PARKS TODAY PARKS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, AVIATION AND TECHNOLOGY SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY WINTER 2011
...where leaders are formed Alumni make an impact in their professions.
[ letter from the dean [ Dear friends: It just seems as though it was a few days ago that I wrote a message for the Summer 2011 issue of Parks Today. I
PARKS TODAY Volume 83, Issue 2, Winter 2011 ART DIRECTOR AND EDITOR Amanda Pope
are having fun! Fun it has been at Parks, with all the exciting things happening. As in previous years, Parks had a booth at AirVenture in Oshkosh. We were very happy to see and connect with so many of our alums and friends. On campus, for second year in a row, we offered Summer Undergraduate Research students worked on research projects with their faculty mentors for in professional conferences. We plan to continue this program during summer 2012. Parks College conducted a summer academy for rising seniors in high school. About 25 students from all over the country participated in this event. As in previous years, asides experiencing the usual laboratory demonstrations and team projects these students got Ted Drewes frozen yogurt. Our enrollment for fall is about 10% higher than the previous year, even in this economy: a testimony to the quality of education we strive with many students supported by funded research projects. Through a Kern Family Foundation Grant that Dr. Sridhar Condoor has received we are able to introduce entrepreneurial mind set to our students. Our students are also competing in various “innovation” focused regional activities in this issue of Parks Today. In the true spirit of men and women for others, our students are engaged in many service/volunteer activities besides their academic pursuit. While our faculty support our student body through their dedicated teaching in the class room, they also continue to make a difference in the world with their innovative funded research. For instance, Prof. Phil Ligrani, Oliver L. Parks Chair professor was the invited keynote speaker at two international conferences: the International Gas Turbine Congress 2011held in Tokyo and 11th Asian International Conference on Fluid Machinery & 3rd Fluid Power Technology Exhibition held in Chennai. Dr. Jessica Wagenseil, a faculty member in the Biomedical Engineering department received the outstanding award (tenure track
CONTRIBUTORS Cindy Aiazzi, Kathy Barbeau, David Barnett, Mitch Bartnick, Susan Bondie Bloomfield, Sridhar Condoor, Carla Englof, Riyadh Hindi, Swami Karunamoorthy, Terry Kelly, Laura Kraft, Brooke Lund, Arif Malik, H.S. Mallik, Mary McHugh, Vickey Pettiford, K. Ravindra, Geoff Story, Laura Wheeler and John Woolschlager.
ABOUT PARKS TODAY Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology is one of the fourteen schools and colleges at Saint Louis University. Issues of Parks Today feature the latest news from Parks College, departmental highlights, as well as articles covering alumni, upcoming events and a section for class notes. It is funded by the Parks Annual Fund and Institute of Technology Annual Fund. If you are interested in supporting the printing or mailing of this publication, contact Susan Bondie Bloomfield at 314-977-8431 or blooms@slu.edu. Parks Today was published in previous years at the College. Since Parks was founded 83 years ago, this issue is the second issue in the eighty-third volume of the publication.
PLEASE SEND NEWS ITEMS TO:
Research Services at Saint Louis University. In the past few months we have made special efforts to connect with our young alumni. The result has been an overwhelming success. During the alumni weekend, we were very thrilled to host the 50th reunion. In October over 100 Phi Alpha Chi brothers descended on Parks Campus during their 70th reunion. Many brothers were visiting
wheeler@slu.edu 3450 Lindell Boulevard McDonnell Douglas Hall, Room 2006; St. Louis, 63103
Sigma brothers visited McDonnell Douglas for a tour. I want to thank you all for the support you provide to the College throughout the year. I look forward to hearing more about your stories and urge you to stay in touch. I take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for the holidays.
website: parks.slu.edu
K. Ravindra, Ph.D. Interim Dean Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology Saint Louis University
ISBN 978-1-60725-962-6 © Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, Saint Louis University
[table of contents [ 4 News and Notes
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Faculty and alumni profiles
6 Innovative engineering
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Youth Gateway to Aviation
10 Tuned into engineering
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Alumni news and notes
12 Presidential scholars
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Phi Alpha Chi reunion
14 Boeing engineering vice presidents
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Homecoming 2011
18 Parks in the Summer
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Class notes
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[ news and notes [ ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING STUDENTS PLACE IN ST. LOUIS BLACKBOX COMPETITION
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he Saint Louis Section of The IEEE held its annual blackbox competition at Washington University in St. Louis. Nine teams from Missouri University of Science and Technology, Washington University in St. Louis and Saint Louis University competed. In the blackbox competition, teams of two students were given a box containing an unknown circuit. The unknown circuit can contain up to six discrete components. The boxes contain four taps into the circuit. The students are given three hours to apply tests to the box in an attempt to reverse engineer the unknown circuit. The students were judged based on testing methodology, conclusions drawn from testing, documentation of methodology and conclusions, and building a circuit from the knowledge gained. Judges from Saint Louis University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, and Washington University in St. Louis as well as Greenville College Information Technology, and Nidec Motor Corporation critiqued the submissions and the student teams. SLU students, Anthony Manno and Gauri Nijsure took third place.
PROFESSOR TAKES STUDENTS SOARING
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oetz Bramesfeld, Ph.D., assistant professor in aerospace and mechanical engineering, went on a trip to Highland, Ill. with several Parks students to go soaring in a glider. Bramesfeld is a member of the Soaring Society of America.
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NEW FACULTY AT PARKS Yao-Jan Wu, Ph.D., joined the civil engineering department in Fall 2011. Dr. Wu’s research interests highlight a strong connection between information technology (IT) and traditional transportation research. His research cov-
Yoa-Jan Wu, Ph.D.
safety, intelligent transportation systems, large-scale network analyses (e.g. online data management and analysis systems) and sustainable transportation systems. Irma Kuljaishvili, Ph.D., Irma Kuljanishvili, Ph.D. joined the physics department in Fall 2011. Her research includes developing novel and scalable metrologies. David Wisbey, Ph.D., also joined the physics department in Fall 2011. His current research includes storing single photons in superconducting circuits and solid state neutron David Wisbey, Ph.D. detectors.
INFRASTRUCTURE SYMPOSIUM Saint Louis University and the American Society of Civil Engineers St. Louis Section hosted the St. Louis Infrastructure Symposium on Oct. 25 at the Forest Park Visitor Times.” Local agencies, politicians and industry representatives discussed the infrastructure funding decision-making process. The event also featured the launch of the Metropolitan Water Infrastructure Partnership’s report.
