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February 09, 2012

President Cohon Elected to National Academy of Engineering

CohonCarnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) today (Feb. 9), one of the highest professional distinctions granted to an engineer. Cohon was elected for his contributions to environmental systems analysis and national policy and leadership in higher education.

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."

Cohon is an authority on environmental and water resource systems analysis, having worked on water resource problems in the United States, South America and Asia, and on energy facility siting, including nuclear waste shipping and storage. He is an author, co-author or editor of one book and more than 80 professional publications. 

In 2011, Cohon received the National Engineering Award from the American Association of Engineering Societies. The award recognized his "inspirational leadership and tireless devotion to the improvement of engineering education and to the advancement of the engineering profession." In 2009, he was named a distinguished member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Cohon, who joins 40 CMU faculty members in the NAE earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1969 and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973.

About the National Academy of Engineering:

Founded in 1964, the NAE is a private, independent, nonprofit institution that provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. Its mission is to advance the well-being of the nation by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and by marshalling the expertise and insights of eminent engineers to provide independent advice to the federal government on matters involving engineering and technology.

The NAE has more than 2,400 peer-elected members and foreign associates, senior professionals in business, academia, and government who are among the world's most accomplished engineers. They provide the leadership and expertise for numerous projects focused on the relationships between engineering, technology, and the quality of life.

Read more about the NAE at http://www.nae.edu/