America Makes, the national additive manufacturing (AM) innovation institute, announced the recipients of its 2024 Ambassador Awards and Distinguished Collaborator Award at the annual Members Meeting and Exchange (MMX) event held on August 6-7 in Youngstown, OH.

The Ambassador Award Program, launched in 2017, recognizes individuals who have continually demonstrated outstanding dedication to advancing America Makes and its mission. The 2024 class represents a cross-section of the industry whose work helped further advance additive technology and demonstrated the resilience of the AM community. These champions also represent the progress made in AM technology, ecosystem expansion, and workforce development.  

Congratulations to the following Ambassadors:

•    Rachael Andrulonis, Director of Advanced Materials Research, National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR)

•    Cheryl Bowman, Chief, High Temperature& Smart Alloys Branch, NASA Glenn Research Center

•    Robert Carter, Deputy Chief, Materials & Structures Division, NASA Glenn Research Center

•    Sarah Jordan, CEO, Skuld, LLC

•    Mark LaViolette, Managing Director, Deloitte Consulting

•    Thierry Marchione, Laser Engineering Specialist, Caterpillar (CAT)

•    Kay Matin, President, AlphaSTAR Corporation

•    Travis Mayberry, Additive Manufacturing Lead, RTX Corporation

•    Frank Medina, Associate Professor/Director of Technology & Engagement, University of Texas at El Paso

•    Marlee Rust, Business Development Manager, General Electric Global Research

Also, during the event, Mark D. Benedict, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Convergent Manufacturing, Air Force Research Laboratory, was presented with the 2024 Distinguished Collaborator Award. Established in 2014, recipients of this award are celebrated for cultivating effective collaborative relationships with academia, government, and industry. Serving as the Chief Technology Advisor at America Makes for nearly six years, Benedict has played a pivotal role in the Institute's strategic planning, defining project requirements, and the selection and execution of its technical portfolio. He is recognized for his outstanding leadership and unwavering dedication to advancing the technologies, practices, and innovation in the additive manufacturing industry and his contributions to the Institute.

“The Institute has been pivotal in forming a Joint Services community focused on additive manufacturing and connecting that community with the companies and universities looking for problems to solve,” stated Benedict. “There has always been such positive energy in this ecosystem. I am fortunate to have played a small part in connecting Department of Defense stakeholders with enthusiastic technical teams working to mature this technology. It is an honor to be recognized by the Institute for helping to make progress in this important technology.”

For more information, visit https://www.americamakes.us/.