College of Engineering names two new chairs

Rowan University's College of Engineering recently named Drs. Eric Constans and Kauser Jahan as chairpersons of the Mechanical Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering programs, respectively.

Constans received his Ph.D. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from Penn State University, where he was also a graduate teaching fellow, and his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington. Before coming to Rowan in 1999, Constans worked in Hannover, Germany, as an acoustician for the manufacturing giant Continental AG.

"I'm honored to have this position, and I hope to serve the College of Engineering well during my term," he said. "I think that we have the potential to be the number one Mechanical Engineering department in the country."

Constans currently is advising students participating in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Baja Project, an international competition in which he helps design, build and race an off-road vehicle. He lives in Pitman with his wife and 10-year-old son.

Jahan received her Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the University of Minnesota, her M.S. in environmental engineering from the University of Arkansas, and her B.S. in civil engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Before coming to Rowan University in 1996, Jahan was a faculty member in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Nevada.

"I am the first Bangladeshi female engineering chairperson in the U.S.A.," Jahan said. "As such, the Bangladeshi engineering community is very excited about the appointment. Currently, there are only five percent of female chairs in the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accredited civil engineering programs in the U.S.A. I am humbled to be a part of this small group. The College of Engineering at Rowan has an energetic faculty who are invested in a high-quality engineering program. It has been a joy to be a part of a new innovative engineering program from the start."

Jahan, of Washington Township, is now working in partnership with the New Jersey Academy for Aquatic Sciences, developing educational materials for K-12 students as part of an outreach program promoting engineering career possibilities. She is married and a mother of two daughters.

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