Talented, Young And Changing The World: 2004 New Faces Of Engineering Announced

Few things worry doctors more than septic shock, the number one killer of patients in intensive care. Yet, the person responsible for one of the most promising treatments for septic shock isn’t a doctor, he’s an engineer.

Meet Brian H. Nathanson, Ph.D., an industrial engineer and one of the 2004 New Faces of Engineering, a group of young professionals who are being honored during National Engineers Week, February 22-28. From energy efficiency to improved methods of high-tech security, designing fighter jets to cleaning the environment, the newest generation of engineers is pioneering groundbreaking developments that will make the world safer, healthier and better equipped to meet society’s needs.

Take Nathanson’s approach to treating septic shock, the body’s debilitating reaction to pathogenic organisms or their toxins in blood. With mathematical programming algorithms, normally used by hospitals for facility management, Nathanson created models that are better than traditional statistical methods of assessing a patient’s true condition and, thus, allow for more appropriate treatments. The models are also being applied to traumatic brain injury, the leading cause of death among American children. After receiving his Ph.D. in 2001, Nathanson only recently started his own firm, OptiStatim, LLC.

Now in its second year, the New Faces program aims to boost public awareness of the role of engineering while giving a much deserved tip of the hat to some outstanding newcomers to the field. It’s a group that represents the bright future of engineering in America, and underscores the fact that the engineers of today hail from backgrounds as diverse as the nation itself.

In the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, Carlos Garza, P.E., P.G., who has returned to the area where he grew up, is typical of those honored as one of the 2004 New Faces of Engineering. As an agricultural engineer at Melden & Hunt in Edinburg, Texas, he works on irrigation and sewer systems, water treatment sludge handling, elevated storage tank design, and hydraulic analysis of pipeline systems. This follows a stint at USDA, where he was involved in an innovative concept of applying an oral rabies vaccination for wildlife protection using agricultural aircraft.

Further east in Texas, Rachel Stender. P.E., is a project engineer for the Port of Corpus Christi Authority, responsible for design, construction and management of capital and maintenance projects throughout the port. Stender is the first registered woman engineer in the 77-year history of the port, where she currently manages the construction of a new water taxi landing, a $1.9 million project intended to encourage alternate transportation in the arts and museum district of the city, and the demolition of one million square feet of timber warehouses for the future construction of a minor league baseball stadium.

The 2004 New Faces were chosen from nominations submitted through engineering societies by corporations, academia and engineering professionals and will be honored by a full-page advertisement in USA Today during National Engineers Week. All 56 nominees will be featured at www.eweek.org. The program is sponsored by 2004 National Engineers Week co-chairs, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) / IEEE-USA and the Fluor Corporation.

“As the leader of a global engineering and construction company, I know first hand how important it is to continuously develop the next generation of engineering professionals,” said Alan Boeckmann, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fluor Corporation. “The individuals we are recognizing in the New Faces program are excelling in their vocations and making advancements that will benefit society long term. I feel strongly about the importance of encouraging today’s students to become great engineers so that we may celebrate their successes in the years to come.”

To qualify, engineers had to have worked in the field from two to five years and have demonstrated outstanding abilities in their chosen area of engineering.

Another New Face is Lt. Lindsay A. Morga, a machinery division officer and nuclear engineer on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. She directly leads more than 50 men and women in the operation and maintenance of a nuclear reactor, two main engines, electrical turbine generators, and all the support equipment required to propel a 100,000-ton warship at speeds in excess of 30 knots. In addition to her duties as a division officer, Lt. Morga regularly stands watch as the supervisor of more than 20 propulsion plant operators.

“Each of these young people has their own unique talents and they’ve all worked hard to establish themselves as professionals who deserve recognition,” says Joseph V. Lillie, chair of National Engineers Week 2004 and the IEEE's lead EWeek volunteer. “But, it’s also important to recognize that it is the profession of engineering itself that allows such a diverse group of people to excel at such a diverse range of accomplishments.”

The other New Faces of Engineering 2004 include:

George L. Brown, a mechanical engineer in the Hydroelectric Design Center of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland (Oregon) District, designed a new device to allow easy and secure field adjustment of wicket gates, which control the amount of water flow in a hydroelectric turbine. Wicket gate adjustment saves water by preventing leakage when the gates are closed and the turbine is not running. His design, currently recommended for a patent submission, is scheduled for its first installation in the next 12 to 18 months.

Kyle Brownell, a mechanical engineer and international technical director for the Greenheck Fan Corporation in Schofield, Wisconsin, designed and built a facility to test heat recovery devices, only the second of its kind anywhere and the first fully computer controlled in the United States, earning patent #6,505,502. Brownell also developed a revolutionary grease extraction filtration technology for commercial kitchen exhaust hoods, which Greenheck introduced to the market in April 2002.

Rob Firmature is an industrial printer development engineer at IBM’s Printing Systems Division in Boulder, Colorado. Firmature’s work focuses on new product releases and resolution of difficult customer problems across the United States and Europe. He is currently listed on two patent disclosures now in the search process. During his time at IBM, he has also served as a volunteer with high school and tribal college students on and around the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana, where his mother grew up.

Dominique L. Green, an electrical engineer and analyst at Accenture in Reston, Virginia, has worked on a wide range of IT management and business process design projects for a variety of clients in entertainment, media, and the government. The documentation he creates provides direction for software development teams from leading telecom companies such as Nextel, Worldcom and Verizon, and saves his clients time and money by delivering solid technology and business models.

Elizabeth Davis "Lisa" Kay is a senior manufacturing engineer for Westinghouse Electric Company’s Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina. As a process engineer supporting chemical manufacturing operations, she has taken the lead on several cost-saving projects, resolved difficult equipment problems and been responsible for coordinating multi-functional teams that have identified and implemented significant area improvements, resulting in company savings of more than $1 million over the next year.

Jin Liu, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas - Dallas, is at the forefront of education in analog integrated circuit design, which has a broad impact on semiconductor industries in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Her research on high-speed adaptive signal processing and sensor systems, with sponsors that include the National Science Foundation, Semiconductor Research Cooperation, Texas Instruments, and Intel, has led to more than 20 published articles in the past four years.

Erin McGinnis, an industrial engineer at Northrop Grumman Corporation in El Segundo, California, plays a key role in supporting the manufacturing design of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, a critical link in U.S. defense, through her work on composite fabrication development and planning. She first gained recognition for her standards development in the fighter contract’s initial phase exit criteria. She is forging new ground by integrating a state-of-the art machining cell, work measurement software, and developing cutting-edge factory floor simulation.

Captain Rockie K. Wilson, USAF, is an engineering flight commander for the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan. Wilson has played an instrumental role in several important projects, including leading a 45-person team on a $130M annual construction program and a $647M host-nation funded program, managing a $260M program to replace four maintenance hangars via host-nation construction funding that helped transform the flight line, and working on a $66M overlay of the primary runway, ensuring Yokota’s operational mission for years to come. For his efforts he was named to the 2002 Army Corps of Engineers Project Delivery Team of the Year.

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Editors and Reporters Please Note: For more information on each "New Faces of Engineering" individual and to set up interviews, contact: Donald Lehr at (212) 967-8200 / dblehr@cs.com.

National Engineers Week, founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, is dedicated to increasing public awareness and appreciation of the engineering profession and technology and to encouraging precollege interest in engineering. It is celebrated by thousands of engineers, engineering students, teachers and leaders in government and business. Co-chairs for 2004 are The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) / IEEE-USA and the Fluor Corporation. Visit National Engineers Week at www.eweek.org.