Introducing
Gallogly Hall
ROVER CHALLENGE Student Team Wins NASA Rover Competition
GALLOGLY HALL Advancing the Oklahoma Biomedical Engineering Landscape
WOMEN ENGINEERS Changing the Face of Engineering
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The University of Oklahoma Gallogly College of Engineering DEAN Thomas L. Landers, Ph.D., P.E., AT&T Chair PHOTOGRAPHY Jawanza Bassue, Karen Kelly, Hugh Scott and Sarah Warren DESIGN AND LAYOUT University Printing Services, Sarah Warren and Karen Kelly COVER PHOTO: The architectural rendering of Gallogly Hall INSIDE COVER PHOTO Quang Nguyen, 2015-2016 GCoE Outstanding Senior, leads graduates during the May 2016 convocation ceremony. BACK COVER PHOTO Evans Hall in a blanket of snow. OUENGINEER is published annually by the
University of Oklahoma Gallogly College of Engineering Communications Office. For more information, contact: KAREN KELLY Director of Communications 202 W. Boyd St., Rm. 104 Norman OK, 73019-1021 Phone: (405) 325-9037 www.ou.edu/coe engineering@ou.edu This publication, printed by OU Printing Services, is issued by the University of Oklahoma Gallogly College of Engineering. 5,000 copies have been prepared and distributed at no cost to the taxpayers of the State of Oklahoma. Š 2017 University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma, in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, age, religion, disability, political beliefs, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes, but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid and educational services. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Bobby J. Mason, University Equal Opportunity Officer and Title IX Coordinator, (405) 325-3546, bjm@ou.edu, or visit www. ou.edu/eoo. For accommodations, please contact the Gallogly College of Engineering at (405) 325-9037.
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EVOLVE
CONTENTS
FEATURES
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Rover Challenge
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Introducing Gallogly Hall
UPDATES
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Research
Welcome From the Dean With each January comes a new academic semester and a sense of optimism and possibility. It is also a time of reflection, as we look back at our achievements and celebrate the people—
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College News
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students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends—who have helped us pursue excellence. In this winter issue of OU Engineer, I am pleased to share the architectural rendering of Gallogly Hall, future home of the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering and the
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Diversity and Inclusion Program. I am proud to share the success of the Sooner Rover Team, which faced competitors that included the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NASA. Their coordinated competition
Students
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coupled team members in the command center in Norman with the Mars Rover vehicle at the NASA Rock Yard in Houston. This type of team experience is invaluable to our students as they graduate with a proven track record of collaboration, critical thinking and problem
Alumni and Friends
solving. Our faculty members continue to pursue excellence, both in the lab and classroom. From Professors Harrison and Resasco, who are working to develop non-invasive cancer therapies,
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Giving Update
Hazem Refai and his efforts to enhance the patient hospital experience through a wireless environment, and Amy Cerato's research on helical support piles to one-day provide a more solid foundation for structures in earthquake prone areas, our faculty members continue to impact our lives for the better. You will enjoy our story on the changing face of engineering. We look forward to graduating an increasing number of women, aided by our extracurricular Women in Engineering Program.
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In Memoriam
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Class Notes
I hope you enjoy this edition of OU Engineer.
Thomas L. Landers Dean and AT&T Chair
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ROVER CHALLENGE WHEN THE SOONER ROVER TEAM TRAVELED TO THEIR FIRST-EVER COMPETITION, THEY HOPED THEY WOULD PERFORM WELL AGAINST THE OTHER EIGHT COMPETITORS, INCLUDING TEAMS FROM MIT AND NASA. THEY COULD NEVER ANTICIPATE THEIR WINNING SCORE WOULD BE HIGHER THAN THE SCORES OF ALL THE OTHER TEAMS COMBINED. The University of Oklahoma’s Sooner Rover Team took top honors in NASA’s Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage Robo-Ops Challenge, besting seven other universities around the nation. Besides bragging rights, the team won $6,000 in prize money. Last October, teams received $10,000 from NASA to build a remotely operated planetary rover prototype. Each group competed with their rovers at NASA Johnson Space Center’s Rock Yard in Houston, an environment similar to the Red Planet. Teams were required to control their creations from afar, simulating astronaut-guided rover exploration over long distances. Cameras transmitted video from the rovers back to the universities’ “mission control centers.” The teams relied on these video feeds, complete with communications delays, to serve as the rover’s “eyes and ears.” The Sooner Rover Team directed their rover, affectionately named “Rovie
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McRoverface,” from OU in Norman and blasted the competition with a score totaling more than the combined scores of their seven collegiate competitors.
“Instead of NASA’s traditional box structure, our rover used a spine, which is more robust and capable of handling obstacles,” Justus explained. “With this design, OU brought a giant caterpillar to a jeep competition.”
Associate Dean John Antonio also was on site to welcome the team home. “As the first OU team whose plan was accepted into the contest and on behalf of all the college’s faculty, staff and students, you have made us so very proud,” Antonio told the team. “Innovation drives competition, and competition drives innovation. You have inspired us all.”
Justus credits the development and success of the rover to the hard work and long nights that all the teammates contributed over several months.
Rovie McRoverface, named by a popular vote, was based on a design from an '80s-era Russian lunar rover.
Nathan Justus, aerospace engineering senior in the Gallogly College of Engineering, is chief engineer of OU’s nine-member team, which includes Bill Doyle, Jacob Jordan, Dane Schoelen, Brent Wolf, Timothy Turner, Eric Handry, Alex Bordering and Brian Brown. Professor David Miller served as faculty sponsor and coach. During the competition, most of the team remained on the OU campus, remotely controlling the rover, while Justus and another teammate watched in person at the Rock Yard.
“This group is incredibly self-motivated,” Miller said. “I supplied some ideas and gave them feedback, but almost all of the implementation and details of the design have come from them.” The rover’s performance at the Rock Yard was only part of the score. Teams also were evaluated on their outreach efforts to help spark interest from students and the public in human and robotic planetary exploration. The Sooner Rover Team went to high school robot competitions, conducted demonstrations on campus and kept an active Facebook page tracking their progress. Elementary schools even tuned in live to watch Rovie’s performance. The Sooner Rover returned to campus to cheers from admiring faculty, staff and students, and proudly returned Rovie to his home base in the ExxonMobil Rawl Engineering Practice Facility.
Visit bit.ly/SoonerRover to watch full and condensed versions of the winning competition.
The 2016 Inaugural Sooner Rover Team. Bottom row, from left: Brent Wolf, Barry Bosnyak, Cody Laxton, Griffin Lydahl, Jacob Jordan, Ashley Findley, Aaron Condreay and Zane McCarter. Middle row: John Savage, Cameron Greer, Zach Zuroski, Robin Cullen and Dylan Sudbury. Top row: Alexander Borgerding, Bill Doyle, Matthew Solcher, Sumantra Adi, Dane Schoelen, Kevin Cotrone and Trent DeClouette.
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Introducing
Gallogly Hall HOME OF THE STEPHENSON SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AND THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION PROGRAM
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FOREVER ALTERING THE LANDSCAPE OF THE OU ENGINEERING QUAD AND THE OKLAHOMA BIOMEDICAL INDUSTRY
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A Building for Everyone EXPLORE GALLOGLY HALL Gallogly Hall, situated on the Engineering Quad between Felgar Hall and the ExxonMobil Lawrence G. Rawl Engineering Practice Facility, will primarily provide Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering students and faculty with world-class biomedical engineering facilities to learn, study and research. The 70,000 square -foot building also will benefit students throughout the Gallogly College of Engineering, housing the offices of the college's Diversity and Inclusion program, 10 classrooms and teaching labs, group meeting spaces, a maker's space, a rooftop terrace, and a large "living room". All undergraduate students throughout the University taking chemistr y through the College of Ar ts and Sciences also will benefit from Gallogly Hall, with the second floor dedicated to bench chemistr y labs. "We are confident that this will provide a valuable learning space to OU students, while also bringing students into the Engineering Quad who hadn't previously considered an engineering degree path," said Dean Tom Landers.
Engineering meets medicine. Innovation meets history. Big challenges meet bigger ideas.
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A New Undergraduate Program In 1999, the Gallogly College of Engineering received a $1 million Special Oppor tunity Grant from the Whitaker Foundation to create interdisciplinar y graduate programs in biomedical engineering, launching the OU Biomedical Engineering Center. Graduate classes were first offered in 2003. Since that time, 45 master ’s students and 24 doctoral candidates have graduated.
courses, science classes (zoology, physiology and organic chemistr y), public speaking and other courses that will build professional development skills. As they progress through their coursework, students will begin to build on previous engineering and life sciences classes to truly integrate engineering with biology and medicine. Four th-year students will par ticipate in a twosemester team capstone design experience.
Even before the launch of the OU Biomedical Engineering Center, the college has conducted impor tant biomedical engineering research for decades.
Undergraduate students will be able to fur ther individualize their curriculum by selecting core Prospective students participated in an Engineering areas, which provide pathways to Days brain-mapping exercise with Stephenson School advanced biomedical engineering of Biomedical Engineering associate professor Lei courses and research. The Ding (not pictured). core areas are biomechanics; With the establishment of the molecular, cellular and tissue Stephenson School, the Gallogly College of Engineering engineering; biomedical micro- and nano-technology ; welcomed its first undergraduate students in fall 2016. bioimaging; biotranspor t; and neural engineering. The majority are honors students, including National Merit Scholars. They are a testament to the diverse trends "The interest we are seeing in the new biomedical in biomedical engineering – more than 50 percent are engineering undergraduate degree is simply female and just over 10 percent are Native Americans. phenominal," said Dean Tom Landers. "We are confident that this is meeting an impor tant need for future OU Students will benefit from a dynamic, multidisciplinar y engineers and is helping us recruit outstanding students program that considers the diverse skills biomedical from across the countr y." engineers need in their careers. The curriculum includes standard engineering and computer science
B.S.
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M.S.
43% / 25%
Ph.D. 39% / 23%
Female Biomedical Engineering Graduates - Nationwide Female Graduates in all Engineering Disciplines - Nationwide Biomedical Engineering continues to be an engineering discipline that attracts a diverse group of students, especially female students. More than 50 percent of the first Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering underclass are female.
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Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
Laureate Institute for Brain Research
OU-Tulsa Campus
OU Health Sciences Center and Stephenson Cancer Center
Other schools within the Gallogly College of Engineering OU Price College of Business
OU College of Arts and Sciences
Stephenson Research and Technology Center
Impact to Oklahoma The Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering is uniquely positioned to enhance collaboration throughout the Oklahoma biomedical community, across multiple OU campuses and with private industr y. Through game -changing research and collaborations, SBME is putting Oklahoma on the biomedical engineering map.
Collaboration is Good Medicine If faculty and students can be considered the vital organs of the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, then collaborations are aptly the veins. The school's ongoing par tnerships with other bioscience and medical entities are often cited as top reasons for its inevitable success. The OU Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology are less than 25 miles nor th of the school's home on the Norman campus, and a straight shot on I-35. The OU-Tulsa campus, University of Tulsa and the Laureate Institute for Brain Research are within a two-hour drive. Biomedical engineering undergraduates Gillian Wall and Jesse Farrand both cited proximity as one of the reasons they chose the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering. Wall said she considered a program in an
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adjoining state, but didn’t want to travel up to eight hours roundtrip between the campus and medical school, for clinical research. Graduate student Needa Virani travels to the OU Health Sciences Center at least two times a week for her nanopar ticles and cancer research. “Physician input is valuable to our research,” Virani said. “Having a medical school nearby makes it easier to conduct clinical trials and get immediate input from team members.” The par tnership with the Health Sciences Center is mutually advantageous. “ We can expand their technical capabilities and they make our technologies more practical and useful,” said director of the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, Michael Detamore. He described several scenarios where biomedical engineering assists the medical community.
One situation is where a physician has an existing problem and asks a biomedical engineer to help design a solution. Another is where a biomedical engineer comes up with a new idea to overcome a barrier or improve a medical procedure.
these types of interactions at the hors d'oeuvres table. You get to talking to the person next to you and new ideas emerge.”
Just as the genesis for collaboration can develop from a formal meeting to the “chance” conversation, there “ The physician are numerous may have not oppor tunities for considered that par tnerships. A few device —may examples for SBME have not even include faculty known it was working on research an option,” projects, receiving Detamore national grants said. “But once from the National the engineer Institutes of presents the Health, developing technology and new intellectual the conversations proper ty that can begin, it could become licensing be shaped into a oppor tunities Doctoral student Needa Virani's cancer research is one of many projects within viable solution.” for companies, the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering that benefits from the school's For example, creating new star tcollaborative atmosphere. Detamore holds up companies and multiple patents on a device for car tilage regeneration jobs, and nur turing undergraduate projects, side projects that was iteratively refined via collaborations with or major design projects. or thopedic surgeons. Detamore emphasized that “100 percent of our faculty have translational research interests “ These effor ts will elevate the development of biomedical and collaborations with physicians.” engineering in the region — from an educational perspective, as well as from a research and faculty Another scenario is what Detamore calls “serendipity by development perspective,” Detamore said. “Our intent is design.” to develop a culture that seeks par tnerships and looks for oppor tunities within private, government and academic “Put people in the right place — a symposium, conference, organizations to fur ther technology advancements in professional meeting—and ideas and collaborations will health care.” naturally emerge,” Detamore explained. “I’ve even had
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Faces of Biomedical Engineering at OU Michael Detamore, Ph.D. Director, Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering and Stephenson Chair In 2016, the Gallogly College of Engineering welcomed Michael Detamore as the inaugural director of the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering. Detamore brings a proven histor y of leadership and scholarship in biomedical engineering. Among his many notable accomplishments, he is the recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the Coulter Foundation Translational Research Award. He holds four patents, has authored more than 100 journal ar ticles, and was a Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor at NUI Galway in Ireland in 2011. Most recently, Detamore helped establish a bioengineering graduate program at the University of Kansas. He has a passion for biomedical research and the unique and meaningful way it intersects with people’s lives. His research specialty is translational regenerative medicine, meaning he works with physicians to develop better technologies to treat patients. Detamore currently is pursuing several research projects. One is a technology that would allow surgeons to better treat patients with traumatic brain injur y. Another is a group of patented technologies for car tilage regeneration to treat patients with impact injuries and prevent osteoar thritis from developing. He has taken an interest in hearing research, and has patented technology for conver ting umbilical cord stem cells into cells that help with hearing in the cochlea. He also co-invented a trachea patch to treat small children with narrowed air ways, which will allow a surgeon to open up the air way and secure it with the patch. He has applied the same ambitious drive he puts toward his research to his new task of leading the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering. In his first 100 days as the school’s inaugural director, he was tasked with establishing the infrastructure in the new undergraduate program, creating an advisor y board, welcoming the inaugural undergraduate class, and continuing a longstanding relationship with the OU Biomedical Engineering Center – recently renamed the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Technology. He plans to expand the culture of collaboration already embedded into the DNA of biomedical engineering effor ts at OU. Connections between OU campuses, the University of Tulsa, the Laureate Institute for Brain Research, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and private companies in the medical technologies and health care industries are not only good for the program, its researchers and students, but also for the state. In addition, collaborative effor ts between the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, Stephenson Cancer Center and Stephenson Research and Technology Center continue to honor Charles and Peggy Stephenson’s battle cr y to make Oklahoma a front line in the fight against cancer.
