2011 Honorees

Honorary Member

The highest honor bestowed by ISA and is reserved to recognize special individuals for support of, and/or contributions to the advancement of the arts and sciences of instrumentation, systems, and automation. An Honorary Member has the rights and privileges of a Senior Member.

Andrew S. Chatha
ARC Advisory Group Inc
Dedham, Massachusetts, USA

Citation: For over 30 years in enterprise applications and automation as a successful CEO of the respected ARC; executive advisor to some of the largest companies in the world; market analyst in the automation industry; project manager, software engineer; and designer of automation systems.

About:  Chatha is the founder of the widely respected research and consulting firm, ARC Advisory Group.  Chatha has grown ARC from a one-man research operation in 1986 to an international consulting firm of nearly 80 employees worldwide, servicing virtually all major automation and software suppliers and a number of manufacturing and industrial sectors.  ARC’s client list includes many Fortune 1000 companies around the world. Born in India, Chatha holds a degree in electrical engineering from Panjab University. He earned a Master of Science degree in systems engineering at Queen Mary College of London University in the UK and an MBA at Boston University’s School of Management.


Life Achievement Award

Recognizes individuals with a history of sustained dedication to the instrumentation, systems, and automation community.

W. Gerald Wilbanks, P.E.
Documentation & Engineering Services
Trussville, Alabama, USA

Citation: In recognition of a lifetime of dedication to technical education, professional practice, certification and credentialing, and leadership to industry, the automation community at large, and his beloved vehicle for sharing his knowledge, mentoring, and leadership extension: ISA.

About:  Wilbanks is principal engineer for his consulting firm, Documentation & Engineering Services. His career in automation began as an electrical controls engineer for Union Carbide Corp. in Port Lavaca, TX. He worked for Rust Engineering for 32 years (from 1968 until 2000), serving 19 of those years as engineering manager – Control Systems and was responsible for a department of nearly 200 employees working on a myriad of projects. Wilbanks joined ISA in 1966. He became involved in ISA leadership serving on numerous committees, councils, and boards at all levels within the Society, and ultimately being elected as ISA's 50th President in 1995. Professional development and certification is a passion and Wilbanks has worked at improving education and training tools and teaching courses for more than four decades. His efforts helped hundreds of engineers and technicians improve skills and advance their careers. While ISA has been his main focus, Wilbanks has also been involved in examinations and other activities with the Alabama Society of Professional Engineers (ASPE), National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCEES), and several other professional organizations. He was recently appointed by the to the Alabama State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors by the state's governor. Wilbanks was elected to ISA Fellow membership in 2002 and has received numerous recogntions over his distinguished career. Wilbanks earned his electrical engineering degree at Mississippi State University, where he is a Distinguished Engineering Fellow. 


ISA Fellow Membership

Elevation to the distinguished grade of ISA Fellow is granted to ISA Senior Members in recognition of outstanding achievements in scientific or engineering fields as recognized by ISA peers.

George C. Buckbee, P.E.
Lehigh Valley Section
ExperTune, Inc.
Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, USA

Citation:  For contributions to advanced control and optimization.

About:  Buckbee is a renowned expert in the field of advanced control and loop turning concepts.  He is the author of a large body of work on the application of advanced control and loop tuning in many industries and is responsible for many innovations in Performance Monitoring software. Buckbee holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
 

Dennis L. Coad
North Alabama Section
Aerospace Industries and Test Measurement Divisions
The Boeing Company
Huntsville, Alabama, USA

Citation:  For implementation of test and measurement systems used by the international space station.

About:  Coad is an Associate Technical Fellow with The Boeing Company, working in Huntsville, Alabama. He has specialized in testing of both military and commercial aerospace products for over 30 years. He has worked on land, marine, atmospheric and exoatmospheric vehicles and systems. Coad is recognized for work in the design and execution of test and measurement systems used in the development of and use on the International Space Station. He holds an Associates of Science degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from Kansas State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Alabama, A&M.
 

