KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Jessie M. Roberson, a graduate of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, has been awarded the 1996 Black Engineer of the Year Award for her work in environmental restoration at nuclear weapons production sites.
A U.S. Department of Energy employee, Roberson formulated a cost-effective plan for a $20 billion restoration project at the DOE Savannah River Plant in South Carolina.
The success of the project led DOE to select Roberson for the restoration project at Rocky Flats, Colo., another contaminated production site. There she leads a team of 100 federal and 600 contractor employees and is responsible for an annual budget of more than $170 million.
Roberson grew up in rural Alabama and received an engineering degree at UT-Knoxville in 1981.
—