2012-volume-21-issue-2

e n g i n e e r i n gFall/Winter 2012 Volume 21 Issue 2

S a m u e l G i n n C o l l e g e o f E n g i n e e r i n g

Since

9/11

WALK THE LINEPaul Stephens, junior in mechanical engineering and cadet captain in Air Force

ROTC, takes a study break outside Shelby Center this fall by slacklining – students

tighten a strap between two trees, just a few feet above the ground, find their

balance and walk from end to end. It’s a popular new pastime among Auburn

students, one the administration might not be so eager to embrace. Slacklining

on campus may soon meet its natural end, as student move on to another, newer

activity. DISCLAIMER: No trees, or students, were harmed in taking this photograph.

A u b u r n E n g i n e e r i n g

Fall/Winter 2012Volume 21, Issue 2

Office of the Dean

Larry Benefield, deanBob Karcher, assistant dean of student servicesOliver Kingsley, associate dean for special projectsNels Madsen, interim associate dean for academicsRalph Zee, associate dean for research

Office of Engineering Communications and MarketingJim Killian, director

Sally Credille, editor

ContributorsCheryl CobbBeth Smith Morgan Stashick

PhotographyAuburn University Photographic Services, Jim Killian, Josh Brinkerhoff

Katherine Haon, graphic designer

Office of Engineering Development

Veronica Chesnut, directorDan Bush, associate directorDara Hosey, associate directorDavid Mattox, development officer

Experience Auburn Engineering online at eng.auburn.edu/magazine

Auburn Engineering is published twice yearly by the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. Please send news items, suggestions and comments to:

Engineering Communications and Marketingc/o Editor1320 Shelby CenterAuburn, AL [email protected]

eng.auburn.edu

Contents

©2011 Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Auburn University

HEADING TOWARD THE GREENWith construction fences finally down, green space and unique hardscapes unify Shelby Center’s newest additions in the second and final phase of its construction — the Advanced Engineering Research Laboratory, left, and Dwight Wiggins Mechanical Engineering Hall. They join Shelby’s first phase, completed in 2007, as user-friendly walkways creating direct access around the complex, as well as a route to the south side of Auburn’s campus. In the center of the engineering complex, Carroll Commons faces Jordan-Hare Stadium. Trees complement the spacious lawn, providing a park-like setting.

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2 Auburn Engineering

PICTURE THISA newly landscaped area to the east of Shelby Center will stretch from Magnolia Avenue to the Thach concourse. The walkway, which is under construction this fall, will begin with a new bus stop on Magnolia and wind to a water feature, a generous gift from Sam Ginn, the college’s namesake. It will include a waterfall from an upper basin across a 30-foot granite face that drops nearly 10 feet into a seating area shaded by trees.

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Auburn Engineering 3

From the DeanAs regular readers of this publication know, we have provided an overview of the college’s history in the past few issues, tracing the evolution of our programs from modest beginnings in the 1870s to where we stand today. In this fourth and final installment, we will cover a period of shrinking budgets that coincided with the technology boom of the ‘80s and ‘90s, and their effects on our engineering departments.

I have been privileged to observe Auburn’s engineering programs from a number of perspectives. As an undergraduate in the ‘60s, a graduate student in the ‘70s, a faculty member in the ‘80s, and an administrator in the years since, I can tell you that the view from the dean’s chair is not the same as it is from the back row of a statics class, and I have been in both. While I cannot turn back the clock to my carefree days as an undergrad, I can look at the tremendous progress that we have made not only as a college of engineering, but as a university.

I feel, like many others, that we have always had a gorgeous campus, great faculty, and one thing that all other campuses lack — the Auburn spirit. At the same time, we have throughout the years found it necessary to fight hard for funding for our classes, programs and initiatives, and sometimes we took it on the chin. When we did, I really believe that the element I just mentioned — the Auburn spirit, Auburn men and Auburn women — pulled us through, and pushed us to excel against the odds.

As you’ll read in this issue, a number of those Auburn men and women, our engineers, have played an important part not only in recovering from difficult times we have faced on campus, but also in addressing the challenges we have faced as a nation. In the 10 years following the September 11 attacks, our faculty members have remained focused on tackling research projects that offer new technologies and improved safety measures for our troops, as well as our families.

That same strength has helped to produce proud moments in our history, and you’ll read about just a few of our many alumni who have invested their careers in a program now at the end of its term, NASA’s space shuttle. It only begins to scratch the surface of the accomplishments and impact our alums have made in business, government and our daily lives.

Then, and now, Auburn Engineering is producing graduates who make a difference in the future — and it is a global one. As alumni, our graduates play a key role in how the university evolves and, more importantly, how our world evolves. As a member of the Auburn Engineering family, we invite you to take part in moving the college into the future, and invite you back to campus or for a visit when we hold alumni meetings throughout the nation.


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ROOTS RUN DEEP

The poisoning of Toomer’s Oaks hits most of us deeper than one story can tell. Much of the media

coverage surrounding the controversial

act speaks highly of Auburn’s rich history,

but a recent article for ESPN: The

Magazine honored Auburn’s legacy on a

deeper level. The story featured Auburn

Engineering alum Maury Gaston, an ‘82

mechanical engineering graduate, and

his family. Gaston is a third generation

Auburn student whose grandfather sold

the family farm so Gaston’s father could

attend Auburn. His father purchased

a seedling from Toomer’s Oaks before

he passed away in 2005, and Gaston’s

grandmother still rolls the oak that grows

in their backyard in his honor. Gaston, a

Birmingham resident, maintains his family

legacy with a Toomer’s tree in his own

front yard, grown from his father’s oak.

Keep up with the oaks at

auburn.edu/oaks


BIRD OF A DIFFERENT FEATHERThad Roppel’s electrical and computer engineering class recently “borrowed” Auburn’s new indoor practice

facility to conduct a test flight that might normally be done inside Jordan-Hare Stadium by Auburn’s own Nova.

Instead, Roppel’s students launched an ornithopter — a robotic cardinal that operates via remote control. Robo

Nova, as it has been dubbed, was on display for two years before students Jarred Beck, Brian Pappas and

Emile Ewing brought it back to life. The August test flight garnered attention across campus, and was featured

in stories written by The War Eagle Reader, AL.com and the Opelika-Auburn News. As this magazine went to

press, the Auburn ornithopter video had been viewed more than 8,000 times on the college’s YouTube channel

at eng.auburn.edu/youtube

THAT’S SMART STUFFThree Auburn Engineering professors

and a graduate student are developing

efficient geotextile fabrics with electronic

antenna capabilities, and their prototypes

are already showing promise. David Elton in civil

engineering, Gwen Thomas in polymer and fiber

engineering, Lloyd Riggs in electrical engineering

and doctoral student Andrew Sivulka are combining

their electrical, polymer and fiber engineering

expertise to develop metallic antennas that can be

embedded in roadways. They will allow for cellular,

Wi-Fi and other coverage to reach nearby buildings

and vehicles, making it easier for these signals to

be found in less accessible areas. Not only are they

more cost- and size-efficient than conventional

signal towers, but geotextile fabrics implanted in

roads are less susceptible to vandalism, terrorism

and natural disasters.

TEACHERS BECOME

STUDENTSIn August, industrial and systems engineering

hosted a teachers institute for the Material Handling

Institute of America. The week-long, biannual event

featured visiting industrial engineering, logistics and

business faculty from around the world, including

Canada, South America, Europe and the Middle

East, learning new methods for teaching materials

handling, logistics and facility design. The group

toured Jo-Ann Distribution Center in Opelika, as

well as a Hyundai facility in Montgomery.


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follow us

If you have a smart phone, it’s even easier to keep track of us. Just scan this QR code and enjoy the view. eng.auburn.edu/fl ickr

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT ITWant to keep track of the college’s news

as it happens? Our newly designed college

newsroom features stories and highlights

from our faculty and students. Visit eng.auburn.edu/news

FOLLOWS, LIKES AND TWEETS, OH MY! Don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and Twitter for the latest in news,

events and happenings on campus. Head to eng.auburn.edu/twitter or

eng.auburn.edu/facebook

As Paul Harvey used to say, we’re moving “the rest of the story.”

Anywhere you see this icon in Auburn Engineering, visit our new and improved

online edition of the alumni magazine you know and love. You’ll find feature

stories from the print version you’re holding now, as well as additional

photos and videos, and links to other articles. You’ll even have the

opportunity to leave us comments on our stories and share your

Auburn Engineering experiences. You can find Auburn Engineering

online at eng.auburn.edu/magazine

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDSThere is only so much room on a printed page, which

is why we’ve taken our images to the web. Find the

college on Flickr to see the latest photos of what’s

happening on campus and share them with your

friends. Photo galleries feature magazine imagery,

events, alumni activities, student projects and more.

WHAT'SNEW


BREATHE DEEPLYAuburn’s Center for Microfibrous Materials Manufacturing

has been awarded a $3.2 million grant from the Office of

Naval Research to study and develop advanced air filters

for fuel cell systems. To remove airborne contaminants, fuel

cell filters must operate efficiently while allowing air to pass

through them with a minimal drop in pressure. We take our

clean air for granted much of the time, and Bruce Tatarchuk,

the center’s director and a faculty member in chemical

engineering, believes his research in fuel cell filtration can also

be used to develop improved filters for homes and offices,

creating jobs in Alabama, as well as improving air quality

and reducing airborne contaminants that cause allergies and

respiratory diseases.

BEHIND THE WHEELJoseph Burke, a junior in mechanical engineering, likes to go fast.

