Lalita Udpa is a professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering. She was recently named one of MSU’s University Distinguished Professors in 2019.
Non-destructive evaluation, or NDE, is an area that not many people have heard of. The simplest way I can explain it, is a similarity to biomedical imaging. We use soundwaves at very high frequencies to see inside materials.
In NDE, we are looking for structural health. The health of a bridge, cracks and corrosion in aircraft, in submarines, it’s a very critical part of many industries.
Graduate students work on various aspects of NDE, so they can work on computational methods, data analysis or do instrumentation and design.
We take on new challenges and our reputation is such that, I think, in the coming years NDE at MSU is going to be the best in the country.
I’ve been in this field for about thirty years now and I’m a minority, so it’s very important for me to educate young girls on the importance of engineering. For the women out there, I think engineering is a great field. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do this.
Reused with permission from WKAR.
