Bohdan Kulakowski (1942 – 22 March 2006) was professor of mechanical engineering, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, The

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

. Kulakowski was an internationally recognized expert in automatic control systems, computer simulations and control of industrial processes, systems dynamics, vehicle/road dynamic interaction and transportation systems. His

fuzzy logic Fuzzy logic is a form of many-valued logic in which the truth value of variables may be any real number between 0 and 1. It is employed to handle the concept of partial truth, where the truth value may range between completely true and completely ...

algorithm for avoiding skidding accidents was recognized in 2000 by ''

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'' magazine as one of its top 10 technological innovations of the year. Kulakowski received his master's degree from

Warsaw Technical University The Warsaw University of Technology ( pl, Politechnika Warszawska, lit=Varsovian Polytechnic) is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professor ...

and his doctoral degree from the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of ...

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. He held several management positions in Polish research institutions, including head of the Process Control Division in the Computer Centre for Building Industry and of the Division of Automatic Control research group, Institute of Glass and Ceramics, both in

. He was also a lecturer in electrical engineering at

and in 1974 held a United Nations postdoctoral position at the

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

in the

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. Kulakowski moved to Penn State in 1979 as a senior

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

in mechanical engineering. He became a member of the University faculty in 1982 and served as head of the

Pennsylvania Transportation Institute The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (PTI), officially known as the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute or Larson Transportation Institute (LTI), was founded in 1968 in Pennsylvania, United States. It is a research unit of ...

(PTI) from 1992 to 2003. He was highly regarded for his teaching at Penn State, winning numerous awards. His honors include the University's George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Penn State Engineering Society (PSES) Outstanding Teaching Award and the PSES Premier Teaching Award. Bohdan's leadership and scholarly activities will have a lasting effect on his many students, faculty research assistants and staff at the

. His significant contributions to the profession, which have been recognized both nationally and internationally, will influence those in the profession for years to come. His professional affiliations include the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

(ASME), the

Society of Automotive Engineers SAE International, formerly named the Society of Automotive Engineers, is a United States-based, globally active professional association and standards developing organization for engineering professionals in various industries. SAE Internatio ...

, the

American Society for Testing and Materials ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, an ...

and the

Pi Tau Sigma Pi Tau Sigma () is an international honor society in the field of mechanical engineering, with most chapters established in the United States. It honors mechanical engineering students who have exemplified the "principles of scholarship, characte ...

mechanical engineering honor society. Kulakowski was a Fellow of ASME and secretary of the International Forum for Road Transportation Technology. He was hit from behind while riding his bicycle and killed by a legally blind person driving a van.

References

1942 births 2006 deaths Polish engineers Pennsylvania State University faculty Fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 20th-century American engineers {{Poland-bio-stub