capstone engineer - fall 2004

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FALL 2004 C A P S T O N E EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION E n g i n e e r E n g i n e e r Enhance the College Years Student Organizations at the Capstone

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Capstone Engineer is published in the spring and fall by the Capstone Engineering Society at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL.

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Page 1: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

F A L L 2 0 0 4

C A P S T O N E EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION

E n g i n e e rE n g i n e e r

Enhance the

College Years

Student Organizations

at the Capstone

Page 2: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

COVER STORY:Student Organizations Enhance the College Years at the Capstone . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Engineering Students ScorePoints On and Off the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Alumni Return to the Capstone to Help Teach Engineering Classes . . . . . . . . . . . 20

News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Surveying the College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Alumni Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

In Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

C A P S T O N EEngineering So c i e t y

1-800-333-8156

Rodney W. Summerford, PEMobile, Ala.

National Chair, Board of Directors

Angelia KnightDirector,

Capstone Engineering Society

Keith McDowellInterim Dean,

College of Engineering

Karen Meshad BaldwinDirector of External Affairs & Development

Mary WymerEditor

Susan BishopAssistant Editor

Issue No. 30Capstone Engineer is published in the

spring and fall by the Capstone Engineering Society.

Address correspondence to the editor: The University of Alabama,

Capstone Engineering Society, College of Engineering, Box 870200,

Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0200.

Roderick GuillenDesigner

Christine DietschProofreader

Alice Wilson, Rickey Yanaura, Mary Wymer, Debbie Sims

Photographers

Visit the College of Engineering website at www.eng.ua.edu

The University of Alabama is an equal-opportunity educational institution/employer.

MC6927

C A P S T O N E

E n g i n e e rE n g i n e e r

CorrectionIn the Spring 2004 edition of the Capstone Engineer, the following Capstone Engineering Society contributors wereomitted from our listing of longtime members. We sincerelyapologize for these errors.

Paul LammersMargaret Ferne Wlodarski

Lifetime MembersM r. Kenneth Rule DanielM r. Samuel R. HartM r. Fred S. McFarlandM r. and Mrs. Robert H. Pogue Jr.Mrs. Katherine Wade Thompson

Page 3: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

D E A N ’ S M e s s a g e

It is an honor and privilege for me to serve as the interim dean of UA’s College of

Engineering. During the past few months, I’ve had an opportunity to work with many of

the engineering faculty as part of my role in research at the University. I know firsthand that the

College is comprised of a strong and positive team that is proud of being one of the oldest

engineering colleges in the nation.

Since arriving at the College, I have been meeting with department heads and other key indi-

viduals to assess the status of the College. This process will take a couple of months to com-

plete as I evaluate the departments, programs, processes and goals. We will be developing a

plan for the College that will enable us to become one of the top 50 engineering schools in the

c o u n t r y.

President Witt’s goal is for The University of Alabama to become a Tier I public university, and

it is my goal for the College of Engineering to have an integral part of the University’s success in

reaching that goal.

Also, I want to quickly update you on the search for the new dean. The committee has been

formed, and hiring a new dean is one of the top priorities of Provost Bonner and President

Witt. We look forward to the new dean embracing the College’s strategic plan and working

with the faculty, staff, students, alumni and prospective students to help us become a top 50

engineering school.

I am committed to working with all of the College’s constituents to ensure that the College

offers the best programs, admits outstanding students, conducts world-class research, and

accelerates its growth. I encourage you to share your thoughts with me about the College by e-

mailing me at [email protected].

Keith McDowell, Ph.D.Interim Dean

Page 4: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

Some say the college ye a rs are the best of your life, and theya re for College of Engineering students at The Unive rsity ofAlabama. From professional organizations to sports, our

students participate in various activities throughout the Capstone.I nvo lvement with other students enriches their college lives and give sthem a sense of belonging at the Unive rs i t y.

For these students, college is more than just studying. A unive rs i t yeducation cannot be gotten from textbooks alone; you must build p rofessional, leadership and personal skills from eve r yd ay experiences.

College of Engineering students become we l l - rounded members ofsociety who enjoy successful care e rs because of the opportunities thatbegan at The Unive rsity of Alabama. The College has more than 20organizations offering our students more ways to build the pro f e s s i o n a land leadership skills that make our graduates competitive .

SWE Makes an Impact on Studentsand the Community UA’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is an activeg roup of students that focuses on inspiring women to achieve their fullpotential in engineering. SWE helps develop leadership skills, expandthe image of the engineering profession and demonstrate the value ofd i ve rs i t y, while providing an env i ronment for personal and p rofessional deve l o p m e n t .

“Being a member of SWE helped me gain the attention of re c r u i t e rsand gave me specific examples of leadership and hands-on experiences

Student Organizations

2

Enhance the College Years at the CapstoneBy Susan Bishop

to discuss during interviews ,” said Heather Pa t t e rson, recent gra d u a t ein aerospace engineering and 2003–04 SWE pre s i d e n t .

Pa t t e rson said the confidence gained through leadership experiencesand networking opportunities made the transition into the wo r k i n ge nv i ronment less intimidating.

UA’s engineering students have made their SWE chapter knownt h rough many activities, services and awa rds. Girl Scout EngineeringD ay is just one example of how this organization gives back to theTuscaloosa community. Junior Girl Scouts from West Alabama spenda day exploring the College of Engineering. SWE members organizee vents for the girls, such as re c ycling projects, panel discussions, atechnology scavenger hunt and “have lunch with an engineer.”

In October 2003, nearly 3,000 women engineers and students fro ma c ross the country converged at the Birmingham Jefferson CivicCenter for the Society of Women Engineers National Conference. Atthe conference, UA’s SWE re c e i ved third place in the OutstandingStudent Section competition in the medium-sized school category. Two women from UA also won awa rds at the confere n c e — H e a t h e rHendrix, a mechanical engineering graduate student, re c e i ved theOutstanding College Student Horizon Awa rd from the Pa r t n e rship toAdvance Science Engineering and Te c h n o l o g y, and Ashley Erickson, asenior in mechanical engineering, was awa rded a Chervo n Te x a c oS c h o l a rs h i p .

At the local level, SWE awa rds an outstanding freshman, sophomore ,junior and senior each ye a r. An Alumni Awa rd is also presented to amember who contributed to the organization pre v i o u s ly as a studentand now as a pro f e s s i o n a l .

Page 5: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

3C A P S T O N E E n g i n e e r

UA students and alumnae enjoy a time to network at the2003 Society of Women Engineers National Conference.

UA’s Coordinating Council for Student Organizations hosts an awa rd sbanquet each spring to honor organizations at the Capstone. SWEhas re c e i ved numerous awa rds at this banquet, and in 2004 won thre eawa rds in the professional organization category—

• Outstanding Advisor: Dr. Beth Todd, associate professor ofmechanical engineering

• Outstanding Officer: Heather Pa t t e rson, president (2003 – 0 4 )• Most Cre a t i ve Pro g ram: Explore Engineering, a high-school

o u t reach pro g ram held during the 2003 national confere n c e

While winning awa rds and participating in service projects, SWE students build relationships with their classmates. For Pa t t e rson, some of her greatest memories of college are from the activities sheparticipated in and the relationships gained by being a member ofS W E .

NSBE Students Use Their Aw a rds toBenefit OthersThe National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) at The Unive rsity ofAlabama seeks to increase the number of black engineers who excela c a d e m i c a l ly, while positive ly affecting the community.

The Unive rsity of Alabama re c e n t ly recognized NSBE ’s efforts andsuccesses by awa rding the chapter the Caritas Awa rd, an awa rd give nto student organizations at the Capstone that demonstrate anoutstanding commitment to community service. The chapter re c e i ve dt h i rd place in 2001 and in 2004 re c e i ved second place.

After receiving the Caritas Awa rd, students continued their caringways by using the awa rd money to open the first Technical Outre a c hCommunity Help Center (TORCH) in the Tuscaloosa area. The chapter funded computer softwa re and supplies for the center. NSBEstudents continue to support the center by tutoring in the after-schoolp ro g ram. The TORCH Center is part of the chapter’s initiative tobridge the technology divide.

In addition to the TORCH Center, NSBE students are visible in thecommunity by tutoring students at Eastwood Middle School, and in2002 they hosted a Junior Walk for Diabetes.

The Unive rs i t y ’s NSBE students are also recognized at the nationall e vel in the Golden To rch Awa rd category, Darnita Martin andTy wayne Anderson re c e i ved the Distinguished Fellow Awa rd, andShunta Garrett re c e i ved an Alcoa Scholarship. Golden To rch Awa rd sa re given to students and professionals based on their leadership andservice to the community.

