Posted on December 9, 2024
PROVO, Utah—Dr. Rob Wallace, a technical director with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Information Technology Laboratory (ITL), was recently selected as the 2024 Honored Alumnus for the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering at Brigham Young University (BYU). The Honored Alumni Award, part of the BYU homecoming celebrations, recognizes the career achievements of the top graduates from each of the universities 11 colleges.
As a technical director for ITL, Wallace aids the laboratory in the development of partnerships and future funding. The office is responsible for the lab’s direct program and develops new research and development projects for the lab, constantly thinking two to five years in advance to ensure ITL is prepared for what lies ahead.
While he enjoys solving challenging problems, Wallace said that the best part about his job is the people, particularly building relationships, collaborating on new concepts, and both being inspired by and inspiring others.
After being selected for the Honored Alumni Award, Wallace was given the opportunity to present a lecture to the engineering students and faculty at BYU and was also recognized on field during the BYU football game vs. Arizona. He credited the university for being a unique institution that not only developed him into an engineer, but also encouraged him to develop his spiritual faith.
“When we lost our daughter, Afton, to cancer – it rocked our world,” said Wallace. “But the preparation I received at BYU helped me to prepare for the most difficult challenge a person could ever go through.”
Wallace isn’t the only BYU alumni in the family. His wife Sheri and all of their children are also alumni of the university, including Afton, who was accepted to BYU and was awarded a scholarship prior to passing away from cancer in 2015.
“Clearly I’m honored,” said Wallace. “It means a lot for your school to recognize you like this… But this award is not just about me, a lot of other people helped along the way.”
“This is also for the people at ERDC and ITL, those who have helped with the Engineered Resilient Systems program and all the other projects I’ve worked on,” Wallace added. “Together we’ve accomplished some pretty great things.”
