Momentum 2009 Spring

Investing in a Greener

Future

inside this issue: Using the power of the sun Green with energy - Part II ‘Wii-search’ Administrators suit up Remember the ‘Main’

Dear Friends and Alumni, The news headlines contain issues on everything from unaffordable health care, threats to national security, rising oil prices, and poorly financed mortgage loans to the credit crisis, all of which plague our economy. It’s no coincidence that the researchers, faculty, staff, and students are working diligently and relentlessly to find innovative solutions for these problems.

In this issue of Momentum two stories focus on how our quality of life in tomorrow’s world is directly impacted by our ability to find ways to provide clean and affordable energy while understanding and wisely managing our natural resources. These faculty researchers are representatives from all eight of our engineering departments and are a great testament to how using grant resources wisely, through cross-disciplinary partnerships, can create more jobs for the residents of Mississippi.

With the mindset of using resources wisely, the impact of the amount of renewable energy we create has a direct correlation on how we save and become more energy efficient. Therefore, mechanical engineering faculty members are working with industry through the college’s Industrial Assessment Center to help them find ways to save energy and operate more efficiently, which saves their bottom line and our environment.

Where would America be without scientific discovery—the inventors and engineers of the world? The stories, “Humble Mississippian helps creates history” and “Research helps protect America’s protectors,” gives us the answers of how an alumnus guided us to the path of space exploration and how industrial systems and engineers are pushing the scientific boundaries to protect our future.

When, as they say, “It’s all said and done.” what really matters and all we really have is our health and well-being. Inter-disciplinary faculty members remind us of what’s really important in the story, “Researchers help physicians get to the heart of things.”

This spring 2009 issue of Momentum contains many more stories of how Bagley College of Engineering researchers are embracing our future by using cutting-edge knowledge to improve people’s lives, save the environment and enhance the quality of life.

I hope you enjoy the read as much as I have.

My Best,

Sarah A. Rajala, Ph.D. Dean of the Bagley College of Engineering Earnest W. & Mary Ann Deavenport Jr. Chair President, American Society for Engineering Education

With the mindset of using resources wisely, the impact of the amount of renewable energy we create has a direct correlation on how we save and become more energy efficient. Therefore, mechanical engineering faculty members are working with industry through the college’s Industrial Assessment Center to help them find ways to save energy and operate more efficiently, which saves their bottom line and our environment.

SPRING 2009

table of contents

Editor Kay Jones

04

Writers

06

Diane L. Godwin Susan Lassetter

08

CAVS gets bowled over by ‘Wii-search’ possibilities Alumnus meets his ‘Match’ in ISE Lighting up rural Africa with the power of the sun

Ar t Direction Heather M. Rowe

11

Researchers help physicians get to the heart of things

12

Photographers

Administrators suit up

Megan Bean Diane L. Godwin Russ Houston Susan Lassetter Heather M. Rowe

14

Humble Mississippian helps create history

17

Student engineers lend a helping hand

20

University center helps industry tighten its belt

Editorial Board John Brocato Lori Mann Bruce Bennett Evans Sarah A. Rajala Donna Reese

22

Subscription, Inquiries & Address Changes:

31

Green with energy, Part II

26

Research helps protect America’s protectors

28

Alumni remember the ‘Main’ Civil and Environmental Engineering Complex

32

Momentum PO Box 9544 Miss. State, MS 39762 or publications@ bagley.msstate.edu

Subscribe to our monthly podcasts & electronic newlsetters by sending an email request to hrowe@ bagley.msstate.edu

www.bagley.msstate.edu

Movers & Shakers

33

New K-12 outreach director begins to create ‘Engineer in Residence’ program

34

Distinguished Fellows

36

Development Notes

20 & 22

“University center helps industry tighten its belt” and “Green with energy, Part II” Cover: While the Bagley College of Engineering hasn’t found a way to grow money, we are working with companies to help them save in energy costs which helps to provide a greener future. Plus, researchers at Mississippi State are exploring new technologies to make bio-fuels out of one of Mississippi’s greatest resources; it’s a solution that is part of the key to ween our country off its dependency on foreign oil.

CAVS gets bowled over by ‘Wii-search’ possibilities

By Susan Lassetter

The settings might differ, but the situation repeats itself in countless households all across the country. While their young scholar wiles away the hours perfecting his or her gaming skill, an exasperated parent declares, “If you put as much effort into school as you do playing video games, you would be a straight A student.”

Most students would simply roll their eyes in response, but two undergraduate researchers at Mississippi State have developed the ultimate alibi. They turned a fascination with a new Nintendo gaming system into funded, cutting-edge “Wiisearch.”

“A lot of our friends laugh because they don’t think you can really do research with a video game, but we are,” explained senior kinesiology major Sara McGinley.

“This is a very exciting opportunity to have as undergraduates.”

Inspired by discussions about the possibilities of Wii (pro-

4 Momentum Spring 2009

nounced we) technology, McGinley and senior biochemistry major Leslie Parker began to wonder exactly how similar the system’s simulated game tasks are to the corresponding real-life activities. Through the use of wireless remote controls and virtual Mii characters, the game appears to create a realistic experience, however no one had researched whether users’ physiological responses to the virtual games are equal to those experienced during real-life exertion.

“Leslie and I wanted to try to determine if the muscle stimulation from the simulated game tasks are the same or equal to what they are during the corresponding real-world activity,” McGinley said. “If they are, then these simulations could be used for practical purposes such as physical therapy and workforce training.”

Together, the pair developed a research proposal, which earned them $10,000 in funding

www.bagley.msstate.edu

from the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS). Now, with the help of Drs. Kari Babski-Reeves and Daniel Carruth and the human performance lab, they are not only getting to conduct their experiments, but also learning exactly what it takes to be a successful researcher.

participants is recorded using electromyography and motion capture technology. These data collection methods will allow the group to analyze the participants’ muscle activation and movements in both environments. Both McGinley and Parker hope their results will lead to additional phases of research.

“They are very lucky that CAVS has a system in place to help students branch into research. They are getting valuable exposure from several different angles,” said BabskiReeves, an assistant professor in industrial and systems engineering. “They get to experience what it takes to set up, budget and run a study. Plus, since this project involves human subjects, they have to account for certain ethical responsibilities and work within internal review board protocol.”

“Hopefully people will take our research and build on it. There are companies already using simulator training for their employees, but the Wii accelerometer technology could be a more cost-effective method,” Parker said.

“If it also could have applications in physical therapy, it would be something fun for patients to do and maybe if their rehabilitation is more like play, they will stick with it and continue to get stronger.”

For this pilot project, the researchers are having their test subjects bowl-both virtually and at the local lanes. Each of the seven

Bagley College of Engineering

Parker, a native of McKinney, Texas, will pursue medical school after graduation, but McGinley, a Starkville resident, plans on expanding upon their “Wii-search” for

her master’s thesis. Even though their study results haven’t been released yet, they have already piqued the interested of more seasoned researchers, such as Mississippi State faculty members who are developing plans to use the students’ pilot data. Additionally, the Applied Ergonomic Conference and Expo has asked the students to present their research at the national conference in Reno, Nev., this summer.

“We are nervous, but really excited about presenting at the ergonomics conference,” Parker explained. “Undergraduates don’t usually get the chance to develop and conduct their own research projects, much less get funding and have the chance to present their findings at a national industry conference.

They seem really excited to have students coming to talk about something a little different than what they’ve had in the past. ”

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For years, Cupid has held a monopoly on Valentine’s Day, but for a more modern approach, one might consider trading his or her cardboard cutouts of the winged archer for images of a computer-wielding industrial engineer.

Alumnus finds his ‘Match’ in ISE

By Susan Lassetter

6 Momentum Spring 2009

While he didn’t fly around hitting people with love’s arrow, William Bunker’s ingenuity did help shape the online dating industry, bringing thousands of couples together. The irony is that although he helped put the mythical cherub out of business, Bunker may not have found his current career without a push from the cherubic symbol of love. www.bagley.msstate.edu

“Part of the reason I came to Mississippi State was because the girl I was dating at the time was already in Starkville,” Bunker explained. “I decided to major in industrial engineering after the guy I sat next to in orientation told me about it. I thought it sounded interesting, but I promise it wasn’t as flippant a decision as it sounds. “I had known that I wanted to be an engineer; I just didn’t know what kind until he told me about the applications of industrial.”

In the end, Bunker’s unofficial career adviser chose the ministry over industrial engineering (IE), but the Lake Village, Ark., native enjoyed the major and earned his bachelor’s degree in 1992. Shortly thereafter, he went to work for Nelson Bunker Hunt’s international mining group out of Dallas, Texas, taking assignments around the world performing preliminary economic assessments.

“I first noticed the Internet while working in Russia. Later when I was stationed in Nicaragua, I began to study computer networks,” Bunker said. “After spending time in third-world counties, I figured starting my own business was less risky than what I was doing. That led to my friend Dave Kennedy and I writing an Internet business plan. Chat was very popular at the time.

We noticed that people were using it to flirt and the personals idea just took off from there.”

The pair launched One-and-Only.com, a Dallas-based online dating site, in 1995.

Although some might question how running an online dating service relates to IE, Bunker believes that the business approaches he learned in the Bagley College of Engineering helped him be successful.

“My adviser, Dr. (Larry) Brown, took the approach of looking at everything economically,” Bunker said. “Industrial engineering has a big emphasis on measurement and return, which was important for us when we were running our dating site. For any online business, you have to analyze things statistically and make changes to increase your yield from existing customers.”

Bagley College of Engineering

In less than four years, One-and-Only grew to 4.5 million unique monthly visitors with annual subscription revenues of $14 million, outperforming similar services from household names such as Yahoo. In 1999, the business partners sold their company for $45 million. It was rebranded to become Match.com, which is currently the world’s largest online dating service.

Bunker left the company and the Internet startup business in 2000, taking with him the experience of not only running a successful business, but also developing software and infrastructure for the Internet.

He returned to his home state to pursue other opportunities, but the potential for user-generated content Web communities brought him back to the industry. He co-founded White Space Ventures, LLC in 2004 and in 2007, and relocated to Portola Valley, Calif., to begin work on his newest endeavor, YoYoBrain.com.

“With our new Web site, we have taken all the research that has been done on how people learn and created a Web environment to promote those practices,” Bunker explained. “Through the site, people can create learning communities with their co-workers or classmates to share notes or flash cards with one another.”

The site works with users to determine an appropriate learning pace to meet their goals. It also employs “learning wizard drills” to help “keep that information in ‘yo’ brain as long as you want.” Since its launch in November 2008, the site has acquired a core of about 3,000 regular users and currently contains more than 100,000 user-created flash cards.

“We are trying to grow organically. When the product truly gets good enough, then people will tell each other about it and it will spread,” Bunker explained. “That’s how every good consumer site in the last seven years has taken off. Like YouTube and Facebook, if you can fill a basic need then people will tell their friends about it.”

assistance. Working with Dr. Lesley Strawderman and the MSU Human Systems Engineering Lab, the site was evaluated for usability, user success and general frustration and errors.

“In our lab, we strive to improve the interaction between humans and systems.

