Faculty profile

Dr. Vignola attended Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1991.  From 1992 to 2006 Dr. Vignola has conducted research in structural acoustics studying the dynamics of micro- and nano-structures at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC.  A major area of interest has been fluid and non-fluid damping mechanisms in MEMS. In the fall of 2006 Dr. Vignola joined the faculty of the Mechanical Engineering department of The Catholic University of America in Washington DC.   

Teaching

Dr. Vignola teaches the two-semester Senior Design sequence, ME 441 & 442.  These are project-oriented classes where students are tasked to execute a large-scale project that draws from knowledge acquired over the student’s tenure as an undergraduate in the Mechanical Engineering department.  Dr. Vignola also teaches ME 703 and 704 higher-level courses in acoustics and vibrations.  The course uses case studies to examine the mechanisms by which vibrating structure radiate sound.  In the spring for 2007 Dr. Vignola along with Dr. Judge developed a new course for third year undergraduate students.  In ME 392 the students use LabVIEW to perform experiments on mechanical systems.  This course has been taught each subsequent year.  Dr. Vignola is currently working with three Ph. D. Students and about five other students pursuing MS or BS degrees.