Professor Tom Lennon is a member of the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Department at Mass Maritime. He joined the faculty in 2010 after serving on active duty with the U. S. Navy and Coast Guard for 25 years. His areas of emphasis include international relief and maritime security. Professor Lennon has developed several international education programs and exchanges for Mass Maritime including programs in Haiti, Guatemala, and Denmark. Professor Lennon’s military assignments included positions supporting Coast Guard and Department of Defense operations and missions worldwide including two deployments to the Middle East. Professor Lennon also held faculty positions and/or senior leadership positions at the United States Coast Guard Academy, at the Naval Justice School, and with the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies. He also served as adjunct faculty at the Naval War College, and has lectured at institutions and at conferences throughout the world including South America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
Dr. Samantha Montano is currently an associate professor of Emergency Management at the Academy. Montano does research on a variety of topics related to emergency management including disaster volunteerism, the role of the nonprofit sector in disaster, the relationship between emergency management and climate change, and the intersection of gender and disasters. In addition to research, she does science communication work and emergency management policy advocacy.
Current courses: Introduction to Emergency Management and Emergency Management Policy
Education: Ph.D. in Dynamics and Control, Aerospace Engineering, Old Dominion University, USA • M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering, Cairo University, Egypt • B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering, Cairo University, Egypt
Background: Dr. Ashraf Omran is an Associate Professor in the Facilities Engineering Department at MMA. He earned his Bachelor's and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from Cairo University in Egypt. His master’s research focused on the kinematics, dynamics, and control of Stewart manipulators, and during that time he served as a teaching and research assistant. Following a competitive international scholarship, Dr. Omran completed his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at Old Dominion University (ODU) in Virginia in 2010. His doctoral research, partially funded by the State of Virginia, investigated the dynamics and control of MAGLEV trains. After completing his Ph.D., he remained at ODU as a research scientist and adjunct assistant professor, contributing to several high-profile research projects. These included: Enhancements to the ATOS NASA Flight Simulator in collaboration with Lockheed Martin and Spacecraft rendezvous and proximity operations research with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. Dr. Omran later transitioned to the automotive industry, joining CNH–Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Chicago, where he worked for nearly eight years. During his tenure, he led the advanced development and testing of powertrain and transmission control systems, resulting in 24 international patents. His work encompassed controller design, model-based testing, and hands-on validation in both lab and field for construction and agricultural vehicles. Returning to academia, Dr. Omran has held faculty positions at several universities including: Texas A&M University – Kingsville, where he launched the Aerospace Engineering Minor and developed a new course in Vehicle Systems Dynamics, Loyola University Chicago, Johns Hopkins University and currently he teaches at MMA. Dr. Omran’s scholarly work focuses on dynamics, robotics, and control, and he has published widely in these areas. His accomplishments have been recognized through numerous awards, including the 2010 Lee M. Klinefelter Faculty Award for Overall Excellence in Aerospace Engineering from ODU. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and regularly serves as a peer reviewer for leading journals published by IEEE, ASME, and AIAA. He has also chaired multiple technical sessions at the American Control Conference. Currently, Dr. Omran in the process of releasing his textbook, 'Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines,' which is scheduled to be published by Springer: Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines: Modeling and Design with MATLAB®, Simulink® and Simscape™ Multibody™: Omran, Ashraf: 9783031727009.
Teaching Interests: Dr. Omran’s teaching interests span a wide range of interdisciplinary engineering subjects, including: • Dynamics and Control Systems • Robotics and Mechatronics • Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics • Vehicle Powertrain and Transmission Systems • Aerospace Engineering (Flight Dynamics, Spacecraft Dynamics) • Operational Controls and Facilities Engineering Applications • Engineering Design and Experiential Learning He is deeply committed to project-based and hands-on learning, integrating real-world engineering problems into the classroom through laboratory instruction, simulations, and industry collaboration.
Research Interests: Dr. Omran’s research focuses on the modeling, simulation, and control of dynamic systems across several engineering domains. His specific interests include: • Dynamics and Nonlinear Control of Mechanical and Aerospace Systems • Vehicle Systems Dynamics and Powertrain Control • Robotics, including Parallel Manipulators and Autonomous Systems • Aerospace Applications: Spacecraft Rendezvous, MAGLEV Trains, and Flight Simulators • Model-Based Design and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Testing • Engineering Education and Experiential Learning Pedagogy His work has led to numerous peer-reviewed publications and international patents, and he has collaborated with organizations including NASA, Lockheed Martin, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
B.A., Bridgewater State College Political Science and History; M.A., University of Massachusetts/Amherst, Political Science; Ph.D., University of Connecticut, Political Science, Retired US Army Reserve, Major, Retired Federal Bureau of Investigation Intelligence officer; Research Interests-Domestic and International Terrorism, and Violence in American society
