SAMPE names 2021 Young Professional of the Year, North American Award winners

On July 29 the Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering North America (SAMPE, Diamond Bar, Calif., U.S.) announced the final winner of the 2021 Young Professionals Emerging Leadership Award  (YPELA), Eric D. Schmid, PhD, product development engineer, Raven Industries Engineered Films (Sioux Falls, S.D., U.S.). The award recognizes the achievements of young professionals who have graduated from university and are under the age of 35. Dr. Lessa Kay Grunenfelder, a senior lecturer at the Mork Family Dept. of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science at the Viterbi School of Engineering of the University of Southern California was SAMPE’s 2020 winner.

According to David R. Salem PhD, CPhys, professor of chemical and biological engineering, materials and metallurgical engineering, nanoscience and nanoengineering at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City, S.D., and SAMPE member, “Eric does not shy away from any opportunities to expand his knowledge base. He also continually seeks new connections with people having knowledge of the challenges faced in the advanced materials industry, thereby helping to expand his exposure, and understanding of the needs to be addressed. This exposure has deepened Eric’s interest in polymer composites, which in turn has fueled his drive to study the properties and performance needed to make these future industrial materials both successful and cost-effective.”

Schmid’s contributions to SAMPE are reportedly significant, including:

• SAMPE Spring show 2013: Student Leadership Award recipient
• Supports SAMPE social media projects
• Volunteers with the SAMPE Young Professionals initiative
• SAMPE North America Awards Committee Co-Chair
• CAMX 2020 Deputy Technical Chair
• SAMPE University Research Symposium Winner, 2018
• SAMPE Volunteer Leader with SD Mines Student Chapter
• Community STEM outreach with multiple local universities and K-12 organizations

“Eric Schmid’s accomplishments are truly remarkable,” says Scott Stephenson, executive vice president of SAMPE North America. “His early career achievements come as no surprise to those who know him and recommended him for this award. Eric is generous with his scientific knowledge and stands out not just as an industrial research leader but as a SAMPE volunteer leader as well. I look forward to witnessing great things from this young man in the very near future.”

SAMPE would also like to acknowledge this year’s North American Award winners. This award recognizes leading members and volunteers for their successes in delivering on SAMPE’s mission of providing enhanced educational opportunities to the composites and process engineering community.

“We are proud to honor and recognize this year’s award recipients for their commitment to supporting SAMPE and its membership,” says Jerome Berg, SAMPE North America president.

The winners are as follows:

• Honorary Senior Member: Dr. Allan S. Crasto, SAMPE Fellow and senior advisor, research initiatives, Office of the Director, at the University of Dayton Research Institute.
• Organizational Excellence Award:
  • Composite Materials Technology program at Davis Technical College
  • Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI, Knoxville, Tenn., U.S.)
• Distinguished Service Award:
  • Dr. William B. Avery, SAMPE Fellow and Boeing Technical Fellow (retired)
  • Dr. A. Brent Strong, SAMPE Fellow and CTO, Utah Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI, Kaysville, Utah, U.S.)
• Chapter of the Year Award: SAMPE South Texas (SOTEX)
• Young Professionals Emerging Leadership Award winners:
  • Young Professional of the Year: Eric D. Schmid, PhD, product development engineer, Raven Industries Engineered Films; CO-Rocky Mountain chapter
  • Christopher H. Childers, PhD, composite material and process engineer, The Boeing Co. (Chicago, Ill., U.S.); OH-Midwest chapter
  • Dr. Vipin Kumar, R&D associate staff member, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tenn., U.S.); WA-Seattle chapter
  • Kevin Keith, CTO, MITO Material Solutions (Indianapolis, Ind., U.S.); OH-Midwest chapter
  • Kelsi M. Hays, materials, process and physics engineer, The Boeing Co.; WA-Seattle chapter
  • Michael Goodrick, principal engineer, Northrop Grumman (Falls Church, Virg., U.S.); UT-Utah chapter
  • Dr. Saja Modher Nabat Al-Ajrash, postdoctoral researcher, University of Dayton; OH-Midwest chapter
  • Hieu Truong McElroy, PhD, associate research scientist, Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich., U.S.); TX-South Texas chapter.