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Journal of Technology & Science
November 28, 2010
WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE;
Metal Processing Institute founder Diran Apelian to receive materials
advancement award
WORCESTER, Mass. - Diran Apelian, Howmet Professor of Mechanical
Engineering at WPI and director of the University's Metal Processing
Institute, will receive the 2010 National Materials Advancement Award
from the Federation of Materials Societies during a ceremony at the
National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8.
The National Materials Advancement Award recognizes individuals who
have demonstrated outstanding capabilities and contributions in
advancing the multidisciplinary field of materials science and
engineering; the effective and economic use of materials in the
marketplace and the application of materials developments to national
problems and defense; and the development and implementation of
national policy that furthers the impact of materials sciences and
engineering on society.
Previous recipients have included Paul Maxwell, science consultant to
the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science (1985); William
Baker, retired chairman of AT&T Bell Laboratories (1987); Rep. George
Brown Jr., chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology
Committee (1992); Mary Good, undersecretary of commerce (1996);
Mildred Dresselhaus, director of the Office of Science in the U.S.
Department of Energy (2000); and Jeffrey Wadsworth, president and CEO
of Battelle Memorial Institute (2009). This is the first year two
awards have been presented; the second will go to Richard Alkire,
emeritus professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Apelian will be recognized for his work to found and develop the Metal
Processing Institute "as a prime example of building bridges between
the industrial, government, and academic communities that bring the
capabilities of materials science and engineering to bear on societal
challenges, while always valuing the role of the human element." Notes
Arden Bement, former director of the National Science Foundation, "his
work is at the forefront of maintaining a U.S. leadership presence in
manufacturing new products based on emerging advancements in materials
science and engineering."
Apelian, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and an
internationally recognized pioneer in metals research, has received
numerous honors for his contributions to research and education in
materials science and engineering in recent years. Earlier this year,
he received the 2010 Robert Earll McConnell Award from the American
Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME),
one of the nation's oldest engineering societies.
In 2009 he concluded a term as the 52nd president of The Minerals,
Metals & Materials Society (TMS), one of the four AIME member
societies. Previously, he received the Acta Materialia Inc. J. Herbert
Hollomon Award, the Brimacombe Prize, and the Bruce Chalmers Award
from TMS and was one of six Anniversary Laureates at the TMS annual
meeting, which marked the society's 50th anniversary. Apelian is one
of only 100 living TMS Fellows.
He was the first person from WPI to be named a fellow of APMI
International, the professional society for individuals involved in
powder metallurgy technology and particulate materials. He is also an
honorary member of the French Materials Engineering Society, a fellow
of APMI and ASM, and a foreign member of the National Academy of
Sciences of the Republic of Armenia. He received an honorary doctorate
from Northwestern Polytechnic University in Xian, China, in 1997.
Apelian's pioneering work in molten metal processing, new aluminum
alloys, and innovative casting techniques has resulted in more than
500 publications and 11 books, which he co-edited. The Metal
Processing Institute, an industry-university alliance he founded at
WPI in 1996, is dedicated to research in such areas as resource
recovery and recycling, metal casting, and metal heat treating. With
more than 90 corporate partners, it is the largest industry-university
consortium in North America.
In addition to his leadership in metals processing, Apelian has long
been an advocate for redefining engineering education and changing the
popular perception of engineers. Over the past two years, he has
co-taught "Grand Challenges," one of WPI's Great Problems Seminars,
which are offered to first year students through the university's
innovative first year experience. The seminar explores major
challenges facing engineering in the 21st century using materials
science and sustainability as a unifying theme. He is also co-editor
of the book "Shaping Our World: Engineering Education for the 21st
Century," expected to be released by J. Wiley & Sons in 2011.
Apelian received an undergraduate degree in metallurgical engineering
from Drexel University and an Sc.D. in materials science from MIT. He
worked at Bethlehem Steel's Homer Research Laboratories and then
joined Drexel, where he ultimately was named vice provost. At WPI, he
served as university provost from 1990 to 1996. Since then, he has
focused on teaching and research in materials processing. WPI has
twice honored him: in 2006 with its Board of Trustees' Award for
Outstanding Research and Creative Scholarship, and in 2009 with its
Chairman's Exemplary Faculty Prize.