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“ There is a wealth of vision provided by those who established the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering,” Detamore said. “Our imagination is our only limit, and I am excited to be par t of it.” Detamore is now at work growing the school and planning for the future. “ The Stephenson and Gallogly donations, guided by Dean Landers and several others, envision a plan that includes hiring faculty to fur ther develop our three areas of existing strengths: biomedical imaging, nanomedicine and neural engineering,” Detamore said. His goal is to expand the school to 15 faculty, including professors of practice, in the coming years. “ We are hiring the next generation of folks who will lead this field,” Detamore said. “It is a really exciting time.” Detamore sees a future for the Stephenson School that includes hosting biomedical symposiums, which make OU a nation-wide hub for impor tant collaborations, growing the faculty and achieving a top-40 national ranking. The ultimate aim of biomedical engineering is to help people. And it is people whom Michael Detamore sees and values. He understands that people will be the ones to lead the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering to its vast potential.
"WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO ACCOMPLISH OUR SCHOOL’S AMBITIOUS VISION? THE RIGHT PEOPLE: STAFF, STUDENTS AND FACULTY. WHEN WE BRING IN THE RIGHT PEOPLE, THEY WILL LEAD US TO NEW HEIGHTS."
‘ What does it take to accomplish our school’s ambitious vision?” Detamore asked. “ The right people: staff, students and faculty. When we bring in the right people, they will lead us to new heights in terms of student awards, interaction with par tners around the region and major research centers. Success will follow naturally.”
Jesse Farrand Sophomore, Biomedical Engineering Edmond, Oklahoma Jesse Farrand began his college career as a double major in bioengineering and electrical engineering. After spending time at Arizona State University, the National Merit Scholar decided to enroll at the University of Oklahoma and major in biomedical engineering with an emphasis on neural engineering. “Ever y day, biomedical engineers are creating things that were once considered science fiction,” Farrand said. For example, when Farrand first became interested in bioengineering, scientists had just introduced a neural prosthetic arm that could be controlled with muscle contractions. “ The fine motors skills were poor, but it was a phenomenal device that gave a patient more options,” he recalled. “Five years later, you can watch a video where the person with a prosthetic arm can pick up a glass and describe what it feels like.” (Continued on next page)
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Farrand also would like to work in neural prosthetics. In addition, he is considering neuroimaging or modifying brain behavior through neural modulations. Just like the prosthetic arm, Farrand imagines a time when scientists, after better understanding how the brain works, could decipher a thought by analyzing brain activity. Currently, he is working with assistant professor Han Yuan in the beginning stages of assessing cognitive impairment and memor y loss using EEG and near-infrared spectroscopy. Farrand’s career goal is to get a doctorate in bioengineering and work in research and development for a medical device business. When asked to imagine in 20 years what biomedical device now considered science fiction could be a reality, Farrand thoughtfully replied, “I guess that is why it is called science fiction. It seems so out of reach until all of the sudden you realize, ‘Oh my gosh we can do this now.’”
Needa Virani Biomedical Engineering, PhD. Candidate Atlanta Studying biomedical engineering offers many students like Needa Virani the best of both worlds. They have a desire to work in medicine, but also want to engineer solutions to help solve barriers to effective medicine. “I always knew I wanted to do something medical-based, but I didn’t want to become a doctor,” Virani explained. “I wanted to develop the medicine behind it.” Virani is a University of Oklahoma graduate student studying nanomedicine research with Roger Harrison, a professor in the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering and the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering. She earned her undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering, with a nanomedicine research focus, from the the Georgia Institute of Technology. She came to OU in 2013 before the biomedical engineering program was established. “It was Dr. Harrison who convinced me to come to OU,” Virani said. “It is exciting to be here at the prime of a growing program to see how it develops. I wouldn’t have this experience at another institute.” Virani’s undergraduate work focused on imaging, while her work at OU is more concentrated on therapy and nanomedicine. “I really like the idea that you can apply nanomedicine for a large variety of things,” Virani said. She is working with Harrison on several nanopar ticle therapies using thermal therapy to combat bladder and skin cancers. Low doses of nanotubes injected directly into the bladder rapidly bind only to cancer cells. The nanotubes are then briefly heated by an infrared light. The heat kills a significant number, or in many cases completely wipes out, cancer cells— without harming healthy cells or surrounding tissue. The team also is testing the patented therapy using radio waves for deeper tissues such as breast, ovarian, and brain cancers. “It has a lot of promise looking at the preliminar y results,” Virani said. She is also collaborating with Hong Liu, Center for Advanced Medical Imaging director, on an imaging-based project. Virani describes biomedical engineering as “the jack of all engineering fields.” She took electrical, mechanical and industrial classes to understand how the disciplines could be applied to biomedicine. “ The most exciting thing for me is the integration between engineering and medicine,” Virani explained. “Biomedical engineering is the mediation between the two fields. Moving for ward, anything for cures or diagnostics is going to come from someone who can actually understand what a clinician wants and what an engineer can develop.”
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Gillian Wall Freshman Biomedical Engineering Bentonville, Arkansas Gillian Wall believes ever y biomedical engineering student has a stor y that propels them toward the major. Her stor y just happens to be one that exceeds general fascination. “I have a soft spot for biomedical engineering, par ticularly neuroscience, because I saw my mother have a brain aneurism when I was 7 years old,” Wall explained. Through watching the team of physicians help her mother and the long recover y process, Wall became interested in the emerging science. “ When the vein ruptured, my mother had to have open brain surger y to clip the aneur ysm,” Wall said. “ That meant she had to have par t of her skull replaced with a titanium metal plate and screws.” Anytime there is neurosurger y, there is a risk of secondar y brain swelling from the procedure. That is why Wall finds the University of Oklahoma’s Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering Director Michael Detamore’s research on a hardening paste par ticularly fascinating. The paste can be applied to the cranium and then hardened with a light process. The paste is still flexible to allow the brain to swell, while hard enough to protect the brain and maintain the shape of the cranium. “ This would have greatly reduced the risk for my mother ’s surger y,” Wall said. “I want to be a par t of creating technology like this.” Growing up in Bentonville, Ark ansas, Wall considered the University of Ark ansas. Her mother, an OU alum, convinced Wall to apply to her alma mater with a major in chemical engineering and a biomedical option. Wall was surprised to discover the new option for a biomedical engineering major. “ There is no better time to be a biomedical engineering student at OU,” Wall said. “ The OU Health Sciences Center is near the Norman campus, which makes it easy for research collaboration. There is solid suppor t from faculty and administration. And, the Stephenson’s announcement for suppor ting the program showed how much of a priority and how much they believe in advancing biomedical engineering.” During her fall semester, Wall began experiencing intense migraines and left-side weakness, along with other neurological anomalies. Her doctors ran brain scans, concerned that she was experiencing a brain aneurism like her mother. “A decade later, technology has come so far that my angiogram was a special MRI that provided the same information much faster and left my skull intact,” Wall explained. Wall did not have a brain aneur ysm. She was diagnosed with chronic migraines. “I have experienced firsthand how brain trauma can affect a person,” Wall said. “It is exciting to think that as a biomedical engineer, I can design technology that can help other people with brain injuries.”
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Changing the Face of Engineering By Becky Cavnar It’s no secret that men outnumber women in engineering education and practice. The National Science Foundation reports that only 18.3 percent of engineering and computer-related degrees in 2014 were awarded to women, and that percentage has remained virtually stagnate for more than a decade. But at the OU Gallogly College of Engineering, professors, administration and students – both women and men – are working to balance the field, dispel myths and change the face of engineering. While statistics have always reported women as a minority in the industry, according to the 2015 NSF report, OU Engineering consistently enrolls more female engineering students (24 percent) than the national average (21 percent).
Proudly supporting the advancement and achievement of women in engineering.
Explanations for the vast gender gap vary. Maybe women aren’t encouraged to pursue STEM-related studies. Maybe they lack confidence in science and math skills. Whatever the reason for the disparity, OU women engineering students continue to close the gender gap.
Supporting Engineering’s Future A new initiative, the OU Women in Engineering Program, launched this fall, serves as a hub for six organizations that serve and support female students in the Gallogly College of Engineering and the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy. One of the primary goals of WiE is to change the face of engineering at OU. John Antonio, GCoE senior associate dean, said, “We want to be the first public university to realize an engineering student body comprised of 50 percent women.” In order to raise funds for the new program, last spring, WiE was one of the first to use OU's new online crowdfunding platform, Thousands Strong. Alumni, faculty, staff and current students helped raise $20,000, exceeding their goal of $12,000 and demonstrating an affinity for the program and its success.
Mentorship | Scholarships | Women’s Welcome Freshman Interest Groups | Women’s Retreat Student Organization Support | K-12 Outreach
Learn more about WiE www.ou.edu/coe/wie Find us on social media OUWomenInENG
The college embraces diversity and strives to foster an environment that includes perspectives from different genders, races and cultures. The Diversity and Inclusion Program and the newly formed Women in Engineering Program are examples of staff-supported programs for women and underrepresented groups. Additionally, there are several multicultural and women’s groups to further support women and minorities in engineering and the sciences. These organizations not only encourage engineering education and involvement, they also provide resources to support retention and job placement. Syleste Davis, senior industrial and systems engineering student, has played active leadership roles in these and other organizations, focusing on encouraging and inspiring women and other minorities. She was a student director in the GCoE
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Diversity and Inclusion’s Multicultural Engineering Program, chair of OU’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and has attended several national conferences, with one resulting in an internship offer. For Davis, being part of the comradery of OU’s engineering culture has played almost as important a role as her engineering courses.
Syleste Davis “Growing up, my family’s motto was ‘You’re an engineer until proven otherwise,’ so I always knew engineering was in my future,” Davis said. “But being part of the OU Gallogly College of Engineering continues to encourage and support me in ways I never expected. I’ve grown into the engineer my family always knew I could be – maybe better.” One of the ways the GCoE has been most supportive for Davis, she said, is never making her feel different because of her gender or race. Although she is aware of the low statistics of women in engineering education and the workforce, she doesn’t notice them at OU. “OU makes a concerted effort to bring women to the table both in organizations as well as classrooms,” Davis said. “My perspective as a woman is just as important, and I feel my professors and mentors value that.”
Getting Your Hands Dirty While the industry can stereotype what kind of engineer a woman should be, the college encourages women, and all students, to literally take a hands-on approach to their learning. Many OU engineering females roll up their shirt sleeves and dive into manufacturing, building and designing on several of the college’s competition teams. Junior mechanical engineering student Anna Mullen is chief of manufacturing on the Sooner Off Road team, a crew composed of nearly 50 percent women. Mullen understands that it’s not her gender that Anna Mullen matters. It’s her engineering knowledge, welding expertise and ability to be part of a team that are major contributors to the team’s success. “If I’ve ever felt intimidated, it was when I first started on the team and my skill level wasn’t as good as older team members,” Mullen said. “But we all have to start at the beginning in order to get better – even the men.” While women are making great strides in engineering and have opportunities to contribute to the growing profession, Mullen understands that it’s a challenge that she and her fellow female engineers are fighting to overcome and she invites more women to join her.
As a volunteer with Haliburton Women’s Welcome, Mullen encourages women at the beginning of their engineering journey to learn as much as they can, become involved and get to know faculty, staff and fellow students. Through programs like these and support from more experienced classmates, female students have a reinforcing network for learning, growing and getting prepared to excel in the workforce. “Many women have approached me about joining the Sooner Off Road team simply because we have more women in our crew,” Mullen said. “We are always looking for great teammates, but I encourage them not to be intimidated to look at other teams that may interest them. Women have a lot to offer engineering, and they contribute to the success of our teams.”
