During May commencement ceremonies the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin recognized four outstanding young graduates who have become influential leaders in the engineering community. They are Tim Crain, Rebekah Drezek, Jeff Edgar and Shay Roalson.
Outstanding Young Graduate selections are based on
- distinguished contributions to the practice of engineering,
- excellent direction to an organization that has made noteworthy national or international contributions,
- exceptional community service,
- strong interest in the Cockrell School of Engineering,
- exceptional role modeling to current or prospective engineering students.
Timothy Crain, currently an aerospace engineer in NASA’s aeroscience and flight mechanics division, graduated with a doctorate in 2000 after earning a master’s degree in 1999 and bachelor’s degree with highest honors in 1995, all three in aerospace engineering. After graduation Crain joined the advanced mission design branch of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston working on plans for human exploration of Mars.
Crain was also recognized during university commencement ceremonies by the Texas Exes, The University of Texas Alumni Association, as a 2008 Outstanding Young Texas Ex. The award, inaugurated in 1980 by the Texas Exes, annually recognizes four young alumni who are distinguished in their fields and have demonstrated a continuing interest in The University of Texas at Austin and the Texas Exes.
At NASA, Crain has developed the design of navigation systems for both human and robotic spacecraft involved in entry, descent, landing and rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking. These designs were used for the upcoming 2009 Mars Science Laboratory, the mini-AERCam free-flying inspection vehicle, the Hubble robotic servicing vehicle, and provided the foundation for the Orion crew exploration vehicle. He is currently working toward humanity’s return to the moon as the Orion orbit guidance, navigation, and control system manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
While at the university, Crain received the Texas Excellence Award and played football on a scholarship for two years under Coaches David McWilliams and John Mackovic. His teams beat OU both years (1991 and 1992) before a knee injury directed him from the playing field to the research field at the Applied Physics Labs. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he welcomed the opportunity to study Mars exploration under Professors Robert Bishop and Wallace Fowler as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow.
While in Austin, Crain refined a deep love of music inherited from his parents and took up the guitar. He currently plays bass guitar in the contemporary worship service at Clear Lake United Methodist Church and for an original rock band, DC3, with two other NASA engineers. Crain has been married to Melissa since 1994 and they have three children, Jessica, 9, Isabella, 7, and Connor, 4. All can sing the “Eyes of Texas.”
Dr. Rebekah Drezek is associate professor of bioengineering and of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University where she has served on the faculty since 2002. Prior to joining Rice, she completed her undergraduate work at Duke University where she graduated summa cum laude, and her master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering at The University of Texas at Austin.
Her lab conducts basic, applied and translational research at the intersection of medicine, photonics and nanotechnology. Her goal in these multiple disciplines is to develop new in vivo molecular imaging approaches to screen, detect and monitor breast and ovarian cancer. Over the past five years, Drezek’s research team has received more than $10 million in grant support.Her group has active clinical trials of new imaging technologies underway at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Drezek is the principal investigator on a multi-million dollar inter-institutional Rice University and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center project developing needle-based, high resolution optical imaging approaches and nanoengineered imaging agents for breast cancer applications. Drezek also serves as thrust director of a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center on InfraRed Technologies for Health and the Environment.
Drezek was named one of the top 100 technology innovators in the world by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology magazine in 2004. She received the American Association for Medical Instrumentation Career Achievement Award in 2005, was invited to present to the National Academy of Engineering Frontiers in Engineering on nanotechnology in 2006, and was one of three breast cancer researchers recognized as a U.S. Department of Defense Era of Hope Scholar in 2007. Drezek serves on the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’ Nanotechnology Council and as annual co-chair of a SPIE conference on optical technologies for health and the environment.
Drezek resides in The Woodlands, Tex. with her husband, Sandeep, where they enjoy a variety of outdoor activities and playing with their golden retriever, Higgins.
A third generation engineer and currently engineering manager at Baytex Energy USA Ltd., Jeff Edgar earned a master’s degree in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in 1997. As a graduate student, Edgar was awarded a Texaco Foundation Fellowship to conduct research in the application of oil field technology to remediate U.S. Department of Energy superfund sites under the supervision of Professor Gary Pope.
In April, 2008, Edgar accepted a position as engineering manager at Baytex Energy, U.S.A., Ltd. where he oversees evaluation and development of this newly formed U.S. subsidiary’s oil and gas properties.Before joining Baytex, Edgar served as senior evaluations engineer and acquisitions manager for Quantum Resources, LLC. He was instrumental in growing the startup by evaluating over $10 billion in oil and gas assets and corporations, as well as helping acquire $600 million worth of properties located throughout the United States.
Before he moved to Quantum, Edgar served a year as acquisitions manager for Aspect Energy, LLC.In this capacity, he assisted with the formation of Aspect Abundant Shale LP, a $40 million joint venture with First Reserve Corporation focused on the evaluation and exploration of unconventional shale plays throughout North America.
Prior to working at Aspect, Edgar worked for Hilcorp Energy in Houston, where he managed the reserve department and generated reserve reports. Jeff also held other engineering positions at Hilcorp where he conducted reservoir studies to find bypassed oil and gas.
In addition to earning his master’s degree in petroleum engineering from the university, Edgar earned a bachelor’s degree in 1991 in civil/environmental engineering from Vanderbilt University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and a Friend of Alec. An avid outdoorsman, his interests include skiing, mountain biking, hockey, soccer, and golf. He lives in Golden, Colorado with his wife, Elizabeth and their one-year-old son, Jack.
Shay Ralls Roalson, P.E., currently a senior project manager at Turner Collie & Braden, has 15 years of experience in the design of water and wastewater pumping, conveyance and treatment facilities for municipal clients. After earning a bachelor’s degree at Vanderbilt University, Roalson spent four years working for Camp Dresser & McKee in Annandale, Virginia. In 1997, she returned home to Texas to pursue a master’s degree and wrote her thesis on water softening for potable water treatment using water from Austin’s Ullrich Water Treatment Plant. Shay earned her master’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin in 1999.
After completing her degree and becoming a licensed professional engineer, Roalson returned to Camp Dresser & McKee in the Austin office. In 2002, she joined the Austin public works group of Turner Collie & Braden, an AECOM company, where she currently manages municipal water and wastewater design and construction projects. Turner Collie & Braden named her Employee of the Year in 2003.
Roalson is active in professional organizations and her community. She helped found the Capital Area Chapter of the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association in 1997. She currently chairs the Texas Section whose young professionals committee honored her with their inaugural Maverick Award in 2003. In 2006, the Travis Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers named her Young Engineer of the Year.
Roalson has also been active in Austin’s University Presbyterian Church as a member of the mission and service committee, where she connected her church to the international aid organization, Water For People, so the church could fund a water project in a small Mexican border town. She also served as a high school youth advisor, church elder and chair of the youth committee. Roalson and her husband Brad have two young sons, Cooper, 2 ½ and Malcolm, 8 months.
