The President’s Award recognizes significant contributions and long-term service to AMUG.
The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) announced that Jason Lopes, chief technology officer of Gentle Giant Studios, has been recognized with its President’s Award. At the 37th annual conference, AMUG president Shannon VanDeren presented the award to Lopes.
The President’s Award honors individuals for their significant contributions, leadership, and long-term service to AMUG. To date, only twelve of these awards have been given.
Lopes’ first AMUG Conference was in 2010, and he has been a vigilant contributor and advocate in all the years that followed. For his early work, he received the coveted DINO (Distinguished INnovator Operator) Award in 2012. In the following years, Lopes served as a chair or member of several AMUG Committees, including DINO Selection, New Members, and Technical Competition.
Promoted to chief technical officer at Gentle Giant Studios 15 months after joining the company in 2022, Lopes’ journey into the blending of technology and creativity started at Stan Winston Studio and expanded at Legacy Effects. After 11 years, he moved to Carbon, a supplier of additive manufacturing solutions, to help customers ‘connect the dots’ between the technology and their applications. Lopes served as chair for SPE AM & 3D Printing, coincident with his time at Gentle Giant Studios. Presently, he is a board advisor for Axtra3D, Inc.
Since his first appearance on the AMUG stage in 2012, Lopes has enthralled AMUG Members with presentations illustrating the use of additive manufacturing in creative works, such as movie props, suits, characters, and special effects. These presentations, seven in total, include four as the keynote speaker.
Past recipients of the President’s Award are Thomas A. Sorovetz (2000), Patti Brown (2006), Guy E. Bourdeau (2007), Robert Zubrickie (2010), Timothy Gornet (2013), Gary Rabinovitz (2014), Mark Abshire (2016), Elizabeth Goode (2019), Terry Hoppe (2021), Vince Anewenter (2021), and Mark Wynn (2023).
For more information, visit amug.com.