He races when he’s behind the wheel of his rally car, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, but not through life

or school at Auburn. Burke is an internationally ranked motorsport champion and at 18 became

the youngest American rally racer to win an overall championship. In July, he competed at ESPN’s

XGames in Los Angeles, finishing fifth.

“Sitting in traffic on busy Los Angeles streets early on Tuesday and then racing down those same

streets on Friday was a pretty cool experience,” said Burke.

The Atlanta native has been involved in rally car racing since he first learned to drive, learning the

trade from his two-time U.S. rally champion father Seamus. Burke says that “many drivers can’t

explain a handling problem or engine issue to their crew,” something his engineering background

has helped him communicate.


FIVE MORE MINUTESWe spent five minutes with Rose-Gaëlle Belinga,

graduate student in computer science and software

engineering, for our spring/ summer 2010 issue,

and followed up with her recently about her 10-

week summer internship with financial advising giant

Morgan Stanley in New York City. Belinga served as a

technology analyst, helping to develop a Blackberry

application for the firm’s clients.

When she graduates in May, Belinga will return to the

Big Apple to work full time for Morgan Stanley. She

was selected as one of only 300 students worldwide to

participate in a 15-week training program that includes

11 weeks of class and a four-week project before she

steps into her permanent position.

“The people at Morgan Stanley don’t just train you for

employment at the firm,” says Belinga. “They want you

to be trained so you represent the company well in the

future, no matter where you end up. It is a win-win for

both sides.”

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR... START YOUR ENGINESThe college will host the 2012 Baja SAE Auburn competition April 19-22 at the National Center for Asphalt Technology test site in

neighboring Opelika. Competition events include a design report and evaluation, acceleration, suspension, maneuverability, a hill climb

and an endurance race. Auburn hosted the event in 2009 and 2006. This year's race will feature a new start house, designed by students in

Auburn's College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. Baja SAE is an engineering student design competition organized

by the Society of Automotive Engineers. For information about becoming a race sponsor, contact Jim Killian at [email protected].

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CUTTING-EDGE Auburn’s autonomous lawnmower team placed second in the Institute of Navigation (ION) robotic lawnmower competition this summer in Beavercreek, Ohio.

The team earned a $10,000 prize for the dynamic event by navigating

its robot, Moe, through a playing field while cutting grass and avoiding

obstacles. Areas of the field were assigned different points, with

sections of grass closest to the static obstacles assigned the most points

for degree of difficulty. Penalties were assigned for robots running

outside of the assigned area, colliding with static and dynamic obstacles

or needing a restart. Auburn’s team includes Michael Carroll, electrical

engineering graduate student, William Woodall, software engineering

graduate student, John Harrison, software engineering graduate student

and Calvin Cutshaw, electrical and computer engineering technician, and

is advised by Mark Nelms, chair of electrical and computer engineering.FROM “NERDS” WITH LOVE

Our story featured on

the spring cover of

Auburn Engineering,

“Nerds in Engineering:

Not on this Campus,”

struck a chord (pun

intended) with many of

our readers, and some

wrote to us to share

their own stories.

Paul S. Green, ’61 chemical engineering, told

of his days in the Alabama Polytechnic Institute

(API) marching band. At the time, freshmen and

sophomore men were required to take ROTC

classes, but band members were allowed to get

credit for weekly drills if they wore their ROTC

uniform to band practice. When API was renamed

Auburn University in 1960, the band got new

uniforms. According to Green, the name change

also signified that graduates received a well-

rounded, rather than a “nerdy,” education.

We also heard from Judy Williams who described

her husband Charles E. Williams’, ’72 industrial

engineering, “not-so-common path” as an

engineer. As director of a boarding school for

disadvantaged teenage boys in Central America,

his engineering skills helped bring full-time

electricity to the campus — taking two-and-a-half

years to get power across the river.

And to that we say, as we did in our original story,

“Nerds rule the world.”

Sweet designCliff Welch, a sophomore in

mechanical engineering, has

turned drawing into a lucrative

hobby. He submitted a winning

drawing to Marzetti for the

specialty food company’s caramel apple dip packaging design

competition earlier this year. Welch designed a caramel wave

that splashes over the company’s

logo with apple slices floating

in the dip. His concept earned

him some sweet prizes — a

Canon DSLR camera and an iMac

computer with Adobe Photoshop, valued

around $3,500. Now, that’s delicious.

MAN VS. M A C H I N E

Bill Richardson, a ‘69 electrical engineering

graduate, spent 26 years working for International

Paper (IP) at a time when computer-control

innovation was on the rise. Richardson pioneered

computer efforts for the company, making it the

first fully computer-controlled paper mill in the

world in 1981. He recently detailed his team’s

experiences of building a paper mill around the

computer for the Computer History Museum of

Mountain View, Calif. His report can be found in

the museum’s permanent archive collection.


PAPER OUT, iPAD IN

Out with the notebook paper, in

with the iPad. Computer science

and software engineering doctoral

candidates Jonathan Lartigue and

Russell Thackston have developed

an interactive iPad application

that teaches elementary school

students about nutrition. Their

application, Body Quest, features

six animated characters that

provide nutrition facts and

lessons through a series of

games. The program is being

tested in K-12 classrooms across

the state through the Alabama

Cooperative Extension Service.

CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER

Each year, the college recognizes the achievements of our faculty,

students and alumni by hosting a spring awards ceremony. This year’s

ceremony and reception were held in the auditorium at the Auburn

University Hotel and Conference Center on April 15. This exceptional

group of individuals represents the best in engineering scholarship

and practice. See the complete list of this year’s recipients online.

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TRAVIS TAYLOR ROCKET CITY REDNECK

Taylor's tips for Auburn Engineering students

“Get off the couch, put away the Xbox, and start tinkering with something and try to solve a problem,” says Taylor. “At least take a stab at it. Even if you don’t solve anything, you are still learning something.”

Years before he was performing homemade

experiments using beer cans and plywood

for National Geographic Channel’s new show,

“Rocket City Rednecks,” Travis Taylor was

attending classes in Parker and Broun Hall,

building the foundation in engineering that

would lead him to a career with the Army,

Department of Defense and NASA in his

hometown of Huntsville. Taylor, a 1991

electrical engineering alum who also

earned a bachelor’s degree in physics

from Auburn, has written numerous

science fiction novels, technical

papers and textbooks, and has

appeared in several television

documentaries before

landing his own show

based on the engineering

know-how and creativity

that he, his father,

nephew, best friend

and brother-in-law

all possess.


Susana Santamaria’98, ’03 civil engineeringSenior transport consultant and associateDiadro ConsultingMadrid, Spain

Typical day . . . working with geographic information systems and travel demand forecasting software that models public and private transportation

Current project . . . fieldwork on a road concession project in Brazil, driving roads to get GPS data and check network elements to simulate traffic scenarios from changes in infrastructure, toll tariffs and socioeconomic forecasts

Engineering challenge . . . implementing intelligent transport systems to make individual vehicle travel, mass transit, bicycling and walking as easy and efficient as possible

Early on . . . I came to the U.S. during my senior year in high school and lived with a host family in Newnan, Ga. The father, Stephen Lee, is an Auburn mechanical graduate — I always liked math and science, and visiting Auburn made me realize that engineering was for me, and that I had to go to school there

Geek moment . . . realizing that although people say that things are not black and white, to me, everything always adds up: 2 + 2 = 4, no matter where you are !

My Auburn Engineering . . . prepared me for real work experience, not only the scientific side that I use every day at work, but also a sense of responsibility and ethics

Turning point . . . coming back to Spain after 10 years in the U.S. and adapting to a different work environment; my background is in hydrology and hydraulics — I got a job with a transport company, and a few years later, I started my own transportation consultancy firm with four partners

Sense of pride . . . the changes that my work brings to people’s travel behavior; optimizing public transportation such as metro, light rail transit and bus lines to improve quality of life

Are YOU smarterthan a

freshman?Try your hand at this freshman engineering problem and find out for yourself.

Question:

It’s my jobInterviewed by Beth Smith

You’ve been hired to develop control software for a robotic lift in a warehouse. It must move stacks of widgets from the incoming shipping bay to a long-term storage bay. The widgets are stacked one on top of another, from largest on the bottom to smallest on the top. The robotic lift can only move one widget at a time due to weight, and can never stack a larger widget on top of a smaller widget. There is one temporary storage bay that the robotic lift can use while moving the widgets from the shipping bay to the long-term storage bay. At all times each storage bay can hold at most one stack of widgets, and the stacks must be arranged from largest on bottom to smallest on top. The transfer of a single widget from the stack in one bay to the stack in another bay (shipping, temporary, or long-term) is considered a “move.” You must write the control software so that the robotic lift makes the minimum possible number of widget moves.

If you wrote the software correctly, how many total moves will the robotic lift make in transferring ten widgets from the shipping bay to long-term storage?

Solution:

The minimum number of moves for N widgets is 2^N - 1, so in the case of ten widgets a minimum of 1,023 moves would be required.


The world can be a dangerous place. And anyone

who doubts that we could be safer or more secure

in it — in our homes, schools, offices and in our

skies — should simply look to the headlines.

In September, the U.S. solemnly remembered the

tenth anniversary of our country’s worst homeland

attack since the bombing of Pearl Harbor. And while

politics and religion and war are typically matters

in which we are all individually invested, how we

solve our problems — problems of safety, tools and

technology that protect us — are challenges often

left to engineers.

