We're Hiring!

Faculty Positions Available ➡️ More Information

Distinguished Alumnus Award

Purpose

The MAE Department has a rich heritage which reaches back over one hundred years and encompasses a number of ancestor departments including Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanics, and Engineering Science. The alumni of the MAE Department and its forebears have traveled many roads since their graduation, and are a part of the University’s worldwide Gator Nation.  Students passing through our programs often wonder about how their careers will develop and whether their dedication and devotion to the highly technical aspects of engineering will provide a sound basis for success over a career that will span many years.

One beacon to light the way for our current students and to inspire them to do great things themselves, no matter where their career path leads, is the excitement generated by our many successful people that have come before them. To recognize exceptional personal and professional achievements of alumni of the MAE Department that brings credit to the alma mater and stimulates our newer members, we have created the annual MAE Distinguished Alumnus Award.

The MAE program is a particularly demanding one and success in navigating it shows one’s potential for making contributions not only as technical innovators, but also as business, government, and civic leaders.  Each year we seek to honor a select group of alumni who, by extraordinary effort, unusually creative endeavors, and remarkable success in whatever enterprise they set their hands to, are worthy exemplars of and ambassadors for the MAE department and all its alumni.

Description

The Distinguished Alumnus Award is the highest honor the MAE Department bestows upon an alumnus/a and is in recognition of a particular achievement of noteworthy value, a series of such achievements, or a career of noteworthy accomplishments.

The Department will establish the alumnus award under two categories. The Distinguished Young Alumnus Award is established to recognize the budding accomplishments of young alumni.  The Distinguished Alumnus Award is established to recognize the significant accomplishments of senior alumni.

Process

Each year a call for nomination will be issued and widely circulated among faculty, alumni, and friends. Nominations will close by a pre-announced deadline.  All eligible nominations will be considered by a committee appointed by the Chair of the Department and the committee will make final recommendations.  Decisions will be made by February of each year and communicated to the award winners.  The awards will be bestowed on the awardees at the MAE Annual Awards Banquet in April.

Guidelines

  • Nominations will be automatically considered for three years.  If another nomination is submitted, we will evaluate the most recent nomination packet.
  • Current UF faculty are not eligible for the Alumni Award
  • Distinguished Young Alumnus are approximately within 10 to 20 yrs. of graduating with their BS  

Academy of Distinguished Alumni

Carlos FernandezBS 2005
Benjamin GriffinBS 2003 MS 2006 PhD 2009
Baron JohnsonBS 2007 MS 2009 PhD 2011
Brandon KrickBS 2007 MS 2011 PhD 2012
Oscar MartinezBS 2003 MS 2004 PhD 2007
Tom SingerBS 2002
Shitarria “Tara” BattleBSME 2010
Ben BoeslBSAE 2004 MS 2009 PhD 2009
Sean DotsonBSME 1997
Steven KowkabanyMS 1998
David MillsMS 2010 PhD 2014
Bill “Roto” ReuterBSA 1984
John SullivanBSME 1983

2023

Gregg AbateMS 1989 PhD 1999
David BurrisBS 2003 MS 2007 PhD 2006
Alison DunnBS 2004 MS 2006 PhD 2013
Chuck JacksonBS 1995
Chris LightcapMS 2006 PhD 2008
Angela PitenisBS 2012 MS 2014 PhD 2016

2022

Erin AnthonyBS 2016
Dante BuckleyBS 2006 MS 2009
Matthew FerslewBS 2005
Rajat MittalMS 1991
Balaji SreenivasanMS 2021
Mark TillmanBS 1994 MS 1995

2021

Luis AlvarezBS 2005 MS 2007
Tim FettermanBS 1984
Patrick GriffinBS 2003 MS 2006
Frederick A. LeveBS 2005 MS 2009 PhD 2010
Martin SchmidtMS 1991 PhD 2003

2020

Carlos BravoBS 1981 MS 1983
Marianne FrancoisMS 2001 PhD 2002
Michael GungerBS 1982 MS 1988
Ramesh MarreyMS 1991 PhD 1995
Shawn MartinBS 1986

2019

Dale G. BoddenBS
Gregg D. CostabileBS 1985 MS 1993
Russ DeLoachBS 1987
Wayne F. HallgrenMS 1984
Peter S. NicholasBS 1984
Matthew A. PalmerBS 1987
Benjamin P. SmarslokMS 2007 PhD 2009

2018

Matthew J BellmanBS 2011 MS 2013 PhD 2015
David BoreeBS 1980
Jan M. JackmanBS 1982
Arvid MykleburstBS 1969 MS 1971 PhD 1974
Jim SirkisBS 1984 MS 1985 PhD 1988

2017

Keith M. BoyerBS 1987
Ronald J. GaranMS 1986
Tushar GoelMS 2005 PhD 2007
Yolanda T. MackBS 2002 MS 2004 PhD 2007
Crystal L. PasiliaoMS 2005 PhD 2009
William T. PennellBS 1964
Jennifer L. RhatiganBS 1982

2016

Richard GriffinBS 1967
Jennifer L GusteticBS 2005
Mark LoweryBS 1990
Louise ScottBS 1986
Keith SoldnerBS 1979 MS 1982
Stephen SprigleBS 1982
Trase TraversBS 1991 MS 1999

2015

Carl AhlersBS 1988 MS 1992
David JeromeMS 1987 PhD 1996
Elisabetta JeromePhD 1991
Sanjoy MalikMS 1985
Walter E RoseBS 1965

2014

James AlbrittonBS 1952
Thomas FortinBS 1984 MS 1988
Robert K JohnsonBS 1965
Ronald SchlagheckBS 1967 MS 1969
Jeffrey UrlaubBS 1998
Carol WeberBS 1983

2013

Edward DuranBS 1978
Brian HollowayBS 1992
Joe KittingerMS 1948
Charles MyersBS 1968 MS 1970 PhD 1973
Jack SparksBS 1965 MS 1967 PhD 1970
Adam ZarickiBS 1993 MS 1995

2012

J.F. Stephen ElliottBS 1970
Roberto GarciaBS 1986
William GattleBS 1984 MS 1987
Byron KnightPhD 2000
Carl MeeceBS 1969
Gary MillerBS 1970 PhD 1977

2011

Robert J ArnoldBS 1962
Sterrett CampbellBS 1955
Paul HalyardBS 1958
Ming LiPhD 1993
Karlin RothMS 1986 PhD 1988
Mitchell WaldmanBS 1982

2010

Charles BenedictBS 1968 MS 1969 PhD 1971
Kevin ByrdS 1998
Don DanielsBS 1964 MS 1965 PhD 1973
Kevin FordMS 1994
Frank GilletteBS 1962
Andrew H. Hines, Jr.BS 1947
Edward HumbertBS 1990
Thomas O. HunterBS 1965
William F. PowersBS 1963
Munir SindirMS 1976
K. Scott SmithMS 1985 PhD 1987
Curtis StantonBS 1940

2009

William BierbowerBS 1987
Christina BloebaumBS 1986 MS 1987 PhD 1991
Steve ButlerPhD 1985
Alvin Edgar HolmesBS 1963
Jeffrey RiemerBS 1974
Mark SwinsonPhD 1988

2008

John AndersonBS 1959
Joaquin CastroBS 1978
Knox MillsapsBS 1983
Fareed OssiBS 1958 MS 1964
Juan SantiagoBS 1990
Craig YoungBS 1993 MS 1996