The life and career of Aziz Fouad (PhDEE ’56), distinguished professor emeritus of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State, was celebrated during an honorary symposium July 7 at the Memorial Union. Friends, family and colleagues joined in the Campanile Room to honor Professor Fouad and welcome him back to campus.
“Whether you’ve been gone 10 years or 20 years – and I’ve been gone 20 – Iowa State will be the same as it has ever been to you,” Fouad said. “It’s a wonderful place to be at and to be from.”
Fouad joined the Iowa State faculty in 1960 as an assistant professor and rose through the ranks to earn numerous honors and awards, culminating in his election to the United States National Academy of Engineers (NAE) in 1996. NAE membership is among the most prestigious honors awarded to engineers.
“He is certainly one of the most celebrated and accomplished figures in the department’s history,” said David C. Jiles, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor and Palmer Endowed Department Chair of ECpE. “His efforts helped give the department’s power engineering program its legacy of success, a legacy that continues today.”
One of Fouad’s most enduring contributions to the ECpE department was the establishment of the Power Affiliate Research Program with Paul Anderson in 1963. This program was established to further research and graduate education in electric power systems and to strengthen industry ties to the department. The Power Affiliate Research Program became the Electric Power Research Center in 1988 and continues to this day.
Fouad was named an Anson Marston Distinguished Professor by Iowa State in 1990 and is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The IEEE also awarded him with the Herman Halperin Electric Transmission and Distribution Award in 1994. In addition, he received the David R. Boylan Eminent Faculty Award for Research from the College of Engineering at Iowa State.
“Although technical excellence surely pervaded all that he did,” said Jim McCalley, Harpole Professor of electrical and computer engineering, “perhaps his true legacy lies in the time he invested in others, the relationships that resulted, and the ultimate contributions to the lives of those individuals.”
Fouad will receive the Marston Medal, awarded annually by the College of Engineering In recognition of outstanding achievement in advancing engineering science, technology or policy having national and international impact in academics, industry, public service, government or other venues, in October.