Three UM Engineering Profs Named To National Academy: Three Michigan Engineering professors are among the 68 new members and nine foreign associates newly elected to the National Academy of Engineering, NAE President Charles M. Vest announced. This is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer, according to an NAE statement. The University of Michigan faculty members are: John Allison, professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, formerly a senior technical leader with Ford Motor Co., recognized for contributions to automotive casting technology and computational materials engineering; Lawrence Burns, a professor of engineering practice in the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering, former vice president of research and development and strategic planning at General Motors, recognized for his leadership and technical contributions to automotive technologies; and Mark Kushner, the George I. Haddad Collegiate Professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, who is also director of the Michigan Institute for Plasma Science and Engineering, is recognized for his contributions to low-temperature plasmas for semiconductors, optics, and thin-film manufacturing. The NAE honors researchers for outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice, or education including pioneering new fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional engineering fields and developing and implementing innovative approaches to engineering education. Find out more at www.engin.umich.edu.