The University of Kansas (KU) has announced that two honorary degrees will be awarded during the 2016 Commencement on May 15, 2016. Brian A. McClendon, KS A ’86, is one of the recipients and will receive a degree of Doctor of Science “for outstanding contributions to the fields of electrical engineering and computer science.” He is vice president of advanced technologies at Uber, co-creator of Google Earth, and an engineering alumnus of KU. Click here to read the news article.
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Yannis C. Yortsos, Ph.D. (CA D ’73), is the School of Engineering Dean at the University of Southern California and he wrote a blog post for the Huffington Post recently about why young women should not be deterred from pursuing careers in science and engineering. Four of his seven reasons are current females in engineering, both research professors and students. Among his other three reasons, are that many Fortune 500 CEOs have engineering degrees and the National Academy of Engineering’s 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering. Read the blog post.
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Earlier this week, the White House recognized eleven innovators in transportation as part of the Champions of Change program. Atorod Azizinamini, Ph.D., P.E. (OK A ’77), is professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering at Florida International University. He was among those that were honored. Dr. Azizinamini “invented the Folder Steel Plate Girder bridge system, which provides a cost-effective alternative for rapidly replacing or retrofitting short span bridges without impacting traffic or mobility.” For more information, visit the Champions of Change website.
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Tau Beta Pi 