Engineering

Two engineering alumni receive the Penn State Alumni Association's highest award

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Two engineering alumni will be honored Oct. 8 for their outstanding professional accomplishments and given the title of Alumni Fellow, the Penn State Alumni Association's highest award.

Since the award was established in 1973, more than 700 alumni have been honored with the title of Alumni Fellow, designated a permanent and lifelong title by the Penn State Board of Trustees. This year, 21 alumni will receive the award.

The engineers are Edward Auslander, who received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1985 and master of business administration in 1991, and Karen Sweeney, who earned a bachelor of architectural engineering degree in 1980.

Auslander serves as president and chief executive officer of LORD Corp. Founded in 1924, LORD Corp. is a privately held company that serves the automotive, aerospace and defense, general industrial and electronics markets. With global headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, LORD is a leading global provider of adhesives, coatings, electronic chemicals, and mechanical and electro-mechanical systems that control noise, vibration and motion.

He serves on the board of directors of North Carolina New Schools. Auslander is also an active member of the Aerospace Industries Association, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the National Association of Chief Executive Officers.

Sweeney is senior vice president for diversity, inclusion and community for Turner Construction Co. in Baltimore.

She is a founding member of In Counsel with Women in Cleveland, and is a member of the Conference Board's Council of U.S. Diversity and Inclusion Executives, and the Society of Women Engineers.

In 2010, Sweeney received the College of Engineering's Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award.

She is immediate past president of the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society; founding member of the Penn State Alumni Society of Architectural Engineers affiliate program group; and a member of the College of Engineering's Industrial and Professional Advisory Council.

Last Updated September 11, 2014