Cynthia Furse, U professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been named Educator of the Year by the Utah Engineers Council. The Council is an umbrella organization of 16 different local chapters and sections of engineering societies that aims to “advance the art and science of engineering and to provide a forum for communication between the varying engineering societies.”

Furse was honored for her outstanding efforts at a banquet on February 22 at the Adobe building in Lehi. Adobe Systems co-founder and chairman of the board Dr. John Warnock, a notable U engineering alum, was a featured speaker at the banquet.

“I’ve been teaching in Utah since 1994, and it’s really satisfying,” says Furse, who is also associate vice president for research at the U. “Engineering opens so many doors. I love running into my old students and hearing about the many exciting things they are doing in their careers and their lives.”

At the U, Furse has taught electromagnetics, wireless communication, computational electromagnetics, microwave engineering, business engineering, and antenna design. She previously received the College of Engineering Distinguished Engineering Educator Award and the Harriett B. Rigas award, a prestigious IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) medal for excellence in teaching.

Furse says she looks forward to meeting each group of incoming students in the College of Engineering. “I wonder where engineering will lead them, and how their creative work will change our world. Teaching Utah’s engineers is like teaching the future.”