Don Robins (BSME 1960) is this year's recipient of SAE International's Bill Agnew Award for Outstanding AWIM® Volunteers. The award recognizes volunteers in SAE International's A World in Motion® (AWIM) program who motivate the next generation to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math by bringing their experiences into an AWIM classroom.
As a cluster coordinator for the AWIM program in the Phoenix, Arizona, area, Robins helped the program grow from two schools and a few volunteers in 2006 to seven schools and 41 volunteers who now impact more than 650 students. In 2004, he initiated a math tutoring program at Gila Crossing Community School on Arizona's Gila River Indian Reservation. The program now has five tutors who assist up to 30 students each year.
Robins, who earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1960, retired in 2000 as an executive engineering director for engineering design at General Motors Truck Group. During his 40-year career at GM, he held various engineering and management positions at Chevrolet Engineering in Warren, Michigan, as well as at the Milford Proving Grounds and Truck Engineering in Pontiac, Michigan. In 2007, he was recognized by SAE International and GM with the AWIM Rookie of the Year award.