TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Dr. Stephen Kavanaugh, professor of mechanical engineering in The University of Alabama College of Engineering, was recently presented with Fellow Awards by two professional organizations. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Inc. and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers each named Kavanaugh a 2003 Fellow.

Fellow ASHRAE is a membership grade that recognizes distinction in the arts and sciences of environmental technology and is earned through achievement as a researcher, designer, educator or engineering executive. About 500 of ASHRAE’s 55,000 members are Fellows. The Society’s objective is to advance -- through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education - the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve the evolving needs of the public.

Fellow is the highest elected grade of membership within ASME, recognizing exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the engineering profession. ASME is a technical organization with 125,000 members. It holds conferences and developmental courses and sets many industrial and manufacturing standards.

Kavanaugh is considered an international authority in ground source heat pump technology and use. His dissertation contained the basis for his development and design software that is now the industry standard for these systems.

Kavanaugh, a Port Arthur, Texas native, received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Lamar University. He then pursued his master of divinity from Oblate College and received a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Oklahoma State University. In addition to his work at UA, Kavanaugh is the board president for the Tuscaloosa Affiliate of Habitat for Humanity.

In 1837, UA became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering, with about 1,900 students and more than 90 faculty, is one of the three oldest continuously operating engineering programs in the country and has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.