Clemson professor recognized for dedication to manufacturing industry
February 22, 2010
CLEMSON, SC – February 18, 2010 – Two prestigious manufacturing organizations have recognized Clemson University professor Thomas Kurfess for his outstanding contributions to the profession.
The Society for Manufacturing Engineers will give Kurfess the 2010 Education Award for promoting manufacturing-related curricula and training methods as well as inspiring students to enter the manufacturing profession. The society will present Kurfess with the award during the annual conference in Nashville in June.
“I am honored to receive the Education Award,” Kurfess said. “I think receiving it demonstrates that the educational agenda at Clemson is clearly leading edge.”
Kurfess also is one of two new members of the board of directors elected to the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, North America’s largest collaborative research and development organization and administrator of the Robotics Technology Consortium.
“It is a tremendous honor to be elected to this board of directors,” Kurfess said. “It will be a great opportunity to provide leadership in manufacturing research and development on a national and international level.”
Kurfess is a professor in the department of mechanical engineering and the BMW Chair of Manufacturing. He also is director of automotive engineering in the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR).
After earning a doctorate in mechanical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kurfess taught at both Carnegie Mellon University and Georgia Tech before coming to Clemson in 2005. He has worked for the United Nations as a manufacturing consultant to Malaysia and as a participating guest at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the United States’ national security laboratory in California.
