A. Galip Ulsoy, the William Clay Ford Professor of Manufacturing in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME), has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in recognition of his research on the dynamics and control of axially moving elastic materials and their implementation in automotive and manufacturing systems.
Election to the NAE, among the highest professional distinctions accorded an engineer, honors recipients who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, literature and the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology. Membership also recognizes each member’s contribution to the development and implementation of innovative approaches to engineering education.
Ulsoy is one of 76 new members and nine foreign associates announced Feb. 10 by NAE, one of four organizations that make up the National Academies. Others include the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council.
“I am delighted to have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, not only for the professional recognition it represents, but also for the opportunity it affords to provide service to the nation on matters related to my areas of professional expertise,” Ulsoy says. “In an increasing technological society, engineering will play a very important role in the future prosperity of our nation.
“The NAE provides objective and informed advice on many matters to government decision makers. Such NAE studies often lead to reports that influence decisions all over the world, in both the private and public sector.”
With more than 25 years of experience in the dynamic modeling, analysis and control of mechanical systems, Ulsoy’s areas of emphasis are in axially translating or rotating elastic systems, computer control systems, and adaptive control as well as applications in manufacturing (robotics, turning, milling, drilling, sawing) and automotive systems (accessory belt drives, active suspensions, vehicle lateral control).
A member of the faculty since 1980, Ulsoy has served as founding director of the Program in Manufacturing, chair and associate chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and chair of the ME Graduate Program.
Ulsoy received his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1979. He also has a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Cornell University (1975) and a Bachelor of Science in engineering from Swarthmore College (1973).
He has received many professional honors and awards, including the 1979 Wood Award from the Forest Products Research Society, a Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ 1986 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Dynamic Systems and Control Division Leadership (2000) and Outstanding Investigator (2004) Awards.
