This is the third issue of the Journal of Mechanical Design to be printed since Prof. Lung-Wen Tsai, my predecessor, died suddenly just after Thanksgiving last year, and it contains the last of the papers that were accepted for publication under his supervision. Prof. Bahram Ravani prepared the enclosed memorial together with a list of Prof. Tsai’s published works. A more complete list is available at the ASME Design Engineering Division website: http://www.asme.org/divisions/ded/
I vividly recall the ASME Mechanisms Conference over two decades ago, when Prof. Tsai introduced himself and took me to lunch, beginning regular interactions that I found inspiring. The shear pleasure that Prof. Tsai took in all of his activities was contagious and energizing. It was clear from the presentations at his memorial that professors, classmates, friends and family treasured the warmth of his personality and the energy of his enthusiasm.
This issue also marks a transition in Associate Editors. I would like to recognize the following Associate Editors of the Journal of Mechanical Design, who have served our community with distinction, and have now completed their terms:
Prof. Sunil K. Agrawal, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware (Sept. 2000 to Sept. 2003)
Prof. Jonathan Cagan, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (Sept. 2001 to Sept. 2003)
Prof. Gregory S. Chirikjian, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University (Dec. 1999 to Dec 2002)
Prof. Hamid Lankarani, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Wichita State University (Dec. 1999 to Dec. 2002)
Prof. Kambiz Farhang, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (Dec. 1999 to Dec. 2002)
Prof. Georges M. Fadel, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University (Sept. 2000 to Sept. 2003)
Dr. Robert F. Handschuh, Army Research Laboratory, NASA Glenn Research Center (Aug. 1999 to Aug. 2002)
Prof. John Renaud, Dept. of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame (Sept. 2000 to Sept. 2003)
Prof. Deborah L. Thurston, Dept. of General Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Sept. 2001 to Sept. 2003)
It is the dedicated efforts of our Associate Editors that ensure the quality and efficiency of the review process, and shape the success of the Journal. Please join me in expressing sincere gratitude to these colleagues for their efforts on our behalf.
I am honored to welcome six new Associate Editors, who will continue the excellent standards of these former Associate Editors in the management of the review process for the Journal. They are, our colleagues:
Prof. G. K. Ananthasuresh, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Technical Area: Mechanisms and Robotics
Prof. Kyung K. Choi, Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Iowa, Technical Area: Design Automation
Prof. David B. Dooner, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Puerto Rico, Technical Area: Power Transmissions and Gearing
Prof. Q. Jeffrey Ge, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Technical Area: Mechanisms and Robotics
Prof. David O. Kazmer, Dept. of Plastics Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Technical Area: Design for Manufacturing
Prof. Erol Sancaktar, Dept. of Polymer Engineering, University of Akron, Technical Area: Reliability, Stress Analysis and Failure Prevention.
New Associate Editors
Dr. Ananthasuresh obtained his mechanical engineering degrees from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India (B. Tech., 1989), University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio (M.S., 1991), and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (Ph.D., 1994). He was a post-doctoral research associate in Microsystems Technology Laboratories in M. I. T., Cambridge, MA, and then joined the mechanical engineering and applied mechanics department at the University of Pennsylvania where he is currently an associate professor. His research interests include compliant mechanisms, design optimization, MEMS, and kinematics.
Prof. Choi received his B.S. degree from Yonsei University, Korea (1970) and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Iowa (1977, 1980) where he is currently a professor in the department of mechanical engineering and industrial engineering. He is a Fellow of ASME, an Associate Fellow of AIAA, an Executive Committee member of the International Society for Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization (ISSMO), and an associate editor of three journals. Areas of interest include mechanical system design sensitivity analysis and optimization, reliability-based design optimization, computational methods in mechanics, and integration of CAE tools for concurrent engineering. Dr. Choi is the author/co-author of 214 technical papers and three books.
Dr. Dooner received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 1991. He was a visiting scientist with the Academy of Sciences in Moscow in 1992 and joined the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagu¨ez, in 1994 where he is currently associate professor of mechanical engineering and teaches kinematics, machine design, computer aided design, and capstone design. His research interests include kinematics, modeling of mechanical systems, along with CAD/CAM of direct contact mechanisms (gear pairs, cam systems). Dr. Dooner’s publications include a text, patents, software, as well as journal and conference publications.
Prof. Ge received his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Irvine, in 1990. He is currently an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His research interests include mechanisms and robotics, computational kinematic geometry, CAD/CAM, and application of VR technologies in design and manufacturing.
David O. Kazmer, P.E., is a graduate of Cornell University (B.S., 1989) and Stanford University (Ph.D., 1995). He is currently an associate professor with the department of plastics engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, where he conducts design and manufacturing research pertaining to net shaped products, and plastics in particular. His research and teaching spans design of products, production machinery, instrumentation, and control systems through start-up and performance measurement. Dr. Kazmer received the 1998 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the 1998 Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research, and the 2000 University of Massachusetts Outstanding Engineering Junior Faculty Award. He currently serves as Chair of the ASME Technical Committee for Design for Manufacturing.
Dr. Sancaktar received his Ph.D. (engineering mechanics) and M.S. (mechanical engineering) degrees from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is a Fellow of ASME, and has been the Chair of the ASME National Technical Committee on Reliability, Stress Analysis, and Failure Prevention since 1997. He has served as an associate editor for the Journal of Mechanical Design from 1995 to 1998, and has been on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology since 1993. He was a faculty member at the mechanical and aeronautical engineering department at Clarkson University from 1978 to 1996 before joining the University of Akron in 1996 as professor of polymer engineering. Dr. Sancaktar has taught 31 different university courses from freshman to doctoral levels. He has had 35 graduate students complete their degrees under his direction. He edited/co-edited 11 books, authored/coauthored over 54 refereed journal articles, 16 book articles/chapter, and delivered over 152 technical presentations. Dr. Sancaktar has 3 patents.
