GW Engineering Hall of Fame: MAE Members

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is proud to introduce our alumni who are members of the GW Engineering Hall of Fame.  The Hall of Fame was established by the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) in 2006 to recognize and honor distinguished alumni, faculty, staff, and friends from across the school who have contributed to engineering, technology or management in a sustained and significant way during their careers. These men and women bring distinction to GW through their achievements and their contributions to their professions, the University, and society-at-large.

 

2019

Dr. Davinder Anand

Davinder Anand is professor emeritus of mechanical engineering and director of the Center of Engineering Concepts Development at The University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). During his career, he previously served as senior staff at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, as a program director at the National Science Foundation (NSF), and as the chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UMCP. He also founded two consulting companies, TPI, Inc. and Iktara Associates, LLC. His research and consulting work was in dynamics, control systems, and manufacturing. In 2013, he founded The Neilom Foundation, whose vision is to help improve the lives of young people at the intersection of health, education, and technology. Most recently, he developed a successful new program in engineering for social change in partnership with the School of Public Policy at UMCP. He was awarded the NSF Sustained Superior Performance Award and the UMCP Outstanding Accomplishment Award. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a registered professional engineer, and a member of the Cosmos Club. He is also a Distinguished Alumnus of the George Washington University and has received the Outstanding George Washington University Alumni Award. Dr. Anand received his bachelor‘s degree, master‘s degree, and doctorate, all in mechanical engineering, from the George Washington University.

 

Dr. David Dolling

David Dolling is a professor emeritus in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) at the George Washington University. From September 2008 through August 2018, he was dean of SEAS and led the school through an exceptional growth period that included adding the Department of Biomedical Engineering, recruiting approximately 60 new faculty across SEAS who subsequently secured record levels of research funding, adding new endowed professorships and scholarships, doubling the undergraduate body, increasing the number of women earning bachelor degrees to more than 40 percent of the graduating class, and transitioning the school into the new Science and Engineering Hall. Prior to joining SEAS, Dr. Dolling was at The University of Texas at Austin, where he was chairman of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics (1994 – 2003) and associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Engineering (2004 – 2008). He was elected Fellow of The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (2000) and The Royal Aeronautical Society (2001) for his contributions to the understanding of supersonic and hypersonic shock wave-induced unsteady turbulent flows. Dr. Dolling is a graduate of London University (United Kingdom), earning a bachelor‘s degree with first class honors and a doctorate, both in aeronautical engineering.

 

2017

Dr. Christine Mann Darden

Dr. Christine Mann Darden is an internationally recognized authority in the field of sonic-boom minimization.  Dr. Darden began her 40-year career at the NASA Langley Research Center in 1967 as a data analyst and was reassigned to the position of aerospace engineer in 1973, where she began her work in sonic-boom minimization.  In her roles as researcher and leader, she contributed a computer-based tool for the definition of the equivalent area of a minimum-boom aircraft for given flight conditions.  With a partner, she then validated this process by designing models to the equivalent area and testing them in wind tunnels.  In 2002, a test flight of a modified F-5 Sonic Boom Demonstrator validated the equivalent-area approach to sonic-boom minimization in flight.  Dr. Darden became a member of the Senior Executive Service at NASA in 1999, when she was named director of the Aerospace Performing Center Program Management Office.  She also served as the assistant director of Langley for Strategic Planning, and finally as the director of strategic communications and education before retiring in 2007.  Dr. Darden received her bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Hampton University in 1962, her master of science degree in applied mathematics from Virginia State College in 1967, and her doctor of science degree in mechanical engineering from GW in 1983.

 

2015

Mr. Donald Blount

Mr. Donald L. Blount founded Donald L. Blount & Associates, a naval architecture and marine engineering design firm in 1988. The company is noted internationally for design and engineering of high-performance, military, commercial, and recreational vessels. Noteworthy vessels exceeding speeds of 60 knots include gasturbine- powered vessels M/Y Destriero (222 ft, 1,000 mt), which established in 1992 the current Atlantic Ocean crossing record (58 hr 34 min) averaging 53.1 knots, and M/Y Fortuna (135 ft), the Royal Yacht of Spain. Previously Mr. Blount was a civilian employee of the Department of Navy for 35 years. In his early years with the Navy, he conducted research and engineering programs relating to technology in the field of hydrodynamics. The latter years were spent with the Navy’s Combatant Craft Department conducting research, designing, and testing military craft with the last nine years as Department Head. In 2014 Mr. Blount published a book, Performance by Design: Hydrodynamics for High-Speed Vessels and has co-authored more than 50 papers and articles for international technical societies. Mr. Blount is a professional engineer and a Fellow of both The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and The Royal Institution of Naval Architects. He earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from GW in 1963.

 

2014

Dr. Ian Waitz

Dr. Ian A. Waitz is dean of the School of Engineering and the Jerome C. Hunsaker Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he has been on the faculty since 1991.  As a researcher, Dr. Waitz has made advances in gas turbine engines, fluid mechanics, combustion, and acoustics.  From 2004 to 2014, he also served as the director of the Partnership for AiR Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction (PARTNER), an FAA, NASA, DOD, EPA and Transport Canada-sponsored Center of Excellence with participants from a dozen universities and 50 industry and government organizations.  In 2003, Dr. Waitz received a NASA Turning Goals Into Reality Award for Noise Reduction, and in 2007 he was awarded the FAA Excellence in Aviation Research Award.  He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and an American Society of Mechanical Engineering and American Society for Engineering Education member.  He received a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering in 1986 from the Pennsylvania State University, a master of science degree in aeronautics in 1988 from GW, and a doctor of science degree in aeronautics in 1991 from the California Institute of Technology.

