The PMRC Team
Diran Apelian
Howmet Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Director, MPI
+1-508-831-5992; dapelian@wpi.edu
Professional Web site
B.S., Drexel University, 1968; Sc.D., MIT, 1972
Solidification processing, spray casting, molten metal processing, aluminum foundry processing, plasma processing, and knowledge engineering in materials processing.
Professor Diran Apelian is of the Howmet Professor of Engineering and Director of the Metal Processing Institute (MPI) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). He received his B.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Drexel University (1968) and his Doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT (1972). After graduating MIT, he joined Bethlehem Steel's Homer Research Laboratories. He joined Drexel University in 1976 and held various positions at Drexel, including Professor, Head of the Department of Materials Engineering, Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and subsequently Vice-Provost. He joined WPI in July 1990 as the Institute's Provost, and led the mission of broadening WPI's academic programs and research agenda.
After a six-year tenure as Provost, Dr. Apelian was appointed to head the Metal Processing Institute at WPI. MPI is an industry-university alliance dedicated to near-net-shape manufacturing with centers in metal casting; powder metallurgy; and heat treating. MPI is supported by over 110 corporate partners, as well as funding from private foundations and the federal government.
Apelian's research interests and expertise are in materials processing, and specifically, solidification and net-shape manufacturing. He is credited for pioneering work in various areas of solidification processing; molten metal processing and filtration of metals; aluminum foundry engineering; plasma deposition; and spray casting/forming. For his achievements, Prof. Apelian has been honored with a number of awards, including the Howard Taylor Gold Medal in 1987 by AFS as well as the Scientific Merit Award of AFS (1990). He is an Honorary Member of NADCA. In 1990, Apelian received ASM's Henry Marion Howe Medal for the best paper or series of papers in Metallurgical Transactions by AIME. In March 1992, at the AIME Annual Meeting, he received the Champion H. Mathewson Gold Medal for his contributions to the literature. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate and was named Honorary Professor of Northwestern Polytechnic University in Xian, China, in 1997. He is an Honorary Member of the French Materials Engineering Society - SF2M (2000). He is a Fellow of ASM, APMI and TMS, in 2006 he was the recipient of the Bruce Chalmers Award awarded by TMS. In 2006, WPI recognized Apelian with the Board of Trustees' award for Outstanding Research and Creative Scholarship. Apelian was recognized (in 2007) for his work on society and technology with Acta Materiallia's prestigious Hollomon Award. He is also the recipient of the Brimacombe prize (2007) for being a world ambassador, an innovator, and a visionary for a better global society. Dr. Apelian is also the 2008/2009 President of TMS (The Minerals, Metals and Materials Societies).
Dr. Apelian has over 450 publications to his credit and eleven books that he has co-edited. He is a member of various professional societies including TMS, ISS, MRS, ASM, AFS, NADCA, and MPIF. Dr. Apelian serves on several technical advisory boards and on corporate boards. He has served on, and chaired, several National Materials Advisory Boards for the National Research Council. He was Chief-Editor of Journal of Light Metals, a web based journal, and now serves on the Editorial board of the International Journal of Cast Metals Research, and the Encyclopedia of Materials Science and Engineering.
Download his biography (2.9MB PDF file)
View Professor Apelian's publications
Faculty
Ulf Gummeson
Director, PMRC
+1-856-234-3496; ugummeson@comcast.net
M.S., Mining and Metallurgy
Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden)
Powder metallurgy, alloy development, management issues in metal processing, and trade issues and globalization.
Ulf Gummeson received his M.S. in mining and metallurgy from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. He worked at Höganäs AB in Sweden on the design and pilot development of the steel powder process to be used in the United States. He joined Hoeganaes Corporation in 1952 and served as plant manager, general manager and president until 1968, when the company was sold to American interests. Gummeson rejoined Hoeganaes as vice president of research and development in 1978. He was president of the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) from 1987 to 1991. He joined the WPI Powder Metallurgy Research Center at its inception in 1992. Gummeson received the MPIF Powder Metallurgy Pioneer Award in 1996.
Chickery J. Kasouf
Associate Professor of Management
+1-508-831-5548; chick@wpi.edu
B.A., Providence College 1975; M.B.A., Syracuse University, 1985; Ph.D., 1991
Management of innovation, supply chain management and marketing information use.
Chickery Kasouf received his B.A. in psychology from Providence College and his M.B.A. and Ph.D. in marketing from Syracuse University. He joined WPI's faculty in 1990 and teaches marketing management and industrial marketing. His research interests are in the management of innovation, supply chain management and marketing information use. He recently completed studies of strategic alliances in the powder metallurgy parts industry and organizational learning in biotechnology. In addition to his academic papers and presentations, he has testified twice regarding the Particulate Materials industry before the Federal Trade Commission.
Reinhold Ludwig
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Director, CIS
+1-508-831-5315; ludwig@wpi.edu
Diplom-Ing., University of Wuppertal (West Germany), 1983; Ph.D., Colorado State University, 1986
Nondestructive evaluation, sensors, and electromagnetic and acoustic field phenomena.