Parks College Additions in McDonnell Douglas Hall
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McDonnell Douglas Hall. The timeline continues down the main hall of
distinguished alumni award winners from Parks College and the Institute of Technology. The east wall in the rotunda features the six major areas of research at the college, including biomedical engineering, aviation safety, sustainability, space The wall projects were done in collaboration with the College and Sandbox Creative. pendence, will be on SLU’s second satellite, called Argus, which
SLU SPACE INITIATIVES The NASA launch date for the COPPER satellite is December Falcon 9 rocket to dock with the Space Station. SLU is partnering with the Institute for Space and Defense experiments. The prototype mission, called Commodore, is on the -
SLU was selected by the NASA Missouri Space Grant Conprojects in space, student-built rockets and ground robots. Papers were presented at the 2011 AIAA Conference on SmallSatellites/CubeSat Workshop in August and the AIAA Space 2011 forum in September.
FACULTY MEMBER RETIRES Patricia Benoy, Ph.D. (PK ’75), faculty member in aerospace and mechanical engineering, retired in Summer 2011. She was with the University since 1989. Benoy taught Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer and Fluid Dynamics. She is now a professor emerita.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS SPIRIT DAY Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology hosted a St. Louis Cardinals Spirit Day event during the World Series. Lymphoma Society and the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation. Faculty, staff and students hung out with the Rally Squirrel and the Billiken. Food was donated by Vito’s Restaurant and Panera Bread Co.
Amanda Pope, marketing manager for Parks College, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 and had a stem-cell transplant. Pope won her battle with the disease and has since returned to SLU.
BOLD SCHOLARS The Boeing Company is committed to preparing leaders for the global workforce. Saint Louis University offers an ideal partnership opportunity by providing a multidisciplinary and holistic education which is not only recognized for technical excellence, but is also highly regarded for its legendary preparation of the whole person. The BOLD Scholarship presents the Boeing Company with a unique opportunity to select and mentor those students majoring in business, engineering, mathematics and/or computer science at SLU and with the best leadership potential. Ten out of the thirty student recipients of the BOLD scholarship were from Parks College. WINTER ‘11
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innovative engineering by mary mchugh
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n April, Sridhar Condoor, aerospace and mechanical engineering professor, was awarded a $1.7 million grant from the Kern Family Foundation to promote entrepreneurial mindset and innovation in engineering. The grant was awarded through the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN) of which there are 21 select private institutions across the country.
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Weekly Innovation Challenge
KEEN’s mission is to prepare engineers equipped with an action-oriented entrepreneurial mindset -- engineers who can transform the workforce by building economic and technical commerce in their respective communities with programs that will enable them to become tomorrow’s leaders and innovators. To help spearhead this effort, Condoor, who teaches sustainability, product design and entrepreneurship, is also responsible for the Technology Entrepreneurship education at SLU with several extracurricular activities such as I2P (Idea to Product) competition, iScholars program, and funded research. His goal is to foster the spirit of entrepreneurial mindset in all engineering students. The three-year KEEN grant has enabled Condoor to implement a new Tinker Lab in McDonnell Douglas Hall for students to work on innovative projects. The lab is a sandbox for students to try new ideas. Teams of students are encouraged to enter various engineering/innovation challenges throughout the country. Condoor is also conducting weekly Tuesday Innovation Challenges that offer prize money to winners. It provides a means to exercise the mind in a creative way every week. “The future of engineering will be based on innovation,” Condoor said. “Engineers must be more creative thinkers, and be able to work across disciplines, rather than just be a special-
ist in one area. The world is changing so fast. If you just focus on building a certain product, it could be outdated by the time you graduate. So many new technologies are forever changing the way we live and learn.” Condoor and his students are wasting no time. In September, the 2011 UDM/Ford Innovation Contest challenged 26 teams of undergraduate students to develop an innovative technical idea related to the auto industry. Each team had to begin by identifying problems/opportunities with existing vehicles as well as explore what becomes possible as a result of emerging technologies. Ford engineers guided the teams as they progressed from opportunities to potential solutions. Each team was required to pitch their idea(s) in a three minute video that was judged by Ford engineers and innovation leaders.
“The future of engineering will be based on innovation.” – Condoor WINTER ‘11
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“The weekly Innovation Challenge It’s a mind workout.” – Condoor
Weekly Innovation Challenge
The 2011 winners were announced during the Ford Innovation Symposium at the University of Detroit Mercy on November 3, 2011. Alan Mulally, president and CEO, Ford Motor Company, was the keynote speaker at this year’s Symposium. SLU students developed a monitoring system that would alert elderly drivers of oncoming emergency vehicles. The system would be connected to the radio so that drivers would
In October, another team of four Parks students competed at the Innovation Encounter at Lawrence Technological Univer-
on Tuesday, November 22, the Saint Louis University team participated in the Ford Global Technology Meeting with the Vice Presidents of Ford. During the meeting Ford provide their position on the student idea and talked about a link to similar existing idea at Ford.
With the clock ticking, the team developed a wall audio system that would convert one wall of a home into an immersive home theater experience. Using a remote, residents of a home could use their “Wand” much like an iPad, to watch movies, listen to music, and videoconference. And don’t hang pictures
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Home Theater Magazine for their “cutting edge approach to home speaker environment -- a futuristic home entertainment system -- that would be readily available to the public in three
on this wall. The “Wand audio” system could develop a scenic background setting when not in use, much like a screensaver on a desktop. Another reality that resulted from the Kern grant are Weekly Innovation Challenges. Every Tuesday afternoon, students representing all disciplines are invited to McDonnell Douglas Hall to compete for $225 in prize money in a one-hour impromptu challenge. Students are grouped into teams of three; each team must include at least one engineering student. Most importantly, however, all participants must be from different majors. “People are encouraged to exercise everyday to keep the
deeper into society’s impact on a technical invention. “In the past, engineers were more focused on technical problem solving than innovation,” Condoor said. He feels the right innovative mindset will open many more doors for engineering majors. engineering, but more opportunities are available now within example. Apple products represent the intersection of art and technology. The products are beautiful to look at, easy to use, satisfy the consumers wants and needs and yet, highly functional from an engineering standpoint. This is engineering today.” Innovation and investigative learning is not just for students either.
