IMPACT 2022

IMPACT

IMPACT The The official official magazine magazine of of the the College College of of Engineering, Engineering, Architecture Architecture and and Technology Technology

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

DYNAMIC DYNAMIC DECADE DECADE TIKALSKY’S TIKALSKY’S 1010 YEARS YEARS ASAS DEAN DEAN HAS HAS SEEN SEEN AA LOT LOT OFOF GROWTH GROWTH FOR FOR CEAT CEAT

2022

"When I think back on my time at OSU, I'm reminded of so many good memories and trailblazers of our past.

My membershiphelpskeepthose

memoriesand dreamsalive it allows me to give back to OSU to support alumni events and scholarships for the next generation of Cowboys."

ALUMNI A S S O C I AT I O N Become a member today at ORANGECONNECTION.org/join.

IN THIS ISSUE

26

14

On The Cover Dean Paul Tikalsky celebrates 10 years at CEAT. College leadership from left: Raman Singh, Ed Kirtley, Sunderesh Heragu, Tikalsky, Carisa Ramming and Chuck Bunting at the Helmerich Research Center. (Photo by Phil Shockley)

6

26

Larger Than Life

3

DEAN’S LETTER

50

CEAT BY THE NUMBERS

52

HALL OF FAME

57

TOP HONORS

58

DONORS

62

COLLEGE LEADERSHIP

DEAN, COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

Paul Tikalsky, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, F.ACI, EACR MARKETING MANAGER

Kristi Wheeler

CEAT benefactor W.W. Allen passed away in April, leaving behind a long legacy of charity toward his alma mater.

LEAD WRITER

Jeff Hopper WRITERS

Mack Burke, Chelsea Dinterman, Peyton Haley, Dakota Keith, Bailey Sisk, Sydney Trainor and Kristi Wheeler

14

EDITOR

Jordan Bishop

Feeding Man’s Best Friend CEAT alumni in Okeene, Oklahoma, have made a global impact in the world of dog food and treats with their company, Mountain Country Foods.

Plus …

ART DIRECTOR

Dave Malec

40

LEAD DESIGN

Paul V. Fleming CONTRIBUTING DESIGN

Ben Champlin PHOTOGRAPHY

Jeff Hopper, Dakota Keith, Gary Lawson, Parsacle Photo, Phil Shockley, Jason Wallace and Kristi Wheeler

40

Storied History Center for Local Government Technology (CLGT) and Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) celebrate 50th and 40th anniversaries, respectively.

48

Cause for Celebration Alumni Patrick and Briar Glenn provide a large donation to the School of Architecture to fund annual competition.

IMPACT is a publication of the Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology and is designed to provide information on college activities and accomplishments while fostering communication among the CEAT family and friends.

CEAT.OKSTATE.EDU

48

The office of publication for IMPACT is 307 Whitehurst, Stillwater, OK 74078-1024. © 2022, IMPACT. All rights reserved.

Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Higher Education Act), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, genetic information, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, or status as a veteran, in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This provision includes, but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services. The Director of Equal Opportunity, 401 General Academics Building, OSU, Stillwater, OK 74078-4069; Phone 405-744-1156; email: eeo@ okstate.edu has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies. Any person (student, faculty or staff) who believes they are experiencing discrimination may discuss his or her concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of Title IX with OSU’s Title IX Coordinator, 405-744-1156.

This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, was printed by Modern Litho, at a cost of $9,853/4.5M/ Sept. 2022/#9462.

O S U C E AT 1

ONLINE ENGINEERING EDUCATION

100% Online Programs • Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology (B.S.) • Electrical Engineering (M.S.) • Electrical Engineering (M.E.) • Engineering and Technology Management (M.S.) • Engineering Technology-Fire Safety and Explosion Protection (M.S.) • Fire and Emergency Management Administration (M.S. and Ph.D.) • Industrial Engineering and Management (M.S.) • Mechatronics and Robotics (M.S.)

Also Offering Undergraduate and Graduate Online Courses • Architecture • Construction Management Technology • Electrical and Computer Engineering • Electrical Engineering Technology ita\\\\t\ll\\il\~\ll Ql\\i\\t ~.,JJ:.fll.:~~I~

• Engineering Sciences • Fire and Emergency Management • General Engineering • Industrial Engineering and Management • Material Sciences and Engineering • Mechanical Engineering Technology

Advance your education today 405-744-5146 | ceatonline.okstate.edu

ONLINE LEARNING

College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology

PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY

From the Dean Welcome to a new year of IMPACT, A decade of serving OSU as the dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology has passed very quickly. A transformation of CEAT has occurred with the help of donors, university leadership, faculty and staff rethinking the strategic direction of the college, a rise in the academic credentials of incoming students, a large investment in the college’s 21st century infrastructure and the overall growth in every part of the college. In those 10 years, 62% of the current faculty in the college were hired, 22 of our graduates have been accepted for graduate study at Cambridge University, six have been named Goldwater Scholars, CEAT has awarded record numbers of degrees, and more of those students are completing degrees in four years than ever before.

Graduate students and faculty are pursuing world class research and innovation, and undergraduate research assistants are starting in their freshman year. The studentoperated CEAT Career Fair has drawn over 220 companies. CEAT Engineering Extension is engaging all 77 counties of Oklahoma, 50 states and all seven continents.

