FEATURES
Superstars of engineering
More than 1.5 million engineers work in the United States today, but only about 2,400 have earned election into the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest honors afforded to those in the field. NC State is proud to count 10 NAE members among its engineering and computer science faculty. Check out their amazing accomplishments.
R. Wayne Skaggs, William Neal Reynolds Professor and Distinguished University Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
NAE Member since 1991
Why he's in: Farmers can thank Wayne Skaggs for saving them money. All of us can thank him for protecting our environment. Skaggs is the developer of a breakthrough water management model called DRAINMOD that is used around the world by engineers, researchers and government agencies. The model predicts the movement of nitrates, salts and other soil elements and quantifies the effects of drainage and water-table management systems on crop yields as well as pollutant losses from agricultural fields. The model has also been applied to describe the hydrology of wetlands, which makes it possible to better identify and protect these fragile and ecologically important areas.
Get this: Skaggs won the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Award
in 1997, given to the person who had made the most significant contributions
to American agriculture over the preceding five years. 
Thom J. Hodgson, James T. Ryan Distinguished University Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering; Director, Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering Institute (IMSEI); Co-director, Operations Research Program
NAE Member since 2001
Why he's in: Hodgson is one of the pioneers of the study of the design and analysis of supply chains, work that helped establish more efficient and cost-effective ways to get goods and services from producer to consumer. He was one of the 125 inaugural Fellows of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences and is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers. He is the founding director of IMSEI at NC State, a unique program that offers students with backgrounds in engineering and the physical sciences the opportunity to broaden their understanding of the multidisciplinary area of manufacturing systems.
Get this: IMSEI, which Hodgson founded, receives its funding from industry, fostering a tight bond that helps students gain knowledge about real-world manufacturing. His connection with students extends to the handball court, where's he's promised an “A” to any student who can beat him. It hasn't happened yet. His first teaching job was as a sky diving instructor.