Announcing nominees 2009 Engineer of the Year: this prestigious award announced each February as part of Engineering Week.

• Position: ENGINEERING: SPECIAL SECTION

Every year, Alaska Business Monthly lists the nominees for the Engineer of the Year. This year, there are nine nominated for and hoping to win the coveted award. Each is nominated by associations they belong to, listed in their bios. Last year's winner was Scott Gruhn, who compiled this special section, and is featured on our cover.

SEAAK Nominee: Danny Graham, PE

Danny Graham was born in St. Cloud Minnesota in 1948. His father purchased a small ranch in northern California in 1952. The Graham family resided at the ranch for the duration of Graham's youth. Having a strong sense of duty to his country, he entered the United States Army, enrolling in the non-commissioned officers school.

Upon graduating to the rank of Staff Sergeant, Graham was delegated the duty of running a 14-man heavy artillery crew in Vietnam. During his tour, he received the Army's Metal of Accommodation for his "unbroken duty to remain as posted for over 72 hours while under heavy attack from the enemy."

After serving his country in Vietnam, Graham was released from active duty. He returned home to pursue his dream of becoming a civil engineer. Graham graduated from the University of Nevada with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He also has completed graduate-level studies toward his master's from both the University of Nevada and the University of Florida at Gainesville.

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After passing the professional engineer in both California and Nevada, Graham started and operated his own structural engineering practice. Graham sold his practice in California for the sole purpose of relocating to Alaska in 1999.

Graham is a principal in the architectural and engineering firm of Larsen Consulting Group in Anchorage and is active in the development of LCG's structural engineering department. Graham has, throughout his career, been an active supporter of the American Society of Engineers, as well as its structural affiliations for his entire engineering career. He is recent past president of The Structural Engineers Association of Alaska and looks forward to serving the Anchorage branch of SEAAK in the years to come. He also has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage for timber and steel design classes.

Graham is an active aviator and golfer, and loves to hunt, fish and hike in the beautiful mountains of Alaska. He has been married to his wife Jean for more than twenty years and has a wonderful son who resides in California.

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ASCE Nominee: Tom Krzewinski, PE

Tom Krzewinski has worked in private practice as a geotechnical engineer for more than 37 years, and has been with Golder Associates for the last seven of those years. He is the chief engineer for Golder's Alaska Operations and is responsible for all engineering projects completed by Golder in the state.

His past experience has been in the colder climate of the United States, Canada, Russia and Greenland. He is internationally recognized as an expert at cold regions geotechnical engineering and permafrost engineering. Krzewinski is considered a pioneer in the field of Arctic engineering, with past projects including the trans-Alaska oil pipeline (TAPS), Red Dog Mine, the Mackenzie Gas Line and several versions of the proposed Alaska gas line projects. He has authored numerous technical papers on cold regions applications of geotechnical engineering and was awarded the prestigious ASCE Harold R. Peyton Award for significant contributions to cold regions engineering.

Krzewinski graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1972 and followed up with graduate studies in geotechnical engineering and materials engineering at the University of Minnesota; and earthquake engineering and Arctic engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He is...