UA’s NSBE chapter competes against other unive rsities by participating in the National Academic Technical Bowl and theNational African-American Quiz Bowl. In the 2000 Technical Bowl,UA won third place, which included a cash awa rd of $500. At the2001 Quiz Bowl, UA placed first, and in 2000 they placed second.

NSBE students also participate in events that help pre p a re them foracademic, social, and professional success. Shunta Garrett, who hass e r ved as vice president and academic excellence chair for UA’s NSBEc h a p t e r, said she would never have gotten the opportunity to internwith General Mills or have been encouraged to continue her educa-tion at the graduate level had it not been for NSBE.

Organizations Available to Studentswithin the College of EngineeringCollege-wide OrganizationsA m b a s s a d o rs of the College of Engineering (ACE s )National Society of Black EngineersSociety of Women EngineersTau Beta Pi (honor society)Theta Ta u

Ae rospace EngineeringAmerican Institute of Ae ronautics and As t ro n a u t i c sSigma Gamma Tau (honor society)

Civil and Env i ro n m e n tal EngineeringAmerican Society of Civil EngineersChi Epsilon (honor society)

Chemical and Biological EngineeringAmerican Institute of Chemical EngineersOmega Chi Epsilon (honor society)

Computer ScienceAssociation of Computing MachineryUpsilon Pi Epsilon (honor society)

Electrical and Computer EngineeringEta Kappa Nu (honor society)Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Industrial EngineeringAlpha Pi Mu (honor society)Institute of Industrial Engineers

Mechanical EngineeringAmerican Society of Mechanical EngineersPi Tau Sigma (honor society)Society of Automotive Engineers

M e tallurgical EngineeringAmerican Fo u n d r y m e n ’s SocietyASM International (Materials Information Society)M i n e rals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS )

Page 6: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

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ASME Raises the Standard for theS o u t h e a s tA team from UA’s American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME )re c e n t ly placed first in the East Coast Human Po we red Ve h i c l eChallenge in Gainesville, Fla. This is just one of the many ways UAASME students are raising the standard in the Southeast. UA’s ASMEchapter provides pro g rams and opportunities for students to deve l o ptheir professional skills.

In 2004, ASME re veled in success both re g i o n a l ly and nationally. Atthe Region XI Student Conference, UA’s chapter won eight awa rd s —at least one in each awa rd category. This success took them to theinternational level of competition. In Nove m b e r, Courtney Gra h a mwill make a presentation on a land-mine re t r i e val robot, and Dr. BethTodd will re c e i ve a national awa rd as outstanding ASME adv i s o r. AtUA’s Coordinating Council for Student Organizations awa rds banquet,the chapter re c e i ved recognition at the local level for outstanding a dv i s o r, Dr. Beth Todd; most active member, Deborah Honeycutt; andoutstanding society in the professional category.

ASME success did not begin in 2004. For many ye a rs the organizationhas been setting the bar high for the Southeast by challenging UAmechanical engineering students. In 2003, the chapter re c e i ved national recognition with the Little Giant Awa rd. This awa rd showsoutstanding achievement based on chapter effectiveness, including d i ve rsity of activities. The chapter surpassed other colleges in thenation and region, including Auburn Unive rs i t y, Mississippi StateU n i ve rsity and the Georgia Institute of Te c h n o l o g y.

In addition to winning awa rds and attending conferences, ASME students support each other throughout the college ye a rs. They participate in bimonthly cookouts and seasonal intra m u ral sportsteams such as flag football and bowling. This support fosters friendships that last a lifetime and make students feel part of the community here at The Unive rsity of Alabama.

IIE Celebrates Many Years ofS u c c e s sThe Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) at the Capstone teaches students industrial engineering practices firsthand by holding monthlymeetings. They discuss a variety of topics, host guest speakerst h roughout the school year and take tours of local industries. Studentsbenefit from IIE because they have the opportunity to network withindustrial engineering professionals. They also improve pre s e n t a t i o n ,l e a d e rship and communication skills, while receiving re c o g n i t i o nt h rough awa rds and scholars h i p s .

“As a student, participating in the IIE chapter here at the Unive rs i t yopened a door for me to gain more knowledge about the IE field,” said Morgan Clark, a junior in industrial engineering.

O ver the past seven ye a rs, IIE has re c e i ved numerous group and individual awa rds. UA students have consistently placed in the topt h ree at IIE ’s Student Awa rd of Excellence national competition.

UA ASME Students with a Land-Mine Retrieval Robot

IIE Student Awa rd of Excellence2 0 03 Tonita Ro m e ro . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2nd place

K ayla Erwin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 rd place2 0 0 1 Nathan Re a m e y . . . . . . . . . . . . .1st place

Brian Grillo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 rd place2000 Matheus Madeiro s . . . . . . . . . . .1st place

B rock Cord e r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 rd place1 9 9 9 J e re my Meade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1st place

Mandi Russell Cooper . . . . . . . .2nd place1 9 9 8 Tracy Wi l l i a m s . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2nd place 1 9 97 Heather Maddox . . . . . . . . . . . . .1st place

In 2003, the chapter re c e i ved the Gold Awa rd, which was the thirdyear that it was recognized with the highest honor for improve m e n t sand pro g ress. Only 18 out of 150 chapters wo r l dwide re c e i ved thisawa rd, and UA is the only chapter in the state to be recognized withthis honor.

National Student Chapter Recognition Awa rd s2 0 03 Gold Awa rd 1 9 9 9 S i lver Awa rd2 0 0 1 Gold Awa rd 1 9 9 8 Gold Awa rd2 0 0 0 S i lver Awa rd 1 9 97 S i lver Awa rd

The students attend the regional student conference annually. In 2001,The Unive rsity of Alabama hosted the student conference. At theregional competition, UA students re g u l a r ly place in seve ral differe n t

Page 7: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

5C A P S T O N E E n g i n e e r

Top: UA ASCE students race in the 2004 concrete canoe competition.Bottom: UA’s SA E Formula team gather before the 2004 competition.

categories. In 2003, the chapter re c e i ved second place in the technical-paper and the team-challenge competitions. In 2001, they re c e i ve df i rst place in the team-challenge competition.

Individuals have also placed well in these categories. Within the technical-paper competition, Adam Russell re c e i ved first place in 2002 and then had the chance to present his paper nationally. Bro c kC o rder re c e i ved first place in 2000, and Amanda Fields re c e i ved f i rst place re g i o n a l ly and nationally in 1998. By placing in this c a t e g o r y, the students we re automatically qualified to compete at the international level.

For the past seven ye a rs, Dr. Gary Moynihan, professor of industrialengineering, served as UA’s IIE chapter adv i s o r. He has been instru-mental in much of the chapter’s success during this time. In 2004, here c e i ved the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Awa rd for Region Th ree atthe national conference in Houston, Texas. Moynihan was re c e n t lyelected vice president of Region Th ree for the IIE, an area that re p resents 18 student and 14 professional chapters in the Southeast.As he assumes this position, Dr. Chris Greene, assistant professor ofindustrial engineering, will take his place as IIE faculty adv i s o r.

P rofessional organizations in the College of Engineering give studentsopportunities that cannot be gained from the classroom. Many organi-zations participate in conferences, give back to the community, andp rovide invaluable opportunities to network with professionals intheir fields—things that can never be learned from a textbook.

These are just a few of the 200 organizations for students to choosef rom at the Unive rs i t y. From professional interests to religious beliefs,social concerns to sports, leadership to honors, UA students areenriching their educations and building friendships that last a lifetime.

Other Notable Points from our P rofessional SocietiesASCEThe American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will host theSoutheast Conference at the Capstone in April 2005. More than 70 0students will invade Tuscaloosa to compete in numerous eve n t s ,including the concrete canoe and steel bridge competitions.

SA EThe Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) sponsors the CrimsonRacing teams and their latest endeavor was building an SAE Fo r m u l acar that competed in Detroit, Mich. More than 140 national and inter-national unive rsities traveled to Detroit for this annual competition.

A IC h EThe American Institute of Chemical Engineers re c e n t ly held itsregional student conference at the Georgia Institute of Te c h n o l o g y,w h e re two UA chemical engineering students presented re s e a rch p rojects. Hugh Shoff, a junior, won second place for his paper entitled“ D e velopment of Novel Plasticizers to Replace Phthalates in MedicalP l a s t i c s .”