One service we offer is Web site analysis to provide evaluation from a users point of view,” Strawderman explained.

The evaluation provided Bunker with valuable information and ideas to better the site as it continues to grow, but the students got something equally as valuable in return.

“Working with Will was a great chance to give our students real hands-on training in how to evaluate software and interface design,” Strawderman said. “It is very important for them to do hands-on work. We teach about which guidelines an interface should follow to be successful and this was a chance for them to see those guidelines in action.”

Additionally, she said, “Seeing what he was able to accomplish as a graduate of Mississippi State gives our students something to aspire to. He is an excellent example of a successful alumnus and they are able to see how he uses his skills in a non-traditional way.”

Much like the eye-opening experience he was given at orientation, Bunker’s non-traditional career path has sparked excitement in many current MSU students. Now, illustrating how things truly can come full circle, he is the one giving advice on the limitless possibilities of engineering.

“The main thing for students is to find something you are passionate about,” Bunker explained. “If you enjoy what you do, and are willing to put the time into working hard and keeping your education current, you can be successful however you choose to apply your degree.”

To help ensure the user friendliness of YoYoBrain, Bunker turned to his alma mater, and specifically his old department, for

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7

Lighting up

rural Africa with the power

By Diane L. Godwin As a young man working as an engineer for an oil company, Dr. George Adebiyi would look out his office window and observe his fellow Nigerians blocking the sun with umbrellas during the day and reading by candlelight at night. Adebiyi’s observations changed the course of his career and that outcome has had a positive impact on many Nigerian lives.

“Even then, I knew that oil was a wasting asset, that sooner or later it would be exhausted,” said the mechanical engineering professor. “I would see people on the street using umbrellas, not to keep out rain, but to block sunshine. That’s

8 Momentum Spring 09

of the sun

when I realized the sun is a perennial resource, there is a lot of it, and what a shame it is not to use it.”

More than 30 years ago, Adebiyi began working to help Nigerian families locate affordable batteries, cardboard boxes and mirrors, to build simple, affordable solar panel systems. Using materials that were locally available, Adebiyi taught students and rural people how to capture the energy of the sun’s rays, convert the power to electricity and store it in a battery, so they could, for instance, access the illumination of a reading light when needed. www.bagley.msstate.edu

Courtesy of NASA: The nighttime satellite image shows the marked difference in electricity access between Africa and other parts of the world.

“As a faculty member at the University of Legos and the College of Technology at Deloriane, I began working with students on solar energy projects,” explained Adebiyi. “We built solar water heaters, steam and distillation units, all from existing materials that were within their means.”

It’s important to note that Adebiyi’s efforts took place before the days when corporations joined popular cause-related marketing campaigns that reflect companies in the best possible light, such as the hyperbole of corporations joining the “Lighting Africa” movement. Although such efforts are admirable and have made positive strides for many of the rural African people, the cost of the solar systems is at least $50, the amount that an average rural farmer makes in about a month.

Even with corporations subsidizing half the cost, some 500 million people who live in sub-Saharan Africa don’t have access to electricity, simply because they can’t afford a solar generating system or the traditional route of the grid electrical supply offered from the government is limited.

Bagley College of Engineering

“Nigeria has a population of 150 million people and their total traditional, electric generating power capacity is five gigawatts, that equates to each person having enough power to operate a 30-watt light bulb each day,” Adebiyi said. “Albeit the process has been slow, admirably the Nigerian government has been trying to increase the electric generating capacity, but even if they were to double it, that means the average person would have just enough power to operate a 60-watt light bulb per day.”

Consequently, people are cooking meals over wood fires, use kerosene lanterns that provide meager light combined with loud generators that cough up toxic fumes that pose serious health hazards. In addition, unsafe fuel storage for the generators poses significant fire risks to the owners and their neighborhood.

In contrast, Nigeria is the sixth largest supplier of oil to the U.S., however the revenue of this petroleum based resource rarely trickles down to help the rural population.

“Nigeria has the petroleum resources, the engineering knowledge and technical skills, but there is a crisis in the Delta region with the so-called militants who blow up gas lines in protest of the country’s government policies.

When the gas supply to the large power stations is cut off, they can’t produce electricity,” Adebiyi explained. “The government rebuilds the pipelines and tries to build additional power stations as quickly as they possibly can, however, the reality still remains, that even if they are able to double the electric generating capacity to every citizen, it’s power equivalent is a 60-watt versus a 30-watt light bulb per day and when industry taps that power there is nothing left.”

Other resources that the government has created to solve the electric supply problem is the creation of a large hydroelectric dam that is built on the Niger river, which runs through the Niger Republic, located close to the desert. When there is ample water supply the Kanji Dam uses 12, 80-megawatt generators to produce close to 2,000 megawatts of power. However, droughts and the naturally

Momentum

9

dry climate of the Niger Republic tempt farmers to divert the river flow for irrigation of crops. Under either situation, the hydroelectric dam produces an unreliable 1,000 megawatts per day.

Regardless of the situation, Adebiyi has never given up hope. He moved to the U.S. after completing a sabbatical to study technical aspects of solar energy applications and to discover and offer alternative solar power solutions for the rural people of Africa. Over the course of his 23-year career in America, Adebiyi applied for and received a Fulbright award to conduct solar research and raise awareness of solar energy’s potential in Nigeria, has Africa’s public and private universities prepare for and receive academic accreditation for solar-related programs, as well as answered countless requests from non-profit, government and commercial entities to write and submit hundreds of solar energy proposals to solve Africa’s energy crisis. Adebiyi has come full circle with a powerful and simple solution as they wait gracefully for help from all the constituents, and he believes the problem is so large that it will take the power of all these organizational projects to bring Africa into the light on top of his advice for people to help themselves.

“Many more families can find their independence with their own solution of using local material, to create simple solar energy systems.

What they’re not realizing is that they have the human and natural resources right in their backyard and local market to build themselves an affordable solar energy solution,” said Adebiyi.

“First, start with what they can afford and build it in a modular fashion. Purchase a battery and charger on the local market and store the intermittent, skosh amount of grid power

10 Momentum Spring 09

available. Now the stored power is accessible when they need it. Their next investment is energy efficient bulbs. In the meantime, while saving to purchase a solar panel, they can use cardboard boxes and mirrors to dry their food, which is much more sanitary than their traditional process of using roadside drying that is currently employed.”

Adebiyi’s approach of assisting the rural people to gain independence from the electrical grid will help non-profit, government and commercial entities build improved education, health, agriculture, and water systems much quicker. These elements are needed to build a strong economy that has a direct impact on the people.

“I’m helping families build their own systems now. It’s fulfilling to hear families say, ‘Our solar system is working, we haven’t depended on the electric grid for days, please help me build and add the next solar modular,’” said Adebiyi.

“That’s rewarding because at least I know I’m helping someone in my home country function normally.”

Adebiyi’s next project is looking into the possibilities of working with a Nigerian state governor, with a background in engineering, who is interested in including basic solar power systems as a standard feature of housing communities and making the package affordable for new home buyers.

“The whole definition of engineering is to develop systems to benefit human kind,” expressed Adebiyi. “I happen to come from a background where there is much need and I feel passionate as an engineer to do something about it.”

Researchers help physicians get to the heart of things

By Susan Lassetter It would simplify cardiologists’ jobs if people really did wear their hearts on their sleeves, but, unfortunately, that saying only amounts to symbolic imagery. In reality, those powerful pumpers hide behind layers of skin, bone and other tissue, making them hard to see and even harder to treat medically. However, by using advanced imaging techniques, an interdisciplinary team of researchers in the Bagley College of Engineering (BCoE) hopes to help medical personnel better see to the heart of things.

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly one million Americans suffer myocardial infarctions each year,” said Dr. Jun Liao, an assistant professor in biological engineering. “The

Bagley College of Engineering

first step toward treating that disease is to see its effect on the heart muscle.”

Liao explained that heart attacks cause damage and consequent disruptions to heart muscle fibers. Physicians need to evaluate this damage in order to develop effective treatment plans. Although current technology can help, in many cases patients still must undergo invasive procedures to allow doctors to evaluate the situation.

“The orientation of heart muscle fibers can only be seen through surgery, because even with CT scans and ultrasounds, there is no way to trace these fibers noninvasively,” said Dr. Song Zhang, an assistant professor in computer science. “I’ve had success using emerging diffusion tensor MRI technology to visualize the neuron fibers of the human brain and we believe this same technology can produce 3-D, extremely detailed images of heart muscle fibers without requiring invasive procedures.”

In addition to producing detailed images, DT-MRI can be performed without the use of radioisotopes, which can cause allergic reactions in some patients. Instead, the technology measures the water diffusion regulated by the fibers, making it a potential testing option in the days immediately following a heart attack.

“We are collaborating with Drs. Ronald McLaughlin, Allen Crow, Robert Cooper, and Katie Mullins from MSU’s veterinary school and are very excited with the results we have seen,” Liao said. “We found that the DT-MRI can accurately distinguish viable muscle fibers from dead heart muscle only two days after the infarction. We believe this project will establish a solid base for future applications of DT-MRI technology, as well as a clinically reliable tool for the evaluation and treatment of cardiac patients.”

This research currently is being conducted with special funding from the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and facility support from MSU’s Institute for Neurocognitive Science and Technology.

Having seen success in the preliminary stages of research, the engineers hope that additional support will help see their research through to the clinical testing stage.

“We started this project with the goal of helping cardiac patients,” Zhang said. “I can imagine that in 10 years doctors will be using our technology to see exactly what a heart attack victim’s status is, giving them a clear idea of how they need to proceed with treatment.”

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For years, the only diversity present in engineering education was found in the bow, neck, clip-on and even bolo ties worn by the men who practiced the profession. Even as women and minorities began pursuing the career, they were forced to look up at the suits in administration from below the glass ceiling.

Administrators

suit up That barrier was shattered years ago, but it still isn’t common to see those who are underrepresented in a position of authority, feeding the generalization that only men can lead engineering institutions. However, three women at Mississippi State are severing all ties with that stereotype by suiting up to lead the Bagley College of Engineering into the future.

By Susan Lassetter 12 Momentum Spring 2009

www.bagley.msstate.edu

“People have said ‘Three women? Well, that’s not very diverse,’ but when I ask if they made that same statement five years ago when it was all men, the answer is usually no,” explained Dr. Lori Mann Bruce, associate dean for research and graduate studies.

“It seems no one noticed when it was all men, but with all women they feel as if something is off-kilter, which makes them perk up and take notice,” she added. “It is just by happenchance that our leadership ended up being all female, but if it is going to make people take notice, I hope we can use it to change perceptions.”

With Bruce’s move to the dean’s office in October 2008, all three of the BCoE’s top leadership positions are held by women, causing the college to stand out among its peers on U.S. News and World Report’s list of the top 100 engineering graduate schools. Less than 10 of those schools have female deans, much less predominantly female leadership in their main offices, giving Dean Sarah Rajala, Bruce and Dr. Donna Reese a unique opportunity to create change in the way underrepresented populations are seen within the engineering community.

