college of engineering2

grAnTing reSeArcH oPPorTUniTieS

OU College of Engineering is winning top placements in national competitions. What’s the secret to its success?

Learn how College of Engineering alumni, students and faculty are changing the world.

fAceS of engineerS

enTrePreneUriAl SPiriTThe College of Engineering has always been a hot spot of talent, ideas and design. Today, the college is focusing more attention on moving these designs into commercialization and teaching students to become successful entrepreneurs.

Talented faculty at the College of Engineering gain substantial grants for funding research.

New brain testing will help physicians better diagnose and treat brain trauma.

Winning coMBinATion

PAge 5

PAge 12

PAge 16

PAge 8

evolve

BrAin TrAUMA PAge 7

TABle of conTenTST H e U n i v e r S i T y o f o k l A H o M A

WWW.coe.oU.edU 3

Our faculty, staff and students are working to help potential engineering students develop a love of math and science and better understand some of the excit-ing career options in engineering.

reMeMBrAnceS

University of OklahomaCollege of Engineering

Dean Thomas L. Landers

Editor OU CoE Development OfficeAnglin Public Relations Inc. Photography Front page photo by Kevin P. Casey, courtesy of the American Society of Civil Engineers Design and Layout Old Hat Creative Evolve is published by the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering Communications Office. For more information, or to inquire about magazine sponsorship opportunities, contact: College of Engineering 107 Carson Engineering Center 202 W. Boyd St. Norman, OK 73019-1021 Phone: (405) 325-2621 Fax: (405) 325-7508 www.coe.ou.edu coe@ou.edu This publication, printed by Digital Graphics Inc., is issued by the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering. 20,000 copies have been prepared and distibuted at no cost to the taxpayers of the State of Oklahoma. ©2007 University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

Recognitions received by faculty and students in the Col-lege of Engineering.

A reWArding field

THe fUTUre of engineering

College of Engineering donor recognition and happenings.

SoWing SeedS for engineering groWTH

Find out how College of Engineering alumni are using their engineering degrees in dynamic professions.

WHere doeS An engineering degree leAd?

oU engineerS Serving oUr coUnTry

PAge 19

PAge 22

PAge 32

PAge 33

PAge 28

PAge 26

evolve

college of engineering4

DESIGN – it’s central to creative expression in engineering. This issue of Evolve features achievements during the previous year by OU engineering students in national team

competitions. Our teams are performing at the championship level, including such dynamic events as the concrete canoe and formula auto races. What is even more notable – our teams are consistently ranked at the top in the design events of these competitions. The list is very impressive: first in design (Formula SAE – West, Ontario, Calif.), first in novel design (University Alliance MEMS competition, Sandia National Laboratory, NM), second in design (Human-Powered Vehicle in Moffett Field, Calif.), fourth in design (ASCE Concrete Canoe Nationals in Seattle, Wash). These achievements are not coincidental in the OU College of En-gineering; they are “by design.” One of our two new facilities now under construction, the ExxonMobil Lawrence G. Rawl Engineering Practice Facility, is conceived specifically to ensure that our students are sought first by the industry for their experience in team design. Since 2000, engineering accreditation no longer focuses on counting design credits in curriculum. But we need only look at the ascendancy of Japanese industry in recent decades to recognize the value of hands-on, team-based innovation in economic progress. As engineering education has changed, we have been purposeful in preparing our graduates to become what the 2004 National Academy of Engineering report, The Engineer of 2020, calls broad-based technology leaders. The best technology leaders have learned to think like engineers, both analytically and creatively. An article, “How Successful Leaders Think” (June 2007 Harvard Business Review), states this case well. The author, Roger Martin, speaks of “integrative thinking.” This is what engineers call “synthesis” and design is both process and product of synthesis. We are very thankful for the many supporters who are sustaining our national competition design teams and helping to make the Engineering Practice Facility a reality.

Thomas L. Landers Dean, College of Engineering AT&T Chair

P.S. While Evolve will be the mainstay of communication with alumni and friends once per year, I also invite you to subscribe to our e-newsletter, Encounter. Using electronic media, we will connect you with our outstanding students, faculty, alumni and news every other month. To subscribe to Encounter or share your own exciting news, visit us at http://www.coe.ou.edu/en/page/adf_share_your_news/. As always, we look forward to hearing from you.

MeSSAge froM THe

deAn

WWW.coe.oU.edU 5

reSeArcH ProJecT HigHligHTS Our faculty members are providing leadership in research projects of national significance.

Commerce depends upon efficient and uninterrupted operation of our transportation modes, ports and intermodal terminals. The University of Oklahoma is developing information technolo-gy to detect terror threats and increase port security. Currently, freight coming into U.S. ports is “spot checked” upon arrival to ensure that contents match descriptions provided by the ship-per. There is no system for checking every container, thereby leaving significant vulnerabilities. The University of Oklahoma has defined a comprehensive program to create a more reliable, more efficient system to track worldwide freight from source to destination and check all freight for possible explosive devices, illegal drugs or other contraband items. The system will have applications across all intermodal transportation systems.

fUnding

The OU College of Engineering experienced a highly successful year in research productivity with research expenditures (dollars spent from grant funding) in FY07 reaching an all-time high of about $20.5 million.

“This year, the CoE generated more than 28 percent of OU’s total research expenditures, compared with about 15 percent five years ago,” said Musharraf Zaman, Ph.D., P.E., David Ross Boyd Professor and Aaron Alexander Professor and associate dean for Research, College of Engineering. “Our faculty size grew by 14 percent, many of whom are entry-level and just starting their research.”

Research grants in cross-disciplinary centers and institutes affiliated with the CoE posted a healthy gain in FY07, reaching a level of about $11.4 million.

“These centers and institutes continue to play a major role in proposal submission, new awards and research funding in force,” said Zaman. “In particular, both the Institute of Oklahoma Technology Applications (IOTA) and the Oklahoma Bioengineering Center (OBC) exhib-ited substantial growth in funding and expenditures.”

In CY06, our faculty disclosed six inventions, submitted four patent applications and received seven patents.

reSeArcH ProdUcTiviTy AT All-TiMe HigH

college of engineering6

PUBlicATionS And AWArdS

Our faculty and students were highly successful in publishing:peer-reviewed journal papers (148) •books (5), book chapters (13)•full-length conference proceeding papers (217)•

CoE faculty members won national and international level best paper awards, including:Dimitrios Papavassiliou, Ph.D., associate professor, Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, OU President’s Associates •Presidential Professor; and Theodore Trafalis, Ph.D., professor, Industrial Engineering, for the 2006 Best Main Track Paper Award at the International Computer Science Conference in the United Kingdom Mohammed Atiquzzaman Ph.D., professor, Computer Science, won the IEEE Communications Society Fred W. Ellersick Prize•Kurt Gramoll, Ph.D., Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Robert Hughes Centennial Professor of Engineering, received the ASEE •Paper Award

CoE faculty members recognized by the University of Oklahoma:Brandon Olson, Ph.D., assistant professor, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, received the Good Teaching Award•Mohammed Atiquzzaman, Ph.D., professor, Computer Science, received the Regents’ Award for Superior Research and Creative •Activity

Our Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty is leading a research project to develop high-performance, low-cost laser packaging technology for solid state lighting, optical recording and chemical sensors for medi-cal diagnostics. This three-way collaborative project, involving OU, Ekips Technologies (Norman) and Luminus Devices (Woburn, Mass.), is using technology licensed from OU and the University of California-Berkeley and is supported in part by a $300,000 grant from the Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology.