From our Summer Bridge program, to our Freshman Living and Learning Community in Parker Hall, the expansion of the CEAT Scholar program, nightly tutoring across the college and our transdisciplinary senior design experience, CEAT is supporting student success at all levels of achievement.

One thing that remains the same is that CEAT is providing life-changing opportunities to the next generation of Oklahomans and creating the intellectual capital and leaders for industry. We continue to be leaders and innovators in education, research and Extension.

Our faculty are engaged at the cutting edge of energy, aerospace, computing, sustainable building technologies and our nation’s future. They are building on the landgrant university mission to provide educational opportunities to every community. With additional funding from the Oklahoma legislators, the support of the system chancellor and OSU leadership, CEAT is expanding opportunities to help young people see the opportunities to change the world through engineering, architecture and technology.

In this edition of IMPACT, you will read about some of the transformational changes over the last decade. You’ll see some of the new faces and read about new initiatives.

The college could not be at the forefront of innovation without the accomplishments and investments of alumni, friends and industry partners in scholarships, internships, equipment and faculty support.

We continue to need the help of our alumni and friends to invest in the next generation. Consider a $1,500 scholarship donation to the CEAT Scholarship Fund, and it will be matched by the OSU Foundation for Engineering or the ONEOK Scholarship for Equity. You might also consider the CEAT Dean’s Club, which recognizes distinguished supporters who have given $2,500 or more annually to the CEAT Designated Endowment Program Fund or CEAT Scholars Program Fund.

I hope you enjoy this edition of IMPACT. GO POKES!

Paul Tikalsky Dean, College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Oklahoma State University O S U C E AT 3

READY TO MAKE A GLOBAL IMPACT? ORANGE IS THE ANSWER. YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD AT OSU!

I

Your philanthropy helps the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology educate and produce the next generation of thinkers and problem solvers. They will create solutions to the challenges that affect our communities, nation and world.

Visit OSUgiving.com

I I I

~ Gold Standard I

I

CEAT student Bias named 2022 Goldwater Scholar

I I I I

I I

I

I I I I I

I I

C

hemical engineering student Alexandria Bias was awarded the Goldwater Scholarship for 2022 in March.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship is the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship in natural sciences, mathematics and engineering in the nation.

Bias, a native of Orlando, Florida, is a senior triple majoring in chemical engineering, mathematics and political science. She has been engaged in undergraduate research in mechanochemistry and condensed matter physics labs, and she currently is involved in Dr. Chris Fennell’s computational chemistry and molecular modeling lab as a Niblack Research Scholar (NRS).

The NRS program provides support to Oklahoma State University undergraduate students to conduct research in one of OSU’s laboratories under the general guidance of a member of the research faculty and with day-today mentoring by a graduate student.

“The Goldwater Scholarship represents an acknowledgement of my hard work up to this point and the chance to pursue future opportunities that may not have been possible otherwise,” Bias said. “I am so excited to see what doors are unlocked for future research thanks to the support of OSU in helping me achieve this award.”

Bias was named a 2019 CEAT W.W. Allen Scholar, a CEAT Scholar, is a member of the President’s Leadership Council and is a peer mentor in CEAT.

I I I

I

I I I I I

I I I I I

I

I I

She also served as vice president of the Student Government Association.

Bias plans to pursue a doctorate in chemistry with a focus on the quantum mechanical behavior of chemical reactions.

“I plan to pursue a graduate education, first working for an MPhil at the University of Cambridge through the CEAT W.W. Allen Scholarship, and then achieving a Ph.D. in chemistry so that I can continue doing research and be at the forefront of discovery in a future career in academia,” Bias said.

Bias is OSU’s 30th Goldwater Scholar. She was selected from a pool of 1,242 applicants from 433 institutions across the country, and only one of two from Oklahoma. She will receive up to $7,500 for her recognition as a Goldwater Scholar.

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 to serve as a living memorial to honor the lifetime work of Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years in the U.S. Senate.

Over its 30-year history, Goldwater Scholarships have been awarded to thousands of undergraduates, many of whom have gone on to win other prestigious awards like the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Fellowship, Rhodes Scholarship, Churchill Scholarship, and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate fellowship that support scholars’ graduate school work.

Today, Goldwater alumni can be found conducting research that is helping defend the nation, finding cures for catastrophic diseases and teaching future generations of scientists, mathematicians and engineers. ■

I I

Alexandria Bias

I

I I I

STORY KRISTI WHEELER | PHOTO JASON WALLACE

O S U C E AT 5

-

CEAT Says Goodbye to an Icon

Remembering Walter Wayne Allen

W.W. Allen signs a donation agreement in 2007 for his W.W. Allen Scholarship Program to provide funding to top engineering students.

(

“Be prepared — technically and professionally; Be highly focused on the job at hand, don’t worry about who gets the credit; Stay optimistic and when you detect a problem, see a solution.”

)

W. WAYNE ALLEN

6 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

STORY KRISTI WHEELER | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON

W

alter Wayne Allen, retired chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Phillips Petroleum Company, passed away on Friday, April 8, 2022, in Houston at the age of 85.

Wayne, as he was best known, attended Oklahoma State University and graduated in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with a petroleum option. He would later earn a master’s degree from OSU in industrial engineering.

After college, Wayne served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and assigned to McGuire Air Force Base in the New York Air Defense Sector. After completing active duty, he continued serving in the army reserves, becoming a unit commander and ultimately attaining the rank of captain.

