Professor Eric Marks named Engineer of the Year in Education
Five CEE alumni and faculty were among the 15 engineers selected to receive the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers’ annual Engineer of the Year Awards.
The awards celebrate the achievements and contributions of Georgia’s engineering professionals and companies that have demonstrated exceptional skill, innovation, and dedication.
The award recipients will be honored at the Georgia Engineering Awards on March 7 at the Gas South District in Duluth, Ga.
Congratulations to the following CEE alumni and faculty on this achievement:
Eric Marks
Engineer of the Year in Education
Professor of the Practice Eric Marks has been selected as the 2025 Engineer of the Year in Education by the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers.
Marks works with the Construction and Infrastructure Systems group and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Kentucky.
“This award and my career are reflections of a long list of people that have motivated, challenged, and encouraged me which undoubtedly includes my students, my colleagues and my Institute’s leadership,” Marks said. “It’s an honor to teach Georgia Tech students about the civil engineering industry and inspire them to build and leverage their skill sets to create solutions for the increasingly complex problems our industry faces.”
In addition to his teaching duties, Marks co-manages the school’s Corporate Affiliates Program, where companies build relationships with students through mentoring programs, presenting in classes and providing access to visit their construction sites. “Students exploring career opportunities is a core thrust of our CAP program,” he said.
Before arriving at Tech, Marks was an assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alabama. As a practicing engineer, he managed capital-intensive transportation infrastructure construction projects for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
At Tech, Marks has been consistently popular with students. He has been recognized with many teaching awards, including the Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching: Class of 1934 CIOS Award in 2022 and the Class of 1940 Course Survey Teaching Effectiveness Award in 2018, just a year after joining the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty as full-time faculty.
“Throughout many teaching positions and student experiences, I have found effective teachers to possess several core principles,” Marks said of his teaching philosophy. “Highly-motivated teachers are able to cultivate and quickly spread their passion for a subject throughout the classroom.”
Karen and John Huff Chair Don Webster congratulated Marks on becoming one of the most beloved instructors within the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
“He has developed many innovative programs to help the professional development of our undergraduate and graduate students, including developing innovative curriculum in the Construction Engineering area and forged connections with industry and public-sector partners,” Webster said. “His passion for teaching and efforts to support our students beyond the classroom makes him an outstanding recipient of the GSPE Engineer of the Year in Education Award.”
Lawrence F. Kahn
Lifetime Achievement in Engineering
Lawrence Kahn retired from Georgia Tech in 2015 after 40 years of service. He remains a professor emeritus in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, advising graduate students and teaching occasionally. Throughout his career, he taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in structural engineering covering subjects that included structural analysis, reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete, masonry, and senior design. From 1993-2000, Kahn was the director of the Computer-Aided Structural Engineering Center which conducted research, development and publication of GTSTRUDL and other structural engineering software. Among the awards and honors he received during his career are Educator of the Year from the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute and the Class of 1940 W. Howard Ector Outstanding Teacher Award from Georgia Tech’s Faculty Honors Committee.
Thomas Gambino | CE 79
Lifetime Achievement in Engineering
Thomas Gambino is the founder of Prime Engineering and an emeritus member of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s External Advisory Board. He has over 40 years of engineering, design, and construction experience and is a registered engineer in 28 states and Puerto Rico. Gambino has provided engineering consulting and construction services for projects in Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, the Dutch Antilles, and Indonesia. He was was voted the Georgia Engineering Alliance’s Engineer of the Year in 2012.
William (Billy) Anderson Brundage III | CE 85
Engineer of the Year in Industry
Billy Brundage has over 30 years of experience in dam engineering and civil engineering consulting. His areas of expertise include dam safety, site development design, land planning, and hydrology. He has worked for Southern Company since 2013 and he currently serves as principal engineer. He owned the engineering consulting firm Brundage Engineering from 2000-2013. He began his career with Benchmark Engineering in 1986.
Samuel Dennard | CE 18
Engineering Organization Volunteer of the Year
Sam Dennard is a transportation engineer specializing in roadway design for Columbia Engineering. He began his career with Pond & Co. after graduating from Georgia Tech in 2018. GSPE has recognized him for his volunteer efforts with the American Society of Civil Engineers Georgia Younger Members group. He began his service as the hospitality chair, in charge of registration tables at events. Since 2024, he has been the director of the organization, overseeing all activities that serve young engineers under the age of 35 in Georgia. ASCE recognized Dennard as its Volunteer of the Year in 2023.
