Marlin U. Thomas was presented the Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Industrial Engineering Award by the Institute of Industrial Engineers at the IIE Annual Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in May.

This award is the highest and most esteemed honor bestowed by IIE. It recognizes those who have distinguished themselves through contributions to the welfare of mankind in the field of industrial engineering. The contributions are of the highest caliber and nationally or internationally recognized. Dr. Thomas was recognized for his contributions through leadership, research, and learning development.

Dr. Thomas is Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology. His research interests include reliability and warranty models for improving product quality, and evaluation methods for logistics systems with emphasis on the optimal design for military contingency operations. He received his BSE from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and his MSE and PhD degrees from the University of Michigan.

He has held numerous national assignments and positions of leadership throughout his 35-year professional career and been recognized through several awards including Fellow of the American Society for Quality, the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science, and the Institute of Industrial Engineers.