2014 Academy of Distinguished Alumni Announced
The Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering has announced the 2014 honorees of its Academy of Distinguished Alumni.
As a way of recognizing the accomplishments and careers of our outstanding alumni, the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering established the Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2004. The Academy’s purpose is to recognize high-achieving mechanical engineers from among the UT Austin community and from the engineering community at large, to champion the mechanical engineering profession and to build a strong community and facilitate interactions among our students, faculty, alumni and corporate partners.
This year’s honorees include:
David Blackstock
Honorary Mechanical Engineer
BS, Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, 1952
MS, Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, 1953
Ph.D., Harvard University, 1960
Born in Austin in 1930, even in childhood David Blackstock knew he wanted to attend The University of Texas (at that time without the “at Austin” appendage). He attended Longhorn football games, first in the knothole section, and later as a Boy Scout usher, when Memorial Stadium’s seating capacity was 40,000. During high school, he lived in a house where today the current Mechanical Engineering building stands. He entered the university in 1948, and received BS and MS degrees in physics. Two years (1954-56) in the US Air Force, mostly at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, introduced him to a professional career in acoustics, and a lifetime with Marjorie Goodson Blackstock. After a Ph.D. in Applied Physics at Harvard in 1960, Blackstock spent nine years in Rochester, NY: three at General Dynamics/Electronics and six at the University of Rochester, where he was an associate professor in electrical engineering.
In 1969, he and his family, now with four children, came to Austin, where he spent a year as a visiting associate professor in electrical engineering at UT Austin. The family decided it liked Austin, and the temporary move became permanent. Blackstock became a faculty research scientist at UT’s Applied Research Laboratories, where he established his graduate student research group in nonlinear acoustics, drawing students from the departments of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics. He also began adjunct teaching in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. With Elmer Hixson in Electrical Engineering, and another faculty member in Architectural Engineering, Blackstock expanded the small existing set of acoustics courses in the College of Engineering to the full-fledged program that exists today. In 1987, Blackstock became a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Although he retired in 2000, he continued to teach two of the acoustics courses for several years. He is still part-time at Applied Research Laboratories.
Most of Blackstock’s research, which is both theoretical and experimental, has been in physical acoustics, principally nonlinear acoustics (extremely intense sound) and biomedical ultrasound. Among the problems on which he worked are propagation and reflection of intense sound, enhanced absorption due to nonlinear effects, acoustical waves containing shocks, focusing of N waves, parametric array in air, high-intensity aircraft noise propagation, sonic booms, and lithotripsy (use of shock waves to break up kidney stones). He is very proud of the many students to whom he has taught acoustics for over 50 years, particularly his 13 Ph.D. and 23 MS degree students.
He is a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) and served as its president in 1982-83. ASA awarded him its Silver Medal in Physical Acoustics in 1985, its Gold Medal in 1993, and the Rossing Prize in Acoustics Education in 2007. In 1992, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. During 1984-93 he was a member of the International Commission on Acoustics, the last three years as chair. He also served on the Organizing Committee for the International Symposia on Nonlinear Acoustics, 1973-99. He was awarded the Per Bruel Gold Medal for Noise Control and Acoustics by ASME in 2015.
Clifford Naeve
Distinguished Mechanical Engineer
BSME, The University of Texas at Austin, 1970
After earning his BS in mechanical engineering in 1970, Mike Naeve, a native of Haltom City, Texas, decided to pursue his interest in public policy by accepting a position in the first class of the LBJ School of Public Affairs. For the next 14 years, Mike had a series of jobs that involved him in state and federal public policy matters, including working for two Texas governors (Preston Smith and Dolph Briscoe), serving as staff director of the U.S. Senate Transportation Subcommittee and as legislative director for U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen.
While working in Washington, Mike attended night law school classes at George Washington University, graduating with highest distinction. Mike joined the New York-based law firm, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, working in their recently-opened Washington office.
Shortly after joining Skadden Arps, Mike was called back to public service by President Ronald Reagan, who appointed Mike to be a commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. While at FERC, Mike focused on eliminating the layers of federal regulation of the natural gas industry that had been the cause of natural gas shortages and price spikes. Mike also helped pioneer the creation of competitive wholesale markets for electricity. These innovations paved the way for more abundant and lower-cost supplies of natural gas and electricity.
In 1988, Mike attended the Democratic Convention with Senator Bentsen, who had been selected by Michael Dukakis to be his running mate in the 1988 presidential election. Immediately following the convention, Mike assembled and managed the team that helped prepare Senator Bentsen for his nationally televised debate with the Republican vice presidential candidate, Senator Dan Quayle.