Jose Manoel Fernandes, Ph.D. 
Curitiba Section
Universidade Ferderal do Parana
Curitiba, Brazil

Citation:  For research and development in control systems automation and instrumentation.

About:  Fernandes is a professor at the prestigious Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR-Brazil) and one of the coordinators of the National Program of Qualification (PNPQ –PROMINP/PETROBRAS) in the southern region of Brazil. Fernandes is renowned for his technical contributions to the field of electrical engineering and frequently serves as a technical electrical engineering consultant to the government of Parana and Brazil. He has authored and co-authored over sixty journal papers. Dr. Fernandes received a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering for his research in identification, analysis and control of nonlinear dynamics at the University of Newcastle, Australia.
 

Gregory J. Gervasio
Philadelphia Section
GlazoSmithKline
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA

Citation:  For application of raman spectroscopy to process control.

About:  Gervasio is a Process Analytical Technology Engineer at GlaxoSmithKline. He has authored numerous articles and holds multiple patents for his pioneering work in the use of Raman and Mass Spectrometry. He holds a BS and MS from the Chemical Engineering Department of New Jersey Institute of Technology and is licensed Professional Engineer.
 

Wayne William Manges
Oak Ridge Section
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA

Citation:  For visionary leadership in bringing wireless technology to the industrial marketplace.

About:  Manges is a program manager at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He led the Department of Energy Industrial Wireless program which is widely recognized as “creating the market” for the wireless revolution sweeping through industrial automation. Manges serves on the boards of several wireless companies, has published broadly in the field, and continues to help develop and teach several ISA courses involving wireless, cyber security, and digital control systems. He holds masters degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and The University of Tennessee Knoxville.
 

Jerome M. Paros
Seattle Section
Paroscientific, Inc.
Redmond, Washington, USA

Citation:  For development of quartz crystal resonator-based sensors and contributions to measurement sciences.

About:  Jerome M. Paros is the founder of Paroscientific, Inc. and related companies that manufacture sensors to measure pressure, acceleration, temperature, weight, and other parameters based on the quartz crystal resonator technology that he developed.High precision transducers developed by Paros are the key sensing elements used in many oceanic, atmospheric, seismic, hydrologic, aerospace, process control, energy exploration, and laboratory applications. Paros is a Senior Life Member of ISA and was previously a recipient of ISA’s prestigious Arnold O. Beckman Award.
 

Grant T. Patterson, Ph.D.
Nashville Section
Aerospace Industries and Test Measurement Divisions
Aerospace Testing Alliance
Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, USA

Citation:  For the evaluation and certification of smart sensors for turbine engine testing.

About: to be added.
 

Augusto Passos Pereira
Sao Paulo Section
Pepperl+Fuchs South America
Sao Paulo, Brazil,

Citation:  For improvements in fieldbus instruments and automation design.

About:  Pereira is a Technical Director at Pepperl+Fuchs, South America. He has made significant contributions to the field of instrument and automation technology applied for Petroleum Refinery, Petrochemical, Paper, Food and Steel Process. Pereira's contribution as an engineer and as a professor to the technology of instrumentation has been adopted by several countries in South America. He  holds a Eletronic Engineering from  FEI-Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial – Sao Bernardo do Campo-Brazil.
 

Thomas L. Phinney
Central Arizona Section
Honeywell (Retired)
Glendale, Arizona, USA

Citation:  For contributions to networking and security in industrial automation communications.

About:  Phinney is a renowned expert on computer network protocols and computer security. He has authored and edited numerous complex network protocol specifications and standards. Phinney is a previous recipient of ISA’s Standards and Practices Award. Phinney now enjoys the good life as a retired associate of Honeywell.  In his “free time”, Phinney continues work on ISA’s international cyber-security and networking standards, as well as an occasionalt cyber-security and networking consultant.
 

Bac Vu
Texas Channel Section
Analysis Division
Chevron Energy Technology Company
Houston, Texas, USA

Citation:  For numerous technical contributions to the process analytical industry.

