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CORVALLIS - Ronald Hanson, an alumnus of the College of Engineering at Oregon State University, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

NAE membership is one of the nation's highest professional distinctions for an engineer, honoring individuals who have made important contributions to engineering theory and practice, and demonstrated unusual accomplishment in the pioneering of new fields of technology.

Hanson, who currently chairs of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University, received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from OSU in 1961. He was cited for his "outstanding work in the development and application of innovative laser diagnostics and sensors in the fields of combustion, chemical kinetics, and power conversion."

Hanson joins 16 other OSU College of Engineering alumni who have been elected to the academy. Four have received honorary doctorates from OSU, and all 16 are members of the OSU Engineering Hall of Fame.

"This is a tremendous honor for Dr. Hanson and wonderful news for OSU engineering," says Ron Adams, dean of the OSU College of Engineering. "We are delighted to count Dr. Hanson as an outstanding example among OSU engineering alumni who have gone on to make lasting contributions to society."

After graduating from OSU, Hanson earned a master's degree from Arizona State University and a doctorate from Stanford. He was the first recipient of the Aerodynamic Measurement Technology Award in 1996, has been honored with Fellow designation by both the Optical Society of America and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and was elected to the OSU College of Engineering's Academy of Distinguished Engineers in 2000.