Press Release                     

Release: Immediate
Contact: Stacey A. Ober
703-684-2815

Florida Engineer Honored for Distinguished Service to the Profession

ALEXANDRIA, VA. (August 3, 2007)— Tim Madhanagopal, P.E., DEE, F.NSPE, received the National Society of Professional Engineers' 2007 Distinguished Service Award at its annual conference in Denver.

NSPE's Distinguished Service Award was established to recognize NSPE members for their exceptional contributions to the engineering profession, to their communities, and to NSPE. Persons in good standing holding the membership grade of Licensed Member, Member, Retired Member, or Life Member are eligible for selection. Candidates must be recommended by an NSPE state society, with endorsement from two other state societies to display that the candidates and their work are known beyond their own states.

Madhanagopal has been dedicated to public service for the past 29 years, performing several civil, environmental engineering, and management activities, including planning, design, operations, maintenance, and management and regulatory compliance programs. He is currently a plant manager with Orange County Utilities where he manages advanced water reclamation facilities that provide cost-effective and environmentally sound water reclamation and reuse programs in Central Florida. These facilities conserve billions of gallons of precious groundwater by supplying high quality reclaimed water for nondrinking purposes, while providing wastewater services to one of the fastest growing areas in the nation.

Madhanagopal holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Madras in India, a master's degree in environmental engineering from Wayne State University, and an MBA from the University of Central Florida. He is a member of many professional and technical societies, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, Water Environment Federation, American Water Works Association, and American Public Works Association. He has been routinely recognized by his peers for his achievements in engineering including being named the "Engineer of the Year" by the Florida section of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2005, the Water Environment Federation's "Quarter Century Operator" in 2003, and one of the "Top 10 Public Works Leaders of the Year" for 2003 by the American Public Works Association.

In addition to his engineering work and involvement, Madhanagopal devotes his time to many other civic and humanitarian activities. He is an active supporter of several youth programs that promote engineering such as MATHCOUNTS, Boy Scouts, and science fair events. He also serves as a mentor to college students pursuing engineering and recently served as chairman on the University of Central Florida's College of Engineering Minority engineering Program Industry Advisory Committee, which seeks to improve minority student participation in the engineering curriculum. He is the founder and past-president of Muthamizh Sangam, and Indian cultural organization, and recently served as the chairman of the Asian American Heritage Council.

The National Society of Professional Engineers is the national society of engineering professionals from all disciplines that promotes the ethical and competent practice of engineering, advocates licensure, and enhances the image and well-being of its members. Founded in 1934, NSPE serves more than 44,000 members and the public through 53 state and territorial societies and more than 500 chapters.

EDITOR'S NOTE: High-resolution photo of award winner available in digital format.