2004 Recipients
James L. Bartlett Jr. '39
Jim Bartlett, you are aptly described as an engineer-entrepreneur, who has spent the last six and a half decades merging your technical expertise with a keen sense of business acumen. The results have been pioneering developments in a wide range of technical fields, the founding of six businesses, and a remarkable career that has garnered the admiration and pride of your alma mater.
After receiving your degree in mechanical engineering from WPI in 1939, you joined the B.F. Sturtevant Co. as a research engineer and eventually became assistant director of research. After the company was sold to Westinghouse Corp., you were a product engineer at Trane Co., where you designed fans and blowers for heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems.
In 1951 you joined AiResearch Manufacturing Co., rising through the ranks to become chief engineer of the Rex Division. At AiResearch, you honed your skills as a designer, developing components for small gas turbine engines, environmental systems for the Boeing 707, and an advanced air-breathing engine that burned liquid hydrogen.
You left AiResearch in 1958 to help found Cosmodyne Corp., which became one of the nation's largest manufacturers of equipment for storing, transporting and handling liquefied gases. A decade later, you sold your interest in the company and joined Cordon International as a senior vice president and director. Your career took a brief detour in 1970 when you retired to become a rancher in the Santa Ynez Valley of California. But two years later, you decided to return to the business world as president and owner of Hydranautics, a manufacturer of equipment for offshore drilling rigs and shipyards. Under your direction, the company also entered the field of reverse osmosis desalination. Over the next 10 years, it became a major supplier of that technology in the United States and the Middle East.
When Hydranautics became a subsidiary of Rohm and Haas in 1984, you established your own company, Bardex Corp., to continue your interest in making equipment for offshore platforms and heavy-load moving. A few years earlier you had been instrumental in reacquiring Cosmodyne and consolidating it with several other cryogenic companies. You later formed a new company to make semipermeable membranes for reverse osmosis ultrafiltration and nanofiltration.
Most recently you helped form another new company, Pacific Design Technology Inc., which designs and builds fluid circulation cooling systems for military and space applications. One of their recent projects was supplying the integrated pump assembly part of the electronic fluid cooling system on the Mars Exploration Rover program.
With your lifelong interest in religion and social welfare, you have served as an elder and clerk of the session of the First Presbyterian Church and as chairman of the Rehabilitation Institute Foundation, both in your home town of Santa Barbara, Calif. At WPI, you and your wife, Shirley, have generously supported students through an endowed scholarship with preference for American students of Hispanic descent, and through support of the Campus Center and a soon-to-be-built admissions and financial aid center.
Jim Bartlett, for your remarkable accomplishments as an engineer-entrepreneur, and for your lifelong concern for the welfare of others, it is an honor to present you with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
John H. Williams '49
Jack Williams, following World War II and your service in the U.S. Air Corps in the European Theatre, you retuned to America and earned your bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at WPI in 1949. Upon graduation you went to work for Acme Wire Company in your native city of New Haven, Conn.
After 10 years at Acme Wire, using your expertise acquired at WPI, you became president of Magnetic Coils Inc., a company located in Babylon, on Long Island. MCI became a leader in the production of transformers, known for quality products and on-time delivery. With its control transformers, high-voltage transformers, solenoid and relay coils, and custom-printed circuit transformers, MCI set the standard for others in the industry.
Expanding sales led to the establishment of regional operations opening in New England and California, and today MCI remains a strong company, recognized for its products and service. Your retirement in 1994 has given you a chance to step back from day-to-day operations of the company – now in the good hands of your sons, John and Timothy – and enjoy winters in Florida.
Jack Williams, it is a pleasure and an honor to present you with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
Joseph D. Bronzino '59
Joe Bronzino, your exemplary career in biomedical engineering education sets an illustrious example and is an inspiration to educators in your field.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., you received your bachelor's degree in 1959. You went on to complete your master's at the Naval Postgraduate School and your doctorate in electrical engineering in 1969. You are presently the Vernon D. Roosa Professor of Applied Science, an endowed chair at Trinity College.
