Alumna Constance Lightner Awarded for Teaching Excellence
The College of Engineering and the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University hosted alumnus Dr. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, who chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shares the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore.
An invitation-only reception and presentation entitled, “A Special Conversation With Dr. RK Pachauri," was held in Dr. Pachauri’s honor on February 11, 2008 where he was also presented with his 2007 Distinguished Alumnus Award. The award is the highest honor the department can bestow upon any graduate and is presented to individuals whose contributions to their profession, community and the department, college and/or university are notable and merit special recognition. In addition, the establishment of the R.K. Pachauri Fund for Global Engagement in Industrial and Systems Engineering was announced to honor Dr. Pachauri. This gift from an alumnus of the department will enable international travel, student exchange and other programs with outstanding institutions worldwide.
Dr. Pachauri spoke of his days as a student in ISE and the importance of the guidance and mentorship of the faculty including Professor Richard Bernhard, his co-advisor. He reflected on the value of his industrial engineering education in preparing himself for his current positions. Dr. Pachauri also spoke about the need to control carbon emissions and the leadership role that the United States could play.
During his visit to NC State, Dr. Pachauri was a featured speaker at The Institute for Emerging Issues Forum, a long-standing signature event in North Carolina that brings a diversity of leaders from across the nation and around the world to inform, engage and mobilize the state. The 2008 Forum is part of a larger program of work on energy and the environment. Dr. Pachauri, in his role as IPCC chair, spoke about the science of global climate change and the threat to human health and the environment.
About Dr. Pachauri
Dr. Pachauri obtained both his graduate degrees from NC State, including a master's degree in industrial engineering in 1972 and a joint Ph.D. in industrial engineering and economics in 1974. He also served at NC State as an assistant professor (August 1974 - May 1975) and a visiting faculty member (summer 1976 and 1977) in the Department of Economics.
Dr. Pachauri is director-general of The Energy Research Institute (TERI), a non-profit scientific and policy research organization, which focuses on global warming and its perils, based in New Delhi, India, with offices throughout the world. He took the position as chair of the IPCC in 2002 and has since become known for his dedication to the environment and his work in urging countries to recognize the existence, importance and danger of global climate change. He has also been awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's premier civilian award that recognizes distinguished service of a high order to the nation. In addition to teaching at NC State, he has served as visiting professor at Yale University and West Virginia University and as senior visiting fellow at Resource Systems Institute and at The World Bank. In 2007, Dr. Pachauri was nominated for TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World.