CERL employee named USACE’s ‘Mechanical Engineer of the Year’

Published June 23, 2020
Photo of Joe Bush

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineer (USACE) recently named Joseph Bush, a mechanical engineer with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) headquarted in Champaign, Illinois, the 2020 “Mechanical Engineer of the Year.”

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineer (USACE) recently named Joseph Bush, a mechanical engineer with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) headquarted in Champaign, Illinois, the 2020 “Mechanical Engineer of the Year.”

Each year USACE recognizes employees for their contributions of excellence in performance, leadership, professional development and community support in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, computer-aided design and building information modeling and construction engineering. 

In fiscal year 2020, USACE created new areas of recognition for employees of the year, including fire protection, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and geospatial professional of the year awards.

According to Bush’s award citation, he was recognized for “his professional commitment, technical excellence and exceptional leadership” and for his contributions to a variety of mechanical engineering efforts, including heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) controls; utility monitoring and control systems; and cybersecurity criteria and specifications. The citation also stated that he was “recognized within DoD as one of the most knowledgeable and impactful mechanical engineers in the area of HVAC controls and cybersecurity.”

Bush said that any USACE employee who excels in his or her craft can be nominated by peers and/or supervisors to receive the award. Bush said that he feels particularly honored that his coworkers spearheaded his nomination packet.

“Some of my coworkers took it upon themselves to work with my supervisor to prepare the nomination package,” he said. “That was an honor in itself, as far as I’m concerned, because they are all quite busy, so taking the time to put this together really says something.”

Bush continued, “This has been a real morale boost. I think we all have those days where we question whether we’re doing something that matters, whether we’re doing the right thing and whether others even know what we are doing ⸺ and this definitely helps with feeling that what I do matters.”

The mechanical engineer also recognized that he would not be where he is today without the help and mentorship of his current and former coworkers.

“I hope that my teammates take pride in this award as a mark of their own accomplishments and that they share in the feeling of our work being appreciated,” he said. “I am lucky in that I have had such a strong team to work with throughout my years and am grateful to all my teammates both inside and outside of CERL.”

For more information on the the USACE professional awards program, visit https://profawards.erdc.dren.mil/. For more information on the CERL, visit the CERL homepage.