CAEM Celebrates 2019 Homecoming With Centennial Awards

On Friday, Nov. 1, faculty members, staff and alumni of the University of Arizona Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Mechanics gathered at the Tucson Marriott University Park to honor esteemed graduates for their contributions to the department and to the field.

Seth Chalmers, who received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1982 and serves as Alumni Industry Council vice chair and young alumni committee chair, presented Young Alumni Awards to three recent graduates. These awards honor engineers under 40 who have achieved notable levels of success and supported CAEM and the community.

• Sam Credio, BS 2007, deputy director of transportation for the city of Tucson
• Jeff Hunt, BS 2008, principal civil engineer for Cypress Civil Development
• Nathan Palmer, BS/MS 2005, Phoenix engineering manager for Structural Grace Inc.

Travis McCarthy, who earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1998 and now serves as vice president and operations manager for Sundt Construction, presented the Distinguished Alumni Awards to four individuals. These awards recognize CAEM graduates for their personal contributions to engineering achievement, society, the industry and the department.

• Melvyn Green, BS 1960, owner of Melvyn Green and Associates Inc.
• Mike Nelson, BS 1974, retired in 2013 after nearly 40 years with ExxonMobil
• Michael Ortega, BS 1984 and MBA 1995, city manager for Tucson
• Kristina Swallow, BS 1994, director of the Nevada Department of Transportation

The luncheon also featured a talk by professor Tribikram Kundu on the use of ultrasonic waves for structural health monitoring.