In 1961, Wayne joined Phillips Petroleum Company. He held assignments in the United States, the United Kingdom and Côte d’Ivoire before being named vice president in 1988. He was elected to the board of directors the following year, served two years as head of worldwide exploration and production, and was named president and chief operating officer of the company in 1991. He served in that capacity until he was named chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer in 1994, a position he held until his retirement in 1999.

During his career and retirement, Wayne was an active and generous participant on many boards and in various nonprofit philanthropies.

Among these organizations were the American Petroleum Institute, the Business Roundtable, the Conference Board, the U.S. Council for International Business and the National Petroleum Council. He was a board member of the Kansas City District of the Federal Reserve.

He served as a director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and as chairman of the board of directors

of the State Chamber of Oklahoma.

He was a trustee of the board of governors of the Oklahoma State University Foundation and led the very successful “Bringing Dreams to Life” fundraising campaign for the university. He served as chairman for National Engineers Week in 1998.

Allen was a longtime supporter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and served as chairman of the Southwest Region and on their National Board of Governors.

Wayne received numerous honors and awards. In 1992, he was inducted into the Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Hall of Fame. In 1993, he was inducted into the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association Hall of Fame. In 1996, he received the Henry G. Bennett Distinguished Service Award from OSU. In 1997, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Also, earlier in his career when he managed the Phillips Petroleum operation in Côte d’Ivoire, he was recognized for his contributions to the country by being named Commandeur

de l’Ordre National de la République de Côte d’Ivoire.

After his retirement, Wayne continued his interest in education by establishing and maintaining a premier scholarship program for outstanding engineering students at OSU — the W.W. Allen Scholars Program. Since the inception of this program, it has impacted 52 students and provided over millions of dollars in scholarships, networking, study abroad experiences and mentorships for them.

A feature of the program is the Allen Scholars are given the opportunity to attend Cambridge University in the U.K. for postgraduate study. He also established and maintained a similar engineering scholarship program at OSU for members of the Boys & Girls Club, the W.W. Allen Boys & Girls Club Program.

Being an optimistic person by nature contributed to making Wayne a beloved husband, father and friend. He was caring and generous to those around him. He was quick to see the positive in people and was interested in helping them find solutions to their problems. ■

From left: Former OSU president Burns Hargis, Allen’s wife Judith, Walter Wayne Allen and CEAT dean Paul Tikalsky stand for a photo in 2013.

O S U C E AT 7

-

Leading

by Example

2022 Allen Scholars and Boys & Girls Club Scholar look forward to continuing involvement in college

S

ophie Hawkins, Lenna Abouzahr and William Penney were selected as recipients of two prestigious scholarships for the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at Oklahoma State University.

Abouzahr and Hawkins were named the annual W.W. Allen Scholarship winners.

The W.W. Allen scholarship is available to engineering students and it offers over $135,000 in scholarships and opportunities. The scholarship consists of $7,500 annually, industry networking, study abroad experiences and mentorship.

Scholars also receive full tuition and housing for obtaining a master’s degree at the University of Cambridge.

Abouzahr is from Stillwater, Oklahoma, and graduated from Stillwater High School. She devoted most of her time to her position as the marching band’s drum major, as well as being the captain of the school’s mock trial team and the president of Young Democrats. She was also a member of the academic team, Beta Club and National Honor Society.

“High school was a good way for me to explore and see what I was interested in,” Abouzahr said.

During a student shadowing program at a Stillwater hospital, she got to see the repercussions of a hack in the hospital’s computer system. She also remembers the fallout of the Texas power crisis. These experiences influenced her decision to major in electrical and computer engineering.

“It was just so awful because electricity is something everyone takes for granted,” Abouzahr said. “It’s such an integral part of our everyday lives, and we don’t realize how important it is. It was terrible seeing people without electricity.”

Abouzahr’s appreciation for electricity also developed from visiting the Middle East, which is where her parents are from. She has visited Lebanon four times and said experiencing the country’s issues with electricity is something that hits close to home.

“We couldn’t even use a vacuum, because it uses up too much energy,” Abouzahr said. “And now, the

8 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

economic crisis there is making it more expensive to use the generators in the neighborhoods. The alternative is using solar panels.”

Becoming involved on campus is something Abouzahr hopes to continue in college. Different organizations like Society of Women Engineers and Muslim Student Association pique Abouzahr’s interest and build her excitement for beginning her college career.

“Part of the reason I’m excited is because I believe women belong in all aspects of society, including fields like engineering that have been traditionally male dominated,” Abouzahr said. “I want to help show others that women and minorities are deserving of prestigious scholarships like this and that we can do anything we put our minds to.”

Hawkins is from Arlington, Texas, and graduated from Trinity High School. She is majoring in industrial engineering and management because of her passion for leadership and sustainability. Her social and mathematics skills also played a part in the selection of her major.

“I wanted to find a way to merge my people skills with my math-oriented brain,” Hawkins said. “I felt like industrial engineering was the perfect mix of those two, just because it’s the most peopleoriented field of engineering. I thought that would be a great way to utilize both of my skill sets.”

Hawkins demonstrated her skills and interests through involvement in different organizations at her school. Her former roles as the marching band’s head drum major; the director of community outreach in Junior World Affairs Council; and being a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society have enhanced her leadership abilities.

Global awareness is a movement that Hawkins has followed from a young age. In her spare time, she uses her interest in fashion and sustainability to practice upcycling — thrifting and adjusting clothes as a way to avoid fast fashion. Exposing herself to different perspectives involving the

STORY BAILEY SISK | PHOTOS PROVIDED

The Allen Scholars Program at Oklahoma State University offers engineering students more than $135,000 in scholarship and enrichment.

