Institute of Plant Engineers, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Since 1982, the award has been given to a person who is outstanding in professional engineering education and in the successful contribution of students in engineering from SFVEC.
“It’s impressive that they would present an award like that to someone from a community college,” said Smetzer.
His contributions to engineering education outside of Pierce were also recognized by the award. One of primary criteria to receive the award is not only being a good instructor, but also being involved in extra-curricular activities: doing things with students outside of classrooms.
Smetzer belongs to the Society of Manufacturing Engineering and the San Fernando Valley Chapter of the National Tooling & Machining Association and is an advisor of the SME student chapter.
He encourages manufacturing students to experience activities outside the classroom by, for instance, letting them to plan technical activities and recognizing expert guest speakers.
In his extra-curricular activities, Smetzer has led students to compete and win first, second and third places in the WESTEC Manufacturing Challenge, a competition for collegiate-level engineering and technology students.
This semester, Smetzer is teaching computer numerical control technology and technical math in the industrial technology department and cooperative work experience education.
Before becoming an industrial technology professor at Pierce 25 years ago, he worked in the manufacturing industry.
He earned A.A. and A.S. degrees from Pierce, a B.A. from the State University of New York.
Smetzer was the first graduate of the computer numerical control program, which he now teaches.
Since Smetzer was 13 years old, he has been involved in industrial technology by working in the manufacturing industry, which led him to study the field in-depth and eventually become a professor.
“Facilitating students’ learning is the most important thing. The thing I enjoy most is working with students,” said Smetzer.
“One time I was even thinking of pursuing being an administrator. But I decided not to move in that direction because I enjoy working with students more,” said Smetzer.