The announcement of this year's New Faces of Engineering — Class of 2011 — coincides with the launch of Engineers Week, which takes place February 20-26.

DEARBORN, Mich., WASHINGTON, D.C., February 14, 2011 — They are the best of the best — the next generation of engineers whose innovation, leadership skills and commitment to excellence are helping to better our world and inspire young people to consider a career in engineering.

Nominated by the SME Education Foundation, Brianne Maier, who as an Engineer II at General Mills, specializes in optimizing packaging and machinery interaction for increased performance, has been named an honoree, one of 14 highly-accomplished engineers recognized for the "New Faces of Engineering Class of 2011."

Maier began her educational climb to professional excellence at the SME Education Foundation's summer engineering program for girls, funded by the Foundation, at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where she participated for several years as a camp participant and counselor. Pete Heimdahl, associate dean of the College of Technology, Engineering and Management (ret), conceptualized and implemented this summer science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) based program which influenced her career direction.

In 2006, Brianne received the Lucile B. Kauffman Women's Scholarship and Caterpillar Scholars Award. After receiving her degree at University of Wisconsin-Stout, Brianne became a packaging engineer at General Mills. She highly recommends students join on-campus professional organizations and complete internships or co-ops.

Bart A. Aslin, director, SME Education Foundation, says, "On behalf of our board of directors, and industry partners, we congratulate Brianne on this well-deserved recognition. She is a shining example of the STEM-based programs we advocate and fund. It is our hope young people will be influenced by her engineering career path and be inspired to follow her lead."

Each year, National Engineers Week Foundation, a coalition of engineering societies, major corporations and government agencies, asks its members to nominate colleagues 30 years old and younger for consideration as one of the New Faces of Engineering. The work of the 2011 class reflects many of the most pressing issues engineers are endeavoring to solve on a global scale, including energy resources, infrastructure renewal, technological advancement and national security.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) spearheaded the launch of New Faces of Engineering in 2003 and submitted nominations every year since the program started.

"In 2003, ASHRAE launched the New Faces of Engineering program to provide stimulation and an incentive for college students to enter the engineering fields," said ASHRAE President Lynn G. Bellenger, PE, Fellow, ASHRAE. "Since that time, the program has highlighted the contributions of hundreds of the country's newest engineers, showcasing the exciting new talents that epitomize the dynamic innovations and advancements that are engineering. ASHRAE believes New Faces reflects the broad spectrum of engineering today, including women and underrepresented minorities, and lets the next generation of engineers "see" where their degrees might take them."

The announcement of this year's New Faces of Engineering class of 2011 coincides with the launch of Engineers Week, which takes place February 20-26. Later in 2011, National Engineers Week Foundation will announce the launch of a new student initiative, New Faces of Engineering College Edition.

Brianne is joined by the 2011 New Faces of Engineering honorees that include:

Amy Canfield, P.E.
AECOM (NYSE: ACM)
Nominated by the American Council of Engineering Companies, Canfield, 27, a transportation engineer, plans and designs highway corridors. Her long term vision directly impacts present and future transportation infrastructure.

Laura Christianson
Iowa State University
Nominated by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Christianson, 28, an agricultural engineer, studies how to mitigate water pollution through natural processes.

Jeremy David Livermore, P.E.
AECOM (NYSE: ACM)
Nominated by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Livermore, 30, a structural engineer, designs mid-rise buildings and aids global volunteer groups with disaster assessment.

Christina Bishop Jackson, PhD
Honeywell
Nominated by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Dr. Jackson, 27, a chemical engineer, has parlayed her passion for the environment and alternative energy into a focus on nano-batteries and possibly a unique 3D nano-battery.

Tracey Nawrocki Jumper
Cornerstone Group Commissioning, Ltd.
Nominated by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Nawrocki Jumper, 28, an architectural engineer, helps reduce energy use and costs while increasing patient comfort in healthcare buildings.

Piyush Sabharwall, PhD
Idaho National Laboratory
Nominated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Dr. Sabharwall, 29, a nuclear and mechanical research engineer, develops high temperature nuclear reactor technologies crucial to advances in nuclear energy.

Sampathkumar Veeraraghavan
Intel
Nominated by IEEE/IEEE-USA, Veeraraghavan, 27, develops technological aids and solutions that address global humanitarian issues for disabled and impoverished women and children.

Sara Falkiewicz
ProHealth Care
Nominated by the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IEE), Falkiewicz, 27, an industrial engineer, helps reduce ‘door-to-balloon' time for heart attack patients, increases mammography screening rates and improves same-day access to physicians.

Marco Pirozzi, P.E.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Nominated by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), Pirozzi, 29, a licensed professional engineer in the Materials Engineering Division, tests the quality of high performance concrete that is being used at the World Trade Center Site.

Belinda Wu
Woodside Energy, Ltd.
Nominated by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Wu, 27, a reservoir engineer, improves on technology that enables hydrocarbons to be extracted from below the Earth's surface to help source much of the world's energy.

Georgette Hlepas, PhD, P.E.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Nominated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Dr. Hlepas, 30, is a geotechnical engineer who has supported the Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts and currently is developing a long-term field instrumentation and monitoring reservoir program.

Juan Carlos Torres
U. S. Naval Nuclear Propulsión Program
Nominated by the U. S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, Torres, 28, is a Nuclear Engineer Qualified Submarine Officer onboard USS Maryland. He has contributed to research on critical U.S. Submarine related initiatives such as underwater high frequency sound propagation.

James Wynn III
GE Aviation
Nominated by the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), representing the National Engineers Week Foundation Diversity Council, Wynn, 28, a design engineer, initiates changes for crucial technical and design support that minimizes manufacturing defects and high production costs for commercial regional jet engines and parts.

Information about all of the New Faces nominees can be found at www.eweek.org.

About Engineers Week:

The National Engineers Week Foundation, a formal coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations and government agencies, is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers among young students and by promoting pre-college literacy in math and science. Engineers Week also raises public understanding and appreciation of engineers' contributions to society. Founded in 1951, it is among the oldest of America's professional outreach efforts. Co-chairs for 2011 are Raytheon and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). For more information, visit www.eweek.org.

About the SME Education Foundation:

The SME Education Foundation is committed to inspiring, supporting and preparing the next generation of manufacturing engineers and technologists in the advancement of manufacturing education. Created by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in 1979, the SME Education Foundation has provided more than $31 million since 1980 in grants, scholarships and awards through its partnerships with corporations, organizations, foundations, and individual donors. Visit the SME Education Foundation at www.smeef.org. Also visit CareerMe.org, for information on advanced manufacturing careers and our award-winning Web site for young people, www.ManufacturingisCool.com.

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