Alfred University student earns McMahon Achievement Award

Emanuel Exhume (left) is presented the John F. McMahon Achievement Award from Gabrielle Gaustad '04, dean of the Inamori School of Engineering, prior to the John F. McMahon Lecture on Thursday, Nov. 7.

Emanuel Exhume, a fourth-year student in Alfred University's Inamori School of Engineering, was awarded the 2024 John F. McMahon Achievement Award, recognizing his outstanding co-op experience with Lilly Research Laboratories, a division of Eli Lilly Inc.

Gabrielle Gaustad '04, dean of the Inamori School of Engineering, noted the McMahon Award honors exemplary co-op experience in an engineering student's education, in keeping with the close relationship between academe and industry encouraged by McMahon, who served as dean of the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University from 1949 to 1965.

Gaustad presented Exhume his award at the opening of the 2024 John F. McMahon Memorial Lecture, delivered by Dr. Kang N. Lee, Senior Research Materials Engineer, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH.

Exhume, a resident of Freeport, NY, is set to earn a bachelor's degree in biomaterials engineering next fall. For his co-op, he worked in the Diabetes Obesity and Complications Therapeutic Area (DOCTA) in vivo group under the supervision of Thomas Beyer, senior director, who recommended him for the McMahon Award. He was recommended as "a great example of the hard working, collegial, professional atmosphere that we strive for (at Lilly Research Laboratories) and a great representative of (Alfred University's) engineering body."

Following the presentation of the award, Lee addressed a capacity audience in Holmes Auditorium, describing his research in "Next Generation Environmental Barrie Coatings for SiC/SiC Ceramic matrix Composites."

Lee joined NASA Glenn Research Center in 1990 and pioneered research on Environmental Barrier Coatings (EBC) for SiC. He subsequently led EBC research and development for SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC), which resulted in the first- and second-generation EBCs in the late 1990's to early 2000's.

These EBCs laid the foundations for a series of CMC engine tests, culminating in the insertion of the first CMC component in the GE-CFM international LEAP-x engine in 2016.