In another OBC project, our faculty members from CBME are exploring a novel treatment of breast cancer that uses single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in photodynamic therapy. SWNTs are unique in that they strongly absorb near-infrared (NIR) light, while biological systems have very low levels of absorption of NIR light. A recombinant human protein (annexin V) will be attached to SWNTs, and the ability of NIR light to kill tumor-like human cells (endothelial cells with a fat called phosphatidyl-serine exposed) with the SWNT-pro-tein complex attached will be determined.

WWW.coe.oU.edU 7

Through the Center for the Study of Human Operator Performance (C-SHOP) at the University of Oklahoma, Robert E. Schlegel, Ph.D.,

P.E., Presidential Professor of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, and Kirby Gilliland, Ph.D., David Ross Boyd Professor of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, are administering a test battery developed to assess baseline performance levels of cognitive function for U.S. Army soldiers before deployment.

The information gathered through the 15-to 20-minute computer-based test can provide physicians with data to help diagnosis and treatment if the soldier should suffer a traumatic brain injury. According to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, since 2003, 30 percent of Soldiers taken to Walter Reed Army Medical Center have suffered traumatic brain injuries.

The assessment battery, named the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics or ANAM, is presented on a laptop computer and consists of a series of tests that measure such basic cognitive functions as attention, memory, response speed, spatial memory and calculation ability.

“This is a remarkable step forward because for the first time we will be able to establish baseline performance levels for armed services members on a massive scale, thus providing important additional health-care information for our service members who are injured,” said Dr. Schlegel. “Not only does it provide valuable comparative data, this test also can be used to monitor recovery rate and treatment efficacy as well as adding more precise measures to assist in making return-to-duty decisions,” added Gilliland.

Although the U.S. Army is allowing each commander to determine if testing will be completed on soldiers, the demand is growing exponentially. Since August 2007, more than 13,000 soldiers have participated in the testing at five bases around the world. Sept. 29 marked the completion of three weeks of assessments for 2,500 members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard who form the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team deploying to Iraq in the near future.

The project is directed and funded by the Proponency for Rehabilitation and Reintegration Program in the Office of the Surgeon General of the Army. In October of this year, the U.S. Department

of Defense announced $1.6 million for the project.

C-SHOP is an established multidisciplinary research center at the University of Oklahoma that focuses on the development and application of computer-based test systems for assessing human performance capability across a broad range of military, industrial, educational and medical applications. C-SHOP is one of the nation's premier sites

for developing advanced computer-based testing technology and for conducting research exploring the limits of human cognitive and neuropsychological function. It is the only center in the nation that focuses on the critical requirements for human cognitive performance assessment test systems through the simultaneous coordination of high-level research, test development, quality assurance assessment, and clearinghouse/coordination activities related to computer-based testing technologies.

Fort Campbell, Ky., 101st Airborne Division participates in testing.

Brain Trauma

college of engineering8

The Sooner Racing Team won the design competition at the Formula SAE West 2007, in Ontario, Calif.Row 1 from left: Brett Hutchens, Bobby Alley, Trey Wheeler.Row 2 (standing) from left: Lauren Kula, Wesley Blackman,Richard Turner, Josh Southerland, Matt Brown, Chris Allbee,Kyle Walther, Phillip Resnick, Dr. Zahed Siddique (facultyadviser), Mitch Burrus (team adviser), and Dr. SubramanyamGollahalli (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering director).

WinningCombination

WWW.coe.oU.edU 9

The cross-disciplinary teaching focus encourages students to merge the technical skills, ideas and principles from multiple disciplines to create an optimum design that can be taken from a techno-logical innovation to the marketplace. The new approach is working: our student teams have earned top placements in prestigious national competitions, with more wins than at any time in the past 10 years.

College of Engineering Dean and AT&T Chair Tom Landers attributes the success in design competitions to the college’s emphases on innovation, hands-on and team-based project learning, and commercialization of technologies.

“We are focusing on putting hands-on learning into tangible practices and getting technology to market,” said Landers.

The College of Engineering is setting a new standard for its educational program and corporate engineering recruiters are taking notice.

“We’re seeing a change in the engineering students at the University of Oklahoma,” said Lisa Morris, 1991 electrical engineering graduate. A senior electrical engineer and campus recruiter for Raytheon, Morris recruits bright new talent to the Raytheon team of engineers who work in areas of defense, homeland security and other technology markets throughout the world.

“The shift to interdisciplinary team projects is increasing the technical competencies of the stu-dents and giving them the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned to projects in the workplace. Our company is looking for engineers who understand how to make those connections,” said Morris.

evolve feature

Students participate in extracurricular national and international competitions each year with high hopes of proving their mastery of engineering principles. They work hard day and night and outside of their “regular” academic course

load to design, test and redesign their entries to compete at the championship level. At some of the top competitions this year, the students at the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering are proving their skills and the strength of our cross-disciplinary approach that encourages hands-on design, teamwork, practice and experimentation.

Combination

college of engineering10

Sooner rAcing TeAM deSign ZooMS AHeAdThe addition of the ExxonMobil Lawrence G. Rawl Engineering

Practice Facility, to be completed near the start of 2009, is an example of the College of Engineering’s focus on practice. This $10 million, 40,000-square-foot facility will better prepare University of Oklahoma engineering students for careers in the industry by allowing them to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world projects.

The Sooner Racing Team won the design competition at Formula SAE West 2007 in Ontario, Calif., in June, in spite of an engine failure near the end of the endurance circuit.

“Immediately after the race, we sprayed down our car with a fire extinguisher and entered the design finals. We knew we still had a good chance of winning despite the fact that our engine had just blown up,” said Bobby Alley, team captain of the Sooner Racing Team.

“When the judges announced we won, our team was amazed, impressed and joyful about winning,” said Alley. “The judges said that they rarely pick a car that didn’t cross the finish line, but knew that if they held five competitions, our car would have won four out of five times. This was a great honor coming from the leading automotive engineers and designers in the United States.” In addition to Alley, team members included Lauren Kula, Wesley Blackman, Richard Turner, Josh Southerland, Matt Brown, Chris Allbee, Kyle Walther, Phillip Resnick, Dr. Zahed Siddique (faculty adviser), Mitch Burrus (team adviser), Dr. Subramanyam Gollahalli (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering director), Brett Hutchens and Trey Wheeler.

OU College of Engineering Concrete Canoe Team regional win (left to right): Mark Emde, Stillwater; Katie Daugherty, Sand Springs; Chris Davis, development engineer, Jones; Jacque Martin, Eufaula; Russell Buhler, project manager, Sand Springs; Lauren Parrish, Dallas; James “Marty” Farris, production engineer, Norman; Promise Janning, Clinton, and Michaela Campbell, Norman.Team members not pictured include: Casey Price, Roland; Ted Huynh, Salisbury and Dr. Chris Ramseyer, team adviser.

concreTe cAnoe TeAM MAkeS WAveSThe Concrete Canoe Team placed first at the 2007 American So-

ciety of Civil Engineers Mid-continent Regional Conference in Kansas and placed fourth in design, fifth in presentation, and seventh overall against 21 top engineering schools from across the United States at the national conference in Seattle in June.

Dubbed “Centennial” in honor of the state’s 100th anniversary, the canoe was made of Type K cement and took more than 2,000 hours to build. This year, the students tested 132 different concrete mix designs to create a state-of-the-art concrete that had impressive engineering charac-teristics - most important, buoyancy.

Russell Buhler, a senior civil engineering major, led the team of 40 engineering students who built the concrete canoe and the 14 students who paddled the canoe to victory. According to Buhler, “It was really fulfilling to win after so many students donated time outside of our regular course work to complete the canoe.” In addition to Buhler, team members included Mark Emde, Katie Daugherty, Chris Davis, Jacque Martin, Lauren Parrish, James “Marty” Farris, Promise Janning, Michaela Campbell, Casey Price and Ted Huynh.

