Engineers, Professors Receive SAE Distinguished Speaker Award

WARRENDALE, Pa., July 12, 2007 - Eight engineers and professors are recipients of SAE International's Lloyd L. Withrow Distinguished Speaker Award. They were presented the award during the SAE 2007 World Congress in Detroit.

The award, established in 1984, recognizes individuals who are three-time or more recipients of the SAE Oral Presentation Award. It honors the late Lloyd L. Withrow, former head of General Motors Research Laboratories Fuels and Lubricants, and a noted speaker at many SAE meetings.

The SAE Foundation funds this award. In addition to supporting the awards, recognition and scholarship programs of SAE International, the SAE Foundation develops and funds programs and incentives that foster student interest in engineering, scientific and technical education.

Terrence Alger
Alger is a principal engineer in the advanced combustion and emissions section of the engine and emissions research department at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Tex. Previously, he worked on gasoline direct injection engine development in the powertrain research group at Ford Motor Company. Before starting his career in the automotive industry, Alger served as an officer for five years in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with tours of duty in Bosnia and Italy. He is a member of SAE International.

Alger earned his bachelor's in mechanical engineering from the United States Military Academy, and his master's and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

To set up an interview with Alger, please contact Craig Witherow at Southwest Research Institute, craig.witherow@swri.org.

John Dec
Dec is a distinguished member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, Calif. He works in the Combustion Research Facility, where he conducts research to improve engine efficiency and reduce emissions that are harmful to the environment.

Dec has authored or co-authored more than 80 technical papers, and has received several awards for these papers, including the SAE Horning Memorial Award and two SAE Colwell Merit Awards. He is a Fellow of SAE.

Dec earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.

To set up an interview with Dec, please contact Mike Janes at Sandia National Laboratories, mejanes@sandia.gov.

Timothy Johnson
Johnson is Director of Emerging Regulations and Technologies in the Corning Environmental Technologies division of Corning Incorporated. He has been with Corning for 20 years. Johnson is a frequent international speaker on diesel emission control technologies and trends, and a member of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency boards related to the field. Previously, he worked in the iron mining industry.

Johnson has six patents in the fields of metal filtration, activated carbon technology and air pollution control. He has authored nearly 20 technical papers and has made more than 50 technical presentations at international forums. He is a member of SAE International.

Johnson earned his bachelor's and master's in engineering from the University of Minnesota and his doctorate in metallurgy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

To set up an interview with Johnson, please contact Pam Porter at Corning, porterpw@corning.com.

Richard Kent
Kent heads automobile safety research for the Center for Applied Biomechanics at the University of Virginia. He is also an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, with joint appointments in the departments of biomedical engineering and emergency medicine. Kent, who has studied automobile safety since 1993, was previously an engineer with Collision Safety Engineering in Orem, Utah.

Kent has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in the areas of injury biomechanics, crash protection, restraint system optimization, and injury tolerance. He has received awards from the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM) and the International Research Council on the Biomechanics of Impact. Technology Review magazine named Kent to its list of 100 influential young people in 2004. A member of SAE International, Kent is also a member of AAAM, the American Society of Biomechanics, the International Society of Biomechanics, and Sigma Xi.

Kent earned his bachelor's and master's in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah, and his doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia. He resides in Charlottesville, Va.

Jürgen Krahl
Krahl is a chemistry professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Coburg, Germany. He is also a research leader for biofuels at the German Federal Agricultural Research Center in Braunschweig. He has worked in the field of alternative fuels for 17 years, focusing on regulated and non-regulated emissions and the health effects of various fuel compositions.

The author of more than 200 papers, Krahl has received two awards for "Outstanding Paper Presentation" from the American Oil Chemists' Society.

Krahl received his doctorate and his venia legendi in ecological chemistry from the Technical University of Braunschweig.

To set up an interview with Krahl, please contact poetzl@fh-coburg.de or orosz@fh-coburg.de.

Zissimos Mourelatos
Mourelatos is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. Before joining Oakland University, he spent 18 years at the General Motors Research and Development Center and 17 years as an adjunct associate professor at the University of Michigan.

Mourelatos has published more than 90 journal and conference publications. He is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Reliability and Safety and an associate editor of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' (ASME) Journal of Mechanical Design. An SAE Fellow, Mourelatos is also a member of ASME and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Mourelatos received his doctorate from the University of Michigan. He resides in Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich.

To set up an interview with Mourelatos, please contact Ted Montgomery at tmontgom@oakland.edu.

Matthew Reed
Reed is an associate research scientist in the biosciences division of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. He is also Director of the Human Motion Simulation Laboratory in the Center for Ergonomics in Industrial and Operations Engineering.

A member of SAE International, Reed is active on standards committees relating to vehicle interior design, occupant protection and digital human modeling. In recognition of these efforts, SAE International has presented Reed with the Ralph H. Isbrandt Automotive Safety Engineering Award, the Myers Award for Outstanding Student Paper, and the Arch T. Colwell Merit Award.

Reed holds his bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering from the University of Michigan. He also holds a doctorate in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan.

To set up an interview with Reed, please contact Trudy Bahr at the University of Michigan, ttbahr@umich.edu.

Thomas Ryan
Ryan is an institute engineer in the engine, fuel and vehicle research division of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Tex. He manages an industry consortium in this division and manages a consulting service for global engine and component manufacturers. Ryan began his career at the Institute in 1979 after spending two years as an assistant professor in the mechanical engineering department of the Pennsylvania State University.

Ryan has authored more than 100 publications in the areas of engine, fuels and combustion research. He is an associate editor of the International Journal of Engine Research and the Journal of Engines. A Fellow of SAE International, Ryan serves on the SAE Board of Directors. He is also a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, The Combustion Institute, Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Xi.

Ryan earned his bachelor's in marine engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and his master's and doctorate in mechanical engineering from Pennsylvania State University. He resides in San Antonio, Tex.

To set up an interview with Ryan, please contact Craig Witherow at the Southwest Research Institute, craig.witherow@swri.org.