SInce

9/11

By Cheryl Cobb, Sally Credille, Beth Smith and Morgan Stashick

Students, faculty and staff gather on Samford Lawn on the evening 9/11/2001 to remember victims and families of those lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the hijacking of Flight 93


DUrIng THe yeArS SInce 9/11, the ways and means by which many engineers address those challenges have evolved with the times, and with changes in policy, our interests and our needs. How and why funding reaches certain projects is a science in and of itself, but the catastrophic events of September 11, 2001, have shown us that we still have a number of areas where we lack sufficient defenses and that research being conducted at the university level may offer the next generation of protection.

THe “T” FAcTOrchemical engineering faculty member Mario eden will tell you that chemical process design has not fundamentally changed during the past 10 years. But he will also tell you that the logistics involved with producing chemicals has caused us to face unprecedented challenges where the potential for a terrorist threat is concerned.

eden’s area of expertise — high-value chemicals, renewable fuels and sustainable energy — was not new following 9/11, but the impact of the attacks on his work, and his field, is a real one. Though it is a result of strained relations in the Middle east more than the tragic loss of American lives, the impact of national security on his research area has affected design, accessibility and safety, as well as renewed American interest in generating chemicals from domestic resources.

“We began thinking about the safety of storing large amounts of flammable liquids and hazardous materials,” says eden. “now, you have to consider security threats, whereas before you primarily dealt with issues of environmental compliance. For design, we end up asking questions like, ‘Should there be less solvent,’ because of those safety concerns.”

eden says that he feels this evolution of his research area was most likely inevitable, but that September 11 was a catalyst for safety and security becoming a top priority in research. It also shaped a new element researchers were forced to consider when developing chemical processes: a terrorist attack.

InFOrMATIOn ASSUrAnce AnD cOLLABOrATIOnrodney robertson, a 1980 electrical engineering graduate, is the executive director of Auburn University’s new Huntsville research center. His more than 30 years of work in federal science and engineering programs has offered him an inside look at the challenges we face as a nation in making our world — and the things in it — faster, stronger, lighter, less expensive and more secure.

As the former director of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense command’s technical center, he understands the importance of secure communications and the role that protected information exchange plays not only in our military actions but also our day-to-day lives.

“There is a general feeling in the defense community that the next big attack will be cyber,” says robertson. “As a result, we are seeing increased funding for research to enhance the security of our

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“Ten years ago, cyber security wasn’t a term

that everyone used. Today, we are all thinking

about it and talking about it. There is an

overwhelming focus on it and the need to stay

ahead of the curve.”

communication, transportation, power, water and sanitation systems, health systems, banking systems and computer systems.”

Auburn alumna Leslee Belluchie, a 1983 graduate in mechanical engineering, agrees.

“Ten years ago, cyber security wasn’t a term that everyone used,” says Belluchie. “Today, we are all thinking about it and talking about it. There is an overwhelming focus on it and the need to stay ahead of the curve.”

Belluchie has spent her career providing support to the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. From her early days as a project engineer to her current role as co-owner of a private equity fund, she has been involved in our nation’s security infrastructure for nearly 30 years.

Like millions of Americans, she watched in horror as the events of 9/11 unfolded in front of her. But unlike many others, she had a bird’s eye view of the devastation from her high-rise apartment overlooking the Pentagon.

“I couldn’t go home that first night,” she says. “But, for nights following 9/11, I watched the Pentagon burn from my window and couldn’t believe what was happening.”

By September 12, the focus of her work had already begun to change.

“The amount of activity and the need for expertise and speed of deployment ramped up immediately,” she says. “everything accelerated. Our work became much more defined and incremental with an emphasis on protecting and defending our infrastructure. It was all about speed, speed, speed . . . for our country and for our soldiers.”

Back on Auburn’s campus, the university has continued aligning its interests in conducting research and hiring faculty who can carry out this kind of work, identifying key research areas that meet this priority.

“We have seen a change in the focus of the requests for proposals with an emphasis

on layers of security,” says ralph Zee, associate dean for research in the college of engineering. “It includes work on better physical barriers, improved sensors and network security like hardened concrete, bullet proof materials, information assurance and cyber security.”

In order to meet this demand, researchers have embraced the collaborative approach to discovery and innovation, inviting colleagues from around the country to offer their expertise on projects that could be easily enhanced by another set of hands and an additional mind at work.

“Another change, which reflects congressional oversight on research after 9/11, is increased emphasis on collaborative work, both in house and across institutions,” says Martha Taylor, assistant vice president for research in Auburn’s Office of the Vice President for research. “A requirement was added to many requests for proposals (rFPs) asking researchers to describe the broader impacts of the funding. It naturally led to collaborative efforts that increase the footprint of the work, so now we are seeing fewer numbers of single researcher awards.”

eric Imsand and Drew Hamilton, faculty members in computer science and software engineering, have been commuting to military bases across the country, instructing week-long digital forensics classes to wounded warriors who are looking to transition into new careers.

Their workforce training initiative is a collaborative project with Mississippi State University and Tuskegee University and is funded by the national Science Foundation, as well as the national Security Agency’s national Information Assurance education and Training

Program. The project will also support outreach activities at minority institutions, including north carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and Western new Mexico University.

Imsand and Hamilton’s course provides servicemen with skills in digital forensics. class participants learn how to trace email and Internet activities, recover deleted files from hard drives and find hidden data on digital devices, among other exercises.

This summer, they traveled to eglin Air Force Base in niceville, Fla., to instruct their sixteenth course in the past two years.

“Our country has a real shortage of people who can do this type of work [digital forensics], and most law enforcement agencies at the state and local level are faced with the new challenge of not having enough people to do it,” says Imsand. “now, we have wounded warriors who fully intend to serve their country — who are already motivated to do so — and who are making career transitions.”

Sitting in a classroom, in battle dress uniform, Air Force veterans blend easily with one another as they listen

to instructors and take notes on laptop computers. The soldiers’ personal and medical needs are not identical, though their uniforms seem to match. What makes them similar is their desire for new skills and professional opportunities.

It is not easy to see that Staff Sergeant Dave Flowers, pictured left center, has a prosthetic leg under his camo pants. Flowers’ story begins in Afghanistan, where he was part of a team tasked to dispose of a munitions dump. After he stepped on a landmine, he looked down to find that his right leg was gone and his left was shattered.


Flowers admits that he was “computer illiterate” when he began the digital forensics course, but says by the end of the week he was conducting simulations that he can use in his military job.

“We do weapons raids where we might find computers and cellphones,” says Flowers. “If I expand upon information I learned in this class, I could direct people in the field on how to extract information from those devices back on base.”

THe erA OF AWAreneSSAfter September 11, Bruce Tatarchuk recalls an intense blip of panic followed by a rush of outside interest in his research area. Tatarchuk, a faculty member in chemical engineering, has been studying air filtration materials for nearly 30 years and says that even with a flood of new interest after 9/11, there haven’t been major scientific breakthroughs since the twin towers fell.

“It changed public awareness about research like ours,” says Tatarchuk. “Suddenly, everyone was talking about WMDs, TIcS and TIMS — toxic industrial chemicals and materials — anti-terror technologies, and people wanted to get involved in keeping us safe.”

For Tatarchuk, the best line of defense for a first responder is an efficient filter. Ten years ago, when the haze began to clear, images of first responders caked in dust were hard to bear.

Later, stories began to surface about 9/11 heroes who struggled to breathe during search and rescue, even while wearing masks meant to protect their lungs from hazardous substances. Tatarchuk’s technology offers protection by using microfibrous materials that catch harmful substances at the molecular level. His research asks the question, “How do you make a filter that stops harmful contaminants?” But it also asks, “How do you dispose of that filter,” “How do you make that filter work in hospitals,

schools and homes,” and “How can we make this technology readily available and affordable?”

Treating the cause, rather than the symptoms, is a main focus of Tatarchuk’s work, though no one could have predicted the degree to which first responders and victims would face physical exposure to a highly toxic dust caused by two buildings collapsing.

“We realized [after 9/11] that first responders aren’t just firemen and police,” says Tatarchuk. “So many people rushing to help are civilians, like you and me. They have no training, but also no equipment to protect them.”

During the past 10 years, Tatarchuk’s lab has been busy developing high-efficiency filters that can remove gasses from fuel cell systems and the next generation of gas masks for the U.S. military, but he feels that the more pressing threat to American safety is energy security and healthcare issues associated with breathing unsafe air.

“We need newer and better microfibrous materials now more than ever,” he says. “We need cleaner air that can be filtered for less money. The high energy costs associated with running an inefficient HVAc system are astronomical, but we can solve those problems with new filtration, by cleaning up the air. And those same technologies have anti-terrorism applications.”

PrOTecTIOn OUTSIDe AnD InJames Davidson, faculty member in the Department of civil engineering, has been working in the protective structures field since 1996, shortly after the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia.

“The Khobar Towers incident demonstrated to the civil engineering community that they must do a better job at designing and constructing buildings that our servicemen live and work in, so they are protected from attacks,” says Davidson.

That terrorist bombing — which killed 19 U.S. servicemen and injured more than 300 others — led Davidson to the Air Force research Laboratory, U.S. Army engineer research and Development center and the national Science Foundation to work on developing new ways we can remain safe indoors, no matter what is going on outside.

“When an explosion occurs outside of a building, the injuries and deaths are generally not due directly to the explosion,” he adds. “Instead they are caused by secondary effects of the building components that break apart and are propelled at high velocities by the blast shock wave.”

