Three from College of Engineering elected to national academy

Three faculty members from the College of Engineering (CoE) were elected to the National Academy of Engineering, which is one of the highest honors that can be earned by an engineer.

Goldstein (Photo by Paul Jaronski, U-M Photo Services)

Pollock (Photo by Paul Jaronski, U-M Photo Services)

Yang (Photo courtesy Ralph Yang)

They are: Steven A. Goldstein, the Henry Ruppenthal Family Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering, for contributions to the understanding of bone micromechanical and remodeling behaviors and their translations into gene therapies and fracture fixations; Tresa Pollock, the L. H. and F. E. Van Vlack Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, for contributions to the understanding of the processing and performance of advanced metallic materials; and Ralph T. Yang, the Dwight T. Benton Professor of Chemical Engineering, for the development of the theory, methods and materials for the removal of environmentally hazardous compounds from transportation fuels and other difficult separations.

Goldstein also is the associate chair for research in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, a professor in mechanical engineering and a senior research scientist in the Institute of Gerontology. In 1976 he received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Tufts University. His master's and doctoral degrees in bioengineering were earned from U-M in 1977 and 1981, respectively.

Goldstein's research focuses on studying mechanical and biologic regulators of bone formation, regeneration and adaptation. He has written more than 200 publications and been awarded more than 25 patents, ranging from surgical devices to diagnostics to gene transfer strategies.

Goldstein has received numerous awards for his research, including the Kappa Delta Award for Research Excellence and the Marshall Urist award for contributions in tissue regeneration research from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Orthopaedic Research Society, and the Nicolas Andre Award for Achievement in Orthopaedic Research from the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons.

Pollock received her bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering from Purdue University in 1984 and her doctorate in materials science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1989. Prior to joining U-M as professor in 2000, she rose to the ranks of professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Pollock also was a visiting researcher at General Electric (GE) and Rockwell International, and a materials engineer at GE and General Motors' Allison Gas Turbine Division. Her research focuses on the design, processing and properties of high temperature structural materials and coatings.

Pollock has received numerous honors and awards including the CoE Materials Science and Engineering Award for Outstanding Accomplishment, the American Society for Metals International (ASM) Materials Science Research Silver Medal and the Purdue University Outstanding Materials Engineer Award. She currently is vice president of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society and will be president in 2005. Pollock was elected a fellow of ASM International in 2002.

Yang received his bachelor's degree from the National Taiwan University in 1964, and doctorate from Yale University in 1971. He taught at the State University of New York at Buffalo from 1978-1995, the last six years as the Chemical Engineering Department chair. He was the department chair at U-M from 1995-2000. He has published two books and approximately 350 journal articles, and holds 21 U.S. patents.

Yang has received numerous national awards for his research accomplishments, including the 2003 American Chemical Society Award in Separations Science and Technology and the 1999 SGL Carbon Award (biannual) for "Most Significant Overall Contributions to Science or Technology of Carbon Materials." Yang has received three major national research awards from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.