Reinhold Ludwig received his Diplome-Ing. (MSEE) from the University of Wuppertal, Germany, and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Colorado State University. He joined WPI's faculty in 1986 and heads the Electromagnetic Materials Processing and Sensor Laboratory. His research interests include nondestructive evaluation, sensors, and electromagnetic and acoustic field phenomena. Ludwig interacts with the industrial sector and recently spent an industrial sabbatical at Hewlett-Packard's Medical Imaging Division.
Makhlouf M. Makhlouf
Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Director, ACRC
+1-508-831-5647; mmm@wpi.edu
B.S., American University (Cairo), 1978; M.S., New Mexico State University, 1981; Ph.D., WPI, 1989
Solidification of metals, the application of heat, mass and momentum transfer to modeling and solving engineering materials problems, and processing of ceramic materials.
Before joining WPI, Makhlouf Makhlouf was a senior research engineer at the Bay State Division of Dresser Industries. He received his B.S. from American University in Cairo, his M.S. from New Mexico State University, and his Ph.D. from WPI. His research interests include solidification of metals, the application of heat, mass and momentum transfer to modeling and problem solving in materials science and engineering, and processing of ceramics materials. He is the Foundry Education Foundation (FEF) Key Professor at WPI. He received the Herbert H. Uhlig award for outstanding research from NACE in 1987. He is a member of ASM International, AFS, ASEE and Sigma Xi.
Richard D. Sisson Jr.
Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Head, Materials Science and Engineering Program
+1-508-831-5335; sisson@wpi.edu
B.S. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1969; M.S., Purdue University, 1971; Ph.D., 1975
Materials process modeling and control, manufacturing engineering, corrosion, and environmental effects on metals and ceramics.
Richard Sisson received his B.S. in metallurgical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. After earning his M.S. and Ph.D. in metallurgical engineering from Purdue University, he joined DuPont's Savannah River Laboratory as a research metallurgist. He came to WPI in 1976 as the Morgan Distinguished Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Sisson has also worked at Virginia Polytechnic Institute as an assistant professor of materials science and engineering and at Exxon Chemical as a consulting engineer. His teaching and research has focused on the applications of thermodynamics and kinetics to materials processing and degradation phenomena in metals and ceramics. He has more than 100 publications and has made more than 100 presentations on such topics as heat treating, synthesis of nanocrystalline ceramics, EB-PVD coating deposition kinetics and microstructure, and hydrogen embrittlement of high-strength steels. He is a fellow of ASM International and was elected Vice President for a two-year term effective September, 2005. On April 27, 2006 he was inducted into the Academy of Engineering Excellence at Virginia Tech College of Engineering. In 2007, he received the Chairman's Exemplary Faculty Prize.
Support Staff
Carol A. Garofoli
Director of Operations, MPI
+1-508-831-5592; garofoli@wpi.edu
A.S., Becker Junior College, 1972; B.S., Worcester State College, 1982; M.B.A., Assumption College, 1998
Carol Garofoli has held various positions in academic administration at WPI and, from 1990 to 1996, was director of academic operations in the Provost's Office. She holds a B.S. in business management and an M.B.A. As MPI's Director of Operations, she is the primary liaison with WPI's accounting, purchasing and human resources offices, and is responsible for interacting with MPI's consortium companies. Garofoli facilitates MPI activities for programs and oversees its web site and communications.
Maureen Plunkett
Administrative Assistant, MPI
+1-508-831-5992; mrp@wpi.edu
Maureen Plunkett supports the administrative and liaison activities of the Metal Processing Institute.
Renee Brodeur
Staff Accountant, MPI
+1-508-831-5003; rbrodeur@wpi.edu
B.S. Electrical Engineering, WPI, 1983
Renee Brodeur has worked in the high-tech computer and network industries for corporations such as Hughes Aircraft, MITRE, Prime Computer, Sequoia Systems, Sonus Networks, and most recently Motorola. She has experience in many areas of the product development life cycle including firmware/software development, systems engineer, quality assurance, and technical writing. Renee returns to WPI as part of the MPI administrative team. In her role as Staff Accountant she is responsible for maintaining MPI’s financial accounts.
Carl Raatikainen
Manager of Laboratories, MPI
+1-508-831-5805; carlraat@wpi.edu
ASEET Mt. Wachusett Community College, BSTE Mechanical Engineering (Minor:Textile Engineering); MSBA Boston University
Carl Raatikainen is responsible for providing support to undergraduate and graduate students as well as research staff for the MPI laboratories. He orders and maintains equipment, test apparatus, manuals and materials. He oversees the foundry and other related laboratories for personnel safety. Carl began his career as a materials engineer at B.F. Goodrich. At Firestone Tire & Rubber he was a senior engineer in their development group in Akron, Ohio and in their research and development group in Rome, Italy. Recently, he was employed in the engineering laboratory of Setra.
Bradford Lynch
Information SystemsGraduate Students
Souheil Benzerrouk
Graduate Student, Ph.D. Program, WPI
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: August 12, 2008 13:40:40