VIRGINIA ENGINEERS ON THE MOVE
Timmons Group has recently announced that Don Giecek, formally with Chicago-based Invenergy, LLC, has joined the firm as Project Manager in its Richmond office. Mr. Giecek has extensive experience in the energy arena. Prior to working with Invenergy, he was the Director of the Virginia Wind Energy Collaborative at James Madison University. He is experienced in the natural gas field, having worked in the General Counsel’s office at the Washington Gas Light Company.
Stantec is pleased to announce the the recent addition of Josh Orndorff, P.E. to the staff in the firm’s Leesburg office. A Virginia Tech graduate, Mr. Orndorff has over ten years of local experience in Loudoun, Prince William, and Fairfax counties.
Wiley|Wilson’s Alexandria office is pleased to announce that Samantha M. Wassyng, E.I.T. has joined the firm as a Civil Engineer-in-Training 1 in the Civil Department. In her new position, she will focus on stormwater, utility, and site plan design. Ms. Wassyng received a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia.
Wiley|Wilson’s Lynchburg office is pleased to announce that Tyler D. Morris, E.I.T. has joined the firm as a Mechanical Engineer-in-Training 1 in the Mechanical Department. In his new position, he will focus on energy studies and design of HVAC systems. Mr. Morris received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Pennoni Associates is pleased to announce that Heather M. Ham, P.E., has joined the firm as the Office Director for the Norfolk office. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Ham served as Transportation Program Manager for the City of Virginia Beach’s Department of Public Works. In her new position, Ms. Ham’s responsibilities will include client service and business development efforts for the Tidewater area, as well as the management, growth and success of the Norfolk office. She earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Old Dominion University.
Clark Nexsen is pleased to announce that Leslie Butters, LEED® GA has joined the firm as an Interior Design Graduate and that Joseph Craig, P.E., LEED® AP has joined the firm as a Senior Electrical Engineer.
Ms. Butters is an interior designer with a bachelor’s degree in Interior Architecture from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. She has two years of experience in residential design.
Mr. Craig is an Electrical Engineer with over eight years of experience in the design of electrical systems for educational, institutional and transportation facilities.
H&A Architects & Engineers, a Richmond-based design firm, has announced the following new promotions at its headquarters location:
Carey Kendrick has been named business information systems manager. Ms. Kendrick is an associate of the firm. She has a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is currently working on her master’s in business administration at the same institution; and
LaTonya Whitaker has been named marketing and communications manager. Ms. Whitaker is an associate of the firm. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Karen Weber, P.G., a Project Geologist on the Environmental Team in Draper Aden Associates’ Blacksburg office, has earned an ASTM Personnel Certificate for Vapor Encroachment Condition Screening (VECS) related to the application of ASTM 2600-10 Standard Guide for Vapor Encroachment Screening on Property Involved in Real Estate Transactions. A member of the firm’s staff for nine years, Ms. Weber holds a B.S. degree in Geological Sciences from Virginia Tech.
Jeffrey C. Crate, P.G., Vice President, Principal, and Business Development Manager for Draper Aden Associates, has been selected to receive a Special Governor’s Award from the National Solid Waste Management Association.
The Special Governor’s Award is presented to Association members whose contributions to a chapter over a period of time are notably meritorious. Mr. Crate has served as Chairman of the Virginia Waste Industries Association for the past two years. His award will be presented in May 2012, in Las Vegas, at the Annual WasteExpo Convention and Tradeshow.
James G. Simmonds, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering in the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, received the Warner T. Koiter Medal at the recent American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) annual meeting in Denver, Colorado. On the engineering faculty from 1966 to 1998, Prof. Simmonds was recognized for seminal contributions to linear and nonlinear theories in solid mechanics, with special emphasis on plates and shells, and for an extensive body of journal publications and books on solid mechanics and applied mathematics in a career spanning more than 50 years.
A Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic electrical engineer has been named the 2011 recipient of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Tudor Medal and will be recognized at a ceremony May 23rd in St. Louis, Mo. John Puvogel, LEED AP was the SAME Hampton Roads Post “Young Engineer of the Year” winner and was selected from a nationwide pool of candidates as the top honoree for his engineering leadership as a young civilian member. As the lead electrical engineer at Public Works Department (PWD) Oceana, Mr. Puvogel provided timely and expert facilities engineering support to the multiple aviation squadrons and training commands located on board Naval Air Station Oceana and Dam Neck Annex. His demonstrated knowledge as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accredited professional led to the development of a base-wide lighting upgrade project saving over 4,000 MMBTUs annually across 58 facilities. Mr. Puvogel plans to further his education and continue to advance his career.
