CEGE NEWS Fall 2023 - Alumni

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Two CEGE alumni are currently serving on the Alumni Society Board for the College of Science and Engineering: CAMILLA KUO-DAHAB (BCE 2012) and JOHN SIEKMEIER (BCE 1989, GeoE MS 1992).

RYAN CAPELLE (BCE 1997, MS Infrastructure Systems Engineering 2002), a project manager with Stantec, is the lead engineer on construction of the new Cold Spring Water Treatment Plant, Minnesota’s first biological nitrate reduction plant. His work was featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune July 31.

MICHAEL HEUER (BCE, 1978) was honored by Braun Intertec for reaching 45 years at the company. Heuer previously served on the CEGE Advisory Board and is the benefactor to the Michael M. and Nancy L. Heuer Soil Mechanics Laboratory and the Heuer Soil Mechanics Laboratory Operations Fund. Check out Braun’s LinkedIn page for a video.

DWANE ROLLAG (BCE 1959) died March 11, 2023, at the age of 92, in Surprise, Arizona. He worked three years as a Professional Engineer, and then completed his Master's (SDSU) and Ph.D. (Purdue). He was a professor at South Dakota State University from 1975 until his retirement in 1999. He specialized in water treatment and management.

ALI TAROKH, JACOB SHARPE (now at Barr Engineering), and JOSEPH LABUZ received the Giovanni Barla Best Paper Award 2022 for their paper “Confined Tensile Testing of Porous Sandstone,” which was published in Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (vol. 55, issue 11). Joseph Labuz (far left) pictured with former students: Feitao Zeng (visiting Ph.D. student), Ali Tarokh (Ph.D. student), Jacob Sharpe (MS student), and Jianwen Peng (visiting Ph.D. student).

BRET WEISS, PE (BCE 1987), was featured in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as one of the Most Admired CEOs. Weiss is CEO of WSB, based in Golden Valley with over 700 employees and around $120 million in annual revenue. “One of the most significant shifts in Weiss’ leadership approach over time has been moving from a follower in the industry to being a leader in it. Weiss pointed to technology as a prime example. In 2021, while working on a project to convert a stretch of Highway 169 in Elk River into a freeway, WSB was the first firm to deliver fully paperless plans to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. “Nobody else was doing it and nobody was really asking for it,” Weiss said. Now there is a big push through departments of transportation to adopt the type of software modeling WSB used, Weiss said. “It gives us a head start to lead the industry.” Weiss serves on the Governor’s Advisory Council for Connected and Automated Vehicles, where he aims to ensure that Minnesota businesses are at the forefront of any industry developments, from pavement markings to sensor technology” (by Rachel Keranen published Sep 20, 2023).

DINO XYKIS (BCE 1981, MSCE 1983, Ph.D. 1988) was named permanent Chief Executive Officer at Power Solutions International, Inc., a leader in the design, engineering and manufacture of emission certified engines and power systems, effective April 24, 2023. Xykis served as the Interim Chief Executive Officer since June 2022. He will retain the role of Chief Technical Officer, which he has held since 2021.

Photo of current and former Gophers at the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors Research and Education Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, in June 2023.