Hans deBot, a local businessman and entrepreneur, was inducted into the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Hall of Fame at NC State University on November 1, 2013. He was nominated for this honor by his colleagues and was selected by the faculty and Dean of the MAE Department at NC State. Mr. deBot was one of 41 engineering alumni to receive this distinction from a field of over 10,000 MAE graduates. The honorees ranged in alumni from year 1950 to 1996 and represented various accomplishments in the entrepreneurial and corporate world. Several honorees were also distinguished military veterans. The induction ceremony was held on the Centennial Campus, the site of the Engineering College of NC State University.
Hans graduated in 1993 with a BSME, Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University. He then moved to Munich, Germany where he worked as a Design Engineer for Kraftanlagen AG, designing and manufacturing plastics machinery for PVC film to be used in a film production plant back in the US. Upon his return to the United States in 1995 he secured a job as Design Engineer for SparCraft, building America’s Cup Sailing Spars. While there Hans developed the process to build a continuous fiber, one-piece, hollow, competition sail boat spar for America’s Cup and other various racing syndicates. He also began to develop relationships within the automotive racing community to implement similar strong but light weight products for the NASCAR racing industry. This led to the founding of deBotech, Inc. in 1998. DeBotech currently serves many industries including aerospace, automotive, military and motorsport and is also gaining recognition for construction of the Olympic bobsleds and skeletons. Hans has been working very closely with the USBSF (United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation) coaches and athletes to provide superior carbon fiber and composite sleds and pods for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
This year’s Hall of Fame inductees had the added distinction of being honored at the inaugural celebration. The MAE Hall of Fame was established to inspire the current engineering students and to celebrate the accomplishments of those extraordinary graduates who have used their education to excel in a profession, career, or service. The Head of the MAE Department, Richard Gould, stated during his remarks, “Our MAE alumni are among the world’s best engineers. Today we are honoring the Best of the Best. These inductees are truly a select class of individuals.”
A reoccurring theme expressed by the honorees in their acceptance speeches was that NC State’s College of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering “instills a belief in oneself and with that anything can be accomplished.” This statement is verified by the varied achievements of the honorees. Mr. deBot reiterated this sentiment in his acceptance remarks by stating that, “NC State is an Engineering school that helps you to believe and have faith in yourself.”