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The Distinguished Engineer Award is bestowed by the Rutgers Engineering Society to acknowledge the noteworthy accomplishments of an alumnus of the Rutgers School of Engineering.

It’s that time of year as we request nominations for the 2023 Distinguished Engineer Award.  Every year since 1960 the REA has awarded a Rutgers Engineering graduate this award for accomplishments in significant technical advances or breakthroughs in his/her career.  Below are the criteria for nomination.  If you have someone in mind feel free to email Engineering.Alumni@rutgers.edu .  Nominations for the 2024 award will be open until 12pm (EST) on March 3, 2024.

Criteria for the selection of the Distinguished Engineer Award are delineated below:

  1. A maximum of one award will be made in a calendar year. There is no requirement that an award be made in every year
  2. The candidate (or the team leader, in the case of a team award) will have graduated from the School of Engineering, Rutgers University.
  3. A candidate will be eligible as soon as 10-years after bachelors degree graduation.
  4. The candidate’s career and/or achievement(s) will have been in a technical field, either as an individual contributor, a technical project (program) leader, or as a member of a technical team, and will include industry, research, private and public laboratories, and academia.
  5. The candidate’s achievements may have received recognition or acclaim by the candidate’s peers or other technical authorities.
  6. The achievement and / or career will have contributed significantly to the national economy, security, public welfare, the quality of life, or to the solution, or advancement, of a specific technical need.
  7. Nominations may be made by any person or organization for consideration by the Rutgers Engineering Alumni selection committee and Board. Final selection will be made by action of the Rutgers Engineering Alumni Board. Such selection is final and may not be appealed.

Past Awardees

2022  Kiana Aran, Ph.D. (PhD, ENG’12)

2021  Paul DelRocini (EE ’86)

2020  ___

2019  Thomas D. Everett (CivE ’84)

2018  Grant Lu, Ph.D. (GSNB’80, ’83 CeramicE)

2017  John P. Cipolletti (AgE ’78, GSNB ’80)

2016  Andrew J. Foden, Ph.D. (CivE ’94, GSNB ’99)

2015  Benjamin Fasano, Ph.D. (CeramicE ’75, GSNB ’80, ’82)

2014  Charles R. Kurkjian, Ph.D. (ENG ’52)

2013  Kenneth R. Johnson (MechE ’66)

2012  William A. Imbriale Ph.D. (ENG ’64)

2011  Robert S. Balog, Jr. Ph.D. (EE ’96)

2010  Taha Farouk Marhaba Ph.D. (CivE ’89, GSNB ’90, ’93)

2009  Frank P. Conway (ISE ’89)

2008  Reuben Karol (CivE ’44, GSNB ’49)

2007  Frederick F. Lange, Ph.D. (CeramicE ’61)

2006  Constantine (Gus) Sarkos (MechE ’63, GSNB ’65)

2005  Mir Ali Imran (EE ’77, GSNB ’79)

2004  Richard H. Frenkiel (GSNB ’65 MechE)

2003  ___

2002  Fritz Steudel (EE ’55)

2001  ___

2000  Ira J. Pitel, Ph.D. (EE ’72)

1999  Roger G. Ackerman (ENG ’60, GSNB ’62)

1998  Kris Venkat, Ph.D. (M.S. CBE & PhD ENG)

1997  Gerald R. Ash, Ph.D. (EE ’64)

1996  Donald H. Kohnken (ENG ’56)

1995  Christian E. G. Przirembel, Ph.D. (MAE ’63, GSNB ’64, ’67)

1994  Thomas B. Woersching

1993  John A. Sauer

1992  Ernest R. Schultz (CivE ’30)

1991  Alexander C. Stark, Jr.

1990  Robert L. Wagner (EE ’49, GSNB ’52)

1989  Malcolm G. McLaren IV, Ph.D. (ENG ’50, GSNB ’51, ’62)

1988  Suzanne Nagel, Ph.D. (CeramicE ’70)

1987  William P. Koster, Ph.D (MechE ’50)

1986  Louis Napoli (EE ’61)

1985  Donald O. Kiser (ENG ’52)

1984  Richard Mathews

1983  Peter C. Schultz, Ph.D. (MSE ’64, GSNB ’67)

1982  Harold W. Sonn (MechE ’43, RBSG ’52)

1981  James M. Moran

1980  R. E. Jaeger

1979  T. J. Kessler, Sr.

1978  A. W. Lawrence

1977  Richard J. Gowen (EE ’57)

1976  A. E. Brown

1975  Theodore Van Duzer (EE ’54)

1974  Henry Lea Mason (MechE ’26)

1973  O. W. Livingston

1972  B. P. Colosky

1971  Gerald M. Truszynski (EE ’44)

1970  A. G. Mitchell

1969  Charles A. Jurgensen (MechE ’31)

1968  W. P. E. Ainsworth

1967  Carl H. Gronquist

1966  Alfred Hedefine (CivE ’29)

1965  Harland Bartholomew (CivE Hon. ’21)

1964  E. C. Easton

1963  C. G. Holschuh

1962  George D. Auchter (CivE)

1961  M. G. Milliken & William V. B. Van Dyck (RC ElecE 1899)

1960  J. V. N. Dorr