On October 9, School of Engineering alumni, faculty, students, and friends gathered together in the Life Sciences Building on the Rutgers Busch campus for a gala Medal of Excellence alumni awards dinner. The evening honored the seven distinguished recipients of the 2025 Medal of Excellence Awards who were recognized for achievement in industry, research, and school engagement. Rutgers-New Brunswick Chancellor Francine Conway attended the cocktail reception and dinner event, delivering welcoming remarks. “Each of you,” she said, "represents something essential about what Rutgers Engineering produces – technical brilliance combined with the wisdom to apply it, the courage to innovate, and the commitment to lift others as you rise.”
With more than 250 people in attendance, School of Engineering Dean Alberto Cuitino acknowledged the generous support of the event’s corporate sponsors, which included Medal of Excellence dinner sponsor RC Andersen, reception sponsors Johnson & Johnson and WSP, and 20 additional Trailblazer, Explorer, and Builder Sponsors.
2025 Medal of Excellence Honorees
Robert C. Andersen (BS'85) Civil Engineering
The Medal of Excellence Award honors alumni or friends of the School of Engineering whose lifetime professional and civic achievements reflect positively on the school. Dean Cuitiño presented the award to Robert C. Andersen, the retired CEO of RC Andersen, a top-ranked national general contracting company he founded and currently serves in an advisory role.
His philanthropic initiatives include his 2022 establishment of the School of Engineering Robert C. Andersen Endowed Scholarship to benefit undergraduates studying civil and environmental engineering as well as support of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and the Chilton Hospital Foundation.
In accepting his award, Andersen remarked that, “Rutgers gave me not just an engineering degree, but the foundation for everything that came after – the problem-solving mindset, the discipline, and the confidence to turn ideas into reality.”
Peter C. Schultz (BS’64, PhD’67) Ceramics Engineering
Michaele Watson, the president of Rutgers Engineering Alumni, along with Lisa Klein, materials science and engineering professor and chair presented the Distinguished Engineer Award to Peter Schultz, whose co-invention of fiber optics forever transformed telecommunications. Today, more than 2.5 billion miles of fiber optic cable worldwide, based on Schultz’s original materials and process patents, have made the internet, wi-fi, cable television, and high-speed telecommunications and data transfer we take for granted possible.
Additionally, he holds 26 U.S. patents and election to the National Academy of Engineering, induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, the National Medal of Technology, and induction into the Rutgers Alumni Hall of Fame, among his many honors.
Schultz has noted that his MOE award is especially meaningful, saying: “I’m very proud award because it comes from my alma mater and to an engineer from an engineering community.”
Peter J. Pupalaikis (MS’88) Electrical Engineering
Peter Pupalaikis, a founding member and director of signal integrity at Nubis Communications and member of the ECE Industry Advisory Board, is the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement in Research Award, which honors research achievements that have advanced new technologies. Digital Signal Processing (DSP)-enabled oscilloscopes, conceived of and implemented by Pupalaikis, has become the instrument of choice for measuring and displaying time-varying signals encountered in scientific and engineering pursuits.
In presenting Pupalaikis with his award, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineer Chair Yingying Chen enumerated his personal accomplishments that include holding more than 50 granted US patents, more than 40 scientific papers, and election to fellow of the IEEE for his contributions to high-speed waveform digitizing instruments. In 2024, he received the prestigious honor of election to the National Academy of Engineers.
Di Xu (PhD’01) Industrial Engineering
Doctoral student Ayca Altay presented Di Xu, American Express vice president and head of AI labs and AI governance, with the Distinguished Achievement in Industry Award. This award recognizes Xu’s outstanding leadership, innovation, and management skills.
After receiving his doctorate in 2001, Xu began his career at American Express, where he held positions in data science, including acquisition, underwriting, and fraud and customer management modeling functions. Today, he and his team are actively exploring cutting-edge machine learning research and its application in financial services.
Committed to fostering the next generation of engineers, Xu has connected students with real-world experience by initiating an American Express Fellows program for engineering doctoral students like Altay. The recipient of the ISE department’s 2022 Distinguished Alumnus Award, Xu is a member of its Industry Advisory Board.
Stephen Recchia (BS’04) Mechanical Engineering (Phd’16) Materials Science and Engineering
The Distinguished Young Alumnus Award, which recognizes early career success and continued engagement with the university of graduates – at any level – within the past 10 years, was presented to Stephen Recchia by Assimina Pelegri, department of mechanical and aerospace engineering chair.
Recchia draws on his 21 years of experience in leading programs and designing munitions and ordinance for the Department of Defense (DOD). He is currently a DOD military program manager, in the Office of Undersecretary of Defense Manufacturing and Technology. As a program manager for the DOD Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MII), he leads public/private engagement and manages public funding for the nine DOD MII.
Ilene Rosen BA’82, Med’87, EdD’97
SoE Associate Dean for Student Services Ilene Rosen’s career began in 1987, when she joined the school as part of a retention initiative for the Education Opportunity Fund (EOF) program.
Over time, her role continued to expand until she assumed the roles of the associate dean of Student Services and director of EOF. Her many milestones include founding TARGET – The Academy at Rutgers for Girls in Engineering and Technology – and Governor’s School of Engineering and Technology initiatives, as well as summer engineering programs for elementary through high school students.
Rosen’s dedication to students is evident in her service as an advisor for such organizations as the Society of Hispanic Engineers, Society of Women in Engineering, Rutgers Formula Racing, and the Engineering Governing Council. In presenting her with the Dean’s Award for Service and Lifetime Achievement, SoE Dean Alberto Cuitiño defined her legacy as one of touching the lives of students and colleagues. One such colleague, and onetime advisee, SoE Assistant Dean Jean Patrick Antoine recalled that during the 30 years he has known Rosen, “one thing has remained constant: Dean Rosen exemplifies what it means to support individuals academically, personally, and professionally.”
New Jersey Transit
Ali Maher, Director of CAIT – the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation, presented the 2025 Corporate Partner of the Year Award to New Jersey Transit. As the state’s public transportation corporation, it carries more than 270 million passengers to their destinations a year.
As Maher said, “It is more than a transportation agency. It is the economic engine of our state, powering growth, opportunity, and connectivity.” Working closely with CAIT, NJ Transit has developed a host of innovations, from mitigating climate change impacts to ensuring the transparency of train windows, that have been adopted by many of the nation’s transit agencies.
The event also included a moment of remembrance for Richard N. Weeks, a 1950 graduate of Rutgers Engineering who died in August. Asmi Kaushal, a recipient of the Richard N. Weeks Endowed Scholarship, said, “This scholarship represents more than just financial assistance. It represents the opportunity to chase my dreams, strive for excellence, and to be part of a community where hard work and dedication are celebrated.”
