The College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth recently inducted five new members at its third annual Academy of Science and Engineering ceremony.
The Academy of Science and Engineering was established in 2002 to give public recognition to distinguished alumni and special friends of the College of Science and Engineering, who have brought distinction to themselves through their participation, commitment, and leadership in their chosen profession.
Dr. Rolf Peterson, Michigan Technological University
Houghton MI 49931
Dr. Rolf Peterson - 1970 Biology
Dr. Rolf Peterson is a professor at Michigan Technological University,
in Houghton, Michigan. Peterson was a 1970 summa cum laude graduate
of UMD and won the 1970 Outstanding Senior Award in Biology. Since
then he has done pioneering work on the relationship between wolves
and moose on Isle Royale. His work on wolf-moose ecology is a classic
study in ecology and is reported widely in textbooks.
Dr. Paul Helquist, University of Notre Dame,
Granger, IN 46530
Dr. Paul M. Helquist - 1969 Chemistry
Professor Helquist received his B.A. degree in chemistry in 1969 from
UMD. He earned his Ph.D. degree in 1972 in organic chemistry from Cornell
University and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University from
1772-74. He joined the faculty at the State University of New York
at Stony Brook in 1974, becoming professor in 1984. Helquist then moved
to the University of Notre Dame where he served as department chair
from 1988-1993. Professor Helquist has served as Chair of the Chemistry
Board of Examiners for the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) and,
since 1980, with the Education Division of The American Chemical Society
(ACS). He also continues to serve as the Director of the National Science
Foundation (NSF) Workshop on Organic Chemistry for College Teachers.
Professor Helquist was the recipient of the American Chemical Society's Exceptional Achievement Award, the University of Notre Dame Shilts-Leonard and Kaneb Teaching Award and the Walther Cancer Institute Collaborator of the Year Award.
Professor Helquist has conducted research and published in several areas. These include the development of new transition metal reagents and catalysts for selective synthetic reactions, the generation of new methods in asymmetric synthesis and the synthesis of new pharmaceuticals, including antibacterial and anti-tumor agents. In the area of cancer research, he is Head of the Drug Design, Synthesis and Delivery Group of the Walther Cancer Research Center at Notre Dame.
Dr. Odin Christensen, Newmont Mining
Manco, CO 81328
Dr. Odin Christensen - 1970 Geology
Odin Christensen is currently Chief Geologist for Newmont Mining Corporation,
based in Denver Colorado. Dr. Christensen received a BA in geology
from the University of Minnesota, Duluth (1970), and a PhD in geology
from Stanford. Before joining Newmont, Christensen spent three years
as Assistant Professor at the University of North Dakota and three
years as Research Geochemist at the Earth Science Laboratory, University
of Utah Research Institute. As Chief Geologist, Odin is responsible
for geological aspects of Newmont's exploration and mining projects
worldwide.
Dr. Sylvan Burgstahler,
UMD Professor Emeritus
Duluth, MN 55812
Professor Emeritus Sylvan Burgstahler
Professor Emeritus Sylvan Burgstahler retired in 1994 from the UMD Department
of Mathematics and Statistics in Duluth, Minnesota. His nomination
is based on the significant leadership he displayed while a faculty
member, his contributions to the profession, and his continued participation
in campus activities.
Mr. Eric Swildens, Speedera, Inc.
Mountain View, CA 94041
Mr. Eric Swildens - 1990 Computer Science
Eric Swildens received his BS degree in Computer Science in 1990 from
the University of Minnesota Duluth after transferring from the University
of Minnesota. He currently serves as Chief Technical Officer and Founder
of Speedera Inc., in Santa Clara, California. Eric Swildens has become
well known in Silicon Valley as a high-tech entrepreneur in software
programming and as a specialist in user-interface design. Together
with co-founders Ajit Gupta and Richard Day, he is the co-author of
two Speedera patents for its technology that merges content delivery
and global traffic management. Before co-founding Speedera, he was
an Engineering Manager at Resonate. Previously, Mr. Swildens was the
founder and CEO of Microline Software, a software company with products
that included Java development tools. He led his start up company through
a successful acquisition as Microline was sold in 1997 to Blaze Software.
He also worked as a director, manager, and engineer in various companies
around the world.
Choose appearance:
[ Desktop
| Mobile friendly ]