Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Awards
Friday, October 17, 2025
6:00PM-9:00PM
The Convergence Center
101 Foundry Dr, West Lafayette, IN
Every year, the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University recognizes alumni who have demonstrated excellence in industry, academia, governmental service, or other endeavors related to mechanical engineering. Honorees have shown outstanding character and leadership and have accomplished great things. Since 1991, 343 of our alumni have been honored with the prestigious Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Award.
Congratulations to all our 2025 OME recipients for showing us the best that Mechanical Engineering has to offer!
Eckhard Groll
William E. and Florence E. Perry Head and Reilly Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Theodore Bergman | Steve Cittadine | James Denney | Hemanth Dhavaleswarapu | Steve Downer | Trevor Hedman | Neal Herring | Megan Mauck | Tarak Mehta | Mahesh Panchagnula | Cole Yarrington
THEODORE BERGMAN
Charles E. & Mary Jane Spahr Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kansas
MSME 1981, PhD 1985
Theodore Bergman is currently the Charles E. & Mary Jane Spahr Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kansas, but has previously held endowed faculty positions at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Connecticut.
Bergman has contributed to both the science and art of heat transfer, as it pertains to industrial aspects of thermal management, thermal energy storage and thermal manufacturing. He has co-authored several heat transfer textbooks that have been used by instructors and students worldwide, (even at Purdue!) He’s authored or co-authored over 150 journal articles, conference papers and book chapters and holds two U.S. patents.
In addition, he was formerly Head of Mechanical Engineering at both the University of Connecticut and the University of Kansas. He is also a former Director of the Thermal Transport Processes (Heat Transfer) Program at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), where he was responsible for much of the federal funding directed to university-based heat transfer research conducted in the U.S., and was instrumental in developing novel, high-profile collaborations between NSF and the Department of Energy.
His many recognitions include, but are not limited to the ASME Melville Medal, the Presidential Young Investigator Award (conferred by President Ronald Reagan) and induction into the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. He has been routinely identified as a Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientist. Bergman is also a ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholar in Heat Transfer, placing him in the top 0.05% of all heat transfer researchers worldwide. He is also designated by ScholarGPS to be in the uppermost 0.02% of all scholars worldwide in terms of his lifetime impact on heat transfer research.
Bergman received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and his master’s and PhD in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.
STEVE CITTADINE
Principal, Cittadine Ventures
BSME 1983
Steve graduated with his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University in 1983 and received his master’s degree in business administration in finance from the University of Chicago in 1988.
After graduating from Purdue, Cittadine worked at a major natural gas pipeline company where he gained broad experiences and skills in business development, natural gas reservoir modeling and commodity trading and marketing. In 1999, he launched a commodity trading and marketing company at Nicor Inc. where he led the development of a portfolio of natural gas assets, supplies and complex derivative instruments.
Cittadine became President of Storage and Fuels for AGL Resources and Southern Company Gas in 2011, which consisted of two divisions, a natural gas storage division and an LNG (liquefied natural gas) division. Here, he led the development of an underground natural gas storage reservoir in northern California and managed salt cavern storage facilities in Texas and Louisiana. An initial project involved the design and conversion of an LNG peaking plant into a small-scale LNG plant for use as fuel in high horsepower applications. LNG markets served included the first U.S. application utilizing lower cost and lower emission LNG as a replacement for bunkering fuel in ocean going vessels.
In his current consulting role, he utilizes his vast experiences and industry contacts to provide a range of energy related consulting services. Recent projects include providing due diligence related to an acquisition of natural gas storage assets, conducting strategic evaluation of new business line viability and serving as an industry expert witness.
During the pandemic, Cittadine and his wife, Kay, provided $1,000 stipends to Purdue mechanical engineering students. The stipends helped lessen the impact of lost work time while things were shut down.
JAMES DENNEY
Chief Product Officer, Global Streaming and NBCUniversal Media Group
BSME 1987
James Denney serves as Chief Product Officer for Global Streaming and NBCUniversal Media Group. In this role, Denney leads all aspects of development and implementation of the company’s global product strategy. With a heavy focus on user experience and commerce capabilities, he is responsible for the product vision and strategy for all NBCUniversal Media Group brands, inclusive of NBCUniversal’s digital platforms, broadcast and cable OTT apps, NBC Sports and Sky.
Before joining NBCUniversal, Denney served as Head of Product & Vice President of Product Management at Hulu. In this role, he led product management and strategy with a focus on re-inventing the future of television. Beyond building an emerging live TV service, Denney was instrumental in spearheading industry-changing capabilities focused on organization, experience, engagement, billing, device partnerships and integrations. He directed Hulu’s transformative cross-team efforts to ship innovative features, including a complete redesign of the user experience for SVOD and live-streaming.
Earlier in his career, Denney spent over 15 years at TiVo, overseeing the company’s domestic and international advanced television products and services. Spanning a diverse set of product lines, he focused on television, mobile, data management, communication tools, cloud service infrastructure and scalability. From a business operational standpoint, Denney played a significant role working with corporate development to identify and acquire select companies, advancing TiVo’s goals and objectives while expanding the product portfolio.