Boldly Overcoming Challenges While OU fosters a nurturing environment for women in engineering, professors and administrators try to prepare women students for the challenges they may face in the workforce. Women continue to be a minority, and the pay gap and lack of management opportunities still exist. However, professors and fellow students encourage women to be leaders in their positions and advocate for change and equality. “Being the first woman to do anything is important,” said Jacki Bradshaw, senior mechanical engineering student. “But being the second and third and fourth and so on plays an almost bigger role in contributing to the success of women in engineering. We have to support each other to keep moving forward together.” Bradshaw, active in OU’s Society of Jacki Bradshaw Women Engineers chapter since her freshman year, recently attended the organization’s 2016 national conference. She was impressed and inspired that several OU male engineering students were in attendance as well as the women. But their participation wasn’t surprising. Bradshaw notes that OU’s male engineering population, especially Tom Landers, dean of the GCoE, is one of OU women engineers’ biggest advocates. “It’s important to have both male and female perspectives to create balanced, sustainable change,” Bradshaw said. “We want to work in a collaborative work environment, one that recognizes and respects the contributions of both men and women. And we want to do that standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our male coworkers.” As engineering’s future, women students in OU’s Gallogly College of Engineering are answering the call to create a more inclusive industry for all genders, races and cultures. With the support and encouragement from professors, administration and the college’s organizations, they are changing the face of engineering one woman at a time.
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Big Idea:
Q. How can doctors help their patients get a more restful stay in the hospital? A. Unplug the wires. By Ginnie Graham | Reprinted with permission from Sooner Magazine Hazem Refai envisions a hospital one day without wires. Patients will roam halls and be more comfortable in their rooms. Doctors would be alerted to heart rates, blood pressure and hormone levels in real time. Nurses won't have to wake up patients every hour to take vital signs. Even in an intensive care unit, the complicated system of wires to monitors will be gone. After discharge, patients can sync implanted devices to smart phones. Parents can track conditions of their children, such as glucose or breathing function, through their wireless gadgets.
doctorate in 1999. He sought an OU education after his uncle moved to Oklahoma City years earlier to practice cardiology at Integris Baptist Hospital. A digital chess game Refai witnessed in 1983 sparked his interest in electrical engineering and electronics. He asked a college student how it worked. "He said, 'It has a computer in it. So, you are playing against the computer.' Oh, I needed to know more about this. That is what attracted me to this field. I did not have a plan at all in electronics," Refai says. "You can now have artificial intelligence in machines respond to actions taken. I was fascinated by that, literally."
"First, information gets sent directly Refai is familiar with the to your doctor, medical field; his uncle and immediately and two of his brothers a nurse can see are physicians. Among the stress and call physics and engineering someone in," says books lining his office Refai, the founder bookshelves are biology and director of the and medical texts. Center for Wireless Electromagnetic "I find myself learning Compliance and every day. Not just new Design at the wireless technology University of because wireless evolves Oklahoma-Tulsa. very fast, but also "Second, there are biomedical," he says. the logistics of a At the heart of his research person sitting in Hazem Refai, left, and OU doctoral student Mohammad Omar Al Kalaa is accessibility to the examine graphs of wireless traffic distributions and data collected by bed with all these unlicensed bandwidth instruments on the table before them. wires. You remove opened by the FCC for that, then, it becomes medical use, among others. Wireless kits for interfacing much easier to move patients and get data. electronic devices start at about $40, creating a competitive "Having said that, you have to validate that the communication is in existence, important alarms are sent to the right nurse and actions in response to those alarms are done in a timely fashion."
market for improving wireless medical tools.
There is no margin for error in the burgeoning industry of wireless medical devices. Ensuring this promise of safety keeps Refai, OU-Tulsa’s Williams Professor of Telecommunications Networking and Electrical and Computer Engineering, and his graduate students busy.
The research is teasing out better ways to share data between devices using various wireless technologies: WiFi, Bluetooth, and ZigBee technology.
A native of Syria, Refai received his graduate degrees from OU, a master's degree in electrical engineering in 1993 and
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"The spectrum is limited, and we are trying to embed more information in the same spectrum. So it is always evolving. You have to keep learning new techniques," Refai says.
"The devices operating in an environment might not be one standard. It's a heterogeneous network, not a homogeneous network," Refai says. "You have multiple technologies that operate in the same space. How do you evaluate if these systems can co-exist?"
One of Refai's projects is measuring the baseline of radio frequency activities that may look like noise in a hospital. The goal is to find where all these different technologies fit on the bandwidth spectrum. "Instead of noise we call it ‘channel utilization,’" he says. "There are five or six different aspects we are examining. It looks like noise, but it's an intelligent communication we have to identify in order to go around it. Ultimately, when you look at these, you can design things that co-exist. "My idea for the devices is to build a system that can sense the environment outside and adjust its parameters to be able to co-exist. That's the ultimate goal. What I'm doing now is interfacing and validating these systems so they can operate within that environment. "If you have tools to design these devices, then we have tools to evaluate how they operate. So, that is outreach to get companies to join a consortium for wireless coexistence testing ... We can validate and verify operations for these companies," Refai says. The testing process can be fun. Students and mentors have to think of every emergency scenario for challenging the devices, which must always work. "That's why the testing is atypical. You have to stress the system to test," Refai says. "A system in a typical scenario might pass. But, when you have a hurricane coming in, and people stressing the system, you want that device to operate at that time. In telecommunication, we talk about peak hours. You
have to communicate in peak hours. Here, you have to be assured your communication gets to its destination during stress times." In Tulsa, Refai and his graduate students have taken advantage of the Tandy Community Supercomputer to run analytics. The $3.5 million supercomputer takes up an entire floor in Tulsa’s City Hall and came from a 2013 initiative between the Oklahoma Innovation Institute and participating Oklahoma universities. The goal of the collaboration is to support a research industry in Tulsa that will create jobs. OU benefits by any patents created and by contracts with companies to evaluate and develop their products. Another project for Refai is with the Laureate Institute for Brain Research on functional MRI. The goal is to eliminate interfering signals resulting from normal biology, such as heart beats and eyes flickering, to allow psychiatrists to get a more accurate neurological reading. A wireless sensor in road infrastructure to help drivers avoid accidents and traffic jams also is in development by Refai and his students. The next wireless frontier involves light that Refai and his students are developing for mobile aerial and space communication. "One thing I do is cross disciplines," he says. "Ideas and thoughts into optical design, sending information using light waves instead of (radio frequency) wave. This is on the horizon - optical wireless." Ginnie Graham is a columnist for the Tulsa World.
Rural High School Teachers Participate in NSF-Supported Summer Program Six science and mathematics teachers from rural high schools in Oklahoma engaged in a National Science Foundationsupported summer program at OU’s Center for BioAnalysis in an effort to improve STEM teaching in rural classrooms and increase the number of rural students who select and successfully graduate from a higher education STEM field. “Combining the teaching expertise of the high school teachers with the research expertise of the faculty creates a powerful synergism for producing innovative and dynamic science curricula that directly impact current issues pertinent to rural Oklahoma communities,” said Mark Nanny, director of the Rural Educators Program and professor of environmental science in the Gallogly College of Engineering.
Oklahoma rural educators selected for the 2016 summer program were Arnold and Niccole Rech, Fort Towson High School; Ashley Rodriguez, Clinton High School; Sue Flaming, Foyil Junior High/High School; Joe Albrecht, Liberty High School; and Shawn Cusak, Northwest Technology Center. The program includes laboratory work, seminars on realworld applications of bioanalytical engineering, curricula development and design, and evaluation and assessment activities. Each educator is paired with a faculty mentor over seven weeks doing cutting-edge research in OU laboratories. Combined with engineering design methodology and application, the program provides opportunities for educators to enrich their teaching of these fundamental concepts, showing their students how knowledge in these fields can directly impact critical issues related to medicine, human health, energy resources and the environment. Among the research opportunities available to educators through this program are the design of personal anti-cancer drugs, environmental engineering, biocorrosion engineering, biofuel processing, fabrication of bioanalytical devices and advancement of computational methods.
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OU Researchers Develop Novel, Non-Invasive Cancer Therapy By Jana Smith A staggering 1.7 million persons in the United States were diagnosed with cancer in 2016, with 600,000 cases ending in death. University of Oklahoma researchers have collaborated to design a novel, non-invasive cancer therapy that could eliminate tumors without affecting the healthy cells in the body. The cancer therapy targets specific cancer cells using singlewalled carbon nanotubes that bind directly to the tumor, then are heated with near-infrared light. The OU photothermal therapy is most effective against shallow or surface tumors in breast, bladder, esophageal and melanoma cancers, without the adverse side effects of chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. The therapy was created by Roger G. Harrison, Jr. and Daniel E. Resasco, professors in the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, Gallogly College of Engineering. Harrison also is affiliated with the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering. Harrison’s expertise is protein design, production and purification, while Resasco focuses on nanostructured materials based on single-walled carbon nanotubes. “Single-walled carbon nanotubes are unique in that they strongly absorb near-infrared light in very narrow, but tunable, wavelength ranges, while biological systems have very low levels of absorption of near-infrared light,” said Harrison. “The targeting of single-walled carbon nanotubes to tumors and subsequent localized application of near-infrared light allows the selective elimination of tumors.” “Very few groups around the world are able to synthesize nanotubes which absorb light in a narrow range of wavelength,” said Resasco. “We have a unique method of synthesis that produces single-wall nanotubes with a narrow
From Left: Professors Roger G. Harrison, Jr. and Daniel E. Resasco. distribution of diameters and carbon atom arrangements, which causes this selective light absorption in the nearinfrared spectrum.” The new OU photothermal therapy consists of single-walled carbon nanotubes of tailored absorption wavelength injected into the blood stream, where proteins on the nanotubes selectively bind to blood vessels that supply a tumor. Within 24 hours, a laser light is applied to the tumor, causing the nanotubes to heat up, which causes the tumor to heat and be eliminated. The photothermal therapy has been tested and proven in the laboratory. The OU researchers already have one U.S. patent for this technology, and a second patent is nearing issuance. The OU Office of Technology Development and the inventors are actively seeking licensees for this novel therapy to move to clinical trials. For more information about this cancer therapy, contact Andrew Pollock, director of Business Development, at arpollock@ou.edu.
OU Professor Tests Earthquake-Resistant Foundations By Hallie Milner With certain areas of the United States now requiring seismic retrofits of homes and businesses to better withstand the violent shaking of earthquakes, University of Oklahoma professor Amy Cerato decided to travel to California to help shake things up. The researcher went to the University of California - San Diego in February to conduct a quantitative study on the behavior of helical piles in earthquakes—the first of its kind. Helical piles,
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which resemble large steel soil screws and are spun into the ground with a large torque motor, provide soil-bearing support through their slender shaft and round plated tips. Cerato, a Rapp Foundation Presidential Professor in the Gallogly College of Engineering’s School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, focuses her research on predicting expansive soil behavior and foundation design, making her the perfect candidate to conduct experiments involving new building foundation designs to minimize earthquake destruction.
Qualitative studies after the 2011 earthquake that shook the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, showed that buildings with helical piles as foundations withstood the shake with minimal damage. Despite building survival stories and observations in countries like New Zealand and Japan, building codes and structures in the United States have not adopted this practice, due to the lack of quantitative data. Helical piles have not been widely used in seismic areas of the United States since most buildings and houses are built on traditional concrete foundations. The lack of side-by-side comparisons of differing foundations left unanswered the question of why helical piles were more effective than other foundations. UCSD is home to the largest outdoor shake table in the world. Cerato’s team installed a laminar soil box, 15 feet tall by 22 feet long by 10 feet wide, on top of the table. They installed 10 instrumented helical piles to test their resilience to seismic activity. The team also placed inertial weights and a seismic skid on the piles, imitating the weight of a building.
Cerato attaches accelerometers to measure acceleration.
“It performed exactly like we thought it would in the analysis,” Cerato said. “People were telling me that all the weights were going to bang together and everything was going to shear off, but our analysis indicated that the helical piles were going to behave a specific way, and thankfully, everything went as planned.” Piles of various sizes and types were tested, including a push pile—the traditional cylindrical hollow steel member used to repair foundations. All the tests included a simulation of the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake and the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake in Kecho, Japan.
Helical piles.
“There was a lot of displacement of the soil around the piles, exactly what you would expect to happen in the real world,” said Cerato. “The helical piles held up very well. We tested helical piles through seven earthquakes today and nothing failed.” The collaboration between academics and manufacturing companies allowed for weeks of testing. Building materials were donated by manufacturing companies and Torcsill Foundations, a manufacturer and installer, came to the shake site to perform the installation. Other groups involved included the National Science Foundation and the Deep Foundation Institute. “History was made that day,” said M. Hesham El Naggar, professor at Western University in Ontario, Canada. “It was the first time helical piles have been tested this way, and they’ve done great.” Sensors gathered millions of data points during the tests that can be used to calibrate computer models to make future predictions of how helical piles will respond to seismic activity. Academic advisers, such as Cerato, can partner with state and local governments to design building codes using helical structures. The timing of this test was impeccable, since many areas in the United States are now requiring seismic retrofitting of buildings. Los Angeles recently passed an ordinance requiring approximately 15,000 buildings to be seismically retrofitted to minimize the chance of these buildings being displaced from their traditional concrete foundations. Cerato’s
Shake table shows skids loaded with sand to simulate fixed and pinned conditions. testing can be used to encourage the use of helical piles under existing buildings to create sturdier foundations in earthquakeprone areas. Cerato and her team’s next project will take her to the historic University of Canterbury in New Zealand, where she and her team will install full-sized helical piles under buildings in an active seismic zone. “We will monitor the piles’ behavior during actual earthquakes rather than man-made testing conditions,” Cerato said. “No one has data on an actual foundation system during a real earthquake, and we hope to be on the leading edge of finding it.
