The categories for this year’s LEAP Awards (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program) are roughly divided across four of our flagship publications’ brands: Design World, Fastener Engineering, Fluid Power World and EE World. These 12 categories represent products and components across the engineering spectrum.
Additive Manufacturing
Connectivity
Embedded Computing
Hydraulics
Industrial Automation
Mechanical (includes Fastening)
Motion Control
Pneumatics
Power Electronics
Software
Switches & Sensors, and
Test & Measurement.
Critical to LEAP’s success is the involvement of the engineering community. As in every year, no one here at WTWH will be selecting the finalists and winners. Instead, our editorial team assembled a top-notch independent judging panel, comprised of a cross-section of OEM design engineers and academics — 14 professionals in total. I am pleased to introduce our esteemed judging panel for 2020:
Carl Dekker
President
MET-L-FLO Inc.
Carl Dekker is President of Met-L-Flo Inc., a Contract Manufacturer specializing in 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing. The company has been providing these services since 1991 and use multiple different technologies for its clients. Dekker has presented his work at various conferences globally and has been published in various industry journals. He is currently the Chair of the ASTM F42 Committee on Standards for Additive Manufacturing, VP of the Additive Manufacturing Users Group, and a Past Chairperson of the SME’s Rapid Technologies and Additive Manufacturing (RTAM) Community (formerly the RPA). He is also a proud recipient of the SLA “Dinosaur” award.
Past and present positions held include: Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing Conference Advisor (2002-2018), Industry Advisory Board Member for RapidTech (2010-2014), RapidTech National Visiting Committee Chair (2011-2014), T.E.A.M. NAB (Technician Education in Additive Manufacturing National Advisory Board) Member 2011-2014, 2017, Museum of Science and Industry Fab-Lab Advisory Board Chicago (2009-2012), Waubonsee Community College Industry Advisory Board (2008-10), Valley Industrial Association Board Member (2009-12), National Design and Manufacturing Conference Advisor 2005, National Plastics Exposition Conference Advisor 2006 and 2009 and Secretary of the 3D Systems North American Stereolithography Users Group 2003 and 2004. He has also served as the Chair of many specialty programs and conference sessions.
Plamen Doynov
Research Professor
University of Missouri, KC
Plamen Doynov recently became a research professor in physics, after a long and storied career that included stints as the Principal Engineer at MRIGlobal, a Biomedical Engineer at Flint Hill Scientific, and VP of Electrical Engineering at Aviation Simulation. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from The Catholic University of America.
Doynov has been active in and a local board member of the IEEE and has won numerous honors and awards from the MRIGlobal Council of Principal Sciences, Boeing and the Bulgarian Society for Biochemistry and Biophysics. He has experience in electronics, electrical and biomedical engineering, as well as research and development of specialized scientific systems.
Geoffrey T. Haigh
Principal/Senior Partner
Haigh Consulting LLP
Geoffrey Haigh holds a BS in Physics and Instrumentation from Drew University and is a Principal Partner and Senior Scientist form Haigh Consulting, which creates IP and solves problems for clients. Haigh has 31 patents issues worldwide and was the originator and inventor of the ADI ICoupler technology during his time working for Analog Devices Inc. Devices he has designed and patented are on Mars rovers.
He also previously worked for Analogic Corporation on factory automation systems and nuclear measurement instrumentation.
Michael E. Joyner C.I.D.+
President, CEO
Town Line Technologies LLC
Mike Joyner’s career began fresh out of high school in 1978. His lifetime of work covers music equipment, pro-audio, industrial controls, medical equipment, and broadband cable delivery systems, with the majority spent working on image sensors (CID, CMOS) and video cameras. His work has resulted in dozens of patents related to image sensor design.
1980-1988 worked on medical x-ray tube cameras at Syracuse Scientific. Another 8 years with cameras using CID Imagers at CIDTEC, a spin off from GE Park in Syracuse, NY 1998, Company Founder Photon Vision Systems, Inc ( Panavision Imaging, LLC. in 2003) Primary duties: Image Sensor Design and Layout Engineer, designing CMOS linear and 2D array sensors for the motion picture industry, high res UDTV(4XHDTV), scientific, machine vision, and consumer markets. Mike founded Town Line Technologies, LLC at the end of 2012 after the sale of Panavision Imaging. He continues his focus on consulting, Image Sensors, IC and PCB contract work.
