NEW YORK, Oct. 2, 2008 – Robin S. Sharp, a resident of Northants, UK, and visiting professor at the University of Surrey (Guilford, UK), will be honored by ASME for seminal contributions to the understanding of road vehicle dynamics.  He will receive the Society’s Soichiro Honda Medal.

The medal, established in 1983, recognizes an individual for an outstanding achievement or a series of significant engineering contributions in developing improvements in the field of personal transportation.  The award will be presented to Professor Sharp during ASME’s 2008 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, which is being held in Boston, Oct. 31 through Nov. 6.

Sharp has worked in research and education for the past 40 years.  He began his career as a research engineer at the Motor Industry Research Association (Warwickshire, UK) in 1960 before assuming a number of positions in the UK and at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor (1978-79)

In 1969 Sharp worked for the BSA–Triumph Company (Coventry, UK) developing research started at Cranfield University on the stability and control of motorcycles.  His research has led to an enhanced understanding of motorcycle oscillations, weave and wobble, the role of tires, frame compliance, road undulations, braking and cornering, etc.  His work has been applied to bicycles recently, resulting in an article to be published in November 2008 in ASME’s Applied Mechanics Reviews.

Sharp has effectively studied many other topics in vehicle dynamics, particularly advanced automotive suspension systems, minimum-time maneuvering, driver behavior and modeling, and vehicle handling qualities.

He has worked extensively as an industrial consultant and expert witness for notable clients.  Current projects include two with Williams F1, one through the University of Surrey concerning F1 tires; the other, involving former colleagues at Imperial College, entails driver modeling and minimum-time simulations.

Sharp has authored/co-authored over 150 papers on a wide variety of topics in the general area of mechanics and vehicle dynamics, including several invited review papers.  He has also published papers in ASME’s Journal of Applied Mechanics and Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement and Control.

Sharp is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (UK).  He served as chair (2002-05) and is a member of the International Union for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics’ (IUTAM) working group on dynamical systems and mechatronics and a member of the IUTAM UK panel.  He has held leadership positions in the International Association for Vehicle System Dynamics, including 12 years as secretary general (1989-2001).

Sharp earned his bachelor’s degree in physics at the University of Leeds in 1958 and his master’s degree in automotive engineering at Cranfield University in 1965.  He is a chartered engineer in the UK.

Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences.  ASME develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and provides lifelong learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the global engineering and technology community.

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