2005 engineer of the year nominees: eight individuals vie for prestigious title.

SHIRISH PATIL

Shirish Patil is an associate professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He received a B.E. (mechanical engineering) degree from the College of Engineering (Pune, India) in June 1981, M.S. (mechanical engineering) from the University of Pittsburgh in August 1983, M.S. (petroleum engineering, 1987) and M.S. (engineering management, 199,5) from the UAF respectively.

During his career spanning 18 years at UAF, Professor Patil has made significant contributions in teaching, research and professional/public service. He has taught 15 different courses in the Petroleum Engineering Department and has been recognized as "Outstanding Professor of the Year" and for "Outstanding Service" seven times by the students of Petroleum Engineering Department.

He has authored more than 75 technical papers and reports, and edited two proceedings. His research includes gas hydrates, enhanced oil recovery, coalbed methane, and gas-to-liquids transportation. Patil is internationally recognized for his contributions to gas hydrate research. He has brought numerous research grants to UAF totaling more than $14 million as principal or co-principal investigator. He has served as chair, co-chair or member of the M.S. thesis committees to more than 50 graduate students.

His professional and public service includes: Alaska representative on Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) Energy Resources, Research & Technology Committee, member of Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Education & Accreditation Committee, chair of Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB) Transportation Advisory Commission, and Member of FNSB Sister City Commission. Patil also has served as UAF SPE student chapter faculty advisor for 10 years and was on numerous SPE conferences as session chair, organizing committee member of 2005 Alaska Rocks Conference and has contributed to several SPE Western Regional Conference planning committees.

WHITHAM D. REEVE

Whitham D. Reeve has been involved in the technical aspects of communications for 40 years. After earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in electrical engineering, he worked for Reeve Aleutian Airways on communications, flight control and navigation systems for large airplanes. In 1973, Anchorage Telephone Utility hired him as a transmission and protection engineer, and he soon became the electronic systems superintendent. He did all of the engineering work associated with deployment of SPC switching systems, designed ATU's dc power systems, and upgraded their central office ac power systems.

In 1975, Reeve received professional registration in Alaska as an electrical engineer and started Reeve Consulting Engineers. He did engineering work for airlines, including installation design and upgrades for communications equipment. In 1978, Reeve began to focus on engineering design, engineering management and construction for telecommunications common carriers, as well as generation, transmission and...