Buddy and Charlotte Beck STEM Scholarship

Buddy Gene Beck ‘59 graduated from ASU with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, later receiving a master’s degree from the University of Southern California in systems management and a fellowship at Brookings Institute in Washington, D. C.
Following public service, he launched a business career in advanced research and engineering. He was awarded three patents in computational engineering and advanced sensors, founding a number of companies involved in energy, defense and medical technology. The resulting firm was named by Business Week in 1993 as the nation’s fastest-growing small private technology company, which was later acquired by Thermo Electron Corporation, a Fortune 500 company.
In 2000, he founded Trans Digital Technologies, a leader in advanced technology identity solutions that produces U. S. passports and smartcards. It was acquired by Viisage Technologies, a NASDAQ firm that produces secure identity solutions and credentials where he is vice-chairman of the board. He sits on the boards of six other companies, as well as a number of national security boards and non-profit organizations. He was recently appointed to the board of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and the Army Science Board to provide counsel to the Secretary of the Army in scientific and technology matters. He and his wife Charlotte are active members of the ASU Alumni Association. They have two children, Deborah Beck Corbatto and Michael Beck, and reside in Fairfax Station, Va.