DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 12, 2006 - The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation announces the establishment of an endowed scholarship in memory of M. Eugene Merchant, ScD, past president of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, who died on Aug. 19, 2006.
In keeping with Dr. Merhcant’s lifelong mission, the scholarship will provide funding for the education of future manufacturing engineers and will also serve as a lasting tribute to Dr. Merchant's pioneering research and discovery. Dr. Merchant served as SME’s president from 1976-1977, chaired the Foundation's Proposal Review Committee for more than 20 years, and in 1999 was named Honorary Director Emeritus of the Foundation.
“Dr. Merchant contributed some of the most significant engineering ideas of his – and our – time, but he also saw the need to prepare for manufacturing’s future through education. Through his incredible support and work with the SME Education Foundation, he did just that,” said Sherril K. West, SME Education Foundation president. “The M.
Eugene Merchant Memorial Scholarship will ensure that Dr. Merchant’s work is continued and remembered.”While Dr. Merchant’s contribution to SME is significant, his contribution to modern manufacturing is legendary. In the early 1940s he developed the basic theory of metal-cutting.
His pioneering research made it easier for manufacturing engineers to determine the type of tooling needed to provide the optimum cut, how to regulate the amount of power needed to make a cut, and the effect on the metal's temperature. His theory has been used worldwide and is still considered the best available for explaining and developing the machining process. His philosophy of computer-integrated manufacturing systems, developed in the 1950s, has become the standard operating practice for manufacturers all over the globe. Contributions to the M.
Eugene Merchant Memorial Scholarship Fund can be made at www.sme.org/foundation or mailed to SME Education Foundation, One SME Drive, Box 930, Dearborn, MI 48121-0930.
About the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation is one of the nation’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing manufacturing education. Its approach is three-fold: to inspire youth to pursue careers in manufacturing; to support students studying for a career in an engineering-related field; and prepare these students through its Manufacturing Education Plan grant program in colleges and technical schools. Since 1980, the Foundation has provided more than $19 million in grants, scholarships, and awards. The Education Foundation was created by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in 1979 as a means of transforming manufacturing education in North American colleges and universities.
