SME announces 2011 International Honor Award recipients.
Press Release Summary:
SME International Honor Awards recognize those individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of manufacturing engineering in such areas as manufacturing technologies, technical writing, education, research, management, and service to the Society. This year's recipients include Howard A. Kuhn, PhD, PE; David L. Wells, PhD; Ekkard Brinksmeier, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Habil., FSME; W. Tyler Estler, PhD; K. Scott Smith, PhD, FSME; and Willbert E. Wilhelm, PhD, PE.
Original Press Release:
SME Announces 2011 International Honor Award Recipients
Six to be Recognized for Exemplary Contributions to Manufacturing
DEARBORN, Mich., - The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) announced today the recipients of the 2011 SME International Honor Awards recipients. These awards recognize those individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of manufacturing engineering in such areas as manufacturing technologies, technical writing, education, research, management and service to the Society.
"SME is proud to pay tribute to these six individuals," said Paul D. Bradley, PE, SME's 2011 president. "Through their diligent research efforts and technical achievements, they have each significantly contributed to advancing the manufacturing industry."
The winners will be honored at the International Awards Gala, which takes place at the SME Annual Conference, June 5-7, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue in Bellevue, Wa.
This year's recipients are:
Howard A. Kuhn, PhD, PE
Research Consultant & Adjunct Professor
The Ex One Co. LLC & University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Howard A. Kuhn was awarded the Eli Whitney Productivity Award for his distinguished accomplishments in improving capability within the broad concept of orderly production. Kuhn, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, teaches courses in design, manufacturing, product realization and entrepreneurship, and conducts research on manufacturing for tissue engineering applications.
David L. Wells, PhD
Professor
North Dakota State University
Fargo, N.D.
David L. Wells is recognized with the Joseph A. Siegel Service Award for his significant and unique contributions to the Society. An SME member since 1979, Wells has been active in a number of pioneering ventures in manufacturing education. Beginning in 1983, he has chaired or co-chaired six SME national and international conferences and workshops, edited or co-edited seven SME proceedings, authored or coauthored eight SME papers or technical reports and was an invited presenter at 18 clinics and workshops.
Ekkard Brinksmeier, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Habil., FSME
Professor for Manufacturing Technologies
University of Bremen
Bremen, Germany
Ekkard Brinksmeier is recognized with the SME Frederick W. Taylor Research Medal for his significant and leading-edge published research, which has led to a better understanding of materials, principles, operations and their application to improve manufacturing processes. Brinksmeier studied mechanical engineering at the University of Hannover, Germany. After receiving his Dr.-Ing. in mechanical engineering in 1982, he worked as chief engineer at the Institute for Production Engineering and Machine Tools, Hannover.
W. Tyler Estler, PhD
Physicist (retired)
Precision Engineering Division
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, Md.
W. Tyler Estler is recognized with the SME Albert M. Sargent Progress Award for his significant accomplishments in the field of manufacturing processes, methods or systems. Estler, a retired physicist in the Precision Engineering Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has expertise and experience in high-accuracy dimensional metrology of precision machine tools, coordinate measuring machines and complex workpieces; precision interferometric metrology for displacement, absolute distance, angle and surface figure measurements; laser alignment metrology; large-scale metrology; refractive index measurements; probability theory; and the fundamentals of measurement science and engineering metrology.
K. Scott Smith, PhD, FSME
Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, N.C.
K. Scott Smith is recognized with the SME Education Award for developing manufacturing-related curricula, fostering sound training methods and inspiring students to enter the profession of manufacturing. Smith has been an engineering educator for more than 25 years at the University of Florida and at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Currently, he is professor and chair of mechanical engineering and engineering science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Willbert E. Wilhelm, PhD, PE
Mike and Sugar Barnes Professor
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas
Wilbert E. Wilhelm is recognized with the SME Gold Medal for his outstanding service to the manufacturing engineering profession through published literature, technical writings and lectures. Wilhelm, the Barnes Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University, received his BS in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University, and an MS and PhD in industrial engineering and operations research from Virginia Tech.
For more information about the SME International Honor Awards, visit sme.org/honorawards. Nominations for the 2012 SME International Honor Awards are due August 1, 2011.
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About SME:
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) is the premier source for manufacturing knowledge, education and networking. Through its many programs, events, magazines, publications and online training division, Tooling U, SME connects manufacturing practitioners to each other, to the latest technologies and to the most up-to-date manufacturing processes. SME has members around the world and is supported by a network of chapters and technical communities. A 501(c)3 organization, SME is a leader in manufacturing workforce development issues, working with industry, academic and government partners to support the current and future skilled workforce.
Media Contact:
Lori Ann Dick, APR
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
313.425.3187
communications@sme.org
