Lyle Feisel, an influential engineering educator and dedicated IEEE volunteer, died on 5 November at the age of 90.
Feisel was a professor of electrical engineering and the founding dean of the Watson engineering school at the State University of New York, Binghamton. He established its organizational structure, academic programs, and culture. He also hired the majority of its faculty.
For more than six decades, the Life Fellow helped define IEEE’s long-term approach to education and professional development. He served in key leadership roles for IEEE Educational Activities, the IEEE History Committee, the IEEE Life Members Committee, and the IEEE Foundation.
“Lyle Feisel’s passion, compassion, and thoughtfulness were an inspiration to everyone who knew him,” says Karen Galuchie, the IEEE Foundation’s executive director. “I feel privileged to have known him. The IEEE community was fortunate to have such a dedicated and caring leader.”
Early career highlights
Feisel served in the U.S. Navy from 1954 to 1958 as a radio operator—which sparked his interest in electronics and communications. After his active duty ended, he earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from Iowa State University, in Ames.
In 1964 he joined the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, in Rapid City, as a researcher and professor of electrical engineering. He taught there for 20 years.
Feisel’s research focused on thin-film materials, including tin-oxide films. He pursued early solar-cell research during a time when photovoltaics were still a niche experimental field. He supervised numerous undergraduate and graduate students and wrote an undergraduate curriculum that emphasized design projects and laboratory work.
By the late 1970s, Feisel was promoted to head of the EE department, where he helped update curriculum, recruit faculty, and expand research programs.
Building an institution from the ground up
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