Three GE Engineers Elected to National Academy of Engineering

• Total GE membership in NAE, past and present, well over 100; top 3 among U.S. corporations
• New honorees include experts in material stress cracking diagnosis, gas turbine engine material development, and modern turbofan engine technology

NISKAYUNA, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE (NYSE: GE) today announced that three distinguished engineers, one from the company’s Global Research Center, and two from its Aviation business, have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

“Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to ‘engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature,’ and to the ‘pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.’”

“GE has been innovating for more than 100 years, and this is further proof that we’re still at the top of our game,” said Mark Little, GE’s Chief Technology Officer. “These three individuals represent some of the best minds and brightest talent that we have across our company and I congratulate them all on this prestigious honor.”

Peter Andresen, a Principal Scientist at GE Global Research, is a new inductee into the NAE in recognition of his more than three decades of work in the area of stress cracking prediction and prevention. “This is one of the highest honors of my professional life,” said Andresen, a materials scientist, who began his career with GE Global Research in 1978 after earning a Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “My father was an engineer and I always pestered those around me to understand how things worked. The blend of sophisticated experimental measurements, underlying science, and technical intuition makes the work endlessly fascinating.”

Andresen holds 26 patents and is GE’s most prolific researcher. Over the course of his 35 year career at GE Global Research, he has authored more than 450 publications – more than any other GE researcher. His research addresses the very slow growth of cracks in the hot water environments common to nuclear, steam turbine, and geothermal energy systems. Much of his work has focused on detecting, quantifying, and predicting the growth of cracks on stainless steels, which are nominally thought of as resistant to corrosion, but when battered by high temperature and pressure water and steam, can be very susceptible to "stress corrosion cracking."

Andresen has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE); Board of Editors for Corrosion Journal; Chairman of the NACE Research Committee; Chair of the NACE Awards Committee and the Advisory Panel for the Halden Test Reactor in Norway and the Idaho National Lab Science User Facility.

To see a video with Peter Andresen discussing his work in the area of metal cracking and sharing his thoughts on being elected to the NAE, click HERE.

Robert Schafrik, general manager of the Materials and Process Engineering Department at GE Aviation, is recognized for his more than 40 years of innovation in materials for gas turbine engines. During this time, Schafrik and his team reduced the development time for several new materials, including low rhenium turbine blade alloy, R65 – a high temperature cast-and-wrought disk alloy, titanium aluminide turbine blade alloy and greatly expanded the use of composite applications in engines.

“It is an exciting time to be in material development for gas turbine engines,” said Schafrik, who spent 20 years on active duty as a military officer in the U.S. Air Force prior to joining GE in 1997. “The technology advances that have greatly enhanced the performance and capabilities of aircraft engines are made possible in large part by the advances in materials.”

Schafrik has a Ph.D. in metallurgical engineering from Ohio State University. He has contributed to 28 archived publications and holds 19 patents. He is currently a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and the National Materials and Manufacturing Board, and is the Chair of the External Advisory Committee for the department of Materials Science and Engineering at Ohio State University.

Jan Schilling, advanced products chief engineer at GE Aviation, is recognized by the NAE for his accomplishments in advancing technology for modern turbofan engines. Schilling’s work encompasses the Advanced Design Demonstrators QCSEE and E³ to the introduction of the CFM56-3, CF6-80A, CFM56-7 and the design and flawless entry into service of the GE90-115B engine, which is the world’s highest thrust engine. He currently has 53 patents filed, with several more that are pending.

“Being elected to the National Academy of Engineering is a tremendous honor,” said Schilling, who will celebrate his 44 year at GE Aviation in June. “The modern turbofan engine has evolved over my career at GE Aviation, and I am proud to continue to play a role in the technology evolution that makes our engines more fuel efficient and durable.”

Schilling holds a Master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Cincinnati. He currently is the chair of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) Chair Propulsion Committee and the University of Cincinnati Mechanical Engineering Industrial External Advisory Board.

Currently, GE has 26 active members in the NAE. Including past inductees and retirees, GE’s count rises to 115 members. Of all U.S. corporations, GE ranks third in total membership.

Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. According to the NAE, “Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to ‘engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature,’ and to the ‘pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.’”

About GE Global Research

GE Global Research is the hub of technology development for all of GE's businesses. Our scientists and engineers redefine what’s possible, drive growth for our businesses, and find answers to some of the world’s toughest problems.

We innovate 24 hours a day, with sites in Niskayuna, New York; San Ramon, California; Bangalore, India; Shanghai, China; Munich, Germany; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Visit GE Global Research on the web at www.ge.com/research. Connect with our technologists at http://edisonsdesk.com and http://twitter.com/edisonsdesk.

About GE Aviation

GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet, turboshaft and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit us at www.ge.com/aviation. Follow GE Aviation on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GEAviation and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/GEAviation.