Denney holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and is a Sports Emmy® winner for his work on the 2024 Summer Olympics and a Primetime Emmy® winner for his work at TiVo.
HEMANTH DHAVALESWARAPU
Fellow, Advanced Packaging, AMD
MSME 2007, PhD 2010
Hemanth Dhavaleswarapu earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and his master’s and PhD in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.
After graduating, Dhavaleswarapu worked as an IC Packaging Technologist at Intel for 11 years and then went to work at AMD in 2021 and has been there since. He has a proven track record of leading and mentoring high-performing teams to develop cutting-edge integrated pacakge solutions. During his career, he’s developed several advanced packaging technologies, has in-depth knowledge of package architecture and design, and has extensive experience working with semiconductor packaging.
Dhavaleswarapu has more than 20 patents, 15 journal/conference publications and over 20 internal publications.
STEVE DOWNER
Vice President of Consumer Electronics, Amazon
BSME 1996
Steve Downer currently serves as Vice President of Consumer Electronics at Amazon, overseeing worldwide retail business services, US consumer electronics, US automotive, US business products and several worldwide technology solutions organizations. Downer also serves as vice chair of the Consumer Technology Association, attending executive briefings at the White House to discuss key policy issues such as AI, cybersecurity, trade and supply chain management with government leadership.
Downer graduated with his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1996 and went on to earn his master’s degree in managment at Northwestern University. While at Purdue, he participated in the co-op program with General Electric.
He then began his full-time career in General Electric’s Technical Leadership Program, a two- year comprehensive program consisting of rotations in diverse functional roles. He held multiple positions during his 15+ years at GE, including General Manager for Global Consumer Products, and as Commercial Leader and Managing Director for GE Appliances across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and was stationed in Brussels, Belgium.
In 2024, he was inducted into the Purdue Professional Practice Hall of Fame.
TREVOR HEDMAN
Chief Technology Officer, Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division
PhD 2012
Trevor Hedman currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Indian Head Division, where he leads the strategic research direction for the command, serves as the primary science and technology advisor, and facilitates technology transition in and out of the Navy.
He manages a research portfolio focused on energetic materials, unmanned systems, and novel production methods made up of approximately 40 projects and valued at roughly $20M/year.
Prior to his current position, Hedman worked as the head of the Physics and Engineering Branch at NSWC Indian Head where he led a team in the research of air-breathing propulsion systems and fuel development. He has authored around 30 peer-reviewed publications and holds 8 Navy patents in the areas of energetic materials, propulsion, insensitive munitions, and ramjets.
His first job after Purdue was working for the U.S. Navy in the southern California desert at the Naval Air Weapons Center – Weapons Division. While there,
Hedman had the privilege of being a member of a small team that designed, built, and successfully flight tested a solid fueled ramjet with sustained supersonic speeds. As a result of that work, he was awarded the Dr. William B. McLean award, China Lake’s highest award for innovation, for designing the high energy-density solid fuels for ramjet applications.
Trevor was awarded a PhD. in mechanical engineering at Purdue University in 2012.
NEAL HERRING
Senior Director, Aerothermal Systems Department, RTX Technology Research Center
PhD 2007
Neal Herring is currently the Senior Director for Aerothermal Systems at the RTX Technology Research Center. He provides strategic and operational leadership to the Department in three areas: Combustion & Propulsion, Aero & Acoustics, and Thermofluid Science.
Previous to this role, Herring was Chief of Staff to the RTX Chief Technology Officer. In that role he provided strategic, analytical, technical, organizational, and procedural support to assure the efficient execution of activities in the Technology & Global Engineering organization.
Prior to that, Herring spent 15 years at the RTX Technology Research Center in a variety of roles. He oversaw research center activities with Raytheon Missiles and Defense after the 2020 merger of United Technologies Corporation (UTC) and Raytheon. In this role, he was responsible for growing the project portfolio, delivering innovation with rigorous technical quality, expanding relationships with the businesses, developing strategy, creating road maps and increasing the external funding opportunities with the Raytheon Missiles and Defense business unit.
Previously, Herring was the Thermal Management Group Leader, directing all group capabilities and efforts to solve tough problems and to create innovative solutions for UTC Business Units. He has 20 years of experience in aircraft thermal management, heat exchangers, high temperature fuels, metal combustion and constant volume combustion.
He recieved his PhD from Purdue University in 2007 and worked as a member of the Rolls-Royce University Technology Center in High Mach Propulsion. He is a member of ASME and an Associate Fellow of AIAA, and the recent Chair of the Inlets, Nozzles and Propulsion Systems Integration Technical Committee.
MEGAN MAUCK
Senior Vice President of Media Operations, NBCUniversal
BSME 2006
As Senior Vice President of Media Operations, Megan Mauck oversees a broad and geographically distributed team based in Los Angeles, New York City, Denver, and Stamford, Connecticut. She leads NBCUniversal’s Content Supply Chain (CSC) portfolio, which encompasses 24/7 Broadcast Operations, Content Fulfillment Operations, Post Production Operations, Marketing Supply Chain Operations, and the CSC Product Organization.
