Pat Ferro Honored with Emeritus Status

Dr. Patrick Ferro is one of several retiring professors granted emeritus status by Gonzaga University. He was honored at a faculty awards ceremony in early May.

Ferro has been one of the more popular professors within Mechanical Engineering, and chaired the department for some of his 14 years at Gonzaga. He regularly volunteered his services outside the classroom, pioneered several interdisciplinary courses, co-teaching with faculty in Human Physiology, Chemistry and Biochemistry.

He is licensed as a Professional Engineer (PE) in Washington, Michigan and Ohio, and is also a Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE). His industrial experience includes assignments as a materials and process engineer at PCC (Portland) and Wacker Siltronic (Portland).

In the greater Spokane community, Ferro is also known as a tuba player. His 2020 message to incoming freshmen bookends with a tuba solo. As a metallurgist, he likes to call his instrument "heavy metal."

An avid supporter of sustainability, Ferro championed alternative energy sources. His hydrogen lab always employed at least one student testing the hydrogen embrittlement of metals, searching for an alloy that could better withstand use as a hydrogen battery. He could also be seen commuting on his bike or the bus.