“I don’t think our all female makeup will change the way we do business, but I do think it gives us a deeper understanding of what it is like to be the underrepresented person in a group,” said Reese, associate dean of academics. “We understand the importance of having diverse students and faculty while providing the necessary support to ensure success, no matter what the circumstances.”

In addition to other strategic plan goals, the group hopes to work with department heads and center directors to develop agreements and work-load assignments that are supportive of women who have or are starting families. They also have helped form the Diversity Advisory Council to address ways to attract underrepresented groups to engineering and move them into graduate programs.

“When I was an undergraduate, they said women couldn’t study engineering. Even as that changed, minorities and women often were hired for who they were, not what they could do,” Rajala said. “A lot of institutions struggled with that through the years, but now minorities and women are being hired for what they bring

Bagley College of Engineering

to the table instead of what they are. There are a lot more opportunities for minorities in the field today, but there is still work to be done.”

In everything they do, the group wants to not only bring new talent and perspective to engineering, but also to make sure that people realize the doors of BCoE are open to everyone. Bruce and Reese admit to having certain “preconceived notions” about what opportunities would–or more than likely would not–be open to them in Mississippi, but both recall being pleasantly surprised when they arrived at MSU’s campus.

“My perception of Mississippi was very different after I came to Starkville for my interview,” Bruce admitted. “I think that is true of virtually everyone who visits. Mississippi is often portrayed in a bad light, but once people get here, they see that there are some really great things happening at MSU.” Reese added, “Perception is one of the things we struggle with here. People assume that Mississippi State couldn’t possibly be a minorityfriendly place, but I hope seeing us, in our leadership positions, will make them take a second look and realize that we stack up with any other school in the nation.”

Current statistics show that 19 percent of the BCoE’s graduate students are female while 28 percent are foreign nationals. These numbers are only slightly below the national averages as listed by the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). African-American enrollment in these graduate programs stands at 7 percent, which rates above ASEE’s national average. The organization also ranks the BCoE as 39th in percentage of women tenured/tenuretrack faculty, which Reese sees as positive signs for the future.

“We have young women who have been doing wonderful things. It wouldn’t surprise me if they eventually move into leadership roles themselves,” Reese explained. “In the past, women faculty tended to be in junior roles, but now we are being successful in retaining and moving them up the faculty ranks. I want all women to feel they can get doctorates, take on faculty positions, get tenure, and have families without feeling like there are barriers on their path to success.”

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Humble Mississippian helps create history

By Diane L. Godwin

The Broadway box office hit and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “South Pacific” is an adaptation of James A. Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-wining 1948 novel, “Tales of the South Pacific.” It weaves the stories of how the American Navy and Marines’ military service and personal lives interconnected with the indigenous people while serving on the southern islands during World War II. One of those Marines who spent time on the Solomon Islands is Mississippi State alumnus William C. Pittman. The 1951 electrical and computer engineering graduate spent exactly five years and 10 months in the Marines, part of which was on the

14 Momentum Spring 2009

various islands that surround the Coral Sea. However, his recollection of his time there isn’t as romantic and glamorous as the story told in the Tony award-winning Broadway production.

“The mission of my battalion was to provide perimeter defense for the construction of a new air field to take the heat off Henderson Field. I was a communication specialist, which meant that my job involved assignment as a telephone operator and repairing communication equipment, stringing telephone lines on coconut trees and repairing those lines,” explained Pittman. “That part of my career wasn’t as glamorous as Broad-

way and Hollywood portrayed our military service, in fact, it was pretty grueling and dull.”

It was a time in Pittman’s life where one could say he was paying his dues and gaining experience for what was to come.

Growing up during the depression years in Pontotoc, Miss., Pittman was used to hard work and the concept of being frugal. It was these hard times that created that generation’s mindset of hoarding everything and throwing away nothing.

“The enticement for me to join the Marines was, basically, for a poor guy to get a good

www.bagley.msstate.edu

“I was driving down the street in Columbus and heard on the radio that a recruiter from Redstone Arsenal was at the Gilmer Hotel taking applications for jobs in electrical engineering,” said Pittman.

meal and a place to sleep,” said Pittman.

“The Marines gave us our room, board and meals. That’s how we could save our money. My plan was to use it to pay for my college education.”

the German scientist began designing after the Treaty of Versailles forbade the Germans from using long-range artillery, the large-caliber guns and cannons they used to bombard Paris.

In 1946, Pittman enrolled at Mississippi State and used his well-deserved GI Bill to pay for his degree. As he told the story of his college days and meeting his wife Eloise on a blind date, a series of events occurred that propelled him towards his life’s purpose. His story of becoming one of the world’s most prominent rocket scientists begins during World War II; however, how he came to be at Redstone Arsenal started when he took a drive to Columbus, Miss., to visit his significant other. She worked as a secretary at the Gilmer Hotel.

During the Hitler years, Von Braun was living a tragic and conflicted life. He always had the desire to design a rocket to travel to the Moon and Mars, and that desire became more clear during his work on the V2 at Peenemünde, a small German village located on the northern coast of Germany near the Baltic Sea. At the end of World War II, Von Braun recognized that he could realize his dream if he could get himself to America.

“I was driving down the street in Columbus and heard on the radio that a recruiter from Redstone Arsenal was at the Gilmer Hotel taking applications for jobs in electrical engineering,” said Pittman. “I was invited to Huntsville, Ala., to interview with a gentleman named Hans Heuter. I didn’t realize it at the time, but he was the chief mechanical engineer for Dr. Wernher Von Braun.”

Von Braun, the famous German engineer, came to America after being forced to work with Hitler to create one the world’s most dangerous missiles--the V2 bomb. It’s what

Bagley College of Engineering

Aware that Germany would not gain victory over his allies, Von Braun ensured that the science and technology wouldn’t be destroyed or fall into the wrong hands, such as Stalin and the Russians, by arranging for the surrender of 117 of his best rocket scientist, along with plans and test vehicles to the Americans. His challenge: many vilified the famous German rocket team for inventing the V2 bomb for the Third Reich.

“At the time, what many people didn’t realize was that Dr. Von Braun was a visionary and he realized that America was the place where spaceflight would be supported,” explained Pittman. “When Von Braun’s

team was in Germany, they were put into some unfortunate circumstances and had to make some really tough life-or-death choices. They realized they didn’t belong to Hitler, so they stayed committed to their work and wanted to achieve excellence and make a difference, just like any engineer would.”

When Von Braun’s chief mechanical engineer interviewed Pittman they were in the process of building a team with American colleagues that would eventually be responsible for taking Americans into space and to the moon. However, Hans Heuter was expecting a candidate with a mechanical engineering background.

“I was waiting to see him and I overheard him dialing the phone and then saying to personnel, ‘I need a mechanical engineer and you sent me this electroniker,’” laughed Pittman. “I was pretty intimidated and Heuter must have realized it and felt sorry for me, so he gave me a chance and handed me a huge file of declassified V-2 documents and told me to read them and report back.”

Pittman took advantage of the opportunity and practically memorized the huge stack of papers. Impressed by his scientific ability, Heuter hired Pittman as an electrical engineer at Redstone Arsenal, and recommended that Pittman be assigned to

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work in the radio and telemetry group. It wasn’t long before Pittman was promoted to project leader of the group that designed the telemetry system for the Redstone Rocket-the first rocket successfully launched into space and what NASA used to launch the first Mercury capsules. Upgraded versions of those same rockets are what helped the Americans land the first man on the moon with the Apollo capsule.

“In those days, we had to turn the telemetry systems on and wait for the subcarrier oscillators to stabilize with temperature to tune them up before the launch. So, I’m tuning the equipment at the top of the rocket, which is on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. I turned to see Dr. Von Braun looking over my shoulder. He asked me to explain the equipment. I gave him the best tutorial on the telemetry system that I could. He joked and said,‘Too complicated for me,’” laughed Pittman. “He wanted to see if that guy Pittman really knew what he was doing.”

What happened next made history.

“When we saw that first Redstone Rocket take off, we realized that we were in the hands of a genius and were part of a great historical event,” commented Pittman.

From 1953 through 1958, 37 Redstones were fired to test structure, engine performance, guidance and control, tracking and telemetry. Through it all Pittman’s work on the Redstone and other rockets involved studying the effects of space’s atmosphere on telemetry systems and space tracking systems.

“I’m a good example of what a good education and chance can do for young people, so my advice is don’t stop your education, continue learning throughout life.”

“I hope we are good mentors. I always tell the up-and-coming young engineers what my German mentors passed along to me: ‘Always try to be good at one thing, but learn about all things.’”

It’s been 57 years since the now-88-yearold, World War II Marine veteran began his civilian career with the Army’s rocket development team at Redstone Arsenal.

Since then the rocket scientist has received the second-highest award given to a Department of Army civilian, the Meritorious Civilian Service Award. In addition, he has earned 12 performance awards, more than 40 commendation letters, a certificate of recognition from Maj. Gen. James Link and 15 U.S. patents. That includes a number of patents he shares with the younger, novice engineers that he advises.

“I’m impressed with the dedication and enthusiasm that I see in the younger engineers that are graduating today. They’re a great generation.”

Pittman not only gives back in the working world, but believes in volunteering his service to the community. He is the recipient of the Daughters of the American Revolution Medal of Honor and the Sons of the American Revolution Patriot Medal and Good Citizenship Medal, as well as the Martin Schilling Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

He is active in several organizations and professional societies, including the Disabled American Veterans, First Marine Division Association, 9th Marine Defense Battalion Association, Association of the U.S. Army, Sons of the American Revolution, Institute of Radio Engineers, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Fifty-six years later, the Discovery and History channels run documentaries on the Von Braun team’s accomplishments and how that group of individuals laid the foundation for where the space program is today.

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Student

engineers g n i p l e h a lend

d n ha

By Susan Lassetter

College puts countless demands on students’ time. Between class, projects, jobs, and, of course, maintaining a social life, one wonders how they keep a grip on everything while still finding time to sleep. Cramped schedules and class demands leave precious little time for charitable pursuits however, students in the Bagley College of Engineering (BCoE) prevail. Many have put their problem-solving nature to use in order to engineer ways to lend the community a helping hand.

“There are several reasons our students are prone to performing community service,” explained Robert Green, undergraduate coordinator for the BCoE. “They are some of the brightest in the area and have been given many advantages throughout their lives. They owe a debt to the society that has supported them and they have the ability and intellect to make a difference.”

Students must employ a variety of skills when participating in the various community service projects sponsored by BCoE organizations. Fundraising efforts often require students to develop effective communication skills while hands-on projects help encourage teamwork and on-thespot problem solving.

Bagley College of Engineering

“Community service is a great diversion from typical academic work. Students spend a lot of time in class writing equations and solving problems, which doesn’t give them much time to interact,” Green explained. “These projects give them the opportunity to get out of the classroom and interact with their peers.”

While some students may be reluctant to donate their precious free time at first, many find that their camaraderie with other volunteers, combined with the knowledge that they are making a difference, is more worthwhile than other pastimes, leading them to want to continue to help.

