Anna Lidia Pate

Professor Anna L. Pate a faculty member in tile Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, died of cancer at Mary Greeley Medical Center on January 15, 1993. Anna was 44 years old. She is survived by her husband, Michael, a professor of mechanical engineering at Iowa State; a daughter, Agnieszka Pate, at home; a stepdaughter, Michelle Pate of Norman, Ark.; her parents Boleslaw and Helena Lachowicz of Radom, Poland; and three brothers, Arthur Lachowicz of Berlin, Germany and Ireneusz Lachowicz and Janusz Lachowicz, both of Radom. Anna was born in Radom, Poland on March 9, 1948 and had lived in Ames for 11 years.

Anna received a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Warsaw, Poland in 1972 and the Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Krakow, Poland in 1978. From 1973 until 1978 she was an instructor in the Institute of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics at the Technical University of Krakow, and after a postdoctoral research appointment at the Ray W. Herrick Laboratories at Purdue University, she returned to Krakow as an assistant professor in the Institute of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics. Anna returned to the United States in 1980, and was a consultant in acoustics and noise control in San Francisco and graduate instructor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Santa Clara until 1982 when she joined the faculty of Iowa State University. She was promoted to Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics in 1986, and to Professor in 1990. She served as Assistant Dean of Engineering for Faculty Development from January 1989 through June 1990. Anna's principal areas of research and teaching were acoustics, vibrations, and noise control. She was an international authority in structural acoustics, and was a respected teacher and mentor.

Anna was recognized by students and colleagues at Iowa State and around the world as an enthusiastic, tireless, energetic and outstanding professional as well as a warm and friendly person. She was a natural coach and mentor for those around her, and worked hard to improve herself and all those around her. She motivated others by design but also by her personal example. While conducting an active well funded research program, she also developed an externally funded program to improve recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups in engineering. She served as a mentor to numerous undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty members from underrepresented groups. In honor of her achievements as a mentor Anna was the first recipient of the Anna L. Pate Mentoring Award from the Iowa State University Women in Science and Engineering Program.

Anna's research accomplishments during her brief career were also prodigious. She supervised the research of 7 M.S. and 7 Ph.D. students, most of whom she supported on grants that totaled over $2,200,000 since 1984; was the author or co-author of more than 30 publications; had given more than 50 technical presentations at professional meetings, universities, and for industry in the U.S. and around the world; and was a sought after session organizer and reviewer for papers and proposals. Her work in acoustic intensity, acoustic holography, and structural acoustics was well known and respected by colleagues around the world.

Anna's professional success also led to increased professional and university service activity. She was a member of the Editorial Board of Noise Control Engineering Journal, a member of the Executive Committee of the ASME Division of Noise Control and Acoustics and was the Chair of the Technical Committee on Experimental Acoustics and Instrumentation of ASME and also of the Instrumentation Group of the Structural Acoustics Technical Committee of the Acoustical Society of America. At Iowa State she had served as Chair of the Physical Sciences Review Committee of the Graduate College, as a member of the Women in Science and Engineering Committee, the NDE Educational Committee and numerous other college, department, and university committees.

Anna was always willing to give of her time and abilities to further education, research, or the development of the students, faculty, and staff around her. Her personal contributions to the department, college, university, and her profession were outstanding, but her most significant contribution may have been the increased contributions she generated from those around her. Her energy and enthusiasm were contagious, and her high personal standards brought out the best in her students and colleagues.

Iowa State University lost an outstanding faculty member in the prime of her career with the death of Anna Pate. For those of us who were her close colleagues, we will especially remember Anna as a warm and caring friend who was also an inspiring researcher and dedicated teacher and mentor. We miss her enormously.

Respectfully submitted,

David K. Holger
Alison B. Flatau
Bruce R. Munson
Loren W. Zachary

Submitted on 10/3/94