Marshmallow Challenge was simple: in 18 minutes, teams were required to build the tallest free-standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string and one marshmallow. The marshmallow needed to be on top. In yet another Tuesday challenge, students were presented with a group of photographs each representing a small section of various artifacts located throughout campus. The students needed to identify the artifact and have their photograph taken standing in front of it. A third challenge required the students to create a “green” toaster box design. In the seven weeks since the inception of the weekly challenges, attendance has grown to more than 45 competitors. Surprisingly, not all of the winners are upperclassmen. The 2011 UDM/Ford Innovation Contest First place team. sophomore students who are majoring in aerospace engineering, political science and investigative medicine . “Our goal with these challenges is to help students think of ideas under extreme time pressure,” Condoor said. “These students need to know not only how to invent something but have the business mind in knowing how to bring this new product to fruition. It’s a more complete cycle of learning. “We want our graduates to have a multi-dimensional outlook and there are four components to this,” Condoor said. “The components include technical knowledge, awareness of the customers needs, an understanding of how a business works, and an understanding societal values. This is entrepreneurial education -- it involves collaborative learning, community exploration, innovation and investigative learning that put students in a real life situation.” Previously, students would work on just the technical side of a problem. Now the students are encouraged to delve a bit
identify best practices in entrepreneurial education at the undergraduate level, Condoor and his colleagues began hosting a faculty workshop at Parks College for KEEN network members. The network, of which SLU has been a member for four years, was created in 2005 by the Kern Family Foundation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to increase the quantity and quality of U.S. engineering talent. Nearly two years ago, Condoor and his cohorts from the network schools developed the Journal of Engineering Entrepreneurship, for which Condoor has served as editor. The journal is distributed to all KEEN network members and alumni. Condoor is extremely excited about the progress made in engineering and entrepreneurial education in the past few years.
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Tuned Into Engineering By Mary McHugh
The melodic notes of Bach and a circuit breaker may not seem a likely pair. And yet, music and mathematical skills share the same pathways to the brain. Music training at an early age is believed to help develop ares of the brain that are involved in language and reasoning. Mention this to SLU freshman Anu Devkota and he readily agrees. Devkota, who is taking an introductory engineering class at SLU’s Parks College of Engineering, has played piano
Devkota said. “Both areas require a lot of discipline. Music is an art form but math is very much an art form, too. You have to manipulate numbers and use different theorems. Tackling a piece of music is the same as looking at a math the problem. Even though you’ve never seen either before, you still have to know what you’re doing and understand the skill set you need to proceed and actually develop an answer. That’s art.” In 1993, scientists at the University of California at Irvine developed “The Mozart Effect” after conducting a study on listened to Mozart’s 1781 sonata for two pianos in D major. The second group listened to a relaxation tape and the third sat in silence. A spatial test was then given to each group. Students who had listened to Mozart’s song had higher scores than compared to that of the other two groups. While the effect of this ured there was positive stimulation because music and spatial abilities do indeed traverse on the same pathways. Spatial
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intelligence is what allows people to form mental pictures of things. This mind-body connection between music and mathematics has fueled continued debate among researchers ever since the Irvine test was performed. But most do agree there is a casual link between music and learning. The same parts of the brain are active when listening to Mozart as when engaged in a spatial reasoning exercise. Playing an instrument helps the sort of thinking that is critical when computing math and science problems. In 2005, researchers at Stanford University found through their work that musical training improves ways in which the brain processes the spoken word. Professor Roobik Gharabagi, who teaches electrical and computer engineering at SLU, said a background in music is between the technical and artistic aspects of engineering,” he said. “They complement each other. In engineering you not only have to be able to design something from a technical standpoint, but artistically you must be able to present it in such a way the public will like it. The arts are very important in our study of engineering.” SLU student Ryan McNeely worked at the Apple Genius tion of art and technology in the products he helped to sell. McNeely who has been composing music since he was in grade school, attended an Apple training seminar in California for a couple of weeks and had the opportunity to meet some of the engineers behind the iPad and iPhone. He was hooked and decided he needed to enroll in engineering school. “Music has so much to do with patterns and intuition and logic,” said McNeely, who plays piano and violin. “Music is completely restrictive in that there are only so many tones you
Ryan McNeely performing with his band, Adult Fur.
can use to create a song. It’s like mathematical ratios. They are very similar. One skill helps you do the other skill.” McNeely should know. He composed the music for the locally produced movie, “Streetballers,” which upon its release Festival and the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature picked up by Warner Brothers in 2009 and is now available on on sale on an internet based store there. “If you write music, you have to be able to play piano,” he said. “I am constantly working on music. I think it’s because I am very curious about everything. I want to know how things work and not just take it on faith what is happening inside of a synthesizer, for example. By knowing how something like this works and learning about these things in engineering, I can try to make unique sounds by building my own hardware. “If I’m making music on a synthesizer all the sounds are generated by the software and the hardware. All that is math,” McNeely said. You are playing a cosine wave and all those are different types of electronic signals. I like combining my music with engineering.” Studies have shown that playing an instrument, or being exposed to music can help students do better in schools and provide them with a strong sense of discipline. Discipline assignments at school. Studies show listening to music or playing an instrument also helps reduce stress levels. “Playing music helps relax me,” said Emily Hart, a SLU freshman. “You can just chill and not think about school work. It’s just relaxing.”
Hart, an electrical engineering major who has played piano since third grade, equates playing an instrument to learning a “Learning music provides you with a new way of interpreting things. You’re continually learning different concepts in music. So when you get to an engineering class and you have to develop a circuit breaker, the music background prepares me for the skills I need to learn to build a breaker system. I’m more open to new ideas.” So next time it’s time to rewire the house, or do math homework, turn up the Mozart.
faculty musicians Students aren’t the only ones at the college involved in music. Many faculty members are in bands or play instruments. Gregory Comer, Ph.D. - physics, Gary Bledsoe, Ph.D. - biomedical engineering and Mark McQuilling, Ph.D. - aerospace and mechanical engineering, are photographed on the left page playing at an alumni event. Comer sees a connection between music and engineering. “Engineering involves moments when you have a real act of creation. I think there is a real level of creativity that goes along with the rigid mathematics and structure,” said Comer.
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Gregory Comer, Ph.D.
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SLU Presidential Scholars Continue to Chart Successful Career Paths By Mary McHugh
From NASA to medical research to teaching underprivileged students, Parks Presidential scholars prove to be future leaders in their professions.