“The ASCE concrete canoe competition is a great way for our students to use the engineering skills they have learned in the classroom on a full-scale problem,” said Chris Ramseyer, concrete canoe faculty team adviser and assistant professor in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences. “It teaches students about teamwork, scheduling and the process of taking their design from concept through construction to final product testing.”

WWW.coe.oU.edU 11

HPv TeAM WinS Second PlAceOU placed second in design in the utility rider event at the Human

Powered Vehicle West Coast Challenge in Mountain View, Calif., in April.

“Winning second place was a great achievement. We had the best design, despite not being able to finish the endurance competition,” said Chance Mullins, project leader.

Human Powered Vehicles are aerodynamic, highly engineered vehicles that may be used on land, water or in the air. Competition entries are judged on engineering, creativity of the design, safety and perfor-mance within three distinct categories: single rider, multi-rider and utility. OU placed second in the utility rider category.

Members of the Human Powered Vehicle team include Brette Forinash, Shebly Pankop, Keith Hirschberg, Aimee Owen, Jacob Anderson, Don Arrowood, Jose Mendoza, Tyler Bunting, Don Hull, Sebastian Grana-dos, Drew Gibson, Chance Mullins (project leader), Billy Mays, Mark Weigt, Dr. Mrinal C. Saha (faculty adviser) and Chris Lorenz.

MeMS deSign grABS firST PlAceThe Engineering Student Design Team won first place this spring at the

University Alliance competition for student microelectromechanical systems designs at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. The competition features very small electrical devices, generally ranging in size from a micrometer to a millimeter.

The College of Engineering team won for their design of a 3-D micro-structure with a powered robotic “hand” at its summit. The tool has the ability to extend like an accordion or a “micro” automobile jack at the top and may have potential to address such real-life challenges as providing less invasive biopsy procedures.

“We wanted a 3-D structure with power and motion at the top,” student team leader Zach Butler explained to an audience of Sandia microdesigners. “We wanted a 3-D microrobot active above the chip and off the chip’s sides to grab theoretical microfruit off a low-hanging tree.” In addition to Butler, other students on the team were Samuel Camp, Joseph Dingeldein, Andrew Mann, Stephen Thompson and Andrea Watt.

Tyler Bunting participates in the endurance competition at the Human Powered Vehicle Challenge.

OU College of Engineering’s smallest-arm microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) award-winning project with potential medical possibilities for more efficient in-vitro fertilization and less invasive biopsy procedures.

An early version of the OU Chemical Car performing a trial run

W i n n i n g c o M B i n A T i o n

cHeMicAl cAr TeAM MixeS iT UP for THird PlAceThe Chemical Engineering Car Team placed first in per-

formance at the AIChE Regional Conference in November 2006 in San Francisco. The AIChE competition requires that a car run on a chemical reaction, go a specific distance and stop.

Two teams from OU’s AIChE group placed at the Mid-America Confer-ence this spring in Rolla, Mo. The Mid-America region is composed of 13 schools in a multistate region. The team leaders were senior Matt Behring and junior Dan Dobesh. Behring’s team won first place in the performance competition and Dobesh’s team took first place in the poster competition and received an award for most creative drive system.

The College of Engineering is dedicated to providing the best engineering education available in higher education today. We are com-mitted to recruiting and graduating students who will be among the most sought-after engineering graduates in the country. Engineering faculty and staff promote Oklahoma’s economy through research, instruction, public service and technology transfer. For more information about the College of Engineering, visit www.coe.ou.edu.

college of engineering12

It is no secret that the College of Engineering educates some of the country’s brightest minds.

Amy Backel is one of those stars.

Backel, a member of OU’s track and field team, is a three-time All-Big 12 performer, High School All-American 2005 and a USA Track and Field Junior All-American 2006.

“I like track because I get to do so many different events,” said Backel. “My training is never boring because it incorporates weight lifting, sprinting, plyometrics, speed, endurance and power.”

In addition to her lengthy athletic resume and demanding training schedule, Backel retains a 4.0 grade point average in her civil engineering courses and scored an 800 on the math SAT in high school.

A junior, Backel said that the influences of an engineer’s workon everyday life are what drew her into OU’s civil engineering program.

“The impact of engineers is all around us,” Backel stated. “Civil engineers have such an important role in our society – designing and improving everything from structures to bridges and dams that keep the modern world moving and operating.”

Backel reflected on her choice of profession in what historically has been considered a male-dominated field.

“I see myself as an engineer, not just a woman engineer. While females are outnumbered in all of my classes, I don’t think we have any additional challenges than the average engineering student – it’s a challenging program, regardless of gender,” Backel said. “There are many reasons why women do well in engineering and it gives me great pride to be a female in this field at a time when we’re seeing so many changes and emerging opportunities for women.”

(STUde

nT)Amy Backel in the javelin competition at the Big 12 conference in Irving, Texas

fAceS of engineerS

WWW.coe.oU.edU 13

Amy Cerato biking at the “12 Miles of Hell” in March 2006, at Fort Sill, Lake Elmer Thomas Recreational Area in Lawton, Okla., bordering the Wichita Wildlife Refuge with her dogs Summit (right) and Coal.

(fAcUlT

y)

Alumni, students and faculty are continuously challenged to improve a changing world and apply their love of the profession and lifelong learning to new opportunities and situations.

An advocate for the environment and outdoor life, Amy Cerato, assistant professor in the School of Civil Engineering

and Environmental Science, is actively involved in protecting the environment, incorporating improvements to existing infrastructures and manufacturing processes to reduce the modern world’s ecological footprint.

Cerato learned at a very young age the importance of the environment. “My family was actively involved in protecting the environment and working in the national and state parks,” said Cerato.

In 1994, Cerato volunteered for the Student Conservation Association at the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Cumberland Gap, Ky., where she helped build low-impact backwoods nature trails to allow humans to enjoy the outdoors and wildlife while minimizing their impact on the environment. This experience gave Cerato a vision for becoming a civil and geotechnical engineer.

“I saw civil engineering as an opportunity where I could help out society, and it was challenging,” said Cerato.

Cerato’s environmental interests go beyond civil engineering. She enjoys biking, white-water kayaking and water skiing. After moving to Oklahoma, she joined the Bicycle League of Norman, where she cycles nearly 100 miles a week.

“When I lived in Massachusetts, I got involved in mountain biking. After I moved to Oklahoma, I became active in road biking,” said Cerato. “I like the social aspect of cycling and it is great exercise.”

Cerato also is on the City of Norman Bicycle Advisory Committee, where she helps create safe routes for bicyclists, educates people about bicycle safety, and works with the city engineers to ensure

that all new roadways are built to correct standards for the safety of vehicles and bicyclists.

Cerato’s concern for the environment is depicted in her efforts to have a “green” home. She and her husband use solar power, energy efficient windows and doors, water-conserving appliances and ride their bikes to work as often as possible. They hope to add wind power in the near future.

Cerato’s research interests include clay mineralogy and understanding the influence of specific surface area and cation exchange capacity and other microscale soil parameters on the macroscale behavior of soils to better design foundations in problem soils. Currently, she is working on a wide range of externally funded research projects, including improving residential and commercial foundation design on expansive soils, alternative (green)-helical anchor foundations for small wind-energy towers, predicting sulfate-induced heave in lime-stabilized soils and evaluation and field verification of strength and structural improvement of chemically stabilized subgrade soils.

“Teaching at OU has given me the opportunity to challenge and sharpen the next generation of civil engineers,” said Cerato. “We need to get the next generation ready to tackle the problems that our society is facing, including our aging infrastructure, population expansion, protecting fresh drinking water supplies and developing alternatives to fossil fuels, among many other compelling issues. It is important to teach them using cutting-edge research so they can go out into the world and begin to make a difference in the areas they feel passionate about.”

