Priyaranjan Prasad to Receive the ASME Soichiro Honda Medal

NEW YORK, October 22, 2012 —Priyaranjan Prasad, Ph.D., a resident of Plymouth, Mich., and president of Prasad Consulting, LLC, will be honored by ASME. He is being recognized for research, development and implementation of active and passive safety technologies worldwide as exemplified by the development of injury criteria, design guidelines for vehicle structures to enhance occupant protection and biomechanical research forming the basis of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. He will receive the Society’s Soichiro Honda Medal.

The medal, established in 1983, recognizes an individual for an outstanding achievement or a series of significant engineering contributions in developing improvements in the field of personal transportation. The award will be presented to Dr. Prasad during ASME’s 2012 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, to be held in Houston, Nov. 9 through 15.

Prasad worked for Ford Motor Company for 35 years (1973-2008) in product development, advanced engineering and research. During this period, he conducted basic and applied biomechanics research to determine the impact responses and impact tolerance of the human body. He applied this knowledge to the design of vehicle structures and restraint systems for various crash modes to protect occupants involved in crash situations. He also pioneered the development and application of modeling techniques for human surrogates, vehicle structures and restraint systems (e.g., seatbelts, airbags, side curtains, etc.).

Prasad was elected as a Henry Ford technical fellow, reporting directly to the chief technical officer of the company, in 1994. From 1994 to 2008, he was responsible for directing the research, development and implementation of active and passive safety technologies worldwide. His safety research work has had a major influence on safety regulations worldwide, particularly in the U.S. He has led several voluntary industry activities that have resulted in the adoption of conformance standards for vehicles sold in the U.S. (compatibility between light vehicles, airbag out-of-position testing). He also led an International Organization for Standardization working group charged with the development of airbag out-of-position test procedures that were subsequently adopted in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208–Occupant Crash Protection, to which all airbags have to be designed.

Currently, as president of Prasad Consulting, LLC, he is a consultant to universities, governments and automotive original equipment manufacturers.

Prasad has written more than 110 technical peer-reviewed papers and has received seven patents in active/passive safety technologies.

He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including the Automotive Occupant Restraints Council’s (now the Automotive Safety Council) Pathfinder Award (2010), the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick Award (2010) and SAE International’s Arnold W. Siegel Transportation Safety Award (2011). Prasad also received the Ford Motor Company’s Henry Ford Technology Award (1990 and 1995), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Engineering Excellence Award for Safety (1991 and 2009).

He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering; and a Fellow of SAE International and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

Prasad earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Bihar College of Engineering (Patna, India) in 1965. He earned his master’s degree in mechanical engineering and his Ph.D. in biomechanics at Wayne State University, Detroit, in 1968 and 1973, respectively.

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.