SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Alumni Awards

The George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing Alumni Awards honor alumni for their achievements in the engineering profession. This event is sponsored by Rice Engineering and Rice Engineering Alumni (REA), the oldest alumni affinity group at Rice University. There are four categories of awards: Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award, Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award, Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni Award, and Distinguished Service Medal.

Descriptions of the awards and previous recipients are listed below. For consideration, all nominees should hold a degree from the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing, with the exception of the Distinguished Service Medal. A selections committee including representatives from the REA Board, the school and faculty leadership will review and select recipients. Members of the selection committee are ineligible for nomination.

Nominate an Alum

Nominations are now closed for the 2024 Alumni Awards. The nomination cycle will reopen in spring 2025.

Photos of the 2024 Alumni Awards Celebration

Photos from the 2024 Alumni Awards Celebration are available to view and download via the galleries below. To download, select and enlarge the photo and use the download button located on the left side of your screen.

About the Awards & Past Recipients

Dean’s Appreciation Award

Established in 2018, the Dean’s Appreciation Award is given to a non-alumnus who has had a significant impact on the School of Engineering and Computing.

Dean’s Appreciation Award Recipients

  • 2024 Dr. James Truchard
  • 2022 The founders of ROLM Corporation: Gene Richeson ’62 ’63; Ken Oshman ’62 ’63; Walter Loewenstern ’58 ’59; Robert Maxfield ’63 ’64
  • 2019 Chevron
  • 2018 Shell Oil Company
Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award

This award is the highest honor bestowed by the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing and the Rice Engineering Alumni. Recipients of this prestigious award are selected based on a lifetime of professional achievements, leadership, and contributions made professionally and to society at large.

Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award Recipients

  • 2024 Cassandra McZeal ’98 ’99
  • 2022 George J. Hirasaki '67; Burt McMurtry '56 '57; Carlos Estuardo Ventura '85
  • 2021 Lynn Laverty Elsenhans ’78
  • 2019 Wanda Gass ’78
  • 2018 Mel Glasscock ’61; Ber Pieper ’53, ’54
Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award

This award was first presented by the Rice Engineering Alumni in 1974, with George R. Brown ’20 being the initial recipient. It recognizes Rice engineering alumni for outstanding professional achievement and service to society.

Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award Recipients

  • 2024 Jim Pyke ’97; Pretta VanDible Stallworth ’83 ’85
  • 2023 Jeff Bishop ‘04; Loren Hopkins ‘89 ‘98; Karen Lozano ‘96, ‘99
  • 2022 Elle Lewis Anderson '01; Bryan Guido Hassin '01 '02; Dim-Lee Kwong '82; John D. Olivas '96
  • 2021 Gilda Barabino ’86; Meg Ehm ’95, ’96, Byung Geon Rhee ’86; Dorry Segev ’92
  • 2019 Keith A. Baggerly ’90, ’93, ’94; James A. Kahle ’83; Varun Mehta ’88, Jorge Nocedal ’78
  • 2018 Mohit Aron ’98, ’00; Mark Dankberg ’77, Wendy Valka Hoenig '86, Michelle LeRoux Williams ’95
  • 2016 Lihong Wang `92
  • 2015 Jeff Taylor ’80
  • 2014 Sandra K. Johnson ’88
  • 2013 Juan C. Meza ’78, ’79, ’86
  • 2012 N. Wayne Hale Jr. ’76
  • 2011 Roger Norris Keeler ’51
  • 2010 Lynn Laverty Elsenhans '78
  • 2009 Wanda Sigur '79
  • 2008 Charles J. Newell '78, '80, '89
  • 2007 Richard Massey '53, '54
  • 2006 Hector Ruiz '73
  • 2005 Pat H. Moore '52
  • 2004 Stephen J. Sheafor '72; John R. Treichler '69
  • 2003 William N. Sick '57
  • 2002 Richard Bost '76, '78
  • 2001 Sidney Burrus '57, '58, '60; Philip Glynn '59
  • 2000 Fred Russell '57
  • 1999 Robert R. Maxfield '63
  • 1998 Patsy Chappelear '53
  • 1997 Joseph Reilly '48
  • 1996 Terry Koonce '60, '64
  • 1995 Orville D. Gaither '49
  • 1994 Kenneth E. Jones '33
  • 1993 Burton J. McMurtry '57; M. Kenneth Oshman '62
  • 1992 W. Bernard (Ber) Pieper '54
  • 1991 Walter P. Moore Jr. '60
  • 1990 Griff Lee '51
  • 1989 George Miner '50
  • 1988 Patrick Conley '42
  • 1987 I.A. Naman '38
  • 1986 Charles S. Matthews '41, '43, '44
  • 1985 Riki Kobayashi '44; Warren E. White '57
  • 1984 Louis D. Spaw Jr. '40
  • 1983 Alan J. Chapman '45; James R. Sims '41
  • 1982 Louis A. Waters '60
  • 1981 David E. Farnsworth '42; John G. Holland '30
  • 1980 Jennings A. Massingill '42
  • 1979 David L. Rooke '44
  • 1978 Ernest Dell Butcher '34
  • 1977 Stanley C. Moore '37
  • 1976 Walter P. Moore Sr. '27
  • 1975 Herbert Allen '29
  • 1974 George R. Brown '20
Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni Award