Sophie Hawkins

Lenna Abouzahr

climate crisis has inspired Hawkins to work toward the movement in her future career.

“If I can make an impact on corporate levels, that will make a bigger difference than if I’m trying to implement those sustainability aspects at home,” Hawkins said. “So I want to prioritize that in my life. I think that putting it in my career is a great way to contribute to this cause on a daily basis.”

Improving her fluency in Spanish is something Hawkins hopes to accomplish by using the scholarship’s opportunity to study abroad. She is interested in visiting Honduras after researching a project performed by a group of Cornell students.

“They implemented this project to help with their water clarity, and then they transferred it over so that now the community runs it,” Hawkins said. “I just think it’d be really interesting to learn

William Penney

about that process. Not just the technical aspect of the process, but also how they implement it with the community members.”

Penney was selected as the 2022 W.W. Allen Boys and Girls Club Scholar.

This scholarship program was designed to benefit someone who was an active member of a Boys & Girls Club while in high school, and is pursuing his educational goals in the field of engineering. The recipient is awarded $15,000 annually for up to four years of study toward a degree in engineering, as well as enrichment activities and domestic and international travel.

Penney is a graduate from Coalgate High School in Coalgate, Oklahoma, and is majoring in chemical engineering. Throughout his high school career, Penney was involved in many leadership roles and

O S U C E AT 9

organizations. His roles included Student Council president, senior class president, National Honor Society vice president, captain of the Coalgate Academic Quiz Bowl Team, member of the track team and a member of the powerlifting team.

“I have been extremely involved on campus throughout my high school career as an officer of almost every organization I have been a part of,” Penney said. “This has given me countless opportunities to be a leader and has pushed me out of my comfort zone to become the person I am today.”

Greg Davidson is Penney’s former principal, superintendent and academic team coach. When Davidson began recruiting for the academic team, Penney was the first to sign up and the only member to return to the second session prepared. This was the beginning of Penney’s path to becoming an AllState player his senior year.

“The end result was Penney becoming one of the best, if not the best, academic bowl players in the state,” Davidson said. “A career marked by four state tournament appearances, four national tournaments, a four-time member of Team Oklahoma, and being named Oklahoma Academic Coaches’ Association Academic Bowl All-State his senior year.”

However, Penney’s involvement isn’t the only quality that distinguishes him from others. Davidson believes Penney’s work ethic, competitiveness and desire to be successful are only a few of the characteristics that make him a “once-in-a-lifetime” kid.

“In addition to being a great student, he is also of the highest moral character,” Davidson said. “He is very compassionate, especially when it comes to children and those that are less fortunate. He has one of the biggest hearts for still being so young in years. Honestly, the world needs more Will Penneys.”

Penney said he was in disbelief when he received the news.

“I had an instant feeling of relief because the financial burden of college had been lifted from my shoulders,” Penney said. “I feel proud that the hard work I have put in has been rewarded. I am extremely grateful to have been selected for this scholarship and I will strive to ensure this money goes to good use.”

Penney looks forward to the new friends, organizations and challenges he will encounter throughout the next four years at OSU. “I would like to personally thank Mr. Wayne Allen for his generosity and for making my dreams to study chemical engineering at Oklahoma State University a reality,” he said. ■

I

I Sophie Hawkins. a 2022 W.W. Allen Scholarship recipient, is majoring in industrial engineering and management.

10 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

WHO IS BUILDING A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR ALL? At Oklahoma State University, we are committed to preparing the next generation of leaders by facilitating and encouraging excellence in diversity, equity and inclusion.

We are dedicated to empowering our students to think and act in ways that embrace a more inclusive world.

OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs (CEAT DEI) are honored to be named one of INSIGHT Into Diversity’s 2022 Inspiring Programs in STEM for the second year in a row. CEAT broadens the horizons of our students by fostering an environment of connection, learning and growing through 10 DEI student organizations and 35 DEI programs.

OSU and CEAT are committed to excellence in leading inclusivity and strengthening learning and leadership through collaboration.

ORANGE IS THE ANSWER.

-

An Influential Career CEAT alumnus Oglesby retires from Phillips 66

Dean Paul Tikalsky presents the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) Corporate Lifetime Achievement Award to Oglesby in 2021.

A

nn Oglesby, an Oklahoma State University chemical engineering alumna, retired from Phillips 66 after 21 years.

Over her two decades there, Oglesby contributed a great deal to the college and university in many ways such as serving as the Phillips 66 executive liaison for OSU and serving as a member of the OSU Diversity Development Council. She also serves as a board member of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. Along the way, she mentored countless students in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology.

12 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

“I’ve been fortunate to stay connected to CEAT through the years,” Oglesby said. “While the CEAT culture of high engagement and striving for excellence hasn’t changed, I’m so impressed with the innovative approaches to educating students, the high-caliber faculty and staff and the addition of world-class facilities. It almost makes me want to go back to school!”

Dr. Paul Tikalsky, dean of CEAT, praised Oglesby for her contributions to the school.

“Ann has been one of the best corporate leaders,” Tikalsky said. “She saw the intersection of people, talent and corporate success.”

Oglesby started her career at Phillips 66 in 2001 as the manager of emerging business, followed by multiple roles through the next 11 years of service, including general manager of corporate planning and strategy and vice president of communications and public affairs.

