alumni in the news

We're proud to present accomplishments of the distinguished community of Stanford engineers to which you belong. But we need you to send it in. We know that you've "done good" so please, let us hear about it. Send an e-mail to engineering-alumni@stanford.edu giving us the pertinent details of your accomplishments and adventures.

April 2009

Doug Malewicki, (MS AA 1963) will be running 70 miles of trails in the Cleveland National Forest with 14,200' of climbs to celebrate his 70th birthday. He expects the run will take 3 days. He is raising money for some of his favorite charities. For details see "70at70" fundraiser: www.CaliforniaOldGoats.com/70at70Intro.htm

Donald McEligot, (PhD ME) Received a Heat Transfer Memorial Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The Heat Transfer Memorial Award is bestowed on individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of heat transfer through teaching, research, practice and design, or a combination of such activities.

Venkataraman Rajaraman, (MS EE 2001 ME) Venkat has recently promoted as CEO of Su-Kam Power Systems http://www.su-kam.com with effect from March 2009. Su-Kam is a leading power back-up and renewable energy solution provider from India. Venkat’s main focus in on new technologies for the power back-up industry including solar/wind hybrid converters, battery monitoring and control, telecom inverters, grid interactive inverters and smart grid applications. Venkat has over 20 years of experience in ASIC, SW, System design and Engineering Management.

March 2009

Chris Poland, (MS CE 1974) Chairman and CEO of Degenkolb Engineers, was elected to become a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in an announcement made by the organization’s president last month. Induction into the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions for an engineer.

Poland’s structural engineering career spans more than 30 years and began at Degenkolb Engineers. A passionate seismic safety advocate, he currently presides as Chair of the Congressionally mandated Advisory Committee to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program and is Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Structural Safety of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Facilities. He was Chair of the 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference in San Francisco in April 2006, which raised awareness on earthquake safety, preparedness and mitigation. He shared the stage with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senator Dianne Feinstein in an internationally covered event that brought the nation to think proactively about earthquake danger. He serves as the Chair of the American Society of Civil Engineers Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings Standards Committee, which recently completed both ASCE 31 and ASCE 41, both standards for the evaluation and rehabilitation of existing buildings that are used by engineers worldwide. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Urban Planning Association (SPUR) and recently, he helped author “The Disaster Resilient City” published by SPUR which defines the key steps the City needs to take to be disaster resilient.

Clara Shih (BS CS 2004, MS CS 2005) just finished writing The Facebook Era: Tapping Online Social Networks to Build Better Products, Reach New Audiences, and Sell More Stuff (Prentice Hall), about online social network technology and how it is changing human behavior and relationships, especially as they pertain to business. It's available now on Amazon and hits bookstores across the US on March 26. Shih built the first business application on Facebook and is currently the Director of Enterprise Social Networking Alliances and Products at salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM). She is a frequently invited speaker on social media to conferences including Web 2.0 Expo, Enterprise 2.0 Conference, and Software Business Online, and blogs at http://www.facebook.com/thefacebookera.

February 2009

Elita Ng(BS/MS MS&E 2002) founded and launched DealDivine http://www.DealDivine.com -- a shopping destination website that targets female bargainista's like herself. The site was recently mentioned in the Wall Street Journal's weekly Style column as one of the websites to find deals online.

January 2009

Linda Capuano (PhD MS&E 1988) was appointed Officer and Company Vice President of Emerging Technology at Marathon Oil Corporation in June 2008. Marathon's Emerging Technology organization provides focus on renewable and alternative fuels, energy efficiency, carbon intensity, and carbon capture and sequestration. It also provides strategic insight regarding emerging technologies across the energy landscape that will identify challenges facing Marathon's core business as well as new investment opportunities.

William G. Van Dorn (BS Engineering 1946) has just published a science history adventure entitled: Ivy-Mike the First Hydrogen Bomb, describing his involvement with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the testing of the first thermonuclear explosion at Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands, when late calculations showed that the explosion might blow the atoll apart and generate a dangerous tsunami. Mr. Van Dorn is also author of the best-selling Oceanography & Seamanship, (1974 & 1993, Cornell Maritime Press). See http://www.wgvandorn.com for details.

December 2008

Hy Tran (PhD ME 1993) led a team of metrologists in developing a silicon micromachined dimensional calibration artifact. This device won a 2008 R&D100 award from R&D Magazine.

November 2008

Eric Etz (BS EE 1990) is in his 18th year of flying fighters for the U.S. Navy, serving as the commanding officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 113, an F/A-18C squadron based in Lemoore, CA. They are currently deployed with the USS Ronald Reagan in the North Arabian Sea, executing combat operations in support of coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan. Here's a link to the squadron Web site: www.csfwp.navy.mil/vfa-113/.

David Stewart (MS CEE 1986) recently retired as a captain, Civil Engineer Corps, United States Navy, concluding more than 28 years of uniformed service. In September, he embarked on his "second career" with EMCOR Government Services, Arlington, VA. As director for Base Operations Support, he serves as the primary link for field project managers to the corporate support structure and is responsible for operational and financial performance of base operating support contracts throughout the eastern United States and in the Caribbean.

October 2008

Paul Hait (BS ME 1963) has a company that is taking off like a rocket. Check it out at www.usorganicmarketing.com/.

John Orr (MS EE 1970) was appointed provost at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Roger Riffenburgh (MS OR 1972) represented Stanford's congressional district as an alternate delegate on the California Delegation to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

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Your Turn

Have you made the news lately? Awards, publications, start-ups, significant appointments? We really want to hear from you! Please send an e-mail to engineering-alumni@stanford.edu giving us the pertinent details of your accomplishments and adventures. To keep things current, we will refresh the news monthly. We may forward your information to other school or university outlets. However, your submittal will only be used for Stanford University purposes.

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