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shley Scroggins works on Earth and Space Science missions for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and harbors dreams of one day
pulsion systems that control satellites after launch. Her department designs, analyzes, builds and test systems as well as supports the mission while the satellite is in orbit. She also worked on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which is currently orbiting the Moon; Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which is monitoring the Sun’s activity; Glory, an out-of-house mission which unfortunately failed at launch this past February; and currently working on the Global Precipitation Measurement mission (GPM), which is a partnership with the Japanese space agency (JAXA) and will measure precipitation across the entire Earth’s surface. “I get to touch things that actually go into space,” said
Kelly is hitting the books at SLU’s medical school hoping one day to invent something. Meghan Moll is teaching algebra, biology and calculus to lower income students as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Newark, N.J. Darren Pais is a Ph.D. student at Princeton University. Different paths taken by each but all with an engineering degree from SLU. And all former SLU Presidential Scholar recipients. The scholarship is a four-year, fulltuition awarded to approximately 30 students annually. Recipients represent some of the most exemplary student I wanted to be an astronaut and pretty much since then leaders on SLU’s campus. have been on a laser-guided path to NASA.” “I still can’t believe this is my job,” said Scroggins, Scroggins is grateful for the opportunities she was who graduated in 2008 with an Honors Bachelor of Sciexposed to at Parks College. “I couldn’t have been more ence in Aerospace Engineering and an Engineering Math prepared for my job at NASA,” she said. “You learn how minor. “I mean, other than hopping on a rocket and being to think in engineering school, you learn the basics, how an astronaut, I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be From left: Kyle Mitchell, Maria Barna, Steve Massey, doing. “ solvers. At SLU we learned to step back, think outside Allison Cook, and Michael Swartwout. While at SLU, Scroggins participated in a co-op with the Gerrit box, beSmith as creative as possible and be ready to tackle GE Aircraft Engines and with NASA. Upon graduation, different things once we landed jobs.” she converted to a full-time position at NASA-GSFC in Brian Kelly feels the same way. A May 2011 graduate the Propulsion Branch. She currently works on the proin biomedical engineering, Kelly is now hitting 12
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BRIAN KELLY
Biomedical engineering ‘11 SLU Medicine ‘15
MEGAN MOLL
DARREN PAIS
Biomedical engineering ‘11 Jesuit Volunteer Corps
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Aerospace engineering ‘07 Ph.D. student, Princeton
At SLU we learned to step back, think outside the box, be as creative as possible and be ready to tackle different things once we landed jobs. - Ashley Scroggins (Parks ‘08, NASA-GSFC)
a different set of books. This time as a SLU med student. medicine because I enjoy working with instruments and new technology,” Kelly said. “Engineering school taught me how all these instruments work and how things are designed and then, obviously, in medicine, you have to have an understanding of how these things work when you are using them in a medical procedure.” Colleague Meghan Moll, who graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering with Kelly, decided she wanted to use her talent to teach underprivileged students. Today she is teaching as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, school in New Jersey. She teaches high school sections of algebra, biology and calculus. “Since I was recently a student myself, it’s been a bit of a transition now switching to the role of teacher,” Moll said. Moll is currently trying to determine if she wants to continue her career as
ASHLEY SCROGGINS Aerospace engineering ‘08 NASA-GSFC
”
of work very much,” said the former St. Louisan. “So it’s going to be a hard decision for me to make at the end of this year.” Darren Pais, an aerospace engineering and applied mathematics graduate, is a doctoral candidate in the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University. His research lies at the intersection agent cooperative control, and is focused on the study of emergent collective behavior, in biology and in robotics, from the perspective of evolution. He is the recipient of the 2011 Princeton University Harold W. Dodds Honorand Control graduate award. Whether in space, in a medical research facility or a classroom, Scroggins, Kelly and Moll and Pais represent the faces not only of former SLU Presidential scholars, WINTER ‘11
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Where Leaders Formed are
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Parks graduates named engineering vice presidents at The Boeing Company. By Mary McHugh
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arks College has served as the incubator for numerous leaders in the aerospace industry. William Carrier, Vice President of Engineering for Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS) Systems, fondly remembers his days at Parks College in Cahokia in the early ‘80s. “We hung out with a diverse group of students. There were engineers, pilots, mechanics; we even had a guy who wanted to be a meteorologist. We didn’t know it at the time but what we had formed back then was something that we use at Boeing today – the integrated product team. We didn’t know we were that, but we had all these kids in specialized areas discussing and debating what we thought at the time were goofy scenarios that involved aircraft and space. We were all coming together with different ideas and backgrounds to solve various problems.” Keith Leverkuhn, General Manager of Propulsion Systems and Vice President of Engineering for Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), was classmates with Carrier. “Having all those interests in one dorm– pilots, airplane maintenance workers, future administrators, engineers -- conjued up all kinds of aerospace conversations. ‘What happens if a plane
airlines and captains of the aerospace industry.” Early in 2010 Boeing created several new senior-level engineering leadership positions to help drive engineering excellence and ensure program success across the company. Carrier and Leverkuhn were among those named to these elite positions. “Boeing’s reputation for engineering excellence is built on an array of outstanding products designed and developed
under the guidance of strong engineering leaders,” said John dent of Engineering, Operations & Technology (EO&T).
an early age I was “ From enamored with both space and aircraft. It’s really the only thing I ever wanted to do.
”
– Carrier
Carrier’s role is to ensure that technical excellence of the engineering teams working on the various military aircraft, making sure they have harnessed all the technological and engineering know-how in the right way. If a program surprise to them during an operational test run, it is Carrier’s responsibility to pull together a team of experts and assist the program personnel in solving the problem. Vehicles Carrier is responsible for include satellites, aireven a submarine. “I grew up during the days of the Gemini and Apollo programs. My parents let me stay home from school and watch the launches,” he said. “From an early age I was enamored with both space and aircraft. It’s really the only thing I ever wanted to do.”
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“
There is just something miraculous about takeoff -- millions of parts working together to make that plane airborne. I still am amazed by all of it, even after all these – Leverkuhn years.
