One of the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering’s original faculty members, Dr. Peter Mente, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on January 20, 2014. Professor Mente held degrees from both the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, had fellowships at the University of Minnesota and the University of Vermont, and had been teaching at NC State since 1999, when he joined the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. In 2003 he was one of the founding members of the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State and UNC. Dr. Mente worked in rehabilitation engineering, specifically in the area of cell & tissue loading as well as in early degenerative changes in cartilage following impact injury. During his teaching career, Dr. Mente received numerous teaching accolades, including a 2007 Outstanding Teacher Award and a 2008 Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Award. BME Alumnus Austin Hampton remembers Dr. Mente fondly, recalling him as “one of the best professors” and noting that “Biomechanics will never be the same.” Close BME colleague and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Lianne Cartee, shares similar sentiments describing Peter as “a dedicated teacher who cared deeply for his students and was well loved by them in return. He was a founding member of the BME faculty and a friend to many of us. He’ll be missed.”
Peter’s obituary can be found online at Dee Funeral Home’s website.
To honor Dr. Mente’s commitment to and passion for teaching, BME in collaboration with the Mente family has established a scholarship fund in his honor. The family encourages donations be given to the scholarship fund in lieu of flowers. If you would like to donate, please go to the NC State Engineering Foundation’s web portal and designate the Peter Mente Scholarship.