Dr. Alison Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer of NAVSYS Corporation, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) on Thursday, February 6, 2020. Her election recognizes her contributions to research and development of precision navigation and timing technologies. She was one of only 20 women engineers in the United States selected this year to achieve this honor.
The announcement of the appointment of 87 new members in the U.S. and 18 international members was made by NAE President John Landerson. It brings the total U.S. membership to 2,309 and the number of international members to 281.
Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”
The election of new NAE members is the culmination of a yearlong process. The ballot is set in December and the final vote for membership occurs during January. The newly elected class will be formally inducted during a ceremony at the NAE’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., on October 4, 2020.
Brown was informed of the honor in a communications from Daniel Hastings who is Cecil and Ida Green Education Professor & Department Head of the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Cambridge, MA. “Alison, a big congrats and well deserved, “wrote Hastings. “We’ll see you in October [for the annual NAE meeting].”
Four other Colorado-based engineers were also elected:
Eleanor Allen: chief executive officer, Water for People, Englewood, Colorado. Allen was selected for her leadership and advocacy in making clean water and sanitation systems accessible to people around the world.
Susan J. Helms: principal and owner, Orbital Visions LLC, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Elected for accomplishments in civil and military space programs.
Russell D. Meller: vice president, research and development, Fortna Inc., Louisville, Colorado. for contributions to large-scale distribution center design and operation.
Francisco F. Roberto: technical specialist/manager for process technology and innovation, technical services/processing and metallurgy, Newmont, Englewood, Colorado. Roberto was elected for his work advancing bio-technical applications for environmentally responsible mine production.
