Posted on June 9: Dean of engineering inducted into Canadian Academy of Engineering

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/elbestawi.jpg” caption=”Mohamed Elbestawi”]Dean of engineering Mohamed Elbestawi was one of 30 Canadian engineers inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

“I am truly honoured and feel privileged to be inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering, a most distinguished institution that recognizes the achievements of engineers across Canada for their contributions to the engineering profession,” said Elbestawi.

The induction ceremony took place in Toronto last Friday, in conjunction with the Academy's Annual General Meeting 2004. The Academy is an independent, self-governing organization, established to serve the nation in matters of engineering concern.

Three McMaster alumni also were inducted, including Paul Watkinson '62 (chemical), Peihua Gu '90 (mechanical), and Thomas Harris, '77 and '80 (chemical).

Fellows of the Academy are engineers from all disciplines; they are elected by their peers on the basis of their distinguished achievements and of their contributions to the profession, to the country, and to society. The total number of active fellows in the academy slightly exceeds 250.

Citations for McMaster's four inductees:

Mohamed Elbestawi

Mohamed Elbestawi, cited widely for his contributions to manufacturing engineering research, is known as a champion for university/industry partnerships. He worked for several years in industrial research and development, before joining McMaster. He was the driving force in the establishment of the newly created $19-million McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI) and was appointed as its first director in 2000. Elbestawi also holds the NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Precision Machining and held the inaugural Braley-Orlick Chair in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering.

Paul Watkinson

Paul Watkinson, professor, University of British Columbia, is a highly respected expert in reactors for high-temperature reactions such as pyrolysis, gasification, and metallurgical operations. Working in laboratory and pilot reactors, he and his colleagues have established several processes in rotary kilns, spouted bed reactors and fluidized beds, which have contributed to numerous industrial applications. Watkinson is also world-renowned for his leading research on heat exchanger fouling.

Peihua Gu

Peihua Gu, professor, University of Calgary, is an internationally recognized expert in manufacturing and design, with several research and education awards. He was twice awarded an NSERC Industrial Research Chair. He has published two books and numerous papers with many citations. His service to the profession includes establishing the Canadian Design Engineering Network, and serving on the editorial boards of several International Journals. He has been department head since 1999, and was associate dean from 1997 to1999.

Thomas Harris

Thomas Harris, dean, Queen's University, is widely cited for his seminal work in variance-based performance monitoring and assessment of control systems; he has not only made significant research contributions, but has also advanced the industrial practice of control. Drawing from cutting-edge approaches in econometrics to address structural analysis in time-series models, as well as multivariate systems analysis, his methodology is utilized internationally by several companies in a diverse range of industrial control applications. As dean of applied science, Harris has also championed the advancement of engineering education and training for the 21st century.