Judith Todd, professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, has been named an honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Credit: Penn State College of Engineering
Judith Todd named honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
June 23, 2023
By Sarah Small
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Judith Todd, professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, has been named an honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). She was recognized for this achievement at ASME’s 2023 Annual Leadership Meeting, which was held June 3-6 in St. Louis.
Todd was recognized for “visionary, interdisciplinary, and interprofessional leadership; mentoring; and a lifetime of service in advancing the mechanical arts and sciences in academia and professional societies that has fostered the inclusive vision and mission of ASME and the engineering profession,” as cited at the award ceremony.
First awarded in 1880, the founding year of ASME, honorary membership is “awarded for a lifetime of service to engineering or related fields,” according to the society’s website. The award includes a silver medal, certificate and travel allowance for the conference. Honorary members must be corporate members — members who are not affiliates or students — of ASME, and up to five honorary members may be elected each year.
“[Todd] has a compelling vision that inspires and challenges all with whom she interacts to explore boundaries beyond their comfort zones, to engage with experts in emerging fields and to develop solutions to the grand challenges facing our professional and global societies,” wrote her nominator in a nomination letter for the award. “Her understated influence has had immense, positive impact on all the communities she has served.”
Todd is a Fellow of the ASME, where she served as vice president of the Manufacturing Technology Group from 2002 to 2005; a Fellow of ASM International, where she served as President in 2021-2022; a Fellow of the Association of Women in Science; and a Fellow of the Society of Engineering Science, where she served as president from 2008 to 2009. Todd has received numerous awards including the Vanadium Award from the British Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, the ASME Board on Minorities and Women Award and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, which she received from President George W. Bush in 2007.
Her research interests include development of advanced materials and manufacturing processes, laser-sustained plasma and laser-materials interactions, mechanical behavior, nondestructive evaluation of materials and archaeometry. She has published more than 100 technical papers and holds two U.S. patents.
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