Page 16 - CEGE Magazine Fall 2024

CONT ...
CEGENEWS
ALUMNI
MARTHA BURKET (BEnvE 2022) and
ABIGAIL RIECKMAN (BCE 2012) and
and their colleagues Sarah Nguyen and
Katie Becker at Alliant Engineering were
featured in a company-produced video
for Women in Engineering Day. The video
showed how they enhance engineering,
working with the public, designing
innovative solutions, preventing environ-
mental impacts, and inspiring the next
generation.
We were saddened
to learn that recent
graduate PHOEBE
EDALATPOUR (MS
2023) passed away
Sunday, May 5,
2024; she was just
28. Edalatpour received her bachelor’s
degree in civil engineering at Georgia
Institute of Technology (2018) where
she was an active member of Engineers
Without Borders. She participated in
many service projects in Africa, including
trips to Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa,
and most importantly, Sierra Leone. After
graduating from Georgia Tech, Edalatpour
was accepted into the Peace Corps and
assigned to the village of Tihun in Sierra
Leone. She quickly became a member
of the community. Upon returning to the
United States, Edalatpour started her
professional career in construction but
decided during the COVID crisis that she
wanted to do more meaningful work. She
returned to school to study sustainable
development. This focus combined her
background in engineering and construc-
tion with her desire to make a difference
in the world, and provided a platform for
her to return to Tihun. Edalatpour started
Wi Yone Plastik, a non-profit organization
run by the women of Tihun that converts
plastic waste into building materials,
providing environmental, health, and
financial benefits. After returning home
and graduating with her Master’s degree,
Edalatpour started a new role as a
Management Analyst for the US Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban Development.
Phoebe Edalatpour will be remembered
most for the relationships she built and
valued so dearly through all these phases
of her life.
The National Association of County Engi-
neers (NACE) awarded the 2024 David P.
Brand Safety Award to JOE GUSTAFSON
(BCE 2001), Traffic Engineer for Wash-
ington County, Minnesota. The award
is given to those who demonstrate the
highest standards in public safety over
their career. It was presented during the
NACE Annual Conference in Riverside
County, California, in July. Gustafson
is frequently involved in traffic safety
research projects with UMN faculty,
MnDOT, and the Local Road Research
Board.
DAVID E. MILLER (BCE 1955), who
earned degrees in Architecture and Struc-
tural Engineering at UMN, passed away
January 13, 2024. Miller served two years
with the Army Corps of Engineers before
opening his own architectural firm that
specialized in designing churches across
the US.
Ten years ago, ALEX MOLLENKAMP (BCE
2014) was in her last semester of college
at UMN when she participated in a Resil-
ient Communities Project (RCP) for her
class. “RCP helped solidify that municipal
engineering is the type of work I wanted
to do,” she said. Today, Mollenkamp is
the assistant city engineer for the City of
Chaska and is leading an RCP project on
traffic calming.
ROY OLSON (BCE 1953, MS 1955)
passed away August 29, 2024. Olson
taught at the University of Illinois and the
University of Texas. He established
himself as one of the leading international
scholars on soil behavior. He was honored
with many awards, including the Huber
Research Prize, the Croes Medal, the
Norman Medal, the Terzaghi Lecture, and
the ASTM Hogentogler Award (twice). He
was elected to the National Academy of
Engineering in 2003.
The CSE Alumni Summer Social
presented a casual opportunity to meet
Dean Andrew Alleyne and socialize
with fellow CSE alumni and friends.
JOHN A SIEKMEIER, pictured left, (BCE
1989, MS Geo 1992) showed up with his
textbook to get the signature of his struc-
tural engineering idol, author, Emeritus
Professor, and National Academy of Engi-
neering member, Theodore Galambos.
Siekmeier retired this year after a long
career with MnDOT.
CSE alumni joined CEGE in May for the College of Science and Engineering’s
50-YEAR/GOLDEN MEDALLION SOCIETY REUNION, celebrating alumni who
graduated 50+ years ago. Daniel Murphy (BCE 1974) and Roy Vanderwerf (BCE
1974) volunteered on the Host Committee. Ray Hozalski shared an entertaining
presentation of his research “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly…The Story of
Microbes in your Drinking Water.” [composite photo]
16 CEGE | CSE.UMN.EDU/CEGE