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Resasco Named Inaugural Gallogly Chair Daniel E. Resasco has served as a member of the University of Oklahoma School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering faculty since August of 1993 and holds the titles of Douglas and Hilda Bourne Chair, George Lynn Cross Professor of Engineering, and most recently, the inaugural Gallogly Chair. His list of achievements includes more than 40 patents, 250 publications and an average of nearly $1 million per year in research funding for the past five years. He has served on the executive committee for the International Congress on Catalysis and as the associate editor of the Journal of Catalysis since 2001. He worked as the senior scientist at Sun Company, Inc., and is the founder of SouthWest Nanotechnologies, Inc. Resasco has been recognized as the Oklahoma Chemist of the Year from the American Chemical Society and the Big 12 Rising Star Award from the Big 12 Center for Economic Development, Innovation, and Commercialization. Resasco earned his bachelor of science in chemical engineering from the Universidad Nacional del Sur in Argentina and his doctorate from Yale University, teaching at several locations, including the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata in Argentina, Yale University in the United States, and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, in addition to his service at the University of Oklahoma. Resasco most recently was featured in the American Association for Applied Sciences EurekAlert! highlighting his joint work with fellow faculty member Roger Harrison on non-invasive cancer therapy utilizing near-infrared light and single-walled carbon nanotubes, which do not produce the adverse side effects of chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. http://ou.edu/coe/resasco
Shirley Receives Annie Oakley Award Donna Shirley was honored with the Annie Oakley Society Award at the sixth annual Annie Oakley Society Luncheon on October 13 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Shirley, president of Managing Creativity, is a well-known manager, educator, speaker, consultant, and trainer on the management of creative teams. She retired in August 1998 as manager of the $150 million-a-year Mars Exploration Program after a 32-year career at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Prior to becoming manager of the Mars Exploration Program, Shirley From left: Jerry Holmes, Dane Schoelen, David Miller, Donna managed the team that built Sojourner, the microrover, which was Shirley, Tom Landers, Tricia Tramel and Susy Calonkey. landed by the highly successful Mars Pathfinder project on the surface of Mars on July 4, 1997. In 2003, she retired from the OU College of Engineering, where she was assistant dean and an instructor of aerospace and mechanical engineering. From 2002-2003, she was the founding director of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle, Washington. The Annie Oakley Society gathers annually to celebrate women who demonstrate the leadership and entrepreneurial spirit of the Great American West. Past Annie Oakley Society Award honorees include Sandra Day O’Connor, Reba McEntire, Nadia Comaneci, Admiral Michelle Howard, and Kristin Chenoweth.
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Class of 2016 Distinguished Graduates Three outstanding University of Oklahoma Gallogly College of Engineering alumni recently were recognized with the highest honor bestowed by the college: induction into the Distinguished Graduates Society. Michael Carolina, Mike Stice and Nancy Wallace were inducted during the college’s convocation ceremonies. The Gallogly College of Engineering established the Distinguished Graduates Society in 1990 to honor its most accomplished alumni. Selection is based upon distinguished professional or technical achievement, notable public service, support of education and contributions to the engineering profession. The 2016 inductees total 100 alumni in the Distinguished Graduates Society.
Michael Carolina
years in technical and managerial positions with ConocoPhillips in exploration, production, midstream, and gas marketing, including president of ConocoPhillips Qatar from 2006 to 2008. In 2009, Stice joined Chesapeake and served as president of Chesapeake Midstream Development and senior vice president of Natural Gas Projects for Chesapeake Energy. He retired in 2015 as chief executive officer of Access Midstream, formerly Chesapeake Midstream Partners. Stice serves on the boards of directors of Sandridge Energy, U.S. Silica and MarkWest Energy Partners. Previously, he served on the boards of visitors for the Gallogly College of Engineering and the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy.
Nancy Wallace
Wallace, who earned her Carolina, who industrial engineering earned his graduate degree from OU in 1982 degree from OU in and a master’s degree environmental science, in program and project is the executive director management from the of the Oklahoma Center Keller Graduate School for the Advancement of Business in 1999, of Science and retired from Hewlett Technology – the state’s Packard Enterprise, agency for technology where she served as development, the Americas Director technology transfer of Project Quality and technology and Contracts for commercialization. Technology Consulting. Prior to joining OCAST She was an advocate for in 2005, he held volunteerism initiatives management and within HP and provided executive positions with pro bono project the Western Electric management services Co., AT&T and Lucent on behalf of HP for Technologies. Carolina nonprofit organizations. serves on several Her notable past boards and advisory appointments include committees, including manufacturing the Oklahoma Medical From left: Michael Carolina, Nancy Wallace and Mike Stice at the May 2016 engineering manager Research Foundation, Gallogly College of Engineering Convocation ceremony. and senior customer Governor’s Science and program manager for Technology Council, Digital Equipment Corp., and practice principal and Mid-Atlantic Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Consulting manager for Compaq Computer Corp. Wallace serves Research Advisory Committee, Center for the Advancement on the Gallogly College of Engineering Board of Visitors as well of Science and Mathematics Education in Oklahoma, and the as the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering Advisory advisory board for the OU School of Electrical and Computer Board. She is a former member of the board of directors for the Engineering. American Indian Science and Engineering Society, a member Mike Stice of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Stice, who earned his chemical engineering degree from OU in Americans in Science, and holds professional certification as 1981, is the dean of OU’s Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy. a Project Management Professional, six sigma, and as a group Stice began his career in Oklahoma, serving for more than 25 exercise instructor.
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Gavia Receives Regents' Alumni Award Jennifer Gavia was one of fourteen exceptional University of Oklahoma alumni and friends who received a Regents’ Alumni Award for her dedication and service to OU in a ceremony on May 13, on the Norman campus. Gavia has been an active supporter of her alma mater since earning her bachelor of science in computer science in 2002. Originally recruited through the National Scholars program, as an undergraduate she received the Rita H. Lottinville Prize and was inducted into the engineering honor society, Tau Beta Pi. Through her service as chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board on Diversity in the Gallogly College of Engineering, Gavia has made it a priority to serve the university and the college. As an alumna of the Multicultural Engineering Program, which is now part of the college’s Diversity and Inclusion Program, she knows firsthand the impact of the program on students, and she is dedicated to seeing it prosper. Her leadership has played a vital role in the college’s Year of Diversity Celebration. In addition to her nine years of service on the Dean’s Advisory Board on Diversity, she also is a member of the Gallogly College Board of Visitors. Dedicated to guiding and encouraging students through their pursuit of an engineering degree, she spends countless hours mentoring and coaching students in person and virtually. In 2010, she and her husband, David Gavia, established a scholarship to provide financial assistance to engineering students from underrepresented groups. Gavia hosts recruiting and outreach events for prospective students and regularly visits campus to speak to classes and student societies. She knows that building a strong student community is critical to students’ success. She
Jennifer Gavia, 2016 Regents' Alumni Award recipient, with her husband, David, who received the award in 2014. actively encourages other alumni to connect and serve students through mentoring, resume critiques and financial support. She has 14 years of professional experience in upstream oil and gas and is currently an information technology manager for Newfield Exploration. Presented by the OU Board of Regents and OU Alumni Association, the Regents’ Alumni Award honors the important role of OU alumni and supporters to the life of the university. A committee formed by the Alumni Association selects the award recipients from nominations made by alumni, friends, and OU faculty and staff. Each year’s recipients receive a plaque and their names are engraved on a permanent plaque in Oklahoma Memorial Union.
Raman Inducted Into Hall of Fame Shivakumar Raman was one of 12 inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Oct. 26 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Raman has taught more than 2,000 undergraduate students and mentored more than 60 graduate students on their theses since joining the OU School of Industrial and Systems Engineering in 1988 and has garnered more than $7.5 million in funded research. He transformed manufacturing education in Oklahoma and provided support to the manufacturing community as science committee chair for the North American Manufacturing Research Institute of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
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For his ability to capture the imagination of students and to advance manufacturing technology, Raman has been named a Sam R. Noble Foundation Presidential Professor, a David Ross Boyd Professor and the John A. Myers Professor in Engineering. Raman obtained his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Walchand College of Engineering in India, and his advanced degrees in industrial engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington and Pennsylvania State University. He was hired as an assistant professor at OU in 1988, became an associate professor in 1994, and was promoted to full professor in 1999. He currently serves as the interim director of the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Pursuing Excellence The 2016 J.H. Felgar Society marked the second year the Gallogly College of Engineering presented the Pursuit of Excellence Award. The distinction is among the highest recognition the college awards, and is presented to one undergraduate student, graduate student, faculty member and staff member every year. Named after Jim Gallogly's famous challenge to pursue excellence, the Pursuit of Excellence Award honors those who regularly and selflessly serve the college with excellence in all they do. Congratulations, 2016 Pursuit of Excellence awardees.
Edgar O'Rear, III, Ph.D.
Edgar O'Rear III, Ph.D. Faculty Awardee School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering Professor O’Rear was recognized for his outstanding and pioneering research in surfactant science and biomedical engineering. Along with his award-winning research, he is an award-winning teacher. He dedicated many years to directing the OU Bioengineering Center, and is still an important contributor to the OUBC. Along with his passionate and dedicated service to the college, professor O’Rear is a passionate patron of the arts, and serves on the board of the OU Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.
Needa Virani Graduate Student Awardee
Needa Virani
Needa Virani is pursuing her doctorate in biomedical engineering, with a research focus in cancer and nanomedicine. She helped establish and serves as president of the OU student chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society. It was because of Virani's passionate advocacy that a number of OU students attended the 2016 national Biomedical Engineering Society meeting in Minneapolis.
Dane Schoelen Undergraduate Student Awardee Dane Schoelen is a mechanical engineering senior from Norman. He is an Oklahoma Regents Scholar, maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average. As project lead, Schoelen was instrumental in the success of the Sooner Rover Team, which won the NASA Robo Ops Competition in its first year of competing. He also serves as a Gallogly College Ambassador to K-12 students interested in STEM programs.
Dane Schoelen
Kristi Boren Staff Awardee Kristi Boren is the executive assistant to Dean Landers and has served Gallogly College for more than 13 years. She is known for her selfless and unmatched dedication to the college. She aspires to achieve excellence in her important role, while managing to stay positive and encouraging to all.
Kristi Boren
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New Faculty Members Join the Engineering Family School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Chung-Hao Lee
Assistant Professor Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Hamidreza Shabgard Assistant Professor Ph.D., University of Connecticut
Keith Walters
Professor Ph.D., Clemson University
Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering
Rachel Childers
Assistant Professor of Practice Ph.D., The Ohio State University
Michael Detamore SBME Director and Professor Ph.D., Rice University
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Paul Moses
Assistant Professor Ph.D., Curtin University of Technology, Australia
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Yuchen Qiu
Assistant Professor Ph.D., University of Oklahoma
Marc Moore
Assistant Professor of Practice Ph.D., University of Florida
School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering
Keisha Walters
Conoco/Dupont Professor of Chemical Engineering Ph.D., Clemson University
OU Honored With National Award for Diversity and Inclusion Efforts
From left: Jabar Shumate, OU vice president for the University Community; Lisa Morales, executive director of diversity and inclusion for the Gallogly College of Engineering's Diversity and Inclusion Program; Tom Landers, dean of the Gallogly College of Engineering; OU President David L. Boren; Lenore Pearlstein, publisher for INSIGHT Into Diversity; OU Student Government Association President Daniel Pae; George Henderson, first African-American professor in the state to be named to an endowed chair and first black dean of an OU degree-granting college; and Amanda Cobb-Greetham, director of the newly created OU Department of Native American Studies. The University of Oklahoma is a recipient of the 2016 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award, which is the only national award that honors individual institutions for being outstanding examples of colleges or universities that are committed to making diversity and inclusion a top priority across their campuses. The award is given by INSIGHT Into Diversity, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. “The university is especially pleased to receive this award because it confirms our goal of being a truly inclusive university family where all feel welcomed,” said OU President David L. Boren. “All of the university community, students, faculty, staff and alumni have worked hard together to earn this recognition.” Earlier this year, the magazine honored Boren with its Giving Back Award, which honors presidents and chancellors of colleges and universities who go above and beyond their everyday leadership duties and “give back” to their campuses and communities.
The Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award measures an institution’s level of achievement and intensity of commitment in regard to broadening diversity and inclusion on campus through initiatives, programs and outreach; student recruitment, retention and completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff. Applications are comprehensive, covering all aspects of campus diversity and inclusion. To centralize oversight for all diversity programs within the university, including Admissions, OU has established the position of vice president for the university community which reports directly to the president. OU requires all incoming students to participate in the Diversity and Inclusivity Experience, a fivehour curriculum-based training. OU Norman campus minority enrollment rose this year, including an increase of more than 7.6 percent in freshman minority enrollment. It is the most diverse freshman class in the history of OU. All OU colleges have designated faculty or staff who address diversity, community and inclusion initiatives.
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COLLEGE NEWS
Water Activist Honored With OU International Water Prize By Lori Johnson Eric Stowe, founder and director of clean water company Splash, has been named the recipient of the 2017 International Water Prize. Stowe was selected by a panel of water experts from around the world and chosen for his innovative approach to providing clean water to children in impoverished countries. Sponsored by the University of Oklahoma Water Technologies for Emerging Regions Center, the International Water Prize is one of the first and largest prizes dedicated solely to the field of water supply and sanitation in remote areas of emerging regions. The award honors an individual who has made significant contributions in these areas, particularly communities in rural or remote regions. “Eric represents a new generation of social entrepreneurs – someone who is focused on long-term sustainability and does not depend on charitable handouts,” said Jim Chamberlain, co-director for education and outreach at the OU Water Technologies for Emerging Regions Center. “He has already made a significant impact on the world and is inspiring students to discover new forms of entrepreneurship.” After graduate school, where he focused on international studies, Stowe traveled regularly to Asia to install water filtration equipment in orphanages. Frustrated his efforts weren’t making a larger, more sustainable impact, he changed his model to allow local people to control and maintain their water sources and distribution. Stowe took his new model and formed Splash, which today provides clean water to more than 375,000 children in schools, shelters, orphanages and hospitals in eight countries. The organization has brought safe drinking water to every orphanage in China and is projected to supply water to 1 million children daily in the next few years.
WaTER Center Associate Director Randy Kolar and Director David Sabatini welcome guests to the 2016 symposium.
