Two CEAT grads among nation's top young researchers

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

The Presidential Early Career Award is the U.S. government’s highest honor for America’s top up-and-coming scientists and engineers. 

Of the 56 engineers and scientists President George W. Bush honored this year, two were OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology alumni.

In addition to Jim Smay, Randy Bartels, an OSU electrical engineering graduate and now an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Colorado State University, received a PECASE Award during a White House ceremony in July. Like Smay, Bartels hails from Oklahoma, and he was the only PECASE recipient at a university in his state.

“We don’t know where all the recipients got their degrees, but it’s safe to say that there probably aren’t many other schools that had multiple alumni win PECASE Awards this year,” said Karl Reid, dean of OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. “To have two of our graduates be among a total of 56 scientists and engineers recognized this year by the federal government as the nation’s top young researchers is a major achievement and tremendous source of pride for our entire college.”

A native of Clarita, Oklahoma, Bartels completed his bachelor’s degree at OSU in 1997. However, his ties to OSU and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering remain strong for personal reasons. His wife, Malini, is a 1998 graduate of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the daughter of Rama and Gokula Ramakumar of Stillwater. Rama Ramakumar is PSO/Albrecht Naeter Professor of electrical engineering and a 39-year member of the OSU faculty.