On September 11, 2001, Davidson again wondered how he and other structural engineers could better protect buildings from external explosions.

“It raised two questions about building design and construction,” says Davidson. “Are current U.S. fire codes sufficient, and should we have more robust structural design requirements to prevent progressive collapse, so one failed building component will not result in the instability of an entire structure?”

We know now that the collapse of the twin trade center towers was not due directly to the impact and explosion of an airliner, but as Davidson indicates, by the extreme heat that softened the structural steel frame.

“Once the upper portion of those buildings began to collapse, the remaining structure could not sustain the force,” Davidson adds. “Parts of the Pentagon had been reinforced a few years prior to 9/11, which likely did save lives.”

“We realized [after 9/11] that

first responders aren’t just

firemen and police. So many

people rushing to help are

civilians, like you and me.”


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Davidson says that as a result of September 11, the structural engineering field expanded and the Department of Defense was pressured to open up to university and private sector individuals and organizations, so they could take advantage of protective structures knowledge within the industry.

“Prior to 9/11, the protective structures research community was relatively small and most work was directed to the Department of Defense,” says Davidson. “September 11 made structural engineers realize that it may be necessary to consider blast design for many other categories of structures. Other areas in our industry, like earthquake engineering, started getting involved with blast loads.”

In the same way, polymer and fiber engineer gwynedd Thomas is designing stronger materials that can protect us from the neighborhood street corner to the battlefield.

For Thomas, the horror of 9/11 was deeply personal, as it was for many Americans, but what followed in the months and years was her dedication and determination to protect us.

Her research with lightweight ballistics protection and composite materials is used to develop body armor for U.S. troops, including the Army’s Air Warrior upgrade project from 2002-2006, as well as armor for vulnerable aircraft, such as the V-22 Osprey, and armor to protect American

forces from deadly IeDs and land mines. According to military statistics, nearly 70 percent of all casualties in the Iraqi conflict have been caused by roadside bombs.

Thomas and colleague David Walrath at the University of Wyoming’s Department of Mechanical engineering are working with Kennon Products, Inc. of Sheridan, Wyo., a manufacturer of protective equipment and coverings for aviation and military applications, to develop vehicle armor that provides military personnel greater protection against those bombs.

“The designs that we are developing for explosion and ballistic protection will offer solutions for all of our military services and will provide an increased degree of safety for American men and women in combat,” says Thomas.

Her work is proving vital to developing new armor that can withstand blasts better than the standard hardened steel that U.S. military vehicles currently use.

VULnerABILITy AnD An AgenDAMaria Auad was working with a calTech consortium on a military project involving liquid crystal polymers on the morning of 9/11/2001. She had been conducting research in the U.S. for a year.

Back then, she never expected that how and where those projects occurred might

look different as a result of one September day.

“After 9/11, there was an explosion of new research and development technologies,” says Auad. “Agencies that traditionally fund these projects, like the Department of commerce, Department of Defense, navy and Army, modified their focus areas in response to new threats and vulnerabilities.”

Auad believes that the formation of the Department of Homeland Security is a clear response by the U.S. to those challenges, drawing on the intellectual and technological capabilities of scholars, scientists and technologists to keep Americans safe.

“There’s no question that this event has changed America in so many ways, and research universities have not been immune to the consequences we have experienced,” says Auad. “In fact, they have been impacted significantly. The national research agenda has changed post-9/11 and made protecting the security of citizens a top priority and a major challenge.”

In a matter of hours, policy makers and American citizens alike began to realize that terrorists could threaten a number of areas, such as the economy and public trading, biosecurity, infrastructure for transportation and electrical systems, radioactive materials, communication and information exchange.

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“September 11 affected us in a number of ways,” says Taylor. “The biggest change was a move from rFPs for fundamental or early stage research to those for research that provided a solution to a specific problem.”

One effect being felt in labs across Auburn’s campus, including Auad’s, is the decrease in an international graduate student population that supports much of the university research enterprise.

“The new screening systems now in place and the new U.S. citizenship requirement for high priority research areas have created major impediments,” says Auad. “International educational competition will decrease the availability of scientific talent even further. With too few students, research momentum will be difficult to maintain.”

Without that momentum, universities across the country will face an even greater degree of competition for quality graduate and doctoral students, as well as lab technicians and support staff, many of whom are paid through research grants and are highly skilled in particular areas.

The potential for a decline in enrollment could hit a university’s budget as hard as its research space.

“There has been a big impact in the area of export control,” says Taylor. “These regulations have been on the books for a

long time, but 9/11 forced a realization that simply educating someone about how to do something could endanger our nation’s security.” In addition to

reducing the degree to which international graduate students can work in key research areas, 9/11 also called into question some basic assumptions about how American universities operate.

“While we still welcome individuals from around the world to live and learn, we are required to tell them that there may be certain projects on which they will not be allowed to work,” Taylor adds. “It has impacted the way universities view themselves and their approach to openness in higher education.”

From a technologist’s perspective, Auad says she has questions about where we stand after the 9/11 attacks.

“The country has spent billions of dollars on technology upgrades to detect and neutralize new threats,” she adds. “Have we invested it wisely? Are the technologies

and resources being deployed effectively? What more can be done?”

Ten MOre yeArSTime does not stand still, even on a college campus. Here at Auburn, faculty are no less devoted to their work and engineering challenges than they were in 2001. In 10 more years, no doubt, the academic research environment will have evolved even further from what we know today.

As opportunities grow for government, academia and industry to work together, Auburn faculty and engineers around the country continue to improve upon their projects. Who can say where their ideas will take them tomorrow.

From the heavily observed to the relatively unknown, engineering educators face the unprecedented challenge of generating interest in and respect for new technologies that can keep us safe, whether at home, or at work, or at war.

At the same time, they must remain invested in teaching eager engineering students how to improve our nation’s best defenses, as well as how to ask themselves broader questions about security, protection and the certainty of an unpredictable future.

Someone once said that safety never takes a holiday; neither do engineers.

“There’s no question that this event

has changed America in so many ways,

and research universities have not

been immune to the consequences . . ."

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Cape Canaveral on the evening of July 15, 2009; spectators at Kennedy Space Center’s Banana River viewing site watch Endeavour roar into space on STS-127

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nASA’S FIrST SPAce SHUTTLe mission lifted off from Kennedy Space center on April 12, 1981, when the orbiter columbia, carrying two crew members, rocketed out of the atmosphere. It was 20 years after President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 announcement that the United States would accomplish manned space flight by the end of the decade, a feat many thought was impossible.

At the time, President Kennedy’s vision included “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth.” But Americans would soon realize that they had great curiosity about the new frontier. The space agency expanded, taking on new missions and developing vehicles such as the space shuttle, the popular designation for the Space Transportation System, or

STS, which had been considered only as fantasy not long before.

With the expansion of the space program, Auburn’s aerospace engineering program also grew in students and in research. John cochran ‘66, head of Auburn’s Department of Aerospace engineering, says the program’s curriculum began to include more physics and math, as well as courses in astronautics, boundary layer theory, gas dynamics and space propulsions systems.

Faculty members such as richard Sforzini, Kenneth Harwell, Branimir Djordjevic, Fred Martin and James nichols arrived on campus for the opportunity. cochran, John Burkhalter ‘63 and Butch Foster ‘67, the program’s second doctoral graduate, are still with the department. even in the

early days of nASA, the impact of Auburn engineers, their designs and workmanship could be felt throughout the budding space organization.

When the space shuttle program was in its infancy in the late 1960s, astronauts such as T.K. Mattingly, a ‘58 graduate in aerospace engineering, were cutting their teeth on Mercury, gemini and Apollo. Later, Mattingly would command STS missions in a modern space craft built for modern space travel along with astronauts and Auburn physics graduates Kathy Thornton and Hank Hartsfield.

But behind the scenes, Auburn aerospace engineering alums, such as gerald Smith ‘61, Walt Woltosz ‘69, gary Abercrombie ‘70 and robert champion ‘86, mulled over its design, maneuverability and safety, perfecting vehicle components and tweaking systems.

Woltosz and Abercrombie developed the space shuttle’s rollover maneuver in 1971 by using computer software they created called the rocket ascent g-limited moment-balanced optimization program, or rAgMOP, to optimize the vehicle’s pitch and yaw. champion, who began his nASA career as a propulsion engineer in the preliminary design office at Marshall Space center, earned nASA’s Medal for exceptional Achievement for technical leadership in space shuttle propulsion systems. Smith also spent much of his career designing and developing propulsion systems at Marshall, but his biggest challenge came when he was tapped to lead the efforts to design, build, qualify and fly the shuttle’s redesigned solid-rocket motor following the challenger accident.

The United States lost seven astronauts that day in 1986, and the world watched in horror as the space shuttle broke apart high above the Atlantic Ocean. Before challenger, most Americans had never heard of an “O-ring,” nor could they tell you how a solid rocket booster propelled the shuttle into space. In the weeks following the accident, the entire country would learn how the failure of those components could change the course of American history. The tragedy would P

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Atlantis lifts off from Kennedy Space Center on June 8, 2007 for mission STS-117


also serve as a harsh reminder of the risks associated with space flight that so many Americans had put to bed following the lunar landing and unprecedented success of Apollo missions.

The space shuttle was a complex vehicle, and not perfect — no machine is. It could be independently maneuvered in and out of orbit, acting as a glider for re-entry with support from an orbital maneuvering system. The orbiter launched vertically, carrying four to eight astronauts and up to 50,000 pounds of cargo, and is the only winged, manned spacecraft that has been placed in orbit, as well as the only reusable space vehicle to make multiple space flights. It’s hard to imagine that the man who first envisioned such a spacecraft may have done so as early as the 1950s, and that much of its continued success was directed by Auburn engineers.

