Skip to main content

Ramulu Mamidala recognized by ASEE for promoting partnerships with industry in engineering education

The following article is the American Society for Engineering Education's profile of Professor Mamidala on the occasion of the award presentation on June 26, 2013.

See also: ASEE press release

Isadore T. Davis Award for Excellence in Collaboration of Engineering Education and Industry -- American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE)

The Isadore T. Davis Award celebrates the spirit and leadership of individuals who make a mark in the collaborative efforts of engineering or engineering technology education with industry toward the improvement of partnerships or collaborations. The award promotes collaborations and partnerships between engineering or engineering technology education and industry to improve learning, scholarship and engagement practices within the engineering education community. The award was jointly established and endowed by ASEE’s Corporate Member Council, Engineering Deans Council, Engineering Technology Council, Engineering Research Council, and Division of College-Industry Partnerships. The award consists of a commemorative plaque and a $1,000 honorarium.


Ramulu Mamidala
RAMULU MAMIDALA
Boeing-Pennell Professor of Engineering, University of Washington

Ramulu Mamidala is recognized for his leadership and outstanding record in promoting collaborative education and research with industry. He has designed and developed manufacturing methods for a wide range of systems, from the B2 bomber to the Boeing 787. Additionally, in collaboration with industry, he established and directed two interdisciplinary graduate educational programs in engineering and management and a certificate program in composites tooling and manufacturing. His exemplary collaborative efforts motivated working engineers to pursue doctoral studies and he is a leader in using emerging technologies in distance education to reach non-traditional students.

Mamidala received a B.E. in mechanical engineering with distinction from Osmania University, India; M.Tech in production engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington (UW). He has been a faculty member in mechanical engineering since 1982, and adjunct professor in Industrial & Systems Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering. Over the past 29 years, he has been a devoted mentor, educator, and researcher. He established and directed two graduate educational programs and developed a certificate program in Composite Materials & Manufacturing that serves working aerospace engineers in collaboration with industry.

Mamidala's research interests reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of materials, mechanics and manufacturing engineering, and primarily focuses on aircraft materials and structures. He has very successful research programs in fracture mechanics, fatigue and manufacturing engineering. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Boeing. GE Super Abrasives, Paccar, TRW, Flow International, Quest, Electro Impact. Kyocera, Pacific Northwest Labs, McDonnell Douglas, and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. He is an international expert on the machining and surface integrity of composite materials and structures. He received the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award and the Technology Award from Waterjet Technology Association. He has published more than 300 technical papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings, edited five ASME Symposium Proceedings and co-edited a book, Machining of Ceramics and Composites. He is one of the founding members of Machining Science and Technology Journal and serves as a member of the editorial boards of five other scientific journals. He is a Fellow of ASM, ASME, SEM and SME.

Mamidala, who has supervised more than 200 graduate students, was awarded the Outstanding Teacher in the College of Engineering Award (1985-86) and was ranked among the top 10 professors at the University of Washington by graduating students in the TYEE yearbook (1986). He was awarded the ASM-IIM International Lectureship Award (1985-86), SAE's Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award (1987), ASEE’s AT&T Foundation Award for Excellence in Instruction of Engineering Students (1989); and the Faculty Excellence Award from the Minority Science & Engineering Program (1991). His efforts to foster university—industry collaboration have been recognized with the "Academic Engineer of the Year" Award (1994) from the Puget Sound Engineering Council, Washington, and an Ed Wells Summer Faculty Fellowship from Boeing (1997). For his excellence in online teaching and innovation. he was awarded the 2004 R1.edu Award, and for his contributions to distance education, he won the 2012 Distinguished Contribution to Life-Long Learning Award.

Nominated by Santosh Devasia, University of Washington