Eight School of Mines alumni were honored as recipients of the 2008 Outstanding Recent Graduate Award during an Engineers Week luncheon held Thursday, Feb. 21. The Outstanding Recent Graduate program honors graduates who have achieved exemplary career progress and recognition within 10 years of graduation. The program was originated and is sponsored by Tech's Alumni Association and the SDSM&T Foundation. The individuals selected for this award are considered excellent role models to show the School of Mines' current students the importance of continued personal growth in a rapidly changing world.
The 2008 winners:
Eric Broughton came to the School of Mines from Canton, S.D., and completed his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering in 1997. He's become a respected leader in the information technology community by authoring white papers, presentations ranging from project management to data architecture and serving as president of Chicago's Oracle Users Group. As director of business development for Yield Technologies, a Morgan Stanley start-up company, Broughton is responsible for driving strategy, sales and marketing in addition to taking the lead on high profile initiatives. Broughton and his wife, Jennifer, have three daughters and reside in Naperville, Ill.
Josh Goddard came to the School of Mines from Prairie City, S.D. and completed his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering in 1997. He has worked for Caterpillar Inc. for the past 10 years and is currently an engineering supervisor at the Caterpillar Technical Center in Mossville, Ill. He leads an engineering staff responsible for the laboratory and on-machine development of powershift transmissions for off-highway trucks. He has co-authored one U.S. Patent, served as a Caterpillar 6 Sigma Green Belt / Project Sponsor on multiple products and process improvement initiatives and has responsibilities for on-campus engineering recruiting.
Jennifer Kennedy completed her bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 1998, and has had an interesting and varied career since. She was a chemical weapons inspector in Iraq, headed up an EPA contract emergency response team and spent two years teaching children in Central America. Kennedy's career then turned to finance and she is currently a director in the Global Wealth and Investment Management division of Bank of America. Kennedy also received her master of business administration degree from Florida State University. According to Kennedy, her greatest accomplishment is surviving cancer and being active in the fight against the disease.
Christopher Kinney completed his bachelor of science degree in metallurgical engineering in 1997, and has continually risen with his technical abilities and responsibilities. As a senior metallurgical engineer for Caterpillar Inc., he is a recognized national expert in remanufacturing technology and holds several current and pending patents. Included is a change in cast iron repair technology resulting in over $2 million savings. Kinney's remanufacturing efforts are expected to double current production by 2009. Kinney's process was also recently featured in the in Annual Caterpillar Sustainability Report.
Matthew Potts completed his bachelor of science degrees in computer engineering and electrical engineering in 1997. Potts has worked as a computer engineer in the broad area of hardware/software design and ASIC design for the past 10 years. He has written system-level tests for microprocessors and has led and managed engineering teams in system-level testing of VLSI and ASIC designs. Potts has been a very active volunteer with his church activities, including worship and music leader activities. While in college, Potts performed vocally with the Master Chorale.
Dr. Lance Roberts earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the School of Mines in 1998 and 1999. While with consulting firms from 1999-2006, he gained significant experience in structural and geotechnical design and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, while employed as a project engineer. Dr. Roberts secured a temporary appointment with the civil and environmental engineering department in January 2007, and shortly thereafter secured his current tenure-track appointment. Dr. Roberts has authored or co-authored 20 articles and presentations, maintained membership in seven professional societies, served on eight society committees and managed to assist in conducting the State of Missouri MATHCOUNTS competition during four years.
Shawn Wilcynzski is known for his excellent professionalism, great attitude, and his high integrity and values. In several of his presentations, be it work related or general topics, one always comes away with awe at his excellent focus on safety, integrity, and a great value system. He has been a source of inspiration to many of our current students since earning his own degree in mining engineering in 1997. Wilcynzski has also been a vocal advocate and a strong champion within his company regarding a substantial donation to the school, which includes a scholarship component for the School of Mines mining engineering students.
Todd Youngman graduated from the School of Mines with bachelor's degrees in computer science, electrical engineering and computer engineering in 1997. His drive to excel has continued during his career in industry. He used his knowledge of software and hardware to lead the design and implementation of multiple systems for IBM and LSI, leading to four U.S. patents and three additional patent applications.
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