2017 MMAE Distinguished Alumni Awards
On September 15th, 2017, the Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering (MMAE) Department at Armour College of Engineering presented departmental Distinguished Alumni Awards to Mr. Robert A. Cornog and Dr. Francis A. Kulacki for their outstanding achievements in the field of mechanical engineering. Illinois Institute of Technology President, Alan Cramb; Carol and Ed Kaplan Armour College Dean of Engineering, Natasha DePaola; and MMAE Department Chair, Sumanta Acharya, congratulated the recipients for the honor. The ceremony was held in front of an audience of MMAE faculty members and students. The complete list of previous recipients of MMAE Distinguished Alumni Award.
Mr. Robert A. Cornog is the retired Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Snap-on Inc. Mr. Cornog earned his B.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1961 and M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1966. He served as CEO and President of Snap-on Inc. from 1991 to 2001 and as Chairman from 1991 to 2002. Snap-on Inc. is a leading global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of tool and equipment solutions for professional tool users. Founded in 1920, Snap-on is a $2+ billion, S&P 500 company headquartered in Kenosha, Wisconsin and employs approximately 14,000 people worldwide. Prior to Snap-on Inc., Mr. Cornog was president of MacWhyte Company of Kenosha, Wisconsin from 1981-1991. MacWhyte is a division of AMSTED Industries, a leading manufacturer of wire rope products that was headed by IIT Trustee Robert Reum. Mr. Cornog serves on the Board of Directors of Wisconsin Gas LLC, Wisconsin Electric Power Company, and Wisconsin Energy Corporation. He is a member of Honorary Board of Advisors of Kenosha Community Foundation, director of Naples Community Sailing Center, and Trustee Emeritus at Carthage College. Mr. Cornog is a Life Alumni Trustee of the Illinois Institute of Technology since 2009, recipient of 2014 IIT Alumni Medal, member of IIT Gunsaulus Society, and former President of IIT Alumni Association. During his studies at IIT, Mr. Cornog was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, an Honor I recipient in swimming, and a Black Knight.
Dr. Francis A. Kulacki is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He earned his B.S. (ME'63) and M.S. (Gas Eng'66) degrees from the Illinois Institute of Technology and Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Kulacki’s current research and scholarly interests include coupled heat and mass transfer in porous media, two-phase flow in micro-channels, natural convection heat transfer, heat transfer in metal foams, hybrid renewable energy systems, thermal energy storage technology, energy policy, and management of technology. He has published over 225 articles, 14 book chapters and reviews, and 33 educational and professional articles. Dr. Kulacki is the Editor-in-Chief of the Springer Briefs in Thermal Engineering and Applied Science, the Springer Mechanical Engineering Series, and the Springer Handbook of Thermal Science and Engineering. His administrative work includes appointments as Department Chair at the University of Delaware, Dean of engineering at the Colorado State University and Dean of the Institute of Technology (now the College of Science and Engineering) at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Kulacki is a Fellow of ASME and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the recipient of the ASME Distinguished Service Award, the 2015 ASME Heat Transfer Memorial Award, and the 2017 ASME E. F. Church Award recognizing his outstanding and continuous contributions to mechanical engineering education, research, and service. As a student at IIT, Dr. Kulacki was an officer of Phi Kappa Sigma, a business manager of Tech News, and a member of IIT Tennis Team.
