2018 Issue

17 ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Kyle Fox USAF, IEEE The Utah Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electron- ics Engineers nominated Kyle Fox Chief Software Engineer for Ground Based Strategic Defense for the US Air Force as Utah Engineer of the Year for the year 2018. Kyle Fox, USAF, has spent his seven-year career providing signifi- cant contributions to the United States’ national security. Mr. Fox‘s projects have deployed state-of-the-art forward repair capability for the F-15, F-16, C-130, and E-3 weapon systems to Kadena AFB, Japan. Mr. Fox is currently serv- ing as the Chief Software Engineer for the USAF’s Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program, an $85B ICBM replacement program. In this role, he is establishing a safe and secure nuclear weapon system to defend the nation through 2070. Mr. Fox frequently presents nuclear software and cybersecurity topics to senior government officials, including the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Congress, and the White House. Mr. Fox‘s expertise has been sought out from across the DOD, advising on programs critical for national security. To grow essential skill sets supporting na- tional security workloads, Mr. Fox teamed with his graduate alma mater, the Naval Postgraduate School and Federally Funded Research Centers to provide a mixture of technical degrees, certifications, and courses for the Hill engineer- ing workforce. This resulted in over 30 engineers achieving technical masters degrees and provided critical training for key decision makers. Brian Warner presents the nominee plaque to Kyle Fox left to right: Brent White, P.E., S.E., Paul White, Kyle Fox, Cameron Scott, P.E., Melvin “Clay” Rumsey, Lisa Zundel, P.E., Evan Gabrielsen, P.E., Dr. Brent Strong ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Dr. Brent Strong BYU Professor Emeritus, SAMPE The Utah Chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering has nominated Dr. Brent Strong of BYU as Utah Engineer of the Year for the year 2018. Dr. Strong is currently a Professor Emeritus at Brigham Young University in Manufacturing Engineering Technology where he has essentially “written the books on plastic and composite materials”. He is Chief Technical Officer and Board Member for the State of Utah’s Advanced Materi- als and Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI). This initiative is advancing technology, employment, and visibility on sev- eral technological fronts. He leads a program developing pitch-base carbon fiber from Utah’s coal industry ($1.8M), developing UAMMI’s supply chain contacts within Utah’s vast (and dominant) materials and manufacturing industry, and connecting Utah with numerous government agencies. In addition, he has been a founder of several of Utah cen- ters of excellence which have accounted for over $40M and several hundred jobs. Brian Warner presents the nominee plaque to Dr. Brent Strong