You currently serve as president of the Biomedical Engineering Alliance and Consortium (BEACON), a collaborative effort between numerous academic and medical institutions and corporations in the greater Hartford area dedicated to the development of new medical technology. This collaboration is an opportunity for the continued enrichment of bioscience and biomedical engineering, creating an environment for the creation of jobs in the Northeast.
You are the author of more than 200 articles and nine books, including Medical Technology and Society: An Interdisciplinary Perspective, Management of Medical Technology, The Biomedical Engineering Handbook and Introduction to Biomedical Engineering.
A fellow of the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, you are also an honorary member of the Italian Society of Experimental Biology, past chairman of the Biomedical Engineering Division of the American Society for Engineering Education. You are a charter member and current vice president of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, a charter member of the American College of Clinical Engineering, and member of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. Your prior record of leadership includes past president of the IEEE-Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, past chairman of the IEEE Health Care Engineering Policy Committee, and past chairman of the IEEE Technical Policy Council in Washington, D.C. You are now editor-in-chief of the Academic Press BME book series and Biomedical Engineering Directory. Your activities include a lengthy record of service to local nonprofit institutions in Connecticut.
You are a member and former president of Skull, and a member of Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi and Eta Kappa Nu honor societies. You received the IEEE Millennium Medal for your "contributions to biomedical engineering research and education." As an undergraduate, you played both football and baseball and, as an alumnus, you served on the steering committee on the role of athletics at WPI in 1974-75.
Joe Bronzino, it is an honor to present you with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
Aram Mooradian '59
Aram Mooradian, your alma mater honors you this day, not only for your extraordinary accomplishments, but as a living example of the attributes that WPI hopes to foster in all its students – demonstrated scientific curiosity, deepening intellect, and a passion for discovering ways in which society might be improved – qualities that over a lifetime hold the promise to change our world for the better.
Your journey has taken you on a path of discovery as a worldwide expert in the field of laser technology. After you graduated from WPI in 1959, you pursued your Ph.D. in physics and mathematics at Purdue, graduating with high distinction from both institutions. Soon afterward you joined the prestigious MIT Lincoln Laboratories, where in 1971 you rose to the post of leader of the Quantum Electronics Group, a position you held for over 20 years and one in which you distinguished yourself as a world leader in this emerging field.
By the time you left Lincoln Labs you had already published more than 90 articles, presented over 100 talks in your field at international meetings, and conducted over 150 seminars at universities and research institutes in more than 25 countries. As an expert in laser technology you hold memberships as a fellow in both the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America. You have received numerous prestigious awards, provided editorial services to the most esteemed professional journals, and served as advisor to corporations, NASA, NATO and the U.S. Department of Defense. You hold more than 40 patents.
In the early 1990s your mission took a turn toward commercialization as you formed Micracor, a phototonics company where you served variously as chairman of the board, executive vice president and chief technology officer. This East Coast business venture was followed by the launching on the West Coast in 1998 of your new company, Novalux, which introduced the concept of high-power semiconductor-based laser technology. Today, as CTO of Novalux, you continue to evaluate and consider next-generation laser solutions for a variety of applications on the cutting edge of innovation.
Aram Mooradian, the name of your company, Novalux, means "New Light" in Latin. Your splendid achievements have indeed brought and continue to shed new light and greater understanding of the value and uses of laser technology in so many areas of the world. For your many continuing innovative and farsighted accomplishments, WPI is proud to present you with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
James S. Tyler '59
Jim Tyler, able engineer, visionary and businessman, you embody the concept of an entrepreneurial technologist. You have demonstrated an ability to identify a niche technology and align that technology with the marketplace. Your career has brought you great success and satisfaction. Along the way, you have emerged as a role model for our students and graduates and, through your successes, you have added significantly to WPI's national reputation.
Your entrepreneurial career might be said to have begun when you accepted a risk and transferred from the United States Coast Guard Academy to WPI, earning your bachelor of science degree at WPI in electrical engineering in 1959. That set the stage for you to go on to Yale University, where you earned both your master's and Ph.D.
