Outstanding Achievement Award

Trine University alumnus Tim Adams, second from left, receives the Outstanding Achievement Award from Trine president Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D. At left is Trine vice president for development Kent Stucky. At right is Col. George Higginson, president of the university's Alumni Association.

Trine honors alumnus Tim Adams

ANGOLA, Ind. – Trine University honored Tim Adams, a 1972 mathematics graduate, with an Outstanding Achievement Award Sept. 30, during the school’s annual Homecoming Dinner in Ketner Sports Complex.

Adams is a senior reliability engineer in NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Engineering and Technology Directorate and is recognized across NASA, as well as industry and academia as an expert in the area of engineering assurance, with an emphasis on reliability and maintainability engineering.

Adams, a member of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity, pursued higher education at Trine University as an engineering co-op student with Monarch Machine Tool. On a full scholarship, he achieved his Masters in Education from The University of Oklahoma in 1975. In 1986, he completed the University of Houston’s Executive Development Program with the College of Business and completed professional studies and certified as a reliability engineer in 1994.

In 1987, Adams was asked to work at NASA as a training consultant to fulfill a Rogers Commission’s recommendation after the Challenger accident to review and improve the technical training of astronauts.

Since that time, he has pioneered processes and methodologies for performing various analyses to ensure reliable, safe and effective performance in support of future launch operations. His work has impacted the space shuttles, the international space station and constellation programs.

Adams also worked closely with students, logging over 5,800 contact hours as an instructor at varying levels, from volunteering to work with inner-city school students, to training engineers in the corporate world and training instructors at NASA that train astronauts.

His efforts extend beyond NASA’s reach, as he serves as the Kennedy Space Center’s point of contact with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and serves as a senior member of the American Society of Quality. He also is a huge supporter of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education at the high school and college levels.

To share your news, contact Trine University communication specialist Lindsay Winslow Brown at winslowbrownl@trine.edu.