Meet Lois Graham (M.S. ME ’49) and Jacob R. Matijevic (MATH ’69), the winners of the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award, given posthumously.

Lois Graham

Graham was the first woman at Illinois Institute of Technology to obtain advanced degrees in mechanical engineering and the first woman in the United States to earn a doctorate in the field. She began her career at Illinois Tech as a teaching assistant and, in 1949, became the first female faculty member in the Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering (MMAE) department.

Matijevic was one of the original technology developers for the Mars rovers. He led surface operations for Sojourner in 1996 and was engineering team chief for Spirit and Opportunity in 2004. In 2012, the Curiosity rover, for which Matijevic was surface operations systems chief engineer, landed on Mars.

Jacob R. Matijevic

The 2015 Alumni Awards luncheon and ceremony will recognize 13 alumni and two civic leaders. Help celebrate these extraordinary winners on Friday, April 24, beginning at 11:30 a.m. in Hermann Hall. Registration is required, and tickets are $50 each. Come early and check out the Spring 2015 IPRO Day exhibits.