MSE alums honored for excellence
One of the engineering heroes behind the safe return of the Apollo 13 astronauts, Honda’s first female chief engineer and a top Columbus architect were among the 16 alumni from The Ohio State University College of Engineering -- two of them from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering -- honored during the 19th Annual Excellence in Engineering and Architecture Awards on November 4, 2016.
Jonathan Blank (BS ’01, MS ’02, PhD ’08, materials science and engineering) received the Texnikoi Outstanding Alumni Award. He is the ceramic matrix composites design section leader at GE Aviation, the company’s fastest growing section and one of the most ambitious materials development programs to advance green technologies and power output in aircraft engines. An active participant in STEM and diversity outreach and education at GE and in the community, Blank has served on the board for iSPACE, a non-profit providing STEM education, and mentored at-risk students and promoted STEM careers as a program leader for Aiken High School’s Young Scholars Program.
“The hard work, passion and amazing achievements of our alumni, not only fill us with pride, but also raise the reputation of this great college, and inspire future Buckeye engineers, architects, and city and regional planners to follow in your footsteps,” Dean David B. Williams, Monte Ahuja Endowed Dean’s Chair, said at the awards celebration.
The 12 alumni honored with Distinguished Alumni Awards for outstanding professional achievement in engineering and architecture included Steve Dunmead (BS ’85, MS ’87, ceramic engineering). Dunmead has been a global business executive in the advanced materials and specialty chemicals industries for more than 20 years. Most recently he served as chief operating officer of SWM International. He holds 25 U.S. patents in the areas of advanced ceramics and composites and was twice named Inventor of the Year at Dow Chemical.
Learn more about the 19th Annual Excellence in Engineering & Architecture Alumni Awards honorees in the awards program or view photographs from the event.