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“Some of our students would disagree with me, but the truth is that they will have more money to donate once they graduate, but right now, they have the time to contribute, which is invaluable to many local causes,” Green said. “By getting involved in service, they develop their leadership and followership skills, as well as establish a habit of giving to others, all of which will make them better citizens and engineers.”

ASME completes ‘cycle’ of service Most aspects of mechanical engineering relate to large machines or complex motors, but one group of students learned that even the discipline’s simplest applications can make a big difference. After learning that the Columbus, Miss., Palmer Home for Children needed help repairing the children’s bicycles, the MSU American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) rode to the occasion.

“The Palmer Home had a sea of broken bikes that had been donated. A lot of them were just missing parts, which we could salvage off of spare bikes,” explained Forrest Exley, a senior in mechanical engineering. “Eventually, word spread that we were at the home fixing bikes and soon kids were lining up for us to fix their personal bikes. We were outnumbered, but it was fun to work with the kids.”

“The kids were so excited that we couldn’t get them to calm down,” Wren said. “They were so happy to have new people to talk to and play with that we got distracted, but everyone had a lot of fun. It was a great experience to give back and help better the community.”

Students make a habit out of Habitat Their majors may not bear many similarities, but chemical and electrical engineering majors in the BCoE have bonded over building. Recognizing that there is power in numbers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and the electrical engineering organization IEEE joined forces to build homes for Habitat for Humanity.

“We try to work with Habitat at least once a semester, but it requires a lot of teamwork,” explained George Galloway, president of AIChE. “Our organization encourages interdisciplinary cooperation, so we eagerly partnered with IEEE for our last outing.”

Despite an early morning start time, more than 50 students met at the Starkville construction site.

Armed with hammers, nails and other equipment not usually found in sterile labs, the group worked for about seven hours putting a roof on the house–only stopping once they ran out of supplies.

Exley explained that getting to “turn wrenches and get their hands dirty” was a nice change from the students’ typical academic endeavors. However, the day wasn’t completely without education as the group used the opportunity to teach the young Palmer Home residents about bicycle maintenance.

“Generally, we tell our volunteers that they only have to come for a three-hour shift, but the people that were there for the first three hours enjoyed it so much that they decided to stick it out for the rest of the day,” Galloway said.

“We didn’t just let them run off and not pay attention while we fixed their bikes. We showed them the simple things they can do to keep their bikes running, like how to fix a flat tire or a stretchedout brake cable,” Exley said.

To break up the manual labor of building houses, Dr. Bill Elmore, AIChE’s adviser, provided food and drinks for the volunteers. However, the students say that free food is not a bribe for volunteering. They maintain that working with their friends to accomplish a meaningful task is reward enough.

In two Saturdays, the MSU students were able to fix about 50 bicycles. While that was quite a bit of progress, junior mechanical engineering major Stephen Wren admitted the group did get a little side-tracked during their work.

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“Working for Habitat was tiring, but it was also rewarding and a lot of fun,” explained Erik LaVine, vice chair of IEEE. “We are always looking for ways to get involved in the community and Habitat for Humanity was a nice way to work with friends to make a difference.”

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Theta Tau puts spotlight on service The Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity provides many services to its members, but none compare to the service those members provide to the community. Despite their busy schedules and working to maintain the group’s strict academic standards, the students perform a variety of community service projects each semester.

“We do at least three community service projects each semester,” explained Theta Tau president Savannah Ponder. “We continuously participate in the Adopt-A-Mile program by maintaining a two-mile stretch of Highway 182. We also hold fundraising drives and work with local non-profit organizations.”

The group regularly services Camp Seminole, the local Boy Scout camp. With only a small staff to maintain its 288 acres, the camp has many tasks for volunteers, including painting, food preparation, groundskeeping, and even setting up tents for groups coming into the campsite.

“Growing up, I was a Girl Scout, so it is very rewarding to me to help at the Boy Scout camp. A lot of the groups that come to the camp are from larger towns so it’s nice to help ensure that kids are able to experience nature and the outdoors,” Ponder said. “Even though we are a relatively small chapter, we are able to accomplish a lot during our projects by using our engineering backgrounds to work efficiently.”

The chapter currently has 18 members, but is actively recruiting new students. Despite its small number, group members always seem excited about their work, providing plenty of volunteers to help with their various projects, whether it’s spending five hours picking up litter or painting the facilities at the Palmer Home for Children.

“Some of our members join just for the community service. They are always encouraging the group to get excited and get involved,” Ponder explained.

“It’s always fun, for those five or six hours we are working no one has to worry about tests or homework. We can just joke around and relax.”

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University center helps industry tighten its belt

By Susan Lassetter

Mississippi’s unemployment rate recently reached 9 percent, CNN reports that 22 percent of employers don’t plan on hiring this spring, and it seems that around every corner another business has closed its doors.

While these thoughts weigh heavily on everyone’s minds, soon-to-be college graduates and regional manufacturing operations seem especially vulnerable to these fiscal fluctuations. They fall victim to what amounts to a nightmarish chain reaction–the economy slows, orders stop, manufacturers can’t cover operating cost, workers are laid off, and making new hires becomes a distant memory. But what if there was a way to train students to help companies save overhead?

Well, that’s exactly what’s happening at the Bagley College of Engineering’s Industrial Assessment Center (IAC), where for 15 years, companies and students have been educated in the environmental and financial benefits of energy engineering.

“We provide energy assessments for smalland mid-sized regional manufacturing facilities,” explained Chris Emplaincourt, IAC assistant director. “Recommendations from these assessments save the companies money, and because they are conducted by undergraduate teams, our students get practical engineering experience and exposure to many different industries.”

the region, servicing industries that range from food production to machine-work or even creating green energy solutions for correctional facilities. On average, assessments result in a 10 percent reduction of a facility’s annual energy costs. More importantly, the center is completely funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which means companies can reap the benefits from these assessments at no cost. All it takes is a phone call and a little cooperation.

“To begin the process, we acquire copies of the company’s utility bills from the past 12 months. Our team then performs a one-day, on-site assessment to gather information,” said Dr. B.K. Hodge, center director.

Since its inception in 1994, the center has performed more than 330 assessments in

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“Multi-national companies have their own efficiency experts, but the small operations we serve don’t have the manpower or time to look for ways to improve performance. That’s why it is beneficial to have us come in with fresh eyes to identify things the companies might overlook. We saved one company $100,000 just by turning off the lights during downtimes.”

Within 60 days of the assessment, companies get a formal efficiency report containing energy saving recommendations. Although each IAC evaluation has a faculty supervisor on the case, the whole process–from scheduling to developing each confidential energy report–is done by the students. Most students work with the center for two years, participating in an average of 15 assessments during that time.

“Since I started working with the IAC as a student, I have been in over 40 facilities that run the manufacturing gamut.

It really opens your eyes to how things work,” explained Ben Wright, a mechanical engineering graduate. “A lot of times, the problems we solve in class don’t seem real or to have a direct impact, but when you work for the IAC, you are solving real engineering problems and providing valuable solutions for clients.”

More than 75 students have worked for MSU’s IAC since its creation. Half of those graduates currently hold positions in the growing field of energy engineering, including Wright, who serves as the IAC’s staff engineer. In this position, he works with Hodge, Emplaincourt and assistant director Dr. Richard Forbes, to help track the center’s success and educate manufacturers on the importance of energy conservation.

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“We put things in dollars and cents to really show facility managers how important energy efficiency can be to their operations,” Wright said. “When it comes down to it, those savings could amount to a worker’s salary. Plus, we are directly doing things to reduce the demand on global energy use, which is vitally important.”

Wright explained that while some suggestions are simple and may be implemented easily, others might take planning and capital investment. To see how each company utilizes the report, he helps conduct follow-up surveys that evaluate which recommendations were adopted and what the energy saving return has been. Fluctuations in energy prices make it hard to gauge exactly how much money the IAC has saved regional manufacturers over time, but in 2008 the DOE and the state of Mississippi recognized four companies for increased energy efficiency generated by implementing IAC recommendations. These companies include Grenada Manufacturing, Grenada; Davis International, Okolona; Tronox, Hamilton; and Energy Conversion Systems, LLC (ECS), Pelahatchie.

“The assessment has enabled us to monitor our electricity much more closely and highlighted areas where we can improve,” explained John Sauls of ECS. “The team basically came in like shadows, collecting their information without affecting our operations at all. Overall they did an excellent job.”

For more information about the Industrial Assessment Center, e-mail Dr. B. Keith Hodge at hodge@me.msstate.edu, or telephone him at 662-3257315. Additional information may be found on the center’s Web site, www.me.msstate.edu/ IAC/iac.html.

Number of Companies Helped per State and County States Alabama – 23 Arkansas – 5 Tennessee - 12 Mississippi - 298

MS Counties Adams - 1 Alcorn – 1 Attala – 8 Benton – 2 Bolivar – 3 Calhoun – 2 Chickasaw – 9 Choctaw – 2 Claiborne – 1 Clarke – 2 Clay – 4 Coahoma – 1 Copiah – 3 Covington – 1 DeSoto – 7 Forrest – 5 Grenada – 7 Hancock – 1 Harrison – 1 Hinds – 14 Holmes – 4 Humphreys – 2 Itawamba – 5 Jasper – 5 Jones – 3 Kemper – 1 Lafayette – 2 Lamar – 1

Lauderdale – 12 Lawrence – 1 Lee – 32 Leflore – 12 Lincoln – 2 Lowndes – 11 Madison – 5 Marshall – 2 Monroe – 7 Montgomery – 6 Neshoba – 5 Newton – 2 Noxubee – 5 Oktibbeha – 13 Panola – 5 Pike – 3 Pontotoc – 12 Prentiss – 5 Quitman – 1 Rankin – 8 Scott – 4 Simpson – 1 Smith – 2 Sunflower – 4 Tate – 2 Tippah – 2 Tishomingo – 3 Union – 4 Warren – 5 Washington – 9 Wayne – 2 Webster – 8 Winston – 3 Yalobusha – 1 Yazoo – 1

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Green with energy

Part II

By Diane L. Godwin “Green [the word and color] is the new red, white and blue.” There seems to be a lot of truth to Pulitzer Prize-winning author and New York Times columnist Tom Friedman’s statement, in more ways than one. The word “green” is not only one of the most popular buzz words of this generation, but scientists are finding that the environmental connotation of the word also holds the key to answers in finding resources for alternative energy. Trees, the lungs of our planet, which produce oxygen and remove carbon dioxide and contaminants from the air, and all of the waste they produce while going through their natural seasonal cycles, contain the particles that create renewable energy.

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Dr. Mark White, director of the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering, has invented a catalyst that converts the gas from burning wood in a gasifier, called synthesis gas, into a liquid hydrocarbon that can be made into fuel or taken to a refinery to make other petroleum products, such as plastic.

“We’re taking the bio-resources that are indigenous to Mississippi, for instance, ligneous cellulose, which is a fancy scientific name for wood, mainly the slash left over from harvesting and the seasonal natural residue shed from trees, to make a gasoline product that has a very high octane value--higher than what you get at the pump,” explained White.

“So our strategy is to blend our product with a lower octane material that previously couldn’t be sold, and blend the two products to extend the gasoline pool.”

