Directory

Diana R. Haidar joined Carnegie Mellon University in fall 2017 as an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and leads efforts in the new Maker Ecosystem. Her prior research work developing both metal and polymer nanocomposites for advanced performance in extreme environments required her to design, fabricate, and build various custom testing equipment for these unique materials. In instructing undergraduate and graduate student teams to make their own machinery, she developed a passion for using maker space resources to bring more hands-on design experiences to the classroom.

Haidar focuses her efforts on connecting students to new makerspace resources. She is a proponent of increasing active learning in the classroom and enhancing engineering education by making. In addition to her makerspace and teaching roles, she pursues her passion for promoting diversity in STEM through youth outreach activities

Office
347 Scaife Hall
Phone
412.268.5222
Email
dhaidar@andrew.cmu.edu

Education

2017 Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware

2011 BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Affiliations

Media mentions


Tech Spark

Carnegie Mellon hosts international makerspace symposium

Makers and educators from more than 150 academic institutions attended the 2023 International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces (ISAM).

Popular Science

Haidar quoted in Popular Science

MechE’s Diana Haidar was quoted in Popular Science talking about 3D printing. “Mass manufacturing methods, almost all of them are quite fixed. You can only remake the exact same parts over and over again. But people also want custom parts. That’s where 3D printing has a niche,” she says.

CMU Engineering

Behind the shield

Tech Spark is fabricating face shields for essential workers at the front lines of the COVID-19 response.

CMU Engineering

Transforming ideas into reality in Tech Spark

In the College of Engineering’s Tech Spark, Robert Smith, senior windows systems engineer, has developed a system that allows students, faculty, and staff to access machines and tools they have been trained on, and directs them to training courses they may need to use the systems in the future.

Boston Globe

Rethink the Rink Make-A-Thon featured in Boston Globe

MechE’s Diana Haidar and students participating in the Rethink the Rink Make-A-Thon were featured in the Boston Globe for the student’s efforts to create safer boards for hockey rinks.

Mechanical Engineering

Making it happen

From collaborative maker spaces to multidisciplinary make-a-thons, Diana Haidar plays an integral role in the College of Engineering’s maker ecosystem.