From: A. Papazian
November 28, 2010
WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE;
Metal Processing Institute founder Diran Apelian to receive materials
advancement award
WORCESTER, Mass. - Diran Apelian, Howmet Professor of Mechanical
Engineering at WPI and director of the University's Metal Processing
Institute, will receive the 2010 National Materials Advancement Award
from the Federation of Materials Societies during a ceremony at the
National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8.
The National Materials Advancement Award recognizes individuals who
have demonstrated outstanding capabilities and contributions in
advancing the multidisciplinary field of materials science and
engineering; the effective and economic use of materials in the
marketplace and the application of materials developments to national
problems and defense; and the development and implementation of
national policy that furthers the impact of materials sciences and
engineering on society.
Previous recipients have included Paul Maxwell, science consultant to
the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science (1985); William
Baker, retired chairman of AT&T Bell Laboratories (1987); Rep. George
Brown Jr., chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology
Committee (1992); Mary Good, undersecretary of commerce (1996);
Mildred Dresselhaus, director of the Office of Science in the U.S.
Department of Energy (2000); and Jeffrey Wadsworth, president and CEO
of Battelle Memorial Institute (2009). This is the first year two
awards have been presented; the second will go to Richard Alkire,
emeritus professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Apelian will be recognized for his work to found and develop the Metal
Processing Institute "as a prime example of building bridges between
the industrial, government, and academic communities that bring the
capabilities of materials science and engineering to bear on societal
challenges, while always valuing the role of the human element." Notes
Arden Bement, former director of the National Science Foundation, "his
work is at the forefront of maintaining a U.S. leadership presence in
manufacturing new products based on emerging advancements in materials
science and engineering."
Apelian, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and an
internationally recognized pioneer in metals research, has received
numerous honors for his contributions to research and education in
materials science and engineering in recent years. Earlier this year,
he received the 2010 Robert Earll McConnell Award from the American
Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME),
one of the nation's oldest engineering societies.
In 2009 he concluded a term as the 52nd president of The Minerals,
Metals & Materials Society (TMS), one of the four AIME member
societies. Previously, he received the Acta Materialia Inc. J. Herbert
Hollomon Award, the Brimacombe Prize, and the Bruce Chalmers Award
from TMS and was one of six Anniversary Laureates at the TMS annual
meeting, which marked the society's 50th anniversary. Apelian is one
of only 100 living TMS Fellows.
He was the first person from WPI to be named a fellow of APMI
International, the professional society for individuals involved in
powder metallurgy technology and particulate materials. He is also an
honorary member of the French Materials Engineering Society, a fellow
of APMI and ASM, and a foreign member of the National Academy of
Sciences of the Republic of Armenia. He received an honorary doctorate
from Northwestern Polytechnic University in Xian, China, in 1997.
Apelian's pioneering work in molten metal processing, new aluminum
alloys, and innovative casting techniques has resulted in more than
500 publications and 11 books, which he co-edited. The Metal
Processing Institute, an industry-university alliance he founded at
WPI in 1996, is dedicated to research in such areas as resource
recovery and recycling, metal casting, and metal heat treating. With
more than 90 corporate partners, it is the largest industry-university
consortium in North America.
In addition to his leadership in metals processing, Apelian has long
been an advocate for redefining engineering education and changing the
popular perception of engineers. Over the past two years, he has
co-taught "Grand Challenges," one of WPI's Great Problems Seminars,
which are offered to first year students through the university's
innovative first year experience. The seminar explores major
challenges facing engineering in the 21st century using materials
science and sustainability as a unifying theme. He is also co-editor
of the book "Shaping Our World: Engineering Education for the 21st
Century," expected to be released by J. Wiley & Sons in 2011.
Apelian received an undergraduate degree in metallurgical engineering
from Drexel University and an Sc.D. in materials science from MIT. He
worked at Bethlehem Steel's Homer Research Laboratories and then
joined Drexel, where he ultimately was named vice provost. At WPI, he
served as university provost from 1990 to 1996. Since then, he has
focused on teaching and research in materials processing. WPI has
twice honored him: in 2006 with its Board of Trustees' Award for
Outstanding Research and Creative Scholarship, and in 2009 with its
Chairman's Exemplary Faculty Prize.
From: A. Papazian