Professor Gavriel Salvendy, Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, recently received the 2006 John Fritz Medal from the American Association of Engineering Societies for fundamental, international, and seminal leadership and technical contributions to human engineering and industrial engineering education, theory, and practice.
The award, established in honor of John Fritz in 1902, is the engineering profession's highest award. Salvendy joins such past recipients as Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and Alfred Nobel.
Professor Salvendy is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering in the United States and a professor at Purdue University. He became Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University in 2001. Thanks to his efforts, Tsinghua University is now the nation's leading academic institution in the field of industrial engineering.