Page 8: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

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SCORE PEngineering STUDENTS

SCORE PS p o rts ta ke up a lot of time—practice, practice, and more practice, then the games, and even travel to distant away - games.

For engineering students, this re qu i res a delicate balance of time for school and time for fun. Even though the pace m ay be fre n etic, engineering students have found the ex p e rience to be well wo rth it, discove ring

that th ey have learned just as much on the field as th ey have off it.

Why did you choose The University of Alabama?I chose The Unive rsity of Alabama because from a young age I attendedAlabama football games with my parents, who we re both Alabama gra d u a t e s .During my senior year of high school, I was contacted by the Alabama footballteam and invited to become a walk-on member for the fall of 2000. I had offersf rom other colleges, but after I toured the engineering department I decided thatThe Unive rsity of Alabama was where I wanted to be.

How did you get involved in football? How long have you been playing fo o t b a l l ?I became invo lved in football during my ninth-grade ye a r. I always played sportswhen I was young and my mom wouldn’t let me play football until then becauseshe said it was dangerous. I guess our compromise was my becoming a kicker.This will be my fifth year at Alabama as a place kicker, and I have earned twova rsity letters .

Describe your personal bests and achievements in fo o t b a l l .My longest kicks would be in the Arkansas and Tennessee games last ye a r, both of which we re 48 ya rds. Most people don’t realize that making a kick isn’ta lways just about the kicker kicking the ball pre c i s e ly. It also invo lves the snap,the hold, then the kick, and, finally, the protection. When all of those things a re working, perfection is achieved, but if one aspect is slightly off, the kick can go bad.

Why did you choose engineering, especially electrical engineering?I chose engineering as my major because I have always been interested in math,science and discovering how things work. When I was little I used to alwaystake apart household items like remotes and VCRs. I had very good teachers inhigh school who led me to choosing engineering in college.

I decided on electrical engineering when I attended SITE (Student Intro d u c t i o nto Engineering) at the Capstone during the summer before my senior year ofhigh school. Dr. Pete Morley, professor of electrical and computer engineering,g ave a presentation on electrical engineering and I felt that it was a major Icould re a l ly excel in—one that had a practical purpose I could put to use in thewo r k f o rc e .

How have you balanced class work, homework, practice and games?Balancing class, homework, practice and games has been tough while here atthe Capstone. I have stayed up many nights trying to finish a project or s t u dying for a class. It’s been especially difficult since I started graduate schoolin December. I have always tried to take the stance that school comes firs t ,b e f o re football, and to give my best to whatever I am doing. That has been amajor reason that I have been able to make it at both football and school.

What other interests do you have at UA ?I am a member of seve ral different organizations at the Unive rs i t y, including Eta Kappa Nu (electrical engineering honor society) and IEEE (Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers, professional society). I also have been certified by the Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and LandS u r ve yo rs as an engineering intern.

What are your career goals?My career goals are not set yet, although from a young age I have always beeni n t e rested in the space pro g ram. I’m leaning towa rd a space-related field, pro b a-b ly something invo lving NASA. Pre s e n t ly I plan to get my master of electricalengineering and then hopefully get my doctorate. I am working on my thesis inthe field of communications and wireless netwo r k s .

Brian Bo s t i ck Graduate Student in Electrical En g i n e e r i n gFootball Place Kick e r

Page 9: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

7C A P S T O N E E n g i n e e r

E POINTSOn and Off the Field

E POINTS

How did you get involved in tra ck and cross-country? How long haveyou been running?I was very invo lved in high school sports. When I was a sophomore in highschool, some of the track members asked me to try out and that’s when I started running.

Describe your personal bests and achievements in running.I posted Alabama’s top time of the indoor season in the 800-meter dash and the mile, which we re also my personal best times of 2:15.00 and 5:01.02, re s p e c t i ve ly.

Why did you choose civil engineering?I chose civil engineering as my major because I can always remember buildingthings with my dad. I attended a few high school camps that focused on scienceand engineering and knew that was the career choice for me.

How have you balanced class work, homework, practice and meets?I have had to reschedule a few tests to work around meets. Scheduling my classes around practice hasn’t been too difficult. It is definitely something yo uh ave to balance.

What other interests do you have at UA ?Last ye a r, I was the president of the student athletic advisory board. This position exposed me to many aspects of the Unive rsity from working with theNCAA to the Student Leadership Council. It kept me very busy but I got to meeta lot of people from many clubs and organizations throughout the Unive rs i t y.

What are your career goals?I’m not sure yet, but pro b a b ly a career in construction or env i ronmental engineering. Transportation engineering also interests me, so that is another possibility.

Virnetta Greene Senior in Civil and Environmental En g i n e e r i n gTra ck and Cr o s s -Country Ru n n e r

St u d e n t S p o rt M aj o rJason Elwe l l B a s e b a l l Ae rospace Engineering

Akini Ad k i n s M e n ’s Basketball U n d e s i g n a t e d

L a Kory Daniels M e n ’s Basketball U n d e s i g n a t e d

J. P. Ad a m s Fo o t b a l l U n d e s i g n a t e d

Brian Bostick Fo o t b a l l Electrical Engineering

Chris Capps Fo o t b a l l U n d e s i g n a t e d

Justin Moon Fo o t b a l l U n d e s i g n a t e d

Josh Smith Fo o t b a l l Mechanical Engineering

L i b by Pro b s t S o c c e r Civil & Env i ronmental E n g i n e e r i n g

Chris Flamion M e n ’s Swimming Computer Science& Diving

Franck Southon M e n ’s Swimming Electrical Engineering & Diving and Mathematics

Shannon Flournoy Wo m e n ’s Track Civil & Env i ronmental & Cro s s - C o u n t r y E n g i n e e r i n g

Virnetta Gre e n e Wo m e n ’s Track Civil & Env i ronmental & Cro s s - C o u n t r y E n g i n e e r i n g

From intra m u ral flag fo otball teams to varsity sports fo rthe Crimson Tide, many College of Engineering students are invo l ved comp et i t i vely at the Capsto n e .These engineering students part i c i p a te in inte rc o l l e g i a tea th l etics at the Un i ve r s i t y:

Page 10: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

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Engineers have school spirit!Engineers have school spirit!Show your pride in the College of Engineering with top-quality apparel and gifts.

Choose from polo shirts, coffee mugs, baseball caps and more.

Profit generated from the sale of these items contributes to the Capstone Engineering Society, which provides scholarship funds to UA’s College of Engineering.

Call 1-800-333-8156.

Come by 174 H. M. Comer.

Click www.eng.ua.edu.

College of EngineeringBox 870200

Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-02001-800-333-8156(205) 348-2452www.eng.ua.edu

Page 11: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

N E W S

FIVE HONORED AS UA DIST INGUISHED ENGINEERING FEL L OWSA select group of five alumni of the Unive rsity of Alabama College of Engineering we re honored in March as Distinguished Engineering Fe l l o ws. Re c o g n i t i o nas a Fellow is the highest commendation given to graduates and other supporters who have strengthened the reputation of the College through their efforts and achieve m e n t s .

9C A P S T O N E E n g i n e e r

M a rce Fu l l e r, B.S.E.E. ’83M a rce Fuller is the president, chief executiveofficer and director of Mirant, a Fortune 50 0c o m p a ny. Under her guidance, Mira n temerged as a global energy company with ane x t e n s i ve portfolio of power assets. Fu l l e r ’scommitment to conducting business withhonesty and integrity is reflected in the c o m p a ny ’s values, known as “The Mira n tM i n d s e t .” Because of her dedication and

h a rd work, Fuller ranked fifth in Fo r t u n e m a g a z i n e ’s annual list of the 50Most Po werful Women in Business in 2001. She ranked 37th in 2002, andwas listed among Fo r t u n e’s People to Watch. She is a member of theCollege of Engineering Leadership Board .

Mohammad A. Karim, M.S. Physics ’78 ,M.S.E.E. ’79, Ph.D. ’82D r. Mohammad A. Karim, vice president ofre s e a rch at Old Dominion Unive rs i t y, hasm o re than 13 ye a rs of extensive leaders h i pexperience in academic units that have majorre s e a rch components. As dean of engineeringat the City College of New York, he led thed e velopment of a multi-campus, flagship i n i t i a t i ve in photonics re s e a rch that invo lve d

six unive rsities. Karim also steered the formation of two new re s e a rch entities known as the CUNY Institute of Urban Systems and the Centerfor Information, Telecommunications and Networking, as well as cre a t i n ga new Department of Biomedical Engineering. Th roughout his academicc a re e r, Karim has written nine books, edited 12 journal special issues, anda u t h o red more than 130 conference and over 170 journal publications.

