Dr. Daniel Deckler, engineering professor at The University of Akron Wayne College, is teaching a different type of student this year — members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
          Deckler, a Canton resident, was selected to be an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Congressional Fellow for the 2007-08 academic year, and has been on faculty improvement leave in Washington, D.C., since August. Deckler is working on the minority staff of the House of Representatives Science and Technology Committee. He also acts as a liaison between this committee and the office of U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey of Georgia.
            The Science and Technology Committee is responsible for the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) and Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) areas of the U.S. Department of Transportation. One of Deckler’s duties was to examine the RITA and BTS sections of the 2008 Congressional Budget (omnibus bill), compare it to the 2008 Presidential Budget and report any differences to the minority members of Congress. In addition, he examined the 2009 Presidential Budget, which was released in February, compared it to what the president proposed in his 2008 budget and to what Congress appropriated in the 2008 omnibus and again reported any differences.
            Deckler also helped draft an amendment to U.S. Rep. David Wu’s (D-Ore) new bill “Green Transportation Infrastructure Research and Technology Transfer Act” (House Resolution 5161). Because this bill had more to do with the technology of highway construction, it was Deckler’s job as the DOT representative on the minority staff to examine the bill for concerns. His concerns resulted in changes to the language and in the funding. The amendment he drafted passed unanimously through the House Science and Technology Committee and has been placed on the House of Representatives calendar to await a date for debate on the House floor.
          Deckler is one of only two American Society of Mechanical Engineers Congressional Fellows serving on Capital Hill. He was chosen from a nationwide search and says he applied for the Congressional fellowship because he feels engineers need to remain involved with a project beyond the design and creation stages.
          “Engineering is a complex field and most technology has good and bad aspects,” says Deckler. “It is our responsibility as engineers to make sure that those voting on technological advances understand all the ramifications. The best part of this experience so far has been the opportunity to sit down with members of Congress and talk with them about various aspects of different bills and what I believe are some of the implications of these bills.”
          Deckler is keeping his students and colleagues in the loop of his activities on Capitol Hill with a blog that can be found at http://deckler.blogspot.com.
          Deckler joined Wayne College in September 1991. He teaches the first two years of the engineering curriculum, which includes courses such as statics, dynamics, mechanics of solids and circuits. Deckler received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with a computer science option from Ohio Northern University in 1985. He earned his master of science degree in mechanical engineering in 1990 and his doctorate in engineering in 2002, both from The University of Akron.