College of Engineering alumnus inducted into National Academy of Engineering

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has elected Wayne State Alum Pryaranjan Prasad to its membership for his advances in automotive safety and impact biomechanics that have led to safer vehicles.

Prasad, a technical research engineer for the Ford Motor Company, is among 76 new U.S. members of the Academy announced today by NAE President Wm. A. Wulf.

Prasad earned his master's degree from Wayne State in Mechanical Engineering in 1968, and PhD in Biomechanics in 1973.

Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature," and to the "pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education," according to the Academy.

Prasad has been a Ford biomechanical and automotive safety researcher for the past 32 years. He is widely recognized in the industry as the foremost leader in this area, having conducted pioneering research in analytical and physical testing methods, including vehicle offset crash testing; development and validation of human anatomical computer models; and injury criteria for children.

He was instrumental in defining the need and requirements of occupant crash simulation, leading to the widespread use of modeling in the automotive industry worldwide.

The newest members bring the total membership to the Academy of Engineering to 2,216.

Prasad was inducted into the College of Engineering's Hall of Fame Nov. 17, 2005. He is also the recipient of the Henry Ford Technical Award for Side Impact Model and the NHTSA Engineering Excellence Award for Safety.