Dr. Satish Bukkapatnam, professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been selected as the recipient of the 2019-20 Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair Award.
Serving a two-year term as the distinguished chair, Bukkapatnam will work on collaborative research in France to enhance smart manufacturing capabilities and develop sustainable materials and advanced optical systems. In addition to research, he will also give seminars across France. He will present his first seminar on March 12.
The award was created in 2005 by the Franco-American Fulbright Commission, together with the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the U.S. Department of State. The goal of the award is to enhance cooperation between France and America, which Bukkapatnam will contribute to during his tenure.
Bukkapatnam was selected as a distinguished chair for his research in smart manufacturing, some of which is done through the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Institute for Manufacturing Systems where he is director. He has also previously worked with the Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology (École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers – ENSAM) on smart manufacturing research.
Smart manufacturing uses automated sensors and technology to improve and monitor the production process. Part of Bukkapatnam’s research focuses on the smart sensors used in smart manufacturing and how these sensors can be used to provide more information about the manufacturing process. While in France he will work with researchers in the Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology and STIL Marposs, a small French company, to develop the next generation of smart sensor systems.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity and thankful for the honor of being named the distinguished chair,” Bukkapatnam said. “I look forward to continuing my research and working with my collaborator, Dr. Mohamed El Mansori, on this project.”
In 2017, a partnership was created between Arts et Métiers and TEES, referred to as AM2. This partnership was formed to advance the technology surrounding artificial intelligence and data science in smart manufacturing, while promoting collaboration between the two organizations.
Graduate student exchanges between the two schools deepens this collaboration and allows knowledge to flow into both countries.
“French graduate and doctoral students actively participate in this transatlantic cooperation through classes, conferences and joint research projects,” said Audrey Stewart, director of International and European Development at Arts et Métiers. “Whereby sharing knowledge to address the challenges of the fourth Industrial Revolution faced by American and French companies.”
While in France, Bukkapatnam and his collaborators will launch the AM2 Consortium for Industry of the Future, which will strengthen the AM2 partnership and deepen the understanding and commitment of companies in the consortium, said Stewart.