Dr. Alan W. Cramb
Cross and Clarkson Professor of Engineering
Dean of Engineering
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Alan W. Cramb will become the Dean of Engineering and the Cross and Clarkson Professor of Engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in July of 2005.
Dr. Cramb received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979 and subsequently spent 7 years conducting research within the steel industry. In 1986 he joined Carnegie Mellon University and became the co-director of the Center for Iron and Steelmaking in1990. He then helped the Center transition from a local to a fully international center with a worldwide membership. In 2000 he became Head of the Materials Science and Engineering Department where he was responsible for updating the undergraduate experience, developing the department’s leadership role, both locally and nationally, and ensuring that there was a strong interdisciplinary focus in the department’s research portfolio.
He is the author of over 170 publications and 2 patents and was the recipient of the AISI Medal in 1985 and 1986 and the Robert Woolston Hunt Award of the Iron and Steel Society in 1987. He was named an Iron and Steel Society Professor in 1992 and was awarded the Benjamin Richard Teare Award at CMU for excellence in engineering education in 1995. Alan was the recipient of the Posco Chair for Iron and Steelmaking in 1997 and was the President of the Iron and Steel Society in the year 2000. Alan was made a Fellow of the Iron and Steel Society in 2000 and named the John Elliott lecturer of TMS/ISS in 2002. In 2003 he gave the Carnegie lecture for the Pittsburgh branch of ASM and was awarded the Benjamin Fairless Award of AIME. Alan will become president of AIME in 2005. He was also chairman of the University Materials Council and a board member of ABET in 2005.
Alan’s research is focused on issues related to solidification phenomena, especially during the casting of steels. He has graduated 15 Doctoral and 35 Masters students and has hosted more that 25 visiting international researchers within his group during his time at CMU. He has given more than 100 presentations worldwide and has taught short courses in Europe, South America and Asia on Solidification and Clean Steel Manufacture.
updated: June 2005