James Tietjen '58 PhD, Fuel Science, received the Graduates of Earth and Mineral Sciences (GEMS) Alumni Achievement Award at the annual Obelisk Dinner and Awards Ceremony on Friday, September 18, 2009.  This award is given to an outstanding alumnus who exemplifies the ideals of the College.  Dr. Tietjen is a titan of the scientific and engineering industries and has been honored on many previous occasions for his technical and managerial contributions and achievements. 

Dr. Tietjen received his MS and Ph.D. degrees in Physical Chemistry from E&MS’s Fuel Technology Program in 1958 and 1963, respectively.  After that, his rise through the ranks of industrial R&D was truly meteoric.  Thus, he joined RCA Laboratories in Princeton, NJ as a member of the technical staff.  Over the following 20 years, he rose rapidly in the organization to the position of Staff Vice President (1977 – 1983).  In 1983, he assumed the position of President and COO (1983 -1984) and CBO (1984-1985) at RCA Communications, a pioneer in satellite communications.  In 1985 he then became Vice President at RCA Laboratories (later named the David Sarnoff Laboratories, one of the most prestigious laboratories in the World).  He remained in that position for two years and then became President and CEO of David Sarnoff Laboratories in 1987.  With the acquisition of the Sarnoff Laboratories by SRI International, Menlo Park, CA in 1990, Dr Tietjen moved to California to become President and CEO of that organization, a position that he held until his “retirement” in 1994.  

After turning SRI around, Dr. Tietjen joined academia as Department Head, Department of Management and Engineering Management (1994 – 19997), then as Dean of the Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management (1997 – 2000), and finally as Dean Emeritus of the Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management (2000), Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey  Not one to rest on his laurels during this incredible journey, Dr. Tietjen has contributed greatly to the service of the public and his profession.  Thus, in the 1980s, he was a founding member of the Materials Research Society; Chairman of the Electronic Materials Committee of the AIME; a member of the Research Advisory Committee, Institute for Technical and Strategic Research; member of the Advisory Council for the Minority Engineering Program, Penn State University; Penn State University Scholar’s Program; Penn State, Libraries Development Advisory Board, Penn State University; Penn State Alumni Council; USLA Private Sectors Committee; PCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service; Implementation Subcommittee Chairman, Solid State Sciences Advisory Panel, National Academy of Sciences; Space and Terrestrial Applications Advisory Committee of NASA; Research and Development Council of New Jersey; Technology Management Committee; and the Edison Partnership, Technology Resources Committee.  During that same period he published 30 technical papers including a “Citation Classics” paper.

Congratulations Dr. Tietjen for a well-deserved award.