2015 Issue

16 Engineer of the Year Nominees ACEC: KIM P. HARRIS, P.E. Company Employed: President and CEO, Van Borum & Frank Associates, Inc., Salt Lake City, Ut. BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah Kim joined Van Boerum & Frank Associates, Inc. as an Intern in 1977 while studying mechani- cal engineering at the University of Utah. He has been with VBFA ever since that time! In 2006, he was named President and CEO, when Howard Van Boerum retired. Under Kim’s supervision, VBFA has seen its most significant growth, with 59 employees in 2006 and 104 today. The firm has also been recognized as Best of State in Mechanical Engineering for five consecutive years and received the prestigious Best of State for Sci- ence and Technology twice. 104 employees and their families depend on Kim’s wisdom and leadership to maintain and ensure the continued success and vitality of VBVA. AIAA: MARK SNAUFER Company Employed: ATK Aerospace, Magna, Ut. BS, Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M Univer- sity, College Station, Texas MS, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineer- ing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana His current work with the Castor 30XL solid rocket motor falls in line with Utah’s aerospace legacy and carries it further into the future. He was given the chance to lead this program because of his success with the Minuteman Propulsion Replacement Program, which extended the life of our na- tion’s nuclear deterrent for decades. However, his 22-year career has not only been about launch vehicles. His breadth has spanned several topics such as payload separation dynamics, wind tunnel testing, lunar hydrogen extraction, and many others. Foremost though, Mr. Snaufer has shown a dedication to giving back to the next generation. His time as AIAA-Utah Chair in 2005-2006 was obviously invaluable to our organization, but furthermore his time spent as a mentor, volunteer, and coach make him a pillar of our community. ASCE: D. GEORGE HANSEN, C.E., S.E. Company Employed: Wilson & Company, Inc., Engineers & Architects, South Jordan, Ut. BS, Civil Engineering, University of Utah Mr. Hansen is a licensed structural engineer who graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree of science in civil engi- neering in 1973. Mr. Hansen has worked as a structural engineer for the past 41 years. During that time he has worked on some of the states most critical and high profile civil engineer- ing projects. These projects include buildings, sports arenas, academic structures, religious institutions, and bridges such as, but not limited to, the Larry H. Miller Auto Repair Training Building, the Public Safety and Emergency Operations Building at Zions Park, the Salt Lake City Energy Solutions Arena, the temporary tent structures for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, Layton Prepara- tory Academy Charter School, Ogden Preparatory Academy, the Bountiful LDS Temple, the Railroad Bridge at Traverse Ridge Road, and the Virgin River Bridge. ASHRAE: STEVE G. CONNOR, P.E. Company Employed: President of Colvin Engineering Associates, Salt Lake City, Ut. BS, Mechanical Engineering, Bucknell Univer- sity, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Steve is past president of Utah ASHRAE, and has given years of service with the Green Building Council (Utah and Western Re- gion), and an appearance on RadioWest to discuss our industry to the general public. He is highly respected amongst his clients, coworkers, and competition by displaying a mastery of his craft, interest in varying opinions, and a firm command of not only engineering principles, but an uncanny ability to relate to and effectively communicate with all of the trades and characters that make buildings happen. Whether speaking before a crowd of peers, or appearing on a jobsite to review installation of his design, his intel- ligent responses and problem solving abilities are unparalleled. Mr. Connor, by being the exceptional engineer and person that he is, has generously given of his time and ability in a way that few have, and has proven one of the most recognizable and influential building systems engineer on not only a local, but a national stage. He serves as an ambassador of the finer abilities and skill that our trade has to offer. ASME: DR. DANIEL NOEL DONAHOE, P.E. Company Employed: Owner 1000 Kilometers, Bountiful, Ut. BS, General Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana MS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana MBA, Business Administration, Santa Clara University, California Ph. D. Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park Dr. Donahoe’s career has been in the inter- disciplinary field of packaging electronics. He is founder and owner of 1000 kilometers PPLC. While working at Exponent, he did a wide variety of confidential work performing failure analysis, thermal work, legal support, high-g dynamic finite element analysis, reliability analysis and extensive testing programs. At Compaq Computer, he provided a test method for PCMCIA standard for rating PCMCIA cards for thermal capacity. At Motorola, he worked on artillery fuses based on testing and use of a general purpose FORTRAN dynam- ics modeling program written internally. At Lockheed, he offered design support for NASA RAHF. He has had extensive volunteer experience and received a variety of awards working with various professional engineering societies including, ASME, ASME Inter- national, IEEE, ASQ, ASTM Consultants Networks of Silicon Valley, Silicon Valley Engineering Council, Microelectronics and Packaging Society, Electrochemical Society, Society of Automotive Engineers and the Utah Engineers Council. He has run for public office and been an advocate for engineers being involved in legislative initia- tives and has written articles on the subject. 2015 UEC