Wayne Owens, ’64 mechanical engineering, worked at the shuttle's payloads directorate on processing payloads for launch and then with cargo integration and operations at Johnson Space center, where he was responsible for all shuttle payload activities.

carver Kennedy, a ’52 graduate in mechanical engineering, was responsible for the development and production of solid rocket motors for industry and nASA’s shuttle. After challenger, he served on the Kennedy Space center Accident Investigation Board and the rogers commission, charged with investigating the accident. He testified at the congressional committee hearings before he returned home to help with the redesign, one of nine commission recommendations to improve safety. When Discovery lifted off in September 1988, the launch represented a test of the

Two, please

T.K. Mattingly, ‘58 aerospace, and Hank Hartsfield, a ‘54 physics graduate, flew one mission together on STS-4. Their seven-day mission served as Columbia’s fourth and final orbital test flight — Mattingly was the commander, Hartsfield the pilot. Because of its test flight status, they were the only two members of the shuttle’s crew, unlike later missions that carried four to eight astronauts.

redesigned boosters, as well as a shift to a more conservative position on safety. Following the success of that mission, nASA continued a regular schedule of STS flights that would continue, generally uninterrupted, for 15 years. Smith and Kennedy, along with a number of other Auburn engineers, supported a redesign project for the solid-rocket motor that helped to restore confidence in the nation’s space program.

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, astronauts Jan Davis, a ‘77 graduate in mechanical engineering, and Jim Voss, a ‘72 graduate in aerospace engineering, flew shuttle missions, logging hundreds of hours in space. Voss, who helped build the international space station, even carried a few Auburn items into zero gravity — some Auburn t-shirts and a flag — on one of his five missions and four spacewalks. Before she flew missions, Davis was the lead engineer for the redesign of the shuttle’s solid rocket booster external tank attach ring.

Jim Kennedy, a ’72 graduate in mechanical engineering, left the aerospace industry to work in the project control office for space shuttle projects when he could no longer ignore his passion for spaceflight. He is of no relation to carver Kennedy; they simply have Auburn and the space shuttle in common.

Kennedy was made a manager of the shuttle program planning and management systems office. He played major roles in projects that included the concept flight vehicle Delta clipper experimental, Dc-XA and X-34. In 1996, he became program manager of the space shuttle solid rocket booster project office.

Auburn engineers have dominated nASA’s manned space flight operations and a number of its programs, none more so

than the shuttle. Its 135 missions carried huge payloads, made numerous trips to the international space station and recovered satellites until the program ended this summer with Atlantis.

Don Magnusson, a ‘67 graduate in electrical engineering, began his career with the space shuttle program six years before the first mission flew, and he saw its final return on Aug. 31. There are few others that can make that claim.

Magnusson has worked in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL) for more than 33 years, modeling software that controls the space shuttle in flight. On the day Atlantis landed, Magnusson flew the final simulator flight from Johnson Space center in Houston.

The space shuttle program holds a special place in the hearts of Auburn engineers, so much so that in 2009 Mattingly presented the college of engineering with his nASA Ambassador of exploration Award — a moon rock he brought back from one of his expeditions. earlier this year, Auburn alums Liz Pattison, a ’00 graduate in mechanical engineering, and aerospace graduates David Hamilton ’67, Joel Sills ’87 and Fred Martin ’78 and ’80, got together at Johnson Space center to commemorate those efforts and recall its challenges as well as its successes.

They serve as a reminder that Auburn engineers have made an impact on our nation’s space travel and the space shuttle program, and that they will continue that legacy for years to come.

This article includes a number of stories, notes and accounts retold by alumni and friends of the college, as well as highlights from a history of Auburn aerospace engineering compiled by department head John Cochran.

A centennial of Auburn engineering: Modern Leadership for the Modern Age of engineering

by Jim Killian

Students walk down Magnolia in the mid ’80s with the newly constructed Harbert Center in the background28 Auburn Engineering

In the past few issues of Auburn Engineering we have traced

the evolution of the college through its emergence in the 1870s,

when the first classes were taught, to the early twentieth century

and its official naming as a college in 1908. In the decades

that followed, Auburn — then known as Alabama Polytechnic

Institute — was recognized as a source of engineering talent

whose enrollments dominated the school. In the boom that

followed World War II, Auburn’s complexion began to change

as it became a widely diversified university in which engineering

continued to play a significant role, but competed with

business and liberal arts for large enrollments. now that we are

approaching the modern era for the college of engineering, we

find that most of the students who went to school during this

period are still in the work force, even as those who went to

Auburn in the ’70s are beginning to retire. The professors who

taught these students are still on campus as well, although many

new faculty members have joined them.


Aldridge’s tenure was followed by the appointment of William F. Walker, chairman of the department of mechanical engineering and materials science at rice University in Houston, as Auburn’s ninth dean of engineering. His timing was propitious. engineering and pre-engineering enrollment increased in the fall of 1988 for the first time in four years, and the number of women studying engineering grew to 20

percent, compared to about 15 percent of engineering freshmen nationally.

Walker’s tenure as dean was marked by a great deal of effort sustaining the growth of Auburn’s female engineering enrollments, as well as building new inroads to the enhancement of minority engineering programs.

new developments in electrical and computer programs were also changing the face of instruction in response to the nation’s growing reliance on electronic

technologies. With guidance from members of the Auburn Alumni engineering council, the college’s electrical engineering department became electrical and computer engineering, while computer science and engineering became known as computer science and software engineering.

In THe DecADeS THAT BUILT UP TO THe TUrn OF THe cenTUry, the college of engineering was administered by a progression of leaders who aligned its programs with the changing face of technology, teaching methods, research needs and career opportunities.

Lynn Weaver, a nuclear engineer recruited from georgia Tech, served from 1982-87, with then-president James e. Martin remarking that Weaver had developed the foundation of a strong engineering college and contributed significantly to Auburn’s development as a research university.

Weaver’s five-year tenure is remembered as a time of rebuilding and change of direction for the college. By the time he resigned to become president of the Florida Institute of Technology in 1987, Auburn engineering had nearly doubled postgraduate enrollments to 11 percent of the student body.

Weaver’s tenure was also marked by the creation of a new academic program that recognized the growing importance of computer technology. Before that time, Auburn’s first computer courses were administered by a committee made up of representatives from many departments.

That changed during the early ’80s, when administrators determined that a new academic program was needed and that it should reside in the college of engineering. Dave Irwin, who was electrical engineering department head at the time, was asked to create the program.

“When we launched the new program, students signed on in droves,” says Irwin. “We were teaching classes at 7 a.m. to meet demand. The program was spun off into a new department, computer science and engineering, in 1984.”

Following Weaver’s departure, M. Dayne Aldridge was named interim dean. Aldridge was already recognized for a solid record of engineering, academic and administrative experience, and had served as part of

the dean’s office for three years.

As assistant dean for research, he coordinated the college’s research programs, which totaled $10.6 million in 1987 — double the amount when he assumed the post in 1984. As associate dean for cross-disciplinary studies, he built on his experience as director of the Thomas Walter center for Technology Management, which built bridges between engineering and business.

AUBURN ENGINEERING IN PRINTLike his predecessors, Walker saw a need to communicate with the college’s

alumni and friends. He established a newsletter that would, several

years later, become this publication, Auburn Engineering. The first issue

appeared in fall 1989, and is still published twice yearly. Walker used the

new publication to disseminate information about the college and to seek

support for expanding programs. Today, the publication is larger in page

count and has found a second home online, but its ability to share progress

with and engage alumni support is no less important.

Walker

Weaver

Aldridge


“The move was a good one, and put Auburn in a leadership position in the area of software engineering,” says Irwin.

They were among several programs that began their evolution under Weaver, and continued to grow during Walker’s years as dean, as he led the college through the ’90s. Walker would later move to the provost’s office and eventually to the institution’s presidency.

enrOLLMenTS grOW In THe ’80s AnD ’90sDuring the 1980s, 19 percent of all Auburn graduates received degrees in engineering, second only to the business college. combined, the two colleges accounted for 42 percent of all graduates, compared with 33 percent during the 1970s. While the college of engineering emphasized research and postgraduate education under Weaver and Walker, undergraduate education remained the key mission and represented the majority of its students.

In June 1993, Larry Benefield, who was named by Walker as associate dean for academics, noted that the college had grown to the point where it was tenth in the number of bachelor’s degrees produced in the nation, and fifteenth in enrollment at the undergraduate level.

However, the college sought quality as well as quantity. With only 20 percent of the student body, engineering students represented 40 percent of Auburn’s honor students during the 1992 academic year, a trend which has continued to grow, even today. With engineering starting salaries among the highest for new college graduates, and with a strong outlook for employment in most areas, the pipeline of engineering applicants grew.

“Auburn had begun to develop a reputation as one of the premier engineering institutions in the Southeast,” said Benefield, adding, “We were beginning to develop a national presence, something we had already accomplished to a significant extent in our research programs.”

Like his predecessors, Walker was faced with funding problems that he felt compromised Auburn’s plans to move the college to greater recognition as one of the nation’s best programs. However, unlike them, he was much more aggressive in seeking private financial support.

At the beginning of his administration, only 1,216 of Auburn’s 26,000 engineering alumni contributed to the college; they gave a bit more than $300,000, not including another $1.1 million in corporate support. By the end of the 1990 academic year, just two years into his administration, donations to the college of engineering increased to $2 million, including $660,000 from alumni and friends.