About:  Bac Vu is an Analyzer Engineer at Chevron Energy Technology Company, Houston, Texas.  Bac has developed both Process and Environmental Applications and Measurement Methods for difficult applications, which have resulted in successful measurement analysis. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Rutgers University. 
 

Haibin Yu, Ph.D.
Singapore Section
Shenyang Institute of Automation
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning, P.R. China

Citation:  For contributions to the application of fieldbus technologies to industrial processes in China.

About:  Dr. Yu is a President at Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning, P. R. China. He is credited with the promotion and adoption of advanced industrial technologies in China. He has authored and/or co-authored over 40 publications and one book and holds 11 patents on the field of industrial communication and control systems.  Dr. Yu is the recipient of numerous awards from both the regional and national governments of China in acknowledgement of his technical contributions. He holds a Ph.D degree from the Northeastern University.


Arnold O. Beckman Founder Award

Recognizes a significant technological contribution to the conception and implementation of a new principle of instrument design, development or application.

Martin Klein
Martin Klein Consulting
Andover, Massachusetts, USA

Citation: For the invention and development of the dual channel side scan sonar instrumentation which has opened the world’s oceans for exploration, safe navigation, and underwater recovery.

About:  Klein is an inventor and developer of the first commercial side scan sonar utilized for detection and mapping of lake and river beds and the ocean floor to the full known (7 miles) depth of the sea. Klein began his work on side scan sonar instrumentation in 1961 while a student at MIT and in 1968 founded his own company, Klein Associates, Inc. The Klein side scan sonar technology has been utilized to find most of the significant shipwrecks and sunken aircraft in the world, including the Titanic, USS Monitor, and the Mary Rose, and remains of the Space Shuttle Challenger to name a few. Today, the side scan sonar instrumentation is used by the U.S. government, corporations, research institutions, and marine archaeologists around the world to map ocean floors, lakes and river beds and to find objects of great interest and value. Klein is the author of numerous publications and holds several marine technology patents.  Klein is a Senior Life Member of ISA.  He received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering (BSEE) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).


E.G. Bailey Award

Recognizes excellence in the design, development or application of instrumentation, systems, and automation in the utilities or process control industries.

Ram G. Dhalwani
Desein Pvt Ltd
New Dehli, Dehli, India

Citation: For passionate and persistent application of modern instrumentation and process control technology in the India power industry.

About:  Dhalwani is Director of the Control and Instrumentation Department at Desein Pvt. Ltd., a Consulting Engineering Company of New Delhi, India. A legend for automation of power plants in India, he has played an exceptional role in adopting and executing modern trends in instrumentation and control process throughout India and has 47 years of experience from primitive technology to latest DCS. Dhalwani is an alumni of M.B.M. Engineering College, Jodhpur, India.


ISA Analysis Division Luft Award

Recognizes outstanding contributions in the analytical technology field. This award was endowed by the ISA Analysis Division, a Platinum Patron of ISA’s Honors & Awards progrcam.

Jimmy G. Converse, Ph.D.
ISA Analysis Division
Retired
Whitewater, Kansas, USA

Citation: For contributions to remote discrete sampling technology which have improved safety, validation, and system performance.

About:  to be added.


UOP Technology Award

Recognizes an outstanding achievement in the conception, design, or implementation of instrumentation and/or process control in an area of activity covered by the scope of the Society's Automation & Technology Department.

Brett Beauregard
Control Station Inc.
Tolland, Connecticut, USA

Citation: For development of an innovative technique for dynamic process modeling, which eliminates the requirement for steady-state operation prior to the execution of process test.

About:  Beauregard is a Solutions Engineer at Control Station Inc.  He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from The University of Connecticut.  Beauregard is a previous recipient of ISA’s Excellence in Documentation Award.


Donald P. Eckman Education Award

Recognizes an outstanding contribution toward education and training in the science, engineering, and technology of instrumentation.

