Otto Helweg was born on February 1, 1936. He graduated with a bachelor's in engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958. He also has a M.Div from Fuller Theological Seminary, master's from UCLA and Memphis State University, an M.B.A. for the University of Memphis and a doctorate in civil engineering (water resources) from Colorado State University.
Prior to coming to NDSU, Dr. Helweg served as professor and chair of civil engineering at Memphis State University , visiting professor at Texas A&M assigned to King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia, and professor at the University of California, Davis. During his stay in Saudi Arabia, he helped establish a water resource center as well as acting as director of the agricultural experiment station.
In 1997 he was awarded the Hoover Medal, the world's highest honor for humanitarian work in engineering, for his efforts in rural water supply improvements in arid and semi-arid lands. In 1998 he received Blue Keys Doctor of Service Award In 2004 he received the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation's “History of Innovations Prize” Dean Helweg retired from NDSU in June 2005. |