With increasing private support and ongoing engineering construction, the perennial issue of engineering accreditation faded into the background. ABeT, the accreditation board for engineering and technology, visited campus to review five curricula in August 1989, and in August 1990, reaccredited all five for an additional three years.

The accreditation agency noted in its report that “a great deal has been done to improve the engineering programs at Auburn University since the last visit in 1986.” They also wrote, “new construction and renovations have improved the laboratory and classroom space problems in most departments, and new computer and other laboratory equipment have been acquired.”

ALUMnI SUPPOrT BecOMeS crUcIALThe university began a major fundraising effort, called “campaign Auburn: the next generation,” in 1994 with a goal of $175 million; when the campaign officially ended in December 1996, the final total exceeded $200 million, and Auburn engineering shared in its benefits.

As was normal practice, the university initially relied on a small cadre of major donors to kick off the fundraising effort before announcing it publicly. earle c. Williams ’51, an electrical engineering

Brick by BrickAuburn dedicated the John M. Harbert III Engineering Center on April 4, 1986, and a year later Auburn’s Board of Trustees allocated $7.5 million from a state bond issue for the construction of a new aerospace engineering building. Constructed as a second phase of the center, groundbreaking took place on April 29, 1989, in a ceremony punctuated by an F-16 flyover. The building was renamed in 2007 as Charles E. Davis Aerospace Engineering Hall.

Despite these additions, the college again found itself short of space. During the summer of 1993, Dean Walker requested nearly $10 million for a major renovation of Wilmore Laboratories, but with tight budgets, construction funding was difficult. Relief would come when the university received a $2 million National Science Foundation renovation grant to make Wilmore “a modern, safe research and teaching engineering facility.”

The university committed an initial $2 million to match the NSF grant, a course fee raised $1.7 million, and alumni and corporate donations accounted for another $2.2 million. The building was rededicated in a ceremony in the fall of 1997, with the total project cost at some $12 million; the administration had to rely on additional university funding and alumni donations to close the gap in funding.


FROM MAINFRAMES TO MINICOMPUTERS

If it takes more than a blink of an eye to pull up a piece of data, run an algorithm or check a spreadsheet, it must be time to buy a new computer. If the internet goes down, you might as well go home for the day.

That’s how we roll now. But only a generation ago, the typical Auburn Engineering student, or professor, would key in a data stack on punch cards, walk it over to the L-Building or Parker Hall, and pick up the results the next morning. Numerical analysis was done on IBM mainframes, and the output was reams and reams of tractor paper.

There were no CRT displays much less gooeys (GUIs). But when integrated circuits and microprocessors came onto the scene in the ’70s, things began to change, and change fast. Auburn Engineering jumped on board quickly, with HP, DEC and Harris minicomputers that let users key in programs and receive results on a screen instead of a printout. But even the term minicomputer was relative; the Harris Super mini took up most of a lab in Wilmore.

The first PCs came to the college in the mid ’80s and were incredibly slow compared to mainframes and minis — but there was no waiting in line, the machine was yours. Of course, the PC developed quickly, but it lacked the interconnectivity of a network, which is hard to imagine now.

The solution for Auburn Engineering was to invest in several hundred SUN workstations and establish the university’s first network. The SUNs were significantly more powerful than PCs, allowed engineers to design and test increasingly sophisticated models and also made use of 3D imaging. During the ’90s, the college purchased powerful SUN servers that allowed for even faster design and testing of physical models.

By the late ’90s, PCs had caught up to SUN in processing speeds, but not interconnectivity. That changed in the early 2000s, when much of the software that had been the domain of DEC, SUN and Silicon Graphics was ported to Windows XP running on inexpensive PCs. Linux had replaced Solaris (SUN’s operating system) by the end of the decade, and Intel based servers began to run the college’s data, email, web and FTP network disk storage functions.

Students are now using smartphones, tablets and pads, even though they all own laptops as well. And while comparing speeds can be problematic — a program may run fast on one machine, and dog along on another — in the raw world of millions of instructions per second, or MIPs, the IBM mainframes discussed earlier ran at about 1 MIP. In 2009, Auburn Engineering acquired a computer cluster with 128 Intel quad core processors capable of performing 5.725 teraflops, or a trillion floating point operations per second. Thirty years from now that will seem incredibly slow, and we will all wonder how we got along.


graduate, was campaign chairman, with John M. Harbert III, ’46 civil engineering, and Ben S. gilmer, ’26 electrical engineering, serving as honorary chairmen — all three quite successful in business.

However, with Fob James’ return to Montgomery as governor in 1995, the state legislature reduced appropriations for higher education by 7.5 percent, taking Auburn’s budget back to almost the same level as in 1993. Indeed, as it related to state appropriations, the university had flat or lower state funding each year during the first half of the 1990s. As a result, the president cut staff, instituted a hiring freeze and offered early retirements. Most cuts came in administrative and support areas, while academic units experienced

small reductions. The president also eliminated overlapping and underutilized curricula, and consolidated smaller programs, which led to vigorous debate.

PreSSIng ISSUe OF FUnDIng Throughout three academic years from 1995 to 1997, state appropriations for higher education in Alabama declined by 6 percent. During the same period, all other southern states increased appropriations for higher education, ranging from a low of 4 percent in Tennessee to a high of 19 percent in Florida, while georgia increased its appropriations by 11 percent.

Auburn continued to suffer financially, leading the dean to write, “Three years ago the college of engineering stood on the brink of becoming one of the nation’s leading engineering programs. We had the faculty. We had the students. Our facilities, particularly in terms of computing, were making the kind of strides that needed to be made to reach the goals we had placed before ourselves.”

But despite its inability to compete for students with scholarships, cutbacks in student recruiting, faculty salaries that failed to keep pace with other institutions in the region and funding cutbacks for new equipment and facilities, the college of engineering found ways to stay competitive.

Walker remained concerned about adequate funding for the college, and was quick to point out that many people did not recognize that more than half of Alabama’s economy depended on “manufacturing, space-related research, aerospace production and emerging high-tech industries.”

The college ranked high in a number of measures. In 1996, Auburn awarded more than half of the engineering degrees conferred in the state of Alabama. Auburn’s program was second only to the United States naval Academy in preparing officers for the navy’s nuclear submarine program, and it ranked tenth nationally in the number of engineering bachelor’s degrees awarded.

Between 1987 and 1996, a ten-year period, the college of engineering’s budgets totaled $264 million, and only 30 percent — or $79 million — came from state appropriations. research expenditures exceeded $114 million during that period. During the same decade, 41 percent of Auburn’s honor students studied engineering, a clear indication that despite obstacles, the quality of Auburn’s engineering students had not diminished.

With the American economy in a technology bubble in the late 1990s, employment opportunities for engineering graduates improved, and so did engineering starting salaries. Falling faculty salaries and rising industry salaries,

Industrial and systems engineering faculty member Jim Hool teaches class in 1987


WORLD-CLASS RESEARCH ON THE ROAD

This summer, Auburn Engineering celebrated the 25th year of the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT), which was created in 1986 during Weaver's tenure, through an agreement with the National Asphalt Pavement Association Research and Education Foundation and Auburn University. The center's success has involved the cooperation of more than a dozen states and the federal government. NCAT operates a 1.7-mile test track in neighboring Opelika, where heavily loaded semi rigs circle 16 hours a day, six days a week, testing asphalt pavements and related transportation projects. More than six million miles have been logged. The track contains 46 sections that are 200 feet in length, each containing its own “recipe” of build properties and material composition; they are tested in a highly accelerated regimen for about two years, simulating the typical lifespan of an asphalt road.

along with a decline in the amount of funding available for fellowships, caused Auburn to again experience a situation similar to that of the 1960s, when new graduates received higher salaries than some of their professors. The demand for engineers also caused graduate student enrollment to decline slightly, as students saw the opportunity for immediate and lucrative careers.

BegInnIng A neW cenTUryIn September 1998, Benefield became interim dean of engineering and then dean in April 2000. He quickly established a goal of elevating the college of engineering to one of the top engineering programs in the country. Benefield saw a number

of benefits from raising the profile of the college of engineering among peers in the region, as well as on a national basis. The most obvious was that higher rankings would bring more respect to the college’s academic programs, and make its graduates more sought after in the job market.

But he saw other benefits as well, including the role that Auburn engineering could play in attracting high-tech industries to Alabama. This would, he hoped, motivate state leaders

to support increased funding for higher education and help grow the state’s economy. The impact that Benefield’s

leadership brought to Auburn is a story for another day, but it should be noted that his track record has been one of impressive gains in the development of the college of engineering.

This article has been adapted from chapters of a manuscript by alum Art Slotkin, ’68 aerospace, detailing the history of Auburn engineering, from its founding in 1869 to its establishment as a college in 1908 and into the modern age of engineering that we know today.

Benefield


Into the lab

Civi l

Civil engineering faculty members Justin Marshall and Brian Anderson led undergraduate student Patrick Kimmons, below, and graduate students Luke Meadows, behind ladder, and Jared Jensen, above, in testing a bridge’s endurance for real-world use in the Harbert Structures Lab this summer. A full-scale, 20-foot span precast concrete specimen was donated by Foley Arch, a company based in Winder, Ga., for the team to test how much load the bridge could carry. When applying pressure to the bridge, the team examined cracks and looked for damage. The bridge was tested to failure after the team applied more than 190,000 pounds of pressure using three actuators and four high-strength rods.


