Patrick Riddle began his professional career in the United States Navy as an Interior Communications Technician. Once discharged, he acted as the Maintenance Supervisor at Super Wheels, Inc., as well as MET Department Lab Assistant at the State Technical Institute at Knoxville. While he working at the W.J. Savage & Company, where he held the Senior Mechanical Design Engineer in the Mechanical Engineering Department, he began his academic career by earning his AE Technology-Mechanical Engineering Technology degree at the State Technical Institute in Knoxville. Pat went on to receive his AAS Engineering Technology in both Manufacturing Technology and Quality Control Technology from Pellissippi State Technical Community College, where he graduates Summa cum Laude and was a member of both the Tau Alpha Pi Engineering Technology National Honor Society and the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
Since 1989, Pat has been employed at Pellissippi State Community College (PSCC), beginning as an Industrial Training Instructor and most currently holding the position of Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Technology department, as well as Program Coordinator for three concentrations—Mechanical Engineering Technology, Manufacturing Engineering Technology and Industrial Maintenance Technology. During that time, he earned several degrees and received many academic honors. In 1998, Pat graduated Summa cum Laude with Top Graduate Honors and Outstanding Undergraduate in Human Resource Development with his BS in Human Ecology—Human Resource Development Industrial Education from the University of Tennessee (UTK). He went on to take Master level courses in Human Resource Development from UTK, but decided to earn his MS Engineering Technology from East Tennessee State University in 2004. While there, he was a member of the Epsilon Pi Tau Engineering Technology Honor Society and the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society.
Throughout his employment at PSCC, he has served on multiple committees and be presented multiple faculty awards. He is currently a member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and serves on the Access & Diversity Committee, Curriculum Assessment Committee and has been appointed as the QEP Assessment Director. His awards include the Gene Joyce Visionary Award (2009-2010), NISOD Excellence Award (2010) and multiple Service Awards.
Over the past several years, Pat consulted on several programs, including the AMTEC Curriculum Module Development, which is funded by the National Science Foundation. Most recently he has assisted in developing several programs at PSCC, including concentrations in Industrial Maintenance Technology, Industrial Automation Technology and Plastics Engineering Technology. He has also consulted with Breed Technologies, PBR Industries, Sanford/Rubbermaid, and Y-12 National Security.
AMTEC has made great strides toward identifying and validating advanced manufacturing technical education needs and has begun developing a standardized curriculum its partner colleges can deliver in a modularized, hybrid format, in demand by automotive manufacturers and their suppliers.
Built on the principles of targeted instruction relevant to the needs of industry, offered in flexible formats that expedite time to completion and that award academic credit, the AMTEC maintenance mechatronics curriculum will enable colleges to assist automotive manufacturers’ in meeting one of their greatest needs:highly skilled workers who understand complicated processes and are able to predict, prevent, troubleshoot, and problem-solve in real time in a high-pressure environment.