He is a IEEE Photonics Society Member, a lifelong musician, avid outdoorsmen, outdoor writer and a published author, w/three titles currently in print.
Robert Kollman
Director
Kollman Power Engineering
Robert Kollman is a retired Senior Applications Manager and Distinguished Member of Technical Staff from Texas Instruments. He has more than 40 years of experience in the power electronics business and has designed circuits and magnetics for power electronics ranging from sub-watt to sub-megawatt with operating frequencies into the megahertz range. Kollman has published ~200 power electronics related contributed articles including the Power Tips series. He also was heavily involved in TI (Unitroode) Power supply seminar by writing articles, presenting the material to a worldwide audience and producing the seminar.
Joseph A. Kovach, Ph.D.
President
KoMotion Technologies LTD
Joe Kovach heads up an engineering consulting organization focused on Motion and Control technologies with emphasis on new product innovation for major industrial firms and has collaborated on several government contracts in the areas of advanced manufacturing technologies (AmTech), high efficiency pump-motor development, and the NSF ERC Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP). Additionally, KoMotion Technologies works closely with private equity firms to identify strategic investment opportunities in the motion and control field. KoMotion Technologies is currently engaged in the development of Li-ion based portable hydraulic rescue tools.
Prior to forming his company seven years ago, he held several V.P. positions at Parker Hannifin including V.P. of Technology & Innovation for Parker’s Hydraulic Group with responsibility for new product development leading to the creation of several new business units and divisions. Kovach was previously employed by the Eaton Corporation where he led a corporate R&D Department dedicated to the development and production implementation of advanced manufacturing processes.
Dr. Kovach has more than 35 years of practical hands-on experience coupled with a strong theoretical background ranging from advanced aerospace components, to trucks and automotive engines and drivetrains, construction and agricultural equipment, marine systems, exoskeleton and medical device technology, alternative energy, and industrial automation. He received his PhD from Case Western Reserve University in Mechanical Engineering and holds numerous patents in hydraulics, manufacturing technology, and powertrains.
Thomas E. Manley
Manager of Machine Design
Steris Corp.
Thomas Manley is Manager of Machine Design at Steris Corp., where he directs and designs the Automation Machinery for all Steris Manufacturing Plants. Manley is also a Part-Time Engineering instructor at Lakeland Community College and is the designer of 14-US Patents for various companies he has worked for. He has worked with High profile companies such as Harley-Davidson, American Axle, Meritor, Caterpillar, and Ford Motor Company, among others. Manley now supports the Steris Manufacturing Plants by implementing automation systems and small right size machines into all of Steris plants while adhering to strict budgets and goals.
Rabindra Kishore Mishra
Professor
Berhampur University
Rabindra Kishore Mishra holds a Bachelor’s in Science, as well as a Masters and PhD in Science under Sambalpur University, Orissa, India. His awards and recognitions include: INSA Teachers Award for the year 2015 by Indian National Science Academy; Samanta Chandra Sekhara Award for Working Scientists in the Field of Engineering and Technology for the Year 2008 from the Orissa Bigyan Academy (Department of Science & Technology in the Government of Orissa); Hari Ohm Saran Ashram Prerit Harivallabhdas Chunilal Shah Research Endowment prize for 2000 – 2001 for research papers in Electronics published during 1996 – 2000; and IETE J. C. BOSE MEMORIAL AWARD for best Engineering Science Oriented Paper.
Mishra’s current research areas are: Neurocomputational Electromagnetics; Knowledge Based and Space Mapped Propagation Models; Fractal Antennas; Active Patch Antenna for future communication systems; DNG Metamaterials and Systems; Artificial Magnetic Surfaces (High Impedance Surfaces); Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) Structures; Smart Multifunction Antennas; Data Compression and Reconstruction by using ANN Technique; Plasma Antenna Analysis; Smart Systems for Power Consumption Monitoring and Control; and Applied Image Processing.
Dr. Jody Muelaner
Muelaner Engineering Ltd.
Dr. Jody Muelaner has designed sawmills and medical devices, optimized uncertainty in aerospace manufacturing systems and created innovative laser instruments. He has written technical reports for Rolls-Royce, SAE International and Airbus, and been published in many peer reviewed journals as well as Government reports.
He currently leads a UK Government funded project to develop a game-changing e-bike: betterbicycles.org. Dr. Muelaner also covers developments across engineering for the media, with a particular interest in decarbonization technologies.
