Society Awards and Student Scholarships

Recipients of the 2024 ASPE Awards

Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Peter J. de Groot

Dr. Peter de Groot is recognized for his deep expertise in optics and interference fringes, evidenced by his significant contributions to research, development, and education within the optics, physics, and precision engineering communities. With a remarkable career spanning over fifty years, beginning with hands-on experience in building a reflecting telescope and advancing through experimental Physics, Dr. de Groot has consistently demonstrated his passion for discovering the underlying principles of science and engineering. His prolific contributions, including 140 US patents and over 200 technical publications, tutorials, and book chapters, underscore his innovative impact on optical instrumentation. His esteemed positions as a Fellow of SPIE, Optica, the Institute of Physics, and the International Academy of Engineering and Technology, along with his role as the 2024 President-Elect of SPIE, highlight his leadership and dedication to the field. His experience as an instructor for tutorials, a keynote speaker within the precision engineering community, and as an honorary professor further showcases his ability to educate and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. Given his exceptional qualifications and visionary outlook, Dr. de Groot is an invaluable asset to any organization or institution aiming to advance optical science and precision technology.

Distinguished Service Award
Mr. Alex Sohn

Mr. Alex Sohn is recognized for exemplary dedication to promoting the art and practice of precision engineering through his long standing service to the Society. Alex has contributed towards planning every Annual Meeting since 1998 in addition to planning multiple topical meetings. He chaired the 2022 Annual Meeting in Bellevue, WA and the 2007 Annual Meeting in Dallas, TX. He has served as a Director at Large on the ASPE Board of Directors, as the Nominating Chair, and presently Chairs the Bylaws Committee. Alex is an expert in diamond turning and is employed as a Precision Engineer at Reality Labs.

College of Fellows
Dr. Vivek G. Badami

Dr. Vivek Badami is recognized for his sustained and continuing advancements in ultra-precision nanometrology systems and subsystems for stage positioning in the semiconductor photolithography industry. These include highly advanced laser displacement interferometers, high-end optical encoder systems, and various stage metrology calibration fixtures for the development of ultra-high precision absolute position measuring instruments. Vivek is a Zygo Technology Fellow and the Director of Engineering for leading-edge optical systems with over 25 years of experience in interferometry, metrology, and precision machine design. Vivek’s many contributions to ASPE, as President, Board Member, and Chair of the Education Committee have been recognized by the society with its Distinguished Service Award.

College of Fellows
Professor Chi Fai Benny Cheung

Prof. Cheung Chi Fai, Benny is recognized for theoretical and applied advancements in machining dynamics and nanometer level surface finish generation. He is presently the Director of the State Key Laboratory of ultra-Precision Machining Technology at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University as well as the Chair Professor in Ultra-precision Machining Technology. Prof. Cheung earned his doctorate from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2000, and a consistent theme of his research since then has been to apply the precision engineering principle of determinism to an understanding of surface generation as new figures, new materials, new processes, and new machines are required. He is an active member of the ASPE, co-organized multiple conferences with ASPEN, and continues to work to build collaboration with our colleagues worldwide.

Early Career Award
Dr. Kumar Arumugam

Dr. Kumar Arumugam is recognized for his dynamic and impactful contributions which have significantly advanced the field of precision engineering and enriched our professional community. Dr. Arumugam’s technical achievements are exemplified by his recent work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where he led the completion and delivery of the world’s first primary mass standard Kibble balance to a laboratory outside of a national metrology institute. This groundbreaking accomplishment underscores his expertise and innovative approach in precision engineering.

In addition to his technical prowess, Dr. Arumugam has demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to education and professional development. He has taken on pivotal roles in coordinating the annual student challenge, fostering the next generation of engineers. His annual contributions to the proceedings of both the American and European Societies focused on metrology and precision design highlight his dedication to advancing our understanding and practice of precision engineering.

Dr. Arumugam’s scholarly contributions include being selected to co-author the revised version of Stuart Smith’s seminal work, “FLEXURES,” which is regarded as the bible of precision engineering. Furthermore, he co-teaches a highly popular tutorial on flexures, sharing his deep knowledge and expertise with peers and newcomers alike.

Through his committee activities, tutorials, and numerous scholarly publications, Dr. Arumugam has made substantial and impactful contributions to both the academic community and the general practice of precision engineering. His work not only reflects his technical acumen but also his passion for advancing the field and supporting his colleagues and students.

We have no doubt that Dr. Arumugam will continue to make significant contributions to the field of precision engineering. He is a dedicated, innovative, and inspiring professional who has already achieved so much and will undoubtedly achieve even more in the future.

2024 Graham J. Siddall Student Scholarship

Malachi Landis
Northwestern University
Advisor: Ping Guo

Malachi Landis is a third-year PhD student in the Mechanical Engineering department at Northwestern University. He is a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellow sponsored by the Army Research Office. Through that fellowship, he is experimentally and computationally investigating solid-state metal additive manufacturing through a variation on Additive Friction Stir Deposition (AFSD). He is also collaborating on the design and control of robot swarms for the manufacturing of functional surfaces, and the design and construction of high-throughput materials characterization equipment.

2024 Jan van Eijk Student Scholarship

Lei Cao
Tsinghua University
Advisor: Sen Lu

Lei Cao is a graduate student at Tsinghua University, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. His research primarily involves control theory and its applications in mechatronic systems. Specifically, he is particularly interested in control methodologies including sliding mode control, data-driven control, model predictive control and so on.

2024 Thomas A. Dow Student Scholarship

Kaan Bahtiyar
Oregon State University
Advisor: Burak Sencer

Kaan Bahtiyar received his B.Sc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Control and Automation Engineering from Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey, in 2019 and 2020, respectively. He received his M.Sc. degree in Robotics from Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA, in 2023, where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Robotics. His research interests include the modeling, optimization, and control of vibrations in machining processes, as well as the design and optimization of control systems for motion delivery mechanisms.