Following your formal education you moved west to Silicon Valley, where your entrepreneurial instincts emerged as you became involved with a number of different companies over the years. Your career began at Ford Aerospace; you became a partner in Corporate Technology in 1985; and, in a fortuitous move, you joined Optivision Inc. of Palo Alto in 1988, a company that manufactures video and data compression systems specializing in photonics research. In 1989 you were named president of the company and in 1998 you retired as president, shortly after spinning off the company's optical networking technology to Optical Networks Inc.
You have been an involved alumnus and have shared your thrill of entrepreneurial ventures as, in 2000, when you helped WPI initiate the Silicon Valley Project Center, today one of WPI's most successful centers, affording students annually the opportunity to experience firsthand the excitement of Silicon Valley's entrepreneurial culture.
Jim Tyler, distinguished alumnus, successful entrepreneur and world-class sailor, WPI salutes you today with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
Gary Goshgarian '64
Gary Goshgarian, your creative talent in the field of science fiction literature has made you a great source of pride for Worcester Polytechnic Institute and we are pleased to recognize you for these accomplishments.
You first put your writing skills to use while an undergraduate at WPI, where you were an editor of Tech News and the Peddler and where you started an offbeat humor magazine called Absolute Zero. During that time you developed a keen interest in science fiction literature and formed a friendship with an English professor on campus, the late Jim Hensel, which furthered your interest in writing. After graduating from WPI in 1964 with a degree in physics, you earned a master's degree and doctorate in English before joining the English faculty at Northeastern.
A dangerous scuba diving trip off the coast of Mallorca provided the impetus to write your first novel, Atlantis Fire, in 1980. Since then you have turned your talents toward writing five biotech thrillers using the pen name Gary Braver. Rough Beast, The Stone Circle, Elixir, Gray Matter and your most recent novel, Flashback, cover such topics such as genetic engineering, eternal youth and a miracle cure for Alzheimer's diseease. You have paid tribute to WPI in several of your novels. Two Elixir characters are named after WPI people – Jim Hensel and former WPI President Harry P. Storke – who influenced you greatly while you were on campus. In Gray Matter you refer to WPI as an "A list-institution" that a superior student would want to attend.
You are also the editor of three college writing textbooks and of Horrorscape, an anthology of modern horror stories including those of Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe. Mystery writer Robert B. Parker says, "Michael Crichton and Richard Preston have everything to fear from Gary Braver. He is the thriller writer for the new millennium."
Gary Goshgarian, for your creative talents and innovative work in the field of science fiction, we are honored to present you with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
Richard M. Gross '69
Rich Gross, it is with sincere pleasure that WPI recognizes your considerable professional achievements. A lifelong employee of Dow Chemical Company, you have led the company and the field. Your rich experience in research and development, coupled with your business acumen, has set an example for your industry. Most specifically, you have met and continue to work toward the challenge you spelled out for the chemical industry in your 1999 editorial in Chemical & Engineering News, "The critical task for future business success in the chemical industry [is] transforming new knowledge from chemical R&D into solutions for the marketplace."
Your abilities were recognized by your would-be employer long before you were available for hire. In the summer of 1968 you were one of 184 college students and faculty members in the nation chosen to work in the Summer College Program of Dow Chemical. You graduated from WPI with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and went on to receive both your master's and Ph.D. from the University of Utah.
In 1974 you rejoined Dow, working in the hydrocarbons and energy R&D area. Five years later you transferred to the Louisiana Division, and spent several years in coal gasification research. After returning to Midland in 1985, you held increasingly responsible R&D management positions before being named R&D director for North America Chemicals and Metals/Hydrocarbons in 1992. Your success continued: in 1995 you were vice president and director of Global Core Technologies Research and Development; in 1997, you became vice president and director of Michigan Operations and global vice president of Core Technologies Research & Development, and in 1998 you were named to your current position of corporate vice president and director of research and development.
Dow has rewarded your leadership abilities. In 1996 you received the Dow Genesis Award for Excellence in People Development, which recognizes those who excel at motivating co-workers, acting as role models, and creating environments where staff members take more responsibility.
