Seven distinguished engineers will be honored for their contributions in education, research and invention, government service, industry and commerce, and private practice by CU-Boulder's College of Engineering and Applied Science at its 36th annual Engineering Awards Banquet April 6.
Dale N. Hatfield, a telecommunications expert who has had a significant impact on the development of telecommunications policy and the changes that have occurred in the industry in a competitive market, will receive the "Engineer of Distinction" award for lifetime achievement in the engineering profession. The award will be presented by engineering Dean Ross B. Corotis.
Hatfield recently retired as chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology at the Federal Communications Commission and came to CU-Boulder as interim director of the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program. Prior to joining the FCC in 1997, he was chief executive officer of Hatfield Associates, a Boulder-based telecommunications consulting firm that developed an economic model of local telephone networks now used by regulatory agencies throughout the world. Hatfield has taught a course on telecommunications policy to CU-Boulder students since 1982.
The college also will present its Distinguished Engineering Alumni Awards to five CU-Boulder alumni and one professor emeritus of the college:
S. John Archuleta, who received his bachelor's degree in architectural engineering from CU-Boulder in 1961, will be recognized for his significant contributions as an engineer in private practice. He had a distinguished 20-year career with JVA, Inc., a Western Slope structural engineering and design firm (formerly Johnson-Voiland-Archuleta), and then became a founding partner of the National Bank of the Rockies and developed the 160-acre Bonnie Brook Vineyards residential development in Palisade, Colo.
Stanley L. Dodson of Glenwood Springs, who received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from CU-Boulder in 1941, will be recognized for his many years of government service. He was a member of the Colorado State Highway Commission from 1965 to 1977, serving as chair when the first bore of the Eisenhower Tunnel was dedicated in 1973. Dodson also was chair of the Colorado Highway Users Conference (1978-1987) and the Club 20 Transportation Committee (1980-1997). He is the founder of the Western Slope distribution firm, Dodson Engineered Products, and was recently named "Citizen of the Year" by the Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce.
Karl G. Larson, who received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from CU-Boulder in 1954, will be honored for his contributions in industry and commerce as a leader in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry. As former president and current chairman of the board, he helped build the Gustave A. Larson Co. in Pewaukee, Wis., into a leading distributor of heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment with 24 branches in nine Midwestern states. He also served as president and chairman of the Northamerican Heating, Refrigeration and Airconditioning Wholesalers Association. He currently lives in Aspen.
Byron E. Lauer, CU-Boulder professor emeritus of chemical engineering, will be honored for his significant contributions to educational programs in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. He served as the third head of the chemical engineering department from 1946 to 1961, leading the department to achieve accreditation for the first time and introducing the first doctoral program in the college. He has continued to live in Boulder since his retirement in 1975.
G. Thomas Marsh, who earned his MBA at CU-Boulder in 1984, will be recognized for his many contributions to the nation's space programs in transportation, science and exploration, and national security. The winner of two NASA Public Service Awards for his work on the Viking Mars Lander and the Space Shuttle external tank, he was tapped in June 1999 to become president of Lockheed Martin Astronautics Operations in Denver and now oversees the activities of more than 8,000 employees in five states.
John L. Melanson, who received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from CU-Boulder in 1974, will be honored for his groundbreaking research and inventions introducing a new generation of digital audio products, including the world's first digital signal processing hearing aid. He co-founded three successful businesses in Boulder, including WaveFrame Corp., Digital Audio Co. and AudioLogic, recently purchased by Cirrus Logic of Austin, Texas.
For more information, visit www.colorado.edu/engineering/acr_deaa.html.