August/September 2014

NSPE TODAY
Honorees Awarded for Dedication to Profession, NSPE

At the 2014 NSPE Annual Meeting, held in July in Washington, DC, a number of distinguished engineers were recognized for their decades of work and service.

The highest honor given by the Society, the NSPE Award, went to L. Robert “Larry” Smith, P.E., F.NSPE, a dedicated service volunteer and part-time forensic engineer. Smith had been president of Waterman Engineering Co. before selling it after 25 years. He is a past president of the Rhode Island Society of Professional Engineers, the Providence Engineering Society, and the Rhode Island section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He served four terms on Rhode Island’s licensure board, chairing it twice. He has chaired multiple exam committees for the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying and served on numerous NSPE committees. He’s also locally known for writing “Larry’s Corner,” a humorous take on engineering for the Providence Engineering Society’s newsletter.

Nadir Yilmaz, Ph.D., P.E., was named the 2014 Young Engineer of the Year. A professor of mechanical engineering at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology as well as an engineering consultant, Yilmaz advises students and has helped build a number of laboratories. This includes a research laboratory for engines and fuels, and two educational laboratories supported by the State of New Mexico and the US Department of Education. He is editor in chief of the Society of Automotive Engineers’ International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants, president of the Albuquerque chapter of the New Mexico Society of Professional Engineers, and vice chair of the New Mexico section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Also announced at the meeting was the 2014 NSPE Distinguished Service Award winner, Barry Isett, P.E., F.NSPE. As owner of Barry Isett & Associates in Allentown, Pennsylvania, he works with a number of high-profile clients, including both Lehigh and DeSales Universities and Lafayette and Muhlenberg Colleges, as well as various Fortune 500 companies. Isett has served as the president of both the Lehigh Valley chapter and the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers, in addition to other leadership roles. He’s been a long-time member of the Lehigh Valley Committee for the Central Division of the Pennsylvania Economy League and currently serves as vice chair.

NSPE staff member Nancy Oswald was honored with the Presidents’ Award. Immediate Past President Robert Green, P.E., F.NSPE, presented the award and applauded her tireless efforts. As a member of the executive office staff since 1995, Oswald possesses unique institutional knowledge and dedication that has earned the respect of other staff members and NSPE volunteers.

Read PEHE Award Honors Founder of Construction Engineering Program and PEGASUS Winner Continues Engineering Legacy for more information on other 2014 award winners.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT, NSPE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARK GOLDEN STANDS WITH AWARD WINNER L. ROBERT SMITH, P.E., F.NSPE, AND NSPE PAST PRESIDENT ROBERT GREEN, P.E., F.NSPE; BARRY ISETT, P.E., F.NSPE, SPEAKS AFTER ACCEPTING HIS AWARD; AND NADIR YILMAZ, P.E., BROUGHT HIS SON ON-STAGE TO HELP HIM ACCEPT HIS AWARD. CREDIT: CHRISTIE'S PHOTOGRAPHIC SOLUTIONS