In 1996, the Rice Engineering Alumni established this award and gave the first to William H. White ’86. This award recognizes the achievements of Rice engineering alumni under the age of 40.

Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni Award Recipients

  • 2024 Suman Khatiwada ’13; Mohit Kumar Jolly ’17
  • 2023 Juan “Tony” Castilleja ‘09 ‘11; Samantha Santacruz ‘10 ‘14
  • 2022 Wendy-Kay Logan '04; Kristian Lum '06; Steve Xu '09
  • 2021 Mark A. Davenport ’04, ’07, ’10; Neha Kamat ’08
  • 2019 Allison Heath ’04, ’07, ’10; Clement Pang ’07
  • 2018 Garrett J. Grolemund ’12, Christopher A. Powers ’02
  • 2016 David Allison ’08
  • 2015 Elle Lewis Anderson ’01
  • 2014 Rakesh Agrawal ’98
  • 2013 Andrew J. Schaefer ‘94
  • 2012 Troy W. Thacker ’95
  • 2011 Aaron Hertzmann ’96
  • 2010 Justin Romberg ’97, ’99, ’04
  • 2009 Christof Spieler ’97, ’99
  • 2008 Parthasarathy Ranganathan ’97, ’01
  • 2007 Chaitali Sengupta ’95, ’99
  • 2006 J. Patrick Frantz ’97
  • 2005 Timothy R. Dehne ’87
  • 2004 Theodora Overfelt Pounds ’96
  • 2003 John D. Miner ’88
  • 2002 Eric Sachs ’93
  • 2001 Donald Greive ’84
  • 2000 Lawrence Ciscon ’88, ’90, ’93
  • 1999 J. D. Sitton III ’85
  • 1998 Al Hirshberg ’82, ’83
  • 1997 Matthew Barry ’84, ’85, ’92, ’02
  • 1996 William H. White ’85
Distinguished Service Medal

The Distinguished Service Medal, established in 2012, recognizes Rice Engineering alumni for extraordinary service to the school and its alumni community. The medal is intended to recognize exceptionally meritorious service of a visionary, foundational, transformative or sustaining character, reflecting an unusually deep dedication to, or uncommon generosity of time or means in support of, the Rice engineering community.

Distinguished Service Medal Recipients

  • 2024 John Jaggers ’73
  • 2023 Martiel A. Luther ‘78
  • 2022 David Gibbs '70 '71
  • 2019 James W. Crownover ’66
  • 2015 John Doerr ’73,’74 and Ann Howland Doerr ’75, ’76
  • 2013 C. Sidney Burrus ’57, ’60
  • 2012 J. Bartlett Sinclair ’73, ’74, ’78