In 2013, she became the general manager of lubricants and in 2017, she was named the general manager of global risk and compliance. From there, she assumed the vice president of technology role in 2018 and then became the vice president of energy research and innovation until her retirement.

STORY KRISTI WHEELER | PHOTOS DAKOTA KEITH AND OSU FILE PHOTO

(

“OSU CEAT could not have prepared me any better for my career. I was encouraged to be hands-on with learning, to engage across disciplines and with students and faculty of all backgrounds. Those experiences set me up for success. I love seeing how CEAT is taking those strengths to new levels.”

)

ANN OGLESBY, OSU CHEMICAL ENGINEERING ALUMNUS

Oglesby began her career in the oil industry in 1987 with Mobil Chemical Company, working in various engineering, supply, business development and planning roles focused on petrochemicals.

From 2000-2001, she worked at ExxonMobil Chemical Company, where she focused on planning.

Oglesby graduated from OSU in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.

During her time in Stillwater, she was a President’s Distinguished Scholar and an American Institute of Chemical Engineers Senior Design award winner.

Oglesby has been involved with many different committees and councils, including CEAT’s Strategic Advisory Council. She has also served as a member of the Chemical Engineering Industrial Advisory Committee.

In 2016, Oglesby was inducted into CEAT’s Hall of Fame, and in 2019, she was inducted into OSU’s Diversity Hall of Fame.

“OSU CEAT could not have prepared me any better for my career,” Oglesby said. “I was encouraged to be hands-on with learning, to engage across disciplines and with students and faculty of all backgrounds. Those experiences set me up for success. I love seeing how CEAT is taking those strengths to new levels.”

Tikalsky said Oglesby’s impact reached employees, investors, students and himself.

“Ann’s leadership style engaged the diversity of people in the company, empowered them to develop their talents and defined success in a way that appealed to both employees and investors that want to change the paradigm of the future of energy,” Tikalsky said. “She has helped me be a better leader and she has inspired many young engineers.”

Oglesby and her husband plan to remain in Oklahoma and spend some of their time in Stillwater for both fun and to give back to the university they love.

“Coming back to campus regularly gives me a chance to see new

innovations that will continue to produce well-prepared students and world-class research,” Oglesby said.

“Our passion is to help all students be successful even if they face financial or other challenges. An OSU CEAT education can be a life-changer, so helping students achieve that degree is so motivating. My retirement plan includes family, fun and giving back.

“My husband and I have a passion for helping students succeed at college, so staying involved at OSU makes perfect sense. Plus Stillwater is my happy place.” ■

Ann Oglesby speaks at a luncheon after P66 donated money to Oklahoma State University.

O S U C E AT 13

-

Where Good People Make Great Things Happen Small town OSU family making a global impact

From left: Brian Bachmann, Kylie Dixon Bachmann, Rae Dixon, Matt Dixon, Meghan Dixon Eden and Cooper Eden at Mountain Country Foods in Okeene, Oklahoma.

F

ounded in 1892 and housed in a rural central part of the state, Okeene, Oklahoma, is known for many things, including its production of wheat and flour and the annual Rattlesnake Roundup where visitors come from miles around to capture a deadly snake.

It’s also home to one of the largest dog treat and dog food manufacturing companies in the world: Mountain Country Foods.

14 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

Born and raised in Okeene, Matt Dixon wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do when he graduated high school, but was excited when a recruiting officer from the Coast Guard visited Okeene and convinced him to join.

“I remember sitting around the table for dinner that night, and my dad asked me how my day was,” Dixon said. “I told him that I signed up for the Coast Guard.”

STORY KRISTI WHEELER | PHOTOS KRISTI WHEELER

“Okeene has a long history of farming and German heritage here. There’s a story about German families bringing wheat over, carrying seeds in their pockets. There’s a long history, so it’s nice to be intertwined with that.”

(

)

KYLIE DIXON BACHMAN

Dixon’s dad —who was Okeene’s school superintendent as well as an Oklahoma State University alumnus — had other plans for him.

“The next morning, he drove me straight to Stillwater, Oklahoma, and directly to the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology,” Dixon said. “He sought out an admissions officer and asked them to enroll me into an engineering program.”

The admissions administrator tried to explain that they couldn’t just enroll him, and that it wasn’t the right time, but Dixon’s father didn’t accept that answer, saying, “No, you sign him up right now, he’s going to school here, he’s not going into the Coast Guard.”

Dixon said his dad had received a biology degree at OSU and knew a few people in the education system.

“He made a few phone calls and I was enrolled in engineering by the end of the day,” Dixon said. “I remember I had to go to a classroom to take some written tests, which I was the only one taking these tests, and from those tests they made my schedule for the next year.”

That fall of 1980, Dixon was attending OSU, majoring in mechanical engineering and taking science and math classes.

“Through my classes, I ran into some guys that I knew who were majoring in a degree called mechanical power technology (MPT),” Dixon said. “I got to visiting with them and met one of the professors of the MPT program and thought this is what I want to do! There was a lot of hands-on work involved. The program had its own machine shop and its own electrical shop, and I really liked that versus the classroom. So, I changed my major from mechanical engineering to mechanical power technology.”

Dixon met and married his wife, Rae, who was majoring in journalism with a minor in political science. By the time Dixon graduated in 1984, he set his sight on Ford Motor Company.

