Ethan Greene, M.S. 1999, atmospheric science

Meet Ethan Greene
Director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center

According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), during the 2003-2004 winter season 2106 avalanches were reported in Colorado, seven people were buried and three people were killed. Through his work at the CAIC, Ethan Greene, Colorado State atmospheric science alumnus (M.S. 1999) and current geosciences doctoral candidate, promotes safety.

He does this by reducing the impact of avalanches on recreation, industry and transportation in the State through a program of forecasting and education. As Director of the CAIC, Greene utilizes his technical background in atmospheric science and experience as a backcountry skier to generate mountain weather and avalanche forecasts, supporting snow safety programs and backcountry recreation throughout the State of Colorado.

Greene was awarded the American Avalanche Association's Special Service Award for his publication entitled Snow, Weather, and Avalanches: Observational Guidelines for Avalanche Programs in the United States.

In addition to his full-time position as CAIC director, Greene is a full-time doctoral student, examining how heat moves through a simple layered snow structure and how its layered character affects the nature and number of the ice bonds. Through his Ph.D. research, avalanche research and recreational activities.

Greene has traveled the world. His Ph.D. project, a collaborative effort with the Swiss Federal Institute of Snow and Avalanche Research, has taken Greene to Davos, Switzerland. As an extreme kayaker, he has explored many of the world's major rivers, from British Columbia to Nepal and parts of South America. He also has traveled to Vienna as a member of a working group charged with revising snow cover classification.

Jim McMillan, B.S. 1982, chemical engineering

Meet Jim McMillan
Senior engineer and group manager, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

When Jim McMillan (B.S. 1982) entered Colorado State’s chemical engineering program, the energy crisis in the 70s was just ending and U.S. leaders were interested in finding more sustainable transportation and energy solutions. Federal agencies and universities were just starting to explore new energy alternatives, and as an environmentally aware undergraduate, McMillan was eager to help develop these solutions.

A research assistantship at the Engineering Research Center gave him this opportunity and fostered a burgeoning interest in applying biochemical engineering to convert renewable plant-based materials into fuels and chemicals.

Today, as a senior engineer and group manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), McMillan is taking his interest in alternative energy and sustainable technology development to the next level. He leads and participates in a variety of bioprocess R&D projects to advance the production of fuels and chemicals from abundant, inexpensive lignocellulosic (fibrous) biomass materials such as agricultural and forestry residues and cellulosic industrial wastes.

During his years at NREL, Jim has investigated most aspects of biologically-mediated biomass conversion, including pretreatment, hydrolyzate conditioning, pentose and mixed sugar fermentation, cellulose enzyme production, simultaneous and separate enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation, and integrated processing. Through his work, he is helping to develop the tools, knowledge base and processing strategies that will enable lignocellulose-based biorefineries to become a commercial reality in the coming decades.

James "Ox" van Hoften, M.S. 1968, Ph.D. 1976, civil engineering

Meet James "Ox" van Hoften
Senior vice president and partner, Bechtel Corporation

Dr. James "Ox" van Hoften (M.S. 1968, Ph.D. 1976) has many firsts to his credit. As a NASA astronaut, he was the first civil engineer to fly on a space shuttle, and as a mission specialist he performed the first repair-on-orbit of a satellite, as well as the first manual grapple and deployment of a satellite in orbit.

STS-41C, his first mission in 1984, included two Extravehicular Activities (EVAs or Spacewalks) by astronauts van Hoften and Nelson, who retrieved the Solar Maximum satellite, repaired it onboard the Challenger, and replaced it in orbit.

To accomplish their tasks, the astronauts flight-tested the manned maneuvering units while attached to the Remote Manipulator System (RMS). During the STS-51I Discovery mission in 1985, Dr. van Hoften was again involved in two EVAs and used the RMS to grapple and deploy a satellite.

Dr. van Hoften took an indirect route to NASA. After earning his master's degree in hydraulic engineering from Colorado State, he served as a pilot in the United States Navy, flying F-4 Phantoms from the Miramar Naval Air Station and participating in two cruises to Southeast Asia, including 66 combat missions in Vietnam.

He returned to Colorado State for his doctoral degree and then accepted a position as assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of Houston. While in Houston, Dr. van Hoften learn he had been selected as an astronaut candidate; he joined NASA's training program and has never looked back. He says his engineering education and love of flying and adventure made the choice easy.

