Two set to receive School of Engineering’s highest honor
LAWRENCE — Two people with a long track record of dedication to the engineering profession and who each made outstanding contributions to the industry and higher education will receive the University of Kansas School of Engineering’s highest honor later this week.
Don Green, the Deane E. Ackers Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, and Craig L. Martin, retired CEO of Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., will receive the Distinguished Engineering Service Award in a ceremony set for 6 p.m. Thursday, May 7, at the Kansas Union.
“Don and Craig each led distinguished careers and made significant contributions to the engineering profession and the School of Engineering,” said Michael Branicky, dean of the engineering school. “We are proud to call them Jayhawks and honored to recognize their achievements through this award.”
The School of Engineering Advisory Board has given the Distinguished Engineering Service Award annually since 1980. The award honors KU engineering alumni or engineers who have maintained a close association with the university and for outstanding contributions to the profession of engineering and society.
The award is made on the basis of an individual’s contribution to the public good, governmental service or the educational system, or contributions to the theories and practices of engineering, research and development in new fields of engineering or direction of an organization that has made exceptional contributions in design, production and development.
About the Honorees:
Don Green
Don Green started his career in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Kansas School of Engineering in 1964 after two years in industry working as a research engineer for Conoco. He quickly earned a reputation as an exceptional instructor for his ability to challenge and inspire students as well as his friendly demeanor. He retired from KU in 2009.
Green served two terms as department chair, from 1970-74 and from 1996-2000.
In 1988, he won KU’s H.O.P.E. (Honor for the Outstanding Progressive Educator) Award, which is the only KU award for teaching excellence bestowed exclusively by students.
In 1974, Green helped start an initiative, KU’s Tertiary Oil Recovery Project (TORP). This research center has made substantial contributions to the fundamental understanding and development of what are termed Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) processes. As co-director for TORP’s first 33 years, Green oversaw the center’s growth into a nationally recognized organization that brought significant benefits to independent oil producers, especially those in Kansas.
Green has authored or co-authored 70 referenced publications and more than 100 technical meeting presentations. He served as the editor on the sixth, seventh and eighth editions of Perry’s Chemical Engineers' Handbook, and currently he is in the process of editing the ninth edition. This is the definitive reference work in chemical engineering, known and used throughout the world by multiple generations of engineers.
Green and his wife, Pat, celebrated their 60th anniversary last fall. They have three sons: Guy, an engineer; Michael, an attorney, and Patrick, a physician. All have two children each, giving Don and Pat six grandchildren.
Craig L. Martin
Craig Martin earned a reputation as one of the most dynamic and successful company leaders in the engineering industry. Martin retired as CEO of Jacobs in 2014 and leaves a lasting legacy of improving the landscape of worker safety throughout the industry.
Martin earned his degree in civil engineering from the University of Kansas in 1971, joined the Martin K. Eby Construction Company in 1972 and rapidly assumed positions of ever increasing responsibility in more than a decade with company.
In 1983, Martin became executive vice president and chief operating officer with CRSS Constructors, rising to senior vice president of operations.
In 1994, Jacobs acquired CRSS, and Martin moved into the role of president of Jacobs Constructors Inc., then became the head of sales and marketing in 1995. He was named company president in 2002 and became Jacobs CEO in 2006. Under his leadership, Jacobs expanded to more than 250 offices in more than 30 countries. Revenue grew from $4.6 billion to almost $13 billion, and the number of employees went from 20,000 to 65,000.
Martin oversaw the company when it was named by Forbes Magazine as one of America’s Most Trustworthy Companies and by Fortune Magazine as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies.
Martin helped reshape organizational culture and individual behaviors surrounding safety by developing the BeyondZero campaign. The goal is to extend a “Culture of Caring” beyond the workplace and encourage Jacobs’ employee to take safety deeply into their family and friendship circles. The effort led Martin to be named one of the 10 “CEOs Who Get It” by the National Safety Council’s Health + Safety Magazine in 2014.
Martin resides in Pasadena, California, with his wife, Diane.