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Eric Stowe, founder and director of Splash. “As an organization, Splash is dedicated to putting itself out of business,” Stowe said. “We actively seek partnerships with local governments, businesses and communities so that we become a bridge to a long-term water solution, rather than the solution itself.” The Water Prize winner is selected through a nomination process. David Sabatini, director of the OU WaTER Center, said, “Based on Eric’s pioneering work and the inspiration he provides to countless college students, faculty and global citizens to follow his example, we are proud to add him to our distinguished group of OU International Water Prize winners.” Stowe will formally receive the OU International Water Prize and give the plenary lecture at the fifth Biennial OU International WaTER Conference, scheduled for Sept. 18-20. The conference includes local and international speakers, breakout sessions, and poster and paper sessions in the fields of social entrepreneurship, behavior change, water technologies, climate change and hydro-philanthropy in the developing world. For more information about the conference, visit WaTER.ou.edu.
2016 OU WaTER Symposium jurors, from left: Ned Breslin, Afreen Siddiqi, Sarina Prabasi, Eric Wood and James Smith
COLLEGE NEWS
David A. Sabatini, Recipient of National Award for Global Outreach By Jana Smith University of Oklahoma Professor David A. Sabatini is the recipient of a national award for outstanding contributions and demonstrated leadership through involvement in environmental engineering and science outreach activities to the global community. Sabatini received the Steven K. Dentel Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors Award for Global Outreach at the Water Environment Federation’s Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference in New Orleans on Sept. 26, 2016. “Dr. Sabatini has a well-deserved international reputation for environmental engineering,” said OU President David L. Boren. “The University is very fortunate that he is a member of our family.” Sabatini is the David Ross Boyd Professor and Sun Oil Company Endowed Chair of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science in the Gallogly College of Engineering. The prestigious Steven K. Dentel Award acknowledges Sabatini’s work as director of the OU Water Technologies for Emerging Regions Center. This is only the third time the award has been given; the first being awarded posthumously to the namesake. “I am pleased that the OU Water Center has gained such a strong national reputation for global outreach,” Sabatini said. “This would not have been possible without the unwavering support from OU. I also acknowledge the combined efforts of my colleagues and coworkers: Randy Kolar, Jim Chamberlain, Yang Hong, Bob Nairn, Robert Knox, Lowell Busenitz, Paul Spicer, Cindy Murphy, Molly Smith and countless undergraduate and graduate students who have made this award possible,” he said.
Sabatini’s research focuses on sustainable drinking water systems for developing countries, surfactantbased environmental and biofuel technologies, and understanding and characterizing contaminant fate and transport in the environment. He is past editor-in-chief of the Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, associate editor of the Journal of Surfactants and Detergents and editorial board member of the Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development. Other awards Sabatini has received throughout his career include the Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in Teaching from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, the David L. Boren Award for Outstanding Global Engagement from OU, the DaVinci Fellow Award from the DaVinci Institute of Oklahoma, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Illinois Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association, the Water Environment Federation Award of Merit for Work in Developing Countries and the GCoE inaugural Pursuit of Excellence Faculty Award. Sabatini joined OU as assistant professor in January, 1989. In 1997-1998, he was a senior Fulbright Scholar at the Universitaet Tuebingen, Germany. Sabatini received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois, his master of science degree in civil engineering from Memphis State University and his doctoral degree from Iowa State University.
Sabatini's efforts have taken him around the world, including:
Angkor Wat in Northern Cambodia.
Rift Valley of Ethiopia with Ph.D. candidate Teshome Lemma (left) and Jim Chamberlain (center), Ph.D.
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COLLEGE NEWS
Palmer Named Fellow By Jana Smith Robert D. Palmer, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma meteorology professor, associate vice president for research and executive director of the Advanced Radar Research Center, has been named an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Fellow. Among a select group of recipients recommended for the prestigious honor, Palmer is being recognized for contributions to atmospheric and meteorological radar science. “Professor Robert Palmer has brought distinction to the University of Oklahoma in numerous ways: scientifically, academically and through service that reaches a wide array of private and public sector activities. His most recent and great honor of being made a fellow in the institute adds to this record of distinction to OU. We are particularly thrilled since this also brings much deserved distinction to Bob Palmer,” said Berrien Moore, vice president for Weather and Climate Programs, director of the National Weather Center and dean of the OU College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences. While at OU, Palmer has been deeply committed to providing students a rigorous education in weather radar. In close collaboration with colleagues in the Norman weather radar community, Palmer led the development of a unique interdisciplinary curriculum in radar meteorology. Soon after joining OU, Palmer established the Advanced Radar Research Center, which is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the world’s strongest academic centers in radar meteorology.
In recent years, Palmer has focused on the application of advanced radar signal processing techniques to observations of severe weather, particularly related to phased-array radars and other innovative system designs. He has been published widely in the area of radar remote sensing of the atmosphere, with an emphasis on generalized imaging problems, spatial filter design, and clutter mitigation using advanced array and signal processing techniques. Palmer, an OU graduate with a doctoral degree in electrical engineering, is actively engaged with his profession through involvement with the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union and the IEEE. Internationally. He has been committed to the development of a vibrant exchange program with Kyoto University in Japan, focused on studies of the atmosphere using modeling and advanced remote sensing methods. He has received several awards for his research and teaching activities and is an American Meteorological Society Fellow as well. The IEEE Grade of Fellow is conferred by the Board of Directors upon a person with an outstanding record of accomplishments in any of the fields of interest. The total number selected in any one year cannot exceed one-tenth of 1 percent of the total voting membership. Fellow is the highest grade of the institute’s membership and is recognized by the technical community as a prestigious honor and an important career achievement. The IEEE is the leading professional association for advancing technology for humanity. Through its 400,000 plus members in 160 countries, the association is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics.
Leadership Transition in the Office of the Dean John Antonio has assumed the role of senior associate dean, where he will lead the college’s efforts as they relate to the research enterprise and graduate programs. Antonio began his career at OU in 1999, serving as a member of the faculty and as director of the School of Computer Science. He has served the college since 2014 as associate dean for Academic Affairs.
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Randa Shehab has assumed the role of associate dean for academic affairs, where she will lead our undergraduate programs and student services, including recruitment, outreach and diversity efforts. Shehab has served the Gallogly College of Engineering since 1997 following a short stint as ergonomics consultant at General Motors. In 2006, she accepted the role of interim director of the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering and in 2008, she was promoted to the rank of full professor and director of ISE.
FACULTY Sluss Accepts Leadership Position at OU-Tulsa On Jan 1, 2017, previous Senior Associate Dean Jim Sluss began in his new senior leadership position at the University of Oklahoma Tulsa Schusterman Center. Sluss will serve OU-Tulsa as the associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of the Graduate College. In that capacity, he will be responsible for working with the other Norman campus programs at OU-Tulsa in budgeting, forecasting, program planning and growth, and faculty affairs.
Detamore Named Outstanding Journal Editor Michael Detamore, director and professor of the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, was named the 2016 Outstanding Editor of the Annals of Biomedical Engineering journal during the annual meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society in October. The Annals of Biomedical Engineering is the official journal of the Biomedical Engineering Society and is an interdisciplinary, international publication that presents original and review articles in the major fields of bioengineering and biomedical engineering.
Ding Named Director of Institute Lei Ding, Lloyd and Joyce Austin Presidential Professor of the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, has been named director of the OU Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology, previously known as the OU Biomedical Engineering Center. Ding has made significant contributions to research in the areas of functional neuroimaging, noninvasive neuromodulation, braincomputer interface and imaging biomarkers for neurological and psychiatric disorders. He earned his bachelor of engineering degree with honors from Zhejiang University, China, in 2000, and his doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota in 2007, both in biomedical engineering. He is an affiliated adjunct associate professor at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ding is the recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the only recipient of the 2009 New Scientist Award from the state of Oklahoma. He is the recipient of the 2016 Early Career Achievement Award from the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.
Liu Recognized by CCEW as Outstanding Inventor The OU Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth, as part of their 10th anniversary celebration, honored Hong Liu as one of six outstanding inventors for his contributions in 2009 in the field of breast cancer imaging technology. The CCEW Outstanding Inventor Award is given to those faculty and entrepreneurs who have a vision for innovation in their field and wholeheartedly embrace collaboration by sharing their technologies, businesses, and knowledge with CCEW students to impact Oklahoma and beyond.
Nairn Designs Passive Treatment System The OU Center for Restoration of Ecosystems and Watersheds (CREW), under contract to the Department of Environmental Quality, has begun construction of a second, full-scale, contaminated mine water passive treatment system, designed by CEES Professor, Robert Nairn, at the Tar Creek Superfund Site in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. The Southeast Commerce PTS will utilize naturally occurring physical, chemical and biological mechanisms to sequester ecotoxic metal contaminants and serve as a long-term research site for CREW.
Xiang and Tang Published in Nature Science Journal Nature, an international weekly science journal, published High Resolution X-ray-Induced Acoustic Tomography by Liangzhong Xiang, assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and by Shanshan Tang, postdoctoral research associate in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Moiz Ahmad, and Lei Xing (May 2016.)
Yuan Develops Mobile BrainImaging Technology Han Yuan, assistant professor in the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, has developed brainimaging technology, which has advantages over magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, in that it is cheaper, mobile/portable, and can provide not only 3D spatial resolution, but also temporal resolution so the doctor can see how the brain is changing in real time. Applications include Alzheimer’s, cancer and traumatic brain injury. Yuan and her collaborators received an Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology grant in August 2016 to study the aging related change in the brain’s memory function using the new imaging technology.
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FACULTY
Thulasiraman Recognized as Pioneer of Circuits and Systems Krishnaiyan “KT” Thulasiraman, professor and Hitachi Chair in the School of Computer Science, will be recognized as a Pioneer of Circuits and Systems at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers International Symposium May 28-31, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland.
detection schemes of medical images. The formal induction ceremony took place during AIMBE's 25th Annual Meeting at the National Academy of Sciences Great Hall in Washington, D.C. on April 4. There were a total of 160 AIMBE inductees.
The Second Region 6 Transportation-Climate Summit Considered Impact of Weather on Infrastructure
Thulasiraman will be recognized for his role in the history of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society as an author of a paper in the first International Symposium on Circuit Theory in 1968. In an academic career spanning more than 52 years, Thulasiraman has collaborated extensively with researchers worldwide. He has secured more than $2 million dollars in research funding.
Oklahomans are accustomed to the unpredictable and severe weather that plagues the state, but what they might not realize is the impact that variable climate and extreme weather have on transportation and other infrastructure.
Thulasiraman has displayed adaptability and versatility in his research. His work contains a number of fundamental contributions that have impacted a variety of disciplines, including electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, industrial engineering/management science, operations research, mathematics and, more recently, the emerging area of network science. Collectively, he has published more than 100 journal papers and coauthored two text books, one handbook, a monograph and several book chapters.
Rising seas, increasing storm severity, extreme temperatures — even the mild winter expected in Oklahoma — create complex and costly challenges to transportation in the southern plains. In response to these issues, several top researchers, government officials and climate experts gathered on the University of Oklahoma Research Campus in Norman to share research and discuss solutions.
Harrison Receives Funding for Ovarian Cancer Research Roger Harrison, professor in the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering and the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, was awarded funding from the Stephenson Cancer Center in the amount of $50,000 for “Treatment of Ovarian Cancer in the Peritoneum by Targeted Enzyme Prodrug Therapy Combined with mTOR Inhibition, Immunostimulation, and/or DNA Repair Inhibition."
Zheng Elected to College of Fellows Bin Zheng, professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Oklahoma TSET Cancer Research Scholar, was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Zheng was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for significant contributions in developing computer-aided
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The second Region 6 Transportation-Climate Summit, hosted by the Southern Plains Transportation Center and the South Central Climate Science Center, was held on Nov. 14 on the Norman Research Campus at the National Weather Center. “Oklahomans are experiencing firsthand the effects of extreme weather,” said Jerry Miller, Civil Engineering and Environmental Science professor in the Gallogly College of Engineering. “Between the severe droughts and the heavy rains, weather in Oklahoma is taking its toll on our roads and infrastructure.” Presenters provided research and ideas on how to address this issue as well as promote collaboration among universities, government research institutes and transportation officials. Topics covered included enhancing driver safety during severe weather as well as presentations designed specifically toward Oklahoma and surrounding states, such as effects of blowing dust and the detrimental impact that volatile temperatures have on bridge structures. Researchers from each of the USDOT Region 6 states presented, including OU, the University of Tulsa, the University of Arkansas, the University of New Mexico, Louisiana Tech University, the University of Texas at El Paso and Texas Tech University. Other lecturers included experts from the South Central Climate Science Center, Oklahoma Department of Transportation and private sector.
FACULTY
A Tribute to the GCoE Faculty The University of Oklahoma, April 7, 2016
Presidential Professors with Provost Kyle Harper (center) include Ron Barnes (far left), Tohren Kibbey (left of Provost Harper) and Choon Yik Tang (right of Provost Harper). Not pictured: Kash Barker.
Patent Awards
Presidential Professorships
Michael Santos Engineering Physics Program
Tohren Kibbey Lloyd G. and Joyce Austin Presidential Professorship School of Civil Engineering and
John Antonio School of Computer Science
Environmental Science
Mark Nanny School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science Patrick McCann Pramode Verma Rui Yang Mark Yeary School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Vice President for Research Award for Scholarly Dissemination Yang Hong School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science
30 Years of Service
Mark Nanny School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science
Choon Yik Tang Gerald Tuma Presidential Professorship School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Anniversary Recognition 20 Years of Service
Ronald Barnes Gerald Tuma Presidential Professorship School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Changwook Kim School of Computer Science
Kash Barker Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Presidential Professorship School of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Randa Shehab School of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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STUDENTS
Outstanding GCoE Seniors Representing the Gallogly College of Engineering 2016-2017
Darius Aruho
Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering
Representing the Disciplines in the Gallogly College of Engineering 2015-2016
Samantha Heinrich Architectural Engineering
Shirley-Luz Enombo Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering
Benjamin Toms Civil Engineering
Keaton Zahorsky Computer Engineering
Nafis Zaman Computer Science
David Haralson Electrical Engineering
Amy Sikora Environmental Engineering
Ian Hammond Environmental Science
Nicole Antonio Industrial and Systems Engineering
Timothy Willis Mechanical Engineering
Not pictured: Nathan Justus, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and Nicholas Kantack, Engineering Physics.
