Doug Nelson
Virginia Tech College of Engineering
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International has announced that Douglas J. Nelson is a newly elected 2011-2012 SAE Fellow. Nelson, along with other Fellow inductees, will be recognized during ceremonies at the 2012 SAE World Congress this week in Detroit, Mich.
Nelson is a professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in fuel cell and hybrid electric vehicle systems, advanced technology vehicles and capstone senior design. He has research expertise in modeling, testing, and validation of fuel cell, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, and components.
Nelson has published more than 100 journal and conference papers on technologies for sustainable mobility. He has been the faculty advisor for the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team (HEVT) of Virginia Tech since 1994. HEVT is a student organization that designs and builds hybrid electric and alternative-fueled vehicles for Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTCs) to reduce well-to-wheels greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum energy consumption.
In 2011, HEVT of Virginia Tech won the international EcoCAR Challenge, a three-year design competition that seeks to inspire science and engineering students to build more energy-efficient “green” automobiles. HEVT is participating in the next AVTC sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Dept. of Energy, EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future, for 2011-2014.
Nelson is a member of SAE International, ASME and the International Technical Committee for the Challenge Bibendum sustainable mobility event for advanced technology vehicles. He received the Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award from SAE International in 1996, the NSF FutureCar Faculty Advisor’s Award in 1998, and NSF Outstanding Long-term Faculty Advisor Award in 2005 and 2009.
Nelson received the B.S.M.E. degree and the M.S.M.E. degree from Virginia Tech. He then worked for two years as a systems engineer for Exxon Corporation, Solar Thermal Systems Division before returning to full-time graduate study. He received the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from Arizona State University in 1986.
SAE Fellow is the highest grade of membership bestowed by SAE International. It recognizes outstanding engineering, scientific and leadership accomplishments by an individual that have resulted in meaningful advances in automotive, aerospace, and commercial vehicle technologies. The program, established in 1975, recognizes an average of 20 recipients worldwide for this honor each year.
SAE International is a global association of more than 134,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial vehicle industries. SAE International’s core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International’s charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World in Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series.
For more information, please contact: Shawn Andreassi of SAE International, by phone 724.772.8522 or email.