Professor James E. Smith of the West Virginia University (WVU) has been named the next president of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International, US. A faculty member of the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources since 1984, Smith will be the fourth president to come from academia in SAE history.
Although Smith's term as president will not officially begin until January 2009, the WVU professor will spend much of the next six months attending meetings and conferences, interacting with government and industry officials and otherwise preparing to take SAE's helm. He will serve as SAE president throughout 2009.
Smith has been an active member of SAE for 23 years and served on the organisation's board of directors from 2005-08. He also served on SAE's engineering meetings board and technical standards board, and he was a liaison to its publication board. Additionally, he worked with the SAE Convergence Program Office and served as general chair of the 14th Asia Pacific Automotive Engineering Conference in 2007.
Originally known as the Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE International sets standards for a wide variety of products and processes in the aerospace, automotive and commercial vehicle industries. The organisation provides lifelong learning opportunities for members and professionals by publishing over 3,000 technical papers a year, hosting 23 conferences a year, sponsoring numerous seminars and providing access to industrial and academic research. It also publishes numerous print and electronic publications, including engineering magazines, technical papers and books.
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