Experts hope industry will see liquid hydrocarbon as a “value-added material” because the highoctane product has the right density and pressure to work in vehicular gas tanks, as well as the same energy-producing power as gasoline. The only difference--it’s made out of the earth’s bio-resources vs. petroleum products that are made from carbons that have been stored beneath the earth’s surface for millions of years. Every day that society uses petroleum products means that they’re increasing the carbon footprint by adding carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere.

“We’re creating recyclable, renewable energy from bio-resources that don’t add carbons, because our product comes from the CO2 that used to be in the air. This process is a closed, recyclable system that is safe for the environment,” added White. “Another advantage, it creates an alternative market for one of Mississippi’s largest natural resources--wood. The economic impact for the state could be enormous.”

The limbs, leaves and bark—biomass—that are gasified create the synthesis gas, a mixture rich in CO2 and hydrogen. The carbon cycle goes from CO2 to wood, wood to synthesis gas, then synthesis gas to hydrocarbons, which can either be burned as fuel or recycled as a polymer, which makes plastics.

“All kinds of products that are made from petroleum-generated plastics can be made with this hydrocarbon,” said White. “Think of the positive

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Left: Dr. Phil Steele, professor of forest products and manager of the Bio-oil Laboratory, testing quality of bio-oil from biomass wood samples Middle - Front: James Wooten, extension associate working in energy, producing synthesis gas from a downdraft gasifier burning wood and other biomass Middle -Back: Mr. Eugene Columbus, agriculture engineer and coordinator for biomass research, testing synthesis gas quality Right: Dr. Mark White, director Dave C. Swalm School of Engineering, examining liquid hydrocarbon made from catalyst that treated synthesis gas

impact we would have on the environment if car bumpers, water bottles, all the things that are now made from petroleum polymers, can now be made with this new hydrocarbon polymer that is made from a recyclable, renewable bio-resource.”

bus. “We will compress the synthesis gas to 2,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, into five-foot-tall cylinders that are about a foot in diameter; then we’ll pass the syngas over Dr. White’s catalyst at about 300-500 degrees Celsius.”

White has filed for a patent for the invention of the catalyst and for the reactor he has built in the lab. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratories are further testing the catalyst’s capabilities at their Richland, Wash., site. Simultaneously, White is partnering with agriculture and biological engineering researchers at the Bagley College of Engineering to build a pilot plant at the Mississippi State Pace Seed Lab. Eugene Columbus, an agriculture engineer and coordinator for biomass research, conducts research in densification and gasification of agriculture products.

White’s and Columbus’ renewable energy research is part of a larger effort taking place under the umbrella of the Sustainable Energy Research Center, where Mississippi State has more than 50 faculty members from different disciplines partnering to find alternative energy solutions that are economically feasible and environmentally friendly. One of those inventions is using synthesis gas to generate electricity.

“Our next step is to help Dr. White produce these liquid hydrocarbons at quantities where it has the potential to go commercial. We’re building the same reactor that Mark has constructed in his lab on a larger scale and then we’ll use the synthesis gas from our gasifier,” explained Colum-

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“We’ve developed the ability to burn syngas using a modified diesel engine to produce electricity,” added Columbus. “We have a 500-gallon butane tank where we’ll capture and pressurize the synthesis gas from the gasifier. The syngas powers the engine and generator, creating energy that will heat and cool water, and cool the Mirco-CHP and Bio-Fuel Center demonstration site designed by Dr. Louay Chamra’s mechanical engineering group.”

Since its formation in 2006, SERC experts and scientists have taken a $13 million Department of Energy grant and used the government’s investment to invent three renewable energy technologies. They include microorganism research (reported in Green Energy Part 1), Dr. White’s synthesis gas to liquid hydrogen research and bio-oil technology.

The latter project is closest to the investment and commercialization stage. A process known as fast pyrolysis produces bio-oil. This process produces bio-oil from the thermal degradation of biomass in the absence of air. The biomass is pyrolyzed to bio-oil and can be wood, agricultural products and residues. With proper upgrading, the bio-oil can be used for home heating fuel or green gasoline and diesel. Members of the departments of chemistry, chemical, agricultural and biological, and mechanical engineering, as well as the Institute for Clean Energy Technology (ICET), have been working as a team to develop the fuels produced by SERC bio-oil research projects.

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Dr. Phil Steele, the SERC team thrust leader, generally outlined the method that his group uses to produce raw bio-oil.

“Basically, we rapidly thermally degrade small particles of wood, switch grass, corn harvest residue or any other biomass at a temperature of 500 degrees Celsius in the absence of air to produce vapors that are rapidly condensed in specialized condensers. We obtain 65 percent yield of a dark syrupy liquid that is a complex mixture of numerous chemical compounds.”

Raw bio-oil right out of the reactor is nearly impossible to use as a fuel and must be upgraded. The group has developed a path to upgrade the product for the production of home heating fuel.

“When raw bio-oil isn’t upgraded, it has a heating value of half that of No. 2 fuel oil, so we’re running it through a process that will raise that value,” explained Steele. “We are applying a variation of the process to produce biodiesel from fats and oils that obtains nearly 100 percent yield. We increased, what we call lignocellulosic biodiesel, to 80 percent of the heating value of No. 2 fuel oil. It’s suitable for space heating applications, but can’t be used in combustion engines.

“This bio-oil product also has an additional application,” Steele continued. “In order to use it as home heating fuel, we’re running it through another process that will raise its heating value. Right now we’re at 85 percent of No. 2 diesel, and we’re working to raise the heating values another 10 percent.

We hope to produce it for about $1.50 a gallon and with some delivery and taxes added, it could cost the consumer below $2 a gallon.”

Bio-oil has a second production pathway that will produce renewable fuel products to power combustion engines. Raw bio-oil’s weight is comprised of 45 percent oxygen. However, when MSU researchers replace some of the oxygen with hydrogen and pressurize both with a catalyst, they convert to hydrocarbons. The resultant liquid hydrocarbon smells and looks very

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much like gasoline. These hydrocarbons are safer for the environment because they are not adding CO2 to the atmosphere, but they produce the same type of petroleum products, such as gasoline, as the hydrocarbons that are retrieved from beneath the earth. The hydrocarbons made from bio-oil can be blended with current petroleum products or sent to petroleum refineries to produce the same fuels that are obtained from the processing of petroleum crude oil.

The third pathway to renewable fuel is what experts call aqueous bio-oil fraction.

It’s produced by fractionating the raw biooil lignin from water and acid compounds to obtain a pyroligneous fraction and an aqueous fraction.

The aqueous fraction contains sugars broken from the biomass cellulose portion of the feedstock. MSU researchers have demonstrated that they can produce 47 percent sugars in this aqueous fraction.

These sugars can be converted to glucose sugars that are the same types of sugars that are derived from corn to make ethanol.

“We’re also partnering with two scientists at collaborating universities who are experts in gasifying sugars to hydrocarbons,” clarified Steele. “This appears a promising path to liquid hydrocarbons from pyrolysis products.”

In less than three years, researchers at the Sustainable Energy Research Center (SERC) have invented three renewable energy technologies that are safe for the environment, will lessen the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, and combat rising energy costs. When the renewable research projects transition into commercial development, the economic impact will translate into new companies and more jobs for the citizens of the state.

“What we’re really trying to do is create new industry in Mississippi—the renewable energy industry,” said Dr. Bill Batchelor, SERC co-director. “We have biomass left over from the harvesting of trees, cotton, soybeans, and the like. Just imagine the economic revitalization and impact we

can have on the state if we can recycle and convert these wood and grain byproducts into renewable fuels.”

And constituents are starting to take notice. A nonpartisan, public think tank created by the Southern states’ governors, the Southern Growth Policies Board, has awarded the SERC the 2009 Innovator Award for Mississippi. The organization honors Southern initiatives that are improving economic opportunities and quality of life in the region.

“What we’re looking for right now are companies willing to develop portable systems for the field that turn waste products from the harvesting of pine trees into bio-oil,” explained Dr. Glenn Steele, the center’s other co-director. “The critical part is identifying investors, finding an intermediate set of entrepreneurs who will take our technology, and commercially develop a product that’s sold to larger companies.

The alternative is to have the larger corporations realize the benefits and then the middle will open and develop on its own.”

The center’s research on alternative fuels and energy sustainability has grown so rapidly that it is now part of the university’s newly formed Energy Institute. The institute includes SERC, as well as the Industrial Assessment Center, the Mirco-CHP and Bio-Fuel Center, and the Institute for Clean Energy Technology.

“We formed the Energy Institute to maximize our fiscal resources and use it as a central umbrella that allows us to easily share and access a knowledge foundation that we can build upon by networking with other energy-based centers and departments working on related projects,” said Dr. Glenn Steele.

For more information about the Sustainable Energy Research Center, visit www. serc.msstate.edu. To learn more about the Energy Institute, telephone Batchelor and Steele at 662-325-7938.

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Research helps protect America’s protectors

By Susan Lassetter Most people will never have to decide between their job performance and personal safety, but America’s police forces face this dilemma every day, as the armor meant to protect them may hinder their ability to properly protect the public. As a result, law enforcement agencies must make concessions between providing the safest armor possible and not limiting the mobility of the officers expected to catch slippery criminals.

“Currently, body armor is rated according to its ballistic protection level, but there are no performance or comfort measures in place, so agencies constantly have to tradeoff between safety and performance,” explained Dr. Daniel Carruth. “For example, SWAT teams wear heavy armor. While it’s very safe, they wouldn’t be able to chase a suspect. On the other hand, patrol officers must maintain their agility, so they can’t wear the heavy armor.”

Carruth is part of a multi-university team of researchers working with funding from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to evaluate body armor. Dr. Marianne Wilhelm, a professor at Lawrence Technological University, is researching areas of the body left vulnerable under current armor standards, while the Mississippi State team, including Dr. Kari Babski-Reeves and several student researchers, establishes ergonomic tests that will allow law enforcement agencies to make more knowledgeable, subtle trade-offs when outfitting their units with protective gear.

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“We want to establish an ergonomic scale so officers can knowingly decide which level of protection they need while considering the duties they must perform,” said Chris Blackledge, a master’s student in industrial engineering. “I have friends who are police officers and active military so I am happy to be able to help that community in this area that has been lacking in research.”

“Right now, we are getting officers to come into the lab and run through a series of tests. We are using electromyography, motion capture and a variety of other measures to record their movements and condition as they perform a series of tasks,” Slater explained. “A majority of my work involves working with the motion capture equipment and analyzing the data afterward.”

Blackledge earned his bachelor’s degree in biological engineering from MSU, giving him insight into the physiological processes associated with wearing body armor, but perhaps the most valuable experience he brings to the research is a personal understanding of what it is like to work in body armor. Serving in the military, including deployments overseas, he and junior Steven Slater know what it’s like when wearing armor is a way of life.

The motion capture equipment creates computer-generated models of the test subjects and records the way they move while performing the tasks with and without the armor. By combining this information with the unprotected area statistics, the group hopes to be able to provide scientific recommendations on the most effective ways to extend body armor protection.

