Rate My Professor Blake Hylton

Blake Hylton is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the T.J. Smull College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University. He earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a B.S. from the University of Tulsa. In his academic role, Hylton instructs a variety of core courses essential to the mechanical engineering curriculum, including Foundations of Design I and II, Orientation, Computer Applications, Statics, Quality Engineering, and Senior Capstone. These courses emphasize design principles, computational tools, statics analysis, quality control methods, and integrative project work that prepares students for professional practice.

Hylton's research interests center on assessment strategies, engineering education at the K-12 level, and first-year engineering programs. His recent scholarship includes the article 'Working to Instill the Entrepreneurial Mindset Across the Curriculum,' published in Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy in September 2019 with co-authors J.D. Yoder, D.R. Mikesell, and H. LeBlanc, which details efforts to embed entrepreneurial thinking throughout the engineering curriculum at Ohio Northern University. Another publication is 'Assessing Curiosity in the Engineering Entrepreneurship Context: Challenges and Future Research Areas' in Advances in Engineering Education, volume 7, issue 1, November 2018, co-authored with S. Zappe and J.D. Yoder. He also contributed to 'Work in Progress: Incorporating Microprocessors across the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum' in 2019 with L.W. Funke and D. Sawyers, which describes integrating Arduino microprocessors into first-year, computer applications, and experimental methods courses to boost mechatronics exposure, prototyping capabilities, and real-world application understanding. Hylton served as principal investigator for the NSF grant 'Promoting Engineering Problem Framing Skill Development in High School Science and Engineering Courses,' awarded $450,000 over three years in 2018. He received the 2020 National KEEN Rising Star Award for his contributions to entrepreneurial engineering education. Hylton advises Ohio Northern University's rocket team, supporting student-led innovation in aerospace engineering.