Pitt Dean Honored for Lifetime Achievement

Gerald D. Holder, the U.S. Steel Dean of the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering, received the 2008 William Metcalf Award from the Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP) for his lifetime achievement in engineering.

The award, named after EWSP's founder, goes to an outstanding engineer in a field normally associated with Western Pennsylvania, such as steel, aluminum, coal, glass or electrical equipment.The winner receives a 12-by-1 Ainch stainless steel plaque bearing a likeness of Metcalf.

Now in his 27th year at Pitt, Holder is an authority on gas hydrates, a potential energy source composed of gas molecules trapped in hydrogen-bonded water molecules.The period since he became dean in 1996 has seen unprecedented growth in students, reputation and resources.The school's endowment has more than doubled, and research grants awarded to engineering faculty jumped from less than $20 million to more than $55 million.