“I lived in the body armor for quite a while and it is not fun to wear,” Blackledge, a former military policeman, explained. “It can make it very difficult to do your job, and, unfortunately, some people would rather assume the risks of being without armor than struggle to do their jobs with the protection on.”

Slater added, “It did impact performance, making any job twice as hard. Everything you did caused a different kind of discomfort but by the time our group was deployed, they had gotten stricter about requiring people to wear the armor, because as uncomfortable as it was, it was saving lives.”

As a Marine, Slater served in a mobile assault platoon and at one point was part of manufacturer’s test group for a new type of armor. While those tests proved to be unsuccessful, he has encountered a different result as an industrial engineering major helping run test subjects for the body armor research.

“We don’t want to just say OK, officers are especially vulnerable here, here and here while wearing armor and then just have the manufacturers extend the armor in those areas,” Carruth explained. “We want to be able to tell them how to protect those areas without reducing officer performance.”

In addition to funding from the NIJ, the two-year project has earned support from local law enforcement agencies, as well as the International and State Associations of Chiefs of Police and their SafeShield initiative for officer safety. Working with these groups, the researchers plan on condensing their battery of tests into a two-hour all-encompassing evaluation, which they can administer to policemen around the country at the requests of the organizations’ leadership.

“Human factors is a growing field but it’s great to see people recognize the benefits of it,” Blackledge said. “If you can make people feel comfortable, happy and, most importantly, safe, they are going to be more productive. It might take time and money to truly research the topic, but in the end the police officers will have the protection and mobility they need to protect themselves and the public.”

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For 79 years, Old Main Dormitory dominated the skyline of Mississippi State. Its sheer size made it legendary and its location made it the heart of campus. However, to the four generations of bright-eyed Bulldogs who called it home, it was more that just a building. With very few enforced rules and little supervision, it was a place where boys could be boys, like something straight out of a fairy tale.

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“Many students really learned how to be on their own in Old Main. It was unsupervised and undisciplined,” explained Jim Muirhead, a 1962 graduate in electrical engineering. “It’s like each young freshmen was Peter Pan and Old Main was his Neverland.”

Attending Mississippi State on the GI Bill, Muirhead lived in Old Main for one semester before he and nearly 900 other residents watched their dorm burn in January 1959. The blaze reduced the massive structure to a pile of rubble, but 50 years later, its memory lives on through the stories of the alumni who called it home and the lessons it taught the university in fire preparedness.

“The construction business has changed drastically since Old Main was built, especially because now we are aware of the potential for fire,” explained Dr. Ralph Sinno, a professor of civil engineering.

“Building codes for this area and other universities call for materials much less likely to catch on fire so buildings on campus now are very safe.”

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Built in 1880, Old Main was one of Mississippi State’s original brick-and-mortar buildings. It underwent expansions in 1887, 1903, 1906, and 1922 before it reached its final form, which was considered the nation’s largest dormitory under one roof. While the official cause of the fire was never determined, Sinno explained that once it started, several factors helped it spread throughout the structure.

“I wasn’t here when Old Main was still standing, but most buildings in this area at that time were designed for coolness in the summer, but that same beneficial ventilation contributed to spreading the fire” Sinno explained. “Old Main also contained wood materials which would have contributed to the severity of the fire. We would never attempt to duplicate that construction in newer campus buildings. Now, we use concrete materials which are more fire resistant and cost effective.”

Sinno also reiterated the common alumni sentiment that with proper firewalls, the whole building might not have become involved in the blaze. While proper firewalls create barriers that prevent fire from spreading, Old Main’s did not extend into the building’s attic, enabling the fire to move easily from section to section.

“With all of the pine in that building, the fire burned furiously once it got started,” Dr. Robert M. Scholtes said. “Once the fire got into the attic, it spread both ways and burned all the way around the building, but honestly, with all of the stuff that went on in that building, it’s a wonder it didn’t burn before it did.”

Although he was a faculty member at the time of the fire, Scholtes had lived in Old Main as an undergraduate. Like many other alumni he witnessed countless pranks and experiments that would likely

Bagley College of Engineering

get any student banned from campus housing today. Often used to rouse the “always studying” engineering students from their rooms, one popular prank was the “smoke-out.”

“I remember people saving up newspapers in order to set them on fire in the hallway. It would create a lot of smoke that could be directed under doors and into rooms, but because the hardwood floors were so heavily oiled, they never ignited,” explained Alton Arrington, a 1962 civil engineering graduate. “If they had, we might have been in trouble since many of the fire hoses had been removed following some inter-floor water fights.”

While he maintains his innocence in the matter, Arrington recalls the hoses being lowered out of fourth-floor windows, turned on and allowed to break out windows on lower floors. Unfortunately, the action taken to prevent future water fights might have also hindered attempts to control the fire.

“My roommate and I were in our room the night of the fire. It was during exams so I was studying when I heard the commotion out in the hall,” Muirhead explained. “I ran and heard the security officer shouting “Fire!” We went to the third floor and tried to help put out the fire, but we discovered the hoses had been removed. By the time we retrieved the hoses from our section and got them back to the fire, it was already moving and we had to evacuate.”

Written accounts state that the building evacuation was “remarkably orderly and systematic.” Since the fire occurred in the final days of semester exams, approximately 1,100 of the building’s residents had already left campus. All 900 of those who remained were successfully evacuated due to the efforts of the buildings patrol officers. The only casualty occurred when a student re-entered the building unseen to try to retrieve some personal items.

The next semester campus life began to return to normal. Fund raising efforts helped the displaced students replace lost items and the university worked to find them housing, even placing some in local residents’ homes. However, even as the

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Jim Muirhead

students graduated and moved on to successful careers, they never forgot the experiences and lessons they learned in Old Main.

“I came to MSU from a small Delta town and like so many other students, I walked into a different world when I walked into Old Main. For the first time in most of our lives, we were free to do what we wanted, when we wanted,” Arrington said. “When Old Main burned, that kind of freedom stopped. Our world changed that night and we never found that special Old Main atmosphere anywhere else.”

This past January, Arrington and Muirhead were two of more than 100 alumni from across the country who gathered to remember the “Main” at a special ceremony hosted by the MSU Alumni Association. While that special event commemorated the 50th anniversary of the fire, it is just one of several ways the university continues to honor the legacy of Old Main. The Chapel of Memories was built using bricks salvaged from the building, and MSU recently completed Old Main Plaza. Situated on the site where its namesake once stood, the plaza is a pedestrian-friendly area in the heart of campus.

Stories from Old Main “My military-minded roommate and I noticed that the night watchmen’s campus patrols were very regular. You could predict pretty well where they would be at any time of the night, so we noted the times when they were just passing the bust of Stephen D. Lee on the Drill Field. Using a cigarette and a cherry bomb we made time bombs. About five minutes before the guard’s scheduled

30 Momentum Spring 2009

Alton Arrington

Robert M. Scho lte

s

arrival, one of us would hide the bomb on the pedestal of the bust, then casually walk to a concealed spot to watch the show. We used unfiltered cigarettes to eliminate most of the residue. I don’t think the guards ever figured out how explosions were happening on the deserted Drill Field, but they learned to give the bust a wide berth.”

Jim Muirhead, Class of 1962 “It was also common around that time for the halls of Old Main to be flooded from water fights. One night, after such an incident, Mr. Malcolm Gray was walking through the flooded hall and saw a student in his room furiously drilling into his floor. He stopped and asked, ‘What do you think you are doing?’

Without looking up to see whom he was talking to, the student responded, ‘What does it look like? I’m trying to let the water out.’”

Robert M. Scholtes, Class of 1951 “Old Main was an interesting place to live.

It was fun and I really enjoyed it. I had never been away from home before and here I was at this place with kids like me and if we wanted we could make a lot of noise doing crazy things and get away with it. We really made the two patrolmen work. We nicknamed them Dick Tracy and Sam Catchem, but they only caught me once. Living on the fourth floor, my friends and I decided it would be neat to drop an empty six-pack of bottles down the stairwell because you could drop them all the way to the concrete ground-level floor. We kept drinking and decided to drop a whole case. I made my way to the stairwell with the bottles, but when I turned around, there was Catchem and I was caught.”

Alton Arrington, Class of 1957

www.bagley.msstate.edu

Civil and Environmental Engineering Complex:

Growing Engineering Education at Mississippi State University

In order for the department of civil and environmental engineering to continue to attract the best and brightest students from across the South, there is a critical need for state-of-the-art facilities including modern classrooms and laboratories. We plan to meet this challenge head-on and provide an educational environment that promotes excellence in the classroom. We are excited about the future of this department and the progressive direction in which it is headed.

By 2012, this new facility will proudly open its doors to welcome students, faculty and alumni, demonstrating our dedication to the education of our nation’s future leaders. We ask you to join us in making this vision a reality.

Bagley College of Engineering

Numerous naming opportunities exist within the new civil and environmental engineering building. With a gift to support this project, alumni and friends will have the privilege of naming classrooms, laboratories or offices. Naming opportunities are available for those making gifts in the range of $15,000 to $1,000,000+ and commitments can be made over a span of five years. Each donation not only leaves a lasting mark by providing improved facilities, but each named room will also have a plaque designating who provided funds for the area, including information about the donor and a verse or quote to encourage current students to persevere.

For more details about ways to make a gift and naming opportunities that exist for this new facility, please contact: Bennett Evans Director of Development Bagley College of Engineering Box 9544 Mississippi State, MS 39762 662.325.0386 bevans@bagley.msstate.edu Dr. Dennis D. Truax, P.E., DEE, F.ASCE James T. White Chair, Department Head Civil and Environmental Engineering Box 9546 Mississippi State, MSÂ 39762 662.325.3050 truax@cee.msstate.edu

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Movers & Shakers Alumni

John Ball, an electrical engineering graduate, was recently honored with the Award of Merit for Group Achievement at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Laboratory Honor Awards Ceremony.

Lamar McKay, a petroleum engineering alumnus, has been appointed chairman and president of BP America, Inc. and will serve as BP’s chief representative in the United States.

Faculty & Staff

Faculty inducted into the college’s Academy of Faculty Fellows for their recognition of being named Fellow in their respective professional organizations; Dr. Bill Batchelor, Fellow for the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers; Dr. Mohamad S. Qatu, Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers; Dr. Kirk Schulz, Fellow of the American Society of Engineering Education; and Dr. Sarah Rajala, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Are you an alum of the college of engineering at MSU? Have you received a promotion, a new job, an exciting recognition or award?

Send alumni updates to the Publications & Communications Office, so that we can spread the good news to your colleagues and peers.

Publications and Communications Office PO Box 9544 Mississippi State, MS 39762

32 Momentum Spring 2009

2009 inductees into the Academy of Distinguished Teachers include: Dr. Kari Babski-Reeves, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering; Dr. Adrienne Minerick, assistant professor of chemical engineering; Dr. J. Edward Swan, associate professor of computer science and engineering; and Dr. Filip To, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering.

Dr. Lori Mann Bruce named the Bagley College of Engineering’s new associate dean for research and graduate studies.

Dr. Louay M. Chamra has been appointed department head of mechanical engineering.

