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Jay Easwaran

Aug. 17, 2009

Dr. Jay Easwaran, associate professor emeritus of mechanical and aeronautical engineering, died Aug. 13 in Carmel, Indiana. He was 67.

Easwaran taught at WMU for 19 years until his retirement in 2001. His research, which received both public and private industry funding, included lost-foam casting technology and polymer coating for engine parts.

In 1986, Easwaran and his students made headlines developing the world's first "plastic engine," a five horsepower gasoline engine made of composite graphite. He also directed the former WMU Materials Institute during his tenure.

Born Aug. 22, 1941, in Tamilnad, India, Easwaran was a graduate of Baroda University in India and Stonybrook University in New York, and received a doctorate from the University of Toronto. Later in life, he was the CEO of Metals Technology Inc., a company he founded.

Easwaran is survived by his wife, Malini Seshaaiyar Easwaran, and children, Teresa Easwaran and Christopher Easwaran, among others.

Media contact: Thom Myers, (269) 387-8400, thom.myers@wmich.edu

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