SAE International Honors GM Research Laboratories Team for Pioneering Research with Arnold W. Siegel Humanitarian Award
WARRENDALE, Pa. (PRWEB) April 17, 2017 — On Tuesday, April 4, SAE International honored members of the General Motors Research Laboratories Fuels and Lubricants Department with the 2016 SAE Arnold W. Siegel Humanitarian Award.
The team was recognized for its many significant contributions to automotive technology through their pioneering research to improve engine combustion efficiency, understand engine knock, define and reduce vehicle emissions, and improve fuel and lubricant quality on a worldwide basis.
Established in 2014, the Arnold W. Siegel Humanitarian Award is made possible by a generous gift from Arnold and Stephanie Siegel. The award proudly represents members and non-members of SAE International whose mobility industry contributions have made a lasting social benefit on humanity. The award honors individuals, teams, organizations or entities, both domestic and internationally, whose mobility industry contributions – research or practical application – have made a significant, positive, multi-generational impact on the world such as, but not limited to: mobility safety or the environment, creating a safer, healthier world.
The Fuels and Lubricants team was instrumental in the development of the exhaust catalytic converter; they supplied the data to substantiate the need for unleaded gasoline, defined the properties of clean (“reformulated”) gasoline and promoted its use. They solved the major engine port fuel injector problem which was prevalent in the auto industry in the mid-1980s and developed the Engine Oil Change Indicator, now extensively used on all of GM’s vehicles. The positive impact made by this team to improve fuel and lubricant quality in the United
States and around the globe, was based on rigorous engine, automatic transmission, and axle testing which has become the standard for many performance-based specifications for automotive fuels and lubricants. This has resulted in reduced maintenance costs and increased life for engines and drivetrains.
The team members listed below led the efforts of the hundreds of people who did the work acknowledged in the award.
- William G. Agnew (Retired)
- John D. Caplan (Deceased)
- Joseph M. Colucci (Retired)
- W. DeWayne France, Jr. (Retired)
- Nicholas E. Gallopoulos (Retired)
- Norman A. Hunstad (Retired)
- James A. Spearot, (Retired)
- Charles S. Tuesday (Deceased)
- Lloyd L. Withrow (Deceased)
SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the mobility engineering profession. By uniting more than 127,000 engineers and technical experts worldwide, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion® and the Collegiate Design SeriesTM.
