SME elects 8 industry leaders to College of Fellows.

Press Release Summary:



In ceremony held at SME Fall Meeting in Toronto, 6 out of 8 new Fellows accepted medals and lifelong membership into Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Two of them traveled from as far as Taipei, Taiwan and Bremen, Germany, while other attending Fellows hailed from Winnipeg and around U.S. All have been recognized by SME, their peers, and larger manufacturing community as key contributors to social, technical, and educational progress of manufacturing.



Original Press Release:



SME Elects International Body of Distinguished Researchers, Inventors, Business Leaders to its College of Fellows



TORONTO, ONT. CANADA, November 4, 2008 - The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the world's leading professional society serving the manufacturing industry, has elected eight industry leaders to the Society's prestigious College of Fellows for 2008. The 2008 class joins nearly 250 other SME members who have been elected as Fellows since the program's inception in 1986, and represents various segments of the manufacturing community.

In a ceremony held Sunday, October 26, 2008 at the SME Fall Meeting in Toronto, six of these new Fellows accepted medals and lifelong membership into the Society. Two of them traveled from as far away as Taipei, Taiwan and Bremen, Germany, while other attending Fellows hailed from Winnipeg and around the U.S.

"Selection as an SME Fellow is truly a recognition of distinguished accomplishment. We were pleased to have had six of our new Fellows join us, and we welcome the opportunity to induct our two additional members at a later date," said Neil A. Duffie, 2008 SME president.

"Overall, this class exemplifies manufacturing's best and brightest and their contributions matter because their research, innovation and leadership ultimately help make our lives brighter, better, faster. And we salute them for their ongoing dedication to the profession."

Those 2008 Fellows in attendance at the Fall Meeting included K.C. Fan, Willy Geary, Gert Goch, Neal P. Jeffries, Michael F. Molnar and Kevin Scott Smith. Newly-elected Fellows Shivakumar Raman and Y. Lawrence Yao have chosen to receive their awards at the North American Manufacturing Research Conference (NAMRC) scheduled for May 2009 in Monterrey, Mexico.

Each of these recipients has been recognized by SME, their peers and the larger manufacturing community as key contributors to the social, technical and educational progress of manufacturing:

William "Willy" J. Geary, President, Boeing Canada Operations Limited & General Manager, Boeing, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Willy Geary is responsible for leading the largest aerospace composite manufacturer in Canada and the country's third largest aerospace facility. Previously, he was the manufacturing superintendent of Final Assembly for 737 Airplane Programs, the chief engineer for 737 aircraft interiors, and the director of 737/757 and 747 production engineering. Other assignments included managing engineering and tooling sectors. In addition to his long career at Boeing, Geary serves on Gonzaga University's Board of Regents. He received SME's Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award in 1990.

Gert Goch, Dr Eng. Director, BIMAQ (Bremen Institute of Metrology, Automation and Quality Science), University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Prior to his current role as director of BIMAQ, Goch was a dedicated professor at the University of Hannover, the University of Ulm and the University of Bremen, respectively. As an engineer and researcher, he has distinguished himself as a leader of such specialties as metrology and sensor technology, diagnosis of production processes and industrial automation. Goch holds eight patents and is the author or coauthor of more than 190 scientific publications.

Kuang-Chao Fan, PhD, Distinguished and Chon-Juo Zhang Chair Professor, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

An accomplished educator and manufacturing knowledge leader, Fan has served as Associate Dean of the Engineering College at National Taiwan University. He is the vice chairman of the Automatic Optical Inspection Equipment Association in Taiwan and served as a consultant to Taiwan's Ministry of Education from 1994 to 1999. Additionally, he is the author or co-author of 80 journal papers, three books and 150 conference papers delivered at symposiums throughout Asia.

Neal P. Jeffries, PhD, CMfgE, Executive Director Center for Manufacturing Technology, Cincinnati, OH

Jeffries is cofounder and president of the Center for Manufacturing Technology. Established in 1977, this nonprofit institute offers manufacturing technology education for industry and presents about 100 programs each year. Prior to this role, Jeffries gained extensive experience at various global organizations such as GE, DuPont and the U.S. Air Force. His dedication to manufacturing technology is also exemplified by his nearly 10 years as a professor at the University of Cincinnati. Jeffries is the author or co-author of two books, 100 technical papers and holds nine patents in both the U.S. and abroad.

Michael F. Molnar, CMfgE, PE. Technical Director, Cummins, Inc., Columbus, IN
Molnar currently serves as Cummins Inc.'s director of environmental policy and sustainable development or green initiatives within his company. And for his breadth of manufacturing knowledge and significant contributions to advancing manufacturing technology, public policy and advocacy, he was selected to be a White House Fellow. A contributor to numerous technical publications, he has also been a sought after keynote or featured speaker at conferences and symposiums throughout the United States and in Germany.

Shivakumar Raman, PhD, John A. Myers, Professor in Engineering and David Ross Boyd Professor, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK

An educator for the past 20 years, Raman has established an outstanding reputation teaching manufacturing processes and metrology at the undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of Oklahoma. For his years of dedication there, Raman has received several awards, including the Institute of Industrial Engineers' Student Chapter Outstanding Professor Award (five times) as well as the OU Regents' Award for Superior Teaching.

Kevin S. Smith, PhD, Professor and Deputy Director of the Center for Precision Metrology, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Charlotte, NC

Smith is a dedicated professor of mechanical engineering at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, where he is also the deputy director of the Center for Precision Metrology. Prior to joining UNC, he served as the associate director of the Machine Tool Research Center at the University of Florida. Smith's career in manufacturing research and education spans more than 20 years and he currently holds two patents. He is also the author or coauthor of more than 100 technical papers.

Y. Lawrence Yao, PhD, Professor and Chair, Columbia University, New York, NY
Yao is the professor and chair of Columbia University's Manufacturing Research Laboratory. Before joining Columbia in 1994, he served as senior lecturer in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Yao is the author or coauthor of nearly 100 technical papers and serves as associate editor of SME's two peer-reviewed journals, the Journal of Manufacturing Processes and the Journal of Manufacturing Systems.

As SME honored the 2008 Fellows, it is currently accepting nominations for the 2009 College of Fellows. Nomination forms may be downloaded at www.sme.org/awards and should be submitted by December 1, 2008.

SME News Feed:
To receive the latest up-to-the-minute SME news, subscribe to RSS.

About the SME College of Fellows:

The SME College of Fellows was created to honor those members who have made outstanding contributions to the field of manufacturing. A Fellow is a member recognized by the manufacturing community as a contributor to the social, technological and educational aspects of the profession. This honor can only be earned through years of dedication and service to manufacturing engineering.

2009 Fellows Nominations Deadline:

SME members worldwide are encouraged to nominate members from industry, academia and government who have made a notable impact in the field of manufacturing. The deadline for 2009 Fellow nominations is December 1. Selection criteria includes leadership in industry, education, research and development, inventions publications and/or service to the profession. Visit www.sme.org/awards to download a nomination form or to learn more about all of SME's Awards & Recognition programs.

About SME:

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is the world's leading professional society supporting manufacturing education. Through its member programs, publications, expositions and professional development resources, SME promotes an increased awareness of manufacturing engineering and helps keep manufacturing professionals up to date on leading trends and technologies. Headquartered in Michigan, SME influences more than half a million manufacturing practitioners and executives annually. The Society has members in more than 70 countries and is supported by a network of hundreds of technical communities and chapters worldwide.

All Topics