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STUDENTS
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STUDENTS
AISES Gives Back By Lori Johnson “I have to say, one of the most impressive groups was the painting team,” Smith said. Wearing masks, the painting team spent seven hours stripping 11 layers of paint from the bike racks and repainting them. Faded paw prints, symbolizing Madison’s mascot, the Bulldog, leading up the sidewalk to the front desk, also were given a new coat of paint. “I heard a little boy bragging about the new paw prints to his mom,” Smith said. “All it took was a simple coat of paint and a group caring about their community to make an impact in a young student’s life.”
Members of OU's chapter of American Indian Science and Engineering Society: (front row) Madison librarian Alicia Smith, BP representative Nicole Nguyen, Sydney Sprague, Janella Clary, Teylor Johnson, Halle Smith, Sarah Wauahdooah, Joe Peshehonoff; (middle row) Katie Crowley, Hunter Bonham, Joel Jimenez Cortez, Chris Gutierrez; (back row) Whitney Sennett III, Octavio Rodriguez, John Calhoun, Garrett Miller, Jeff Calhoun, Ben Colbert and Quinten Zoch.
When members of University of Oklahoma’s chapter of American Indian Science and Engineering Society were planning their annual “AISES Gives Back” day, they looked no further than their own backyard. Located a few blocks from OU, Madison Elementary School was the recipient of AISES’ 2016 community service day. “There were many reasons our members selected Madison,” Halle Smith, a senior mechanical engineering major and 2016-2017 OU AISES president, explained. “It is a worthy organization involved in Native American culture and appreciation and we had AISES members with fond memories of attending the school.” On Saturday morning, April 2, 40 volunteers arrived ready to transform the school. Due to budget cuts, custodial resources were lacking, so teachers requested that AISES volunteers help clean classrooms and organize the library. Outside, students took on landscaping and painting roles. Roses and crepe myrtle bushes were planted, landscaping was remulched and benches rebuilt. Creativity and ingenuity were paramount in their community service day and resources were not wasted. The kindergarteners at Madison were beginning a new gardening project and needed a planting spot. AISES took the discarded wood from the refurbished benches and built a gardening spot for the school.
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One poignant memory for Smith was the donation closet—a small room in the gymnasium filled with clothes donated by faculty, staff or families to help students who come from less privileged backgrounds. Smith noticed water stains in the closet, but she didn’t have the supplies to fix the problem. Smith and other members purchased watertight plastic tubs and delivered them to the elementary school to ensure the clothes didn’t get wet and the donation closet would continue. “Just seeing how the faculty and staff are willing to take care of the kids by providing them with clothes made a huge impact on me,” Smith said. AISES Gives Back is sponsored by BP America. Resourcing Campus Development Specialist Nicole Nguyen participated with the OU volunteers. “At BP, we believe in giving back to the community in which we live,” said Nguyen. “It’s inspiring to see the team working together to make a difference in the community. It is through their hard work and dedication, not only in academics, but in civic service, that makes AISES such an extraordinary group on OU’s campus.”
STUDENTS
Greve Presented Prestigious Astronaut Scholarship By Danielle Driskill Senior aerospace and mechanical engineering major, Christine Greve, was chosen as a recipient of the prestigious Astronaut Foundation Scholarship.
continued her work with an independent study program through the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. During her independent study, she designed an attitude control system for cube satellites using pulsed plasma thrusters, modeling the satellite using SolidWorks for technical presentations and communicating with professionals to better design a test satellite for optimal results.
Living in Alabama, Greve grew up around the space industry and always had a love for it, but it wasn’t until her sophomore year of college that she realized her love of the space industry could also be turned into a career.
Greve plans to work in the space industry after graduation in May 2017, and she also hopes to earn her graduate degree while continuing her research in the field of in-space propulsion.
“I was looking at the different disciplines of engineering one NASA astronaut and principal engineer, Nancy Currie-Gregg, morning when I realized that Ph.D., presents the Astronaut Scholarship Award to Christine the college offered aerospace “For my career, I see myself focusing on Greve. engineering,” said Greve. “The word either electric or nuclear propulsion,” said ‘aerospace’ caught my attention, causing me to talk to one of the Greve. “I want to work towards the advancement of in-space professors. About an hour after the conversation, I realized that I propulsion for manned spacecraft to make interstellar travel an could actually pursue a job in the space industry, and I was sold.” achievable goal in my lifetime. I want to offer new opportunities in spaceflight to help inspire younger generations to continue As a selected recipient of the Astronaut Foundation Scholarship, it exploring the stars. I want to rekindle the flame that enabled the is no surprise that Greve has the credentials to back it up. She is a incredible engineering of the Apollo missions and that held the National Merit Scholar and has been on the OU President’s Honor world captive as man first stepped onto the moon.” Roll, University’s Deans Honor Roll and the Gallogly College of Engineering Dean’s Honor Roll. In addition, she is a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Greve is a member of OU’s Chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of Crimson Skies Design-Build-Fly team. During the summer of 2015, Greve interned at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where she characterized components of a propellant feed system through test design, data acquisition and data analysis. Since January 2016, Greve has
Currie-Gregg presents Greve with the ASF pin.
Greve with her parents.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation was created by the Mercury 7 Astronauts and their families to provide merit-based scholarships to the best and brightest university students who excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The prestigious Astronaut Scholarship is known nationwide for being among the largest monetary scholarships awarded to undergraduate STEM students. Candidates for the scholarship must be nominated by their university professors and must exhibit leadership, imagination and exceptional performance in STEM.
Currie-Gregg during NASA presentation.
Greve with AME faculty member, Professor Parthasarathy.
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STUDENTS Brumble Awarded National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship
Jose Diaz, OU electrical engineering student with the Advanced Radar Research Center, earned first place in a highly competitive paper competition at the 2016 IEEE Phased Array Conference in Waltham, Massachusetts. Diaz, pictured here holding his award certificate, stands with other OU students, Salazar and ARRC Executive Director Robert Palmer to the right.
OU Doctoral Candidate Places First in Competition Jose Diaz, a doctoral student in electrical engineering at the Gallogly College of Engineering and Advanced Radar Research Center, won first place in the highly competitive student paper competition at the 2016 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Phased Array Conference in Waltham, Massachusetts — a first for the University of Oklahoma phased array program. Diaz competed among more than 100 students from universities known for their phased array programs, such as the University of Massachusetts, The Ohio State University, Technical University of Munich (Germany) and the University of Colorado. In total, five of the 15 papers selected for the final round of the competition were submitted by OU phased array program students. “The primary reason I came to OU from Puerto Rico was because of my background in meteorology and engineering. I knew coming here was best for me given that OU is leading in both programs,” said Diaz. “I have learned so much here because of the program and the people.” He also identified great potential in OU’s phased array program and the leadership of Jorge Salazar, assistant professor of electrical engineering. Salazar serves as faculty adviser to a diverse group of students in the program from France, Italy, Libya, Paraguay and Puerto Rico. Though the Phased Array Conference is a small, specialized event held every two to three years, conference attendees and participants are recognized as leaders and pacesetters in this promising field with growing potential.
Tayler Brumble, a graduate research assistant for the Advanced Radar Research Center/Electrical and Computer Engineering, was awarded a National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship. The NDSEG Fellowship is a highly competitive, portable fellowship that is awarded to U.S. citizens and nationals who intend to pursue a doctoral degree in one of 15 supported disciplines. NDSEG confers high honors upon recipients of the three-year fellowship. The NDSEG Fellowship is sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Army Research Office, the High Performance Computing Modernization Program, and the Office of Naval Research, under the director of Defense Research and Engineering.
OU-Tulsa Telecom Students Win National Competition
Five OU-Tulsa telecommunications engineering students — Nishaal Parmar, Mitun Talukder, Satish Thomas, Sandeep Sharma, and Mohamed Elgrew — won first place in the national Case Study competition at the 2016 Conference on Telecommunications and Information Technology April 8-10 in Louisville, Kentucky. This is OU-Tulsa’s third win in six years. “I’m incredibly proud of our Telecom Engineering program, headed by Dr. Pramode Verma, and all our students who continue to represent OU-Tulsa on a national level,” said campus President John. H. Schumann, M.D. The national Case Study competition is a highlight of the annual conference, hosted by the Information and Telecommunications Education and Research Association, where teams of graduate and undergraduate students present their solution to a challenging network design. This year, the challenge was to design a network to support public safety cameras and systems. OU-Tulsa’s team presented their solution, Advanced Integrated Security Solutions: Metropolitan Park Area Emergency Response and Surveillance. “In addition to the technical aspects of a network, students must include critical business and project management issues such as return on investment, business plan, and life cycle costs,” said ITERA Board Chairman Michael Bowman.
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STUDENTS Mayeli Published in Journal of Neuroscience Methods Ahmad Mayeli, doctoral student in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, had his master's thesis accepted in the Journal of Neuroscience Methods, a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering scientific techniques and protocols used in any branch of neuroscience research. The thesis, titled "Real-time EEG Artifact Correction during fMRI using ICA," was published in the September issue of the journal. Mayeli's advisers are Hazem Refai, Williams Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Jerzy Bodurka, associate professor in the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering and chief technology officer for the Laureate Institute for Brain Research.
Murray Receives FHWA Fellowship Cameron D. Murray, doctoral student in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, received a 2016 Dwight David Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship from the Federal Highway Administration. The award provides funding for one year of graduate study to cover tuition, stipend and travel to the Transportation Research Board's Annual Meeting.
OU NSBE Chapter Brings Home Awards From Regional Conference
• The Esprit de Corps Award Jayde Williams, computer engineering sophomore • Academic Excellence Outreach Award Salomon Mbouombouo Rodriquez • First Place, Elevator Pitch Competition Michele Tchindge • First Place, Academic Bowl Ashley Medice, Jared Alex, Whitney Sennet, Juliana France, Olivia Smith, Aria Lewis, Ernest Hammond and Dominique Menser
Helps' Paper Receives Four Awards Recent electrical engineering graduate, Tyler Helps, received four awards for his paper titled “Enhancement of a Bluetooth Battery Management System.” The paper presents a Bluetooth-based Battery Management System that uses modern balancing technology and a wireless connection to replace traditional wire bundles inside of multicell battery packs. By integrating contemporary cell management technology with the mobile systems consumers carry in their pocket every day, one can combine the safety and care of battery management with the ultimate convenience of wireless connectivity. Helps' paper received the following awards: 1st place – Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Paper Competition in February 2016 at the Ford AV in Oklahoma City. 2nd place – North Area Student Paper Competition in March 2016. The North Area serves the Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Southern Illinois region. Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Research - Phi Kappa Phi at the University of Oklahoma’s Undergraduate Research Day in April 2016 in Norman, Oklahoma. 2nd place – IEEE Region Five Paper Competition in April 2016 in Kansas City.
The OU chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers attended the annual regional NSBE Conference Nov. 10-13 in Houston. Under the leadership of Cioré Taylor, president, the chapter's theme was "The Re-Brand Year." The chapter was actively involved in all aspects of the conference, including the elevator pitch competition, debaters competition, academic bowl and talent show. Conference organizers rewarded the students for their participation, timeliness, professional dress and engagement with exclusive preliminary access to the career fair. Awards won include: • Outstanding Chapter of the Oklahoma Zone • Outstanding Chapter President Cioré Taylor
Spiers New Technology, Oklahoma City, and the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology provided funding for Helps’ research. His advisers were School of Electrical and Computer Engineering instructor Jacob Henderson and Research Assistant Professor, John Dyer. Helps accepted a position at National Instruments in Austin, Texas.
Bree Cooper Awarded Nicholas Chopey Scholarship The Southwest Chemical Association named Bree Cooper, senior chemical engineering major, the awardee of the Nicholas Chopey Scholarship at its annual June Scholarship Luncheon in Houston. Cooper was the recipient of $4,000 for her essay explaining where she thinks she could make the greatest impact in the engineering industry and why her contributions would be important to the industry itself.
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OU Brings Holiday Cheer to Millwood Elementary School By Becky Cavnar Students from Oklahoma City’s Millwood Elementary School who recently visited the University of Oklahoma were treated to a special holiday surprise. The students came to campus for the Gallogly College of Engineering’s Computer Science Education Week, a national awareness campaign designed to introduce underrepresented and minority students to the power of coding, make coding more accessible and help break stereotypes surrounding the discipline. While at OU, the elementary students learned to code computer language and interacted with robots. But, the OU School of Computer Science saved the best treat for the end of the visit – five new tablets to use in robotics club. Working in one of Oklahoma City’s highest poverty school districts, librarian Laura Grotheer knows that access to technology education gives her students opportunities to be better prepared for life beyond the classroom. That’s why she posted her fundraiser for new technology equipment on DonorsChoose.org, a nonprofit organization allowing individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects. When Grotheer’s friend and OU School of Computer Science academic programs coordinator Virginie Perez-Woods discovered the fundraiser, she knew OU could help. Millwood students were invited to participate, and plans to surprise them with the tablets were put into motion.
