Incoming Provost Katehi, Engineering Interim Dean Adesida, three ECE alumni elected to National Academy of Engineering

Urbana , IL—The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) today announced that incoming University of Illinois Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Linda P.B. Katehi and College of Engineering Interim Dean Ilesanmi Adesida have been elected to membership. Illinois Alumni Admiral Archie R. Clemins, Daniel W. Dobberpuhl, and Dusan Zrnic were also honored. NAE Membership is considered one of the highest engineering distinctions attainable.

A native of Greece, Katehi earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and electrical engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in 1977. She earned both a master’s and doctoral degree in electrical engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Katehi, who will officially begin her duties as provost on April 1, has held numerous academic positions including professor of electrical engineering and associate dean in the College of Engineering, both at the University of Michigan. In January 2002, she became the dean of engineering at Purdue University.

Katehi is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions including a Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and a Humboldt Research Award. She was named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in 1995 and received the Distinguished Educator Award from the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society in 2002.

Adesida, a Donald Biggar Willett professor of engineering, has served as interim dean of the College of Engineering since June, 2005, and has been a faculty member in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Illinois since 1987. During his tenure at Illinois Adesida has held numerous administrative positions including director of the Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, director of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, and associate director for Education, NSF Engineering Research Center for Compound Semiconductor Microelectronics. A native of Nigeria, Adesida also served as electrical engineering department head at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Nigeria from 1985 to 1987.

Adesida earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, culminating with a PhD in 1979. He serves as president of the IEEE Electron Device Society and is a fellow of the IEEE, the Optical Society of America (OSA), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). At Illinois, Adesida has received the Oakley-Kunde Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education and has been appointed a University Scholar and an associate member of the Center for Advanced Study.

Illinois native Admiral Archie R. Clemins earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Illinois. Clemins served as commander of the United States Pacific Fleet from 1996 to 1999 and commander of the Seventh Fleet from 1994 to 1996. Clemins is credited with bringing Naval operations into the electronic age. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, 1998 Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Sarnoff Award, Navy Commendation Medal with one gold star, and Legion of Merit award with six gold stars.

Daniel W. Dobberpuhl, another Illinois native, earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Illinois in 1967. He is the CEO and co-founder of P.A. Semi, Inc., a semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, CA. Dobberpuhl is an IEEE Senior Member and a Digital Equipment Corporation Senior fellow. He is also recipient of the ECE Distinguished Alumni Award and the 2003 IEEE Solid State Circuits Technical Field Award for Pioneering Design of High-speed and Low-power Microprocessors.

Dusan Zrnic earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Belgrade in his native Yugoslavia prior to coming to Illinois, where he completed his master’s degree in 1966 and his PhD in 1969, both in electrical engineering. Zrnic is the leader of the Radar and Remote Sensing Research group at the National Severe Storms Laboratory. He played an instrumental role in the design of the national Doppler Weather Radio system. Zrnic is an IEE Fellow and his awards include the Presidential Rank Award, IEEE Donald G. Fink Prize Award, IEEE Harry Diamond Award, and WMO Vaisala Award.