Dr. James L. Meriam has contributed to the field of engineering mechanics as one of the premier engineering educators during the second half of the twentieth century. Dr. Meriam earned his B.E., M. Eng., and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University. He had early industrial experience with Pratt and Whitney Aircraft and the General Electric Company. During the Second World War, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He was a member of the faculty of the University of California-Berkeley, Dean of Engineering at Duke University, a faculty member at the California Polytechnic State University, and visiting professor at the University of California-Santa Barbara. He retired in 1990. Professor Meriam always placed great emphasis on teaching, and this trait was recognized by his students wherever he taught. At Berkeley in 1963, he was the first recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award of Tau Beta Pi, given primarily for excellence in teaching. In 1978, he received the Distinguished Educator Award for Outstanding Service to Engineering Mechanics Education from the American Society for Engineering Education, and in 1992 was the Society's recipient of the Benjamin Garver Lamme Award, which is ASEE's highest annual national award.
Dr. L. G. Kraige, coauthor of the Engineering Mechanics series since the early 1980s, has also made significant contributions to mechanics education. Dr. Kraige earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Virginia, principally in aerospace engineering, and he currently serves as Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In addition to his widely recognized research and publications in the field of spacecraft dynamics. Professor Kraige has devoted his attention to the teaching of mechanics at both introductory and advanced levels. His outstanding teaching has been widely recognized and has earned him teaching awards at the departmental, college, university, state, regional, and national levels.
