Dan Reneau
Encyclopedia
Daniel Dugan Reneau is the current president of Louisiana Tech University
.
A native of Woodville
, Mississippi
, Reneau graduated from Louisiana Tech University
with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering
in 1963 and earned a master's degree from Louisiana Tech in 1964. He received his Ph.D. in 1966 from Clemson University
in Clemson
, South Carolina
. Reneau returned to LA Tech in 1967 to serve as an assistant professor of chemical engineering. He became an associate professor in 1969 and was promoted to full professor in 1973. In 1972 Reneau established the LA Tech biomedical engineering
department, only the fifth undergraduate program of its kind, and was named its head. He founded the national biomedical engineering honor society Alpha Eta Mu Beta
in 1979. Reneau's research interests were the application of engineering principles to living systems, the understanding of cerebral palsy
, and the use of technology to help people with disabilities. He has published 80 technical papers in books and journals, edited five books, and attended more than 100 international meetings and conferences. In 1980, he was promoted to vice president of academic affairs at Louisiana Tech, having completed seven years of service as the university vice-president under President F. Jay Taylor
. On February 20, 1987, Reneau was selected to succeed the retiring Taylor as the 13th president of the institution.
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
.
A native of Woodville
Woodville, Mississippi
Woodville is a town in and the county seat of Wilkinson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,192 at the 2000 census.The Woodville Republican, a weekly newspaper founded in 1823, is the oldest surviving business in Mississippi.-Geography:Woodville is located at .According to...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Reneau graduated from Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
in 1963 and earned a master's degree from Louisiana Tech in 1964. He received his Ph.D. in 1966 from Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
in Clemson
Clemson, South Carolina
Clemson is a college town located in Pickens County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 11,939 at the 2000 census and center of an urban cluster with a total population of 42,199...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. Reneau returned to LA Tech in 1967 to serve as an assistant professor of chemical engineering. He became an associate professor in 1969 and was promoted to full professor in 1973. In 1972 Reneau established the LA Tech biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...
department, only the fifth undergraduate program of its kind, and was named its head. He founded the national biomedical engineering honor society Alpha Eta Mu Beta
Alpha Eta Mu Beta
Alpha Eta Mu Beta is a biomedical engineering honor society founded by Dr. Daniel Reneau of Louisiana Tech University, United States, in 1979. The first chapter of AEMB was founded at Louisiana Tech University...
in 1979. Reneau's research interests were the application of engineering principles to living systems, the understanding of cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
, and the use of technology to help people with disabilities. He has published 80 technical papers in books and journals, edited five books, and attended more than 100 international meetings and conferences. In 1980, he was promoted to vice president of academic affairs at Louisiana Tech, having completed seven years of service as the university vice-president under President F. Jay Taylor
F. Jay Taylor
Foster Jay Taylor, known as F. Jay Taylor , was a historian who served from 1962 to 1987 as the president of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston in Lincoln Parish in north Louisiana...
. On February 20, 1987, Reneau was selected to succeed the retiring Taylor as the 13th president of the institution.
Honors
- Fellow of the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America (1989)
- Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers (2001)
- National Federation of the Blind Newel Perry Award (2002)
- Tau Beta PiTau Beta PiThe Tau Beta Pi Association is the oldest engineering honor society in the United States and the second oldest collegiate honor society in America. It honors engineering students who have shown a history of academic achievement as well as a commitment to personal and professional integrity...
Distinguished Alumnus (2003)