Shortly after resuming his legal career at Skadden Arps, Mike was chosen to head the firm’s global energy practice, and later also became the head of the firm’s DC office. In addition, Mike was selected to serve on the firm’s management committee. Skadden today has approximately 1,700 lawyers in 22 offices worldwide.
For the past 18 years, Mike consistently has been identified by Chambers and Partners (the leading global authority on law firms and lawyers) as the highest-rated U.S. energy lawyer. In 2006, Mike was awarded the Chamber’s Award of Excellence as the leading lawyer in his field. Mike frequently has been designated as one of the 500 leading U.S. lawyers in the annual Lawdragon 500 publication, including his designation in the 2014 issue.
Mike has testified before Congress on numerous occasions, has served on the Energy Advisory Board to the U.S. secretary of energy, and has served on the board of directors of the Ontario Independent Electric System Operator. In 2014, the LBJ School Alumni Association awarded Mike its Distinguished Public Service Award.
Susan Rosenbaum
Honorary Mechanical Engineer
BMath, The University of Texas at Austin, 1974
MSCS, The University of Texas at Arlington, 1979
Susan Rosenbaum is director of Discipline Career Management and Knowledge Management at Schlumberger, a position she has held since 2014. In this role, Rosenbaum oversees the professional development of Schlumberger’s petrotechnical engineers and scientists, working with her team to ensure that recruiting, training, and developing this key population meets the company’s current and future business needs. Related to this, she oversees Schlumberger’s technical career ladder, the means by which Schlumberger’s technical population can advance in job grades and technical recognition. Rosenbaum also defines the knowledge strategy of the company and manages its technical communities of practice. A 27-year veteran of Schlumberger, she joined the company as a member of the technical staff and has served in a variety of technical and management positions of increasing responsibility, developing a broad knowledge of business and technical needs in the oil and gas industry.
Rosenbaum proudly holds a BA in Mathematics from The University of Texas at Austin and an MS in Computer Science (College of Engineering) from The University of Texas at Arlington.
One of Rosenbaum’s most beloved roles is to serve as Schlumberger’s Ambassador to UT Austin; she serves as the company’s liaison to the university, both for recruiting and for engaging in research, education and community outreach. In this role, she has had numerous interactions across campus for almost two decades, including serving on the Women in Engineering Program Advisory Council, the Electrical and Computer Engineering External Advisory Committee, and the Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering External Advisory Committee, where she served both as a member and as the chairperson. In addition, Rosenbaum interacts with a myriad of faculty, departments, staff members, and student organizations across the University’s colleges. Schlumberger served as an “early funder” of the “35-in-5” initiative in the Mechanical Engineering Department due to Rosenbaum’s enthusiastic support. Because of the impact she has had on campus, she is a recipient of the “Corporate Champion” award from the Cockrell School of Engineering and is recognized as an “Honorary Mechanical Engineer” by the Academy of Distinguished Alumni in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Outside of work, Rosenbaum and her husband, Eric Schoen, enjoy their two (grown) children, their lively rescue dogs, and a myriad of travel, hiking, and musical pastimes. Rosenbaum has continued to support the university through personal gifts to both the Cockrell School of Engineering and the College of Natural Sciences.
Jennifer Street
Outstanding Young Mechanical Engineer
BSME, The University of Texas at Austin, 2004
MSME, The University of Texas at Austin, 2006
Jennifer Porlier Street was born in Charleston, South Carolina. Following the completion of her father’s Navy active duty on submarine, her family moved to Houston, Texas. Her father, Brad, began a career in the energy industry and her mother, Beth, as a chemist. Today, Brad serves as vice president of sales for the Fluor Enterprises commercial nuclear power business and Beth is a business development manager at Nalco Champion Chemical Company.
In 1999, Jennifer enrolled in the electrical engineering program at The University of Texas at Austin. Following her freshman year, she transferred into the mechanical engineering program and upon graduation in 2004, she entered into the master’s program for mechanical engineering at UT. Her master’s program focus was on mechanical design for children with disabilities and she worked as a senior mechanical engineering design class teaching assistant. She was awarded a United States Patent for a Modular Automated Assistive Guitar she helped design with a team of students and also served on the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Council.
