Bhakta B. Rath is an Indian American material physicist and head of the Materials Science and Component Technology of the
United States Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. It was founded in 1923 and conducts basic scientific research, applied research, technological ...
(NRL), the corporate research laboratory for the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
and the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
.
He is the chief administrative officer for program planning, interdisciplinary coordination, supervision and control of research and is the associate director of research for Materials Science and Component Technology at NRL.
He was elected a member of the
National Academy of Engineering in 2008 for leadership in advancing materials research and technology to support national security. Rath is also an elected fellow of The
Minerals, Metals and Materials Society,
ASM International, Washington Academy of Sciences, Materials Research Society of India, the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
(AAAS) and the
Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) is a UK engineering institution whose activities encompass the whole materials cycle, from exploration and extraction, through characterisation, processing, forming, finishing and applicatio ...
, UK and a recipient of several awards and honors including
Presidential Rank Award The Presidential Rank Awards program is an individual award program granted by the United States government to career Senior Executive Service (SES) members and Senior Career Employees within the OPM-allocated Senior-Level (SL) or Scientific-Profes ...
three times.
The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the
Padma Bhushan, in 2009, for his contributions to science and technology.
[ ]
Biography
Born in
Banki, in the Indian state of
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
, Rath graduated in Physics and Mathematics from
Utkal University
Utkal University (UU) is a Public university in Bhubaneswar, Khordha district, Khordha, Odisha, and is the oldest university in Odisha, the state, and the 17th-oldest university in India. It is a teaching-cum-affiliating university. The pre ...
in 1955 and shifting his base to the US, he followed it up with a master's degree (MS) from
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ...
in 1958 after which he secured his doctoral degree (PhD) from
Illinois Institute of Technology in 1961.
His career started as an assistant professor of Metallurgy and Material Science at the
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...
in 1961.
Subsequent to his stay at the university till 1965, he moved to the
United States Steel Corporation
United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in several countries ...
at their Edgar C. Bain Laboratory for Fundamental Research where he worked till 1972, when he was appointed as the head of the Metal Physics Research Group of the
McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1997, it produ ...
Research Laboratories, Missouri. Concurrently, he also served
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
, the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
, and the
Colorado School of Mines as their adjunct professor.
In 1976, he joined the
Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. It was founded in 1923 and conducts basic scientific research, applied research, technological ...
as the head of the Physical Metallurgy Division
where he rose in ranks to become the superintendent of the Materials Science and Technology Division in 1982 and the head of the Materials Science and Component Technology Directorate in 1986, a post he holds to date.
He also served on the Engineering and Computer Science jury for the
Infosys Prize in 2016 and 2017.
Rath is a member of the Advisory Boards of several organizations and agencies such as
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
,
US Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...
,
National Research Council National Research Council may refer to:
* National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development
* National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome
* National Research Council (United States), part of ...
,
National Academy of Engineering,
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
and
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...
, and educational institutions including Carnegie-Mellon University,
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
, Colorado School of Mines,
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
,
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...
,
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Florida, Dania Beach, Davie, Florida, Davie, Fort Lauderd ...
,
Lehigh University, Illinois Institute of Technology,
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscons ...
and the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
.
In India, he is a former chairman of the Technology Advisory Board of the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad, an advisor to the Indian Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology,
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Ekamra Kshetra'' (area (''kshetra'') adorned with mango trees (''ekamra'')). Bhubaneswar is ...
and a distinguished visiting professor at the
Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar
Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (IIT Bhubaneswar) is a public technical university established by the government of India in 2008, located at Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
The institute admits a students for bachelor's, master's progra ...
.
He sits in the planning committee on methane hydrates of the Department of Energy of the Government of India as well as the Indo-US Joint Commission on Science and Technology as the representative of US Navy. He has also represented the US Navy at
The Technical Cooperation Program
The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) is a long-standing international organisation concerned with cooperation on defence science and technology matters, including national security and civil defence. Its membership comprises Australia, Canada, ...
