Richard Sisson Jr., George F. Fuller professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Manufacturing and Materials Science and Engineering programs at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), has been named a fellow of two materials science professional societies, the International Federation for Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering (IFHTSE) and the American Ceramic Society (ACerS).

Sisson, who directs the Center for Heat Treating Excellence, which is part of WPI’s Metal Processing Institute, received the IFHTSE fellowship at the 4th International Conference on HTSE in Automotive Applications in Spartanburg, S.C., in June. IFHTSE honors four or fewer fellows each year, recognizing them for making “outstanding, globally recognized and significant contributions to the development of heat treatment or surface engineering.”

The new ACerS fellows will be honored at the society’s awards banquet Oct. 15 in Columbus, Ohio, which will be held in conjunction with the Materials Science & Technology conference. Fellows are recognized for “distinguishing themselves through outstanding contributions to the ceramic arts or sciences, broad and productive scholarship in ceramic science and technology, conspicuous achievement in the ceramic industry, or by outstanding service to the society.”