“My goal was to work for Ford Motor Company,” Dixon said. “However, Rae got a job offer in El Reno, Oklahoma, and I got two job offers. One in Edmond, Oklahoma, at Ralston Purina, a pet food manufacturing company, and the other being at Ford Motor Company in Denver, Colorado. We both decided that we’d take the Oklahoma jobs and stay in Oklahoma, and I’m glad we did.”

Matt and Rae lived in Piedmont, Oklahoma, located between El Reno and Edmond. Matt worked as a night shift supervisor for Ralston Purina, learning the ropes about the food business and the pet food business. In the next few years, they moved to Butler, Missouri, where Matt ran Hubbard Milling Company and then moved to California as he worked at Nutro Products’ corporate headquarters.

“That’s when I realized that there was a need in the market for pet treat manufacturing plants,” Dixon said.

“I went to Nutro Products and explained that there is a real need for this and tried to get them to build one. I told them I’d run it for them, but they said no.”

That’s when Dixon approached his friend, Doug Ford, who lived in Spanish Fork, Utah. The two of them threw in the money they had, and the Dixons moved back to Okeene to build their factory in 2000.

“There are two reasons I chose to build the factory in Okeene,” Dixon said. “First, I poured all my money into starting the factory and didn’t have any left. My dad had died and my mom was still living in Okeene, so Rae and I, and our two

O S U C E AT 15

Matt Dixon in the Mountain Country Foods manufacturing plant in Okeene, Oklahoma.

children, Kylie and Meghan, moved in with her.

The second reason was that at the time, most dog biscuits were made with wheat flour, and there’s a wheat flour mill in Okeene, the Okeene Milling Company. Also, Okeene is in the central U.S., we are halfway between here and Los Angeles and halfway between here and New York. We are right in the center.”

At the time, Okeene wanted to develop its industrial park and the land where the factory sits was a wheat field as far as the eye could see. Matt decided this could be very good for the town and decided to sign a contract with them that would employ 10 people.

“Our first big contract we received was to make little gingerbread man shaped treats,” Dixon said. “It was going pretty good. Then we received a pretty large, substantial contract with another big customer, and the launch date for that product was set for Sept. 11, 2001. It was canceled. But we continued to work and grow. Rae, at the time, was teaching. She was the only one making any kind of wage for us. We went a number of years without making a dime out of this factory.”

16 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

While Rae was teaching and putting food on the table, Matt continued to work on growing business for the factory. After some time, it started to get better and better, and it got a little momentum going. So much so that Rae stopped teaching and went to work at the factory, which was great for Matt and great for Mountain Country Foods, he said.

“It’s just amazing when you look at the wheat usage,” Dixon said. “We’re using 20-25% of the wheat grown in this area for our dog food and treats.

When we make our treats, the wheat is only about eight hours old, so it’s super fresh. Competitors can’t figure out why this stuff tastes so good!”

Kylie Dixon Bachmann, Matt’s oldest daughter, said Mountain Country Food has continued the legacy of Okeene’s farming industry.

“Okeene has a long history of farming and German heritage here,” Bachmann said. “There’s a story about German families bringing wheat over, carrying seeds in their pockets. There’s a long history, so it’s nice to be intertwined with that.”

Currently Mountain Country Foods does business with about 10 customers, some of them

(

“We do everything here, from growing the ingredients, to making the treats and food, to taking orders, to shipping them out.”

)

MATT DIXON

very large, some are smaller. They ship about 8-10 full semi loads each day of their products, shipping all over the world.

“We’re European Union certified, so we ship to Canada weekly,” Dixon said. “We’re one of the few pet treat facilities in the United States that Canada will allow direct shipments from.”

The factory now employs 260 people and runs 24/7.

“My family all work here,” Dixon said. “We all graduated from OSU. Rae is our special projects and senior management advisor. Kylie oversees our organizational development and special projects.

Meghan Dixon Eden, my youngest daughter, is our customer service and distribution center manager.

Brian Bachmann, Kylie’s husband, is our IT and development manager and Meghan’s husband,

Cooper Eden, is our raw materials manager and ingredient buyer. And we are all proud OSU graduates.”

Dixon mentioned that everything is done on-site.

“We do everything here, from growing the ingredients, to making the treats and food, to taking orders, to shipping them out,” Dixon said.

Today, Mountain Country Foods produces treats and food for the five largest pet food companies in the world.

The family has recently expanded the plant to keep up with the growing demand. The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t slow business down at all.

“Fortunately, we didn’t have to let one single person go, or do layoffs,” Dixon said. “I think with people being at home, they were feeding their dogs more treats.” ■

The Mountain Country Foods shipping warehouse in Okeene, Oklahoma, ships 8-10 full semi loads around the world each day.

O S U C E AT 17

-

Beyond the Border

2021 international cohort graduate visits OSU campus for first time

During Anna Zhang’s visit to campus, she got to meet her instructor and advisor, Dr. Bryan Hoskins, while touring the FPSET labs for the first time.

U

nlike most students, spring 2021 cohort graduate Zilin Zhang spent her spring break visiting Oklahoma State University.

Anna, as she prefers to go by stateside, jumped at the chance to meet her former professors and advisors face-to-face for the first time.

Zhang attained a fire protection and safety engineering technology (FPSET) degree through a collaborative education agreement between OSU and Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU). The program allows students to study for three years in China and one year in the U.S. However, because of COVID-19, the 2017 cohort class had to complete the final year of the program virtually.

