Engineering society honors ISU Dean Jacobsen

Richard Jacobsen, PhD, Idaho State University College of Engineering dean, has been honored as the recipient of the Idaho Society of Professional Engineers Excellence in Engineering Educator Award.

The award was presented recently in Boise as part of the Idaho Society of Professional Engineers (ISPE) annual meeting. 

The Excellence in Engineering Educator Award is presented to an engineering professor who has had a significant impact on the engineering profession in Idaho. Jacobsen was chosen in part due to his history of helping students throughout the state to become successful engineers, and encouraging them to continue their education in the workplace.  He has served as professor and dean for two Idaho institutions of higher education.  

Jacobsen has created and continues to add to a rich legacy in the state of Idaho.  Before he began as the ISU College of Engineering dean in July 2006 he served as: Chief Scientist at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), the University of Idaho (UI) College of Engineering dean, the director for the UI Center for Applied Thermodynamic Studies, and as a mechanical engineering professor at the UI.

Jacobsen has also served on numerous committees and boards that focus on bettering education in Idaho. He is an active member of: the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers where he was elected to the grade of fellow, the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Idaho Society of Professional Engineers, The American Society for Engineering Education, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Nuclear Society, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.