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He obtained his private pilot’s license when he turned 17. enroll at Parks College to pursue his engineering degree. During the college years and whenever he had extra money, He eventually obtained his instrument rating, commercial license and multi-engine ratings in the 1990s and is curSaratoga. He obtained his aerobatic experience in Bellanca Citabria/Decathalon and Stearman PT-13B aircraft. Carrier is also an Aviation Merit Badge Advisor for the Boy Scouts of America. “The one thing I love about being an engineer and a pilot is that I still have a relationship with mechanics and pilots on a regular basis. I am not only part of the industry that is a great combination of both worlds.” Leverkuhn also understands the need to remain close to the aircraft he helps build. Every day when he arrives at the
is being worked on at that moment. “Airplanes are about the most exquisite machines ever invented. ,” Leverkuhn said. “There is just something miraculous about takeoff -- millions of parts working together to make that plane airborne. I still am amazed by all of it, even after all these years.” In addition to his responsibilities as BCA’s Chief Engineer for Propulsion, Leverkuhn leads the team that provides engine and propulsion systems procurement, contracting and manufacturing integration for all commercial airplane programs and support for more than 12,000 in-service airplanes. The breadth of his responsibilities make him appreciate the “little things” even more. I think about the incredible power and how hard they are 16
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working,” he said. “I listen to the engines and the acoustic signatures. Depending on what seat I’m sitting in, I hear different parts working. The spinning turbines create different tones in different parts of the plane. ways on commercial aircraft. Always in a window seat. “I want to watch the other planes preparing for takeoff. I like hearing the engines starting up, the whole process. I’m constantly thinking about what the pilot is doing to prepare for takeoff and landing. It’s just this kind of goofy stuff going through my brain. I’m an engineer. And I learned a long time ago not to share these details with my wife when she’s sitting next to me.” Carrier recalled a moment on the runway several months ago when he noticed a an ATR-72 commuter airliner readying for take-off just ahead of his plane. The plane’s spoilers, which help slow a plane down during landing, were “Not a good thing if you’re trying to take off,” Carrier said. “I was getting more and more nervous as I watched this plane taxiing closer to take-off. I was weighing in my mind the option of causing a commotion on my plane by getting up and trying to tell the pilot that something was wrong with the plane ahead of us, or just hoping the pilot out there would notice it himself.” A few seconds before takeoff, Carrier noticed the ATR72’s spoilers were retracting into the proper position for takeoff. “What I realized is that the ATR-72 deploys its spoilers on the ground for added stability and automatically retracts them as takeoff power is applied,” Carrier said. “So, it just proves you are constantly learning on the job.” Carrier is impressed with the caliber of students graduating from Parks College. He feels they are better prepared for working in a team environment. “When I was in school, individual learning was more
prevalent. Your individual work was really the only thing that counted. Occasionally we would work on teams but it was more of an optional thing. Today teamwork is emphasized much more because that’s exactly how we’re organized at Boeing. This doesn’t mean you can shirk individual responsibility in the class, but students must be able to work and collaborate with other engineers and sometimes, non-engineers. You need to be able to communicate. Leverkuhn said schools today must provide good balance between fundamental engineering skills and analytical technical skills. struggle with this every day.,” he said. “As we look at the workforce coming out of the universities, we are amazed at the capabilities that these graduates have. With the proliferation of personal computers, students are coming out with far more capability in terms of tool usage.” In addition, Leverkuhn said students need to have the engineering judgment to know when to apply sophisticated modeling to a problem and when they don’t have to. “It’s something this industry will eventually have to face. There is no need to drive a thumbtack with a sledgehammer,” Leverkuhn said. “We must continue
William Carrier
Vice President of Structures and Mechanical Systems Engineering at Boeing Defense, Space and Security
we performing tests because we want to and we can, or Another area in which Carrier and Leverkuhn think Parks College is doing the right thing is in nurturing communication skills among students. Communication in today’s workforce is paramount. “No one does anything in isolation these days,” Leverkuhn said. “It’s all about teamwork, customer input, and being able to communicate to a broad audience. You cant transition and a very good one. We need people who can come in and collaborate and communicate and share ideas and solutions with everyone. “The world is far more complicated. There are so many different manufacturing processes and ingredients years ago. Being able to do hard core analytical work is increasingly important today, but so is having the communication skills. Graduates also need to have cultural awareness and sensitivity as they will be working with global partnerships.” Technology, knowledge of the core engineering principles and communication skills will continue to be the foundation for any developing engineer. For Carrier and Leverkuhn, these skills have proven indelible. Future leaders, take note.
Keith Leverkuhn
General Manager of Propulsion Systems and Vice President of Engineering for Boeing Commercial Airplanes
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Summer Parks in the
Students and faculty wasted no time during Summer 2011. They were conducting research, studying abroad and gaining experience in the industry.
Study Abroad Course at SLU Madrid program at the SLU Madrid campus. He taught Mechanics of Solids for engineering sophomores. Seven engineering students experienced the Spanish culture for three weeks and stayed at host-family residences. They visited Spanish cities, such as Segovia, Gandia, went to Chamberi Metro (an old metro station), Plaza de Castilla Tower, and the recently built international terminal 4 (T4) at the Madrid Airport. Students experienced engineering on a global scale
Study abroad group at Chamberi Metro.
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Students met and networked with industry and other students from around the world. The objective of the program was to provide students with a larger, global perspective of engineering. Photograph on page: Mary Jennerjohn, (PK ’14)
Engineering Students Participate in BE@SLU Summer Research Program By Mary McHugh Approximately eight rising sophomore engineering students from across the nation will be selected for the third annual 2012 Bioengineering at Saint Louis University, BE@SLU, nine-week summer research program. Research projects for the BE@SLU program vary from year to year depending upon faculty grants that are being worked on throughout the year. Past projects ranged from hemodynamic response of rats to employing chondroitin as an enzyme encapsulation to the use of quantum dots for labeling neural cell lines. The Research Experience Undergraduate (REU) program is funded by the National Science Foundation. Participants receive a competitive stipend, housing food and travel expenses. Students participate in a research project that interests them as well as programs that include career panels, industry tours, research seminars oral and written presentations and cell training. Students participating last year were from Princeton, University of Akron, SLU, University of Minnesota, Bucknell, Vanderbilt and the University of Wisconsin. In addition to the undergraduate participants, the program offers two peer mentoring positions for more advanced students. The mentors help guide and fuel peer interactions and troubleshoot problems with the program participants. “The availability of undergraduate opportunities in research has increased tremendously from when I was an undergraduate engineering student,” said David Barnett, Professor and Chair for the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Parks College. “I think this is a hallmark of our program in that we have the ability to offer a research opportunity of this calibre. It’s so important for these students to be integrated into the research process at such an early stage in their education.” According to Barnett, who heads up the summer program, the faculty participating each year in the program provides a good balance of structured research work and yet offers students enough freedom to conduct their own experiments. Faculty participating in the program represent all disciplines, including medicine, chemistry and biology. The only stipulation Barnett has is that the project must include an engineering component. If the research projects extend beyond the nine-week course, SLU engineering students usually become involved during the fall and winter semesters.
Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Parks College offers a summer research program for undergraduate students with more than 30 research opportunities collaborating with faculty. Students focused on diverse projects involving unmanned aerial vehicles. 15 students attended the program in Summer 2011.
Student Summer Internships Parks students go on internships around the country at major companies such as General Electric, NASA, Southwest Airlines, LMI Aerospace and The Boeing Company. Laura Marxkors, electrical engineering major, worked as an Edison Engineering Development Program intern at GE Healthcare in Milwaukee, Wisc. For 10 weeks, Marxkors worked as a software engineering intern, implementing test automation techniques to improve Mat-Lab/ CardioLab product testing within Laura Marxkors at GE Healthcare in Milwaukee,Wisc. the invasive cardiology group. “This experience was very rewarding; I was able to learn about a new product, and see how engineering roles are Megan Thomas was a project engineer intern in the Aerostructures division at LMI Aerospace, Inc. She was involved in two projects, the Gulfstream G650 and the MRJ. For the Gulfstream G650, Thomas loaded Gulfstream’s data into LMI’s database using and Teamcenter. In addition to uploading data, she had opportunities to see the manufacturing side of engineering by taking tours of the locally owned plants of LMI. “The most valuable lesson I learned at LMI Aerospace was all the planning that goes into manufacturing each part. It is amazing how many decisions have to be made in order to manufacture the individual aircraft,” said Thomas. Kate Bartlett also did an internship at LMI Aerospace, Inc. Bartlett worked on a heat treat standardization project for Plant 22. She wrote a Setup Card template for use by heat also drafted a Work Instruction with the help of corporate quality – documents that are invaluable for organiBartlett at LMI Aerospace.
Bartlett also contributed to the drafting of Mitsubishi Regional Jet tailcone assembly.
Parks at Oshkosh Parks College exhibited at the 2011 EAA Airventure Oshkosh and hosted an alumni breakfast at the EAA Nature Center.
Stephen Magoc, aviation faculty and enrollment manager, and K. Ravindra, interim dean. WINTER ‘11
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[ faculty profile [ Riyadh Hindi, Ph.D. Civil engineering
Riyadh Hindi, associate professor in the civil engineering department, tends to drive a little faster when he’s crossing a bridge. Even though he’s spent more than 20 years as a structural and bridge engineer in the U.S. and abroad, his foot always presses harder on the pedal when the wheels hit the bridge surface. “Maybe I’m afraid of heights,” Hindi says laughing. “But then again, I know what goes into building a bridge. I know it’s safe, but something in me just wants to get across it quickly. I think engineers who build tall structural towers feel the same way when they walk into a skyscraper.” Or it could be his son who is always yelling from the back seat to hurry up and cross. Mainly because every time they cross a bridge, Hindi spends the next few minutes detailing the types of concrete used in that particular bridge, or pointing out special design features. “It drives my kids nuts,” said Hindi, who has been teaching civil engineering at SLU for the past year. Prior to joining SLU, Hindi taught for nine years at Bradley University. His areas of expertise include non-linear behavior, modeling, and damage of reinforced and prestressed concrete elements under static, cyclic and seismic loadings. Mention earthquakes and Hindi can talk at great length about bridge fatigue and the nature of concrete and its ability to absorb tension and weight. Hindi is currently collaborating on a research project with engineers at the University of Illinois on a bridge project for the Illinois Department of Transportation. Cracking concrete bridge decking is the focal point of the three-year study. Graduate students will be working with Hindi on producing the structural samples and recommendations for the Illinois project, while the University of Illinois will be providing recommendations for the materials. Hindi has co-authored more than 40 journal and conference articles related to bridges and structures under different types of loads. He has developed a damage model of concrete bridge columns under seismic loading based on degraded energy, and continues to chair and organize technical committees for the American Concrete Institute
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(ACI), American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE), and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), to name a few. Since he entered the workforce nearly 20 years ago, materials today are more durable and require less maintenance. Accelerated bridges can be built off-site, transported to the construction area and then assembled in less drivers. “We can’t teach the way we taught years ago,” Hindi said. “It’s involves more than just reading theories out of books. Today’s students need to learn what tools are available now, how to create software, how to speed up don’t learn about the tools, then there is a missing link between theory and applying it to real life.” Hindi said anyone can design a bridge but being able to bring it to market is another thing. “Not everything you put on paper can be built,” he said. “A good teacher will not only teach how to design something, but how to carry it one step further and bring it to fruition.” Teaching students and making them understand this concept is important to Hindi. Last year he initiated Billiken Beams, a bridge building outreach program for high school students in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. Approximately 26 teams of students meet at SLU in the fall for a one-day training session. Students are provided with balsa wood and related supplies and given some initial instruction on using the computer software programs. They meet up again in February during Engineering Week to test the strength of their bridges. Even after all of these years, Hindi still enjoys looking at bridges. His favorite one is an elevated one that was built in Spain. It sits so high off the ground, the clouds often obscure the entire structure. A three-span bridge he designed in British Columbia remains his favorite though. A challenging project when he was working on it, the bridge is about 400 feet long. And yes, even when he drives across his own bridges, Hindi applies a little more pressure to the gas pedal.
[ alumni profile [ George Brill, (PK ’85) CEO, Talisen Technologies, Inc. George Brill, Parks College graduate and founder of Talisen Technologies, Inc., began working at Boeing in the early ‘90s when the internet was in its infancy. Bids and requests for proposals were all submitted on reams of paper. Brill was frustrated by the missing link, as he refers to it, between getting data to suppliers more take weeks to get drawings passed around. So in 1991, Brill founded AeroTech Service Group with his own personal funds and immediately began serving McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) with a secure, electronic collaboration platform which went on to become a corporate technology standard by the late ‘90s. An early pioneer in collaboration connectivity and security issues, Brill has become a technical expert in the transmission of secure information over the internet. His initial work was written up in a 1995 Harvard University case study and Brill found himself lecturing students during his case’s presentation. “Never in a million years would I have thought I would be talking about my work to Harvard students,” Brill said. Ten years later, Brill adapted the defense technology for a new market -- Enterprise Facilities Information Management. Talisen Technologies partnered with Sustainability platform for the State of Missouri. The project created a revolutionary type of technology platform for 300 state buildings (23 million square feet) which enabled substantial savings in energy, operations, maintenance and capital spending. The system has tracked more than a 5.7% reduction in energy for the State in the last two years. “Technology we are using today to monitor energy didn’t even exist three years ago,” Brill said. “Internet thermostats are totally new, for example. Instead of replacing old pipes in an older building, we can now install an air pressure driven system onto the heads of the old pipes and the communication systems allows the energy to be managed. We now know what’s going on with energy output in any building every 15 minutes through updates. It’s just incredible.” “Regardless of what you’re doing with your engineering degree, you need to have some understanding of information technology, networking, software application, computer literacy and knowledge about how technology in business works,” he said. Brill is also a Saint Louis University Board of Trustee member. WINTER ‘11
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h t u o
Y Gateway to
Aviation
Fostering Youth Aviation Education
Parks College Hosts Youth Gateway to Aviation Event Giving Boy Scouts First-Hand Aviation Experience Story by Amanda Pope; Photos by Mitch Bartnick 22
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y tours and a scavenger hunt. Saint Louis University’s Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, The Boeing Company, the Saint Louis Science Center, Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Young Eagles, Gateway Eagles, Garmin, Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association, Wicks Airplane Supply and other aviation companies participated as partners.
