Sikand Earns SAE International's Franklin W. Kolk Air Transportation Progress Award

WARRENDALE, Pa., May 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sharanpal (Paul) Sikand, Technical Fellow, The Boeing Company and Authorized Representative of the Federal Aviation Administration, was honored with the 2007 SAE International Franklin W. Kolk Air Transportation Progress Award during the SAE 2009 AeroTech Congress and Exhibition, held last fall in Seattle, Wash.

Established in 1978, the Franklin W. Kolk Air Transportation Progress Award recognizes an individual for unique and outstanding contributions to air transportation and/or to the work of the aerospace technical committees in developing aerospace standards, specifications, technical reports and data through cooperative research. The award is named for Franklin W. Kolk, who was renowned for the many significant contributions he made in design of commercial transport aircraft.

Sikand's technical expertise includes airplane propulsion systems, auxiliary power unit, fuel, and fire protection systems and design integration. He has developed innovative solutions to complex technical issues and has performed root cause analysis and corrective actions to resolve complex in-service problems on commercial and military airplanes. Sikand's technical leadership and innovative ideas have resulted in high dispatch reliability and enhanced safety of airplanes.

Prior to starting his career in the aerospace industry in 1987, Sikand designed offshore drilling rigs for Global Marine drilling Co. where he pioneered several innovative technologies.

Sikand is an inventor with two patents and he is a recipient of the Boeing Special Invention Award. He has authored more than 20 papers and won the best paper and presentation awards at international conferences.

He is a volunteer in various technical, professional, charitable and civic organizations, including SAE International where he frequently serves as a judge at the Aero Design West competitions and as technical session chair during conferences. He is the Chairman of the American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin (ASEI).

Sikand earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International's charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series.

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Contact: Shawn Andreassi, SAE International, via [email protected] or 1-724-772-8522

SOURCE SAE International