SME’s Distinguished Faculty Advisor Award was established in 2011 to recognize select SME student chapter faculty advisors for their continued oversight and engagement efforts in advocating for students and the manufacturing industry. These four professors have been honored for their dedication and service.

Karl Haapala, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon

Dr. Karl R. Haapala is an Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University where he leads the Industrial Sustainability Laboratory, which has collaborated with university, national lab, and industry colleagues in over $27M in research in sustainable manufacturing assessment, life cycle engineering, and engineering education. He has authored over 150 refereed proceedings and journal articles, receiving four best paper awards. He has chaired both the Life Cycle Engineering and the Design for Manufacturing and Life Cycle technical committees of ASME. He serves as Director of the OSU Energy Efficiency Center and Industrial Assessment Center and the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII) satellite office at OSU. Dr. Haapala has served as OSU SME faculty advisor since 2009, and previously received the SME Distinguished Faculty Advisor Award in 2012 and 2016 and the SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award in 2015. SME Member since 2002

Jingyan Dong, PhD
Professor, Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
North Carolina State University 
Raleigh, North Carolina

Dr. Dong is a Professor at the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University.  He is actively teaching advanced manufacturing-related courses and pursuing research in micro/nanomanufacturing, high-resolution printing, mechatronics, and flexible and stretchable electronics. Dong has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and served as an Editor or Associate Editor for several journals, including SME Journal of Manufacturing Processes. Dong has received several research recognitions in term of awards and media appearances with a few awards from SME, including SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award and several NAMRI/SME Outstanding Paper Awards. SME Member Since 2012

Wayne N.P. Hung, PhD
Professor, Faculty Fellow
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas

Dr. Hung is a professor, faculty fellow, and coordinator for the Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology program at the Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University (TAMU) in College Station, Texas. He obtained his BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of California in Berkeley. He worked in the international industry for 13 years before switching to an academic career. Dr. Hung currently teaches and researches metal additive manufacturing and advanced materials while collaborating with international institutions in Brazil, Belgium, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. He is an active SME member and serves as a faculty advisor to the SME student chapter at TAMU. Under his guidance, the SME student teams have been working with SME Houston to host career fairs, organize annual Manufacturing Day activities, and win top prizes at national and international manufacturing-related competitions. Dr. Hung’s research group has published more than 200 educational and technical articles and earned one US patent. SME Member since 2004

Rustin Webster, PhD
Associate Professor, Purdue Polytechnic Institute
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana

Dr. Rustin Webster is an associate professor in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute at Purdue University and specializes in mechanical engineering and computer graphics technology. Prior to academia, he worked for an aerospace and engineering company as a mechanical engineer, product development lead, and researcher. Dr Webster designed various solutions for multiple branches of the Armed Forces, the Department of Defense, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He holds a B.S. in Engineering Graphics and Design and a M.S. in Management of Technology from Murray State University, and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Webster is a certified GD&T-Technologist, SOLIDWORKS Expert, and Six Sigma Green Belt. For his teaching and mentoring of students he has been awarded the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Engineering Technology (ET) National Teaching Award, Purdue University Teaching Academy Fellowship, School of Engineering Technology Outstanding Faculty in Teaching and Learning Award (twice), Purdue Teaching for Tomorrow Fellowship, Purdue Teaching Academy Pandemic Teaching Award, ASEE Engineering Graphics and Design Rising Educator Award, and SME Distinguished Faculty Advisor Award (twice). SME Member since 2018