18 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

Zhang was raised in the eastern part of China and moved to the U.S. in August 2021 to attend graduate school at the University of Maryland.

“I had to adjust to the food, environment and also the language,” Zhang said. “Right when I arrived, I also had to figure out a bank card, phone number and all of those kinds of things.”

Her interest in FPSET developed after her dad introduced her to the field. During the first round of the admissions process in China, her dad was recovering from an injury. While he was at home resting, he took the time to look into universities and programs he believed were suitable for Zhang.

“I did the second round, and I saw all of the documents for each program,” Zhang said. “When I saw FPSET, I was like, ‘This program is special.’ Because there are not a lot of universities that have fire protection.”

The FPSET program has evolved over the last 85 years. It started as a two-year program and developed into a four-year bachelor’s program in the 1970s. The program has continued to expand through the advancement in its online learning. Anyone now has the ability to complete a bachelor’s degree online with FPSET. Dr. Virginia Charter, a professor in FPSET, said the program has given OSU

STORY BAILEY SISK | PHOTOS KRISTI WHEELER AND PROVIDED

the opportunity to make a global impact in the world of fire protection and safety.

“The FPSET program has been here since 1937 and we are the oldest program of its kind in the nation,” Charter said. “With that, we are always ensuring we keep up with the latest technologies in our field so we can continue to grow and reach areas around the world. This includes having collaborative programs, such as the one with SWJTU.” While finishing her degree online with OSU, Zhang completed her senior project on evacuation. Her project inspired her to continue the evacuation career path in graduate school. Getting to meet her advisor for the project, Dr. Bryan Hoskins, was something she was really looking forward to.

“Anna was on the senior project team that I advised and she took on a leadership role within her team,” Hoskins said. “She wanted to understand the project and get meaningful results, not just do the minimum of what was expected.”

During her visit, Zhang toured campus, got hands-on experience in the labs, attended her past courses in person, met with her professors and even bought souvenirs for her friends back home. She is the first of her former classmates to visit the OSU campus.

“I was really excited to meet Anna in person,” Charter said. “It was tough never being able to meet the students in person due to the pandemic. I was glad to be able to show her around the lab and for her to get an idea of what it would have been like to be a student on campus.

I am also proud of her accomplishments and knowing that she got some of her start here with faculty at OSU.” Hoskins said it was disappointing that the cohort couldn’t come to campus as planned, but understandable because of the pandemic.

“Transition to an online environment was a challenge for everyone, but this cohort was fantastic about making that transition,” Hoskins said. “The students regularly came to office hours to make sure that they were understanding the material and excelled in the class that I taught for them. They were all some of the better students that I have had the privilege of working with at OSU.” Touring campus and the different facilities OSU has to offer allowed Zhang to picture herself getting the in-person experience at OSU her senior year, not just spending time in class, but sharing her hobbies of cooking and tennis with her peers as well.

“The student area here is very concentrated; classrooms and dorms are close to each other,” Zhang said.

“It would’ve been nice if I could’ve spent some time here one year with my classmates. Cooking together and doing some sports in the gym would’ve been great.”

Zhang’s experience with OSU, SWJTU and Maryland have encouraged her to stay in the academic field to possibly further her education and become an educator in the future.

“I want to stay in the academic area as long as possible, so that’s one of the reasons I want to continue with my

doctorate,” Zhang said. “Maybe one day I can become a professor at a university or I can find a job working in FPSET at a company.”

While Zhang wishes she could’ve had the in-person experience her senior year, she felt fortunate to spend her spring break visiting her alma mater for the first time.

“I was not able to come here during my senior year, but luckily I’m here now,” Zhang said. “I will always prefer the in-person experience at school because it’s a completely different environment.”

Hoskins said he thinks Zhang will have a great career in FPSET. “She definitely has an unlimited future in fire protection and will be able to achieve anything that she puts her mind to,” Hoskins said. “I am very glad that I was able to meet her in-person and show her around the lab.”

FPSET had a total of 55 graduates in the spring 2022 graduating class. Fortythree of the graduates were a part of the SWJTU program. Charter expects great things from the graduates in helping to protect people and property in their careers.

“Our graduates have now entered their chosen careers in areas like design and consulting, manufacturing, oil and gas, or graduate school as what we call risk control specialists or engineers,” Charter said. “We are proud of this group of graduates, particularly given the circumstances of the last two years and the pandemic. All of our students, both on campus and those studying abroad have made quick adjustments to get to graduation.” ■

Anna Zhang, sixth from the left, stands with her classmates in Southwest Jiaotong University. Zhang is part of the first graduating class through a collaborative education agreement between OSU’s Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology program and SWJTU.

O S U C E AT 19

-

No Place Like Home

OSU-OKC and OSU-Stillwater students help develop tiny houses for underprivileged teens and young adults

Students enrolled in the Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City construction management and architecture program built the first three tiny homes for Pivot in 2018.

O

klahoma State University students from the Oklahoma City and Stillwater campuses recently contributed to the construction and architectural design of tiny homes on the Pivot Inc. campus in Oklahoma City.

Pivot, a nonprofit, has opened 26 homes in the last five years for teens and young adults who are homeless or aging out of the foster care system.

Dr. Terry Clinefelter, OSU-OKC department head of construction technologies, worked with Paolo Sanza, associate professor at the OSU School of Architecture, to involve students in this community project.

20 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

“My interest in housing motivated me to be involved in this project.

