May 24, 2024
By Chloe Arrington

Two faculty members in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering will receive achievement awards from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Shreyes Melkote, who holds the Morris M. Bryan, Jr. Professorship in Mechanical Engineering, will receive the 2024 Milton C. Shaw Manufacturing Research Medal, and Professor Jerry Qi will receive the 2024 Warner T. Koiter Medal.

The Milton C. Shaw Manufacturing Research Medal, established in 2009, recognizes significant fundamental contributions to the science and technology of manufacturing processes.

"I am honored to receive this prestigious award. Milton C. Shaw was a giant in the manufacturing field, and to be recognized by an award named after him is very humbling," said Melkote.

The Warner T. Koiter Medal was established in 1996 and recognizes distinguished contributions to the field of solid mechanics with special emphasis on the effective blending of theoretical and applied elements of the discipline, as well as leadership in the international solid mechanics community.

Qi expressed his appreciation for his team upon learning of the award. “This award is really for my current and former students and postdoctoral scholars. It recognizes their work and innovations in a very special way," he said.

Qi's research is focused on the mechanics and 3D printing of soft active materials to enable 4D printing methods and the recycling of thermosetting polymers. He has developed several material models to describe the multiphysics and chemomechanical behaviors of soft active materials. He also pioneered several multimaterial 3D printing approaches that allow the integration of different polymers and functional materials into one system.

Melkote's primary area of research is manufacturing, and his secondary area of research is tribology, specifically in the science of precision material removal processes, new manufacturing process development including novel surface modification methods, the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve complex problems in manufacturing, and advanced industrial robotics for precision manufacturing.

Melkote also credited the efforts and support of his students and colleagues. "This recognition would not have been possible without the high level of creativity and outstanding efforts of my graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, the support of my colleagues and mentors at Georgia Tech and beyond, and the opportunities and resources provided to me by the Woodruff School. I am truly grateful to all of them."

Both will be presented with their awards at upcoming ASME events. Melkote will receive his award at the ASME Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference, June 17-21, in Knoxville, TN, and Qi will receive his at the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, November 17-21, in Portland, OR.