Russell Olmsted
Project Engineer
Arrow Tech Company
Russell Olmsted is a Sales Engineer with experience in product development, product management, and Distribution Sales. He is also a Mechanical Engineer with expertise with compressible and incompressible fluid applications. Extensive expertise in fluid power applications and components focused on filtration, pump, and motors; specialty and compressed gas components with knowledge emphasis in the areas of specialty gas systems, semiconductor-manufacturing capital equipment, ultra-high-purity cryogenic bulk gas systems, and compressed-natural-gas-vehicle (CNGV) fluid metering and control components.
Bill Schweber
Engineer, Author, Editor
Jaffa Engineering
Bill Schweber is an electronics engineer who has written three textbooks on electronic communications systems, as well as hundreds of technical articles, opinion columns, and product features.
At Analog Devices Inc., he was in marketing communications, so he has been on both sides of the technical PR function, presenting company products, stories, and messages to the media and also as the recipient of these.
Prior to Analog, Schweber was associate editor of the company’s respected technical journal, and also worked in their product marketing and applications engineering groups. Before those roles, he was at Instron Corp., doing hands-on analog- and power-circuit design and systems integration for materials-testing machine controls.
He has an MSEE from the University of Massachusetts and a BSEE from Columbia University. He is a Registered Professional Engineer and holds an Advanced Class amateur radio license. Bill has also planned, written, and presented on-line courses on a variety of engineering topics, including MOSFET basics, ADC selection, and driving LEDs.
Tom Solon
Director of Sales and Marketing
RH Murphy Co. Inc.
Tom Solon has a diverse engineering background in roles as both an OEM and supplier, spanning many industries, from housewares and consumer products, to semiconductor manufacturing and medical equipment technology. A recognized authority in linear motion products, plastics, and semiconductor handling, Tom has authored numerous articles and technical papers.
Tom earned his BSME in Machine Design and BA in Economics from Brown University and is a licensed Professional Engineer. He devotes much of his free time to public education as a school board member and technical education advisory board member.
Mike Vasquez
CEO
3Degrees, LLC
Dr. Mike Vasquez is a 3D Printing expert, specializing in pushing the boundaries of advanced 3D printing technology. He is the Founder of 3Degrees, a Chicago-based consulting company focused on helping organizations maximize their investment in the technology.
Over the past decade, Vasquez has worked side-by-side with some of the top machine manufacturers, material producers and end users in the industry, consulting with them to identify novel applications, test new materials, and develop frameworks to maximize R&D efficiency and boost ROI. He has also created a software tool called Trace. It aims to assist companies formalizing their use of 3D Printing to ensure they can meet quality and technical standards outlined by their supply chain and industry requirements.
Vasquez completed his PhD in Additive Manufacturing at Loughborough University and received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s from MIT in Materials Science and Engineering.
Daniel Zammit
Senior Systems Engineer
University of Malta
Daniel Zammit started his engineering adventure in 1998 when he attended the City & Guilds courses Technician Diploma in Applied Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, followed by the Advanced Technician Diploma in Applied Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, both at the ‘Mikilang Sapiano’ Technical Institute in Paola, Malta. Both courses consisted in a mix of academic, technical, and hand-on modules, including also an apprenticeship training period.
The apprenticeship was done at Multi Packaging Limited, a leading corrugated carton factory in Malta, with the role of apprentice maintenance technician. Subsequently, after obtaining the City & Guilds technician qualifications he was employed full time with the maintenance team. The work consisted in troubleshoot, maintenance and installation of the factory machinery and utilities — a mix of electrical, electronic, and mechanical works.
Zammit continued his studies at the University of Malta and received the B.Eng and M.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering in 2007 and 2012, respectively. After obtaining the B.Eng degree, he worked as a Process Engineer at Carlo Gavazzi Ltd. The role consisted in introducing new and optimized assembly processes, and equipment in the production lines manufacturing Solid State Relays, as well as investigate and troubleshoot device failures to optimize the production/assembly of the manufactured devices.
Zammit is currently employed as a Senior Systems Engineer with the Department of Industrial Electrical Power Conversion at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Malta. He is currently reading for a Ph.D. degree on DC Microgrids. His research interests include Power Electronics, Grid-Connected Inverters, Power Converters, and Microgrids. He has published a number of academic papers and articles in these fields. These can be viewed on Daniel’s ResearchGate page: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Daniel_Zammit2
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