G. William Quinby, PE, B.S.Min.E. ’69,M.S.Min.E. ’70G. William Quinby, PE, has delive red majorp rojects in the Middle East, Far East andAmerica. After earning bachelor’s and m a s t e r ’s degrees from the Capstone, Quinbybegan an Army career in the 27th AirborneEngineer Battalion, in which he served inp roject engineer assignments for a U.S.Coast Guard station on Lampedusa Island,

I t a ly, and later at the Saudi Military Ac a d e my, Riyadh, Saudi Ara b i a .Q u i n by concluded his Army career as district engineer of the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District, responsible for military construction, navigation and flood control in the Delawa re River basin,and Superfund remediation in Pe n n sy lvania, Delawa re and New Jers e y.Q u i n by then entered civilian practice and he curre n t ly serves as thenational director of contract management for Kellogg Brown & Ro o t ,Houston, Te x a s .

A l f red J. Saliba, B.S.C.E. ’53After graduating from the Unive rs i t y, Alfre dJ. Saliba joined the U.S. Air Fo rce. While stationed at Haneda Air Fo rce Base (To k yoInternational Airport), he was the chief engineer responsible for all new constructionand re n ovations at the airport. For his service to the Air Fo rce, he re c e i ved the U.N.Service Medal, the Ko rean Service Medaland the National Defense Service Medal.

Saliba then created seve ral successful businesses, including Alfred SalibaHomes Inc., Coldwell Banker Alfred Saliba Realty Corp., Alfred SalibaD e velopment Corp. and Houston Properties Inc. In 1989, Saliba was elected mayor for the city of Dothan, Ala. For eight ye a rs, he brought toDothan a commitment to fiscal responsibility and the experience to manage annual budgets in excess of $130 million.

E d wa rd F. Tatum, B.S.Ch.E. ’73, M.B.A. ’76E dwa rd F. Tatum curre n t ly serves as dire c t o rof corporate development for AlbemarleCorp., a Fortune 500 company, where he is a senior manager with a proven track re c o rdof closing deals, growing profit and sales,i n t roducing new products and deve l o p i n gs t rategic alliances. As director of corpora t ed e velopment, Tatum led a project due diligence team on acquisition of a United

Kingdom-based $65 million phosphorus flame re t a rdant business fro mRhodia. He has led other project teams, including the team that acquired a$25 million lube antioxidant business from Ethyl Corp., and he conceive d ,negotiated and completed the formation of Stannica, a joint ve n t u re withAtofina to produce and sell tin intermediates. In addition to his leaders h i pskills, Tatum excels at re s e a rch and has re c e i ved two U.S. patents on nove lcompounds for advanced polymer applications.

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10

Chester C. Ca r roll (B.S.E.E. ’61, M.S.E.E. ’62, Ph.D. ’65)

ENGINEERING HALL OF FA ME INDUCTS CA RROL LThe State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame inducted Chester C.C a r roll (B.S.E.E. ’61, M.S.E.E. ’62, Ph.D. ’65) during a cere m o ny on Fe b .21, 2004. The State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame was founded toh o n o r, pre s e r ve and perpetuate the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of individuals, projects, corporations and institutions thath ave brought and continue to bring significant recognition to the state.

C a r roll, president of Lyman Wa rd Military Ac a d e my, began his electricalengineering career as an Auburn Unive rsity professor in 1965. During his1 7- year tenure at Auburn, Carroll served as vice president of re s e a rch anddean of engineering. In 1986, he returned to his alma mater, Th eU n i ve rsity of Alabama, to teach as a Cudworth Pro f e s s o r. Since re t i r i n gf rom UA in 1993, he has most re c e n t ly served as inaugural holder of theDrummond Endowed Chair of Computer Arc h i t e c t u re .

After his tenure at the Capstone, he assumed such posts as director of theresident scientist pro g ram at Wr i g h t - Pa t t e rson Air Fo rce Base, chair of the USAF Ae ro - p ropulsion Labora t o r y ’s high-power advisory group, and senior re s e a rch scientist at the Army Aviation and Missile Command atRedstone Ars e n a l .

C a r roll was elected a Distinguished Engineering Fellow by UA in 1987,and was later elected a Fellow of the IEEE in 1990. Carroll is also theholder of numerous patents on embedded arc h i t e c t u re and highly para l l e l -embedded arc h i t e c t u re using coefficient polynomial arithmetic.

BIG THANKS . . . to our recent partners in UA’s College of Engineering family. Wea p p reciate their support of our students and pro g rams.

American Cast Iron Pipe Co. for continuing support of the Council ofPa r t n e rs in the Multicultural Engineering Pro g ra m

American Society of Heating, Re f r i g e ration and Air-ConditioningE n g i n e e rs for support of mechanical engineering

BellSouth for continuing support of the Council of Pa r t n e rs in theM u l t i c u l t u ral Engineering Pro g ra m

The Boeing Co. for continuing support of the Multicultural EngineeringP ro g ram and general engineering scholars h i p s

B rasfield & Gorrie/Birmingham Construction Industry Authority for continuing support of a civil/construction engineering scholars h i p

Fa m i ly of Paul L. Burnett for continuing support of metallurgical andmaterials engineering

DCES Education Services for continuing support of the Multicultura lEngineering Pro g ra m

E rskine Grier Donald III for support of aerospace engineering andmechanics scholars h i p s

Thomas E. Doster III for increasing an endowed industrial engineerings c h o l a rs h i p

M i l d red Ray Hire Fleming for continuing support of a mechanical engineering design clinic labora t o r y

James C. Lewis for continuing support of the James C. Lewis Labora t o r yEquipment Fu n d

McAbee Construction Inc. for support of mechanical engineering

Buell V. Moore for increasing an endowed engineering scholars h i p

Tim Pickens for support of mechanical engineering

Joseph Hunt Robinson Jr. for establishing an endowed support fund inmetallurgical and materials engineering

SASH TO for support of civil engineering scholars h i p s

D r. William Sutton for support of mechanical engineering

D r. Beth Todd, in honor of Daniel and Ellen Todd, for continuing supportof a mechanical engineering scholars h i p

. . .

Page 13: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

UA President Robert E. Witt (left), and Wa r ren Ross (right)

ROSS NAMED OU TSTA NDING ALUMNI VOLUN T EERIn 1995, the College of Engineering began a tradition of recognizing alumni who have put forth exceptional effort to promote and support the College with the Outstanding Alumni Volunteer awa rd. This ye a r ’s h o n o ree is Wa r ren Ro s s .

Ross, an aerospace engineering graduate, has exhibited dedication to theCollege of Engineering as well as to the engineering profession and hisc o m m u n i t y. He is a Distinguished Engineering Fellow of the College anda member of the College’s Leadership Board. Ross is also the leader of thea e rospace engineering and mechanics department’s alumni adv i s o r yb o a rd. In addition, he has vo l u n t e e red his time recruiting top-notch high-school students to attend the College of Engineering.

Ross was honored as this ye a r ’s Outstanding Alumni Volunteer at theC o l l e g e ’s Distinguished Engineering Fe l l o ws banquet in Marc h .

UA REORG A NIZES CA REER SERV ICES For many ye a rs, the College of Engineering has had its own career services office to assist students and employe rs with career counseling and placement needs. In Summer 2004, the Engineering Career Servicesoffice was merged with the Unive rsity Career Center. Employe rs, students or alumni who need the services of the Career Center should contact the Unive rsity Career Center at ( 205) 348-584 8 or visit h t t p : / / w w w. c a re e r. u a . e d u for assistance. Services to alumni will continue unchanged, so if you need career assistance, please call the office and inquire about the re g i s t ration pro c e s s .

N E W S

11C A P S T O N E E n g i n e e r

Students say

T H A N KS . . . With rising tuition costs, some students would not be able to attend theCapstone without the generous support of our alumni and friends whoh ave endowed scholarships. The following are newly endowed scholar-ships, for which the College and our students say, “THANK S ! ”

The late Vincent P. Caruso for an endowed industrial engineering s c h o l a rs h i p

Robert H. and Lee Shepherd Haubein for an endowed engineering s c h o l a rs h i p

D r. Thomas Hoskins Sadler, in honor of Dr. Leonard Y. Sadler III, for an endowed chemical engineering scholars h i p

Southern Company, in honor of H. Allen Franklin, for an endowed electrical engineering scholars h i p

STATE FUNDING EL IMIN AT ED FOR SUCCESSFULOIL -RECYCL ING PROGRAM, PROJECT R.O.S.E. P roject R.O.S.E. (Re c ycled Oil Saves Energy), one of this nation’s oldesto i l - re c ycling pro g rams, was re c e n t ly notified that its state funding wa sbeing eliminated after Sept. 30. Strategic changes in direction for theAlabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs’ (ADEC A )Science, Technology and Energy Division we re cited as the reason for thecutback.

