ISA Honors and Awards Committee Bestows Celebrating Excellence Awards for 2024

Summary

The ISA Honors and Awards Committee has recommended the Executive Board confirm the following individuals for Celebrating Excellence for 2024. The Honors & Awards Program provides the Society with the opportunity to formally showcase and celebrate the remarkable achievements and contributions of automation professionals. Honorees will be celebrated at the ISA Automation Summit & Expo held in Charleston, South Carolina.
 

Automation Professional of the Year: Andrew McDonald

This year, the committee recognizes Andrew McDonald as the Automation Professional of the Year. Currently the owner of Future of Manufacturing consultancy, Andrew was most recently director of future manufacturing for Unilever. The Automation Professional of the Year highlights an individual who has influenced a paradigm shift in the automation profession and has had a sustained impact on the industry to create lasting social value.
Here’s what Andrew’s recommenders had to say about him and his contributions.

Andrew is a visionary leader who not only elevated Unilever's global operations but also significantly contributed to the broader field of industrial automation. Over the past two decades, Andrew's path from Global Automation Engineer to Director of Digital Factory, and ultimately to Director of Future Manufacturing, has been marked by relentless innovation and a deep commitment to excellence.

One of Andrew's most influential contributions is his co-invention of PackML, integrating S88 principles with packing machinery. As the chairman of the Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC), he spearheaded the global implementation of PackML. This achievement not only underscores his thought leadership but also his capability to merge organizations such as OMAC into ISA, culminating in the creation of the Automation Federation (AF). Through this entity, Andrew has played a pivotal role in enhancing the security of industrial control systems and developing educational curricula to nurture the next generation of automation professionals.
 

Enduring Society Service: James Federlein

James Federlein is the recipient of the Enduring Society Service award this year. This award recognizes an ISA member with a minimum of 10 years of distinguished and dedicated service at the section, division and/or society level.

James Federlein has demonstrated more than 45 years of distinguished and dedicated service to the ISA. He has been an ISA Life Member since 1976 and has served in numerous leadership roles, including as the Education Chairman of the Pittsburgh Section, where he helped develop educational courses.

At the society level, Federlein has been a member of the ISA Standards and Practices (S&P) Board since 2011, leading comprehensive reviews of ISA's standards and committees. He has chaired the ISA105 committee on ISA105, Commissioning, Loop Checks, and Factory & Site Acceptance/Integration Tests for Industrial Automation Systems, since its inception. He also has served as the ISA liaison to various IEC technical committees, representing ISA's interests globally.
 

Standards Achievement: Alan Raveling

Alan Raveling is the recipient of this year’s Standards Achievement Award, which recognizes significant leadership and/or contributions to the publication of Standards & Practices.

Alan Raveling, a renowned figure in industrial cybersecurity, has made groundbreaking contributions that have greatly influenced the wider industrial sector.

A significant aspect of Alan's influence is his involvement in ISA's educational initiatives. In 2023, he was part of a webinar on the ISA/IEC 62443 standards, turning this complex topic into digestible insights. Alan furthered his reach through his thought-provoking articles published in two industry journals in the fall of 2023, which have broadened the understanding and application of the ISA62443 standards. Holding esteemed certifications such as ISA62443, GICSP and CISSP, and working on the new cybersecurity certification, ISA Secure, proves his dedication to vital cybersecurity strategies and best practices.
 

Excellence in Mentoring: Jose Teruel Carrillo

Excellence in Mentoring recognizes an ISA member who has, in the previous year, excelled in mentoring students and/or young professionals in automation. Jose Teruel Carillo receives this award.

After more than 20 years of teaching in the areas of Instrumentation, Control and Industrial Communications, José Teruel has become one of the major references in the field of Industrial Automation in Spain. While other Spanish technical institutes focused solely on areas such as PLC programming, he recognized the strategic importance of creating a curriculum that emphasized instrumentation, which led him to create a special synergy with the Oil & Gas industry in his hometown.

In 2023, one of José Teruel's milestones was training all the students sponsored by ISA Spain to participate in the ISA-SAIT Student Games. This contributed to a Spanish student achieving first place in this prestigious competition for the second consecutive edition.
 

Excellence in Education: Ahmad Al-Dabbagh

Ahmad Al-Dabbagh, assistant professor & research chair in Control Systems at The University of British Columbia, has earned the Excellence in Education award. This award celebrates an ISA member who has developed and/or enhanced educational programs to advance the automation profession through educational institutions.

Since assuming the role of assistant professor at UBC's School of Engineering in 2020, Ahmad has exhibited an exemplary commitment to advancing education and mentoring future professionals in the field. Ahmad's dedication is evident in his efforts to establish robust automation and control educational platforms tailored to student's needs. His proactive approach to curriculum development underscores his unwavering pursuit of excellence in education.
 

