2024 Engineer of the Year Accepting Nominations!
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Submittal Requirements and Scoring Criteria:
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EOTY History 2024:
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2023 Engineer
of the Year
Nominated by IEEE:
ROBERT POSMA
Robert Posma, 2023 Engineer of the Year, is a principal electrical and fire protection engineer with facility, utility, and transportation designs throughout Alaska. His arctic experience translated to his work on the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and a new data center for the McMurdo Station, currently under construction to consolidate data centers across the Station with a micro-turbine for the facility’s base electrical and heat load. Robert was responsible for the Clear Space Force Station’s new radar complex’s security framework and integration with the Station’s security monitoring system and site electrical design.
Robert received his BS and ME in Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He joined RESPEC (formerly PDC Engineers) out of school, developing custom CAD applications in support of the electrical engineering designs. Robert’s contributions to the AutoCAD A/E industry have been recognized with a lifetime membership to the Alaska AutoCAD Users Group, and he has shared his experience by teaching customization classes at Charter College. Robert is actively involved with the IEEE Alaska Section as its treasurer, where he organized the 2021 and 2023 NEC and NESC safety classes, demonstrating his commitment to the engineering community’s education and safety.
Robert has served the Anchorage community as a little league and high school baseball and softball coach and president of Polar Little League. He has been a member and twice president of the Mountain View Lions Club since 1999 and organized their Spring Electronics Recycling event since 2021. Robert currently serves as the first Vice-District Governor of Alaska’s District 49A Lions.
2024 Engineer of the Year Nominees
Nominated by IEEE: Mark Ayers
Mark Ayers, a lifelong Alaskan, has spent his entire career in the telecommunications industry and is currently employed as a telecommunications consultant offering engineering, technology and business strategy services. His career working in Alaska’s urban and rural telecommunications markets has encompassed all aspects of telecommunications technology and operations. These include the design, implementation and operation of satellite, microwave, and fiber optic networks, the management of field, engineering and operations staff, and the development of strategic business plans for corporate stakeholders. Past roles held range from individual engineering contributor up to holding the position of Chief Technology Officer just prior to starting his consulting business.
Mark holds a BS degree in Mathematics from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a MS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In addition to his professional
engineering experience Mark has also worked as an adjunct professor of engineering and computer science at the University of Alaska. As an instructor he taught a wide variety of courses ranging from Network Concepts to Operating Systems and Machine Learning. In 2012 Mark published the textbook “Telecommunications System Reliability Engineering, Theory and Practice” as the sole author with Wiley Press and is an expert in the field of reliability engineering as it relates to telecommunications systems and operations. Mark holds a professional engineering license within the State of Alaska and is a Senior Member with the IEEE.
In his free time Mark enjoys volunteering his time at Grace Christian School fundraising efforts and is an assistant coach on his children’s youth basketball teams.
Nominated by ITE: Anna Bosin, PE
Anna Bosin, a UC Santa Barbara graduate with a BS in Mechanical Engineering (2002), has been with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) since 2008. Becoming a registered Civil Engineer in 2009, she’s worked across Highway Design, Construction, Traffic, and Safety sections of the agency before joining the Statewide Research Development and Technology Transfer (RD&T2) section in 2014. There, Anna managed diverse research projects, including moose crash analysis, passing lane utilization, and high-friction surface treatments.
In 2016, Anna was promoted to Technical Engineer II, adding Tribal Relations Liaison to her role. She advocated for rural safety and data-driven initiatives, supporting partnerships like the USDOT $2M SMART grant awarded to DOT&PF in 2022 for deploying Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in remote communities. In 2018, Anna spent a year in Washington, DC, as a Department of Transportation
Fellow with American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials, advancing transportation policy, authoring research needs, and advocating for rural and tribal transportation funding.
Returning to Alaska in 2019 to resume her RD&T2 and Tribal Liaison roles, Anna began managing RD&T2’s $3.1M annual program, including training and technology transfer under direction. There she pushed for research projects to implement change including her most recent project: Anchorage Pilot Protected Bike Lane Project, initiated in 2023.
Beyond her professional work, she actively volunteers with the Alaska Black Caucus, hosting community conversations, and serves on her local Community Council. Anna resides in Anchorage and enjoys taking transit with her 7 year-old daughter, Rae Evora.
Nominated by ASCE: Steven Halcomb
Steven Halcomb is Principal Geotechnical Engineer with Devise Engineering, an Anchorage-based structural and geotechnical engineering firm. Hailing from a military family, Steven spent his childhood between the United States and Europe. His family settled in Anchorage when he started high school, and he attended the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) for most of his higher education. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Civil Engineering, a Master’s in Arctic Engineering, and a Graduate Certificate in Earthquake Engineering from UAA and has completed numerous graduate engineering courses from Kansas State University and Missouri S&T. Steven balances his free time between the Alaska life, his family, and a good book.
