News Release

Three Univ. of Michigan engineering faculty elected to National Academy of Engineering

Grant and Award Announcement

University of Michigan College of Engineering

Three University of Michigan College of Engineering professors have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Civil and environmental engineering professors Linda Abriola and Richard Woods and chemical engineering professor Ronald Larson were among 77 leading engineers and researchers and nine foreign associates selected for NAE membership this year.

Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded an engineer and honors those who have made important contributions to engineering theory, practice and education.

"We are extremely proud that three of our most prestigious faculty have been honored in this manner" said Stephen W. Director, the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering. "Linda Abriola, Ronald Larson and Richard Woods each made substantive and vital contributions to their fields and their work has made a difference."

Linda Abriola, the Horace Williams King Collegiate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was recognized "for advancing our knowledge of contaminant fate and transport in groundwater and subsurface systems." Since joining the College in 1984, she has become one of the world's foremost researchers in groundwater contamination and remediation. She is former director of the College's Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Program. In 1996 she received the Outstanding Educator Award from the Association for Women Geoscientists and was designated the Darcy Distinguished Lecturer of the National Ground Water Association. Abriola's leadership has been crucial in understanding the impact of groundwater contaminants and developing new techniques and models for their management.

Ronald Larson, the George Granger Brown Professor of Chemical Engineering and chair of the department, was recognized "for elucidating the flow properties of complex fluids at the molecular and continuum levels through theory and experiment." He joined the University in 1996 and is widely regarded as a leading researcher in chemical engineering. Larson's work in the rheology of complex fluids has broad implications for the polymer, pharmaceutical and electronics industries. In 2002, he received the Bingham Medal, the highest annual award bestowed by the Society of Rheology. Prior to arriving at the University of Michigan, Larson was employed by AT&T Bell Laboratories for 16 years, rising to the level of Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff.

Richard Woods, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering, was cited "for applications of soil dynamics and geotechnical earthquake engineering to the design of foundations for vibration-sensitive and vibration-robust facilities." His pioneering research in soil dynamics, earthquake engineering and dynamic soil-structure interaction has greatly influenced the way machine and building foundation systems are designed and constructed today. Woods is former chair of the College's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and co-founded the Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He was the driving force behind the U.S. Universities Council on Geotechnical Engineering Research, and the Environmental and Engineering Geophysics Society. He has been a member of the faculty since 1967.

This year's 77 new members and nine foreign associates bring the NAE's total U.S. membership to 2,138 and the number of foreign associates to 165. Abriola, Larson and Woods are among 20 faculty members of the College of Engineering who have received this honor.

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The University of Michigan College of Engineering is consistently ranked among the top engineering schools in the world. The College is composed of 11 academic departments: aerospace engineering; atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences; biomedical engineering; chemical engineering; civil and environmental engineering; electrical engineering and computer science; industrial and operations engineering; materials science and engineering; mechanical engineering; naval architecture and marine engineering; and nuclear engineering and radiological sciences. Each year the College enrolls over 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students and grants about 1,200 undergraduate degrees and 800 masters and doctoral degrees. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.engin.umich.edu.


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