Outstanding Technical Contribution — IndustryNegus Adefris, Ph.D.Senior Product Development Specialist3M   Meet the face behind a 3M invention: Negus Adefris, Ph.D is helping to shape the future. He developed a key component in the new Cubitron II abrasive belts used in cylindrical grinders and anywhere else you need an abrasive belt or sanding equipment to take on tough materials. Thanks to the breakthrough technology, belts average faster cutting on hard-to-grind metals, cut cooler, and last up to four times as long as conventional ceramic aluminum. Dr. Adefris’s work with the 3M Company, the firm that’s been making coated abrasives for more than 100 years, made him a part of a team of researchers that reinvented ceramic grains for super abrasives, used in metal fabrication, precision castings, cylindrical grinding, furniture and custom woods, automotive manufacturing, maintenance and more. Dr. Adefris’ precision-shaped grain technology was recognized by the 2010 R&D 100 Award and has the potential to produce hundreds of millions of dollars in sales by 2015.Since he joined 3M in 1994, after completing a National Research Council post-doc fellowship at NASA Langley Research Center, Dr. Adefris has amassed more than 50 3M records of invention and 14 patent applications. He has also completed one of the most comprehensive studies of mineral roll crushing in 3M, fundamentally changing the direction of mineral research in the laboratory. Later, he developed a new method for producing sol gels which led to the development of the precision-shaped grain (PSG) mineral. Adefris’ contributions have led to the advancement of three-dimensional abrasives technology and a high-performance bonded wheel for 300mm silicon finishing.A past president of 3M Language Society, Dr. Adefris serves as a campus recruiter for 3M Georgia Tech University Relations and a mentor to new employees. In 1981, he graduated from Addis Ababa University with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. After leaving Ethiopia, he earned a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nairobi in 1987 and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1993. He is a member of the Materials Information Society, the Mineral Metals and Materials Society, an associate member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and a member of the Minnesota Ethiopian Professional Network.Source:Black Engineer Magazine.