Dec. 1, 2016
MSU celebrates the election of Anil Jain into the National Academy of Engineering
The accomplishments of University Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Anil Jain on his election into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) were celebrated during a festive reception at MSU’s Cowles House on Nov. 30.
From MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon, who has known him since his arrival at MSU in 1974, to his current PhD students, to long-time friends – Jain was thanked for a lifetime of achievement and “for being a friend to all of us."
President Simon complimented Jain and thanked him during the reception.
"You are a superstar in terms of how others look at your work," she said. "You built a culture around you because that's just the thing to do. Thank you for always pushing," she added. "You are worthy of National Academy status."
Engineering Dean Leo Kempel noted that Jain is the most cited living computer scientist in the world, with an H-index of 155.
“You have developed technologies that make our lives better,” Kempel added.
NAE election is one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. He was inducted during the NAE annual meeting on Oct. 9 in Washington, D.C. He is among 80 new members, bringing the total U.S. membership to 2,277. In addition, 22 foreign members were inducted, bringing the number of foreign members to 233.
The academy honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice, or education, and to the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.
Jain was selected for his contributions to the engineering and practice of biometrics.
He is world renowned for biometric recognition, computer vision, and fingerprint-matching technology.
He holds one of 17 inaugural appointments to the U.S. Forensic Science Standards Board, a newly developed organization dedicated to identifying and fostering standards and guidelines for the nation’s forensic science community.
He has previously served as a member of the Defense Science Board and the National Academies panels on Whither Biometrics and Improvised Explosive Devices.
His list of honors is extensive. In 2015, he was named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors for innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.
He is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, Humboldt Research Award, Fulbright Scholarship, King-Sun Fu Prize, and W. Wallace McDowell Award.
He is regularly invited to speak at national and internal forums, including the 2014 keynote address at the Microsoft Computing in the 21st Century Conference in Beijing, 2014, and at the Royal Society meeting on United Kingdom forensics in London, 2015.
