Three SEAS alums receive UB Alumni Achievement Awards

By Elizabeth Egan

Mark Stewart (BS’ 84), Jithin Jagannath (MS’ 13) and Laura Pyrak-Nolte (BS’ 81) were among the 20 honorees.

“I am thrilled to congratulate Laura, Jithin and Mark on the remarkable accomplishments that earned each of them this well-deserved recognition from the University at Buffalo,” said Nate Bolt, president of the UB Engineering and Applied Sciences Alumni Association. “These three alumni are a testament to the impact that our SEAS alumni can have across many fields."

Stewart, Jagannath and Pyrak-Nolte were recognized on October 17 at the 2024 UB Alumni Achievement Awards ceremony, held at the Forbes Theater in Buffalo.

Stewart was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award, presented to one UB alum from each school.

Following decades of leadership experience, Stewart currently serves as the senior vice president of operations at Lockheed Martin. He is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to transform the company’s global operations and culture.

At Lockheed Martin, Stewart oversees 48,000 employees, and is accountable for enterprise performance, advanced manufacturing technologies, production operations and more. During his time with the company, Stewart has contributed to improving performance across product centers and successfully delivering and launching over 130 space vehicles.

In a previous role as the vice president of navigation systems at Lockheed Martin, Stewart led the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS) III program. He successfully guided his team to deliver the first state-of-the-art GPS III space vehicle, showcasing new compatibilities with the existing satellite constellation and the Next Generation Operational Control Segment.

Before his time at Lockhead Martin, Stewart worked in General Electric’s transportation division and became a distinguished alum of General Electric’s Manufacturing Management and Edison Advanced Course in Engineering Programs.

Stewart earned his master’s degree in business management from Pennsylvania State University and his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UB.

Jagannath received the George W. Thorn Award, given to an alum who is under the age of 40 and has made outstanding contributions to their career fields or academic areas.

In his current role as the chief scientist of technology and founding director of the Marconi-Rosenblatt AI Innovation Lab at ANDRO Computational Solutions, Jagannath has been the principal investigator on several innovative research and development projects for customers that have included the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and more.

A prolific inventor, Jagannath holds over 15 patents in the field of machine learning and wireless communication. He has served as a keynote speaker and panelist at leading conferences, including the 024 Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Spring Series Symposium and the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition. Jagannath has published over 45 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and has been invited to join the editorial board of leading journals such as Elsevier’s Computer Networks.

Jagannath earned his PhD in electrical engineering from Northeastern University, his master’s degree in electrical engineering from UB, and his bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication engineering from the University of Kerala. 

Pyrak-Nolte received the Clifford C. Furnas Memorial Award, honoring a distinguished graduate of SEAS or the College of Arts and Sciences who is in a natural sciences or mathematics discipline.

 A geophysicist, Pyrak-Nolte is a distinguished professor of physics and astronomy at Purdue University. A second grade science project to test for limestone using vinegar sparked Pyrak-Nolte’s love of rocks. Today, she studies how rocks behave beneath the Earth’s surface to provide insight into natural gas production, freshwater availability, nuclear waste disposal and more.

Pyrak-Nolte is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. She is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In 2023, Pyrak-Nolte was chosen to receive the SEAS Dean’s Award for Achievement, the school’s highest honor, recognizing alumni who have had an exceptional professional career.

Pyrak-Nolte received her PhD in geological sciences from the University at California, Berkeley, her master’s degree in materials science and mineral engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and her bachelor’s degree in engineering science from UB.