Cerato earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Lafayette College, a M.S. and Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and a M.S. in geology from the University of Massachusetts.

college of engineering14

(AlUMni)

After jetting with his family halfway across the world to work for Shell Malaysia a year ago, Bruce Light, 1981 mechanical and

nuclear engineering graduate, is finally adapting to the culture.

“Living in Malaysia is quite an adjustment; the culture is so different,” said Light. “There isn’t a one-stop-shop like Wal-Mart where you can buy everything you need. Things are there; you just have to know where to look for them. Other things you learn to live without.”

Since moving his wife and two youngest daughters to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Light has traveled to a handful of exotic countries. From the base of snowy Mount Everest to the white beaches of Australia, Light and his family have experienced people and places they had only read about in books.

Despite the ups and downs of the petroleum industry during the

years, Light is fortunate to name Shell Oil as his only employer after graduating from OU with a B.S. in nuclear engineering and a M.S. in mechanical engineering. Now 27 years later, Light said the changing technology brings new excitement and challenges to the job.

Light currently is working on an offshore deepwater development while in Malaysia. He is in charge of designing the pipelines to transfer oil from beneath the ocean floor to the platform above water to be refined.

“A lot of this equipment and technology is being used for the first time,” said Light. “With increasing oil prices, new technology and methodology to extract oil reserves has become more cost effective.”

fAceS of engineerS

Bruce Light stands in front of Mount Everest while on a Spring Break trip to Nepal.

WWW.coe.oU.edU 15

Almost every engineer shares a love and talent for math and science. But unlike most engineers, John Fagan, Presidential

and David Ross Boyd Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, entered college to study math, not really knowing what he would be doing as a career choice.

“I entered college as a math major because most people think of their math teacher as their hero; they were the teachers who were excited about what they were teaching,” said Fagan. “Not every engineer starts college knowing what they want to do as a life choice.”

Fagan obtained his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in electrical engineering and Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Texas. His professional experience includes oil exploration with Mobil Oil’s Field Research Laboratory, working at Texas Instruments in submarine warfare and serving in the military as a flight test engineer.

“After I was drafted, I served as an engineer in the Air Force,” said Fagan. “I was the guy who helped design some of the special weapons for use in the battle arena and to test some of the new planes that the Air Force was procuring at the time.”

Fagan said his most memorable and satisfying work has been with the student teams that designed and built the OU Spirit of Oklahoma Solar Race Cars. He said this work involves all aspects of engineering to enable the car to run on solar energy. The project shows what can be done with alternative forms of energy. “If we don’t start investing in these new forms of energy, we will choke in the exhaust of our own cars,” Fagan stated.

Fagan is a veteran in the art of teaching. With more than 33 years of experience at OU, his courses range from control systems and electric vehicle design to introduction to engineering and the holding of the first OU pumpkin launch design for engineering students. Fagan said the byproduct of his teaching is the expansion of his own mind as a result of observing the student creative experience.

“I like trying to stay ahead of these quick minds,” said Fagan. “A lot of my colleagues I graduated with are retired, and they aren’t being continuously challenged and excited by new ideas and new problems to solve. If you have the opportunity to work with students, you have to keep your skills honed because the students are faster and better than you are. Teaching at the university level keeps you physically and mentally young.”

(fAcUl

Ty)

fAceS of engineerS

John Fagan with former students of the University of Oklahoma Solar Car team

college of engineering16

klahoma embodies the entrepreneurial spirit. In this, Oklahoma’s Centennial year, we enjoy a strong economy that grows nanotubes as well as traditional

fibers. The commercialization of ideas, from the laboratory to the marketplace, represents a key to economic strength and diversity for Oklahoma’s future. Technology entrepreneurs create high-quality jobs that increase Oklahoma’s per capita income and entice our graduates to pursue careers in the state.

In the last decade, small businesses have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually in the United States. In Oklahoma alone, 95 percent of private enterprises are considered small businesses and employ over half of the state’s workforce.

oUr SUcceSS

The OU College of Engineering has a track record of success in creating spin-off companies, in which our faculty members launch their innovations, designs and business models to form new companies. In 1998, Oklahoma voters opened the way for this trend when they approved constitutional measures allowing universities and private industries to form business ventures. Since then, the OU Office of Technology Development has helped to create over 30 companies and the College of Engineering has played a big role in many of them.

A recent example of success is Southwest Nanotechnologies, a spin-off from the nanotechnology research of a team led by Daniel Resasco, Douglas and Hilda Bourne Chair and George Lynn Cross Professor in the School of Chemical, Biological and

SWeNT recently broke ground on a 15,000-square-foot headquarters building and manufacturing plant in southeast Norman.

WWW.coe.oU.edU 17

Students are showing the same potential in entrepreneurship. The College of Engineering’s student team, WorkSmart Instruments, won the statewide 2007 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Business Plan competition. Team leader Allison Greco is a recent graduate of our new joint degree program with the Price College of Business (bachelor’s in industrial engineering with masters of business administration). In addition to the $20,000 cash prize, WorkSmart will receive consulting services from professional firms to get their ideas to market. WorkSmart Instruments will commercialize the Intelligent Asphalt Compaction Analyzer (IACA), a revolutionary solution for constructing quality asphalt roadways. The IACA is an invention of engineering faculty members Musharraf Zaman, Aaron Alexander Professor and David Ross Boyd Professor of civil engineering, and Sesh Commuri, associate professor in computer engineering. The IACA device is attached to an asphalt compactor and utilizes intelligent monitoring technology to provide a real-time, on-site measurement and control of compaction density for the asphalt mat. This is a major innovation that promises to make a difference in our everyday lives. With existing technology, municipalities don’t discover that the asphalt compactor failed to get the density just right until potholes or cracks develop. The new technology will result in higher efficiency production and significant quality improvements from uniform and optimum compaction.

Why is the College of Engineering excelling in entrepreneurship?

oUr PeoPle And ProgrAMS

Through cross-disciplinary, hands-on teaching, students learn real-world applications for engineering problem solving.

Patrick McCann, George Lynn Cross Research Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is exemplary of the faculty mentor. He helps his students think in innovative ways and learn how to develop ideas from concepts and experiments into marketable products. An entrepreneur himself (he founded Ekips Technologies in 1997 to use lasers to detect biomarkers associated with asthma and cancer in exhaled breath), McCann inspires his students with his enthusiasm and creative approach.

“Carbon nanotubes are very promising devices for delivering new cancer treatments. They can enable therapies that destroy tumors without harming surrounding healthy cells. Carbon nanotubes have a better range in which they absorb fluorescent dyes, one of the ways we can single out and destroy cancerous cells,” said Resasco. Nanotubes also allow radiation to penetrate deeper into the tissue.

Materials Engineering. With the backing of Norman Economic Development Coalition, SWeNT recently broke ground on a new production facility in Norman’s Oklahoma Technology Corridor.

The potential applications of SWeNT’s single-walled carbon nanotubes are limitless and the market is beginning to take off. Carbon nanotubes have remarkable mechanical, thermal, optical and electronic properties. They possess extremely high strength (200 times that of steel at one sixth its weight). Consequently, carbon nanotubes will transform technology worldwide in aerospace, automotive, construction, electronics, energy, medical and military applications.

college of engineering18

A new hybrid degree program has emerged from feedback by our college Board of Visitors. Engineering Entrepreneurship is offered through cooperation between the Price College of Business and the College of Engineering. The program focuses students on creativity, business planning and teamwork, giving them valuable perspective on what it takes to successfully move ideas to the marketplace. Ted Goodridge was the first student to earn a minor in engineering entrepreneurship this past spring and had a job waiting for him at Navico, an international electronics firm in Tulsa.

