NAE membership is one of the highest professional distinctions awarded to an engineer. Election to the academy honors those who have made important contributions to engineering theory and practice, including engineering pioneers and those who have helped bring about major advancements or innovations in engineering and engineering education.
Wadsworth, an internationally recognized metallurgist, became ORNL director in August 2003. One of 17 NAE members currently or formerly associated with Oak Ridge, he becomes the third ORNL director named to the academy, joining Alvin Weinberg, who was elected in 1975, and Alvin Trivelpiece, elected in 1993.
Wadsworth was previously a senior executive at Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, where he focused on DOE science programs, technology transfer and homeland security.
Before joining Battelle in August 2002, he served as deputy director for science and technology at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. From 1980 to 1992, he worked for Lockheed Missiles and Space Company at the Palo Alto Research Laboratory. He holds B.S., Ph.D., and D.Met. degrees in metallurgy from Sheffield University in England.
In 2003, he was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his distinguished contributions in developing advanced materials and superplasticity, and in determining the history and origins of Damascus and other steels, and for broad scientific leadership supporting national security.
Wadsworth will be inducted in October at an NAE induction ceremony in Washington D.C. He is among 74 new members announced Friday, bringing the association's total U.S. membership to 2,195 and the number of foreign associates to 178.
For more information, see the NAE website at www.national-academies.org.
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