Your professional experience transcends your work at Dow into the larger community of chemistry. You served as chair of the Council for Chemical Research Governing Board and as a member of the Chemical & Engineering News Advisory Board. Your state has called you to serve on the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor Board. Your nation has named you to such positions as the National Institute of Standards & Technology Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology and the Advisory Board of the National Science Resources Center. In 2001 you kicked off the 50th anniversary celebration of the National Science Foundation, representing anniversary sponsor Dow Chemical.
Institutions in addition to Dow have enlisted you. You currently serve as member of the Michigan Molecular Institute Board; the Advisory Board for the College of Chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley; the Engineering National Advisory Council for the University of Utah; the College of Engineering National Advisory Committee for the University of Michigan; and, of most importance to your alma mater, on the Chemical Engineering Advisory Board at WPI.
Rich Gross, we salute your success and are grateful for the recognition your leadership role in the chemical industry brings to WPI. It is an honor to present you with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
Homoud Al-Rqobah '74
Homoud Al-Rqobah, Worcester Polytechnic Institute takes great pride in your 25-year career as an administrator of the civil infrastructure of the nation of Kuwait and your role as an academic leader in the field of chemical engineering.
Upon completion of your chemical engineering degree in 1974, you became a research engineer with the Kuwait Ministry of Electricity and Water. You continued your studies, receiving your master of science in chemical engineering from WPI in 1977.
In England you obtained your doctoral degree from the University of Salford, then returned to Kuwait to begin an academic career at Kuwait University in 1981. In 1984 you were named dean of the College of Engineering and Petroleum, a position you held until 1986, when you were appointed director general of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. You also served as chief editor for Engineering Education Journal, issued by the Arab Engineering Union.
Parallel to this illustrious academic career, you followed a path of public service to the nation of Kuwait. From 1989 through 1991, you served as minister of electricity and water, and from 1991 to 1992 you were minister of oil and chairman of the board of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. You were a member of the National Assembly from 1996 to 1999, and minister of public works and minister of electricity and water during that same time period.
Presently, you serve as chairman of the board and managing director of Abyar Engineering General Trading and Contracting Company, and as head of the Establishment Committee of Kuwait Electricity Company. In addition, you are vice president of HEMOCO Selayar International.
Homoud Al-Rqobah, your extensive membership on numerous Kuwaiti and international boards and councils is to be commended and is evidence of your dedication to your country and to science. Your wife and sons must be immensely proud – and your students, colleagues and fellow citizens greatly appreciative – of your accomplishments and dedication. It is an honor to present you with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
Jonathan R. Barnett '74
Jonathan Barnett, on the morning of September 11, 2001, the world watched in disbelief as skyscrapers crumbled into dust. Within days you were summoned to Ground Zero to search for answers in the rubble of the World Trade Center. A grieving nation wanted to know: Why did the Twin Towers fall?
You were selected for this important mission because of your extensive knowledge of fire and steel. Your credentials include three WPI degrees and a wealth of experience in fire safety engineering and building performance analysis. Your decades at WPI – as a student and a professor – made you uniquely qualified to ascertain what happened inside those buildings on that fateful day.
And yet, this was all in a day's work for you. As one of the first faculty members inf WPI's Fire Protection Engineering Program and the assistant director in the early days of the Center for Firesafety Studies, you have devoted your life to designing a safer world. You were elected a fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and have served as president of the New England Chapter. Your research appears in publications and presentations throughout the world. Fire departments and companies from Canada to New Zealand have benefited from your advice. You helped establish WPI's Melbourne Project Center in Australia, where you now serve as co-director.
From fires aboard luxury ocean liners to infernos in nightclubs, you stand ready to help the public understand what went wrong and what safeguards are available. When tragedy strikes, the news media and government now look to WPI for authoritative explanations. As just one example, in 2002 you were called to advise the United States Congress on the findings of the World Trade Center Building Performance Study.
In a time of national crisis, you rose to the scientific challenges of the 21st century, bringing honor to your profession and your alma mater. You have distinguished yourself as a spokesperson for building performance codes and as an educator of tomorrow's fire prevention engineers. No one can estimate how many lives have been spared and will be spared by your actions.
Jonathan Barnett, it is with exceptional pride that we bestow upon you the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement.
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