Five inducted into Academy of Engineers 2023 class
Newest inductees include engineers from Micron and Schweitzer Engineering.
October 1, 2023
The University of Idaho College of Engineering welcomes five new members into its Academy of Engineers, where U of I alumni and others are recognized for personal contributions to engineering achievement, leadership, education and society.
This year’s inductees are:
Patricia J.S. Colberg
Professor Emerita, University of Idaho, University of Wyoming
Patricia Colberg’s research program at the University of Wyoming generated more than $10 million in extramural funding and resulted in several fundamental discoveries related to groundwater remediation. She received many awards for her teaching and advising and was the first woman in the college of engineering and applied science to be promoted to the rank of full professor.
As chair of U of I’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 2015-2021, Colberg renovated the student computer lab, the student lounge, the graduate student offices, and several other department spaces. Working closely with the college’s advancement office, she met regularly with industry partners and alumni, an effort that resulted in new commitments to improve the department’s infrastructure.
Colberg also led development of the U of I College of Engineering’s Diversity and Equity Plan, which was awarded Bronze status by the American Society of Engineering Education.
In 2021, Colberg was selected as the college’s associate dean, where she continued her focus on student success and program quality. In 2021, she was selected as Athena’s Woman of the Year in recognition of her efforts to enhance women’s professional lives at U of I. She was granted the title of Professor Emeritus upon her retirement in July.
Mark Hedge
Lochsa Engineering Co-Founder
Mark Hedge co-founded Lochsa Engineering in 1995. The engineering, surveying, and BIM design firm has locations in Boise and Las Vegas. The company’s civil and structural design portfolio includes mega-resorts, multiple high-rises, unique amenities, countless education and public facilities.
Brent Keeth
Micron Technology, Inc., Senior Fellow, Pathfinding Team, Technology & Products Group
Throughout his career, Brent Keeth has led advancements in a number of technologies, including military radar and avionic systems, radio frequency and baseband communications equipment and silicon-based memory products.
His patent portfolio just reached 316 U.S. patents and 262 foreign patents—with more in the pipeline.
Keeth is a senior fellow at Micron Technology. Prior to joining the company in 1992, he held design engineering positions at Texas Instruments, General Instruments, and Grass Valley Group.
Edmund O. Schweitzer III
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Founder
Micron Technology, Inc., Senior Fellow, Pathfinding Team, Technology & Products Group
In 1982, Dr. Schweitzer founded Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) after inventing the first microprocessor-based protective relay, which revolutionized the performance of electric power systems with computer-based protection and control equipment.
He holds the grade of Fellow in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a title bestowed on less than one percent of IEEE members, and in 2012, was awarded IEEE Medal in Power Engineering for his contributions to the technology associated with the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power for the betterment of society.
In 2019, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, where he joins inventors like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Steve Jobs.
Robert Twiggs
CubeSat Miniature Satellite Co-inventor
Robert Twiggs co-invented the Cubesat, the de facto industry standard for miniature satellites, with over 4,000 successful launches since 1995.
He started several university programs for undergraduate and graduate students to design, build, launch and operate small satellites nationwide, including the Center for Aerospace Technology at Weber State in 1982, the Space Systems Development Laboratory at Stanford University in 1995, and at Morehead State University in 2009.
His contributions to the development of miniature satellite specifications, like the CanSat, PocketQube and ThinSat, have helped universities worldwide perform space science and exploration.