During the last two decades, Project R.O.S.E. effected, on ave rage, the collection of nearly four million gallons per year from do-it-yo u rself motoroil changes in Alabama. For more than 27 ye a rs, Project R.O.S.E. has educated the citizens of Alabama on the value of re c ycling used oil.

Last ye a r, Project R.O.S.E. celebrated the establishment of a used oil collection site in each of Alabama’s 67 counties. In 2003, the pro g ra m ’sstaff reached nearly a half-million Alabama citizens by participating ase x h i b i t o rs or speakers at conferences, conducting workshops in schoolsand for Girl Scouts’ groups, giving radio and television interviews, andattending a host of other community env i ronmental pro g ra m s .

P roject R.O.S.E. has been headquartered at UA’s chemical and biologicalengineering department since 1977. For more information about Pro j e c tR.O.S.E., contact Dr. Gary April at [email protected].

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S U R V E Y I N G T H E C O L L E G E

UA ENGINEERING STUDEN TS WIN FIR STPLA CE AT HUMAN POW ERED VEHICL ECH A L L ENGEA Unive rsity of Alabama mechanical engineering student team wo nf i rst place at the East Coast Human Po we red Vehicle Challenge, aregional competition sponsored by the American Society ofMechanical Engineers. The five-student team won first place in botha design competition and ove rall first place in the Utility Ve h i c l eEvent. In the Human Po we red Vehicle Challenge, college teamsbuild aero dynamic, highly engineered vehicles in competition withother unive rsities. Rules specified the vehicles should be suitable fore ve r yd ay transportation, such as commuting to work or school orfor shopping trips. Each vehicle was re q u i red to have a stoppingdistance of less than 20 feet from a speed of 15 m.p.h. and a 25-foot turning ra d i u s .

COE STA FF MEMBERRECEI V ES N AT IONAL AWA RDG regory Singleton, director ofengineering student services,re c e i ved the 2004 Motoro l aMEP Legacy Builder’s Awa rd .Recipients of this annualawa rd are recognized byM o t o rola for their contribu-tion towa rd increasing the talent pool of men andwomen in engineering andt e c h n o l o g y. The awa rd, give n

to two recipients each ye a r, was presented at the 30th annualNational Society of Black Engineers’ National Conve n t i o n .

12

G regory Singleton

HPV Te a m

McINERNY NAMED NEW AEROSPA CE ENGINEERING A ND MECH A NICSDEPA RT MENT HE A DThe College of Engineering re c e n t lynamed Dr. Sally Anne McI n e r ny ashead of the Department of Ae ro s p a c eEngineering and Mechanics.McI n e r ny is the first female department head in the history of UA’s College of Engineering.

McI n e r ny re c e i ved her bachelor’sd e g ree in mechanical engineering

f rom California State Unive rs i t y, Long Beach, in 1979. After working inindustry for seve ral ye a rs, she earned her master’s degree and doctorate atthe Unive rsity of California, Los Angeles, in 1984 and 1987, re s p e c t i ve ly.Her studies emphasize aero-acoustics and vibrations, and instrumentationand signal processing for diagnostics and prognostics of rotating machin-e r y.

McI n e r ny has been a faculty member at the Capstone since 1993, mostre c e n t ly serving as an associate professor of aerospace engineering andmechanics. Her previous experience includes serving as a faculty memberat California State Unive rs i t y, Long Beach, and summer faculty re s e a rc hpositions with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins, Ga.,and Mercedes-Benz International in Stuttgart, Germany. She has maintained an ongoing working relationship with The Ae ro s p a c eC o r p o ration in El Segundo, Calif., where she worked for seve ral ye a rs .

McI n e r ny has authored or coauthored more than 38 articles published in re f e reed journals and conference proceedings, and she has pre s e n t e dfindings at numerous national conferences. McI n e r ny is also a re g i s t e re dp rofessional engineer.

IE PROFESSOR EL ECT ED AS REGIONAL VICEPRESIDENT OF IIED r. Gary Moynihan, professor of industrial engineering, was re c e n t lyelected as vice president for Region Th ree of the Institute of IndustrialE n g i n e e rs (IIE). Moynihan was elected to serve a single two - year term,and was chosen by direct vote within IIE ’s Region Th ree, which encom-passes 18 student and 14 professional chapters in Alabama, Florida,Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Puerto Rico.

As faculty advisor to UA’s student chapter of IIE, Moynihan has contributed to the chapter’s recent awa rds, including the 2003 Gold Awa rdin IIE ’s National Chapter Recognition Pro g ram, which was the third ye a rthey re c e i ved this awa rd. Also, numerous individual members have placed in the top three at IIE ’s Student Awa rd of Excellence national competitions during the last five ye a rs .

D r. Sally Anne McInerny

Page 15: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

S U R V E Y I N G T H E C O L L E G E

COE STUDENT SEL ECT EDAS USA TODAYA CA DEMIC A L L - A MERICA NRob Davis, graduate student in a e rospace engineering, was named tothis ye a r ’s USA To d a y A l l - USACollege Academic Team. During hisu n d e r g raduate time at the Capstone,D avis was very invo lved in the honorsp ro g rams and re c e i ved many awa rd sand honors, including the following:National Collegiate Honors CouncilPortz Scholar, 2003, one of three s c h o l a rs awa rded annually and the first

recipient in UA history; Blount Presidential Scholar, 1999, one of theU n i ve rs i t y ’s most prestigious academic scholarships; and first place in theAnnual Unive rsity of Alabama System Honors Re s e a rch Day, 2002 and2 0 03. Davis has been the principal author of four papers re s e a rching theperformance of projectiles for the U.S. Air Fo rce based on work done atUA with Dr. Stanley Jones, Cudworth Professor of Ae rospace Engineeringand Mechanics.

BIOL OGICAL STUDIES ADDED TO CHEMICA LENGINEERING PROGR A MThe College of Engineering’s Department of Chemical Engineering willadd a biological emphasis to its bachelor’s degree pro g ram beginningi m m e d i a t e ly. This shift in pro g ram emphasis also is reflected in thed e p a r t m e n t ’s name change to chemical and biological engineering. Th enew curriculum adds a number of re q u i red and elective courses studentscan take through the biological sciences department. These additionalc o u rses are designed to pre p a re chemical engineering graduates better forc a re e rs in medicine, dentistry and biotechnology fields, such as foods,pharmaceuticals, green manufacturing and env i ronmental engineering.

CES OU TSTA NDINGSENIOR AWA RDA $500 cash stipend and plaque we rep resented to Ashley Erickson, a senior in mechanical engineering, asthe 2004 Capstone EngineeringSociety Outstanding Senior. She isthe recipient of a Chevro n Te x a c oS c h o l a rship through the Society ofWomen Engineers, a NASA SpaceG rant, the Madeline Keaton CuniffE n d o wed Aviation Scholarship andthe James C. Lewis Scholarship, andis an ASME Foundation Scholar.E r i c k s o n ’s academic honors include

the Dean’s List, Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor Society,O m i c ron Delta Kappa Senior Honora r y, Blue Key Senior Honora r y,National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Golden Key Honour Society andGamma Beta Phi Honor Society. Erickson was also selected to re p re s e n tthe College as an Ambassador of the College of Engineering (ACE ) .

Rob Da v i s

COE ANNOUNCES T. MORRIS HACKNEY FA CULTY LEADER SHIP AWA RD WINNERD r. John Wiest, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering,re c e i ved the 2004 T. Morris Hackney Endowed Faculty Leadership Awa rd .The awa rd honors a faculty member who exemplifies the leadership quali-ties that advance and add to the stature of the College of Engineering.

Wiest has served the College for nearly 10 ye a rs. He has authored morethan 40 publications and articles throughout his care e r, and he has beena c t i ve ly invo lved in seve ral professional organizations.

Wi e s t ’s engineering re s e a rch deals with transport phenomena in p o lymeric and structura l ly complex systems with emphasis on moleculartheories. He is an interdisciplinary re s e a rcher with ongoing pro j e c t st h rough the Center for Materials for Information Technology (MINT) and the Alabama DOE /EPSCoR pro g ra m .

