SCHAUMBURG, IL - The AFS Honorary Lectures and Papers Committee recently announced the winners of the 2026 Howard F. Taylor Award and the 2026 Ray H. Witt Management Award, along with the selection of 2027 Hoyt Memorial Lecturer.
The 2026 Howard F. Taylor Award is presented to James Springstead of Western Michigan University in recognition of outstanding technical innovation with his paper for the AFS Research Project on “Digital Active Clay Measurements in Foundry Green Sand” (Paper #23-056). This award focuses on the recognition of long-range technical significance in metalcasting technology. This project was also selected as the 2026 Applied Research Award by the AFS Research Board. This award recognizes the Principal Investigators of AFS-funded research projects and the companies that collaborate with them to transfer research and technical development to the metalcasting industry and actively apply research on the factory floor.
The 2026 Ray H. Witt Award will go to paper #25-052 “The 6C Framework to Build a Connected Factory” authored by David Blondheim, Jr. of Mercury Marine. This award was established to recognize contributions in marketing and management within the metalcasting industry.
Professor Alan Luo of Ohio State University was selected to author and present the 2027 Hoyt Memorial Lecture at Metalcasting Congress in Cleveland, OH.
The winners of the Taylor, Witt, and AFS Applied Research Awards will be honored at Awards Luncheon at the 2026 Metalcasting Congress in Grand Rapids, MI.
The Honorary Lectures and Papers Committee is comprised of Executive Committee of the Technical Council, the Chair of the Marketing Committee, and both the Chair and Vice Chair of the Management Council.