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“For many of my students, Internet access at school is their only exposure to technology,” Grotheer said. “Today’s world runs on technology, and I want to make sure my students have the best opportunity to thrive and be successful.” When Grotheer and teachers Helen Bennett, Axel Nda and Patricia Reed attended OU’s Computer Science Education Week with 70 students – many of whom had never participated in robotics – they hoped the event would be one of those opportunities. They were surprised and grateful when the experience included new tablets for their classrooms. “This gift will be such a blessing to our students and our school,” Bennett said. “OU’s School of Computer Science has expanded our horizons of how we can teach and how our kids learn.” Sridhar Radhakrishnan, director of the School of Computer Science at OU, said he hopes the gift is the first of many opportunities students in computer science have to introduce younger children, especially underrepresented and minority students, to the power of technology. “We are on the precipice of an exciting future in terms of technology and how humans fit into it,” Radhakrishnan said. “OU can play a large part in helping shape that future by providing the tools they need to be successful.”
STUDENTS
#EngineeringAtOU: Snapshots from GCoE Social Media
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David Stubsten and Randa Shehab
Ted Sandridge and Jill Hughes
Tiffany Smith and Monique Pauley
Chelsea Williams and David Miller
Members of the Deans Advisory Board on Diversity
Tammy Burnett and Liz Eads
Jacquie Baker and Vinay Thottunkal
Mike and Mekensey Telfer Betty Jackson and Stephanie Buettner
Hemant Goradia and Jill Hughes
... Connie Eckstein, Brandi McManus and Indrani Goradia Roger Rowe and David Franke
Jonathan Oliver, Ceara Parks, Paul Parks and Brianna Syzmanski
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Robert Thomas and Rustom Mody
Jennifer Gavia, Stephanie Buettner and Shawn Simmons
Cassidy Sullivan McCullough, Kenny and Dawn Sullivan, Joe Sullivan and Manon Fisher Lisa Morris, Jim Gallogly, Lance Lobban, Michael Detamore and Hemant Goradia
Roy Khalife, Susy Calonkey and Alseny Diop Gene Phillips and Stephanie Buettner Neil Heeney and Jill Hughes with Michael Turner, granddaughter Tazche and extended family
Mark Welch and son, Matt
Jill Hughes and Truman Bell
Rory Victor, Sarah Yung, Daniel Shroyer and Tom Landers
David Iverson, Neil Heeney and Darrell Bull
Brian Britt with members of the Pride of Oklahoma
Randall Couch, Tom Landers and Carolyn Arens
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Your Development Team is Here to Help
Jill Hughes Executive Director of Development (405) 325-5217 jillq@ou.edu
Tricia Tramel Director of Annual Giving (405) 325-4211 tramel@ou.edu
Susy Calonkey Development Officer (405) 325-6971 scalonkey@ou.edu
Stephanie Buettner Development Officer (405) 325-1957 sbuettner@ou.edu
Karen Kelly Director of Communications (405) 325-9037 kkelly@ou.edu
Sarah Warren Marketing and Public Relations Specialist (405) 325-9037 sarah.warren@ou.edu
I Love OU! We all have our OU story. Each one is unique, and like Bill Brewer's story on the next page, your experience shapes why and how you support engineering and OU. Some of you give to support our students through scholarships, competitive teams or professional development opportunities. Your gifts make an immeasurable impact in the lives of our young people. Some of you give to support our faculty and their research—like Hong Liu, whose efforts will decrease radiation exposure and provide better imaging technology in the diagnosis of breast cancer. Or the work of Hazem Refai, whose team is in the process of redefining our hospital experience by wirelessly monitoring a patient's vitals, providing a more restful and less stressful healing environment. Your investment can be life-changing. Some of you are helping us raise a building from the ground—Gallogly Hall. This new facility will feature the "living room" for our college, house our new Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering and provide a new home for our Diversity and Inclusion Program. Your gifts are literally shaping the OU landscape for generations to come. New graduates, we have a place for you! The recently formed OU Young Engineering Alumni program will connect you with classmates, offer networking and special events and professional development opportunities. It will also provide ways for you to give back and invest in others, like those before you. I know you love OU, too! Whether you are a seasoned alumnus or a recent graduate, we cannot be successful without you. Thank you for supporting our students, faculty and facilities. Remember, every gift matters. Let us know how we can help.
Jill Hughes Executive Director of Development
Introducing OU Young Engineering Alumni We are rebranding our young alumni organization. If you are age 35 or younger, then this new group is for you! Website: http://ou.edu/coe/youngalumni Connect with us on social media: OUYoungEngAlum
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Leave a Lasting Legacy Through a planned gift, you can reach across generations to support future OU students. Your gift may be unrestricted or you can designate your gift to benefit a favorite college, department or academic program. Planned gifts are unique ... just like you. Please let us help you create a planned gift that meets your needs as well as those of the University of Oklahoma. Learn more at http://ou.edu/plannedgiving.
Brewer Continues Generosity to Gallogly College With Endowed Chair in Engineering Reprinted with permission from Priority Magazine William D. Brewer would give the suit off his back to help make the educational dreams of any aspiring engineer a reality – in fact, he has. He also has made a $1 million pledge to create an endowed chair that will benefit countless students in the University of Oklahoma’s Gallogly College of Engineering. Brewer established the W.D. Brewer and Earl C. Brewer Endowed Chair in Engineering with an initial $58,000 gift to the OU Foundation. The chair will be funded in perpetuity through a gift from his estate and help attract a teacher and researcher of national reputation. Brewer also has given generously to OU scholarships. “Endowed chairs are vital tools to recruit and retain the outstanding faculty we need as we continue to pursue excellence in all we do,” said Gallogly College Dean Thomas L. Landers, OU’s AT&T Chair and Professor. “I am thrilled to have Bill’s name associated with a chair and an endowed scholarship. He has shared himself with the college in so many ways – as an Executive in Residence, as a donor, and as an adviser and trusted colleague. “Bill is a dear friend of Gallogly College and has literally given the clothes off his back to support our students. Thanks to his generosity, students have had professional attire to wear when interviewing for work, scholarships that they desperately need, and outstanding faculty to lead the way.” Brewer, who earned joint 1959 OU bachelor of science degrees in mechanical and petroleum engineering, went on to receive an OU master’s degree in theoretical and applied mechanics before joining the U.S. Navy. He later graduated from Harvard’s Advanced Management Program, and his career took him to several administrative posts throughout the electrical industry. He retired as president of Cooper Power Systems in 1998 and now lives in The Woodlands, Texas, where he is affiliated with The Yellowstone Group, a Houston-based private investment company. His commitment to helping students can be traced to a family history intertwined with that of Oklahoma. Brewer’s paternal great-grandfather moved to then-Indian Territory with his
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Jill Hughes and Bill Brewer
Cherokee wife around 1856, settling in the community of Three Forks. His grandparents later owned a saddle shop in the town, and received a farm on the Spavinaw River when the Dawes Commission divided Cherokee lands prior to Oklahoma statehood. The property stayed in his family until the late 1940s. His family’s maternal side came to Oklahoma during the land rush and settled in Arapaho, where they farmed until the late 1890s. They eventually moved to Three Forks and opened a blacksmith shop on the Arkansas River. Brewer named OU’s new endowed chair to honor his father, W.D., who rose above humble beginnings through determination and hard work to become the longtime superintendent of public works for the City of Muskogee, Oklahoma. “I’m sensitive to the plight of ambitious young people who dreamt of going to college and learning a profession, but couldn’t afford college and were forced into taking low-paying jobs,” Brewer said.
or contact one of our development team members.
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James K. "Jim" Anderson, 91, passed away May 26, 2016, at his home in Norman, Oklahoma. He attended high school and junior college at the New Mexico Military Institute. Anderson served the United States Army as an infantry scout in the 319th Regiment, 80th Infantry in Patton's Third Army, and was awarded two Bronze Stars. Following World War II, he attended OU, where in 1949, he earned a bachelor of science degree in geological engineering. Anderson owned and operated an oil and gas exploration and production company, James K. Anderson, Inc., for 61 years. He was a founding contributor of the Sarkey's Energy Center and a recipient of the OU Regents’ Alumni Award. He served as chairman of the committee for the Oil Pioneer Plaza at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. Anderson was inducted into the New Mexico Military Institute Hall of Fame and received the George Ward Memorial Award from the New Mexico Military Institute. He is survived by his wife, Jerrie, two children, four stepchildren, 10 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Charles Lee "Charlie" Blackburn, 88, passed away June 23, 2016, at home in Sarasota, Florida. He attended Pauls Valley High School, spent two years in the United States Army and earned a bachelor of science degree in engineering physics at OU in 1952. Blackburn was named a member of the Distinguished Graduates Society in the Gallogly College of Engineering in 1991. He established the Charles L. Blackburn Chair in Engineering Physics at OU. Blackburn spent 34 years with Shell Oil Co., serving the last 10 years of his career as executive vice president in charge of exploration and production activities. After retiring in 1987, he served as chairman and CEO of Maxus Energy Corp., until the company sold in 1995. Blackburn was named chairman of Range Resources Corp. in 2003, a position he held for several years before retiring from the board in 2013. He also held board positions at Anderson, Clayton and Co.; Penrod Drilling Co.; Lone Star Steel Co. and The King Ranch. He was active in the All American Wildcatters Association and was a founding member of the National Ocean Industries Association. Blackburn is survived by his wife, Nancy, four sons, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
William Owen Coleman, Sr., 92, died Dec. 6, 2015. He attended Classen High School and served in the Reserve Officer Training Corp at Oklahoma State University before serving in the Army Reserves during World War II. Following his honorable discharge, he continued his education at the University of Oklahoma, earning a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering in 1947.
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Coleman served more than 40 years with Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co., rising to the rank of senior vice president in charge of six region managers who were responsible for supplying electric services and providing customer and community relations throughout the OG&E 30,000-square-mile area in Oklahoma and Western Arkansas. He served on various boards in the community, including the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce, Liberty National Bank, Community Council of Oklahoma City, the United Way, Allied Arts, Rotary Club of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra and Better Business Bureau, to name a few. He also was very active in the Masonic Fraternity, where he became a member of the Red Cross of Constantine. Professionally, he was a Registered Professional Engineer and a life member of the Oklahoma and National Society of Professional Engineers. Survivors include his wife, Jeanette Coleman, one son, one granddaughter, a sister, two step-sons, one step-grandson and one step-granddaughter. Raymond DeWitt Daniels, 88, died May 8, 2016, in Reno, Nevada. He graduated in 1946 from Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio, enlisted in the United States Army and was stationed in Japan. Upon his return, he earned a bachelor of science degree in physics from the Case Institute of Technology. Daniels accepted a job in 1950 with the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C., where he met and married his wife, Libby Huggins. He continued at the Case Institute of Technology, completing a master of science degree in physics in 1953 and a doctorate degree in physical metallurgy in 1958. The family relocated to Norman in 1958, as Daniels began an academic career that would last nearly 40 years and include serving as director of the School of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and director of the Office of Research Administration. In the early 1990s, Daniels became involved in international engineering education. He became the first director for a USAIDfunded project to develop graduate programs in the Petroleum and Petrochemical College at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. He continued with this project until his retirement to Reno in 1998. Daniels is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, and sisterin-law. Clarence Edward "Bud" Daugherty III, age 76, passed away June 2, 2016. He attended Owensboro High School in Kentucky and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in petroleum engineering with honors from OU, where he also was a Distinguished Military Graduate. He served two years active duty in the 27th Combat Engineers during the Vietnam era. He was employed by Exxon (initially Humble) for 36 years in Kingsville, Texas, and Houston; Malaysia; and New Orleans, primarily in drilling-
related assignments, retiring to San Jacinto County, Texas, in 2000. He also served as a consultant with ExxonMobil.
years later, that rig is still operating today. His 60-year career in the oil business spanned the continents.
Daugherty and his wife, Arnette, were frequent contributors to the OU President’s Associates, where they were members of the Quarter Century Club. He also was a Legion of Honor member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Daugherty traveled extensively, visiting England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Australia, and New Zealand. During his consulting, he also traveled to Sweden, Amsterdam, Estonia, and Kazakhstan. He was an active member of the San Jacinto County Republican party, where he served in various leadership positions. Daugherty is survived by his wife, Arnette, one son, one daughter, two stepchildren, three granddaughters and two great-granddaughters.
Hammett served as Texas Gov. William Clements' energy adviser, and has been vice president and on the corporate boards of Sedco, Inc. and of Ensco International; he served as chairman of the Texas Board of Professional Engineers, and as chairman and speaker at the World Petroleum Congress.
Edward L. Fox, 82, died May 14, 2016, after a 26-year battle with Alzheimer's. Fox attended Holy Name Catholic School and in 1952 graduated Sheridan High School in Sheridan, Wyoming, where he was active in football, basketball, track and volleyball. He served in the United States Army from September 1953 through November 1956 and attained the rank of first lieutenant. In 1954, he graduated first in his class at the Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia. He attended the University of Oklahoma, where he was a member of the Pi Tau Sigma honorary engineering fraternity and Phi Kappa Theta social fraternity, and graduated in 1960 with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. Fox was employed by General Electric for 13 years through 1973, where he held several management positions in Hudson Falls, New York; Jacksonville and Gainesville, Florida; and Chicago, Illinois. Before relocating to Fort Myers, Florida, to become president of Crystek Crystals Corp., he last served as manager of marketing of imaging and display devices for GE in Owensboro, Kentucky. Fox resigned from Crystek in 1979 and founded Fox Enterprises, Inc. dba Fox Electronics, which became one of the world's largest privately owned frequency control manufacturers. Fox is survived by his wife of 55 years, Ellie; one son; and a sister.
Dillard Starr Hammett, 85, passed away Sept. 19, 2016. A track letterman and an Eagle Scout at Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City, he worked in the oil fields of West Texas to pay his way through college. He earned a civil engineering degree with special distinction at OU in 1954, and was a member of Sigma Tau and the American Society of Civil Engineers. He served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he was cited for heroism in saving the life of a drowning fellow Marine. In 1964, Hammett designed and built the first rig to drill in Cook Inlet, Alaska, where tides are the second-highest in the world. Now, 52
Hammett is survived by his wife of 63 years, Georganna, two daughters, two sons, eight grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.
