Maverick Engineering Social Media

David A. Hullender, Ph.D., P.E.: a leader in teaching

Professor Hullender came to UT Arlington in 1970 after receiving his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He arrived with industry experience, having worked as a mechanical engineering consultant for Foster Miller Associates and as an inertial navigation systems engineer for General Dynamics after receiving his B.S. and M.S. degrees at Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Hullender research interests include machine vibration and stress analysis, hydraulic pneumatic and mechanical systems design and analysis, compressible and incompressible fluid dynamics, modeling and computer simulation, and analysis of random and stochastic processes.
Because of his expertise in so many areas, Dr. Hullender is frequently called on by diverse industries to be a consultant. This has resulted in him studying and improving the performance of pile drivers, amusement rides, fork lifts, loading ramps, construction platforms and joists, hydraulic flight control systems, and ink jet printers.

Students like Dr. Hullender’s abilities to transform his experiences into teaching opportunities. Because of this, he received the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Excellence in Teaching Award earlier this year. Lockheed Martin Teaching Award winners are distinguished educators who have demonstrated their dedication to the teaching profession by their superior classroom instruction and exceptional interactions with students. Dr. Hullender says that his primary teaching objective is to make a positive difference in each student’s career by helping them to develop confidence in being able to solve engineering problems.

In recommendation letters for the teaching award, students identified several aspects of his teaching abilities. Here are a few examples:

“The most significant aspects of his lectures are the ‘real life’ examples and his ability to demonstrate how the theory is applied in the field.”
“I took his class along with 50 other students, and he made me feel like I was the only person in the class.”
“He always fostered a spirit of inquiry and the development of critical thinking skills.”

His peer faculty also had high praise for his talents:

“Although he gives difficult exams and is a tough grader, he nonetheless receives some of the strongest teaching evaluations in the department, semester after semester.”
“He is consistently mentioned during graduating seniors’ exit interviews as one of the faculty members who had had the greatest influence on their development.”
“Reports produced by his undergraduate students were comparable to thesis or research projects that I have seen from graduate students and showed a depth of understanding and analytical ability seldom seen at the junior-level.”