Roop Mahajan honored for increasing public awareness and appreciation of engineering's value to society

Roop Mahajan, the James S. Tucker Professor of Engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech and director of the university’s Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS), is the recipient of the 2007 Ralph Coats Roe Medal for his contributions to a better understanding and appreciation of the engineer's value to contemporary society.

The award, consisting of a $10,000 honorarium and a gold medal, will be formally presented at the 2007 American Society of Mechanical Engineers' (ASME) International Mechanical Engineering Congress, Nov. 10-16 in Seattle.

In announcing the award, Virgil Carter, executive director of the ASME, said, "I have the honor of advising you that you have been selected to receive the 2007 Ralph Coats Roe Medal for lifelong contributions in communicating to the public the potential of engineering research for the betterment of society, and for contributions to engineering education as an inspirational teacher and role model to students."

"Professor Mahajan is deeply aware of the true calling of his profession to 'harness the basic principles of science and engineering to do something useful for society.' Through his own research spanning a period of over three decades, he has demonstrated the abiding power of this principle by taking his innovations from the laboratory to the larger society in a seamless manner," wrote Professor Frank Krieth, an ASME honorary member.

Mahajan is an internationally known prolific researcher with expertise in a number of fields including heat transfer, artificial neural networks, bio micro-electro-mechanical systems (Bio-MEMS) and nanotechnology. He has over 170 archival journal publications, several book chapters and review articles, and an authoritative text book to his credit. He holds three patents and has five invention disclosures.

"Dr. Mahajan's efforts in these interdisciplinary fields make him a true Renaissance man and most worthy to receive the Roe Medal," said Richard Benson, dean of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech.

Since coming to Virginia Tech, Mahajan has focused his efforts on leveraging the university's existing research strengths to help coordinate the University's talented and creative faculty in the further pursuit of interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary research. Mahajan said his goal is to have ICTAS become a leader in technology transformation by "nurturing a proactive, responsive and nimble research culture, ultimately positioning the university as an agent of discovery and problem solving in the technological and scientific global environment."

Mahajan has identified four focus areas at Virginia Tech for increased collaboration: nanoscale science and engineering; nano-bio interface; sustainable development, including energy, drinking water, renewable materials and environment; and cognitive systems and communication. In addition, the institute supports research and programs in tissue engineering, human behavior analysis, autonomous vehicles, assistive technologies and biomimetics.

Mahajan came to Virginia Tech from the University of Colorado at Boulder where he was the founder and director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Packaging for Microwave, Optical and Digital Electronics (CAMPmode). Since 1992, CAMPmode has functioned as an industry-consortium sponsored center. In 1995, the center became a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center. Its recent focus has been on nanotechnology and on the design and application of MEMS for applications in engineering and life sciences.

Mahajan was also the founder and co-director of MicroElectronic Devices in Cardiovascular Applications (MEDICA). Teaming the faculty at Colorado University's Health Sciences Center and its College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, this interdisciplinary center fostered scientific advancement in the study and application of MEMS in cardiovascular applications.

Mahajan is the recipient of numerous other awards including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) 2003 Charles Russ Richards Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in ME. He also received the 2002 ASME Heat Transfer Memorial Award and the Subaru Educator of the Year Award in 2002. He is an ASME Fellow.