SME Names 2017 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineers

DEARBORN, Mich., April 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SME, committed to the manufacturing industry through promoting advanced manufacturing technology and workforce development, has selected 17 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineers to be honored for exceptional contributions and accomplishments in the manufacturing industry. All are age 35 or younger and represent both industry and academia. SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineers are selected based on work in emerging manufacturing applications, technical publications, patents, and academic or industry leadership.

"Manufacturing engineering and the manufacturing industry offer young people incredible opportunity for exploration and achievement," said Jeff Krause, SME CEO. "These creative and energetic young professionals are inspiring proof of both the strength and the promise of manufacturing."

Each year, the SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer award is named to honor a specific individual's lifelong contributions to manufacturing and SME. The 2017 award is named after Yoram Koren, DSc, HSME, FSME, James J. Duderstadt Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Manufacturing and Paul G. Goebel Professor Emeritus of Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

"These young professionals represent the future of manufacturing, and I'm honored that my name will be associated with their ability, energy and vision," said Koren. "SME chose these 17 from a rich variety of disciplines and backgrounds from around the world – and they chose well."

2017 SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineers:

Rohit Bhapkar, Research Specialist, Innovation and Technology Development Division
Caterpillar Inc., Mossville, Illinois

Debejyo Chakraborty, PhD, Senior Researcher in Manufacturing Systems Research Laboratory
General Motors Global Research and Development, Warren, Michigan

Neil Dasgupta, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Alaa Elwany, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

Wentao Fu, PhD, Additive Manufacturing Engineer
Siemens Energy Inc., Orlando, Florida

Brian T. Gibson, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Helga Hamm, Production Section Manager
Caterpillar Energy Solutions, Mannheim, Germany

Tao Jia, PhD, Mechanical Engineer, Model Based Manufacturing Laboratory
GE Global Research Center, Niskayuna, New York

Rajiv Malhotra, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering; Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon

Guha Prasanna Manogharan, PhD, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

Yayue Pan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago

Vikas Patel, PhD, Research Engineer in the Global Research and Development Department
ArcelorMittal, Chicago

Prahalad Rao, PhD, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department 
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska

Stefanie Robinson, PhD, Associate Director, Lab for Manufacturing and Sustainability
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California

Ashish Kumar Singh, PhD, Metallurgical Engineer, Welspun Pipes Inc.
Little Rock, Arkansas

Bruce L. Tai, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

Tao Wang, PhD, Lead Metallurgical Engineer and Research Lab Supervisor
Nucor Steel, Manila, Arkansas

Since 1980, SME's Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineers Award has recognized the careers and achievements of more than 370 manufacturing engineers. Nominations are accepted annually on or before Aug. 1. Visit sme.org/oyme to learn more about the award and the nominating process.

About SME
SME connects all those who are passionate about making things that improve our world. As a nonprofit organization, SME has served practitioners, companies, educators, government and communities across the manufacturing spectrum for more than 80 years. Through its strategic areas of events, media, membership, training and development, and the SME Education Foundation, SME is uniquely dedicated to the advancement of manufacturing by addressing both knowledge and skills needed for the industry. Follow @SME_MFG on Twitter or facebook.com/SMEmfg.

SOURCE SME

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