Claudia Gunsch, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, received a Career award from the National Science Foundation. The five-year, $400,000 award will fund her project entitled “Horizontal Genetic Adaptation Resulting from Microbial Exposure to Anthropogenic Contaminants.” In addition to the laboratory work involved in this project, Gunsch and her students also plan on developing an outreach program to attract under-represented minority middle-schoolers to the sciences and engineering.

Krishnendu Chakrabarty, professor of electrical and computer engineering, was named a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Chakrabarty was one of only 37 to receive the honor this year. Distinguished members are recognized for their individual contributions to both the practical and theoretical aspects of computing and information technology.

Kristina M. Johnson, dean of the Pratt  from 1999-2007, was appointed to the post of under secretary of the Department of Energy by President Obama. If confirmed by the Senate, she will  be responsible for leading administration initiatives aimed at promoting energy efficiency and developing solar and wind power, geothermal energy, clean car technology, and other forms of renewable, green energy. Johnson had been serving as Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at Johns Hopkins University.

Two Pratt  alumni have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Frank (Skip) L. Bowman, (T’66), former chief of naval personnel and former director of the Nuclear Propulsion Program for the U.S. Department of the Navy was cited for his leadership in the design of nuclear-reactor propulsion plants to support the power requirements of evolving combat systems.

Robert Leon Cook, (T’77), vice president of advanced technology at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. was cited for building the motion picture industry’s standard rendering tool.