Michigan Engineering 2007 Alumni Society Awards
Alumni shared memories and activities throughout Alumni Weekend 2007 and, as always, the highlight of the weekend was the Alumni Society Awards Dinner, which honored those alumni who personify Michigan Engineering's tradition of excellence and who have achieved significant accomplishments in their professional lives. The 2007 awards recipients were, as in past years, quintessential Michigan Engineering alumni.
Alumni Society Medal
James A. McDivitt (BSE AA '59, ScD Hon. '65), a retired industrial executive of Rockwell International Corporation, is best known as the American astronaut who commanded the historic Gemini 4 and Apollo 9 missions in 1965 and 1969, respectively. Following the Apollo 9 flight, McDivitt managed NASA's lunar landing operations and the entire Apollo spacecraft program. His Air Force career began in 1951; he retired in 1972 as a general. His many awards include two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, two Air Force Distinguished Service Medals and four Distinguished Flying Crosses, among others. McDivitt served as chair of the College's 1990-to-1997 Design for Impact Campaign and was a member of the National Advisory Committee. He also endowed the James A. and Judith McDivitt Scholarship and funded the McDivitt Conference Room in the François-Xavier Bagnoud Building.
Recent Engineering Graduate Award
Alan J. Steremberg (BSE CompE '94) is president and co-founder of Weather Underground, Inc., one of the largest commercial web-based weather services in the world. His innovative approach to programming in the early 1990s drove the creation of Blue Skies, an interactive graphics platform that gave Internet users immediate access to the latest weather information. Steremberg later moved on to work at Apple Computer and then a small 3D Internet start-up in Seattle.
Distinguished Service Award
Jim Fausone (BS AOS '76, BS Env '76) is an enthusiastic supporter of the College of Engineering, a former chair of the Alumni Society Board of Governors and a member of its Fundraising Committee. He chaired the Communications Committee, championing improvements to alumni communications such as Michigan Engineer and the launch of Michigan E-News. Fausone and his wife, Brigadier General Carol Ann Fausone, have established the James G. and Carol Ann Fausone Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Alumni Society Merit Award Recipients
Departmental committees selected the following individuals to receive Merit Awards in recognition of significant accomplishments in their professional lives.
- Aerospace Engineering: Karen Albrecht (BSE AS '72)
- Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences: Greg Jenkins (MS AOSS '89, PhD '91)
- Biomedical Engineering: Spencer BeMent (BSE EE '60, MSE '62, PhD Bio Eng '67)
- Chemical Engineering: Jim Street (BSE ChE '59, MS Math '61, MSE ChE '61, PhD ChE '63)
- Civil and Environmental Engineering: Bruce Dorfman (BSE CEE '82)
- Electrical and Computer Engineering: Lee Boysel (BSE EE '62, MSE '63)
- Computer Science and Engineering: Nancy Benovich Gilby (BSE CompE '85, MSE CSE '87)
- Industrial and Operations Engineering: Mary Petrovich (BSE IOE '85)
- Mechanical Engineering: Richard Heglin (BSE ME '59)
- Materials Science and Engineering: Jody Hall (BSE MSE '84, MSE '88, PhD '94)
- Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering: Harry Benford (BSE NAME '39)
- Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences: Keith Cooley (BSE Eng. Phys. '67, MSE NERS '72)
Two CoE Grads-a Total of 202 Years
Carroll Dietle (BSE CE '31E) turned 100 on February 16, 2008, a milestone in anyone's book. But he isn't the lone Michigan Engineer enjoying remarkable longevity. Donald McCall Lyon, (BS Meteor/OceanEng '29) turned 102 years old on June 16, 2008.
'58E Emeritus Reunion: Celebrate 50 Years During Alumni Weekend
Are you a Michigan Engineering graduate from the Class of '58E? Celebrate the 50 years that have passed since you received your diploma. Join your classmates at this year's Emeritus activities, scheduled for Michigan Engineering Alumni Weekend, October 2-4, 2008.
- Friday evening: a CoE special reception for the class
- Saturday: a U-M Reunion Gala featuring Emeritus Society induction and pin ceremony
For information, contact Lisa Hopkins at lshopkin@umich.edu or (734) 647-7093.
Recent Grads - You're Gone, Not Forgotten!
Miss your classmates? Miss campus? Miss a favorite teacher? Get back together, on campus - keep your memories and feelings alive. Here are a couple of upcoming opportunities:
- University-wide Recent Grad Reunion, September 26-28. Join other recent grads for a Friday-night bar event, a "Go Maize" tailgate and the football game.
- CoE Young Alumni Meet & Greet, October 4. Catch up with former classmates. Share your stories of the "real world" with current engineering students.
For more info, contact Lisa Hopkins at Alumni Relations, lshopkin@umich.edu or (734) 647-7093.
Wanted for Alumni Weekend
- On campus, Oct. 2-4, 2008.
- Reconnect w. classmates & faculty.
- Share expertise, knowledge w. students. Must have U-M Engin degree. Top candidates to have pride in CoE & cheer wildly for Wolverines.
- For more information: http://www.engin.umich.edu/alumni
Alumni Notes
Robert Barlow (MS AERO '57), wrote to say that he and his wife, Margaret, have moved from Fort Worth, Texas, to Flagstaff, Arizona.
George Friess (BS EE '57, MSE '59) his three children have kept U-M in the family. Robert (BSE EE '86) and Richard (BS CE '90) are Michigan Engineering grads. Leslie (BS '90) graduated from LSA.
Joseph Liu (BSE AA '57, BS EM '57, MSE AERO '58) currently an engineering professor at Brown University, has been on sabbatical at Ecole Polytechnique, Nantes, France, working in the Laboratoire Thermique.
Frank Brabaw (BSE ME EM '57) and his wife Katie celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, this year. Congratulations, Frank and Katie.
Gary Bennett (MSE ChE '60, PhD '63) received awards at the 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) meeting: the F. J. & Dorothy Van Antwerpen Award, a second award from the Publications Committee for 25 years of service as editor of Environmental Progress; a third award was presented by the Environmental Division of AIChE.
Farhang Ostadan (MSE CE '78), Bechtel Corporation, has been named a Bechtel Fellow for outstanding contributions to the company and his profession.
Dan Gamota (BSE ChE '87, MSE MSE '90, PhD '92) has been elected a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in recognition of his leadership in "nanotechnology-based printed electronic products within IEEE and the technology industry."
Alessia Costantini (BSE IOE '99) has written an episode of "Everybody Hates Chris" with Chris Rock. She has also written for the 2007 World Music Awards and Nickelodeon.
Michael van Lent (PhD CSE '00) is leaving his position at the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California to become chief scientist for Soar Technology in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