Today, Dr. van Hoften is a senior vice president and partner at the Bechtel Corporation, a global engineering, construction and project management company. While at Bechtel he has managed the engineering and construction business for the defense and space markets, served as project manager for the Hong Kong International Airport, and is currently managing director of Bechtel's aviation business located in London.

Dr. Leigh Neumayer, B.S. 1981, engineering science

Meet Dr. Leigh Neumayer
Professor of surgery at the University of Utah

Utilizing problem-solving skills rooted in her educational background, Dr. Leigh Neumayer (B.S. 1981) is making a positive impact on the lives of patients, medical students, and residents as professor of surgery at the University of Utah.

With an interest in math and physics and a mechanically inclined mind, Dr. Neumayer knew that engineering science was a good path for her and would provide an excellent background for the medical profession.

After leaving CSU, Dr. Neumayer earned her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and a master's degree in clinical research design and statistical analysis from the University of Michigan. Today, Dr. Neumayer serves on a multidisciplinary team treating breast cancer at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and is a specialist in surgery of the thyroid and parathyroid glands.

She holds adjunct appointments in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as family and preventive medicine, and is principal and co-investigator on a number of research projects in the medical field. In addition to improving the care that surgical patients receive, Dr. Neumayer works to bring more women into the surgical field. As principal author of a University of Utah study on the perceptions of women medical students and their influence on career choice, Dr. Neumayer found that women's choice of surgery as a career was strongly associated with a higher proportion of women on the surgical faculty.

Today, just over 20 percent of residents in surgery are women in comparison to approximately 50 percent in medical school classes. Dr. Neumayer has continued to support women in the surgical field by letting them do more in the operating room, and by showing them that being a mom and a surgeon are not mutually exclusive.

Ron Gilbert, B.S. 1978, M.S. 1980, electrical engineering

Meet Ron Gilbert
Chief technology officer, Integral RFID

With "noses" 1000 times more sensitive than that of a dog, honeybees have been RFID tagged and trained to seek out landmines as part of a Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) project. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), an automatic identification system incorporated into products, animals and almost every item on the planet, has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry, quickly replacing bar codes in conglomerates such as WalMart and the Department of Defense.

Helping the technology develop and flourish over the years, Ron Gilbert, CSU electrical engineering alumnus (B.S. 1978, M.S. 1980) and chief technology officer at Integral RFID, brings years of experience to the small RFID consulting and innovations company. Integral RFID specializes in custom niche applications. Gilbert has used RFID tags to monitor everything from honeybees to railroad cars.

Currently, Gilbert is gearing up for a polar bear project funded by universities and the USGS in Alaska. In March 2006, Gilbert was responsible for the identification of tagged animals via planes, a project scheduled to be filmed and documented by both National Geographic and the BBC.

Judy Dorsey, M.S. 1992, mechanical engineering

Meet Judy Dorsey

Founder, The Brendle Group

"Life is not about 'either or', it's about 'and-both.'" Judy Dorsey, CSU alumna (M.S. 1992) and founder of The Brendle Group, epitomizes this ardent attitude in all aspects of her life, according to Julie Sieving, Brendle Group senior engineer.

After graduating from Colorado State University, Dorsey formed The Brendle Group, an engineering consulting firm specializing in energy efficiency, pollution prevention, water conservation and sustainable design, in memory of her mother, Eileen Brendle Dorsey. Through her entrepreneurial success, Dorsey daily exemplifies her philosophy by helping companies both augment profits and adopt sustainable business practices. As a recipient of the Northern Business Report's Forty under 40 award, recognizing emerging leaders in Northern Colorado, and as an involved mother of two, Dorsey has maintained a flourishing business and a successful family.

Located in Fort Collins, The Brendle Group and its staff of engineers have conducted over 100 energy efficiency and pollution prevention assessments. Some of their projects include work with various Colorado school districts, the State of Colorado Capital Complex facilities, and the Northeast Metro Pollution Prevention Alliance which is focused on installing and measuring energy-efficient projects in small businesses.

The Brendle Group earned the 2005 Governor's Pollution Prevention Award for the company's sustainable management system, and is the first Colorado company to be climate neutral, with a goal of being "zero waste" by 2010.