Wiest has been invo lved in enhancing the quality of education offered at the Capstone by serving on numerous committees, from being theC o l l e g e ’s re p re s e n t a t i ve on the Unive rs i t y ’s Graduate Council to wo r k i n gon the MINT executive committee.

In addition to his teaching and re s e a rch duties, Wiest coordinates thechemical engineering graduate pro g ram. He successfully recruits top-quality students and works with them from the application process toteaching assistant assignments and thesis and dissertation committeed e t a i l s .

This awa rd was created as a tribute to T. Morris Hackney for his l e a d e rship of the Citation Corp. As president of Citation, Hackney supported The Unive rsity of Alabama with a $1 million endowment top rovide student scholarships and fund re n ovations of UA’s foundry. Th i sawa rd is made possible by contributions from Mr. John H. Josey and hisson, Mr. Howa rd Josey.

Wiest was recognized as the Hackney Awa rd winner at the College’sDistinguished Engineering Fe l l o ws banquet in Marc h .

13C A P S T O N E E n g i n e e r

UA President Robert E. Witt (left) and Dr. John Wiest (right)

Ashley Er i ck s o n

Page 16: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

S U R V E Y I N G T H E C O L L E G E

14

K A RR APPOIN T ED AS ASSOCI ATE DEAN FORRESE A RCH AND GR A DUATE STUDIES

D r. Charles L. Karr, professor andhead of aerospace engineering andmechanics, has been named associatedean for re s e a rch and graduate studiesfor the College. In this position, Karrwill be responsible for working withre s e a rch funding agencies, assistingengineering faculty with re s e a rch p roposals and budgets, and c o o rdinating the engineering gra d u a t ep ro g ra m s .

Karr is a graduate of UA, completinghis bachelor of science in mechanical

engineering in 1984 and his master’s and doctorate in engineeringmechanics in 1987 and 1989, re s p e c t i ve ly. After receiving his doctorate, hespent seven ye a rs working as a re s e a rch engineer with the U.S. Bureau ofMines, Tuscaloosa Re s e a rch Center.

While working at the Bureau, Karr maintained a relationship with UA byserving as a part-time instructor in both the engineering mechanics anda e rospace engineering departments. He joined the faculty full time in1995 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate pro f e s s o rand then pro f e s s o r.

C o n s i d e red a leading expert in the area of intelligent systems, Karr is the author of three books and 19 book chapters, and he has published 34re f e reed journal articles and more than 90 conference papers. He hasbecome widely known for his pioneering work in combining genetic algorithms and fuzzy logic, and he has successfully applied these techniques in the aerospace, mineral processing, manufacturing, and steelindustries. In addition, he holds two international patents in the area ofintelligent systems for locating the source of radio signals.

KNIGHT IS NEW CA PSTONE ENGINEERINGSOCIETY DIRECTORThe College of Engineering re c e n t lynamed Angelia Knight as the CapstoneEngineering Society dire c t o r.

Knight comes to the CES office fro mUA’s Engineering Career Services,w h e re she served as placement officerand director for five ye a rs. In her newposition, Knight will serve as a linkb e t ween the College’s students, alumniand friends, and work with the CESb o a rd of dire c t o rs in deve l o p i n gi n c reased financial support.

“ The Capstone Engineering Society is such a vital part of the College ofEngineering. I’m re a l ly looking forwa rd to working with our alumni toplan activities across the state and throughout the nation,” Knight said.

D r. Charles L. Ka r r

T HREE RE T IRE FROM UA’S COL L EGE OF ENGINEERINGThe College of Engineering re c e n t ly celebrated the re t i rement of three longtimefaculty members. Thanks for many ye a rs of service and dedication! You will beg re a t ly missed by faculty, staff and students.

D r. Ro bert GriffinD r. Robert Griffin re t i red from UA’s College ofEngineering July 1, 2004. Griffin joined theCollege of Engineering in 1990 as the James R.C u dworth Professor of Env i ronmental Engineeringin chemical engineering and director of theE nv i ronmental Institute. He has served as thed i rector of Alabama’s EPA /EPSCoR Pro g ram andd i rector of the Southeast Regional Center for theNational Institute for Global Env i ro n m e n t a lChange since 1991. From 1994 to 1996, Griffins e r ved as interim dean for the College. In 1996, he

was appointed associate dean for re s e a rch and graduate studies. From 1996 to2000, Griffin served as co-director for the State of Alabama EPSCoR Pro g ra mand was appointed executive director of Alabama’s EPSCoR Pro g ram in 2000.

D r. Der-San ChenD r. Der-San Chens e r ved as a facultymember of theCollege for 34 ye a rs ,f i rst as a member ofthe computer science and o p e rations re s e a rc hdepartment andthen as a member of the Departmentof IndustrialEngineering. Chenis a we l l - k n o w n

re s e a rcher in the field of operations re s e a rch where his work in optimizationtheory and techniques is recognized internationally. During his tenure, hes e r ved the department as advisor to UA’s chapters of the Institute of IndustrialE n g i n e e rs and Alpha Pi Mu (the industrial engineering honor society). Re c e n t ly,he was designated as the Outstanding Faculty Member of the IE department byits students. His many contributions to the engineering profession and The Unive rsity of Alabama are recognized by his peers, both internationally andl o c a l ly, but more importantly, his dedication and contributions are recognized byhis students as a renowned educator.

D r. Hui-Chuan “Hannah” ChenD r. Hui-Chuan “Hannah” Chen served as a faculty member of the College for34 ye a rs and played a significant role in the growth and development of thecomputer science pro g ram. As one of its founding faculty members, she wa sinstrumental in establishing direction and vision for the pro g ram. She active lyparticipated in hiring faculty members, managed the computer science gra d u a t ep ro g ram for many ye a rs, graduated UA’s first computer science doctoral student,and helped mentor and advise students and faculty.

D r. Robert Griffin

D r. De r - San Chen (left) and Dr. Hu i -C h u a n“ Hannah” Chen (right)

Angelia Kn i g h t

Page 17: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

why join ces?

■ Increase the prestige and value of your engineering orcomputer science degree.

■ Help us achieve higher rankings through increasedalumni participation.

■ Provide much-needed financial support for our students and the College.

■ Stay in touch with friends.

■ Receive updates and information about the College.

■ Receive the Capstone Engineer.

■ Receive invitations to pre-football game events.

Call Angelia Knight at 1-800-333-8156, e-mail [email protected], or visit the website at www.eng.ua.edu.

Help keep us the

south’s best engineering school—join the capstone engineering society today.

Page 18: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

E V E N T S

A LUMS GAT HER IN NAT ION’S CA PI TA LAbout 20 UA engineering alumni gathered in Washington, D.C., for a CES dinner meeting on March 16 at Ramparts Re s t a u rant. JohnC ovington, John Daniels and Sammy Seals assisted with planning the eve n t .

MON TGOMERY ENGINEERING ALUMS MEET AT CA PI TAL CITY CLUBM o n t g o m e r y - a rea engineering alumni gathered at the Capital City Clubin Montgomery on Feb. 12. The dinner was hosted by the CapstoneEngineering Society and attracted a wide range of graduates and friendsof the College. H. Kenneth White Sr., past national chair for CES, assist-ed with planning the Montgomery event.

GRE AT ER BIRMINGH A M- A REA CES CH A P T ERMEET AT CAHABA PUMPING STAT IONB i r m i n g h a m - a rea engineers met at the Cahaba Pumping Station onM a rch 25. About 20 alumni met for breakfast and listened to facilitiesupdates from Thad Turnipseed, director of facilities for the Unive rs i t y.

PI TAU SIGMA HOSTS ALUMNI REUNIONUA’s chapter of Pi Tau Sigma, the national mechanical engineering honors o c i e t y, held an alumni reunion on March 20. About 50 Pi Tau Sigmaalumni attended, including seve ral from the first Pi Tau Sigma inducteeclass of 1948. To u rs of Hard away Hall and the new Student EngineeringP rojects Building we re given by mechanical engineering students, andthen the alumni joined mechanical engineering faculty and students for ab a n q u e t .

16

ACIPCO

A i r Te c h

Alabama Gra p h i c s

Alabama Po we r

A m g e n

Apache Construction

Barnett As s o c i a t e s

B rasfield & Gorrie

Burr & Forman LLC

C & B Piping

C. S. Beatty Construction Inc.

Chesapeake Consulting

Con-Site Services Inc.

C o r u s

EBSCO Promotional Pro d u c t s

Estes Equipment Co. Inc.

Fo restry Env i ro n m e n t a lServices Inc.

H a rdy Corp.