The Office of Technology Development stimulates the development of intellectual property and helps researchers commercialize their products. OTD focuses on getting value from the technology that is developed at OU, which, in turn, increases the university’s research, leads to new companies and builds relationships with companies that can benefit from that technology.

The Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth is an environment where students and faculty can learn about entrepreneurial ventures, and how ideas lead to intellectual property. They see how intellectual property leads to commercially viable products that in turn lead to companies, jobs and a more diverse economy. The CCEW broadens exposure to the entrepreneurial process, gives students the opportunity to engage in real-world business enterprise, accelerates OU technology into the marketplace and strengthens economic prosperity in Oklahoma. Through both a mentor-in-residence program and an internship program, CCEW participants engage in entrepreneurial outreach activities and the development of actual start-up companies. Several engineering faculty and students have been active in the first two years of the CCEW.

oUr leAderSHiP

Key people who have provided leadership, direction and support for technology development also have led the way in supporting our entrepreneurial spirit.

W. Arthur “Skip” Porter, former dean of engineering and founding director of the Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth at the University of Oklahoma, won the 2007 Journal Record Innovator of the Year Award in April 2007. Under Porter’s leadership, OU launched the Office of Technology Development which has been instrumental in generating more than $12 million in licensing and royalty revenue. He retired from the university earlier this year.

Anil Gollahalli, vice president of technology development and general counsel for the university, has strong ties to the College of Engineering as a 1997 chemical engineering graduate. He also earned a law degree from the University of Chicago and practiced law for several years. He has extensive experience in the intellectual property fields of patent, copyright and trademark law, and has additional expertise in licensing. Gollahalli directs commercialization operations and provides intellectual property counsel.

John Antonio, professor of computer science and director of the Institute for Oklahoma Technology Applications (IOTA), is the

college’s focal point for early stage collaboration with companies interested in the college’s applied research. In this role, he works closely with Anil Gollahalli and with the university’s vice president for research, Dr. Lee Williams. Current initiatives

involve transportation and wireless technologies.

Patrick McCann, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Anil Gollahalli, Technology DevelopmentJohn Antonio, School of Computer Science

(continued from previous page)

WWW.coe.oU.edU 19

fAcUlTy And STAff recogniTionSDavid Schmidtke, associate professor in the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, was awarded the National Science Foundation’s prestigious Career Award in February 2006. This award carries up to $400,000 in funding for five years for his research on single-walled carbon nanotube-based biosensors.

Schmidtke’s proposal was titled “Biosensors Based on Carbon Nanotube-Redox Polymer Composites.” The emphasis of the research is to develop more advanced and smaller biosensors that can be used in a variety of applications, such as medical diagnostics, remote sensors in environmental monitoring and as online sensors in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

This proposal also provides hands-on learning opportunities for students in high school and undergraduate programs to learn about biomedical and biosensor research. Schmidtke also inspires interest in science and mathematics in elementary school students by participating in the Sooner Elementary Engineering and Science Clubs program (SeeS) at the University of Oklahoma. This program, initiated in January 2001, provides children the opportunity to experience hands-on learning through creating multiple experiments.

Schmidtke joined the OU faculty in 2000.

Billy Crynes, professor emeritus of chemical, biological and materials engineering, is one of three professors from the University of Oklahoma recently inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.

Crynes also was Dean of the College of Engineering from 1987 to 1998.

The induction ceremony was Oct. 2 at the Oklahoma History Center.

The Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame began in 1994 and has more than 100 members. It recognizes individuals for their outstanding achievement in higher education and for a vital role in the social, cultural and economic development of Oklahoma.

dAvid ScHMidTke

Billy cryneS

Binil Starly, assistant professor in the School of Industrial Engineering, received a research grant from the OCAST Oklahoma Health Research program.

Starly joined the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering in 2006 after he re-ceived his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Starly’s research grant focuses on advances in the design, analysis and fabrication of three dimensional tissue constructs for applications in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and drug screening studies, specifically liver cells. The research project plans to simulate the function of liver tissues in a microchip for 14 days.

Binil STArly

college of engineering20

Hong Liu, professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, received a George Lynn Cross Professorship in 2007. This award is presented to professors who have demonstrated outstanding leadership over a period of years and been recognized by peers for distinguished contributions to knowledge or creative work.Liu’s research interests are in medical imaging and include X-ray science and technology, digital mammography/radiography/fluoroscopy and optical imaging devices. He also plays an active role in the Center of Bioengineering as a representative for the GAANN Fellowship.

Thomas Landers, dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering, was appointed to the Army Science Board, a federal committee that advises the secretary of the Army, chief of staff of the Army, assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition Logistics and Technology and major Army commanders on a wide variety of scientific and technology matters.

His research interests include military and industrial logistics systems, supply chain manage-ment, systems reliability and materials handling.

Landers joined OU in 1998 as director of the School of Industrial Engineering. He has served the OU College of Engineering as dean and AT&T Chair since 2005.

THoMAS lAnderS

fAcUlTy And STAff recogniTionS

John Scamehorn, Asahi Glass Chair and George Lynn Cross Research Professor, retired in July.

Scamehorn taught for 25 years, wrote 178 journal articles and brought millions of dollars in re-search grants to the University of Oklahoma. He has written five books and developed 18 patents.

He received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Nebraska in 1973 and 1974 respectively, and received a Ph.D. from the University of Texas in 1980.

Scamehorn worked for Conoco Inc. and Shell Development Co. before coming to OU. He has been the co-founder and director for the Institute for Applied Surfactant Research since 1986.

Scamehorn will remain active in his research, but plans to spend more time scuba diving, traveling and playing tennis.

Roger Harrison, associate professor for chemical, biological, and materials engineering, received a grant from the Department of Defense for his research on the development of a protein that can stop the spread of cancer cells without harming healthy cells.

Harrison is working with Thomas Pento, a Noble Foundation Presidential Professor of Pharmacy at the OU Health Sciences Center.

JoHn ScAMeHorn

roger HArriSon

Hong liU

WWW.coe.oU.edU 21

David Stubsten, industrial engineering student, received the President’s Award for Outstanding Freshmen this past spring. This award recognizes the top 1% of freshmen.

Stubsten is a member of the President’s Leadership Class and attended eight leadership seminars in the 2006-07 school year. “The activities and experiences I’ve had through PLC will last a lifetime,” said Stubsten. He is actively involved with Prospective Student Services as a Boomer Bytes blogger, writing an online blog about freshman experiences at OU and as a Sooner Scout, writing postcards and personally visiting incoming freshmen.

“I joined Prospective Student Services because I saw the influence that the program had on high school students,” said Stubsten. “If you don’t get the students to college, you can’t teach them.”

Stubsten participates in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma and mentored a fourth-grade student from Jefferson Elementary School in Norman.

“OU has the best atmosphere – like family,” said Stubsten. “My best experience at the College of Engineering was second semester of my Engineer’s Orientation class. That was when I gained some clarity about what I want to do professionally and I changed my major from chemical engineering to industrial engineering.”

CONgRATuLATiONS TO TwO SOONER ENgiNEERS wHO RECENTLy ACHiEVED SigNiFiCANT RECOgNiTiON.

JeSSicA WHiTTle, civil engineering grAdUATe, SUgAr lAnd, TexAS Jessica Whittle, 2006 civil engineering graduate, received a 2007 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Award. Whittle is one of only 11 civil engineering students in the United States to receive the award which will provide three-year support for her doctoral studies.

