Professors Stephen Malkin and Thomas P. Russell of the University of Massachusetts were elected into the National Academy of Engineering this month.
Election into this academy is one of the highest honors for an engineer, awarding those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice or education, or pioneering new and developing fields of technology.
Stephen Malkin has been a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at UMass since 1986 and is well-known for his work in grinding and abrasive processes. Malkin is the author of more than 200 technical papers and a book, “Grinding Technology: Theory and Applications of Machining with Abrasives.”
“I’m obviously delighted,” said Malkin. “It’s big for the University to have a member of the National Academy as faculty. It affects how we are ranked.”
Malkin is being recognized by the academy for “pioneering research in and the implementation of grinding-system stimulation and optimization.” He has also received awards from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and is a member of both societies. At UMass, he has received the College of Engineering’s Outstanding Senior Faculty Award and in 1998, he was appointed as a Distinguished Professor.
“The president, chancellor, vice chancellor, and provost all sent congratulatory e-mails with this one,” Malkin said. “That’s when you know it’s a big deal.”
Thomas P. Russell became a faculty member at UMass in 1997 and also the director of the Materials Research Science and Engineer Center in 1997. He helped form MassNanoTech, which is a nanoscience and nanotechnology initiative. He is the author of over 400 publications; his work has been published in Macromolecules, Nature, Science and Physical Review Letters. He is also the associate editor of “Macromolecules,” a journal focusing on the fundamentals of polymer science.
Russell has also received the Dutch Polymer Award from the Netherlands, the Cooperative Research Award of the American Chemical Society and the High Polymers Prize by the American Physical Society. Russell was appointed as a Distinguished Professor on campus in 2004 as well as the Conte Distinguished Professor in 2006. He is being elected into the NAE for his “contributions to the processing of thin-block copolymer films to achieve well-organized nanostructures,” which has led to faster and more energy efficient chips for microelectronic devices.
“Being elected to the NAE is a recognition that goes beyond the bounds of your specific discipline and is a recognition from the general scientific community,” said Russell.
There are six members of UMass faculty, including Malkin and Russell, who are currently members or emeritus members of the NAE.
The NAE had 600 people nominated this year and that number was then whittled down to 65 elected members. Only 40 of those are university recipients and eight new members are from Massachusetts. The academy now has 2,227 members as well as 194 foreign associates.
The NAE was founded in 1964 and is a private, non-profit institution which is a part of the National Academies including the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council. The NAE conducts independent studies on important topics in engineering and technology as well as advising the federal government.
An induction ceremony will take place for the new members in Washington, D.C. this October.
Elyse Wood can be reached at [email protected]