Wu Feng, associate professor of computer science in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has received a five-year Turner Fellowship. Among his accolades, Prof. Feng is on the Top People to Watch list produced by High Performance Computing Wire. He also unveiled HokieSpeed in December of 2011, a supercomputer with an energy efficiency that makes it the highest ranked commodity supercomputer in the United States on the Green500. HokieSpeed was funded by a National Science Foundation $2 million research instrumentation grant awarded to Prof. Feng and his colleagues in 2010. Prof. Feng earned his bachelor and master’s degrees in Computer Engineering from Penn State in 1988 and in 1990, respectively. He also holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in Music. In 1996, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign awarded him his doctorate in Computer Science. James and Elizabeth created the Turner Fellowships in 2011 with a $1 million gift, allowing two awards in Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering, each with a five-year renewable term.
Padma Rajagopalan, associate professor of chemical engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has been awarded the Robert H. Hord Jr. Chemical Engineering Fellowship. She joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 2007, and was promoted to associate professor in 2011. She is an emerging leader in the field of liver tissue engineering. She has been awarded eight grants totaling more than $3.5 million from multiple agencies including the NSF, the National Institutes of Health, and the Environmental Protection Agency. She currently serves as principal investigator on seven of these grants. At Virginia Tech, she founded and co-directs the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science Center for Systems Biology of Engineered Tissues. She serves as the program director for a new interdisciplinary graduate education program on Computational Tissue Engineering. Prof. Rajagopalan received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and her Ph.D. from Brown University. The Robert H. Hord Jr. Chemical Engineering Fellowship was established by a gift from the late Robert H. Hord, Jr.
Shashank Priya, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering at Virginia Tech, and director of the Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems, a partnership between Virginia Tech and the University of Texas at Dallas, recently received a five-year Turner Fellowship. Prof. Priya joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 2007 and immediately received an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award. He became a member of the university’s Center for Intelligent Materials Systems and Structures, and currently serves as its associate director. Since 2007, he has been the principal or co-principal investigator on research grants totaling more than $23 million. In addition to energy harvesting, Prof. Priya has made a strong impact in the field of high power piezoelectric ceramics and single crystals, magnetoelectric composites, lead-free piezoelectrics, high energy density materials, piezoresistive composites, and bio-inspired robotics. Prof. Priya received his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics from the Allahabad University of India in 1995. He received a master’s degree in Metallurgy from the Indian Institute of Science in 2000. He earned his doctorate in Materials Engineering from Penn State in 2003. James and Elizabeth created the Turner Fellowships in 2011 with a $1 million gift, allowing two awards in Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering, each with a five-year renewable term.
Virginia Tech has named Ryan Shaw as the Outstanding Graduating Senior in the College of Engineering for the 2011-12 academic year. Mr. Shaw, who is pursuing a double major in engineering and mathematics and a minor in chemistry, is expected to receive a bachelor’s degree in May 2012. He is a member of the University Honors Program and is the recipient of numerous merit-based scholarships and awards, including the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for Undergraduate Research and Dean’s List recognition. As an undergraduate, Mr. Shaw conducted research in the chemistry department, served as a teaching assistant, and was a team leader of the Chem-E-Car design team. In addition, he completed a cooperative education program with Eastman Chemical Company. He is president of the student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and is a member of Omega Chi Epsilon Honors Society, and the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience. He served as a volunteer with elementary school students. Other community service activities included National Chemistry Week, E-Week, Relay For Life, and Meals on Wheels.
Peter Rim, professor of chemical engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, was recently reappointed the Joseph H. Collie Professor of Chemical Engineering by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Prof. Rim is an expert in modern business strategies, product development processes, customer relations in a global society, and quality improvement and control. He has more than 25 years of experience in the development, commercialization, and marketing of performance polymer products. Prior to joining Virginia Tech in 2010, Prof. Rim led the product strategy, development, and commercialization of Honeywell Performance Fiber’s nearly $1 billion dollar business. Prof. Rim is considered a technical patent expert in new technology areas and his name appears on 12 patents and on more than 20 technical publications. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Pre-medicine, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Polymer Science from Penn State. He also received an MBA from the University of Richmond. The Joseph H. Collie Professorship is awarded for a period of two years to a distinguished visiting professor who has extensive industrial experience and expertise in production, marketing, and sales of chemical products to introduce chemical engineering students to advanced business and marketing concepts in chemicals distribution management.
Koontz-Bryant, P.C. congratulates Bob Fitz, Group Manager for Recreation and Athletic Projects on celebrating 13 years with the firm.