Dr. Burak Eksioglu received the Institute of Industrial Engineers 2008 Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Operations Research. The award was presented to him at the international conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Dr. Roger King named the Bagley College of Engineering’s director for the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems.

Dr. Tom Lacy, an associate professor in aerospace engineering, was awarded the Society of Automotive Engineers Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award.

Student

Senior industrial and systems engineering major, Carl Morris, won third place honors in the engineering competition during the Institute of Industrial Engineers Region 3 Student Conference held at Louisiana State University.

Sheena Reeves won first place in the Graduate Student Presentations in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy at the Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi Winter Scholar Symposium.

Ju Simsiriwong, an aerospace engineering major, created the presentation titled “Vibration Testing of a Carbon Composite” and it was selected as the Best Graduate Presentation of the Physics and Engineering Division at the 2009 annual meeting of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences.

Will Sumerford and Jeremy Jarmon received second place honors at the AIChE Mid-South Section student design competition held on the campus of the University of Mississippi. Teams from Christian Brothers, Mississippi and MSU competed by presenting work on design projects completed through plant design, co-op experience or undergraduate research.

Student hall of fame honorees for 2009 include: Amy Arnold, civil engineering; William Cleveland, computer and aerospace engineering; Stacey Galloway, industrial engineering; Andy Lindeman, computer science; Stephanie Rodgers, chemical engineering; and Jonathan Rudd, mechanical engineering.

www.bagley.msstate.edu

New K-12 outreach director begins to create ‘Engineer in Residence’ program When kids are asked what they want to be when they grow up, very few of them enthusiastically reply, “An engineer!”

This is mainly because most kids don’t understand what engineering is about.

According to a recent survey conducted

by Harris Interactive® for the American Society of Quality (ASQ), a shocking 85 percent said they’re not interested in a career in engineering. Eric Heiselt, director of the Bagley College of Engineering’s K-12 outreach program, has spent more than 12 years working in the education system. The education doctoral candidate said he understands what is at the root of the perception problem.

shortage of 70,000 engineers by 2010.

Educators like Heiselt are working with national engineering organizations, such as ASQ, to adopt programs to reverse that trend.

“As a public high school teacher, I was teaching engineering concepts and not realizing it. Although my students were doing alternative solar energy projects, I never called it engineering. It was taught under the context of physics, chemistry or biology, because I never understood as a teacher that this is really engineering and these are problems that engineers solve,” explained Heiselt.

Heiselt would like to widen the pipeline and give teachers and students access to engineering projects and professionals.

These role models would work closely with teachers and students, giving kids opportunities to experience the exciting and meaningful projects these experts work on every day to improve the quality of life.

According to Heiselt, 90 percent of the curriculum and projects that math, science and technology teachers apply in the classroom could be classified as engineering, but the term is rarely applied. As a result, 44 percent of the youth ages 8-17 don’t understand the possibilities of the profession.

“So that’s the problem,” said Heiselt.

“When a student is taking cellular biology and learning about gene therapy and the relationships between codons and DNA or learning about food crops and how to cross-pollinate them to produce better yields for harvest, well, we refer to all that as chemistry and biology, but it all falls under biological engineering, chemical engineering and agricultural engineering.

Most educators don’t call it that and so students don’t realize it.”

According to a National Science Foundation estimate, the U.S. will experience a

Bagley College of Engineering

By Diane L. Godwin

“My view is that if we can get more teachers to use the correct terms and help them understand those correct terms, then for students engineering becomes a possibility,” explained Heiselt. “Right now, engineering is referred to as a set of difficult math, science or computer program problems, so we really first need to ‘re-engineer’ the vocabulary and the definition of engineering.”

“We have ‘Artists in Residence’ and we have ‘Poets in Residence’ that are capturing students’ attention and getting them excited about those professions,” stated Heiselt. “I want to ask our alumni to become ‘Engineers in Residence’ at our schools here in the Southeast,” he said. “I think some alumni may shy away from our new program because they have had a poor experience in the past when they were introduced to a teacher who might not have been completely vested. I know the teachers and I can connect them to the school, the administration and instructor who are waiting, wanting and would welcome an engineering alumnus or alumna who would participate in an ‘Engineer in Residence’ program.”

Heiselt oversees more than 20 camps and programs designed to raise awareness of engineering careers among teachers and students. He encourages and invites all alumni who are interested in mentoring young people to contact him at nericheiselt@bagley.msstate.edu.

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Our alumni have become chief executives officers, presidents, vice presidents, faculty members, and leaders in the profession who all share a common heritage – as engineering graduates of Mississippi State University.

In 1991, the College of Engineering named 100 Distinguished Fellows as part of its 100th anniversary celebration for engineering education at Mississippi State. The program was reborn in 1999 with the addition of 10 Distinguished Fellows. Each year eight to 10 esteemed alumni are given this prestigious recognition. This year we continue the tradition and bestow 10 new Fellows with this honor.

Distinguished Fellows Thomas R. Byrd, DMD

B.S. Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1981 Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of MS Medical Center, 1988

Thomas Raymond Byrd graduated from Mississippi State University in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in biological engineering. He has owned and operated the Florence Dental Clinic in Florence, Miss., for the last twenty years.

After college and before settling in Florence, he moved to Atlanta, Ga., were he served as a loss prevention consultant for Factory Mutual Engineering. He then returned to Mississippi and began working for the state and later, at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry from 1984 to 1988.

Byrd is active on the UMC Dental Alumni Board, the American Dental Association and Mississippi Dental Association (MDA). He is an honorary member of the Ommicron Kappa Upsilon and participates with the MDA Task Force on Medicaid. He is active in his community, coaching youth soccer and baseball along with being an assistant scout master for many years. He has also spent time in Honduras on several medical/dental missions.

Byrd has continued to stay in touch with MSU and support his alma mater by serving on the MSU Biological Engineering Advisory Board, as well as being an active member of the Central Mississippi MSU Alumni Board. He also sponsors the Don Byrd Memorial Scholarship.

Byrd was born in Lumberton, Miss., but spent his formative years in Bogalusa, La. His wife of 26 years, Lauri, is also an MSU graduate. They have three children. Adam, a senior in biological sciences, and Jessica, a sophomore in graphic design are both students at MSU. Their youngest, India, is a freshman at Florence High School.

Isabel M. Devine

B.S. Civil Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1969 M.S. Systems Management, University of Southern California, 1983

Capt. Isabel Margaret Devine, is a retired engineer whose career spanned 34 years in ship repair and maintenance. A native of Chickasaw, Ala., she received a bachelor’s in civil engineering from MSU in 1969. After graduation she worked at the Charleston Naval Shipyard structural division. She was later accepted into the Navy, where she was commissioned as an ensign in 1970.

She served at the Naval Ship Engineering Center in Hyattsville, Md., working in ship habitability, ship specification and electronic warfare from 1970 to 1972. Her work with the Navy continued at California’s Long Beach Naval Shipyard as ship superintendent, overseeing ship overhaul and repair availabilities until she qualified as a docking officer. During her time in Coronado, Calif., she served as the watercraft repair coordinator, production officer, operations officer and department head of operations and repair department at the Naval Amphibious Base.

Beginning in 1977, she worked as the planning officer, and later the production officer for the ship repair department at the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. She was responsible for ships in the Caribbean training area, boats assigned to Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, PR, and Jamaican Defense Force watercraft. In 1978, she served at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, personnel department and was responsible for military manpower programming for the major naval commands. She transferred to Naval Reserves in 1979.

After her transfer she became the naval architect in foundations and stowage at the Pugent Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash. She then decided to continue her education and enrolled in the systems management program at

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the University of Southern California where she received her master’s in 1983.

From 1988 to 2003 Devine was the supervisor of shipbuilding, conversion and repair at USN Pascagoula, Miss. As a naval architect she worked on the naval amphibious assault ships (LHD1 Class) built at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems’ Ingalls Operations. She later served as technical manager for the USS Spruance Class, USS Kidd Class and CG 47 Class ships.

An active member of the MSU Alumni Association, she established a scholarship in the civil engineering department honoring her parents, John and Isabel Devine, who have five children and two grandchildren with degrees from Mississippi State University in addition to three grandchildren currently attending the university.

In addition to being active in tutoring and mentoring, she is a religious education teacher in her parish church. She was awarded Volunteer of the Year for the Moss Point, Miss., school district.

Chris Ewing

B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1994

Chris Ewing is the co-founder and president of Ewing/Kessler Mechanical Solutions, Inc., a regional company with locations in Memphis, Tenn., Starkville, and Jackson. Ewing/Kessler was launched in 2005 and has grown into a $22 million per year operation. They specialized in selling applied engineered systems for the commercial and industrial air-conditioning and heating markets. Their tremendous growth has contributed to the partnership agreements they have formed with companies such as McQuay International and Siemens.

Ewing currently manages Ewing/Kessler as well as three additional companies in related business fields.

After graduating from Mississippi State in 1994 with a degree in mechanical engineering, Ewing worked with what was the largest air-conditioning and heating sales company in the southeast at the time. He won numerous awards for his ability to grow the business through owner based selling, as well as forming strategic alliances with companies to offer services to meet his clients’ needs. He created a name for himself catering to the casino market, promoting energy saving solutions and cost effective air-conditioning systems.

Ewing has served on boards of various organizations, but he spends the majority of his time growing his companies and looking for other business opportunities in the market place.

Although his is a native Mississippian and still considers the state home, Ewing currently resides in Memphis, Tenn., with his wife and two sons.

Frederick W. Hamilton

B.S. Industrial Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1988

Originally from Carthage, Miss., Fred Hamilton has lived in Newton and Meridian, Miss., for the last 30 years. As founder and president of K&S Custom Warehousing, Inc. in Meridian, he has established a niche in the transportation industry in east Mississippi. He founded K&S in 1993 to facilitate the unloading and palletization of cartons from sea containers for delivery to local manufacturing firms. Since then, K&S has evolved into a third party logistics firm providing collaborative supply chain solutions where raw material inventory is held on consignment from suppliers and delivered to the manufacturer on a daily, just-in-time basis. In 1999, K&S became the first company in Mississippi to provide home delivery and return to the warehouse of storage pods.

A nontraditional college student, Hamilton entered the industrial engineering program at the age of 28 after several years of working as a trackman with the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. Following graduation, and prior to starting K&S, he worked as an industrial engineering quality manger, engineering manger and general manger for several firms in east Mississippi, including Saunders, a manufacturer of office products.

While at Saunders, Hamilton designed and developed the first clipboard made of recycled plastics for Wal-Mart, and modified manufacturing equipment for use by handicapped employees. He holds two U.S. patents including one for a trucking industry tool and another for a repairable, composite pallet.

Hamilton serves his community as chairman of the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation’s Transportation Committee. He has personally funded community transportation studies in support of local economic development. His philanthropy also extends to East Central Community College and Mississippi State where he annually funds scholarships.

Hamilton has one daughter, Heather Hamilton Carr, and two grandchildren, William Hamilton Carr and David Andrew Carr.