Into the Lab

Aerospace

Department head John Cochran, visiting research professor Harold Zallen and graduate student Judith Bailey are looking at human factors that might be attributed to recent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashes during landing. By using a static flight simulator built at Auburn, they are able to simulate extended UAV missions, as well as monitor and measure pilot fatigue and errors.

Test pilots sit at a console, watching a monitor the size of a standard computer screen. They fly a simulated Predator UAV,

demonstrating take-off and a series of maneuvers, ascending to 60,000 feet and cruising for 30 minutes. Test pilots then descend and land, the most difficult task in flying a UAV. The researchers’ tracking software is used to monitor a controller’s head movement in six degrees of freedom, which includes forward, backward, upward, downward and left to right movements combined with rotation of three perpendicular axes — pitch, yaw and roll. Information provided by the tracking software analyzes controller fatigue during the simulation.

Biosystems

Faculty member Puneet Srivastava and several colleagues are using El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) information generated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) to develop methods for addressing both drought and flood in the Southeast. The team assisted the city of Auburn in planning for drought this summer as part of a Southeast Climate Consortium (SECC) initiative and as a result of population growth and increasing water demand in the area. The city now actively uses climate information

for managing water supply and demand. SECC’s collaboration with Auburn also led to a proposal to develop a municipal water deficit index for small municipalities in the Southeast that depend on surface water sources for their municipal water supply. The proposal received funding from the National Integrated Drought Information System’s Coping with Drought initiative through the NOAA Sectoral Applications Research Program.

Chemical

Faculty members Bob Ashurst and Virginia Davis, along with chemical engineering alumnus Christopher Kitchens, who is a doctoral student at Clemson University, have been awarded a National Science Foundation grant for their project, “Collaborative Research: Processing and Properties of Cellulose Films for MEMS Applications.” The researchers will investigate the feasibility of cellulose nanocrystals as an alternative to silicon for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). If successful, their research will enable renewable cellulose materials to be used as an inexpensive alternative to high-cost electronic grade silicon, the current industry standard for advanced sensor platforms.

The structure, mechanical properties, surface chemistry and ability to self-assemble into defined architectures over multiple scales makes cellulose nanocrystals solid building blocks for advanced materials. As part of the team’s research, cellulose nanocrystals will be processed to form dry films and will then be fabricated into devices using lithography and etching. The properties of those devices will be characterized to show the correlation among the cellulose nanocrystal MEMS device properties, the cellulose nanocrystal dispersion microstructure and film processing conditions.


Into the Lab

Elec trical and Computer

Students in the department’s Cooperative Robotics Research Lab are working on robots that can interact cooperatively with humans in real-world situations. The lab features several types of robots, including six 18-inch battery operated robots trained to find a target; three larger robots controlled by an open-source software called Robotic Operating System and Microsoft XBOX Kinect; and three Matilda robots on loan from the Army. Faculty and students working in the lab are also developing a virtual tour guide, or TourBot, which has a human-like form and is programmed to follow a human tour guide while avoiding obstacles.

Robots in the Cooperative Robotics Research Lab are designed to find a target as quickly as possible while using the least amount of battery power to transmit data

The project will help to develop a pipeline of systems engineering students who are interested in tackling these challenges, as well as build an interdisciplinary community of systems engineering educators who are able to align their curriculum with national needs. Smith, Umphress and Hamilton will teach two courses in multi-disciplinary systems engineering with an emphasis in secure computing. The team has also begun collaborating with two researchers at Tuskegee University. The first course was offered in fall 2010.

Computer Science and Sof tware

Weikuan Yu, faculty member in the department, and students in Auburn’s Parallel Architecture and Systems Laboratory have been recognized by Mellanox Technologies Inc. for their research and software development. Mellanox presented Auburn with a $150,000 grant to conduct research that led to the development of a Hadoop acceleration software product called Unstructured Data Accelerator. The software, which

Industria l and Systems

Faculty member Alice Smith, along with David Umphress and Drew Hamilton, faculty members in computer science and software engineering, has been funded for a second year by the Department of Defense to continue a two-course sequence on systems engineering. The project, “Development of Multi-Disciplinary Systems Engineering Courses Focused on Secure Computing,” will enable students to develop a systems perspective while studying a secure, computationally intensive environment often found in the national defense sector.

allows large volumes of commercial data to be analyzed quickly, is being used by top data companies throughout the nation. Mellanox is a leading supplier of high-performance InfiniBand and Ethernet input/output solutions and services in the high-performance computing, enterprise, mega warehouse data centers, cloud computing and web 2.0 markets.


Into the Lab

Mechanical

Hareesh Tippur, McWane professor in the department, and Xinyu Zhang, assistant professor in polymer and fiber engineering, have been awarded a three-year, $300,000 National Science Foundation grant for their research, “Novel Lightweight Syntactic Foams: Synthesis, Processing and Characterization.” They are investigating ways to develop structural foams that are stronger,

as well as more energy efficient and energy absorbent, than similar materials on the market. Their engineered foams — or syntactic foams — are filled with hollow micron-sized ceramic balloons that have carbon nanotubes grown via an innovative microwave irradiation process.

Polymer and Fiber

Faculty member Yasser Gowayed and graduate student Essam Abouzeida, along with faculty members George Flowers and Lewis Payton in mechanical engineering, are working to construct advanced fibrous composite airplane wings. They are collaborating with NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center and the Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems Company to manufacture a polymer composite wing that features online fiber optic sensors which help study the wing’s movement and responses during flight.

Gowayed and his team are developing mechanisms and procedures for the wing’s design, manufacture and testing, as well as how it can be instrumented with Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) optical sensors that reflect some wavelengths of light while blocking others.

Their work demonstrates a new generation of FBG-based structural monitoring systems that can be used to detect and locate superficial cracks and tears, as well as deeper structural problems, in composite wings that are exposed to harsh conditions.

Using these new sensors makes it possible to analyze the wing without damaging or disturbing it during testing. Their work will help improve the effectiveness of flight testing by enhancing and simplifying sensor installation and measuring new parameters for composite airplane wings.

Preferred locations for placing FBG sensors identified during initial design


minutes withJoe Morgan Interviewed by Jim Killian

Joe Morgan—who arrived on the Auburn campus Sept. 1, 1971 as an assistant professor of civil engineering — retired on August 31 as associate dean of academics in the College of Engineering, a position he has held for the past decade. Now professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Morgan plans to continue in both teaching and administrative roles for the next few years. Auburn’s home football schedule will bring him back to the plains on a regular basis this fall, and he says, for a more permanent retirement after he sees his current duties at Lipscomb — nurturing and strengthening its new civil engineering program — come to fruition. At Auburn, he was the dean’s quiet partner in the pursuit of academic excellence, and a teacher of hundreds, if not thousands, of civil engineering students.

JK: You were a faculty member 40 years to the day – arriving in 1971 and leaving in 2011 – so tell us first, what brought you to Auburn?

JM: I came here straight out of grad school. I sent a letter and my résumé to Auburn, which was still in the mail when Paul King, my professor, received a call from Joe Judkins, who was in charge of faculty recruitment in civil. When I came on campus in February to interview, it was 20 degrees and sunny, but everybody was complaining about it. Having spent the past five years in Blacksburg [Virginia], I thought it was just short of wonderful. The first graduate-level class I taught at Auburn was in stream sanitation, now known more generally as surface water quality modeling, and Dean Benefield was one of my students.

JK: You have taught a lot of students throughout the years, but at the same time, wasn’t your move into administration a defining part of your career?

JM: I began what you could call a gradual move into administration in the mid to late ’80s when I became assistant department head in civil. When Larry Benefield became interim dean he asked me to replace him as associate dean

for academics, which I did on a shared basis with Vic Nelson in electrical. I wanted to honor a commitment to Dr. Judkins, who was then civil’s department head, however, he let me assume that position [associate dean for academics] on a full-time basis when Dr. Benefield became dean in 2000.

JK: How has civil engineering changed, in terms of teaching?

JM: In a sense, it hasn’t . . . the fundamental principles remain the same. At the same time, the technology has changed immensely, and new knowledge has had an incremental but profound influence on the field, not only in water quality and wastewater management — where my expertise is concentrated — but across civil engineering as a whole. Environmental engineers know the science now so much better, particularly as it relates to biochemistry, to use a broad example, or membrane technology, to be more specific. The students have changed too. When I first came, the typical Auburn student was a hard-working kid who was probably the first in the family to attend college. They had fun, too, at school, but the attitude was a little different because they did not often come from a background of privilege.


JK: What, then, characterizes today’s students?

JM: There have been significant changes, for sure. Our students now come in with higher test scores, better high school GPAs, and much better overall preparation than the ones that came in a generation before. At the same time, they may be a bit less independent than those who preceded them, which may seem surprising. As a parent myself, I sometimes ask myself if this is a result of changing family norms over the years, but I don’t really know. I am concerned that it has an effect, even if indirect, on the drive to excel in the current generation of students that we are seeing.

JK: Have faculty expectations changed since you began teaching?

JM: That would be hard to answer without asking the faculty, one by one. I can say that the expectations of what our faculty should be has changed. There is more emphasis on research now, and that’s in no small part because of the career implications that are there, beyond the pure advancement of the field. The day is gone when your reputation was more localized, and dependent on your reputation among your students. We live

in a more global society now, and expectations have become more global as well.

JK: How does it feel to leave Auburn?