Whittle is attending the University of Oxford in England this fall, where she is studying structural dynamics. Her three-year NSF award is valued at approximately $120,000 for a cost-of-education-allowance, in addition to generous financial support from Oxford for tuition. NSF also will provide a $30,000 yearly stipend. Whittle hopes to enter New College, one of Oxford’s largest colleges.

“This is an incredible blessing. I am very excited to have the opportunity to study overseas,” Whittle said. “I will be able to experience a different culture and area. I love OU and Norman, and the experiences I have had here at the College of Engineering have prepared me for this great opportunity. It will be a real life experience.”

Whittle was active in the College of Engineering, participating as an undergraduate with the Concrete Canoe project for three years and in the Research Experience for Undergraduates summer program at the Engineer-ing Forensics Research Institute. In 2006, she served as a structural engineering intern at Benham Cos.

Whittle said her career goal is to join the effort to aid third-world countries by improving infrastructure and seismic design to limit the number of needless fatalities caused by natural disasters. Whittle originally is from Sugar Land, Texas with family in Norman and Antlers, Okla.

President David Boren presents the President’s Award for Outstanding Freshmen to David Stubsten.

STUdenT recogniTionS

dAvid STUBSTen, indUSTriAl engineering STUdenT, norMAn, oklA.

college of engineering22

Remember when you combined baking soda and water to inflate a balloon for the science fair? Or used every piece of an erector set to design and build a retractable bridge? Perhaps you built a pinewood derby race

car or even repaired a car or machine. For most of us, these simple activities led to a love of science and a career in engineering; however, the number of students in the United States interested in engineering is declining. Evidence suggests that if a child’s interest in science and mathematics has not been stimulated by the fourth or fifth grade, the opportunity may be lost.

“We must engage youth in the adventure of science and engineering,” said Simin Pulat, Ph.D., associate dean for engineering education and John A. Myers Professor of Industrial Engineering. “A future engineer is born when a child dreams of space travel or is fascinated by such smart devices as intelligent snow boards and iPods, and then, through education, is given the tools and opportunity to turn those dreams into reality. Programs that support science, mathematics and engineering in our primary and secondary schools are the stepping stones that create our next generation of engineers.”

At the OU College of Engineering, the faculty, staff and students are working to ensure that K-12 students in Oklahoma are exposed to the wonders of science and math and intrigued by engineering concepts through a variety of exciting curricula and interactive programs.

Bringing Science And engineering concePTS To life in eleMenTAry AfTer-ScHool ProgrAMS The SeeS (Sooner Elementary Engineering and Science) Club combines student volunteers from numerous colleges across the university, parent volunteers from elementary schools and a dynamic science, math and engineering curriculum in a voluntary after-school program designed to spark the imaginations and interest of participating children.

evolve feature

WWW.coe.oU.edU 23

Red Lands Council Girl Scouts visited the Fears Structural Lab to learn more about earthquakes as part of their Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Summer Camp curriculum. The female faculty and graduate students revealed earth-shaking facts about the dynamics of an earthquake, how structures are affected and what technology can do to improve structure design.

Carmen Diaz shows the Girl Scouts how inexpensive compacted earth structures that are more earthquake resistant can be built in third world countries. Carmen was one of the first graduate fellows from the National Science Foundation K12 program at OU.

“We must engage youth in the adventure of science and engineering” -Simon Pulat, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Engineering Education

college of engineering24

“It is really great to see the children make the connection between the experiment we’re doing and something in their everyday life,” said Brett Billbe, SeeS Club coordinator. “Once that happens, the questions start flying and you know the kids are really interested and that you are inspiring them to explore and learn more about engineering and science.”

Since January 2001, when the SeeS Club began, the program has reached more than 10,000 children with approximately 850 University of Oklahoma student volunteers and has expanded to include seven Norman elementary schools and events at four others. OU engineering students are doing their part, making approximately 500 contacts per month with Norman elementary school students. Organizations such as the PTA, Norman Public School District Foundation and others have provided support to purchase items for the curriculum. The curriculum developed by the SeeS program has been requested by schools as far away as Canada.

“Another great aspect of the SeeS Club is that with the funding from foundations we receive, we are able to buy supplies for our events that can be re-used and take some of the financial burden off the schools,” said Susan Walden, director of the SeeS program. “The curriculum and activity shopping lists also are online, so teachers from across the nation can use the information to enhance their science program.”

TrAnSiTioning HigH ScHool SeniorS To THe college of engineeringThrough a three-year, $100,000 grant from the Dominion Foundation, the Multicultural Engineering Program was able to develop the Helping Engineers Achieve and Develop for Successful Undergraduate Persistence program, better known as the H.E.A.D.S. U.P. Summer Bridge Program. Students selected for the program were immersed in college life, living in residence halls on campus for three weeks,

attending classes daily, participating in design and building group projects.

This intensive, three-week experience is designed to help recent high school graduates transition smoothly into the CoE in the fall. H.E.A.D.S. U.P. prepares the students for classes focused on calculus-level math, engineering problem solving and case study skills and to develop teamwork skills.

“Most students in high school aren’t exposed to the concept of teams because they are graded on what they accomplish as an individual,” said Liz Cook, director of Multicultural Engineering. “We understand in the College of Engineering that to be successful, you must know how to work on a team.”

The 17 students from across Oklahoma and Texas were broken into four teams at the beginning of the course, given raw materials and told to design and build an invention that would take a whole orange and make orange juice using at least 10 steps.

“The team project was based on the Rube Goldberg contest that asks people to design complicated ways to do simple things,” said Cook. “But the premise of complicated designs really brought the teams together and let them use their imagination. The results were four unique designs and students with more honed teamwork skills.”

PArTnering WiTH rUrAl oklAHoMA Science And MATHeMATicS TeAcHerSCoE faculty and students also are active participants in the University of Oklahoma’s K20 Center for Educational and Community Renewal. The center serves as a statewide interdisciplinary educational research and development center and acts as a conduit between university researchers and more than 500 schools and communities in Oklahoma.

High school students and teachers collecting water quality data at Lake Thunderbird

Teachers and students analyzing

water quality data at the K20 Center

WWW.coe.oU.edU 25

The National Science Foundation funded “Research Experience for Teachers” program to offer high school science and mathematics teachers from across Oklahoma the opportunity to participate in a five-week program in the labs of professors Hazem Refai in electrical and computer engineering, Randa Shehab in industrial engineering and Mark Nanny in civil engineering. Teachers participate in actual research on how they could take their experience with scientific methodology and transfer it to their classrooms. This year, the program included a site visit to the closed Norman landfill where 40-foot-long core samples were removed to study newsprint degradation. From this exercise, teachers outlined projects they will do at their own schools in order to study the degradation of various organic materials with their students by making a landfill reactor out of a 55-gallon drum. “Teachers prepare proposals for funding so they can buy the materials they need to do these types of hands-on experiments with their students in their own schools,” said Mark Nanny, associate professor in Civil Engineering and Environmental Science. “We stay in touch with the teachers and their students throughout the year, discuss what they are doing and what their findings are. It is a great way for high school students to engage in the scientific process, learn about scientific methodology and apply engineering to real-world problems.” Also funded through the National Science Foundation is the K-12 Engineering in Practice program that provides seven fellowships for graduate students in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to transfer their research experiences and content knowledge into K-12 classrooms in rural Oklahoma. Fellows are teamed up with rural high school science teachers for a semester and spend 15 hours per week engaging the students in authentic, inquiry-based activities that are designed to address problems in the students’ environment such as an issue in their classroom, school, neighborhood or community. These activities allow students to define a problem, research solutions, discover applicable scientific concepts and therefore retain the information better. As a result of these successful educational outreach programs, the College of Engineering is expanding its K-12 outreach by offering a senior-level course on Teaching Science and Math Activities in Secondary Education. In the past, the course was only for EIP fellows, but this year it is open to students who want to learn about teaching in a classroom setting, classroom management and how students learn. In addition to developing authentic, inquiry-based science, technology, engineering and math activities for high school classrooms, students also utilize their skills for enhancing such CoE outreach activities as the Engineering Open House.

