Randal Sylvester, division chief technologist for L3 Technologies, Communications Systems West, was awarded the University of Utah Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s Distinguished Alumnus Award during a banquet April 18 at the University’s Alumni House.
Sylvester has served in his current role at L3 Technologies for nearly 14 years. His responsibilities include technical management of research and development; encouraging, enabling and rewarding innovation; intellectual property identification and control; creating and managing joint research with universities; and technology roadmap creation and maintenance.
He also supports corporate merger and acquisition efforts by providing technical evaluations and intellectual property reviews. He has over 30 years of experience in communication system analysis and design. He has been a lead system analyst/consultant on several military and commercial wireless communication systems including assured communications in contested environments, wireless internet/cellular systems, and high-speed RF and free-space laser communication systems.
Sylvester (pictured, left, receiving the award from department chair Florian Solzbacher) has presented or published papers on Military Communication Networks and Multiple Access Communications. He received his bachelor’s (1985), a master’s (1989), and doctorate (1998) degrees in electrical engineering, all from the University of Utah. He currently serves on the College of Engineering’s Engineering National Advisory Council as well as the college’s Engineering Industrial Advisory Board and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s External Advisory Board. He is also a Senior Member of IEEE and has been awarded 15 patents.
During the event, the department also handed out student awards for the year. The following recipients were announced:
Outstanding Electrical Engineering Senior Student: Andrew Worwood.
Outstanding Electrical Engineering Student Researcher: Kaitlin Hall.
Outstanding Computer Engineering Senior Student: Brett Loertscher.
Outstanding Computer Engineering Student Researcher: Andrew Vuong.