In May, Robert Bernhard was appointed to the newly created position of vice president of research by the Notre Dame Board of Trustees. He also was appointed a full professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.
One of the nation’s leading experts on noise control, Prof. Bernhard was formerly associate vice president for research and professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University. He has directed the research of 49 engineering graduates and is the co-author of more than 170 journal and conference publications. His research activities have been funded by NASA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Indiana Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration and the National Science Foundation. Additionally, Prof. Bernhard holds two patents and is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and has been the secretary general of the International Institute of Noise Control Engineering since 2000.
A fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, Prof. Bernhard was named a distinguished noise control engineer by the Institute of Noise Control Engineering in 2003.
At Notre Dame, Bernhard addresses infrastructure and support of research — the work of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students alike — and the competition for funding dollars, as well as support for the University’s technology transfer efforts.
Typically, we ask our subjects to answer five questions, but here, Prof. Bernhard goes above and beyond to address eight questions from ND Today readers:
NDT: University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., wants ND to be a pre-eminent research facility. What is your role in that mission?
RB: In the prospectus about this position, Notre Dame said it was looking for someone to both lead and manage the research part of Father Jenkins’ vision. I see my role as equal parts visioning/planning how we move toward preeminence in conjunction with the administration and faculty, and determining how we set up the infrastructure and processes to be sure the research program is managed effectively in conjunction with the research administration staff.
NDT: What has been your biggest challenge thus far in your career?
RB:Getting through my mid-career crisis. By my early 40s, I had achieved far more than I had envisioned. Adding incrementally to my resume was not satisfying and I couldn’t see a career path that excited me personally (including family) and technically. It took a while to understand that it was truly rewarding to be in service to others in an area that I seemed to have special skills. Since I sorted this out, all of the pieces have seemed to fall in place.
NDT: How did you land on your specialty – noise-control?
RB: I felt like I was sucked into a vacuum. During my industrial experience at Westinghouse, I became interested in vibrations. I was recruited to acoustics because it was close to vibrations and there was an interesting graduate school opportunity. I was recruited to the noise control part of acoustics because there was additional opportunity and funding. Now I’m a noise control nerd. My family is sick of hearing about quiet highways, road noise in cars, transmission loss through single pane windows, aircraft noise, dishwashers that don’t have to be noisy, sound perceptions, etc. It’s been great – a special SOMEONE was looking out for me.
NDT: What role will you play in the new Innovation Park?(See related UNIVERSITY story)
RB: I’ll have a visioning and planning role in conjunction with others at the University, but my primary role will be to work with Dave Brenner to identify opportunities within the University that should be implemented through Innovation Park at Notre Dame. Together we’ll work to be sure that Innovation Park is a success and an asset to the University as well as an important economic stimulus for the local community.
NDT: What has been your most significant accomplishment in life?
RB: My marriage – 28 years last month. The greatest miracle has been my four children.
NDT: What role do you want research to play at Notre Dame, a University traditionally known for its Catholicism?
RB: On top of all of the great things that Notre Dame is already doing, I would like to build a component of research and scholarship that is the basis for Notre Dame having a greater impact and voice on important issues. It seems to me that we will know we are a preeminent University “when Notre Dame speaks, people listen.” It is also important that Notre Dame be known both for its Catholicism and its excellence in research and scholarship in order to demonstrate that Catholicism and faith are compatible with the pursuit of new knowledge and a deeper understanding of our world.
NDT: What was the last book you read recreationally?
RB: I’m in the middle of God, Country and Notre Dame by Father Hesburgh and I’m rereading Good to Great by Jim Collins for the fourth time – I sound pretty boring don’t I?
NDT: When ND plays Purdue, who will you root for?
RB: I’ll be rooting that the right team wins and the other team gets a “moral victory.”
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