Virginia Tech researcher wins Society of Automotive Engineers’ Medal of Honor
The highest honor granted by the standard-bearing automotive society has been bestowed on Mehdi Ahmadian, a researcher with more than four decades of impact in the field of vehicle dynamics.
Mehdi Ahmadian, the J. Bernard Jones Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been awarded the Medal of Honor from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International.
As a researcher and member of the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineering since 1995, Ahmadian has been a leader in a long list of high-impact projects in the fields of automotive research and innovation. He founded the Advanced Vehicle Dynamics Laboratory (AVDL) in 1995, his first year on campus. It has since grown the footprint of his research into the Center for Vehicle Systems and Safety (CVeSS), which houses the AVDL and two other labs. Railway Technologies Laboratory, one of the CVeSS labs, is considered a global leader in railroad research.
Building new opportunities for students
Ahmadian’s active participation in SAE events started more than 30 years ago, and he has been involved in a wide array of Virginia Tech projects. His most significant impact has been in the areas of student mentoring, technical event management, recognition of rising stars, selection of society leadership, and influencing the future of SAE Standards.
Ahmadian was faculty advisor for the Formula SAE student team for three years, from 2005-2008. In that capacity, he volunteered his expertise to guide a group of students through the process of building and racing a car. At that time, only seniors could be part of the team, but Ahnmadian supported the expansion of membership, creating new opportunities for undergraduates to benefit from experiential learning. This included offering an independent study to juniors and assigning roles for design, analysis, and fabrication to first- and second-year students to improve their hands-on engineering skills and experience with VT’s car.
National impact
One of Ahmadian’s greatest contributions to SAE’s international presence included leadership of the Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress (COMVEC). He was Technical Program Chair of the event twice, during which time he led an effort to revamp the technical content delivery at this marque SAE event. This included the introduction of a panel-based technical program based on themes engineers working with cars face, more fully addressing issues current to the day with wider expert input. The changes brought about because of Ahmadian’s initiatives have better aligned the prestigious national event with the industry’s needs, increased participation, and improved attendee’s satisfaction.
He also chaired the SAE Fellows Selection committee and was an active member of the SAE Executive Nominating Committee for four years, two groups that respectively choose rising stars in the transportation field, and serve SAE in a leadership capacity.
“I am delighted by this news,” Ahmadian said. “As a young engineer, I would see the Model of Honors recipients’ names at the SAE events and regard them as the giants and superstars of the transportation community. It’s quite humbling to receive an award that I hold in such high esteem.”
The SAE Medal of Honor was established in 1986 to recognize those who have made significant and sustaining contributions throughout the course of their career. Only one award is given per year, and past recipients have included standouts from research, industry, and education.
Ahmadian is a fellow of SAE International, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the International Society for Condition Monitoring (ISCM), the International Institute of Acoustics and Vibration (IIAV), and Associate Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He holds 11 U.S. and international patents and has published more than 400 refereed publications that have been cited more than 10,000 times, according to Google Scholar.
He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo, a Master of Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University, and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
