News Article

Four alumni receive 2009 Professional Progress in Engineering Awards

 

Four Iowa State University alumni will receive the Professional Progress in Engineering Award (PPEA) from the College of Engineering on April 16.

Dr. Craig Mahoney, chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa; Meiyu Shen, mathematical statistician for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Rockville, Maryland; Sridhar Desikan, head of the Biopharmaceutics and Analytical R&D for Bristol-Myers Squibb in India; and Chris Clover, president and CEO of Mechdyne Corporation, will accept the awards at the Marston Club and Patent Dinner.

The PPEA, established in 1989, recognizes outstanding professional progress, personal development, and distinguished community service by engineering alumni
under the age of 46.

Mahoney received his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Iowa State in 1991, then decided to pursue medicine. He attended medical school at the University of Iowa, completed his residency at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and was selected for a prestigious fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

Despite changing career paths, Mahoney uses his engineering knowledge and research in areas such as infection, joint replacement, and prosthesis performance to enhance the care that his patients receive and advance the practice of orthopedic surgery. Additionally, he has published 14 journal articles and authored five chapters of orthopedic textbooks that are used in training programs throughout the country.

In 2008, Mahoney became the third person in central Iowa to receive the Arthritis Foundation of Iowa Tribute to Excellence Award. He also holds prestigious positions as a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and as president of the Polk County Medical Society.

Shen holds a doctorate in chemical engineering from Iowa State, which she earned in 1999. Before attending Iowa State, Shen studied at Chendu University of Science and Technology in China, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering in 1988 and 1990, respectively.

As a doctoral student at Iowa State, Shen’s research involved developing a more efficient process for separating ultrafine-size particles on the basis of their surface properties. During her research, she discovered that she could reduce the quantity of oil needed for the separation process and that the process could be carried out in a stagewise manner, which led to a U.S. patent granted in 2003.

Before joining the FDA, Shen worked at Fox Chase Cancer Center modeling the effects of anticancer drugs. At the FDA, she has developed several mechanism-based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models to describe the absorption, distribution, and disposition of drugs by the human body. The FDA has recognized Shen’s technical contributions by awarding her two Outstanding Service Awards for her own individual accomplishments, three Group Recognition Awards, and one Team Excellence Award.

Desikan is currently part of the leadership team for the Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) Biopharmaceutics and Analytical R&D in Bangalore, India. After receiving a bachelor’s degree of engineering in chemical engineering in 1991 from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India and a master’s degree in chemical engineering in 1994 from Bucknell University, Desikan completed his doctoral degree in chemical engineering in 1997 from Iowa State.

In 1999 Desikan began working as a senior chemical engineer for DuPont Pharmaceuticals where his innovative work in crystal engineering resulted in identifying the most stable polymorph, which led to a patent application. When DuPont was taken over by BMS, Desikan was one of the first employees to join the BMS team.

When the company began establishing research centers in India, Desikan was selected for both his skill and leadership to head the department in Bangalore. In this role, he is responsible for helping develop a state-of-the-art facility, identify equipment needs, assemble a diverse team, and provide training. He is also using his engineering experience to establish process engineering and safety capabilities at the research center.

Clover holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering (1991, 1992), a master’s in business administration (1994), and a doctorate in mechanical engineering (1996) from Iowa State.

During his time at Iowa State, Clover gained extensive knowledge working with the Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC), which led him to found Mechdyne Corporation in 1996 as he was completing his doctorate. Mechdyne grew to be one of the leading suppliers and innovators of large-scale visualization technology. In his role as president and CEO, Clover has helped oversee the development of software and hardware that allows three-dimensional visualization at a reasonable cost. In 2003, Mechdyne acquired Fakespace Systems, Inc., becoming the world’s largest company dedicated to providing large-scale visualization solutions.

In 2001 Clover was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the technology division in the Midwest region in recognition of Mechdyne’s achievements. Clover also maintains a professional and social relationship with his alma mater. Recently, Mechdyne won a competitive bid to upgrade VRAC’s C6, making it the world’s highest resolution, fully immersive virtual reality facility.

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