Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Alumni Updates

Alumnus Named HKN Eminent Member

At the ECpE Centennial Gala and Awards Ceremony last spring, Gerald Posakony (BSEE ‘49) received the national Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) Eminent Member recognition. The award is given to select individuals whose technical attainment and contributions to society through leadership in the fields of electrical or computer engineering have resulted in significant benefits to humankind.

U.S. Navy to Name Ship After Electrical Engineering Alumnus

Howard O. Lorenzen

A U.S. Navy ship, the USNS Lorenzen, will be named after alumnus Howard O. Lorenzen (BSEE 1935). Lorenzen, nicknamed  the "Father of Electronic  Warfare," was a Naval Research Laboratory engineer. He helped develop the nation's first portable radar equipment and led the team that in 1960 created the payload of the nation's first spy satellite. He also was the superintendent of the NRL space systems from 1971 to 1973. The ship will be delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2010. Lorenzen passed away in 2000.

Alumnus Elected to National Academy of Engineering

Paul M. Anderson

Electrical engineering alumnus Paul M. Anderson (BSEE ’49; MSEE ’58; PhDEE ’61), who is also a former Iowa State University electrical engineering faculty member, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering this spring. This election, among the highest professional distinctions awarded to engineers, honors Anderson for his contributions that have advanced the analysis and control of electric power systems worldwide.

Two Alumni Named IEEE Fellows

Fredric Ham (BSEE ’76; MSEE ’79; PhDEE ’80) and James L. Knighten (PhDEE ’76) both were named fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Ham was named a fellow for his leadership in neural network education, research, and applications. He currently is a professor at the Florida Institute of Tech­nology in Melbourne, Florida. Knighten was named a fellow for his contributions to understanding electromagnetic noise coupling paths for product compliance with regulatory standards. He is employed by the Teradata division of NCP Corp­oration in San Diego, California.

Linder Wins Distinguished Alumni Award

Donald Linder

Donald Linder (BSEE ’65) has been awarded the ISU Alumni Association’s (ISUAA) 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award. This award is the highest honor given to alumni by Iowa State University through the ISUAA. It honors Iowa State alumni who are nationally and/or internationally recognized for preeminent contributions to their professions or life’s work. Linder is a retired corporate vice president of technical staff at Motorola.

Whitney Named Honorary Alumna

Donna Whitney, wife of the late Thomas M. Whitney (BSEE ’61; MSEE ’62; PhDEE ’64), received the ISU Alumni Association's (ISUAA) Honorary Alumni Award. The award is the highest honor given by Iowa State through the ISUAA to individuals who are not Iowa State graduates and who have made significant contributions to Iowa State’s welfare, reputation, prestige, and pursuit of excellence. Donna established the Thomas M. Whitney Professorship in Electrical and Computer Engineering in memory of her late husband in 1999.

Sandbutte Receives Order of the Knoll Cardinal and Gold Award

Arend J. "Sandy" Sandbulte (BSEE '59) received the ISU Foundation's Order of the Knoll Cardinal and Gold Award in April 2008. Sandbutte is a retired president and chief executive officer of ALLETTE, Inc. (formerly Minnesota Power), and has devoted his career to the promotion and advancement of business ethics, philanthropy, and community leadership. He served as chair of the ISU Foundation Board of Directors from 1999 to 2001.

Doughton Receives IEEE Daniel E. Nobel Award

James M. Daughton (BSEE '50; MSEE '61; PhDEE '63) has been named a 2008 co-recipient of the prestigious IEEE Daniel E. Noble Award. The award is sponsored by the Motorola Foundation and presented by IEEE. It recognizes the individual for fundamental contributions to the development of magnetoresistance devices for non-volatile, high-density, random-access memory. Daughton is the founder of NVE Corporation, holds 40 U.S. patents, and previously worked at Honeywell and IBM.

Linder Wins Great Moments in Engineering Award

Donald Linder (BSEE '65) earned GlobalSpec's Great Moments in Engineering Award this year for his work on the Motorola team that developed the world's first mobile phone in 1973. GlobalSpec is an online search service and publishing company for engineers. Linder retired from Motorola in 2001 after 36 years with the company.

Brayton Receives Phil Kaufman Award

Robert K. Brayton (BSEE '56) was chosen to win the 2007 Phil Kaufman Award for Distinguished Contributions to Electronic Design Automation (EDA). The award is sponsored by the EDA Consortium and the IEEE Council on EDA. Brayton currently is the Cadence Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California at Berkeley.

Cosgrove Receives Anson Marston Medal

John “Jack” Cosgrove (BSEE '56) was presented with the Anson Martson Medal at Iowa State University's 2007 Homecoming celebration. The Anson Marston Medal, which was established in 1938, honors alumni for achievements in engineering and for professional prominence. It is the highest honor the college bestows and is named for Iowa State’s first engineering dean. Cosgrove is a retired president of Rockwell Collins Company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a world leader in commercial and military avionics and communications. Cosgrove has served advisory boards for many university units. Cosgrove and his wife, Dilla, have supported the College of Engineering, athletics department, Cyclone Marching Band, C.Y. Stephens Auditorium, Plaza of Heroines, and the General University Fund for Excellence. Cosgrove received the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Achievement Citation in 1987. In 1986, the Cosgroves were named ISU Parents of the Year.
 

Three ECpE Alumni Earn PACE Awards

Three ECpE alumni received the College of Engineering's Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering at the 2007 Homecoming festivities. David Lilja (BSEE '81), Mark Law (BSCpE '81), and Peter Loeppert (BSEE '74; BSComS '74) each received the award, which recognizes superior technical or professional accomplishments in research, development, administration, education, or other engineering activity.

Liljais is the professor and head of the electrical and computer engineering department at the University of Minnesota. A frequent featured speaker, Lilja has given more than 50 invited presentations internationally that have detailed his academic and industrial work. He earned his master’s and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Law is a professor and department chair of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Florida. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree at Iowa State, Law went on to Stanford University to study electrical engineering, earning a master’s degree in 1982 and PhD in 1988. Research on semiconductors led him to play a major role in manufacturing integrated circuits and modeling semiconductor device processing. This technology has become the basis for industry standard tools used today for process design.

Loeppert earned his master’s and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue University after graduating from Iowa State. He began his career at Knowles Acoustics in Itasca, Illinois, in 1988 where he created the SiSonic silicon microphone, a device used in cell phones, PDAs, digital cameras, laptops, and MP3 players.

Chadalavada Receives Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Vamsi Chadalavada (MSEE 1991; PhDEE 1994) was presented with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in October 2007. The award, given by the Iowa State Alumni Association, recognizes Iowa State alumni, age 40 and under, who have excelled in their professions and provided service to their communities. Chadalavada came to the United States from India in 1989 with a scholarship from Iowa State and $500. Since earning his PhD from Iowa State, Chadalavada has risen quickly and steadily to the position of senior vice president, market and system solutions, for Independent System Operator New England in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He is responsible for the strategy, design, development, and implementation of the New England region’s $11-billion wholesale electricity markets, including information systems and services, program management, and research and development.