ECOB’s 66th Annual Engineering Awards Banquet lit up the Harbert Center in downtown Birmingham on February 18th, celebrating excellence under this year’s inspiring theme: Design Your Future. 

Dr. Sandy Pettit (UA) and Robert Blakely (UAB) kicked off the evening by introducing outstanding student engineers, followed by the announcement of their undergraduate and graduate Students of the Year. 

ECOB President Brandy McKinney announced scholarship winners and introduced the nominees and winners of the Distinguished Service, Educator of the Year, Young Engineer of the Year, and Engineer of the Year awards. 

The evening’s keynote speaker, Dr. Jeff Holmes, Dean of Engineering at UAB, delivered a compelling talk on the critical need for more engineering graduates. He highlighted the success of UAB’s Engineering Summer Bridge program and emphasized that strong math skills are key to completing an engineering degree. Echoing the theme, Dr. Holmes challenged attendees: If you’re mentoring, do 33% more. If you’re not, get involved. The future is ours to design!