Excellence in Technical Achievement: Dattatray Sawant

Excellence in Technical Achievement identifies an individual or team with the most outstanding contributions in the development or implementation of a product, process, technical paper or presentation that introduces a new technology or explains an existing automation process. Award winner Dattatray Sawant has during his career produced 24 quality research papers, enhancing the knowledge base within his field. His latest work, especially over the past five years, demonstrates his ongoing commitment to advancing the horizons of robotics, automation and engineering. His success in securing five patents underscores his role as an innovator, especially with groundbreaking work like the “Omnidirectional Spherical Robot.”
 

Section Excellence

Section Excellence recognizes ISA professional geographic sections for the development and execution of programs, initiatives, activities and/or services that advance the mission of the society. Sections recognized in 2024 include:

• Spain Section: The ISA Spain Section has demonstrated exceptional performance in developing and executing programs, initiatives, activities and services that advance the mission of the Society. The section has significantly increased the number of events and activities across various areas, including section board meetings, area delegate meetings, student meetings, industry-focused groups and technical conferences and webinars.
• Pune (India) Section: ISA Pune Section is a vibrant section in the Asia-Pacific District with a high of 155 Professional Members and nine Student Sections last year. The section completed a long list of activities: conducted 12 TechTalks, arranged cybersecurity trainings with 39 participants, achieved 50% membership growth on a y-o-y basis, issued four newsletters, added four Student Sections and conducted monthly meetings with an average attendance of at least 20.
• Ireland Section: The ISA Ireland Section has undertaken impressive initiatives to advance the mission of the Society, including hosting an annual Honours and Awards Ceremony, conducting comprehensive cybersecurity training programs and establishing a new Young Professionals Ireland Section.
• Edmonton Section: Edmonton ISA in Alberta, Canada is a very active section that runs extensive programs including technical meetings, an annual golf tournament, a generous mentorship program for student sections, the bi-annual Automation Expo and Conference (AEC), a marketing program to promote ISA and section events to Alberta industry leaders, and membership drive to promote ISA membership.

 
Volunteers of the Year

Volunteers of the Year recognizes up to five professional members who, in the previous year, have provided the most outstanding service to advance the mission of the Society. The awardees this year (in alphabetical order) are:

• Ana Gonzalez: Ana led STEM Committee Chair since its creation in 2021 to promote the relevance and fun of the automation profession and the world around them in students from an early age. She hosts many activities related to automation and control disciplines to foster curiosity, creativity and problem-solving skills among the students.
• Swati Madhe: Swati Madhe has served as the Student Section Liaison of ISA Pune Section for the past two years. She prioritized enhancing academia-industry interaction, orchestrating a diverse array of activities such as expert sessions, industrial visits, internships and projects. Through initiatives like expanding affiliated student sections and founding the Automation Club, she has successfully bolstered ISA Pune's student membership and fostered crucial bridges between academia and industry.
• Evangelina Atanes Sanchez: Evangelina Atanes has been instrumental in promoting student interest and participation in automation and ISA activities, using her position as the ISA ETSIDI-UPM Student Section's Advisor since the year 2017.
• Edward Vodopest: When asked to step up in September of 2022, Ed gladly accepted the role as Section President that he held some 30 years prior for the Richland section. He was Richland Section Director from 1992-1993; Vice President 1994-1995; President 1995-1996 and ISA Board District 9 VP 1996-1997, well as 1998-1999; and Publications VP 2006-2007.

Student Volunteers of the Year

Student Volunteers of the Year recognizes up to three student members who, in the previous year, have provided the most outstanding service to advance the mission of the society. The award recipients for this year are as follows:

• Harikrishna Rao Mohan Rao: In August 2023, as a Ph.D. student at the University of Alberta, Hari took on the challenge of reviving the university's ISA Student Section. Demonstrating exceptional leadership and organizational skills, he quickly formed a team, overcoming administrative obstacles and boosting the section's membership from less than 14 to more than 40. He was also one of four students worldwide chosen to attend the ISA Automation Leadership Conference in October 2023, showcasing his commitment and networking abilities.
• Anwesha Sen: Serving as the former President of the ISA CCOEW Chapter 2023 and the current WebConnect, Anwesha has been actively involved with the world's largest student section. Anwesha's leadership skills were further recognized through her participation in the Global ISA Student Guardianship Committee.
• Alauddeen Shaikh: Alauddeen Shaikh has been an integral part of ISA MPSTME for the past three years. He started as an Executive in the Logistics Department and is now serving as the President of ISA MPSTME. Under his leadership, ISA MPSTME has held many significant events like IAG 2022, ARS Automatika 2.0 and IAG 2023

 
About the 2024 Committee

The 2024 Honors and Awards Committee was chaired by Carlos Mandolesi. Celebrating Excellence nominees were evaluated and recommended by eleven committee members. The total number of nominations received was 96. The 18 recommended awardees represent six different countries. The following are not being awarded this year: Division Excellence in Technical Achievement, Excellence in Corporate Technical Innovation, and Excellence in Standards.