Troy, N.Y. — Prabhat Hajela, professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) as well as a 2003 ASME Congressional Fellow.

Hajela was named a fellow for his significant achievements in engineering research and education, and his active service in leadership roles in ASME and other professional societies.

In addition, he was selected as an ASME Congressional Fellow. The fellowship will allow Hajela to spend a year in Washington, D.C., to work on science and technology issues as a special legislative assistant in either the Senate or the House. Hajela plans to begin his fellowship in January 2003. As an ASME Congressional Fellow, he will participate in the yearlong program of activities administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

“I am honored by these recognitions from the ASME,” Hajela said. “Particularly exciting is the opportunity to interact with those in Washington who implement science and technology policies. I look forward to contributing my expertise to their decision-making process.”

Hajela is internationally recognized for seminal contributions in the adaptation of evolutionary algorithms, neural networks, and fuzzy logic in problems of large-scale multidisciplinary design. He has contributed extensively to educating the working professional, lecturing to audiences from academia, private aerospace industry, and governmental laboratories in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

Hajela has earned many professional and teaching honors. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a Fellow of the Aeronautical Society of India, and a member of the American Helicopter Society. He is vice president of the International Society for Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization and is a member of SIGMA GAMMA TAU, the National Honor Society in Aerospace Engineering.

Hajela holds a bachelor of technology in aeronautical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India. He earned a master’s in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University, a master’s in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, and his Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University. He joined the Rensselaer faculty in 1990.