The 2007 benjamin franklin medal in materials engineering, presented to merton C. Flemings, Sc.D., Massachusetts institute of technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

The second half of the twentieth century marked the emergence of metal casting, also known as solidification processing, as a field for scientific and engineering inquiry. Merton C. Flemings is recognized internationally for his pioneering work in this field resulting in the development of fundamental understanding and novel processes of commercial importance. Amongst his work is semi-solid metalworking (SSM), an environmentally friendly process, which has led to the development of a new world-wide industry providing lightweight, affordable metallic castings for applications ranging from aerospace, to sporting goods, to consumer electronics.