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Two George Mason University College of Engineering and Computing faculty were honored with the rank of Fellow in 2025. Janis Terpenny and Chun-Hung Chen were named Fellow in their respective professional societies, a recognition reserved for leaders with significant contributions in their discipline.
Terpenny, professor in the Departments of Systems Engineering and Operations Research (SEOR) and Mechanical Engineering, was named a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). The distinction honors her as a “pioneer and thought leader in engineering education dedicated to impacts of partnerships and real problems on motivation and learning.” Terpenny’s work influenced new degree programs, innovative courses, revised curricula, and faculty development initiatives across multiple institutions.
Terpenny views engineering education as a holistic ecosystem. “We should approach what we do in preparing the next generation in a very thoughtful way,” she said, emphasizing motivation, retention, and pedagogy. Her decades of involvement with ASEE included leadership roles, more than 40 conference papers, and service as director at large for the manufacturing division.
Chen, a SEOR professor, was named a Fellow of INFORMS, the leading international association for operations research and analytics. INFORMS recognized Chen for “fundamental contributions to simulation optimization and stochastic sampling methodology; contributions to O.R. practice in manufacturing, healthcare, air transportation and defense systems; and sustained service to the profession.”
Chen is internationally known for advancing simulation-based optimization, rare-event simulation, and efficient sampling techniques, work influencing both theory and real-world decision-making. His research has been applied across industries, from improving manufacturing processes to enhancing aviation safety and supporting complex defense systems. Chen has served on editorial boards for major journals, chaired key professional committees, and mentored generations of graduate students who now work in academia, government, and industry.
Chen is active in both INFORMS and IEEE and was named a Fellow of IEEE in 2015.