Lifetime Achievement Award: Randall M. German, FAPMI

Dr. Randall (Rand) German, FAPMI, founder of German Materials Technology, has been selected to receive the Kempton H. Roll Powder Metallurgy (PM) Lifetime Achievement Award by the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF). The award will be presented during WorldPM2020, World Congress on Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials, in Montreal, Canada, at the Opening General Session on Sunday, June 28.

German has distinguished himself through his research and teaching of the net-shape fabrication of engineering materials via sintering techniques as used in PM, cemented carbides, and ceramics. He has promoted the growth of PM technology during his 50-year career through his involvement in 12 start-up companies, supervising well over a hundred graduate and post-doctoral students, and prolific PM industry publications. German has also been an active member in APMI International, the American Society for Metals, and the American Ceramics Society.

After completing his bachelor’s degree in material science and engineering at San José State University, German began his PM industry career at Battelle Lab, Columbus, Ohio, prior to joining Sandia National Labs (SNL). He obtained his master’s degree in metallurgical engineering from The Ohio State University and his PhD in engineering at the University of California—Davis before taking a director of research position at Mott Corporation, Farmington, Connecticut.

German’s nearly 40-year academic career began in 1980 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he earned the Hunt Chair while teaching and conducting research. In 1991, he accepted a position at The Pennsylvania State University where he became the Brush Chair Professor in Materials and the director of the Center for Innovative Sintered Products (CISP) before retiring as an emeritus professor. In 2005, German became the inaugural director for the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) at Mississippi State University prior to joining San Diego State University in 2008 as associate dean for engineering research until 2013.

German has published 20 books and has 25 patents. He has shared his expertise at powder injection molding tutorials since 1990, and co-chaired over 30 conferences. German received the MPIF Distinguished Service to PM Award in 1993 and was one of the first APMI members to be awarded the prestigious APMI International Fellow Award in 1998. He received an honorary doctorate from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and fellow awards from two additional technical societies.

The Lifetime Achievement Award, named in honor of Kempton H. Roll, founding executive director of MPIF, was established in 2007 in order to recognize individuals with outstanding accomplishments and achievements who have devoted their careers and a lifetime of involvement in the field of PM and related technologies. This will only be the fourth time the award has been given since its inception.

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Editor's Note: For further information, or for a high-resolution picture, contact Dora Schember at dschember@mpif.org or (609) 452-7700.

About the Metal Powder Industries Federation
Metal Powder Industries Federation is the North American trade association formed by the powder metallurgy industry to advance the interests of the metal powder producing and consuming industries and provides a single point of reference for all MPIF member companies