Dayton Engineer
Kevin Hallinan Receives University of Dayton Faculty Service Award
By Morgan Brewster, marketing communications intern
Service and sustainability have always been an important part of Kevin Hallinan’s life. Since starting at the University of Dayton School of Engineering over 20 years ago, he is still constantly striving to meet his goal of impacting the world through his research, teaching and service while connecting to UD’s Catholic and Marianist mission of social justice.
In 2001, Hallinan proposed organizing a team to design an international engineering and service program. The idea came to him after student Christine Vehar came home from an immersion in India and said, “Kevin, UD students should have opportunities like mine.” Today, this program is known as the ETHOS program.
Hallinan also has a passion for sustainability. When student John Seryak came to him for help during a cooperative engineering experience, they discussed different ideas and together formed the UD Sustainability Club, a service and social action club on campus.
“My service impact has been most profoundly expressed through the students I’ve been privileged to work with, learn from and help grow in their own pursuits,” Hallinan said. “I’ve learned that service doesn’t happen without listening and imagination.”
Most recently, Hallinan is working on developing a local food data system to help chemical-free farmers improve their work and to ultimately help food grown in local communities get to people who need it most.