Alumnus Dr. Diran Apelian (center) is inducted as a Fellow of NAI.
Alumnus Dr. Diran Apelian (BS ’68) has been elected a 2017 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Apelian, along with Department Head and Professor Michele Marcolongo, is one of 155 new Fellows elected this year, which brings the total number of Fellows to 912 elected since 2012
NAI Fellows are selected on the basis of having “demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.” It is the highest professional honor conferred upon academic inventors. The 2017 Fellows Induction Ceremony took place on April 5, 2018 as part of the Seventh Annual NAI Conference at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC.
Dr. Apelian is the Howmet Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Founding Director of the Metal Processing Institute (MPI) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. In addition to graduating from Drexel in 1968, he served as a faculty member and in several administrative positions at Drexel University from 1976 until 1990. After graduating from Drexel, Apelian received his PhD from MIT in 1968. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.