Eleven Penn State engineering graduates will be honored on April 4 at the College of Engineering’s Outstanding Engineering Alumni Awards ceremony at Hyatt Place State College. Credit: Penn State
Eleven alumni to receive College of Engineering’s highest honor
3/30/2022
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Eleven Penn State engineering graduates will be honored on April 4 at the College of Engineering’s Outstanding Engineering Alumni Awards ceremony at Hyatt Place State College. Charlie Blenko, an undergraduate student majoring in civil engineering, will serve as the event’s emcee.
Established in 1966, the Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Engineering and recognizes graduates who have reached exceptional levels of professional achievement.
“With more than 120,000 living Penn State engineering alumni, it is quite a challenge to select just a handful to recognize each year,” said Justin Schwartz, Harold and Inge Marcus in the College of Engineering. “Our Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award recipients are not just professionally successful, but they have also made significant contributions to positively impact the world and inspire future generations. They embody what it means to be a Penn State engineer, and we are proud to honor their achievements.”
The 2022 recipients and their Penn State degrees are:
- Michele Beisler, deputy program manager of the NASA Rocket Propulsion Test Program Office. She earned a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Penn State Behrend College in 1992 and a master of science in mechanical engineering at University Park in 1994.
- Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar, professor of nuclear engineering and associate dean of the College of Science and Engineering at Idaho State University. She earned a master of science in environmental engineering in 1997 and a doctorate degree in nuclear engineering in 2004.
- Mike Erdman, professor of practice (retired) who served as the Penn State Walter L. Robb Director of Engineering Leadership Development in the Penn State College of Engineering. He earned a bachelor of science in engineering science in 1969.
- Lori Gordon, partner in the intellectual property practice of Perkins Coie LLP. She earned a master of science in electrical engineering in 1992.
- Shalini Govil Pai, general manager and vice president of Google TV. She earned a master of science in computer science in 1992.
- Peter Kunz, vice president and chief engineer, Boeing Phantom Works. He earned a bachelor and a master of science in aerospace engineering in 1993 and in 1997, respectively.
- Scott Patti, vice president of business planning, transformation and operations at Dell. He earned a bachelor of science in computer engineering in 2001.
- Collen S. Pritchett, president, Hexcel Corporation — Americas Aerospace. She earned a bachelor of science in chemical engineering in 1996.
- Cherish Samuels, principal engineering for Amazon. She earned a master of science in architectural engineering in 2004.
- Steve Spadt, chief technology officer for the American College of Physicians. He earned a bachelor of science in computer engineering in 1993 and a master of science in biomedical engineering in 1995.
- Jane L. Snowdon, deputy chief science officer for science operations at IBM Watson Health. She earned a bachelor of science in industrial and manufacturing engineering in 1981.
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