Calvin University’s Matthew K. Heun Receives Prestigious 2025 Engineering for One Planet Innovation in Sustainability Award
Calvin University engineering professor Matthew K. Heun has been named the 2025 Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Innovation in Sustainability Award recipient, a national honor recognizing visionary leadership in embedding sustainability into engineering education. The award, presented by ABET and The Lemelson Foundation, celebrates individuals, programs, and teams that demonstrate exceptional innovation in integrating sustainability concepts into ABET-accredited curricula.
The EOP initiative seeks to ensure that future engineering graduates understand the essential social and environmental principles required to design solutions for a resilient and sustainable world. Heun’s work stands as a model for how these goals can take root within an academic program.
A Leader in Sustainability Education
Heun is recognized for significant contributions to incorporate sustainability in engineering education through innovations in curriculum development, pedagogy, undergraduate teaching, and applied student research, as well as impacting global energy policy.
As professor of engineering and director of Calvin University’s sustainability designation, Heun teaches in the energy, environment, and sustainability and mechanical engineering concentrations. His academic journey began at Calvin, where he earned his B.S. in engineering before completing M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Prior to entering academia, Heun worked on cutting-edge aerospace systems ranging from lighter-than-air vehicles to cryocoolers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and at Global Aerospace Corporation, a research and development company he co-founded with colleagues from JPL. These experiences, he says, shaped his teaching philosophy.
“Those experiences gave me a lot of interesting stories and a deep understanding of the way engineering works,” said Heun.
Innovating for a More Sustainable Future
Heun’s research explores the relationship among energy, materials, and the economy through the lens of sustainability. His expertise spans refrigeration and air-conditioning, aerospace systems, green revolving funds, and the rebound effect. He believes engineers have a central role in addressing global challenges.
“The sustainable use of energy and materials is at the heart of one of the biggest challenges humanity faces,” noted Heun. “Engineers have the greatest opportunity, maybe of anybody, to influence the direction those things go—because we are the ones making the machines and deciding how efficient they’ll be.”
During more than two decades at Calvin University, Heun has advanced sustainability in numerous ways:
- Creating Calvin’s sustainability designation within the engineering program
- Developing innovative sustainability-focused curriculum and pedagogy
- Leading global research partnerships
- Embedding students directly in applied research that spans continents
A Teacher Who Inspires
Heun and VanAntwerp attended the ABET Awards 2025
Colleague and nominator Jeremy VanAntwerp, engineering professor at Calvin University, says Heun’s impact reaches far beyond course content.
“Part of the reason I nominated Matt for this award is that he inspires me—and I’ve seen how he inspires students as well. He cares deeply about sustainability, and he cares even more deeply about students,” said VanAntwerp.
For Heun, that calling is clear: “I can't imagine another career for myself at this point. It’s really gratifying to see students devote their lives and careers to doing better by the planet.”
A Message from President Greg Elzinga
Calvin University President Greg Elzinga praised Heun’s dedication to both student formation and sustainability leadership. “Matt’s work embodies the very best of Calvin University, that being academic excellence, a deep sense of responsibility for God’s world, and genuine care for students. His commitment to integrating sustainability into engineering education not only strengthens our programs but also equips our graduates to serve and lead in ways that matter. We are grateful for his vision, his scholarship, and the powerful impact he has on our community.”
A Vision for the Next Generation
Looking ahead, Heun hopes for a future where sustainability is woven into everyday decision-making, from households to global policy tables. “I hope for a more sustainable future, one in which policymakers, leaders, and citizens understand the links between energy, the economy, and emissions. I long for a world where that understanding leads to better policies, reduced emissions, and a better future for my children and all future generations.”
ABET and The Lemelson Foundation celebrate Heun for his transformative contributions to curriculum design, pedagogy, student research, and sustainability innovation, and for helping shape a new generation of engineers equipped to build a thriving, resilient world.