Leo D. Durbin, Ph.D.
Texas A&M University
Bryan, Texas, USA

Citation: For outstanding contributions to education and training in the science, engineering and technology of instrumentation, systems, and automation.

About:  Durbin is a Professor Emeritus of the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. During his tenure, he served as Program Chairman and Chairman of the Texas A&M Instrumentation Symposium, an event that provided an educational experience for student attendees. Durbin took a very active volunteer leadership within ISA serving on numerous committees and boards where he promoted significant achievements with respect to a career film and brochure, curriculum guides, ABET membership, interactive video disc development and training programs. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&I University, Kingsville, Texas and a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from Rice University, Houston, Texas.


Don W. Thompson Award

Recognizes exemplary efforts and achievements to encourage and support student activity and to mentor students.

Celso J. Munaro, Ph.D.
Universidade Federal Espirito Santo
Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil

Citation: For exemplary efforts and achievements to encourage and support student activities and the mentoring of students.

About:  Munaro is associate professor of the Electrical Engineering Department at Federal University of Espirito Santo (UFES), ES, Brazil. He is credited with contributing to the preparation of automation engineers to face the challenges of being continually updated to the fast moving automation technology in the industry and for promoting specialization courses on instrumentation and process control. Munaro received his doctorate and masters degree in Electrical Engineering from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. 


Excellence in Documentation Award

Recognizes and encourages the presentation of significant information in instrumentation, systems, and automation.

Leif Poulsen, Ph.D.
Sweden Section
NNE Pharmaplan A/S
Soeborg, Sweden

Citation: For the paper, "Practical Experience by Deployment of MES in the Pharmaceutical Industry" published in ISA Automation Week 2010 proceedings.

About:  Leif Poulsen holds a Ph.D. degree in Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark and is currently a Senior Specialist within Automation & IT at NNE Pharmaplan, Soeborg, Denmark.


Golden Achievement Award

Charles W. Morris
Birmingham Section
Control & Power Inc.
Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Citation:  For long and continuous dedication to the Society and its ideals.

About:  Morris has been a member of ISA for the past 35 years. He has held virtually every officer position at the local ISA section, including two terms as president. Morris also served on ISA’s Executive Board as the regional District 3 Vice President and has been a valuable contributor to many committees and task assignments during his tenure.Morris is a Senior Vice President at Control & Power Inc., Birmingham, Alabama, USA. He attended Walker Junior College and the University of Alabama.
 

Distinguished Society Service

For outstanding service and contributions to the Society and its Members.

William L. Campbell, P.E.
Los Angeles Section
Blair Martin (Retired)
Pearland, Texas, USA

About:  Campbell, an active member of ISA for 37 years, has held numerous leadership positions in the local ISA-Los Angeles Section and has been an ardent ambassador for ISA in education, membership, and professional engineering. He is a retired engineer of Blair-Martin Co., Inc., Signal Hill, CA.  Prior to joining Blair-Martin, he was employed by the Jacobs Engineering Company for over 28 years. Campbell is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and is a Registered Professional Engineer.

 

Erwin E. Icayan, P.E.
Central California Section
ACES Inc.
Bakersfield, California, USA

About:  Icayan has been a member of ISA for 20 years and has served in numerous ISA governance positions during his tenure, including positions on its Executive Board. Icayan is President of ACES, Inc., Richland, WA.  He holds a BSEE from Washington State University.
 

Vekatraman Nagendran
South India Section
Nagman Instruments & Elex Pvt Ltd.
Chennai, Tamilnadu, India

About:  Nagendran has been a member of ISA for 31 years and has held numerous leadership positions in ISA’s South India Section and has been a key participant at ISA’s District and Society level activities. Nagendran is Chairman and President of Nagman Instruments & Electronics (P) Ltd., Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, a globally known brand name in “Calibrators”. Nagendran holds a Bachelor of Science degree from A.M. Jain College (University of Madras), advanced degrees in Instrumentation Technology from Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), and an MBA from the Department of Management Studies, University of Madras. 
 