The future of engineering is ever-evolving with dynamic disciplines and quickly advancing technology. At CoE, we are working to shape the next generation of engineers and look forward to how they will shape our world.

“We understand in the College of Engineering that to be successful, you mustknow how to work on a team.” -Liz Cook, Director of Multicultural Engineering

college of engineering26

In August, the Williams Foundation and The Williams Co. were welcomed into the University of Oklahoma’s Seed Sower Society for exceptional giving with more than $1 million in gifts directly benefiting the College of Engineering and total giving to OU surpassing $5 million.

Through these generous gifts, the CoE has established four endowed faculty positions, benefiting both the Norman and Tulsa campuses. Engineering students are receiving world-class support with tutoring services, internship programs and scholarships through the Williams Student Services Center. The most recent gift from The Williams Foundation is to the ExxonMobil Lawrence G. Rawl Engineering Practice Facility, ensuring engineering students will benefit from real-world interdisciplinary experience and K-12 students will be inspired to become our next generation of engineers and scientists. Steven J. Malcolm, chairman, president and chief executive officer, accepted the Seed Sower sculpture, created by nationally known artist Paul Moore. Through his active support of education, Steven Malcolm is sowing the seeds that will grow to support exceptional engineers today and for the future.

(l-r) Dean Tom Landers; Steven Malcolm, chairman, president and CEO of Williams Co.; Paul Massad, acting vice president for University Development; and Alan Armstrong, president of midstream gathering and processing for Williams Co.

WWW.coe.oU.edU 27

Glenn Okerson (B.S. Electrical Engineering, 1935 enjoys dinner with his daughter, Trish Rigney.

Richard (B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 1945) and Bonnie Jackson, Bob (B.S. Electrical Engineering, 1962) and Cherie Staples

college of engineering donor APPreciATion

The University of Oklahoma College of Engineering will be hosting a series of donor appreciation dinners in recognition of alumni and donors who contribute to the success of the College of Engineering. At the Oklahoma City dinner held in August, alumni who had made leadership gifts and donors who have given consistently for 20 or more years, along with alumni who have recently endowed scholarships within the college or made significant gifts toward new building projects, were honored.

The College of Engineering also recognized former deans of the college, former Board of Visitors chairs and former Distinguished Graduates Society inductees.

“I realize that such success doesn’t happen by accident but through a tradition of visionary leadership and strong alumni and donor support,” said OU CoE Dean Thomas Landers. “Because of this successful pairing, the College of Engineering will continue to produce excellent engineers, thoughtful citizens and future leaders as well as research centers and start-up companies that strengthen our economy.”

More donor appreciation dinners will be held in a variety of cities in the near future.

Current Dean Tom Landers, former Dean Billy Crynes (1987-1997), former Dean Bill Upthegrove (1970-1981), interim Dean Tom Love (1986-1987), and acting Dean John Francis (1985-1986)

college of engineering28

The College of Engineering alumni represent some of the brightest, best educated engineers in the world. We want to know – what are they doing now?

WHere doeS An engineering degree leAd?

WWW.coe.oU.edU 29

As a senior software engineer for National Instruments in Austin, Texas, Stephen Mercer (2000 computer science) develops language and compiler design for a programming language called LabVIEW that is used by scientists and engineers. The software is a testing and measurement application that reports data back to users. Mercer is a member of the College of Engineering Board of Visitors for the computer science department, “so I have the opportunity to visit the campus every couple of months for meetings.”

STePHen Mercer

Brian Argrow, a 1989 doctoral graduate in aerospace engineering, has been appointed by the University of Colorado at Boulder as associate dean for education. Since joining the faculty at the University of Colorado in 1992, he has served as the Look Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, directs the Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles and has won multiple teaching awards. Prior to that, he was an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma.

BriAn ArgroW

college of engineering30

From the seas to the deserts of the Middle East, Bob Staples has seen his share of the globe. The U.S. Marine Corps laid the groundwork for Staples’ desire to become an electrical engineer. Staples said it was at this point in his life that he realized he wanted to be both a Marine officer and an engineer.

Currently Staples, a 1962 OU electrical engineering graduate holds a master’s of science in electrical engineering from the Naval Post Graduate School, works at the National Weather Center on OU’s Norman campus as the on-site project manager during construction of the facility.

After a 28-year stint in the Marines and 16 years in the Middle East as the president and general manager of a company installing command and control systems,

Staples said he enjoys the environment and co-workers at the National Weather Center.

“They are a bunch of research folks who are into weather and computers. They are intellectual and very cordial to work with,” said Staples. “But the job can be challenging initially, with the demands of deadlines, customers and construction delays.”

Since completion of the Weather Center more than a year ago, Staples said his work involves tying up loose ends on the project. In his spare time, Staples enjoys running, playing golf, church and community involvement.

Bob Staples is married to Cherie Addenin of Carmel Valley, Calif. and they have five children and five grandchildren.

BoB STAPleS

“Houston, we have a problem” may be a line uttered in the reen-counter of the Apollo 13 mission, but for Marcos Stocco, these are words he spends his career working to avoid.

Stocco, who obtained his bachelor of arts degree in philosophy and bachelor of science degree in computer science from OU’s College of Engineering in 1998, is a contractor for NASA. His work is concentrated in the Mission Control station as a flight controller.

Stocco said while he enjoys being a part of the space program, the job invites challenges when it comes to coordinating differ-ent members of the team.

“There are hundreds of people involved in Mission Control. We all have to coordinate as a team, and sometimes people make mistakes. It’s difficult not to let these mistakes influence other disciplines,” said Stocco. “My job involves system integration. We are responsible for recognizing when there is an impact.”

Before his almost seven years of working at NASA, Stocco’s resume ranged from a high school computer science teacher to working at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in the astronomy department. While Stocco comes from a long line of family teachers, he said teaching was not his forte.

“Teaching was a good job for me to be involved in the community,” said Stocco. “But I found I didn’t have the patience or the aptitude to teach. I grew up having teachers who would get frustrated if a student didn’t understand their teaching methods. I didn’t want to be that teacher.”

Despite his short-term teaching career, Stocco said he has finally found his place in the computer industry.

“I have always known that I wanted to be an engineer and from early on, I knew I wanted to work with computers,” said Stocco. “I am very proud to be involved in the upper-level integration division at NASA.”

MArcoS STocco

Marcos Stocco, (on the right) president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, presents the 2007-08 scholarship award to Guillermo Gutierrez (on left).

WWW.coe.oU.edU 31

The College of Engineering inducted Thomas A. Dugan as the 81st member of the Distinguished Graduates Society. This is the highest honor that the College bestows on its graduates. It recognizes distinguished professional or technical achievement, notable public service, support of education and contributions to the engineering profession. Dugan, 1950 petroleum engineering, is president and CEO of Dugan Production Corporation in Farmington, New Mexico and has contributed in significant ways to community growth and the arts in Farmington. A supporter of education throughout his professional life, he established an endowed professorship in the College of Engineering and through the Dugan Production Corp. Scholarship Program has given scholarships to 68 students.

THoMAS dUgAn

The scientific calculator sits in his desk. Nearby, a stack of engineering textbooks waits in the corner. After obtaining his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from OU, Michael Fozdar has set aside plans to become an engineer. Now in his second year of law school at OU, Fozdar has other plans in mind.

