Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology alumni that have reached remote areas of the world to make significant career achievements and showcase their alma mater were among persons recognized Oct. 7 by the college’s alumni association as part of homecoming festivities.

Earning the Honor Alumni Award during the Alumni Awards Breakfast were Terre Haute native Tom Merrill, Greg Henneke, Kelly Kozdras and Joel Magsig. Meanwhile, the Distinguished Young Alumni Award were presented to Andrew Gant, Chris Inman, William Middendorf and Nicholee Nietch.

The Honor Alumni Award is based on an alumnus’ meritorious service to Rose-Hulman and the alumni association; contributions to America’s national interest; and professional achievement.

Tom Merrill, a 1971 mechanical engineering graduate, is director of heavy duty alternator engineering for Remy International in Anderson, Ind. He has also served several management positions with General Motors Corporation’s Delphi Automotive Systems unit. He was manager of Delphi’s ignition, generator and electrical controls engineering divisions; general supervisor of manufacturing; and team leader of the global generator product team. Merrill retired from Delphi in 2001 and has served as program manager at Remy since 2002. The 1967 Wiley High School graduate participated on GM and Delphi recruiting teams for Rose-Hulman for 25 Years.

Greg Henneke, a 1975 civil engineering graduate, is executive vice president of American Consulting, Inc. in Indianapolis. He is responsible for the firm’s offices in Terre Haute, South Bend and Gary. He oversees the company’s transportation division, the survey and environmental departments and all aspects of public works and transportation, engineering, science and surveying. Henneke is a member of Rose-Hulman’s Department of Civil Engineering Advisory Board, and has organized and contributed to the annual American Consulting Inc. alumni scholarship fund.

Kelly Kozdras, a 1999 electrical engineering graduate, is a project engineer for Raytheon Polar Services Corporation. She recently concluded a one-year assignment operating control systems in a greenhouse at the South Pole Station in Antarctica. Using her engineering skills to help others has been a key component of Kozdras’ career. She started as a volunteer with AmeriCorps and spent last summer with Engineers for a Sustainable World, assisting in the construction of a water treatment plant in rural Honduras. Kozdras also serves as an engineering mentor for an all-girls high school competing in the FIRST robotics competition and is active in the Society of Women Engineers.

Joel Magsig, a 1994 mechanical engineering graduate, is a major in the U.S. Army and currently is a student at the Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He commanded the Third Infantry Division, Second Squadron of the Sixth Cavalry that played an instrumental role in the seizure of Saddam International Airport, allowing U.S. military forces to quickly overpower the Iraqi army. He led a troop in the Second Squadron of the Sixth Cavalry through the initial onset of combat operations in Iraq in 2003.

The Distinguished Young Alumni Award recognizes graduates from the last 10 years with notable endeavors in the areas of career achievement, continued education, community service and/or commitment to Rose-Hulman.

Andrew Gant, a 1998 mechanical engineering graduate, is an engineer with M3 Design, Inc. in Austin, Texas, leading the medical device design team. His career began at Stryker Instruments, designing medical instruments and producing his first patent, which is currently under review.
 

 

Chris Inman, a 2000 mechanical engineering graduate, is director of operations for the Global Hawk Systems Group in Dayton, Ohio, maintaining world wide operations for the program. He has served three tours in southwest Asia as a liaison officer in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Inman’s first job was redesigning the cockpit for the F-22, F-35 and C-5 at the Air Force Aeronautical Systems Center.
 

William Middendorf, a 2001 mechanical engineering graduate, is an engineer with Shiel-Sexton in Indianapolis. He works on large commercial and industrial buildings throughout Indiana. Middendorf formerly served as a U.S. Army combat engineer platoon leader, leading 30 soldiers into combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, and worked at the headquarters for the Army’s Europe G3 Planning and Operations. He is now pursuing a master’s degree at Rose-Hulman.
 

Nicholee Nietch, a 2001 mechanical engineering graduate, is a senior systems engineer for Lockheed Martin in Golden, Colo. She served as lead sequencer for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, contributing to the project’s success earlier this year. She was responsible for designing, developing and testing the on-board programs that controlled the spacecraft throughout the entire orbit insertion event. Nietch received a master’s degree in aerospace engineering in 2002.