Rod Riek, principal at Material Insights LLC, has received the Merton C. Flemings Award from the Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). The biannual award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the understanding of solidification processing fundamentals that have been applied commercially in the foundry industry.
"I feel incredibly honored to receive the Merton C. Flemings Award, and I also feel a sense of deep humility when I consider the caliber and contributions of the prior award recipients," said Riek, who received the award on June 3 during ACRC’s biannual meeting on the WPI campus.
"These recipients developed much of the fundamental material and foundry processing science that I have relied on for practical industrial application development throughout my career. I have also been truly blessed with the opportunity for learning, collaboration, and friendship with so many colleagues through the years at ACRC."
Riek, who received his undergraduate degree in metallurgy and materials science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his law degree from Suffolk University Law School, has spent the last 40 years in technical management positions in a number of manufacturing companies heavily engaged in materials and materials processing development. In 2013, he retired from Harley-Davidson Motor Company in Milwaukee, Wis., where he was chief engineer for materials engineering and technology development for 15 years. In his current role at Material Insights, he oversees a consultancy advising clients in materials- and processing-related issues, product development, and management of technology development.
Established in 1991, the Merton C. Flemings Award is named in honor of the prominent inventor and specialist in metallurgy and materials science.
About the Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC)
ACRC is an academic-industry partnership headquartered on the campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass. Built on the university’s strengths and focused on helping industry solve technical issues, the center provides a collaborative environment in which members, faculty members, and students discuss challenges in the metal casting industry, specifically in the areas of light metals, nonferrous alloys, and semisolid processing. For more information about ACRC, visit wpi.edu/+acrc.
