James W. Dally to Receive The ASME Daniel C. Drucker Medal

NEW YORK, October 22, 2012 —James W. Dally, P.E., Ph.D., a resident of Knoxville, Tenn., and a Glenn L. Martin Institute professor of engineering, emeritus at the University of Maryland, College Park, will be honored by ASME. He is being recognized for seminal contributions to the development of experimental methods for studying dynamic fracture mechanics and stress wave propagation problems; for academic leadership; and for developing innovative teaching materials and textbooks for undergraduate and graduate education. He will receive the Society’s Daniel C. Drucker Medal.

The medal, established in 1997, is conferred for distinguished contributions to the field of applied mechanics and mechanical engineering over a substantial period of time. It will be presented to Dr. Dally during ASME’s 2012 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, to be held in Houston, Nov. 9 through 15.

Since his retirement from active teaching and research at the University of Maryland, College Park, Dally serves as an engineering consultant for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and manages College House Enterprises, LLC (Knoxville, Tenn.), a niche publisher of engineering textbooks.

Previously, Dally taught at Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.); the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago; and the U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, Colo.); and he served as dean of engineering at the University of Rhode Island, Kingston. He also held positions at the Mesta Machine Co. (Homestead, Pa.); IIT Research Institute, Chicago; and IBM (Manassas, Va.).

An ASME Fellow, Dally provided editorial services for the Journal of Applied Mechanics (1965-96). He has co-authored several textbooks and also authored/co-authored about 200 scientific papers and holds five patents.

Dally is also a Fellow and past president of the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM) and the American Academy of Mechanics, and a member of American Society for Engineering Education and the National Defense Industrial Association.

Among his distinguished honors, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (1984); was selected by his peers to receive the Senior Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award in the College of Engineering (1991) and the Distinguished Scholar Teacher Award (1993) at the University of Maryland. He was a member of the University of Maryland team that received the Outstanding Educator Award sponsored by the Boeing Co. (1996), and more recently, he received an Outstanding Alumni Award (2009) from the Illinois Institute of Technology’s mechanical engineering department.

Dally earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, in 1951 and 1953, respectively. He earned his Ph.D. in mechanics from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1958. Dally is a registered professional engineer in Maryland.

The ASME Foundation is the proud supporter of the ASME Honors and Awards program through the management of award endowment funds set up by individuals, corporations or groups.

About ASME ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. For more information visit www.asme.org.