He works primarily as a licensed and board-certified geotechnical engineer, supporting civil, structural, marine, and construction engineering projects. He has provided geotechnical and arctic engineering for almost 20 years throughout Alaska, Canada, and the contiguous United States and enjoys helping individuals and communities large or small, urban or rural, with any
challenge they are facing.
Steven has actively served in ASCE for the last five years as an officer in the Anchorage Branch. He continues his ASCE service as the Vice Chair of the Environmental and Public Health Engineering Committee. More locally, he serves as the Vice Chair of Anchorage’s Geotechnical Advisory Commission (GAC) along with volunteering in church and schools. He particularly enjoys career days at the elementary and middle schools where he showcases the fascinating field of geotechnical engineering to eager young minds.
Nominated by SWE: Tanya S. Hickok, PE
Tanya Hickok earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Marquette University in 2000 and became a licensed Professional Engineer in Alaska in 2005. For the past three years, she has served with the Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department (APR) as a Civil Engineer, Senior Park Planner, and Project Manager, leading a wide range of park improvement projects. Tanya has expertly guided these initiatives through every phase, from planning to construction.
As a mother of three autistic children, Tanya is passionate about fostering inclusive play. She combines her love for her family with her dedication to creating accessible play spaces, ensuring that people with special needs have opportunities to thrive. Tanya champions APR’s Play for All program, promoting inclusivity in recreational spaces.
Tanya is also committed to giving back to her community through volunteer and mentoring roles. She has contributed to organizations such as Smart Girls Rock, Engineers Week Classroom Speaking, Anchorage Park Foundation’s Challenge Grants, MATHCOUNTS, Zoning Board of Examiners and Appeals, Institute of Transportation Engineers, and Society of Women Engineers.
Before joining APR, Tanya spent 21 years as a consultant in the architecture and engineering industry. She specialized in project management, site development, land use planning, and permitting. For the last ten plus years, Tanya has focused on park and trail design. She has worked on various planning, engineering, and construction projects throughout Anchorage, including major developments like the Dena'ina Center and Tikahtnu Commons, as well as significant park and trail upgrades such as the Campbell Creek Trail rehabilitation, South Anchorage Sports Park, and Elderberry Park.
Nominated by SPE: Manabu Nozaki
Manabu Nozaki is a completions engineer at ConocoPhillips Alaska. He has held various positions in Alaska, Norway and at the Houston Global Technical Function where he supported projects globally (Algeria, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Indonesia, Norway, Senegal, UK and USA) as a subject matter expert on analysis/interpretation of various completion types, post-stimulation analysis, formation failure analysis for completion design, reservoir compaction/subsidence analysis, and tubular stability analysis.
In Alaska, he has been responsible for planning one of the major projects and is currently supporting its execution. He has also evaluated and tested new technologies for the well design and stimulation improvements across the entire BU. He devotes his time to professional services – SPE conference/workshop program committee (2019 European Stimulation Workshop and 2025-2027 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition) and a technical editor (SPE Outstanding Technical Editor Awards in 2014 and 2023) for several SPE journals. He has authored many SPE papers on completions and geomechanics. He holds a BEng degree in Environmental and Resource Engineering from Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan), and an MS and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas).
He has enjoyed living in Alaska since moving here in March 2021 – hiking in summer and skiing in winter with his family.
Nominated by SAME: Danny Rauchenstein
Danny Rauchenstein has over 20 years of experience as a mechanical and fire protection engineer with a significant focus on energy-related designs. He loves collaborating with intelligent, creative people while creating unique, complex solutions for engineering challenges.
Danny was born and raised in Alaska, which enables him to combine proven knowledge with day-to-day, real-life experience in cold climates. His expansive HVAC design experience includes ventilation, heating, plumbing, controls, fire protection, fuel systems, utilidors, and plant design. He also has broad experience in the energy field, including waste heat recovery, oil and
gas development, and energy studies. Danny uses the industry’s newest tools, including 3D CAD, flow modeling, building energy modeling, and economic analysis software.
His unique resume took him as far as Antarctica to redesign the South Pole Station’s ventilation system. If he can find solutions for a place with temperatures as low as -100°F, elevations at 11,000 feet, and severe winds, he can design facilities anywhere. Danny is a Vice President at RESPEC and manages the Business Unit. Danny leads business development and contract management for facility projects in Alaska and the Lower 48 states.