Alumni Profiles
Erna L. Grasz (B.S.E.E. ’85) and her husband Mark Newton (M.S.E.E. ’79)
Grasz and Newton went to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro last year and in the process, their hearts were touched by the desperate need for the most basic health and education for the neighboring children and their families. During their visit to Africa, they met a local woman who was personally funding several schools in a village near the national safari parks. Erna and Mark felt compelled to investigate options to assist these efforts, and soon the Asante Africa Foundation, Inc. was born. The foundation works directly with local African communities to fund projects such as building infrastructure as well as aiding teachers by providing necessary supplies and sponsorship. One hundred percent of all donations go directly to the children, schools, and villages of Tanzania and Kenya. For more details about the projects and progress, visit the Web site, http://www.asanteafrica.org, for more details. You can also email at info@asanteafrica.org, or telephone Erna and Mark at 925.292.0245.
Jerry Drew (B.S.E.T. ’82)
Drew was awarded the 2006 Frost & Sullivan Entrepreneurial Company of the Year in the North American thermostat market, on behalf of XCI Corporation where he is president. XCI was cited for its ability to "combine its enterprising attributes with sound business strategies and decisive action to achieve success."
Dr. M. Pilar Pazos (M.S.E.M. ’01, Ph.D. ’05)
Pazos was a finalist and received honorable mention in the Best Dissertation contest held by the American Society for Engineering Management at their October 2006 meeting in Huntsville, Alabama. The title of her dissertation is, "Effects of Repeated Use of a Group Support System on Performance Patterns." Dr. Pazos is currently a researcher at the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University in Chicago.
Rhyne Rundell (B.S.I.E. ’99, M.S.I.E. ’00)
Rundell
was working recently on behalf of Raytheon in Antarctica when he had the opportunity to bring a little Raider Pride to Mt. Erebus, the most active volcano in Antarctica.