Richland man earns engineering society’s top honor

Neil Norman of Richland joined an elite group, becoming one of about 65 engineers since 1949 to be given the National Society of Professional Engineers Award.

It is the society’s top honor and is given to an engineer who has made an outstanding contribution to the engineering profession, the public welfare and humankind.

Norman, 86, has had a long career working on state of the art projects, starting with the Mare Island Submarine deck-launched missile design in 1952.

He’s also worked on nuclear plant design and construction; the Yucca Mountain, Nev., nuclear repository and the Yugoslavia nuclear waste repository

In the Tri-Cities, he worked on Hanford’s former research reactor, the Fast Flux Test Facility, and from 1992 to 2003 managed a Parsons Corp. full-service consulting engineering office in Richland.

In his retirement he continues to serve the engineering profession. He just completed his second five-year term by appointment of the governor to the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.

He gives lectures on professionalism and ethics to senior college engineering students at universities around the state of Washington.

“I have a very strong sense of ethics,” he said. “I want to see things done by engineers that benefit the public health and safety, and benefit public health and safety every step along the way.”

Engineering projects should consider construction, operation and eventual demolition, he said.

He also serves as the moderator for the Shalom United Church of Christ congregation in Richland. In connection with the church, he has worked on issues such as Benton County’s jailing of defendants for unpaid court fees, a practice some call “debtors’ prison.”

This story was originally published August 25, 2017 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Richland man earns engineering society’s top honor."