Dr. David Torello joined Georgia Tech in the Fall of 2017 as a lecturer in the G.W.W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. Prior to this appointment, he received his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech where his work focused on using nonlinear ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques to characterize material properties and failure modes in engineering metals. This research focused on the use of sensitive air-coupled piezoelectric receivers to conduct absolute nonlinear ultrasound measurements on aluminum and steel specimens, enabling a broader range of NDE measurements to be made on in-service devices and structures. Dr. Torello's masters work focused on using nonlinear acoustic phenomena to drive Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) micro-cantilevers for high speed AFM imaging. Before coming to Georgia Tech for graduate school, Dr. Torello worked as a Mechanical Engineer for Garmin AT in Salem, Oregon, conducting thermal and vibration tests on avionic GPS units and designing and fabricating avionic GPS packaging and components.
Dr. Torello is currently focused on engineering education in the ME department. He teaches courses in mechanics (ME 2202, ME 3017) and is also focusing on instruction and concurrent development of the senior level mechanical systems laboratory (ME 4056). He is a Woodruff School Teaching Fellow, and strives to improve education by focusing his courses on real-world problem solving skills, hands-on instruction methods, and collaborative, student-centered environments.