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Gene Kranz (PK’54), with scouts after the Hero Stage event.
arks College and the St. Louis Downtown Airport hosted the Youth Gateway to Aviation (YGA) on Saturday, October 8. 500 scouts from the Lewis
about the exciting world of aviation. The purpose of the free event was to foster youth aviation education. The Hero Stage at the event featured Gene Kranz, a 1954 Parks graduate and NASA Flight Director during the Gemini and Apollo programs. Kranz is best known for his role in directing the successful Mission Control team efforts to save the crew of Apollo 13. William Carrier, (PK ’81) gives a lecture on aerodynamics to scouts. WINTER ‘11
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[ alumni news and notes [ YOUNG ALUMNI STAY CONNECTED
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ecent Parks College graduates mingled with business leaders from the engineering and aviation industry on October 7 at a Young Alumni Networking Reception hosted by Delaney Damburg (PK ’07) and Parks College. Guests also had the opportunity to meet the famed Flight Director of Apollo 13, Gene Kranz (PK ’54).
SLU PRESIDENT HOSTS RECEPTION
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awrence Biondi, S.J., Saint Louis University President, hosted an event for Parks College and Institute of Technology alumni in Oct. Many leading Parks alumni were in attendance. Photographed from left: Andrew Brignoli–Senior VP of Product Operations at Insitu, Lawrence Biondi, S.J., Dan Rodgrigues–COO of Herndon Products LLC, Denise Wondotowski–Senior Portfolio Manager at US Bank, William Carrier–VP of Engineering for Boeing Defense, Space and Security Systems, George Brill–CEO of Talisen Technologies, Bob McDaniel– director of the St. Louis Downtown Airport, John Capellupo–President of McDonell Douglas Aerospace (retired), Manoj Patankar–VP of Academic Affairs at SLU.
SANTA LANDS AT PARKS
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arks College celebrated the holiday season on Dec. 3. Santa landed at the Parks College Hangar at the St. Louis Downtown Airport. Alumni, faculty, staff and their families gathered for photos with Santa, crafts and seasonal treats. The Santa Fly-In is an annual college tradition that attracts more than 400 people to Hangar 8.
FACULTY OFFICE DEDICATED TO ALUM
F
amily of Herman Correale were present at a dedication ceremony at neering was named after the alumnus who was considered the “father of CALS.”
ALUMNI GATHERINGS ON THE EAST COAST
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lumni attend social events in Washington D.C. and Patuxent River, tor and K. Ravindra, Interim Dean, were present.
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FRATERNITY 70years
reunions
PHI ALPHA CHI anniversary reunion Phi Alpha Chi, the World’s Oldest Social Aviation Fraternity, gathered in St. Louis from October 6th-9th, 2011 to celebrate the Fraternity’s 70th Anniversary Reunion. Over 100 CHI Brothers from all over the United States came to St. Louis to renew old friendships and relive great memories of their years at Parks College. On Thursday, October 6, Brother Jack Massa (PK ‘65) hosted a delicious “Early Arrival” Dutch Treat Dinner at Massa’s Restaurant in Kirkwood, Mo. for 65 reunion attendees. The Inaugural Jamie R. Barrett Memorial Golf Tournament was held at Norwood Hills Country Club on Friday October 7 followed by a Memorial Service, which was held at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel, in loving tribute to the 23 Brothers of Phi Alpha Chi who have passed away since 2001. With over 150 people in attendance, the candle lighting service proved to be among the highlights of the weekend. The service was conducted by Deacon Chuck Ryder (PK ‘75). Following the Memorial Service, the Welcome Home Party in the Penthouse Ballroom provided a priceless “meet-andgreet” session where all CHI Brothers introduced them-
selves and gave a short bio. How interesting to learn that the Brothers of CHI had such diverse professional backgrounds! Ranging from the largest manufacturer of guitar picks, to CIA involvement, to piloting the Pope! The Brothers of CHI recanted fantastic careers in aviation, engineering, real estate, law, education and entrepreneurial endeavors. On Saturday, October 8, two busloads of Parks College Alumni CHI Brothers arrived at the Saint Louis University Campus and were greeted by Interim Dean K. Ravindra. Tours of Parks College’s McDonnell Douglas Hall and the Parks College Time Line were hosted by Dr. John George (PK ’55) and Parks College students. Many of the Brothers had not been to St. Louis since their graduation 20-40 years ago. The visit to the “NEW” Parks College Campus on Saturday left everyone impressed with the direction of the college.
ALPHAreunion PI SIGMA Alpha Pi Sigma fraternity members gathered at Parks College in Oct. 2011 during their reunion. Jim Jeske arranged for the fraternity members to tour McDonnell Douglas Hall and the Parks College facilities, meet with the Dean and have
lunch on the Saint Louis University Midtown campus. Dr. Ravindra, interim dean, welcomed the group and gave an update on the College. Laura Wheeler gave a tour of the Ira Inkelas Tribute Timeline. For many of the fraternity time visiting the SLU campus and new Parks College facilities. The members shared stories and memories of their days at the College.
