Rajurkar Awarded SME International Honor

K.P. Rajurkar, Ph.D., distinguished professor of engineering in the Industrial and Management Systems Department, was awarded the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Gold Medal for his prolific contributions to technical communications through published literature, technical writings or lectures. His areas of interest include nontraditional manufacturing with such technologies as electric discharge, electrochemical and ultrasonic machining and their hybrid processes.

Rajurkar's research helped pave the way for the establishment of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center for Nontraditional Manufacturing Research. As the center's founder and director, he works closely with colleagues to develop hardware and software for existing and new hybrid processes for industrial applications. Rajurkar's research in macro, micro and nanoscale nontraditional machining processes has been supported by the state of Nebraska, the National Science Foundation and many companies, including GEAE, Timken, Cummins Engines and Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

Rajurkar also holds a patent on cryogenically cooled tool machining and is the author of more than 120 refereed publications, as well as nearly 120 technically edited papers published in conference proceedings.

Beyond scholarly publications, his dedication to advancing manufacturing technology also extends to teaching both undergraduate and graduate students.

Recognized as a research leader, Rajurkar was president of the North American Manufacturing Research Institute of SME (NAMRI/SME) in 1998-99 and joined the 2000 Class of SME Fellows. He is also a Fellow of CIRP (The International Academy for Production Engineering).