Alum tours nation on biodiesel bus

Bret Strogen, EG ’03, is joining 13 other past recipients of Morris K. Udall scholarships, fellowships and internships on a seven-week, cross-country biodiesel bus tour.

The only engineer on the trip, Strogen is serving as biofuels and alternative energies events coordinator on the “Udall Legacy Crew.”

Sponsored by the Morris K. Udall Foundation, the tour will highlight some 60 public service projects planned and implemented by alumni of its programs. The tour will cover 7,606 miles over 53 days, stopping in 32 locations, including cities, national parks, colleges and Native American reservations.

The bus departed from Washington, D.C., on June 12 and will arrive in Tucson, Ariz., on Aug. 3, at the 2007 Scholar Orientation.

After completing his bachelor’s degree at UD, Strogen, of Berwyn, Pa., went on to earn a master’s degree in environmental engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. His research and coursework focused on water quality and wastewater process engineering. Since graduating in 2004, he has been working as a project engineer at Weston Solutions in West Chester, Pa.

“Bret was an outstanding student in our environmental engineering program,” says Michael Chajes, chairperson of UD’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “I’m not surprised to learn that he is involved at this level with a program whose goals are to promote alternative energy sources and to highlight public service projects that benefit our environment.”

Strogen views the trip as a great opportunity to reconnect with other Udall alumni and see much of the United States from a unique perspective.

“It’s also a chance to educate people about the opportunities we all have for positively redefining the American way of life, with our voices and our dollars,” he says, “and to refocus on respecting each other, our natural heritage and our future generations.”

The tour’s goals are to highlight the multifaceted legacy of Morris K. Udall and the country’s progress toward a more sustainable future. Udall, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1991, was a leader in many public policy areas, including natural resources and the environment, governmental reforms and Native American issues.

—Diane Kukich, AS ’73, ’84M