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[ 2011 Homecoming [ 2011 Oliver L. Parks Alumni Merit Award recipient, Walter S. Hoy Walt Hoy earned his Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from Parks College in 1956, where he developed his passion for aviation. Hoy joined the Air Force in 1958, where he served as pilot in command of 13 different aircraft over a span of 20 years. In 1969 he was sent to Vietnam, where he was part of a helicopter commando group. Hoy earned his MBA from the University of Dayton, preparing him to start Airplane Plastics, Inc., in 1978. He supplied custom-made canopies for Burt Rutan’s early designs, including the record-breaking Voyager and Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer. In 1980, he founded Fox Lite Inc., which manufactures a vast array of plastic products. In 1999, Hoy transferred the companies to his son, W. Douglas Hoy (Parks ’80), and began to devote much of his time to charitable Museum of the United States Air Force, where he has also served on the Volunteer Advisory Board. Hoy currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation. He is the founder and chairman of the Wright Image Group, and is currently in the process of building a 220 foot tall Wright Flyer Monument near Dayton, Ohio.
2011 Institute of Technology Alumni Merit Award recipient, Lindell E. Montgomery In 1957, Lin Montgomery graduated from the Saint Louis University Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Geological Engineering. First beginning his career in the oil and gas industry at age 13, Montgomery now has more than 50 years of experience in siana to President of Caspian International Oil Corporation, Montment, leading him and his family all across the globe. Montgomery began his post-graduate career in 1957 with Geophysical Service, Inc. (GSI), then a division of Texas Instruments, Germany. In 1979, he became the Marketing and Operations Manager. For Halliburton Geophysical Service, Inc., Montgomery negothe Chukchi Sea in 1990. Seven years later, he reorganized a number of former Ministry of Geology seismic enterprises in Kazakhstan, which led to his position of Chairman and CEO of the Geotex Corp. Today, Montgomery and his wife live in Houston, Texas. He is a member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the Knights of Columbus. In addition, Montgomery helped found, and continues to support, La Arca Orphanage in Talgar, Kazakhstan.
Photos from top: Walter Hoy and Lindell Montgomery, alumni merit award recipients; simulator brought by Hoy; 50-year reunion reception. 26
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[ class notes [ Claude Genest (PK ‘67), retired from the Federal Aviation Administration in 2005, then from Lockheed Martin in 2009 after
airshows in a BE-18. He lives in San Diego, CA. Lt. Col. Mark R. Palesh, USAF (PK ’71) served in the US Air Force, Air National Guard, and Reserve Units in three states. He also had a 33-year career as a City & County Manager in six municipalities including Niagara Falls, NY, and Juneau, AK. He now resides in Midvale, UT. Cheewai Liew (PK ’03), works on the 787-9 Development Focal/PSE Focal and 787 Flight Deck Engineering, The Boeing, Co. Aznam Hashim (PK ’89), is project director for MRO Malaysian Airlines. Fernando Abilleira (PK ’99), works in the Mission Design and Navigation Section (343) and Inner Planet Mission Analysis Group (343D) at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Hoa Truong (PK ’08), is a Design Engineer at FlightSafety International. Delaney Damberg (PK ’07), is a Project Manager for the ODA at Jet Aviation in Cahokia, Ill. Antony Susainathan (PK ’00), is a Lead Systems Engineer on the USAF programs at Wright Patteron Airforce Base. Capt Neil Senkowski, (PK ’03), was one of six Air Force ofProgram. Of the 545 Olmsted Scholars chosen over the past 53 Hector Herrera (PK ’03), is a manufacturing engineer at Missouri Metals, LLC. Mathew D. Janda (PK ’08), works at Airborne Systems. Stephen Newman (PK ’07), is a Design Engineer at GE Energy. Mark J. Johnson, D.Sc. (PK ’90, PK ’92) is Vice President, Next Generation ISR, Special Programs, L-3 Mission Integration. Michael Cunico (PK ’05), is a Hardware Structural Analysis Engineer at The Boeing Company, St. Louis. Jim Ball, (PK ’88), serves as Deputy Chief Engineer in the Airworthiness Directorate of the Naval Air Systems Command, Naval Air Warfare Center, Patuxent River, MD. In this position Jim works with mainly Naval Aircraft, and with many other Parks Alumni. USAF Brig. Gen Martin Whelan (PK ’83), has been promoted to major general and named director of requirements at Air force Space Command Headquarters in Col.
[ in memorium [ Jamie Barrett, (PK ’73) Charles Rilling Beckman (PK ’49) Bob Kritzler (PK ’60) Keavy Nenninger (PK ’11)
[ alumni message [ I am writing this article as I sit on trip from Washington DC where I visited with alumni on the north east side of DC (Maryland) and at NAVAIR and Boeing in Patuxant River, MD – I’ll travel to the Virginia area during my next visit. Since this article is slated for the December issue of Parks Today, I should be reviewing the 2011 list of Parks College development accomplishments. Instead, I’d like to share with you a plan that we have. Before I get ahead of myself, you have to know a little background. Parks lost a young alumna, Keavy Nenninger, class of 2011, in a light sport aircraft crash. Keavy was one of those beautiful, young, vivacious girls that drew attention where ever she went – no one was a stranger. Due to her personality, she touched many others as she blazed through her life. In her senior year, she helped Parks host the NIFA (National Intercollegiate Flying Association) SAFECON as a member of the planning committee. The proceeds from that competition netted $14,500, which the team decided to donate to Parks as the base of an endowed aviation scholarship with a challenge to aviation alumni to match the gift in order to reach the endowment level. Before the scholarship had much of a chance to become endowed, we lost Keavy. During homecoming this year, some of her classmates held a chili cook-off in honor of Keavy and raised almost enough, at that one event, to reach the minimum endowment level…then a few more of her young alumni classmates stepped forward to take the fund over the $25,000 level. Now on to the plan–Parks would like to host a gathering during the yearly homecoming weekend, a Friday evening fundraising event where alumni can enjoy each other’s company, while having fun and providing support for their favorite Parks “cause.” We have so much need for scholarships these days and we have funds, like Keavy’s, that need the oomph to get them over the endowment level or build them to an even higher level – the more the corpus, the more we can give to students. So, bottom line, we are hoping that you LOVE this idea and participate on the planning of the event, please call me at 314910-3555 or email me at blooms@slu.edu. If not and you’d like to attend and bring your check book, please keep your eye out for the annual homecoming invitation next summer and we will see you there! Keavy will love you for it! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Development Director
We want to hear from you. Submit class notes to Laura Wheeler. Email to: wheeler@slu.edu. Mail to: Saint Louis University 3450 Lindell Blvd. McDonnell Douglas Hall St. Louis, Mo. 63103 Attn: Laura Wheeler
(photographed right) WINTER ‘11
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