2025 Engineering Honor Awards: Recognizing Dr. Kathleen Kramer and Dr. GB Singh

Engineers Week kicked off with the 74th annual San Diego Engineers Week Awards Banquet on Tuesday, February 18. Hosted by the San Diego County Engineering Council, in collaboration with local engineering colleges and engineering society chapters, the San Diego Engineers Week Banquet brings together local community leaders to celebrate those who are advancing engineering and technology.

Keynote Speaker for the evening, Kathleen Kramer, PhD, electrical engineering professor at the University of San Diego (USD), serves as the global President and CEO of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Dr. Kramer eloquently welcomed Engineers Week with her inspirational keynote, "Design Your Future."  

Dr. Kramer offered sound advice, “As we celebrate Engineers Week, I think about the many ways that engineers design the built world. But I want you to keep in mind that you should design your future. Seek out the opportunities that will challenge you. You should expect that high-caliber, high-impact work doesn’t happen in just one attempt. It’s about the journey and that journey must offer a way for you to see your struggles as not merely a failure but as a lesson. And then try again. Expect that no matter how much you plan, strategize and try, it will be necessary to try at least three times – at minimum. The finesse is in making sure that your tries provide valuable lessons that you can learn from.”

This year, two of the nine outstanding Engineering Honor Awards recipients were faculty members of the University of San Diego’s Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering.

GB Singh, PhD, business management director at Solar Turbines Incorporated, leads a high-performing international team delivering complex global energy projects. He also serves as the academic director for USD’s Masters Degree in Engineering Management and Leadership.

Dr. Singh holds an MBA, an MS in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Controls Engineering from UC San Diego. He has authored engineering articles and presented leading technical conferences and is a board member at the University of San Diego and UC San Diego.

Dr. Singh humbly accepted his award. “When you dedicate yourself to a cause, the real reward comes from the people you collaborate with and the progress you make together. That’s why I’m both humbled and excited to receive the Outstanding Engineering Leadership Award. This recognition is as much about the incredible colleagues and mentors who’ve supported me along the way as it is about the work itself.” 

Dr. Kramer also received the Outstanding Leadership in Engineering Award. In her role as the IEEE President and CEO, she leads the 140-year-old engineering society with over 500,000 members in 190 countries worldwide. She served as the director of engineering at USD before it was established as a school, and she also served as past chair of IEEE San Diego Section. 

Dr. Kramer’s priorities for IEEE in 2025 have built upon her work leading efforts to innovate funding models to support public imperative activities. She was named an ABET Fellow in 2022 for her innovations to engineering accreditation criteria, impacting programs worldwide. In 2025, her goals include advancing leadership in technical education, engaging future technologists and "Designing Your Future."

“Every day, we, as engineers and technologists, have the opportunity to engage in efforts to change the world for the better and improve the way people communicate, work, travel, stay healthy and even entertain. As we celebrate Engineers Week, we can see that it brings us together across disciplines and organizations.” She continued, “I wish you all the greatest of success as you design your own futures and hope you will add your voices to the conversation celebrating the role of engineers and technologists we have in our world.”

Engineers Week serves as a powerful reminder of the crucial role engineers play in addressing global challenges and advancing technology for the betterment of society. All of the evening’s awardees will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of engineers to push boundaries and create a more sustainable and technologically advanced future.

— By Michelle Sztupkay