A West Virginia University professor has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE), an organization of the most elite engineers in the nation.
Syd Peng, professor and former longtime chair of WVU s Department of Mining Engineering in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, was elected to the NAE for his leadership in the development of advanced longwall-mining and ground-subsidence-control technologies.
I am humbled by this honor and grateful to all those who have helped me in my career,said Peng.This announcement brings a great deal of pride to me, to my department and college and to West Virginia University.
Peng is the first faculty member from WVU to be elected to the NAE and only the fourth person from West Virginia to receive the honor.
This election is an important milestone for West Virginia University and for the state of West Virginia,said WVU President David C. Hardesty, Jr.Syd Peng is a tremendous asset to this institution and to this state.
Peng will be officially inducted into the NAE during the organizations annual meeting in September.
Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.
Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to engineering literature.
It also recognizes those pioneering new, developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering or developing and implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.
Syd Peng is passionate about mining engineering,said Gene Cilento, dean of the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.He is a credit to his department, to our college and to the University. This election brings honor to all of us.
Peng earned his undergraduate degree in mining engineering in his native Taiwan and worked in coal mines there for five years. He came to the United States in 1965 and earned his masters degree from the South Dakota School of Mines before going on to Stanford University, where he completed his doctorate in mining engineering in 1970. From 1970 to 1974, he worked for the U.S. Bureau of Mines.
Peng joined the WVU faculty in 1974 as an assistant professor in mining engineering and became the department chair four years later. He stepped down from that position in 2006 to focus on wrapping up a lifetime of research and writing, but he remains an active member of the faculty. He was named the Charles E. Lawall Chair of Mining Engineering in 2006.
Peng is a recognized international expert in ground control in mining.
In 1981, he organized the first International Conference on Ground Control in Mining, now recognized worldwide as an important annual forum for the exchange of information for mining experts. The conference marked its twenty-fifth anniversary last year.
Peng also established the Longwall Mining and Ground Control Research Center in 1985 and assumed its directorship. He was appointed the Department of Mining Engineerings Charles T. Holland Professor in 1987.
In addition, the WVU professor has authored and co-authored three textbooks,Longwall Mining,Coal Mine Ground ControlandSurface Subsidence Engineering.
Peng has written hundreds of journal and proceedings articles and research reports in the areas of longwall mining, multiple-seam mining, pillar design, roofbolting, rock testing and behavior, cutter roof, in-situ stress measurement, ultrasonic stress measurement, surface subsidence and respirable dust.
He has developed several computer models for ground control mine design and has worked extensively with the coal mining industry, federal and state agencies and equipment manufacturers in the United States and other major coal-producing countries.
Peng has received numerous awards throughout his career, including the Rock Mechanics Award and Howard N. Eavenson Award from the Society for Mining, Metallury and Exploration, the Education Excellence Award and Donald Kingery Award from the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America, the Overseas Medal from the Institution of Mining Engineers (United Kingdom), the Erkine Ramsey Medal from the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers, the Medal for Excellence from the Institute of Mining, Metals and Minerals (United Kingdom) and the 2004, 2005 and 2006 R&D 100 Award from R&D Magazine for research in electromagnetic methods in mining.
The NAE is one of the National Academies, which also include the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. The Academies bring together experts in all areas of science and technology to advise the federal government and the public on critical national issues. Members are elected to the academies by their peers for distinguished professional achievements.
Members provide leadership and expertise for a wide range of NAE -sponsored research projects, symposia and public information activities relating to the relationship between engineering, technology and society. Program areas include engineering education, engineering and the environment, information technology, homeland security, technology policy and others.