Former Turbomachinery Laboratory faculty member and Mast-Childs Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, Dr. Luis San Andrés, has been awarded the Henry R. Worthington Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). This marks his third major ASME recognition, following the 2022 ASME-IGTI Aircraft Engine Technology Award and the 2023 ASME Mayo D. Hersey Award in Tribology.
The Henry R. Worthington Award, established in 1980 by Worthington Pump, Inc., honors individuals who have made significant contributions to pumping machinery, systems, and concepts. Dr. San Andrés earned this recognition through his analytical and experimental research on pump annular seals which improved the stability of rocket engine turbopump and enhanced multiple-phase pumps for subsea oil and production facilities throughout his 33-year academic career.
Even in retirement, San Andrés remains active in the industry. He serves on the Pump Advisory Committee and Turbomachinery Advisory Committee for the Turbomachinery and Pump Symposia, and works as an associate editor for ASME, STLE and GPPS engineering journals. He continues writing technical papers to share his knowledge, advising graduate students at the Turbomachinery Laboratory, and consulting with industry and federal government agencies on developing high-performance CO₂ and H₂ rotating machinery and advanced rousable rocket engines.
Dr. San Andrés continues a distinguished legacy of Texas A&M faculty who have received the Worthington Medal, including Dr. Dara Childs (deceased), Dr. Stuart L. Scott and Dr. Gerald Morrison, who were honored in 1991, 2003, and 2014, respectively. San Andrés notes that “his achievements rest on the shoulders of giants!” The award further solidifies the Texas A&M Turbomachinery Laboratory’s exceptional reputation in pump research. “Former Turbomachinery Laboratory professors, Dr. Dara Childs, Dr. John M. Vance and Dr. Gerald Morrison, the builders of the Laboratory’s outstanding research reputation, remain an inspiration for every student in the Laboratory,” states Dr. San Andres, reminiscing that he too, “was once a student of the Turbomachinery Laboratory, last millennium!”
When discussing his drive for success, San Andrés shares “I wish my mother would still be alive to enjoy the award. She kept all of them. [My] mother was not only the inspiration but the absolute enforcer of my dreams.”
Dr. San Andrés will attend the ASME Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting (FEDSM) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in July 2025. The conference will focus on integrating AI and machine learning in fluids engineering, along with energy sustainability and industrial applications. Dr. Luis San Andrés will be in attendance to receive the award and deliver a plenary lecture on his pump studies and their innovative contributions to the industry
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The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Turbomachinery Laboratory makes a vital impact on turbomachinery and related industries through research, education and professional workforce development. Visit turbolab.tamu.edu for more information.
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Kristen Clayton