With ME Professor Al Pisano

Pisano is chair of the ME department and holds a joint appointment in EECS. He earned his Ph.D. in ME from Columbia University in 1981. Prior to joining the Berkeley faculty in 1983, he held research positions with Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, Singer Sewing Machines Corporate R&D Center and General Motors Research Labs. His research interests include MEMS for a wide variety of applications, including RF components, power generation, drug delivery, strain sensors, biosensors and disk-drive actuators.

What first inspired you to go into engineering?
When I was a young boy, my father ran a bulldozer and a steam shovel, and he brought me to work frequently. I fell in love with large earthmoving equipment and decided that mechanical engineering was the route to take to be able to design and build it. Later in my academic studies I discovered “mechanical engineering science” and got on the research track.

If you had a few extra hours, what would you do?
Rebuild the engine of my 1960 MGA and drive it around. Lose 25 pounds and play tennis eight hours a week. Set up a machine shop in my garage and build new kinds of internal combustion engines. Take my family on a tour around the world. Go to Tiburon and sip margaritas during the sunset. Build a machine that creates more spare time. Go back to riding my sprint bicycle and climb Mt. Tamalpais!

What are you currently reading?
Several books, a few chapters at a time for each. The Arab Mind, The Time Machine, The Map that Changed the World, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, the MG sports car repair manual and Mr. Boston: Official Bartender’s and Party Guide.

What should students do to ensure a successful career?
Develop a true love and passion for engineering. An academic record gets you into the room for the job interview, but a “fire in the belly” is what gets you the job and the respect of your peers and manager. And it gets you to the finish line in all difficult engineering tasks.

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