Missouri University of Science and Technology presented two Awards of Professional Distinction during spring commencement ceremonies held Saturday, May 14. The awards recognize the outstanding Missouri S&T graduates for professional achievement.

Gail Dolan Hahn (left) and Craig A. Barnes (right) are pictured with Missouri S&T Chancellor Cheryl B. Schrader. Photo by Sam O’Keefe/Missouri S&T

The Award of Professional Distinction was presented to Craig A. Barnes, a 1978 mechanical engineering graduate of Missouri S&T, and Gail Dolan Hahn, a 1982 chemical engineering graduate of Missouri S&T.

Biographical information on the recipients is listed below:

• Craig A. Barnes retired in January 2016 as executive director of technology planning for Cummins Inc. and is now working as a part-time engineering consultant. He earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Missouri S&T in 1978. Barnes began his career as a co-op student with John Deere in 1975 and worked there until 1983, when he returned to Rolla for graduate studies. There, he lectured in machine design and thermodynamics. In 1985, he returned to John Deere before joining Cummins Inc. in 1988. Between 1992 and 2002, Barnes led the experimental mechanics organization, and was chief engineer of the light duty automotive engineering organization and director of corporate technology planning. In 2002, he transferred to Fleetguard/Nelson and was active in the planning and start-up of Cummins Research and Technology India. In 2005, he became chief technical officer for Cummins Emission Solutions and in 2008, he became chief technical officer for Cummins India and CEO and managing director of Cummins Research and Technology India. In 2011 he became chief technical officer of the Cummins Component Business until taking the position of executive director of technology planning in 2013. Barnes is a 37-plus-year member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He has served as co-chair of the SAE Off-Highway Board of Directors, chair of the steering committee for the 2011 SAE Baja Competition and a member of the steering committee for the 2011 Asia Pacific Automotive Conference (APAC). He was active with the Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturers and was executive sponsor for SAE-related activities while with Cummins. He is a member of the executive council for the 2016 Commercial Vehicle Congress. The former Cummins executive sponsor for the Society of Women Engineers, he received SWE’s Rodney D. Chipp Memorial Award in 2009. In 2015, he was inducted into the Missouri S&T Academy of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

• Gail Dolan Hahn, a technical fellow in Boeing Research & Technology (formerly known as Phantom Works) and in the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from Missouri S&T in 1982. In 1990, she earned a master of engineering management degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Hahn is a technical lead and program manager in materials and manufacturing technologies, primarily in composites. She began her career as a summer intern at McDonnell Douglas Corp. in 1981. In 1982, she became an associate engineer on the F/A-18 program. During her career, she has worked on projects that include the AV-8B Harrier and the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, as well as projects sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Office of Naval Research, the Naval Research Laboratory, NAVAIR, the Army Research Laboratory and the Air Force Office of Research. She has also partnered with teams from NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration. She has served on the advisory board for the G8 Material Efficiency Program and on the review board for the journal Integrating Materials and Manufacturing Innovation. An active Miner alumna, Hahn served on the Missouri S&T Corporate Development Council and its working committees as well as the Missouri S&T Board of Trustees. She is former chair of the Corporate Development Council and the Missouri S&T Academy of Chemical Engineers. She has also served on other committees and projects with Missouri S&T. She and her husband, Don, are members of the Missouri S&T Order of the Golden Shillelagh.