Upon her master’s graduation in 2006, Jennifer joined Exxon-Mobil Chemical Company in Baytown, Texas as a process engineer, where she led front-end design for large capital projects and existing facilities. Between 2010 and 2012, she held multiple management roles at the Baytown Chemical Plant, including the capital project organization which led front end design of over $225M of projects. She also served on the ExxonMobil UT Recruiting Team and was the president of the Baytown Area Women’s Interest Network.
In 2012, Jennifer joined Regency Energy Partners, a midstream oil and gas master limited partnership and part of the Energy Transfer Equity General Partner. She served as senior director and vice president of all Engineering and Construction, where she led $800 million per year of capital projects, a 50+ member team, and supported assets of 45 processing and treating plants with 2.7 billion cubic feet per day in capacity and 27,000 miles of pipelines. She also led successful integrations of $7.5 billion in mergers and acquisitions for the company. She also served on The University of Texas Mechanical Engineering 35-in-5 (now Elevate ME) Committee Steering Team.
In 2015, Jennifer joined Energy Transfer Partners upon its merger with Regency and was named senior vice president of engineering, leading several engineering and operations support functions, and served on the Integration Steering Committee for both the Regency and Sunoco Logistics mergers. In 2016 she was named executive vice president of operations and engineering services, where she now leads the company’s Supply Chain, Right-of-Way and Land, Pipeline and Mechanical Integrity, Technical Services, Cost Controls and EH&SS departments with over 540 employees. Her organization supports operations that transport 15 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas and 3.5 million barrels per day of crude oil with over 70,000 miles of pipeline and 65 natural gas processing plants, fractionation facilities and crude oil terminals, as well as a growth capital project portfolio of over $18 billion between 2015 and 2017. She serves on the board of the Texas Pipeline Association and the Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation.
Jennifer and her husband, Shawn, have two children, Sophia and Caroline. They are active in their children’s school, Alcuin, and enjoy spending time as a family with their pets outdoors.
T. Keller Towns
Distinguished Mechanical Engineer
BSME, The University of Texas at Austin, 1982
Thomas “Keller” Towns, Sr. was born in Luling, Texas (Pop. 5,500). In 1966, after first grade, his family moved to Kingsville, Texas (Pop. 26,000) when his father was transferred by Humble Oil & Refining Company (later to become ExxonMobil) to the King Ranch Gas Plant. His mother taught physical education at H.M. King High School, where he graduated in 1977.
He enrolled in the fall of 1977 at Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M University-Kingsville). Then, he transferred to The University of Texas at Austin in 1978 to study mechanical engineering. He had summer internships in plant engineering (1979) at the General Motors assembly plant in Arlington, Texas; reservoir engineering (1980) at Texas Oil & Gas Corporation in Dallas, Texas; and drilling engineering (1981) at Sohio Alaska Petroleum Company in Anchorage, Alaska (later merged into British Petroleum).
In July of 1982, he began his career in Houston, Texas with Exxon Company, U.S.A. as a drilling engineer. Over the next seven years, he drilled offshore wells in the Gulf of Mexico, California, and Alaska. In May of 1989, he deployed to the oil spill response team in Valdez, Alaska, which was followed by an operations/reservoir engineering role for Alaska’s giant Prudhoe Bay field. In 1992, he transferred to Exxon Company International and spent 4 years drilling wells in Norway, Indonesia, and Chad (Africa). Then in 1996 he moved to a planning role for Exxon’s Diana/Hoover discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico. After formation of Exxon Development Company in 1998, he joined the “core development team” charged with expediting Angola Block 15 & Brazil’s Albacora Leste discoveries from concept to first production.
Beginning in 2000, he spent the next 8 years in various roles supporting development of the Crazy Horse discovery (operated by BP and later renamed Thunder Horse) in the Gulf of Mexico. He leveraged ExxonMobil’s technical expertise to help the project team deliver industry’s first 15,000 psi subsea high temperature development in 6,300 feet of water. Then in 2008 he moved to the ExxonMobil Exploration Company for 2 years to support new opportunities and optimize utilization of deep water rigs under long term contract. In 2010, he was named drilling Middle East advisor and has spent 6 years focused on management of drilling operations in Qatar, Iraq/Kurdistan, and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Keller has been a member of ExxonMobil’s recruiting team at The University of Texas at Austin for 8 years and helped employ more than 35 engineers. He served 4 years on the External Advisory Committee (EAC) for the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering in the Cockrell School of Engineering and chaired the committee in 2012-13. Currently, he is serving on the EAC for the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Besides giving his time, he and his wife have gifted two endowed scholarships in 2010 to help students obtain a degree in mechanical engineering.