Four College of Engineering faculty members have been named to endowed professorships:
Yoram Koren, professor of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics, also will hold the Paul G. Goebel Professorship of Engineering.
Fawwaz T. Ulaby, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, also will be the R. Jamison and Betty Williams Professor of Engineering.
Kensall D. Wise, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, also will hold the J. Reid and Polly Anderson Professorship of Manufacturing Technology.
Don B. Chaffin, professor of industrial and operations engineering and professor of occupational health, environmental and industrial health, also will be the G. Lawton and Louise G. Johnson Professor of Engineering.
The appointments, approved at the April Regents meeting, are for five-year terms beginning Sept. 1.
Koren, who joined the U-M faculty in 1980, “has distinguished himself as an innovative, world-renowned researcher in the areas of machine tool control, modeling and sensing of tool wear, and robotics,” said Dean Peter M. Banks.
Koren is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and was appointed as the U-M representative to the Center for Autonomous and Man-Controlled Robotics and Sensing Systems’ executive committee in 1989.
In 1992 he received the College’s Excellence in Research Award. Koren was the driving force in the development of the Mobile Robot Laboratory, which has become the premier research center in the field, and is the author of a book on robotics that is a standard text in the academic community.
“Prof. Koren has introduced the method of cross coupling, based upon an understanding of the mechanisms of wear and how they are affected by process variables in machinery. This model has been used by other researchers worldwide,” Banks said.
The Goebel Professorship was established in 1968 with gifts from several donors who wanted to honor former Regent Paul G. Goebel for his contributions to the University.
Ulaby, who joined the faculty in 1984, is “an outstanding scholar and internationally renowned researcher who will continue to strengthen our research and teaching in the area of electromagnetics and remote sensing,” Banks said.
“Prof. Ulaby has been a member of several professional and honorary societies, such as Fellow status with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and has received many honors including the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award (1991), NASA Group Achievement Award for the Shuttle Imaging Radar Science Team (1990), and Stephen S. Attwood Distinguished Engineering Achievement Award (1989),” Banks said.
Ulaby has served on many committees for the College and the University, as well as on national and international technical committees. He has published extensively, including books, chapters in books and encyclopedias, papers in scientific journals, symposium papers and presentations, and technical papers.
The Williams Professorship, which Ulaby will hold, was established this year to provide funds to support the teaching and scholarship of a distinguished faculty member in the College.
Wise, who has been a faculty member since 1974, is “a leading authority in the area of sensor technology and its application to bioelectrical systems, automated semiconductor manufacturing, and microelectro-mechanical systems,” according to Banks.
“His distinguished career exemplifies the highest standards in all aspects of academic performance.”
He has played a key role in the establishment of the Solid-State Electronics Laboratory. These laboratory facilities have been central to the attraction of several major Centers of Excellence in the advanced electronics and optics areas and have contributed to the establishment of the best program in the nation in this field.
Wise has published extensively, and the more than 20 graduate students who obtained their Ph.D. under his supervision and the prestigious organizations where they are employed indicate the quality of his student mentorship.
The Anderson Professorship, which Wise will hold, was established in 1987 “to assist a distinguished faculty member to further educational work, and, in particular, contribute to the strength of the United States in new technologies and the ability to manufacture products resulting from them.”
Chaffin, who joined the faculty in 1968, “has been active in research including continued research on the adverse health effects of manual materials handling activities in industry,” Banks said.
“Prof. Chaffin has an outstanding record in teaching and research and will foster closer understanding and working relationships between the engineering and business worlds.”
Chaffin served as director of the Center for Ergonomics in 1980–1981 and from 1984 to the present. He served as director of the Center for Occupational Health and Safety Engineering in 1982–1986 and in 1987–1990.
“He has served as a consultant with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, and with many organizations such as the 3M Corp., Ford Motor Co., Exxon, United Airlines, the UAW and Walt Disney World.
The Johnson Professorship, which Chaffin will hold, was established this year to support the teaching and scholarship of a distinguished faculty member of the College.
