Five alumni and the dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder were honored with Distinguished Engineering Alumni Awards at the 35th annual Engineering Awards Banquet on April 14.
The awards were presented by the college聮s Engineering Advisory Council to recognize alumni who have distinguished themselves through their outstanding personal qualities, knowledge and significant contributions to their fields. Awards were given in four categories: Education, Industry and Commerce, Private Practice and "Special," a category for non-alumni who have provided outstanding service to the college.
The honorees are a select group, representing less than 1 percent of the college聮s 25,000 graduates.
William C. Caile (CivEngr聮65) was recognized in the Industry and Commerce category. He recently retired as chairman and chief executive officer of Trautman & Shreve, one of the largest and most respected mechanical contracting and engineering firms in the Rocky Mountain region. He has been an active supporter of the university and received the Alumni Association聮s Outstanding Alumni Award in 1998.
Vladimir Cervenka (PhD CivEngr聮70) of Prague was recognized with a DEA Award for his work in private practice. He is an international authority in the field of concrete structures and computational mechanics, who has consulted on such projects as the failure analysis of the Sleipner Platform in the North Sea, analysis of the Adler Tunnel in Switzerland, and damage analysis of historical buildings in Prague.
David E. Clough (MS ChemEngr 聮69, PhD 聭75), an alumnus and professor of chemical engineering in the college, received a DEA Award in the Education category. The award recognizes his significant impact on engineering education through pioneering the active learning concept for CU聮s Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory, and in leading the college in changing traditional lecture courses to an active learning format.
Ross B. Corotis, a three-time alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (聮67, 聮68, 聮71), received a DEA Award in the Special category for his exceptional service to the college, especially in providing the vision and leadership for the Discovery Learning Initiative and Center. He holds many awards for his teaching and research, which focuses on the application of probabilistic concepts to civil engineering problems.
Hari K. Pargal (MS ChemEngr 聮51, PhD 聮54) was recognized in the Private Practice category, as a leader in the development and management of the chemical process industry, working in his home country of India and the Arab Gulf States. He built Engineers India into the premier design and engineering consulting firm in Southeast Asia and has worked as a consultant to many other organizations, including the United Nations Environment and Development Programs.
Kristy A. Schloss (CivEngr聮86), a winner in the Industry and Commerce category, is the president of Schloss Engineered Equipment, Inc., an environmental equipment design and manufacturing firm in Aurora, Colorado. The firm has achieved remarkable international success under her leadership, and in 1999 was named National Exporter of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Association.
The recipients were nominated by their colleagues and selected for the awards by the Engineering Advisory Council of the College of Engineering and Applied Science.