Three honored with Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award

Three College of Engineering graduates — Admiral Daryl L. Caudle, Robert E. Troxler and Deborah Bell Young — received the Distinguished Engineering Alumni (DEA) Award during a dinner and ceremony on campus on Oct. 25, 2023, as part of Red and White Week.

The award was established by the College’s faculty in 1966 and is the highest honor bestowed upon alumni.

Caudle earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from NC State University in 1985. He also holds a master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, a master’s degree in engineering management from Old Dominion University and a doctor of management in organizational leadership from the University of Phoenix School of Advanced Studies.

Caudle was promoted to Admiral (four-star rank) in 2021, as he assumed command of U.S. Fleet Forces Command. In this role, he manages a $16 billion budget and has responsibility for over 125,000 sailors and civilians, 125 ships and submarines, and 1,000 aircraft. Prior to this, he served as commander, Submarine Forces; commander, Submarine Force Atlantic; commander, Task Force (CTF) 114; and commander, Allied Submarine Command, among other roles.

Caudle is a loyal and consistent donor to both the College of Engineering and his home department.

Troxler earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from NC State in 1983. He earned master’s and doctoral degrees, also in electrical engineering, from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986 and 1992, respectively. His graduate research was supported by a NASA Graduate Student Researchers Project Fellowship through Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

He is the director of advanced technologies at Troxler Electronic Laboratories in Research Triangle Park. His work with the company concentrates on electromagnetics, optics, sensor design, acoustics and applications of nuclear physics toward instrumented devices typically used in the fields of geotechnical and civil engineering. He holds over 80 U.S. and international patents.

Troxler has been an active volunteer for and philanthropic supporter of the College of Engineering and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). In 2016, Troxler built on a legacy established by his father when he named the William F. Troxler MakerSpace in ECE.

Young earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1977, becoming the first Black woman to earn a civil engineering B.S. from NC State. She then went on to become the first Black woman to earn a master’s degree in civil engineering-environmental engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. She also earned an MBA at Duke University.

Young began her career with a consulting firm. In 1980, she joined Honeywell International (Allied Signal, Inc.) in Colonial Heights, Virginia. Over a career of nearly 35 years, she held several leadership roles including director of Health, Safety and Environmental for several divisions.

Young has completed two terms as a member of the NC State Engineering Foundation Board of Directors and is the first Black person/Black woman to have served as its president. She is a consistent supporter of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering; the College; and NC State.