Robert A. D'Amour '48
Bob D'Amour earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1948, after serving in the United States Navy in World War II. He began his engineering career as a Laboratory Analyst and Test Engineer with Cummins Engine Company. He later joined their Marketing Division and was assigned to Washington, D.C. as a representative to obtain government business.
In 1952 he joined Waukesha Motor Company as a Marketing Specialist and enjoyed a twenty-five year career with the company. Waukesha Motor Company designs, builds, and markets gasoline, diesel, and natural gas engines in sizes to three thousand horsepower. Bob held many positions at . . .
Donald Daavettila '56, '58
Daavettila began his career as a scientist at Argonne National Laboratory for more than five years. He then became a nuclear test engineer at the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Plant in Monroe, Michigan, before joining Michigan Tech's nuclear engineering program in 1964.
Smriti Dahal '07
Nepal is home to eight of the world's highest mountains, and one alumnus from this rooftop of the world has some pretty lofty ideas.
Smriti Dahal graduated in August 2007 with a master's degree in environmental policy. Her research took her back to her native Nepal, where she studied a group of women in Gundu, a village eight miles southeast of Kathmandu.
Eustace Dereniak '63, '63
For nearly five decades, Eustace L. Dereniak has explored the frontiers of optics and engineering to help create 21st century breakthroughs in medicine, military hardware, astronomy and many other fields.
Dereniak, a 1963 Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate of Michigan Tech, became president of SPIE, the world’s largest professional organization dedicated to optics and photonics, in January 2012. He has been a professor in the University of Arizona’s College of Optical Sciences since 1979, and is also a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering.
Mike Dibble '61
As the YouTube video begins, what appears to be a roller coaster approaches in slow motion: a green tube running on light rail tracks encased in bright yellow structure. As the object moves closer, it becomes a modernistic rock train with no driver and unloads into a container, turning upside down in the process. Then, it rights itself, ready to receive another load.
According to its creator, Mike Dibble, this remote-controlled, electric-powered "Rail-Veyor" system is "extremely energy efficient," with a smaller footprint than regular railroads and conveyor systems. It can operate in surface and underground mines or other long-distance transfer operations, including docks, shipyards, and even future UP mining concerns.
Dean J. Diver '65
Dean Diver earned B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Tech in December 1965 and began his career as a Project Engineer with Amoco Chemical Corporation in Joliet, Illinois. In 1968, Dean became a Project Engineer for Corporate Engineering of Owens-Illinois, Incorporated. Six years later he joined a small consulting engineering firm in Toledo, Ohio, AVCA Corporation, Dean's background allowed AVCA to diversify and provide engineering services in new areas and in 1976 he was promoted to Manager of the Mechanical Department. In 1978 he became a partner in the firm and was named President of AVCA in 1995. In 1999 . . .
Mr. Donald Dixon '69
Mr. Donald Dixon, a native of Michigan, was awarded a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1969. Following graduation, he worked as a Product Engineer and then a Sales Engineer for the Shell Chemical Company in Torrence, California. In 1971 he joined Gage Products in Ferndale, Michigan as Sales Engineer. He later held positions as Executive Account Manager and Vice President before being named President in 1991. In this latter capacity, he oversees all manufacturing and sales activity at the 175-employee company, which supplies solvents and chemicals to the automotive industry. Gage Products has international operations in the . . .
Mr. Herbert A. Doan '49
Mr. Herbert D. Doan is the grandson of Herbert H. Dow, the founder of the Dow Chemical Company. He attended Cornell University from 1941 until 1943 when he joined the U.S. Air Force. He returned to Cornell in 1946 to complete the five-year Chemical Engineering program in 1949. Following graduation he joined the Dow Chemical Company where he held various positions until being elected President and CEO in 1962- a position he held until his retirement in 1971. He continued as a member of the Board until 1987 and served on the board of Directors of Dow Corning Corporation for 18 . . .
Dr. Diane I. Doser '78
After finishing her doctoral work at the University of Utah in 1984, Diane went to a two-year post-doc position at Cal-Tech. She then went to work at the University of Texas at El Paso as an Assistant Professor. Currently, she is Professor and Director of the Kidd Memorial Seismic Observatory at the University. Her work has taken her all over the world and produced an abundance of moving and shaking publications. She also serves as associate editor for two leading international geophysical journals and has a great record of diverse professional service evaluating hazards at Yucca Mountain and the Idaho . . .
John Drake '64, '69
Hold on Tight to Your Dreams
John Drake did that for the duration of his career - what he calls a "forty-four-year run." The ensuing success has put him and his wife, Cathi, in the position of being philanthropists.
Hilary G. Dussing '79
Hilary graduated from Michigan Tech with a B.S. in Geological Engineering in 1979. She immediately joined Tenneco Oil Company in Denver as a petrophysicist. After four years, she moved to Union Pacific Resources in Denver, where she worked as an exploration coordinator and as a team leader for offshore development, and eventually became general manager of their western region for all exploration, production, and transportation.
In 1999 she moved to Tom Brown Inc, as Vice President of Exploration, where she was responsible for company growth during a time that the budget for exploration quadrupled in one year. Two years later, she accepted an . . .
Dr. Octave Du Temple '48, '49, '96
Octave Du Temple, a native of the Copper Country, received bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from Michigan Tech in 1948 and 1949. His studies were interrupted by military service during World War II, when he taught flying and navigation. He also studied at Northwestern University, where he earned a master's degree in business administration in 1955.