UA Honors Five Distinguished Engineering Fellows

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama College of Engineering honored five alumni by inducting them into its 2015 class of Distinguished Engineering Fellows.

Each year, the College of Engineering inducts a select group of alumni and friends as Distinguished Engineering Fellows. Recognition as a Distinguished Fellow is the highest commendation given to graduates and others who have strengthened the reputation of the College of Engineering through their efforts.

Since the recognition’s inception more than 25 years ago, fewer than 400 individuals have been recognized as Distinguished Engineering Fellows.

The 2015 class includes Felicia Riggs Cook, of Huntsville; Lars D. Ericsson, of Huntsville; Dr. Huban A. Gowadia, of Arlington, Virginia; Donald J. Kaderbek Jr., of Stone Mountain, Georgia; and Sheila S. Sharp, of Huntsville.

The inductees were honored April 11 at a ceremony at the Embassy Suites in downtown Tuscaloosa. For complete biographies of this year’s Distinguished Engineering Fellows, visit eng.ua.edu/awards.

Felicia Riggs Cook
Executive Vice President, Venturi Inc.

In a career spent in support of our nation’s soldiers, Felicia R. Cook developed and implemented innovative solutions to challenging problems, along the way strengthening national defense. She graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from the University in 1985, and she began her career as a civilian engineer for the United States Army. In her time with the Army’s Missile Research Development and Engineering Center in Huntsville, Cook oversaw missiles from the concept development phase to the sustainment phase, seeing missiles she helped develop have success on the battlefield. In 2013, she retired as deputy program manager of Cruise Missile Defense Systems for the Army’s Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space, and she has worked as executive vice president for Venturi Inc.

Lars D. Ericsson
Chief, Technical Management Division for the Army’s Project Manager for Unmanned Aircraft Systems

With technical knowledge and engineering ability, Lars Ericsson has played a critical role in developing the United States’ drone capabilities, helping soldiers on the battlefield, contributing to our nation’s intelligence gathering and strengthening national defense. He graduated from the Capstone in 1986 with a degree in aerospace engineering, and he began working on unmanned flight defense projects. He would later lead a team that developed the first unmanned vehicle to pass a formal operational test for the U.S. Department of Defense. He is a proven leader in aviation science, and he has successfully managed more than $150 million in defense investments. He is chief of the Technical Management Division for the Army’s Project Manager for Unmanned Aircraft Systems at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.

Huban Aspie Gowadia, Ph.D.
Director, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Dr. Huban A. Gowadia graduated with a degree in aerospace engineering from UA in 1993. She went on to graduate school at Pennsylvania State University, where she had the opportunity to apply her knowledge of aerodynamics and thermal sciences to the design of an explosives detection system. It began her career in aviation security. Working for the FAA on 9/11 strengthened her motivation to dedicate herself to homeland security. Her contributions led to her appointment by President Barack Obama to be director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office within the Department of Homeland Security in 2013. Her office has a singular focus to protect the country from the threat of nuclear terrorism.

Donald J. Kaderbek Jr.
Flight Test Manager, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.

A decorated fighter aviator, retired Lt. Col. Donald “Krash” Kaderbek Jr. spent more than 20 years serving our country with the United States Air Force, retiring in 2009 as commander for the 46th Operational Support Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. He got his bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech, and shortly after joined the U.S. Air Force. While on active duty, he completed his master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University in 1999. During his more than 20-years in the Air Force, Kaderbek accumulated more than 1,900 hours in 25 different types of aircraft, including enforcing international no-fly zones mandated by the United Nations and training U.S. and international forces for Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Since retirement, Kaderbek has held a number of positions within the aerospace industry, and he is a flight test manager with the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. in Savannah, Georgia.

Sheila S. Sharp
Integration and Test IPT Manager, Systems Engineering, Space Launch System, Boeing Co.

Sheila S. Sharp went from a NASA engineer trainee to leading a team responsible for critical components of the United States’ next generation of space vehicles. Since graduating with a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from The University of Alabama in 1996, Sharp has acquired broad technical domain experience and expertise in engineering management and chief engineer positions with the Boeing Co. After years working on projects such as the International Space Station and Missile Defense System, she began working on the rockets designed to launch Americans into the next phase of space exploration in 2009. Sharp is senior leader for Space Launch Systems Engineering, Integration and Test IPT. She leads an integrated team of about 250 members responsible for the requirements, design compliance, verification and design certification of the Space Launch System Core Stage.

Contact

Adam Jones, engineering public relations, 205/348-6444, acjones12@eng.ua.edu