Computer science and software engineering scholar earns prestigious award

Mark Yampolskiy, associate professor in computer science and software engineering at the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, has been selected to receive the prestigious American Society for Testing and Materials, or ASTM, International Additive Manufacturing Young Professional Award for 2021.

Yampolskiy, who has been recognized via a virtual awards ceremony at the ASTM International Conference on Additive Manufacturing, or ICAM, is a decorated researcher in the field of Additive Manufacturing Security who recently helped organize ASTM’s new working group on Guidelines for Additive Manufacturing Security.

“ASTM has done an incredible job in standardizing Additive Manufacturing. Security of this technology remained largely neglected, as it is often the case with new and emerging technologies, until now,” he said. “With the help of colleagues, and I am especially grateful to Paul Witherell from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, I have established this working group to improve this situation. I am very happy to see that many distinguished scientists have joined.”

Computer Science and Software Engineering Department Chair Hari Narayanan considers Yampolskiy to be a strong research and outreach asset to the department, the science, and the college.

“Yampolskiy’s considerable efforts to secure additive manufacturing technology is to be commended,” he said. “Part of our mission as a land grant university is to drive the development of research and scholarship that creates and advances knowledge. Our faculty are sources of new ideas and innovation that tangibly improve the world. Yampolskiy’s work is a testament to this and he is more than deserving of this award.”

Additive Manufacturing poses multiple advantages, Yampolskiy said. These include the ease of manufacturing parts with complex and internal geometry, and the ability to manufacture parts on-demand in in small quantities.

“Additive Manufacturing is rapidly adopted for a broad variety of applications by manufacturing companies spanning from small shops to large industrial conglomerates,” he said.

But additive manufacturing’s strength makes it a target, he added.

“Unfortunately, with increased adoption of Additive Manufacturing, it becomes an attractive target for a variety of attacks. Manufacturing companies are very concerned about the possibility of such attacks and their potential impacts on their businesses.”

That’s why Yampolskiy is working feverishly to find new measures to curb potential attacks.

“As a scientist, I am used to chasing the newest and shiniest research frontiers, and I find the complexity of Additive Manufacturing Security truly fascinating,” he said.

To read more, click here.