I n t e r g raph Solutions Gro u p

J. A. Manning Construction Co.

Martin Engineering Co. Inc.

Max Foote Construction

Pa t e

Rast Construction

Re a dy Mix USA

Russo Corp.

SA IIA Construction LLC

Sherman Concrete Pipe

Shirley Concre t e

Spectrum Env i ro n m e n t a lServices Inc.

Thompson CAT

USI n f ra s t r u c t u re

Volkert and Associates Inc.

Vulcan Pa i n t e rs Inc.

Whitaker & Raws o n

GOL FERS BATTLE THE WEAT HER TO RAISEFUNDS FOR CESThe Greater Birmingham-Area Chapter of the Capstone EngineeringSociety held its fourth annual CES Golf Tournament on April 13 at theB e n t B rook Golf Course in Bessemer. Even though the weather was notideal for golfing, alumni and friends played through and raised almost$11,300 (net proceeds) that will benefit CES initiatives, including s c h o l a rships for outstanding engineering students. This ye a r ’s tournamentwas the most successful in the amount of money raised and in the number of playe rs .

T H A NKS TO THIS YEAR’S SPONSOR S !

Page 19: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

A L U M N I N O T E S

JOBS/PROMOT IONS/AWA RDS

1 957Robert N. Bra s well, Ph.D., B.S.I.E. ’57, M.S.I.E. ’59, has been inducted as a fellow into the American Society of Engineering Education. He wa sselected as a Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 1998.

1 9 6 3Paul R. Davis, Ph.D., B.S.E.E. ’63, was appointed to account executive ofSM&A where he will be responsible for building the company ’s client relationships and ensuring the quality of services provided by SM & A .

1 9 68Lee H. Richey, B.S.Mt.E. ’68, M.S.M.E. ’69, has been named vice pre s i d e n tof the Ke n n e s aw State Unive rsity Foundation team. Richey is re s p o n s i b l efor supervising the foundation’s construction projects of on-campus andoff-campus pro p e r t i e s .

1 970G regg L. Vaughn, B.S.E.E. ’70, M.S.E.E. ’72, Ph.D.’ 74, was selected as the 2003 Engineer of the Year by the Engineering Council of Birmingham.He curre n t ly serves as head of the electrical and computer engineering department at The Unive rsity of Alabama at Birmingham.

1 97 2Van L. Richey, B.S.C.B.A. ’72, M.B.A. ’76, wa sawa rded the 2003 Engineering Leadership Awa rdby the Engineering Council of Birmingham.R i c h e y, president and CEO of American Cast Iro nPipe Co., serves as a member of the College’sL e a d e rship Board .

1 975Garry M. Lyles, B.S.M.E. ’75, was selected as deputy director of Pro j e c tConstellation for NASA. He is responsible for the development of alle x p l o ration transportation and support systems needed to travel intos p a c e .

1 978Mohammad Karim, M.S. in physics ’78, M.S.E.E. ’79, Ph.D. ’82, accepted aposition as vice president of re s e a rch at Old Dominion Unive rsity inNorfolk, Va. Karim was named a Distinguished Engineering Fellow in2 0 0 4 .

1 980Col. R. David McNeil, B.S.E.E. ’80, was awa rded the Bronze Star medalafter completing one year of service in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and hasbeen assigned as commander of Fort Dix in New Jers e y.

17C A P S T O N E E n g i n e e r

1 985Paul W. Lammers, B.S.Ch.E. ’85, accepted a position as manager of engineering and project management with Amgen in Seattle, Wa s h .L a m m e rs is a member-at-large on the Capstone Engineering SocietyB o a rd of Dire c t o rs .

Jose Joaquin Matienzo, B.S.A.E. ’85, has beenselected for the 2004–2005 NASA Fe l l o ws h i pP ro g ram. He will participate in the ExecutiveD e velopment Institute at the Unive rsity of NorthC a rolina in Chapel Hill. Matienzo is curre n t ly themanager of launch services support project atNASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center inH u n t s v i l l e .

1 987Eric Burks, B.S.I.E. ’87, was selected as vice president of business servicesfor the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. He was instrumental in not only the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International expansionin Vance and but also bringing the Hyundai plant to Montgomery.

S a n d ra C. Coleman, M.S.I.E. ’87, was named asthe manager of the Space Shuttle external tankp roject office at the NASA Marshall Space FlightCenter in Huntsville.

Michael Ky n a rd, B.S.E.E. ’87, was named deputymanager for the Space Shuttle engine project inNASA’s Space Shuttle propulsion office atM a rshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

1 99 6Suzanne Moore, B.S.C.E. ’96, accepted a position as re s e r voir engineerwith Energen Re s o u rc e s .

Michael Roach, B.S.C.E. ’96, was awa rded the Young Engineer of the Ye a rAwa rd by both the American Society of Civil Engineers (Palm Beach, Fla.,Chapter) and the Florida Engineering Society–Palm Beach Chapter.

1 997Michael Johns, B.S.M.E. ’97, was re c e n t ly appointed vice president of thee nv i ronment, energy and engineering division of the Southern Re s e a rc hInstitute in Birmingham.

1 998Kenneth M. Criswell, B.S.M.E. ’98, re c e i ved a promotion with the U.S.A r my Corps of Engineers and will be moving to Huntsville.

20 0 3Wa r ren T. Keith, B.S.M.E. ’03, re c e i ved an honorable mention in theNational Science Foundation Graduate Fe l l o wship competition. He is c u r re n t ly pursuing a master’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering at the Unive rsity of Vi r g i n i a .

G regg L. Va u g h n

Van L. Ri ch e y

Jose Joaquin Ma t i e n z o

Sa n d ra C. Co l e m a n

Page 20: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

JOSEPH EDWA RD BOW L ESJoseph Edwa rd Bowles died on July 13, 2003. In 1958, he re c e i ved hisb a c h e l o r ’s degree in civil engineering from the Capstone followed by amaster of science in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute ofTechnology in 1961. Bowles taught civil engineering at colleges inGeorgia, Wisconsin and Illinois, and he was the author of seve ral text-books. Bowles was also an American Society of Civil Engineers Fe l l o w.

HOWA RD BURNSH o wa rd Burns died on May 15, 2004. In 1946 Burns re c e i ved a bachelorof science in electrical engineering and started an electrical engineeringbusiness with a friend. He decided to return to school and re c e i ved a lawd e g ree, then moved to Huntsville and accepted a job with the ArmyBallistic Missile Command, where he worked with Wernher von Bra u n ’steam. He rose through the ranks and moved to NASA’s Marshall SpaceFlight Center, working on the Saturn V project. Upon re t i rement in 1980,Burns began to use his law degree with his appointment as a districtjudge in Athens, Ala.

V INCENT P. CA RUSOVincent P. Caruso died on June 14, 2004.He graduated from the Unive rsity in 1951with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and began his career withS t a n d a rd Casket Manufacturing inBirmingham. He went on to spend 35ye a rs with NASA and the Boeing Co.,focusing on space-vehicle manufacturing,a s s e m b ly, and test and launch opera t i o n s .P rojects he worked on included Saturn,Apollo, Sky Lab and the Space Shuttlep ro g ra m s .

He re t i red from NASA in 1987 and from Boeing in 1992. Along the wayhe re c e i ved many top awa rds for his work. Among his honors is the Silve rSnoopy Awa rd given annually by NASA to the top one percent of theirwo r k f o rce. He also won NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal and was re c o g-nized in the 105th Congressional Re c o rd for outstanding professional andcivic service.

Caruso was named by the College as a Distinguished Engineering Fe l l o win 2001, and he was given the honor of the College’s Outstanding AlumniVolunteer in 2003. He served on the board of the Capstone EngineeringS o c i e t y, and he has provided perpetual financial support by endowing as c h o l a rship for the College.

W ILLIAM J. FRI T TONWilliam J. Fritton died on Feb. 2, 2004. After receiving his bachelor’sd e g ree in 1941, Fritton became the first industrial engineer hired byAmerican Brass. Th ree ye a rs later he was named a supervising field engineer for Curtiss-Wright Corp. before joining the war production effort with the Van der Horst Corp. of America at the request of the War Manpower Commission in 1944. Fritton also served as executive

vice president and director of the U.S. Rubber Reclaiming Co. and vicep resident of Hysol and Dexter Corp. After retiring from corporate work in1 977, Fritton became a full-time member of the management engineeringfaculty at Erie Community College in Buffalo, N.Y.

Fritton was named a Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 1988, and heestablished an endowed scholarship in industrial engineering in 1996.