 

2013

Mr. Gurminder Bedi

Mr. Gurminder S. Bedi is chairman of Compuware Corporation, a billion dollar IT company. He also serves on the board of directors of Kemet (a capacitor company) and Actuant (a diversified industrial company), and he is active in private equity investments. Mr. Bedi is a retired executive of the Ford Motor Company, having served until 2001 as vice president of the company’s $60 billion worldwide truck enterprise. He also was president of Ford operations in Argentina and Brazil. Throughout his 30-year career with Ford, he set the pace for trucks and SUVs in the industry, and was instrumental in delivering on Ford’s series of “Cleaner, Safer, Sooner” pledges by making all pickups and SUVs low emission vehicles. Mr. Bedi received his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from GW in 1969 and his MBA from University of Detroit Mercy in 1976. He is a member of the SEAS National Advisory Council.

 

Dr. Sassan Kimiavi

Dr. Sassan Kimiavi began his career in the IT sector, working in leadership positions for various IT professional services firms in the Washington, D.C. area. In 1997 he co-founded Paragon Technology Group with his wife, Mrs. Gazelle Hashemian Kimiavi. Dr. Kimiavi managed Paragon and built up its client base, and in 2001, Mrs. Kimiavi joined him in managing it and moving it into government contracting. Together, they successfully grew the company until they sold it in 2012. Dr. Kimiavi—whose experience includes IT governance and implementation of complex IT systems for clients in the pharmaceuticals and telecommunications sectors, the Department of Defense, and various federal agencies— served as the CEO of the company for 15 years prior to its sale. In his role as the CEO of Paragon, Dr. Kimiavi was twice selected as a top CEO by Washington SmartCEO magazine. After the sale of Paragon, he founded ALTA Development LLC and ALTA Worldwide LLC, where he currently serves as the president and CEO. ALTA companies are focused on commercial and residential real estate development. Dr. Kimiavi received his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering in 1985 from GW. In 1987 and 1998, respectively, he received his master of science and doctor of science degrees in computer science from GW. He is a member of the SEAS National Advisory Council.

 

2012

Dr. Douglas L. Jones

Professor Douglas L. Jones has been affiliated with the GW School of Engineering and Applied Science for more than 50 years, beginning as a part-time undergraduate student and eventually earning three degrees in mechanical engineering from GW:  a bachelor’s degree in 1963, followed by a master’s degree in 1965 and a doctoral degree in 1970.  He joined the SEAS faculty in 1968 as an assistant professor and rose through the professorial ranks, ultimately serving as the associate dean for academic affairs.  Over the course of his career, he taught and conducted research in solid mechanics and materials science and in mechanical engineering design.  Professor Jones was the principal or co-principal investigator of many research grants, directed 25 master’s theses and doctoral dissertations, co-authored an engineering textbook and more than 70 journal articles and conference proceedings, and helped establish a computer-aided design program in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.  He is an elected member of the Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity Hall of Fame and has received numerous service and achievement awards from GW.  Professor Jones retired in 2004 as professor emeritus of engineering and applied science.

 

2011

Dr. Randolph Graves, Jr.

Dr. Randolph A. Graves, Jr. has more than 40 years experience in aerospace technology research, development, commercialization, and management. He served for 26 years at NASA, finishing his career as the director of the Aerodynamics Division in the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology at NASA Headquarters. While there, he served on numerous managerial and technical panels and committees, including the High Performance Computing Subcommittee of the White House's Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology; and the Fluid Dynamics Panel of NATO's Advisory Group on Aerospace Research and Development, where he was chairman of the Computational Fluid Dynamics Subcommittee. Since leaving NASA, Dr. Graves has been the chief executive officer and chairman of several start-up companies and continues his technology consulting through Graves Technology Inc., a consulting company he founded in 1991. Dr. Graves received his bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic University, in 1963 and 1969, respectively, and his doctoral degree from GW in 1978. In 1982, he was awarded a Sloan Fellowship at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, where he earned a master's degree in management.

 

2007

Mr. Dirk Brady 

Dirk Brady received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from The George Washington University and spent most of his career with Mohawk Brush Company, a division of the Fuller Brush Company, where he was a machine designer, chief engineer, plant manager, and vice-president in charge of plant management. Mr. Brady later began a second career working for Ziff-Davis Publishing in charge of special projects and later as a consultant. He also was chairman of the Red Cross Disaster Services, and later became active in politics, serving as a member of the Board of Adjustments and Planning and Zoning Board for Cocoa Beach, Florida.

 

2006

Mr. William Ellenberger

William Ellenberger earned bachelor's degrees in both electrical engineering and mechanical engineering from The George Washington University. Mr. Ellenberger had a career with the Department of the Army Civilian Service, where he served as a construction management engineer, and he was later self-employed as an engineer consultant. Over the years, he served in many positions of leadership in both the GW Alumni Association and the Engineer Alumni Association and he contributed an enormous amount of time in voluntary service to the University. During his affiliation with SEAS, Mr. Ellenberger compiled a very valuable historical record of the evolution of the engineering school. Copies of many of his papers and recollections were given to the University Archives in 2004.

 

Mr. David I. J. Wang

David Wang, a native of Beijing, China, emigrated with his family after World War II to the U.S., where he received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from The George Washington University and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Mr. Wang retired in 1991 as executive vice president and director of International Paper Co., and he is currently an operating partner in Atlas Holdings, a private equity investment firm. He has been a long-time member of the SEAS National Advisory Council. Mr. Wang received the Engineer Alumni Achievement Award from the Engineer Alumni Association in 1992 and the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the GW Alumni Association in 2000.