Geoffrey C. Orsak, dean of the Southern Methodist University School of Engineering and executive director of the Institute for Engineering Education at SMU, has been named the first ever recipient of  the EE Times Educator of the Year.  The first-ever category of the EE Times ACE Awards will be presented at the EE Times ACE Awards Gala on April 4, 2006, as part of the Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley.

The EE Times ACE Awards honors those who are leading the way and making positive contributions -- the real innovators of technology. The Educator the Year award recognizes an individual who brings leadership, creativity and inspiration to students in an engineering or science curriculum in college or secondary schools.

Geoffrey C. Orsak has served as a member of a number of distinguished national and state boards focused on improving engineering education including the IEEE Education Activities Board and the executive committee of the Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium. Orsak founded the Institute for Engineering Education, one of the first nationally funded entities to support the advancement of engineering education from kindergarten through graduate school. In this role, he created a number of award-winning programs, including The Infinity Project, a national award-winning K-12 and early college math- and science-based engineering and technology education initiative that helps school districts incorporate state-of-the-art engineering and advanced technology in the high school classroom.

Geoff received his BSEE, MSEE, and PhD degrees at Rice in 1985, 1986, and 1990, respectively.

Please read the press release for further details on this award.