Outstanding CEGE alumni honored by College of Engineering
Two trailblazing, CEGE alumni were among 21 recipients recently honored with 2020 Excellence in Engineering and Architecture Alumni Awards. The awards, presented annually, recognize exceptional alumni from across the College of Engineering who have achieved distinction in their fields or through their extraordinary service contributions since graduating from The Ohio State University. A celebration of the 2020 winners will be held in 2021, once it is safe to gather in person.
Nien-Yin (NY) Chang (PhD ’76, civil engineering) received the college's Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Excellence. For over four decades, Professor Chang built an impressive career marked by leadership, scholarship and service to students. At The University of Colorado, Denver, he served as Department Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering and Interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Dr. Chang served as director of the university's Expansive Soils Research Center and founded its Center for Geotechnical Engineering Science
Dedicated to educating future engineers, Professor Chang contributed to enhancements of the University of Colorado's engineering curriculum, including the development of the engineering college's first doctoral program. He was also a passionate supporter of efforts to bolster the University of Colorado engineering faculty's research initiatives.
Dorota A. Grejner-Brzezinska (MS ’95, PhD ’95, geodetic science and surveying) also received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Excellence. A renowned scholar in theory and applications of the Global Positioning System, mapping, and navigation of autonomous vehicles, Dr. Brzezinska is a senior associate vice president for research at Ohio State and associate dean for engineering research.
She served previously as Lowber B. Strange Endowed Chair and Department Chair of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering (CEGE). She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Dr. Brzeziniska, recently named as both University Distinguished Professor and University Distinguished Scholar by The Ohio State University, is the author of over 350 papers and has led nearly 60 sponsored research projects.
During a virtual reception held in honor of this year's award-winners, Dean David B. Williams, the Monte Ahuja Endowed Dean’s Chair, praised all of the recipients' efforts to advance society through innovation and service. “They represent the best and brightest graduates from across the College of Engineering and inspire us all," he stated.
- Candi Clevenger, COE Communications, contributed to this story.
