NEW YORK, May 8, 2008 – The ASME International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI) will hold an awards program at ASME Turbo Expo 2008, in which six individuals will be recognized for service and achievement.

IGTI will honor Theodore H. Okiishi, John D. Denton, Budimir Rosic, Matthew J. Driscoll, Thomas Habib, and Nicholas Cumpsty in a ceremony to be held June 9, 2008, at the Estrel Berlin Hotel and Convention Center in Berlin, Germany.  ASME Turbo Expo, including a technical program and equipment exposition, continues to June 13.

Theodore Okiishi will receive the 2008 R. Tom Sawyer Award for important contributions to the activities of IGTI and the gas turbine industry.  The professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at Iowa State University, Okiishi has directed many research programs in engine components for GE Aviation, U.S. Air Force, and other industrial and government partners.  An active member of ASME who achieved the rank of ASME fellow in 1992 and received the Society’s Dedicated Service Award in 2005, Okiishi also serves as adviser to the government on research and economic development.

John Denton and Budimir Rosic will be the joint recipients of the 2006 ASME Gas Turbine Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to the literature of gas turbines.  Denton and Rosic are the co-authors of the paper, “The Control of Shroud Leakage Loss by Reducing Circumferential Mixing.”

Denton’s academic career includes teaching positions at the University of East Africa and Cambridge University, where he also served as director of the esteemed Whittle Laboratory from 1984 to 1990.  At the Whittle Laboratory, Denton carried out research and experimentations on aerodynamics and also developed numerical methods for predicting gas and steam flow in turbine systems.  His numerical methods have been widely adopted.

Budimir Rosic has worked in the areas of cogeneration, aerodynamics, energy resource planning, and plant monitoring.  While at the Whittle Laboratory, Rosic was involved on research programs for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Siemens Power Generation, in which he collaborated with John Denton on experimentation in the aerodynamics of low-aspect ratio turbines and control of shroud leakage flows.

IGTI will present the 2006 John P. Davis Award – recognizing technical papers that describe applications of technology to solve real problems – to Matthew Driscoll and Thomas Habib for their paper, “Advanced Degradation Rates for High Power LM 2500 Applications.”  Driscoll is lead engineer for propulsion gas turbine engines at the U.S. Navy, where he is involved in engine systems assessments and acquisitions.  His technical expertise also encompasses component design, repair, and life-cycle management.

Habib is the team leader in the Marine Gas Turbine Lifecycle Support Branch of the U.S. Navy, where he has worked for 27 years.

Cumpsty will receive the 2008 Aircraft Engine Technology Award.  A professor of engineering at Imperial College in the United Kingdom, Cumpsty from 2000 to 2005 served as chief technologist at Rolls-Royce and currently remains with the engine manufacturer as an advisor and consultant.  The former director of the Whittle Laboratory, he has written two textbooks which are used widely in academic circles.

The awards program will commence at 10:15 a.m. in Estrel Hall A-B-C.  The technical program for ASME Turbo Expo 2008 will cover engine design, materials, operations and maintenance, noise reduction in turbines, alternative fuels, combustion diagnostics, and micro-turbines, among many other topics.  The annual technical conference brings together engineers, research scientists, educators and other professionals involved in the design, operation, and maintenance of gas turbines.

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 engineering and technology community.  ASME has 127,000 members.

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