As a distinguished scientist, international authority in the field of fiber-optic laser beam technology and a man generous with his time, Dr. Marshall Jones has garnered much recognition in the course of his career, including this most recent honor: the 2004 Mechanical Engineering Alumni Society Merit Award.
"I couldn't believe what I was hearing," said Jones, referring to the moment when the award was announced at a meeting of the ME External Advisory Board, upon which Jones has served since 2001. "There have been some very accomplished ME graduates selected in the past, and I never thought that I would be one of them. It makes my selection even more special."
Jones graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1965. He went on to earn a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts in 1974. He joined the GE Global Research Center that same year, where he currently serves as senior research engineer and project leader in laser technology. His research focus has been on laser material processing concerning metal forming and thermal management of laser beam-material interaction; his current work is in the area of laser-fiber optic integration for factory automation and hot-wire laser processing including welding and cladding. He has received nearly 50 patents in the United States alone.
Jones has also taught engineering and mathematics as an adjunct professor at Schenectady County Community College since 1975 and in the physics department at the State University of New York, Albany, since 1990. He's actively involved in several local nonprofit organizations and mentors young people both locally and abroad. He's the subject of a self-published children's book, Never Give Up: The Marshall Jones Story, which he hopes will encourage underrepresented youth to pursue their dreams.
Just a few of his other, numerous, honors include the National Society of Black Engineers Pioneer of the Year Golden Torch Award and the GE African American Forum's Icon Award for Engineering and Research, both bestowed in 1999. The following year, he received the Black Engineer of the Year Award for Outstanding Alumnus Achievement from the Career Communications Group. In 2001 he was granted the Alumnus of the Year Award from the College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts. He was named 2002 Coolidge Fellow, the top technical award at GE's Global Research Center which provides six months' leave for recipients to pursue their research interests. Jones will be spending half of his time at U-M. "I could go anywhere in the world, and where do I choose to spend part of my time? Back at U of M. That says something, doesn't it?"
Jones is also a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering and the Laser Institute of America and a member of Phi Theta Kappa. He became a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2001.
When asked about the accomplishment of which he's most proud, Jones responds that "one must realize whatever accomplishments I've achieved have been the result of much help from many different individuals. I am truly proud of all of my accomplishments. I can only hope that some of the youth I come in contact with will also believe that they can do some of the things I've done, because I was once just like them. I do attribute much of my success and accomplishments to the great education I received in the ME Department at U-M."