While taking a civil rights law weekend course as an undergraduate, Fozdar found himself inspired by law.

Fozdar said his mechanical engineering background laid the groundwork for a law degree. After graduation, he plans to pursue the patent field for the protection of intellectual property.

MicHAel foZdAr

“Living in Borger, Texas has actually been a really fun lifestyle for a single guy,” said David Monroe (2006 mechanical engineering graduate). Working for ConocoPhillips since graduation, Monroe is in good company since the company has hired a number of young engineers recently at their Borger refinery. “Our group of 15-20 engineers gets together every week to go bowling, to movies and play basketball.” Part of the new hire network that coordinates activities for ConocoPhillips, Monroe helped plan the group’s snow boarding trip in Angel Fire, NM last year. “It was my first time to snow board and I had a great time – I’m ready to go back.” As a project manager for oil refinery equipment, Monroe oversees maintenance on pumps, turbines, heat exchangers and other equipment ranging between $5-6 million and below at the Borger oil refinery.

dAvid Monroe

college of engineering32

2nd Lt. Travis Kyle Pugh,• an aerospace engineering student will be commissioned in the u.S. Marine Corps following Officer Candidate School. He will report to The Basic School in Quantico, Va. Pugh, a native of Lafayette, La., reported as a NROTC at the university of Oklahoma after graduating Putnam City High School in 2002. while at Ou NROTC, he received the Sailing, Rifle/Pistol Team, intramural, Color guard, Drill Team, Leadership and commendation awards as a midshipman.

Ensign Jared Dean McClain,• a 2007 mechanical engineering graduate, will be commissioned into the u.S. Navy. He will report to flight school in Pensacola, Fla. He reported to the university of Oklahoma as a four-year scholarship midshipman. McClain received the Academic Excellence, Academic Achievement, Physical Fitness, Color guard, Drill Team, Rifle/Pistol Team, Sailing Leadership, Nation Sojourner’s and intramural awards.

Ensign Nicholas Lee Holman at flight school in Pensacola, Fla.

The University of Oklahoma would like to recognize and thank our engineers who are serving our country.

Serving OurCOuntry

OuengineerS

Ensign Nicholas Lee Holman,• a 2007 mechanical engineering graduate, will be commissioned into the u.S. Navy. Holman will report to flight school in Pensacola, Fla. Holman attended Owasso High School in Owasso, Okla., and graduated in 2002, then reported to the university of Oklahoma as a scholarship midshipman. Holman held the billet of logistics officer and platoon sergeant at the university of Oklahoma.

Ensign Christopher Bryan Ely,• a 2007 civil engineering graduate, will be commissioned in the u.S. Navy. He enlisted in the Navy in 2001 and attended Nuclear Field A-School and Nuclear Power School in Charleston, S.C. in 2002, he was awarded a four-year NTSC scholarship and reported to the university of Oklahoma. while at the university of Oklahoma, Ely held billets as executive officer, supply officer and Navy Club president. After commissioning, he will report to Nuclear Power School in Charleston, S.C.

WWW.coe.oU.edU 33

A 1997 Chemical Engineering graduate, died in Houston on July 30, 2006. Doerpinghaus received his doctoral degree in chemical engineering from Virginia Tech and developed a research program at Virginia Tech with five universities in England. He enjoyed Eagle Scouting, computers and BMW automobiles.

A postdoctoral electrical and computer engineering research associate, died on March 19, 2007, in Oklahoma City. Zheng was born in China and graduated from the Changchun Institute of Physics in China with a doctoral degree in condensed matter physics. He began as a postdoc-toral research associate in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Oklahoma in January 2005. In August 2006, Zheng was diagnosed with a rare condition associated with T-cell lymphoma, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

A 1939 engineering physics graduate and 1943 M.S. engineering physics graduate, died in Rochester, N.Y., on March 1, 2007. McIninch was employed by Eastman Kodak in Rochester from 1940 until his retirement in 1983. While at Kodak, he instructed sensitometry and color theory courses for Rochester Institute of Technology. McIninch was a member, participant and featured speaker for the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM). He continued his association with ASTM after he retired from Kodak as a consultant.

Phillip Joseph Doerpinghaus, Jr.,

glenn Mcininch,

Zheng Ping guan,

reMeMBrAnceS

college of engineering34

reMeMBrAnceS

Died Aug. 21, 2007. Nine earned his masters degree in Physics in 1969 at the University of Oklahoma, and bachelor’s degree in engineering physics at the University of Tennessee. Nine served in Vietnam as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. After retiring from the Air Force, Nine worked 20 years as a nuclear physicist for the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He also taught a physics class at Northern Virginia Community College. Nine earned his local pastors license after retirement and worked in prison ministries. He was a founding member of Kairos Prison Ministry, Torch Ministry in east Tennessee. He was married to his wife, Myra Creswell Nine, for 52 years.

Died on Aug. 11, 2007. Vipraio earned his masters degree in Electrical Engineering/Computer Science in 1960. He entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1954, and entered pilot training in Arizona. Vipraio met his wife, Shirley, in 1954 and was married for 52 years. He received many awards in the Air Force, including the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Legion of Merit Medals with two clusters and the Air Medal. Vipraio’s hobbies were stained glass, calligraphy and trap shooting. He was a member of the San Antonio Target, Hunting and Fishing Club.

A 1992 engineering graduate, died Aug. 13, 2007, in Indianapolis. The 38-year-old manufacturing engineer died after suffering a severe stroke. Bickel’s career in Oklahoma alternated between manufacturing engineering positions and race car teams. Bickel and his wife, Lisa, moved to Indianapolis in 2004 to pursue his passion for racing. He was employed as support engineer at Chip Ganassi Racing. He chose to be an organ donor, and his unselfish gift will benefit many people.

A 1949 mechanical engineering graduate, died on March 22, 2007, in Enid, Okla. Bowman worked as an agent in the Internal Revenue Service. After his retirement, he joined his wife in business under Bowman and Bowman Tax Service. Bowman served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 and was an active member of the American Legion. He was also an active member with Boy Scouts of America, Kiwanis International, Norman Masonic Lodge No. 38 Scottish Rite, Order of Amaranth, Order of the White Shrine and Order of the Eastern Star.

Travis w. Bickel,

Col. william J. Vipraio,

Lt. Col. Robert Edward Nine,

Henry Lewelling Bowman,

WWW.coe.oU.edU 35

Sam Cerny, a 1955 geological engineering gradu-ate and a member of the Board of Visitors for the College of Engineering, died on June 17, 2007. After college, Cerny worked for Shell Oil Co. for seven years as a field exploration and reservoir engineer. He then served as a consultant and reservoir engineer for Ramsey Engineering from 1962 to 1965. He joined Cleary Petroleum in Oklahoma City as vice president of production in 1965 and later was promoted to executive vice president and elected to the board of directors. Cerny was elected president and CEO of the com-pany in 1976. In 1978 he was named president and CEO of Grace Petroleum. Cerny retired from Grace in 1991. Cerny served as president for the OU Club of Oklahoma City, the Board of Visitors for the College of Engineering, Oklahoma Support Center, Fortune Club, Oklahoma City Committee of 100 and the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. He has received many honors throughout his lifetime, including the OU Regents Award in 1993, and was inducted into the College of Engineering’s Distinguished Graduates Society in 1994. Cerny also endowed two scholarships within the college: the S.J. Cerny Engineering Scholarship and the Sam J. Cerny Freshman Engineering Scholarship.Sam

Cerny

Non-Profit OrganizationUS Postage

PAIDUniversity of Oklahoma

university of oklahoma college of engineering

202 W. Boyd St.Carson Engineering Center, Room 107Norman, OK 73019-1021

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED