College of Engineering welcomes new Academy of Distinguished Engineers Inductees and GOLD Rising Stars
The Academy of Distinguished Engineers Class of 2025 (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)
The Academy of Distinguished Engineers, class of 2025, gathered for this year's induction ceremony last week on the UConn Storrs campus. The annual event featured comments from JC Zhao, dean of the College of Engineering (CoE), and was emceed by 2024 inductees Rashi Akki, and Mark Raymond. Attendees included new Academy inductees and GOLD Rising Star recipients, their friends and family, as well as past Academy members.
Zhao praised the class of 2025 for its accomplishments and contributions to engineering research, leadership and societal impact.
"This was my first Academy of Distinguished Engineers awards ceremony since becoming dean of the College of Engineering," Zhao says. "I take great pride in recognizing and celebrating the amazing achievements of our Academy inductees and Rising Stars. It was also a pleasure meeting these CoE graduates, their families and the previous awardees who joined us.
"These highly accomplished men and women are a testament to the overall quality of education we offer here at UConn, as well as recognition for the many CoE faculty and mentors who helped guide them. We are proud of their achievements and look forward to hearing about their continued successes and their positive impact on our society."
Induction into the Academy recognizes CoE alumni for their exemplary contributions to the engineering profession through research, practice, education, policy or service, says Kylene Perras, assistant dean, Operations and Strategic Initiatives. The GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Rising Star awards recognize graduates over the past decade who inspire the world around them through their contributions to engineering and society.
"The Academy's members are considered to be among the most successful and distinguished engineers in their respective fields," Perras adds. "They each represent UConn Engineering, with distinction and strong leadership, and inspire current and future CoE students. And while they may not have been in the field for as many years, our Rising Stars also are making their mark and cutting successful professional trails."
One of this year's inductees, Erika Lindeberg, earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering at UConn. She is a senior project manager and group leader at Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., a global leader in advanced manufacturing, energy, environmental, life sciences, transportation and more. Prior to joining Jacobs, she worked for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, including five years spent as principal engineer in their Division of Traffic Engineering.
"Both of my parents are UConn alumni and taught me the importance of mentoring and of working for the common good," Lindeberg says. "As engineers, we have a profound responsibility to ensure that the effective application of engineering and science serve a higher purpose and improve the comfort and safety of human life. To that end, sharing our knowledge, which includes mentoring others, is a critical responsibility and obligation."
Another inductee, Nasir Mannan, earned his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 2007 at the then School of Engineering at UConn. Mannan is the principal engineer at the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology's Advanced Design Automation and Metrology lab, where he leads the integration of 4.0 technologies to help strengthen the U.S. supply chain. Like Lindberg, he shared similar sentiments about the need to help others and to become beacons for positive change.
"In addition to building things, we create, innovate, discover and connect. All society is one human race, and the work we're doing can push the boundaries of what's possible, as well as what's needed," Mannan says. "I'm grateful for this recognition, and excited about the future and the opportunities we share to greatly improve the quality of life on earth for all beings through the technology we create and help implement as engineers."
This year's inductees are:
- James Bosse: B.S., M.S., and Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut ('09, '12, '14)
- Marat Kulakhmetov: B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut ('09), M.S. and Ph.D., Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University ('11, '16)
- Michael Lamont: B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Connecticut ('91)
- John Leonard: B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut ('89), M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Arizona State University ('94)
- Erika Lindeberg: B.S. and M.S., Civil Engineering, University of Connecticut ('94, '04)
- Nasir Mannan: B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut ('07)
- Steven Naboicheck: B.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Connecticut ('81)
- Frederick Sporck: B.S., Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Connecticut ('78), M.S., Physics, University of Vermont ('84)
- Adrian Weidmann: B.S., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut ('02)
- Peyman Zamani: B.S., Computer Science and Engineering, Master of Business Administration, University of Connecticut ('95, '06)
This year, the GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Rising Star recipients are:
- Yongduk Lee: B.S., M.S., Hankyong National University ('06, '08), Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Connecticut ('15)
- He Li: B.S., Beijing University of Technology ('05), M.S., University of Saskatchewan ('08), Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut ('15)
- Qin Lu: B.S., University of Electronic Science and Technology of China ('13), Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Connecticut ('18)