N A NCY ORR HAMNERNancy Orr Hamner died on Jan. 9, 2004,after a courageous eight-year battle withc a n c e r. Hamner served as the administra-t i ve secretary for the chemical and biologi-cal engineering department.

During her nine ye a rs of dedicated, hardwork at the Unive rs i t y, Hamner assistedin the management of the AlabamaDOE /EPSCoR pro g ram and Pro j e c tR.O.S.E. (Re c ycled Oil Saves Energy). Shealso re c e i ved the McKinley Awa rd for hercontributions to the Unive rs i t y.

WA RREN L. HORNEWa r ren L. Horne died on June 2, 2004. He re c e i ved a bachelor’s degree inmechanical engineering from the Unive rsity in 1939. He worked with theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Panama Canal and, when Wo r l dWar II began, he joined the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant. In 1953, he move dto Tullahoma, Tenn., and worked at Arnold Engineering Deve l o p m e n tC e n t e r. Horne concluded his career at Micro Craft Inc., from which here t i red as chief engineer in 1980.

CH A RL ES H. NE WSOMCharles H. Newsom died on Sept. 12, 2003. Newsom re c e i ved a bachelor’sd e g ree in mechanical engineering in 1952. He became one of the fivefounding members of one of the Southeast’s most influential steel f a b r i c a t o rs, Alabama Electrical Steel Co. Inc. (AESCo Supply Co.) inM o n t g o m e r y. He served as the president of AESCo and worked thro u g hthe 1990s even after the company was sold to Trinity Industries of Dallas,Te x a s .

HUGH M. SIMS JR .Hugh M. Sims Jr. died on March 22, 2004. Sims re c e i ved a degree in metallurgical and materials engineering in 1957 and was named aDistinguished Engineering Fellow in 1988. Sims devoted his career to the foundry industry. He was vice president of marketing for Vu l c a nEngineering and served as president and founding partner of BirminghamA l l oys Inc. In 1964, he founded Simsco Industries with foundries inColumbiana, Selma, Demopolis and Centre v i l l e .

Sims was national president of the American Fo u n d r y m e n ’s Society,founder and president of Alabama Cast Metals Association, and nationalp resident of the Foundry Education Foundation.

Vincent P. Caruso

18

Nancy Orr Ha m n e r

I N M E M O R Y

Page 21: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

■ you know Coach Bryant’s stats just likeyou know pi to the 100th decimal.

■ you average the gymnastics scoresbefore the computer finishes.

■ you set your watch by Denny Chimes.

■ you measure land in relation to thesize of the Quad.

■ you know where MIB is.

■ you calculate the height, arc and lengthof time the ball was in the air after every free throw in Coleman Coliseum.

■ you know how to cast an iron elephant.

■ your closest food source for four years was the Ferg.

But you know you are a UA engineer when . . . ■ you help shape the future of UA Engineering by

supporting your College financially.

There are many ways to help—become a member of the CapstoneEngineering Society, or donate gifts of cash, appreciated property or equipment for labs.

Take pride in the knowledge that your contributions make UA’s College of Engineering stand out in the eyes of the nation. For more information, call us at 1-800-333-8156.

The University of Alabama • College of EngineeringBox 870200• Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487-0200

1-800-333-8156 • (205) 348-6400www.eng.ua.edu

Page 22: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

20

Beginning with the Spring 2004 semester,D rs. Ken Fridley and Duk-Won Park, both pro f e s s o rs of civil and env i ronmental

engineering, teamed with LBYD Inc. Civil &S t r u c t u ral Engineers to bring re a l - world experiences to the senior design class in civilengineering. LBYD, located in Birmingham, isthe largest structural engineering firm inAlabama and one of the largest in the Southeast.Jim Delahay (B.S.C.E. ’80, M.S.C.E. ’87), p resident and CEO; Glenn Bishop (B.S.C.E. ’64,M.S.C.E. ’66), senior principal; and Richard Nail(B.S.C.E. ’94), principal, conducted the class byissuing design and layout projects similar to whatL BYD and other civil engineering businesseswould produce on a daily basis.

L BYD decided to teach the senior design class fort h ree consecutive semesters—each semester toinclude different concentrations in civil engineering. The Spring 2004 semester consistedof site design and land planning. The class wa sdivided into teams, and each team was given thesame two sites in Birmingham on which to builda Wa l g reens store. Specific criteria we re given foreach site, such as ave rage traffic in that are a ,ave rage rainfall, available space for the buildingand parking regulations. Each team outlined twooptions in a presentation and computer draw i n g s ,

and recommended to LBYD and Drs. Fridley andPark which site would offer the best location.Each group then produced a complete set ofd rawings of the site layout and design for finale valuation at the end of the semester.

“ We we re very impressed with how pro f e s s i o n a l lythe teams made their pre s e n t a t i o n s ,” Nail said.“Each team had very cre a t i ve ideas and soundknowledge as the basis of their decisions.”

L BYD chose to participate in the thre e - s e m e s t e rteaching experience to help students apply whatthey have learned in the classroom to day - t o - d ayp rojects. In addition, LBYD interacts dire c t ly withstudents who will soon enter the civil engineeringwo r k f o rce. Nail said the most important thingL BYD wants to gain from teaching the classes isto get to know some of the brightest students—anasset vital for LBY D ’s long-range growth. “LBY Dcan’t produce the best product without hiring thebest civil engineering students, and we wanted to take it one step further by enhancing thosestudents’ education with re a l - world experiences,”Nail explained.

As for the competitive wo r k f o rce, this class madethe students deal with the pre s s u res of a re a l -world competition to produce the best pro j e c t .Each team was instructed to keep all aspects of

their gro u p ’s project a secret, just as a competitivebusiness proposal would be.

Matt Caddis, a May 2004 graduate, said he likedthe competitive atmosphere in the class. “It madeus want to do better because we wanted ourg roup to win. We realized that in the real wo r l de verything is a competition,” Caddis said.

Other students in the senior design class alsodescribed the experience with LBYD as a way topush their civil engineering experience aboveother graduates’ to launch a care e r.

“ We can take what we have accomplished in this class to interviews and show that we havehands-on experience with re a l - world pro j e c t s ,w h e reas other students might only have textbookknowledge of the subject,” said JonathanG ra m m e r, another May 2004 gra d u a t e .

L BYD will continue to help teach the seniordesign class in the Fall 2004 and Spring 2005s e m e s t e rs. LBYD is not alone in helping withengineering classes; many alumni volunteer their time to present seminars and lectures onn u m e rous topics in each of the College ofE n g i n e e r i n g ’s departments.

Alumni Return to the Capstone toHelp Teach Engineering ClassesBy Anna Fowler

Re c e n t l y, some College of Engineering classes have been taught not by the usual professors but by professionals who work in the field of engineering. A few UA engineering alumni have volunteered their time to be more than guest lecturers. These professionals are incorporating everyday engineeringproblems and situations into the classroom. Students can then experience the professional world, and practitioners can give back to the place where theirdreams of becoming engineering professionals began.

Page 23: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

THANKS !

Ty p i c a l ly, the fall issue of the Capstone Engineerrecognizes individuals and corporations that contributed gifts during the previous year to theCollege of Engineering. Due to the Unive rs i t yupdating its database system, we are not able toinclude a Donor Honor Roll in this issue.

Alumni and corporate support are critically important to the pro g rams at the College ofEngineering. In 2003, alumni, friends and c o r p o rations contributed $1.6 million to the College through gifts, CES memberships and p ro p e r t y. Another $3.9 million gift-in-kind wa sre c e i ved in the form of softwa re. The Collegere c e i ved a total of $5.5 million in private support in 2003. Without this generous support, we wo u l dnot have been able to awa rd student scholars h i p stotaling more than $570,000 nor enhance re s e a rc ht h rough laboratory re n ovations and equipment p u rchases.

Thanks Thanks DONOR DONOR

Page 24: Capstone Engineer - Fall 2004

Capstone Engineering SocietyCollege of EngineeringBox 870200Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0200

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage Paid

Tuscaloosa, ALPermit 16

Capstone Engineering Society Tailgate PartiesEngineering alumni and friends are invitedto join the Capstone Engineering Societyfor the 2004 football season. Join us on theQuad for the following games:

HOMECOMINGAlabama vs. Southern MissOct. 16 (beginning at 10:00 a.m.)

Alabama vs. Mississippi StateNov. 6 (two hours prior to kickoff)

Alabama vs. AuburnNov. 20 (two hours prior to kickoff)

Call 1-800-333-8156 or [email protected] for reservations.

ROLL TIDE!