Howard C. Kauffmann, 93, died at home in Atlanta, May 3, 2016. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from OU in 1943. After graduation, he served as an engineering officer aboard the cruiser U.S.S. Cleveland in the Pacific until the end of World War II. After the war, he began a 39-year career in the petroleum industry, when he joined an affiliate of the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey, which later became Exxon Corp. (now ExxonMobil). Over the next 29 years, he worked with domestic affiliates of the company in Oklahoma, Kansas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, and Florida, and with foreign affiliates in Peru, Colombia, and England. He served as president of three Exxon foreign affiliates: International Petroleum Co., Ltd., Esso Inter-America; and Esso Europe. In 1974, he was transferred to New York City to become a director and senior vice president of Exxon, and was elected president and chief operating officer of Exxon Corp. the following year, a position he held until his retirement in 1985. Kauffmann served on a number of additional boards of directors, including The Chase Manhattan Corp.; Chase Manhattan Bank; United Technologies; Pfizer, Celanese; and Ryder Systems. He also was a director of the American Petroleum Institute, the New York Chamber of Commerce, the New York Partnership, the United Way of New York City, and the Business Council of New York State. He served as director and chairman of the National Council for Minorities in Engineering, vice president of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, chairman of National Bible Week and as a member of the Emergency Committee for American Trade. He received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Oklahoma Christian University and an Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Lander University. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and the Tulsa Central High School Hall of Fame. He was a member of the Gallogly College of Engineering Distinguished Graduates Society. Kauffmann is survived by his wife of 71 years, Suzanne, of Atlanta, four children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
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Hal Lambert, 79, passed away in Paris July 27, 2016. He graduated from Hugo High School in 1955 and completed a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from OU in 1961. Selfemployed as a civil engineer, he lived in Choctaw County most of his life. Lambert served as a sports writer for the Hugo Daily News and was an avid sports fan. He helped establish the Hugo Tennis Association and hosted many tournaments in the 1970s and 80s. Lambert is survived by his wife of 58 years, Jeanette; one daughter, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Loyle Pope Miller, 95, passed away Oct. 23, 2016, in Dallas, after nearly 75 years of marriage to his wife, Velma, and only two days following her passing. The Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and World War II shaped Miller’s character. He served nearly three years as a company commander with the 350th Engineers in the South Pacific. Miller earned a bachelor of science degree in petroleum engineering from OU in 1949. Following the war years, they built a life that included two years on the GI Bill at the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering, graduation in 1949, work for both Shell and Tenneco oil companies, and the raising of three children. After 26 moves in almost 20 years, they moved to Big D in 1968, where Loyle joined the then-small independent oil company, J-W Operating Co. After 20 enjoyable, challenging and successful years, Loyle retired to travel with Velma, while she still had her eyesight. Loyle is survived by two sons, one daughter, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Pravin Jagjivandas Mody, 75, died Feb. 27, 2016, in Los Angeles. He earned both bachelor's and master of science degrees in chemical engineering from OU in 1965 and 1967. He earned a master's in business administration from Pepperdine University in 1981. He founded and served as CEO/chairman of GBS Linens, Inc. beginning in 1984. The business began with six employees and a 2,400-square-foot leased facility, which grew to several hundred employees and warehouses located in eight major cities in five states from the west to east coasts. Mody was actively involved in charitable projects that included the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation; South Asian Help and Referral Agency; Bidada health fairs in Kutch, India and Pratham; and the Ahimsa Center at California Polytechnic State University.
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Robert C. "Bob" Poe, 78, passed away Aug. 19, 2016. He graduated from OU with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. He also earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering and in 1964, received a second master's degree in civil engineering. In 1961, he began his military service as artillery second lieutenant at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In 1964, he returned to Norman and began his engineering career with Kalman Engineering. He served on the Norman City Council. Poe founded Poe & Associates, a consulting engineering company, started in McAlester. He also helped to found Davies & Poe, an architectural company, and Pittman-Poe Land Planning, a golf course and golf community design company responsible for the design and development of international and local courses. He served as president and CEO of Frates Co., and holder of a diverse portfolio of real estate property in Europe and the United States. Poe established Penterra Co., a northern California effort to develop Marina Bay. Poe served as chairman of the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce in 2004. He also helped to establish a political action committee, the Center for Legislative Excellence located in the Tulsa Metropolitan area. During the past 30 years, he has awarded scholarships to hundreds of students in the Gallogly College of Engineering at OU, Oklahoma State University and Tulsa Community College. Poe is survived by his wife of 58 years, Jacqueline "Jackie", two children and three grandchildren. John D. Roberts, 76, passed away July 22, 2015, in Edmond, Oklahoma. He graduated from Duncan High School in 1957. He was active in Boys State, high school student council and was Key Club Governor's Man in 1956. Roberts earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from OU in 1962. Following graduation, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he was a member of the active Reserve until 1968. Roberts worked for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, where he worked with concrete in the building of roads and bridges, solving problems, publishing research reports, and always striving to contribute knowledge and design fundamentals for the betterment of the product and the industry. In 1964, he relocated to Southern California to work for the California Department of Highways. He is survived by his wife, Suzanne, a sister-in-law, nephew, cousins, and godchildren. Donald Glenn Russell, 84, passed away in Tyler, Texas, Dec. 29, 2015. He graduated from Overton High School in 1949 and from Kilgore College in 1951, before attending Sam Houston State University on a music scholarship, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and physics in 1953. He earned a master's of science degree in mathematics from OU in 1955.
Russell worked for Shell Oil Co., where he spent 32 of his nearly 60-year career in the oil and gas business, rising to president of Shell's development company, retiring in 1987. Russell became president and CEO of Sonat Exploration Co. in 1988, where he helped lead a decade of growth and served on the board of directors for seven years, retiring in 1998. He then founded and led the Russell Companies, a group of independent oil and gas exploration and production companies located in Tyler, Texas. Russell served on the board of directors and on various committees of SPE and the American Institute of Mining Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers, serving as the president of SPE in 1974 and president of AIME in 1990. He also received the SPE DeGolyer Distinguished Service Medal, the John Franklin Carll Award, and was named an honorary member of the OU Gallogly College of Engineering's Distinguished Graduates Society. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1982. Russell is survived by his wife of 62 years, Norma, two children and three grandchildren. Walter Jackson "Jack" Sleeper, Jr., died Feb. 18, 2016. He graduated from Wagoner High School and entered the United States Navy in 1947 and was honorably discharged in 1952. Sleeper earned a bachelor of science degree in petroleum engineering at OU in 1955. His career in the energy industry included Shell, and in 1965, DeGolyer and MacNaughton of Dallas, where in 1995, he rose in rank to president and CEO. Sleeper served on the OU Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy's Petroleum and Geological Board of Advisors and the Matador Petroleum Corp.'s Board of Directors. He is survived by his wife, Teresa, three sons, nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Sam K. Smith, 83, passed away Jan. 23, 2016. He grew up in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. After serving in the Air Force, Smith earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from OU in 1958. Smith moved his family to Dallas to begin a career with the defense electronics group for Texas Instruments, eventually rising to the role of vice president. He left TI in 1983 to join the Sevin Rosen venture capital organization, where he was active as an investor, director, technical adviser and mentor for numerous startup companies. 
 Smith is survived by his wife of 62 years, Diane, his children, five daughters, one son, 22 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren John T. Stupka, 66, died Oct. 19, 2016 in Dallas. Stupka earned his undergraduate degree in industrial engineering from OU and a master's in business administration degree from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. Stupka spent more than 40 years in the wireless and wireline telecom sectors. He began his telecom career in 1974 with Southwestern Bell Telephone Co,, where he was appointed division manager in 1979.
Stupka entered the wireless arena in 1984 with his appointment as vice president of network and eventually president and CEO for the Southwest Region of AMPS, the AT&T organization which preceded Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems. He served as president and CEO of SkyTel, which eventually merged with WorldCom Communications, where he remained until August 2002. Stupka served as chief of staff to Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility, before he went on to found Strategic and Tactical Support, Inc. He served as an adjunct professor of business at Millsaps College and guest lecturer at OU. Stupka was named to the Wireless Hall of Fame by RCR magazine. He is survived by his wife, Carol, two children and six grandchildren. William Reid "Bill" Upthegrove, 87, died at his home in Norman May 25, 2016. He earned a bachelor of science degree in metallurgical engineering at the University of Michigan in 1950, He served on active duty for three years as an ensign, and, later, lieutenant (junior grade) on the U.S.S. Radford in the Pacific Fleet during the Korean War. He received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism at the risk of life for swimming to rescue a fellow seaman who had been swept overboard in extremely high seas. Upthegrove married and returned to the University of Michigan, where he earned a master of science and doctoral degrees in metallurgical engineering. In 1956, Upthegrove began his academic career at OU as assistant professor of engineering, where he was tasked with building a new School of Metallurgical Engineering. After being promoted to associate professor in 1962, he accepted a position in industry as section head for powder metallurgy research at International Nickel Company in Bayonne, New Jersey. Upthegrove returned to academia in 1964 as professor and chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. In July 1970, he returned to OU as professor and dean of the College of Engineering. After serving as dean for 11 years, he resigned and assumed duties as a professor in the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. In 1981, the OU Regents rewarded him for his long and successful tenure of dean by appointing him a Regents' Professor. He retired from OU in 1993. During his academic career, Upthegrove served as a consultant to a variety of industrial, governmental and educational organizations. He was a board member for United Cerebral Palsy of Cleveland County from 1972 to 1988, serving two four-year terms as its chairman. He was on the National Board of Directors for UCP from 1988 to 1993. Upthegrove and his wife, Margot, lobbied extensively for the rights, service needs and opportunities of disabled persons, and were instrumental in establishing public school access for special needs children in Cleveland County. Upthegrove is survived by one daughter, four sons and six grandchildren.
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Michael Bartlett Class of 1976, B.S. in Aerospace Engineering Michael Bartlett was named a Fellow of the Society of Flight Test Engineers in August. This is the highest grade achievable in the society. Bartlett is a senior member of the society in good standing and has attained a position of notable distinction in the field of flight testing. Fellows are elected by their peers (those Fellows in good standing) and are awarded automatic lifetime membership in the society along with the distinction and responsibility associated with this honor. Bartlett is a test programs integration engineer for Boeing. He lives in the greater Seattle area.
Amy Hufnagel Class of 2011, M.S. in Structural Engineering Amy Hufnagel put her OU engineering degree to use in a project near and dear to her heart — the Gaylord Family--Oklahoma Memorial Stadium $160 million renovation project. Hufnagel is a Professional Engineer and associate at Walter P. Moore in Houston. When her firm was hired to do the design and engineering work of the remodel, Hufnagel was excited to work on the project, due in large part to her affinity as a season ticket holder and enthusiastic Sooners fan. "It's definitely what I would consider my dream project," Hufnagel relayed in a recent Sooner Magazine story about her and fellow OU alumnus, Anna Price. "It's a sports project, and I love sports. I have worked on hospitals and other projects, but stadiums are just different." One example of the challenge presented in a stadium, Hufnagel pointed out, is the vibration caused by thousands of people moving and cheering in the stands. She uses her engineering knowledge to provide the necessary solutions.
Andrew Taylor Class of 1981, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Andrew Taylor, P.E., has been named chair of the executive board for the National Institute for Engineering Ethics. He serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Taylor is supervisor of License Renewal Services for Entergy Nuclear, one of the largest nuclear power operating companies in North America. He lectures on nuclear power and engineering ethics at universities and industry workshops throughout the world.
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After completing a 10-year series of annual command post exercises in the Republic of Korea, Taylor retired from the U.S. Navy as a reserve officer in 2011 with the rank of captain. He lives with his wife and four children in Russellville, Arkansas.
Mark Warner Class of 1987, M.S. in Petroleum Engineering Mark Warner was unanimously voted to serve as interim chief executive officer and chief investment officer for the University of Texas Investment Management Co. in Austin, Texas. UTIMCO is the investment management arm of the endowment that benefits both the University of Texas and Texas A&M systems. Warner joined UTIMCO in 2007 to manage the natural resources portfolio and most recently served as the senior managing director, with broad responsibilities for several portfolios, including emerging markets and private equity, as well as aspects of management of the firm. During his tenure at UTIMCO, he has become well-established as an institutional investor on a global basis and has led the investment team’s efforts in forging unique partnerships and in co-investing alongside the endowment’s partners in a variety of industry sectors on multiple continents.
Hessam Yazdani Class of 2015, Ph.D. in Civil Engineering Hessam Yazdani was appointed assistant professor in January 2016 in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Yazdani conducted research under the guidance of associate professor Kianoosh Hatami and focused on the laboratory development and multiscale simulation of sensor-enabled geogrids. He has co-authored one book chapter, 12 peer-reviewed journal articles and seven conference papers during his four-and-a-half year's service as a graduate research assistant. Yazdani received several competitive national awards, including Best Paper Award at the Deep Foundations Institute, a student paper competition in Phoenix, Arizona; a 2013 international project grant award from the American Society for Testing and Materials; Best Paper Award at the 10th Annual Conference in Computer Science at OU in 2014; and a 2015 National Science Foundation travel grant to present a peer-reviewed technical paper at the Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference at Stanford University. Yazdani’s current research focuses on fostering sustainability and resilience in civil infrastructure by developing high-performance and multifunctional construction materials, performance monitoring of structures using remote sensing and smart materials, addressing the geotechnical aspects of infrastructure (e.g., renewable energy systems), and incorporating uncertainty analysis and optimization into the analysis and design of geotechnical and structural systems.
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