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The American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has honored Jon Cagan for his contributions to the field of design automation.

It is a privilege to receive the Design Automation Award from the Design Engineering Division of ASME, an organization I have been a proud member of for 40 years.

Jon Cagan, Interim Dean, College of Engineering., Carnegie Mellon University

“It is a privilege to receive the Design Automation Award from the Design Engineering Division of ASME, an organization I have been a proud member of for 40 years,” says Cagan, interim dean of the College of Engineering.

The award is granted no more than once a year to an individual who has made sustained, meritorious contributions to research in the field of design automation. Cagan was chosen for his decades of work in the field, including research in grammar representation, agent-based search, optimization, AI, and machine-learning.

Photo of Jon Cagan

Source: College of Engineering

Jon Cagan, interim dean of the College of Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering.

“Design automation has been a research focus of mine since the 1980s, when I decided to start seeking smart tools to aid in the creative design process,” says Cagan.

In 2016, Cagan also received ASME’s Design Theory and Methodology Award, marking a major accomplishment in his other primary research community. Through this latest award, Cagan’s peers have once again chosen to honor his contributions to the field of mechanical design.

“As an ASME Fellow, I understand the importance of recognizing research contributions in mechanical engineering through ASME’s honors and awards program,” says Cagan. “That is why it is especially humbling to be awarded the ASME Design Automation Award. To be recognized by ASME for contributions to both of my key research areas is truly a high honor.”

In the past, Cagan has also served as associate editor for ASME’s Journal of Mechanical Design. He was co-founder and co-director of Carnegie Mellon’s Integrated Innovation Institute. In addition to serving as interim dean, Cagan is also the George Tallman and Florence Barrett Ladd Professor of Mechanical Engineering.