Michael A. Perron
Edmonton Section
Edmonton Valve & Fitting, Inc.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

About:  Perron has been a member of ISA for 18 years and has held numerous leadership positions in ISA’s Edmonton Section.Perron works in Sales and Service at Edmonton Valve & Fitting Inc. Perron holds an Instrumentation Engineering Technology Diploma from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

 

Chris Sorensen
Birmingham Section
Southern Company
Birmingham, Alabama, USA

About:  Sorensen has been a member of ISA for 30 years and has held numerous leadership positions in ISA’s Birmingham Section and has participated in industry standards development. Sorensen is a Control Systems Engineer at Southern Company. Sorensen holds a Chemical Engineering degree from Auburn University.
 

Larry E. Wells, P.E.
Birmingham Section
CCSA LLC
Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA

About:  Wells has been a member of ISA for 33 years and has attained the distinguished grade of Life Senior Member. Wells has held numerous key positions at both the Society’s district and national level, including Vice President of the Industries and Sciences Department and Member of the ISA Executive Board. Wells is a Principal at CCSA LLC, Lawrenceville, GA.  He holds a BEE degree from Auburn University, an MBA degree from the University of Alabama, and did Graduate Work in Control Systems Engineering at the University of Houston.
 

Maurizio Zecchini
Italy Section
Tecnimont
Milano, Milan, Italy

About:  Zecchini has been a member of ISA for 15 years and has held several leadership positions in the ISA Italy Section.  Under Zecchini’s leadership as Section President, the ISA Italy Section was twice awarded the highly prized Section Performance Award. Zecchini is a Program Manager –“IT – Projects” at Tecnimont, Milano, Italy. Zecchini holds a University degree of “Electronic Engineering specialization in process control” from the Politecnico of Milan.
 

Emerging Leader Award

For demonstrating early leadership accomplishments benefiting the Society and its Members.

David A. Hyche
Birmingham Section
Enercon Services Inc.
Columbiana, Alabama, USA

About:  Hyche has been a member of ISA for eight years. He has served in numerous leadership positions, including Birmingham ISA Section President, Treasurer, and Delegate, during his tenure. He is currently the Electrical and Instrumentation Department Engineering Manager for KBR in Birmingham, AL.  He holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Auburn University.
 

Andre Michel
Montreal Section
SkillPad
Kirkland, Quebec, Canada

About:  Michel has served in key ISA Section leadership positions including President Elect and Secretary of the Montreal Section. He is an Operations Manager at SkillPad, Kirkland, Quebec, Canada.  He holds an Electrical Engineering Degree from Laval University.

 

Dr. J. Prakash
South India Section
Madras Institute of Technology
Chennai, Tamilnadu, India

About:  Prakash has served in numerous leadership positions of ISA South India Section, including Secretary, Treasurer, and as the Faculty Advisor for the student section at the Madras Institute of Technology Campus, Anna University since joining ISA.  He is an Associate Professor for Instrumentation Engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology Campus, Anna University Chennai India. Dr. Prakash holds a Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology Madras.


Distinguished Friends of ISA

Recognizes companies that provide significant support for ISA and assist the Society in achieving its goals and objectives.

Fluor Corporation, Southern California Division
Aliso Viejo, California, USA

 

Outstanding Division Award

Recognizes a Division of the Automation & Technology and Industries & Sciences Departments of ISA for outstanding activities and definitive reporting during the year.

Analysis Division
Automation & Technology Department

Power Industry Division
Industries & Sciences Department

 

Section Performance Award

Recognizes ISA Sections for achievements or for outstanding accomplishments in a particular area of Section activity.

Sarnia Sectio
For garnering the most points among the small Gold Sections.

Espirito Santo Section
For garnering the most points among the medium Gold Sections.

Saint Louis Section
For garnering the most points among the large Gold Sections.

France Section
For developing a series of French language training modules for major ISA standards.

Houston Section
For contributions in support of young automation professionals and student activities.

Orange County Section
For developing a compilation of the Section's history demonstrating the Section's contributions to the automation profession.