Dr. Nenad Gucunski was honored as the ACECNJ 2021 Educator of the Year.
The American Council of Engineering Companies of New Jersey celebrated its 50th annual Engineering Excellence Awards this July, and recognized Rutgers professor and CAIT-affiliated researcher Dr. Nenad Gucunski as its Educator of the Year.
Recognizing the accomplishments of New Jersey’s engineering community, the American Council of Engineering Companies of New Jersey (ACECNJ) hosted its 50th annual Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet on Wednesday, July 14th, at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township, NJ.
Recognitions ranged from Distinguished Service Awards to Young Professional Awards, with all recipients being acknowledged for their high-level accomplishments and contributions to NJ and the state’s engineering profession.
Among the winners, Dr. Nenad Gucunski, professor at the Rutgers University School of Engineering and chairman of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, received the 2021 Educator of the Year Award.
The award honors educators in engineering who have made positive impacts on the profession, inspired the next generation of engineers, and who have served as leaders in the field as a professor or administrator of an engineering school in New Jersey.
Dr. Gucunski is also director of the Infrastructure Condition Monitoring Program (ICMP) at the Rutgers’ Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT). He has extensive practical and research experience in the development and application of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technologies for condition assessment and monitoring of transportation infrastructure, bridges in particular, development of deterioration and predictive models, automation and integration of NDE technologies, and integration of NDE and remote sensing.
An internationally recognized expert in NDE/NDT technologies and an elected member of NDT Academia International, Dr. Gucunski has published more than 250 publications on various aspects of R&D, and the application of NDE technologies in the condition assessment of transportation infrastructure. He has also received awards for his research accomplishments, most notably the 2014 ASCE Charles Pankow Award for Innovation for the development of RABIT (Robotics Assisted Bridge Inspection Tool) for bridge decks.
At the banquet, he highlighted the need for increased industry collaboration and support for undergraduate education through internships, organization of technical tours and seminars, scholarships, and other means, to enhance the educational experience.
Other award winners included:
Distinguished Service Award
Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti New Jersey Department of Transportation
Lifetime Achievement Award
Bernard P. McNeilly, PE – WSP USA
Sanjay Naik, PE – Naik Group
Member Recognition Award
James C. Henry, NIV, PMP – TechniQuest Corporation
Affiliate Member of the Year Award
Connell Foley, LLP
Young Professional of the Year Award
Sarah Steib, PE French & Parrello Associates