(TTCP) countries such as UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Rath, who is married to Sushama,
has published several articles and scientific papers,
co-authored a text, ''Textbook of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology''
and has contributed chapters to books written by others.
He served as the president of the
ASM International the Materials Information Society in 2004–2005.
He has also been associated with organizations such as Education Foundation, the Federation of Materials Society and
The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society as a member of the board of trustees and has been a member of the editorial boards of three global research journals on material physics.
Awards and honors
Rath, a
Michigan Tech
Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ...
Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award winner, received three
Presidential Rank Awards, in 1999, 2004 and 2005.
He received the George Kimball Burgess Memorial Award in 1991 and
ASM Distinguished Life Membership Award as well as the National Materials Advancement Award from the Federation of Materials Societies in 2001.
The
United States Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. It was founded in 1923 and conducts basic scientific research, applied research, technological ...
awarded him their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 and the next year, he received the Fred Saalfeld Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in Science.
He was awarded the
Acta Materialia
''Acta Materialia'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published twenty times per year on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc. The current publisher is Elsevier. The coordinating editor is Christopher A. Schuh, Danae and Vasilis Salapatas Professor ...
J. Herbert Hollomon Award
and the
Illinois Institute of Technology Mechanical Materials & Aerospace Engineering Department Alumni Recognition Award in 2008 and the Government of India included him in the
Republic Day Honors list in 2009, for the civilian award of the
Padma Bhushan.
In 2015, his alma mater, the
Illinois Institute of Technology awarded him the Alumni Award for Professional Achievement.
He is also a recipient of S. Chandrasekhar Award, Charles S. Barrett Medal and the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society Leadership Award and several other Oration awards.
Rath is an elected fellow of such scientific societies as
Indian National Academy of Engineering,
The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society
The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) is a professional organization for materials science, materials scientists and engineers that encompasses the entire range of materials and engineering, from minerals processing and primary metals pro ...
,
ASM International the Materials Information Society, Washington Academy of Sciences, Materials Research Society of India, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Institute of Materials, UK.
He is a member of the
National Academy of Engineering,
and an honorary member of the
Indian Institute of Metals
Indian Institute of Metals (IIM) was formed in Kolkata in 1946 under the leadership of Dr. Dara P. Antia, who was then Chief Metallurgist of Indian Aluminum Co. The IIM is over 60 years old premier professional Metallurgical Institute set up to ...
.
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ...
conferred an honorary doctorate on him in 2007 and he received the degree of Doctor of Science from
Ravenshaw University
Ravenshaw University, formerly known as Ravenshaw college, is a co-educational state university situated in Cuttack, Odisha on the eastern coast of India. Founded as Ravenshaw College in 1868, the institution became a university in 2006. The un ...
in 2010.
Two years later, the
Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar
Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (IIT Bhubaneswar) is a public technical university established by the government of India in 2008, located at Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
The institute admits a students for bachelor's, master's progra ...
awarded him their first
honoris causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
doctorate.
One of the departmental libraries at
Colorado School of Mines has been named after him, post his donation of a number of rare technical books to the school and Michigan Technological University has instituted an annual award, ''Bhakta B. Rath Research Award'', which is awarded to the best doctoral thesis in science and engineering.
See also
*
United States Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. It was founded in 1923 and conducts basic scientific research, applied research, technological ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rath, Bhakta B.
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering
Year of birth missing (living people)
Scientists from Odisha
Utkal University alumni
Michigan Technological University alumni
Illinois Institute of Technology alumni
Washington State University faculty
Carnegie Mellon University faculty
University of Maryland Global Campus faculty
Colorado School of Mines faculty
American academics of Indian descent
American materials scientists
American science writers
21st-century American physicists
20th-century Indian physicists
Living people
American people of Odia descent
Indian emigrants to the United States
Presidential Rank Award recipients