News Story

Awards Gala Honors Clark School Alumni

At the Fourth Annual Alumni Association Awards Gala on Saturday, April 12, 2003, two Clark School graduates were honored for their outstanding achievements and demonstrated success.

Y.C. Buno Pati '86, '88 M.S., '92 Ph.D. received the Clark School of Engineering 2003 Distinguished Alumnus Award for his contributions to the field of engineering and the advancement of technology.

Pati has become the one of the world's leading innovators in semiconductor manufacturing processing technology. In 1995, he founded Numerical Technologies and served as its president and CEO until August 2002. He led Numerical from the initial development phases, through its successful initial public offering in April 2000 and completed three successful acquisitions. Pati led their product development, marketing and sales for software and technology products that span the design-to-silicon spectrum and cover the semiconductor manufacturing, photomask and IC design markets.

Before Numerical, Pati was an assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Harvard University. Prior to Harvard, he led a research group at Stanford University that developed the original technology for Numerical.

Pati, who received all three of his degrees in electrical engineering from Maryland, now serves on the Board of Directors of Brion Technologies and the Clark School of Engineering Board of Visitors.

Brian Hinman '82 received the Ralph J. Tyser Medallion for providing unique and significant service to the university.

Hinman holds 11 U.S. patents and has been honored as one of the nation's most successful entrepreneurs. At the age of 22, this engineering alumnus co-founded PictureTel Corporation and served as director and vice president of engineering from 1984 through 1990. Today, as president and CEO of 2Wire, which he founded in 1998, he leads the nation's largest provider of DSL home networking equipment.

Hinman also was the co-founder and former CEO of Polycom, Inc., the world's top teleconferencing equipment company. In 1999, Hinman's $2.5 million gift to the University of Maryland established the Hinman Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunities (CEOs) program. This program offers a residential setting for upperclassmen where they can grow their ideas for starting a business in an experiential learning environment.

Hinman, who graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Maryland in 1982, is a member of the Clark School Board of Visitors and the University of Maryland College Park Foundation Board of Trustees.

April 15, 2003