June 15, 2023

A professor and an alumnus from the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering have been recognized with SME International Honor Awards for their significant contributions to manufacturing.

Shreyes N. Melkote, who holds the Morris M. Bryan, Jr. Professorship, won the 2023 SME Gold Medal award which recognizes outstanding service to the manufacturing engineering profession in technical communications through published literature, technical writings, or lectures. In addition, Laine Mears, M.S. ME 2001, Ph.D. ME 2006, received the 2023 SME Education Award which honors the educator most respected for the development of manufacturing-related curricula, fostering sound training methods or inspiring students to enter the profession of manufacturing.

Melkote and Mears were formally recognized at the 2023 SME International Awards Gala held earlier this month in Rochester, Michigan.

Melkote serves as executive director of the Novelis Innovation Hub at Georgia Tech and as associate director of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute. His research focuses on the science and technology of manufacturing processes, industrial robotics for manufacturing, and data-driven methods for cyber manufacturing. He has published over 280 technical papers on these topics, has one U.S. patent, and has successfully transitioned technology to industry.

Melkote has received various awards throughout his career including the SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Blackall Machine Tool and Gage Award, and several best paper awards. He served as president of SME's North American Manufacturing Research Institution (NAMRI) from 2014-15 and as an ASME Swanson fellow and assistant director for Technology at the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office at NIST from 2015-16. Melkote is a fellow of SME, ASME, and CIRP. He has been an SME member since 1994.

Mears is the BMW SmartState endowed chair of automotive manufacturing, university centennial professor, and department chair in the Automotive Engineering department at Clemson University, located at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research. He leads the Multimaterial Joining Lab and Clemson Vehicle Assembly Center. Mears was recognized in 2020 by SME's Smart Manufacturing magazine as one of the 20 Most Influential Professors in Smart Manufacturing.

In addition to academic experience, Mears has over 10 years in industry, having held positions with Hitachi Automotive and SKF Bearings as both a manufacturing engineer and an engineering manager in high-volume precision manufacturing environments. Mears is a fellow of both SME and ASME and is an SME Certified Manufacturing Engineer. He has been an SME member since 2017.

About SME

SME is a nonprofit association of professionals, educators, and students committed to promoting and supporting the manufacturing industry. SME helps manufacturers innovate, grow and prosper by promoting manufacturing technology, developing a skilled workforce, and connecting the manufacturing industry.