6/3/2010
Chia-Fon Lee, a professor of mechanical science and engineering, and alumnus Frank J. Fronczak (BS 1972, General Engineering; MS 1974, Theoretical and Applied Mechanics), were recently named as 2009-2010 SAE International Fellows.
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Chia-Fon Lee, a professor of mechanical science and engineering, and alumnus Frank J. Fronczak (BS 1972, General Engineering; MS 1974, Theoretical and Applied Mechanics), were recently named as 2009-2010 SAE International Fellows.
SAE Fellow is the highest grade of membership bestowed by SAE International. It recognizes outstanding engineering, scientific and leadership accomplishments by an individual that have resulted in meaningful advances in automotive, aerospace, and commercial vehicle technologies.
Lee’s expertise in the energy area with specializations in multidimensional modeling and laser diagnostics of fuel sprays, internal combustion engines, fuel reformers for fuel cells, and alternative fuels including ethanol, butanol, and bio-diesel fuels. Currently, he oversees the Ford Automotive System and Technology Laboratories, and he is the director of DOE Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) Centers of Excellence for Advanced Automotive Bio-fuel Combustion Engines at Illinois.
He received his PhD in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University; his MS degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Houston. He is the recipient of the 1998 NSF CAREER Award, 2000 SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, and 2004 W. Robert Marshall (best paper) Award of the Institute for Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems, and he is a Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study at the University of Illinois and a Fellow of Society of Automotive Engineers.
A member of the mechanical engineering faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 1982, Fronczak has served as a consultant for more than 40 companies and federal and state agencies. He has published more than 50 technical papers, primarily in the areas of design of hydraulic systems and components, as well as the design of biomedical devices.
Fronczak has been the recipient of numerous teaching awards and honors throughout his career, including the UW College of Engineering Benjamin Smith Reynolds Award, membership in the University of Wisconsin Teaching Academy, the SAE Teetor Award, and the USDA Superior Service Award. He has been a member of SAE, ASME, and ASEE and has served as a member and vice chairman of the State of Wisconsin Professional Engineering Licensing Board. After earning a BS degree in general engineering and an MS degree in theoretical and applied mechanics from Illinois, hed a Dr. Eng. degree from the University of Kansas.
SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial vehicle industries. SAE International’s core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International’s charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World in Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series.
The SAE Fellows program, established in 1975, recognizes an average of only 20 recipients worldwide for this honor each year. Lee, Fronczak, and their fellow inductees, were honored during the 2010 SAE World Congress in April.
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For more information about the SAE Fellow Grade, contact pr@sae.org .
Contact: Chia-fon Lee, Depatment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, 217/333-5879.
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