It's been three-plus decades since he earned the second of two mechanical science and engineering degrees at Illinois, but Steve Vavrik won't need a map when he returns to his alma mater Wednesday to deliver a guest seminar.
The CEO of Charlottesville, Va.-based Actuate Energy is a proud and active alum whose "blood runs orange and blue," says Grainger College of Engineering Teaching Professor Leon Liebenberg.
Vavrik was back two years ago to receive a distinguished alumni award. He advises the leadership of mechanical science and engineering's energy systems program. He sponsors the William and Marie Vavrik MechSE Engineering Visionary Scholarship in honor of his late alumnus dad, who was fond of saying: "All I had to do was tell people I was a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Engineering and doors were wide open."
Every return trip to the UI's engineering campus brings back memories of Vavrik's two most impactful professors — Quinn Brewster and Herman Krier.
"The two had different, even opposite styles, yet made very similar impacts on my understanding of the natural world as well as my personal standards," says Vavrik, the former CEO of Earthrise Energy.
"Professor Brewster was quiet, calm, even mild-mannered. Professor Krier was effusive and larger than life, as his companion cigar as he walked between buildings symbolized.
"Both, however, enjoyed unveiling and sharing the secrets of heat and energy transfer and held their students to high standards. One had to demonstrate one's understanding through rigorous proofs; As were hard to earn.
"As a result, when one reflected on the work, one's only conclusion was the beauty of the universe and a reverence for the scientific method.
"Another favorite memory is the PLATO computer terminals in what I think was the Woodshop Building, north of the Mechanical Engineering Lab. One of my friends had moved to California, and we communicated through text messages. Both of us had to be online simultaneously, which meant usually late at night for me, given the time differences.
"I recall the dark room illuminated by the dim screen images. These terminals had a dark background and lit text, so it wasn't very bright, and only a few students used these specialized terminals.
"Of course we didn't know this was the early form of email and text messaging — at the time, it was just magical communication across the country."