Danny D. Howard

B.S. Aerospace Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1991 M.S. & Ph.D. Aeronautics and minor in Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1991, 1996

Dr. Danny D. Howard is the level 1 manager of flight system engineering for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) Southern California Region in El Segundo, Calif. In this role, he has functional management responsibilities for flight system engineers within IDS. He is also the department manager of flight system engineering for Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems (S&IS) giving him program oversight responsibilities for the attitude control subsystem (ACS) and the telemetry and command subsystem (T&C) on all satellites at S&IS. Howard is responsible for developing and deploying IDS common approaches to professional development, processes and tools within flight system engineering, as well as developing technical excellence. As a department manager in S&IS, he is responsible for supporting all satellite program offices within S&IS by managing the development and integration of ACS and T&C. He graduated magna cum laude from Mississippi State in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering. He received master’s and doctoral degrees in aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology in 1991 and 1996 respectively. Howard is also a California board certified professional engineer in mechanical engineering and a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. A native of Columbus, Miss., he is a member of two boards, the MSU Aerospace Engineering Advisory Board and the Caltech Alumni Association board of directors. Last year, he received the Modern Day Technology award from the National Black Engineer of the Year Award committee.

As an active community member, Howard has participated in several mentoring programs, including the John Muir Space Academy Mentoring Program. He was an officer in the Mississippi and California Army National Guard and Army Reserves for 15 years. Currently, he resides in Pasadena, Calif., with his wife, Erica, and daughter, Olivia.

www.bagley.msstate.edu

Gay T. Irby

sealed sources to allow for the disposal of the material at a DOE waste facility. The result was the first shipment of transuranic sealed sources to this facility in 2005.

Gay T. Irby joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1987. Since 2005, she has served as the chief information officer at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC). She is responsible for service delivery at the center including desktops, telephones, applications, IT security, and audio/visual and video production. She is responsible for setting and implementing IT policy for NASA/SSC.

For 18 years, McAlpin developed and implemented programs at six different utilities to reduce radiation exposure to workers. This included authoring an ALARA design manual for one nuclear utility. He also assisted utilities in upgrading their radiation protection programs to meet new federal regulations. After graduating from MSU in 1974, McAlpin started his career with Bechtel in San Francisco, Calif., as a design engineer working on the Hope Creek Nuclear Facility. Prior to graduating, he also spent six years in the Nuclear Navy on the USS Enterprise where he was a nuclear reactor operator.

B.S. Mathematics Education, Mississippi State University, 1974 M.S. Computer Science, Mississippi State University, 1977

Prior to 1987, Irby was an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Southern Mississippi – Gulf Coast for 10 years. She also served as a faculty adviser and was responsible for course scheduling and recruitment of part-time faculty.

Irby graduated from MSU with a master’s in computer science in 1977 after earning her bachelor’s in mathematics education in 1974. She was a 1970 graduate of Starkville High School.

In 2005, Irby was the recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal for her sustained commitment to the support of NASA’s mission at SSC. She received a Spaceflight Achievement Award in 2000 for her support of NASA’s space program. Her article “Reflection on the electronic procurement revolution” was published in the Journal of Proposal Management in 2001 and was included in the Knowledge Base of the Business Development Institute.

Irby has resided in Long Beach, Miss., for 25 years with her husband, Ron. Their son, Brant, is a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army stationed in Baghdad. Their younger son, Sean, will graduate in May 2009 with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University of Hartford. She is a member of First United Methodist Church in Long Beach and the Long Beach Yacht Club.

Irby is the daughter of the late Jay and Jean Thomas. Mr. Thomas was a professor of electrical engineering at MSU where he was appointed the first director of development for the University and director of MSU’s Gulf Coast Technical Institute.

Jerry McAlpin

B.S. Nuclear Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1974 M.S. Nuclear Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1980

Jerry McAlpin is owner and president of McAlpin Enterprises located in Los Alamos, N.M. The company provides domestic and international consultation to the nuclear industry and specializes in radiological engineering. It has provided services to international nuclear energy agencies, national laboratories, universities, and nuclear utilities.

McAlpin has recently accepted an assignment with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria.

His primary responsibility is the non-proliferation of at-risk radioactive sealed sources, which have the potential for misuse in a radiological dispersal or exposure device commonly referred to as a dirty bomb. Prior to this assignment, he spent 10 years with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) working on the off-site source recovery project, with a very similar focus. His responsibilities on the project also included leading cooperation between the Chinese government and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration to remove vulnerable radioactive sources from facilities near Olympic venues.

McAlpin worked with LANL to develop a unique approach for radiological characterization of transuranic radioactive

Bagley College of Engineering

McAlpin was president of the Houston, Texas, chapter of the MSU Alumni Association. He received the following awards from LANL, team distinguished performance award for the non-proliferation achievements, Y2K award for computer applications and the Green Zia award for environmental activities. The project he worked on in Los Alamos has been recognized numerous times for outstanding performance in the national media and by NNSA governmental organizations.

He and his wife, Cynthia, have two daughters, Jessica and Megan, and are expecting a granddaughter in April. When he is not working, you may find him on the golf course, landscaping or restoring antique Jaguars.

Kathy P. Pepper

B.S. Petroleum Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1980

Kathy Pyatt Pepper, graduated magna cum laude from Mississippi State University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering. She is vice president of information technology for Exxon Mobil Corp. and is responsible for computing and telecommunications services for Exxon Mobil worldwide, including geoscience, engineering and business computing requirements.

She joined the company in 1980 as a reservoir/subsurface engineer in Lafayette, La. She held various staff and supervisory positions, including upstream planning and analysis operations superintendent and technical manger in the Gulf of Mexico, and production manger for west Texas operations. In 1997, she became planning manager for Exxon’s International Upstream Operations based in New Jersey.

In 1999, Pepper joined the merger transition team, planning the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Upon inception of the merger, she was named strategic planning manager for Exxon Mobil’s global production company. During the fall of 2001, she became production manger and managing director for the Exxon Mobil companies in Norway. In 2005, she assumed responsibility for Exxon Mobil’s United Kingdom operations. In early 2007, she returned to the United States as the upstream IT manager, before being appointed to her current position in 2008

Mark E. Peters

B.S. Chemical Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1987

Mark E. Peters earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from MSU in 1987. He has been employed with the Dow Chemical Company since graduation. Currently, he serves as the business manufacturing leader for Dow’s polypropylene and polypropylene catalyst & licensing businesses.

Prior to that, he was on assignment in the area of mergers and acquisitions, with accountability for development and negotiation of site service contracts between Dow and Joint Venture partners.

During his 21 years with Dow Chemical, Peters has worked at four different U.S. locations including Pevely, Mo., Plaquemine,La., Ironton, Ohio, and Freeport, Texas. His roles have included a wide variety of engineering and manufacturing leadership assignments, including an assignment as site leader for the Hanging Rock, Ohio, operations site, and as senior manufacturing leader for the start-up and operation of a grass-roots polypropylene complex in Oyster Creek, Texas.

He has earned certifications as a Six Sigma green belt, black belt and master black belt. He is also a college recruiter for the Dow Chemical Company. Peters is a newly-elected member of the external advisory board to MSU’s Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering.

During his time at MSU, Peters was a scholarship athlete, competing on the MSU men’s basketball team from 1983-87.

He is a two-time Babe McCarthy Award Recipient, and was also chosen Academic All-SEC in 1987. He and his wife, Janice, reside in Lake Jackson, Texas. They have three children—Christopher, 19, Bradley,17, and Nicole, 12. Both he and his wife are active members of their local church. Janice teaches fourth grade at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic School in Richwood, Texas, and Mark teaches 11th grade Confirmation Classes at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Lake Jackson, Texas.

Anthony L. Wilson

B.S. Electrical Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1987 MBA, University of Southern Mississippi, 1992

Anthony L. Wilson is vice president of distribution at Georgia Power Company, a subsidiary of Southern Company. He began employment with Southern Company at Mississippi Power in 1984 as a cooperative education student from Mississippi State University. He has held various positions of increasing responsibility including Columbia area manager, assistant plant manager, division power delivery manager, assistant to the president, manager of marketing regulatory affairs, and general manager of distribution engineering, construction and maintenance at Georgia Power.

Her current professional memberships include the Research Board, the CIO Strategy Exchange and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. She is a licensed professional engineer in Texas and has served on the board of directors for several oil industry associations in the United State and abroad. Community activities have included volunteer and board roles with United Way, Junior Achievement and the Boy Scouts of America. She was also recognized with a Tribute to Women in Industry awarded by the YWCA in 1998.

Originally from Biloxi, Miss., Wilson earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Mississippi State University in 1987 and an master’s of business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1992. He also graduated from the Oxford University Advanced Management Program in 2002. He has been active on local and state boards including the Mississippi Economic Council, United Way, Boy Scouts, American Cancer Society, and 21st Century Leaders. He also serves on the advisory board of department of electrical and computer engineering at Mississippi State University. He is a past graduate of Leadership Mississippi.

Wilson serves on the executive power delivery council of EPRI and the power delivery committee of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies.

Pepper is a naive of Columbus, Miss. She is married to Fred Pepper, a petrophysicist for Exxon Mobil. The couple resides in Houston, Texas, with their sons, Riley and Carson.

He and his wife, Tonya, have three children—Meghan, Katie and Natalie. They are very active in their community and attend First Baptist Church of Peachtree City, Ga.

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Greetings from the Bagley College of Engineering!

The State of the Future Capital Campaign concluded in December 2008, and we are proud to announce that Mississippi State University and the Bagley College of Engineering (BCoE) surpassed our campaign goals. The total amount raised for MSU was $462,500,000 out of a goal of $400,000,000. The BCoE finished with $86,500,000 out of a goal of $75,500,000.

Development Notes

I would like to thank all of our alumni and friends for their generous support in helping us exceed our expectations and to express our appreciation for your steadfast commitment to the Bagley College of Engineering and MSU. Our next endeavor involves raising funds to build a much needed Civil and Environmental Engineering Building Complex. This new 89,000 square foot structure includes several design features, which supports the research, education and service missions of this land-grant university. The new facility will include a 350-seat auditorium, several multimedia information technology and distance learning classrooms, separate research and teaching laboratories, as well as dedicated student project space, with separate areas for construction engineering and building science, studio labs. The facility’s student study and learning space will include team rooms, study sections, and graduate student offices with open common areas.

To date we have secured over $2.2 million in private funds and have a commitment from the state of $14 million towards our overall goal of $27 million. Many alumni and friends from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering are helping us achieve our goal by making monetary donations for naming spaces within the building.

We have more naming opportunities available.

Although the campaign has ended, we will continue to focus our attention on key areas of support such as the new Civil and Environmental Building Complex, naming departments, endowments for chairs, fellowships, scholarships, and renovating existing buildings. For more information about how you can make a difference, please contact me at (662) 325-0386 or Brett Aldridge at (662) 325-2464.

Thank you again for your continued support, and I look forward to meeting many more alumni and friends of the Bagley College.

Bennett Evans Development Director for the BCoE

w w w . b a g l e y. m s s t a t e . e d u

Bagley College of Engineering PO Box 9544 Mississippi State, MS 39762

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