Her organization is responsible for ensuring that all NBCUniversal created, owned, and licensed content is prepared, distributed, and delivered across a wide range of platforms and partners. This includes NBCUniversal’s domestic and international networks, all NBCUniversal and Telemundo Owned & Operated stations, Peacock, and third-party licensees. Her team also supports major live events such as the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the NBA, Saturday Night Live, and Sunday Night Football.
In addition to operational leadership, Mauck is responsible for driving the technical strategy for NBCUniversal’s content technology platforms, including the integration of AI-enabled solutions across the media operations ecosystem.
Outside of her role at NBCUniversal, Megan serves as Board Chair for Grades of Green, a Los Angeles–based nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering and educating students to take action and lead environmental change.
In 2024, Rise Awards named Megan the 2024 Woman of the Year.
Megan graduated from Purdue in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. She also earned her master’s degree in business administration from the University of Illinois..
TARAK MEHTA
Partner and Co-Head, Partners Group
BSME 1989
Tarak Mehta graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1989 and went on to earn his master’s degree in business administrationfrom the University of Chicago.
Mehta joined ABB, a global technology leader in electrification and automation, in 1998 and held various management positions in the Power Products Division in the U.S., Sweden and Switzerland. He became global head of ABB’s Transformers business and in 2010 was appointed to ABB’s executive Committee as President of the Low Voltage Products Division. In 2016, he became President of the Electrification business and positioned the company as one of the leading businesses in its field, acquired and integrated GE Industrial Solutions and drove significant growth of the E-mobility business while improving overall performance. In 2022, he became President of the Motion business where he drove performance and profitable growth.
Mehta then became President and CEO of The Timken Company, a global leader in engineered bearings and industrial motion products.
Currently, Mehta is a Partner at Partners Group in its Private Equity business and Co-Head of its Goods and Products Vertical. He is responsible for originating new investments and overseeing transformational value creation intiatives at portfolio companies.
MAHESH PANCHAGNULA
Chair Professor, Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
MSME 1994, PhD 1998
Mahesh Panchagnula is an Institute Chair Professor in the Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, where he has been serving since 2010. He earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and holds a B.Tech. from IIT Madras.
As Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations) at IIT Madras from 2020 to 2024, Panchagnula orchestrated a national record-breaking fundraising campaign, establishing India’s most robust platform for corporate and alumni engagement. Prior to this, as Dean (International and Alumni Relations) from 2018 to 2020, he negotiated and championed over 100 academic memoranda of understanding, expanding IIT Madras’ global presence. Under his stewardship as Director, the Incubation Cell at IIT Madras transformed into India’s premier deep-tech incubator, nurturing over 400 start-ups.
He co-founded Nirmaan in 2014, India’s first student pre-incubator, which has since empowered over 125 student ventures to go to market. In 2020, he launched IIT Madras Shaastra, a national science and technology magazine.
Panchagnula has authored over 150 peer-reviewed articles encompassing fluid mechanics, spray and aerosol science, pulmonary mechanics, and crowd dynamics. Additionally, he created the world’s first predictive model to forecast the onset of crowd stampedes, which has been effectively implemented at multiple major temple festivals, including the Mahakumbh 2025, the largest congregation of people globally.
Recently, he co-founded and leads the Center of Excellence on Sports Science and Analytics. Panchagnula also founded the Prof. Mahesh Podcast to share insights into engineering and science, and inspire the next generation of students to take to the full diversity of STEM.
COLE YARRINGTON
Senior Manager of Thermal, Fluid, and Aero Sciences Group, Engineering Sciences Center, Sandia National Labs
MSME 2007, PhD 2011
Cole Yarrington is currently the Senior Manager of the Thermal, Fluid, and Aero Sciences group, in the Engineering Sciences Center at Sandia National Labs. In this role he manages a diverse organization innovating at the nexus of engineering science disciplines, and working across the research, development, and application spectrum. The organization shepherds both experimental and simulation capabilities such as diagnostics development for extreme environments, modeling and simulation for component and system design, and evaluation and discovery in hypersonics, thermal response, and energetics. He is also the sub-program lead at Sandia for Physics & Engineering Models in the Advanced Simulation and Computing Program, and the deputy for the Engineering Sciences Research Foundation.
Prior to his current role, Cole served as a senior technical advisor and detailee in the Office of Engineering and Tech Maturation (NA-115) at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) HQ where he developed program strategies and worked to integrate programs across the NNSA .
Cole joined Sandia in 2011 as a senior member of the technical staff working in the Nanoscale and Reactive Processes Department, researching the physics of explosives initiation via mesoscale modeling. In 2014, he graduated from the Weapon Intern Program and was promoted to Principal technical staff in 2017. Cole became a R&D manager in 2018, leading the Materials Mechanics and Tribology department for 3 years, and serving as Acting Senior Manager.
Cole received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University followed by his master’s degree and PhD in mechanical engineering from Purdue University. Cole was a Purdue recruiter for 5 years after joining the labs, and currently serves as the Sandia Deputy Campus Executive for Purdue University.