JM: This may sound trite, but I really believe that Auburn does have a real family attitude — that there is such a thing as an Auburn man, and an Auburn attitude that no other school has. I have seen this in practice time and again, when just finding out that you’re from Auburn . . . is enough, and that it is all you need to know. This kind of feeling may exist elsewhere, but it’s not as strong. Being away from Auburn makes you appreciate this even more, so I may be putting myself in the position, once more, of being reminded about just that. Obviously, I have had the opportunity in the course of four decades to build some real friendships, ones that I know I am going to miss. I am hugely respectful of friendships with Dean Benefield, as well as civil department heads Joe Judkins, Ed Ramey and Rex Rainer, all of whom have been incredible colleagues and incredible friends.

From left, Joe Morgan, his wife Rita and their son David


From the desk oF... Prathima Agrawal and Shiwen Mao, faculty members in electrical and computer engineering, have been awarded a $150,000 National Science Foundation grant for their research, “An Exploratory Study Toward Robust Free Space Optical Networks.” The project will support wireless access networks with data rates as high as several gigabits per second to accommodate an expected exponential increase in wireless data volume and serve a larger area.

Vishwani Agrawal, James J. Danaher professor in electrical and computer engineering, has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant for his research, “Methods for Diagnosis of Non-Classical Faults in Digital Circuits,” which investigates testing for computer error detection and diagnosis. His research will test algorithms to diagnose complex, non-classical faults, such as transition delay and bridging faults, which require sequences of two input patterns.

Robert Barnes, James J. Mallett associate professor in civil engineering, has been awarded the outstanding teaching award for the Southern district of Chi Epsilon, the civil engineering honor society. Barnes is the fourth Auburn civil engineering faculty member to win the

award in the past five years, including Rod Turochy in 2007, Anton Schindler in 2008 and Molly Hughes in 2010.

Mark Byrne, Daniel F. and Josephine Breeden associate professor in chemical engineering, recently attended the National Academy of Engineering’s 2011 EU-U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium, held at the National Academies’ Beckman Center in Irvine, Calif. The event brought together 60 outstanding, early-career European and American engineers performing exceptional research and technical work in industry, academia and government. Byrne has also been recognized by Auburn University with the Leischuck Endowed Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Bryan Chin, faculty member in materials engineering, has been awarded a four-year, $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop, demonstrate and field test a biosensor that identifies critical salmonella sources. Chin is working with scientists James Barbaree, Jean Weese and Tung Shi Huang from Auburn’s College of Sciences and Mathematics and College of Agriculture to assess the accurate, inexpensive and easy-to-use biosensor.

Prabhakar Clement, Arthur H. Feagin professor in civil engineering, has been invited by the National Research Council to serve on a committee that is reviewing possible health effects from exposure to toxic environmental contaminants in drinking water supply wells at U.S. Army base Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md. The team is reviewing an assessment conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, as well as ongoing cancer assessment studies being conducted by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Frederick County Health Department.

Virginia Davis, faculty member in chemical engineering, has been selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering’s 17th annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium, a three-day event held in September at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Davis, whose research looks at nanomaterials dispersion, microstructure and processing, was recognized last year with a Presidential Early Career for Scientists and Engineers Award.

Steve Duke, Alumni associate professor in chemical engineering, has been named interim director of the Alabama Center for

Featured highlightMario Eden, Joe T. and Billie Carole McMillan associate professor in chemical engineering, has been awarded a $3 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to instruct more than 30 doctoral students in sustainable biofuels and chemicals. The grant, a collaborative Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship, is Auburn’s first. It will provide students technical expertise and the opportunity to work on emerging technologies for economical and environmentally sustainable energy solutions. An interdisciplinary team of co-principal investigators includes Chris Roberts, Uthlaut professor and department chair in chemical engineering; Steve Taylor, director of Auburn’s Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts and department head in biosystems engineering; P.K. Raju, Thomas Walter professor in mechanical engineering; and Tom Gallagher, associate professor in forestry and wildlife sciences.

faculty highlights

From left, Tom Gallagher, Mario Eden, P.K. Raju, Steve Taylor and Chris Roberts

Photo by Brennen Reece


Paper and Bioresource Engineering. The center provides continuing education and research related to the pulp, paper and bioresource industry.

Joel Hayworth, faculty member in civil engineering, along with civil engineering faculty member Prabhakar Clement and research associate Vanisree Mulabagal, has completed a preliminary study related to tar balls found on Alabama’s beaches after Tropical Storm Lee. The study shows that the chemical signature of tar mat fragments that appeared in early September is the same as oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill.

Robert Jackson, faculty member in mechanical engineering, has received the Burt L. Newkirk Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The award is given to a member under the age of 40 who has made outstanding contributions to tribology research and development.

N. Hari Narayanan, faculty member in computer science and software engineering, has been awarded an additional $500,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to continue developing a virtual science platform that will technologically enhance middle school science instruction. Auburn will lead computer science research and development, leveraging Narayanan’s expertise in human-computer interaction and educational technology.

Buzz Powell, assistant NCAT director and test track manager, and David Timm, Gottlieb professor in civil engineering, served as keynote speakers at the 14th International Flexible Pavements Conference, held in Sydney, Australia, in October. They participated as session leaders in post-conference workshops and master classes in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, featuring research findings from NCAT’s pavement test track, including sustainable materials and perpetual pavements.

P.K. Raju, Thomas Walter professor in mechanical engineering, received the best paper award at the 2011 American Society for Engineering Education annual conference and exposition. Raju’s paper, “Improving Engineering Education in Developing Countries: A Study,” included contributions from Jian Yu, visiting scholar from the Tsinghua Center for Leadership Development and Research in Beijing, and Chetan Sankar, faculty member in Auburn’s College of Business.

Alice Smith, faculty member in industrial and systems engineering, will host a three-day workshop for women in engineering academia in Istanbul, Turkey, next year. The workshop, “Empowering Women in Industrial Engineering Academia – International Collaborations for Research and Education,” discusses best practices for initiating, funding, sustaining and growing international collaborations.

Hareesh Tippur, McWane professor in mechanical engineering, has been elected a fellow of the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM). He also serves as the editor-in-chief of Experimental Mechanics, the flagship journal of SEM. Tippur’s research interests include the development of experimental and computational methods for failure characterization of advanced composite materials.

Levent Yilmaz, faculty member in computer science and software engineering, has been awarded the Society for Computer Simulation’s Distinguished Professional Achievement Award, an honor that represents multiple outstanding achievements given to senior researchers who contribute to modeling and simulation through their research results and publications.

Xinyu Zhang, assistant professor in polymer and fiber engineering, has published a paper in the peer-reviewed journal Chemical Communications that discusses a poptube approach to growing carbon nanotubes on a variety of material substrates. Zhang’s research explores how the poptube method will provide a faster, more economical means of producing carbon nanotubes. His method has been featured in Nature, the world’s most highly cited interdisciplinary science journal, as well as in the American Chemical Society’s weekly publication, Chemical and Engineering News.

faculty highlights

’ T i s the SeasonWith the giving season upon us, what better time to give a gift of recognition?

Whether it is a gift for the holidays or to honor that new graduate, purchasing a brick to be placed in the portico of the Shelby Center for Engineering Technology is a great way to show your appreciation for a family or friend, or to recognize the accomplishments of a new Auburn engineer.

To learn more about ordering a brick or paver, please contact us or visit eng .auburn.edu/shelbybricks

David Mattox, Office of Engineering Development334.844.1278 • [email protected]


Uncompromising Excellence

Major Minor

Auburn Engineering prides itself on a commitment to recruiting and maintaining the nation’s top faculty members. With that commitment comes an effort to recognize the exceptional merit of faculty members who have demonstrated achievement in educating tomorrow’s engineers and conducting leading research.

As part of a university-wide initiative to create additional endowments for faculty support, a number of our alumni and friends have established named professorships, one of the highest honors bestowed on a faculty member. Auburn Engineering faculty were recognized at a campus-wide ceremony in October, and include:

Tony Overfelt, William B. and Elizabeth Reed Professorin the Department of Mechanical Engineering

Jeffrey Smith, Joe W. Forehand Jr. Professorin the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Hari Narayanan, computer science and software engineering, John H. and Gail Watson Professor in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Wesley Zech, Brasfield & Gorrie Associate Professor of Construction Engineering and Management

David Timm, Brasfield & Gorrie Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering

Auburn University has received a gift from the Alabama Power Foundation and Southern Nuclear Operating Company to name the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s 17-hour nuclear power generation systems minor. The new minor, added earlier this year to teach the next generation of plant engineers for the nuclear power generation industry, has been named the Alabama Power Foundation Nuclear Power Generation Systems minor.

The minor curriculum offers students a hands-on opportunity to understand the industry’s licensing, engineering and basic construction requirements, processes and techniques. Power plant models, nuclear power integration into the national electrical grid and common reactor plant operations are also featured in five multidisciplinary courses that provide an overview of nuclear

power generation system capabilities. Students will participate in structured programs at today’s nuclear power generating facilities and network with industry experts while conducting site

visits. They will also have the opportunity to earn practical experience through internship and co-op positions with leading nuclear power generation organizations.

“The nuclear field is growing, and Alabama Power is pleased to provide the opportunity for students of Auburn University to study nuclear engineering,” said Charles McCrary, President and CEO of Alabama Power. “The

curriculum will provide skills and training for the next generation of nuclear engineers.”

For more about the program, visit eng.auburn.edu/nuclear

development update

Overfelt

Smith

Narayanan

Zech

Timm


ENGINEERING

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