Dr. Patrick Atkinson, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Craig Hoff, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering will receive the Ralph R. Teetor Award at the 2002 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress in Detroit, March 4 through 7. The Teetor Award is given each year to leading engineering educators from across the country. SAE will recognize Atkinson for his work in crash safety and bio-mechanical research, and Hoff for his work developing hybrid vehicles as part of the DOE FutureCar project, working with Kettering's Formula Car Team, and serving on the SAE Foundation Scholarship Committee.

Reflecting the firm belief of its donor that engineering educators are the most effective link between engineering students and their future careers, the SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Fund's major program is focused on young engineering educators. The Teetor Award program is designed to provide a forum for engineering educators to develop better understanding and closer relationships with practicing engineers in an effort to keep the engineering education relevant and cutting edge.

Dr. Atkinson specializes in occupant safety and Bioengineering. Atkinson (affectionately known as 'Bones') is continuing to develop a cooperative research and educational program with McLaren Regional Medical Center's Department of Orthopedics to provide an outlet for Kettering students and faculty to conduct research and participate in lectures. He earned his bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1991 from Kettering University, and his master's of Science in 1994 and Ph.D. in 1998 from Michigan State University.

Dr. Hoff specializes in the thermal sciences, mechanics, automotive engineering, biomedical engineering, and computer aided engineering. Research interests include development of loop heat pipes for electronics thermal management, development of energy efficient vehicles (particularly hybrid electric vehicles), and bio-fluid mechanics. He currently does consulting for the US Army and Tank Command developing next generation thermal management systems. He earned his bachelor's of Science degree in 1979 and his master's of Science in 1981 from Michigan State University, and his Ph.D. in 1992 at the University of Michigan.

The Teetor award was first given in 1965. Past Kettering recipients of the Teetor award include:
1999 Etim Ubong
1998 Karim Nasr
1996 Timothy M. Cameron
1994 Colin Jordan
1994 Massoud Tavakoli
1992 Behrouz Chehroudi
1990 Paul Zang
1988 Richard D. Tonda
1987 Mark G. Thompson
1987 Mohammad Torfeh
1979 James E.A. John

For more information about Kettering University, visit www.kettering.edu. For more information about the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International, visit www.sae.org/servlets/index.