When I teach, I like to give students an actual project to complete,” Sanza said. “I thought this was a good starting point and, at the same time, a way to contribute to the community and be involved with outreach.”

Sanza said the project was perfect for third-year architecture students in his design studio. He quickly coined the project name — Matchbox 17 — and created a project brief to share with them.

Sanza’s 14 students met with Pivot in January 2020 and were challenged to design these small spaces — from the placement of each stud to each piece of

furniture — rather than just designing an empty shell, Sanza said.

Requirements included that the tiny house must not exceed 280 square feet and be constructed utilizing lightframing construction techniques. The micro-dwelling required space for living, cooking, sleeping and hygiene — shower and toilet — for a single person.

Also, areas for outdoor living like a porch were encouraged.

Students were given a construction budget of $140 per square foot or around $40,000 per unit.

Katelyn Mann, a 2021 OSU architecture graduate, and her group partner Tiffany Mollohan, focused their designs on the ability to be personalized

STORY SYDNEY TRAINOR | PHOTOS PROVIDED

(

“When you sit through architecture classes, that’s one way of learning it, but until you actually get out on the field and build something, that’s to me where you gain a lot of your knowledge and learning,”

)

COLTON HINOJOSA, 2019 OSU-OKC ARCHITECTURE GRADUATE

for each resident while still creating as much space as possible. Each of their homes had a different color scheme.

“Our structure was a classic homestyle shape, but it was broken up and divided into two levels,” Mann said.

“Since a lot of the homes have a very open floor plan, we started to put wood slat dividers to divide the bed from the kitchen and living areas to help privacy.

“Then a lot of our focus was on things that were retractable, so having furniture that could fold into walls, or having dual space from the closet connecting to the bathroom, that way you have more compact zones.”

The pair even included special safety features in the home to make the resident feel comfortable, Mann said.

In February 2020, after the students presented their projects, Clinefelter and Sanza reviewed them with the students and discussed what was practical and how to make their designs more

cost-effective. Then, students sent their permit drawings to the city.

However, due to COVID-19, classes were moved online and students went home, putting a halt to the next phase of the project.

Clinefelter started OSU’s involvement with the project in 2018 when he was approached with an opportunity for students to make an impact on their community and enhance their skills.

Students enrolled in the OSUOKC construction management and architecture program built the first three homes for Pivot in 2018.

“It’s really hard to walk away from a project that benefits a community like that,” Clinefelter said. “It was nothing that was mandated for us, it was just a very organic process to get involved in something that I know that my students, and myself personally, are going to always kind of remember as probably one of the highlights.”

Colton Hinojosa, a 2019 OSU-OKC architecture graduate, participated in the construction of the homes by building interior walls in 2018.

“When you sit through architecture classes, that’s one way of learning it, but until you actually get out on the field and build something, that’s to me where you gain a lot of your knowledge and learning,” Hinojosa said.

It was a humbling experience and an amazing opportunity to contribute to his community, he said.

“The project in general highlights the ability of individuals and their career choices to impact the communities they live in,” Clinefelter said. “Within the different projects, you have a combination of private and public entities that came together to meet the needs of the Oklahoma City community and really set a standard that can be reproduced across the country.” ■

R E N D E R I N G S

These renderings designed by Katelyn Mann and Tiffany Mollohan show the project to build comfortable homes that can’t exceed 280 square feet.

EXTERIOR BACK PERSPECTIVE INTERIOR BEDROOM/LIVING HALF

INTERIOR KITCHEN/LIVING HALF

EXTERIOR BACK PERSPECTIVE

AERIAL PERSPECTIVE

O S U C E AT 21

-

Francis and Kathleen Rooney

Donors Name Engineering Program Francis and Kathleen Rooney recognized for $3 million gift

W

ith over a century of construction history in Oklahoma, the Rooney family is cementing its connection to Oklahoma State University.

Francis and Kathleen Rooney recently finalized a $3 million gift to benefit the construction engineering technology program in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The gift names the program the Francis and Kathleen Rooney Construction Engineering Technology Program and establishes an endowed chair in the name of Rooney’s late father, L.F. Rooney Jr.

22 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

“Our family company is called Manhattan Construction Company, and it was founded in Oklahoma in 1896.

Oklahoma is a big part of our history and our success,” Francis Rooney said.

Manhattan Construction Co. made its first mark on campus in 1947 when it won its first contract with thenOklahoma A&M. Over a six-year period, the company helped build such iconic campus structures as Lewis Field, Edmon Low Library and the Student Union.

Over the years, a partnership has formed between the company and the construction engineering technology program at OSU.

“We have a lot of employees from Oklahoma generally and specifically from Oklahoma State,” Rooney said.

“They have a very good construction program — one of the best in the country.

We are thankful to be in the same state as such a great program. We get a lot of interns from OSU, and a lot of them end up being permanent employees.”

Rooney said those he hires from Oklahoma State University stand out.

“I’ve worked construction in many parts of the world and all over the United States,” Rooney said. “I have never worked anywhere with better, more honest, hardworking and decent individuals than the kind of people who

STORY CHELSEA DINTERMAN | PHOTOS COURTESY THE ROONEY FAMILY AND GARY LAWSON

(

“I have never worked anywhere with better, more honest, hardworking and decent individuals than the kind of people who come from Oklahoma.”

)

FRANCIS ROONEY, MANHATTAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

come from Oklahoma. It’s a great source of strength for our company.”

Rooney’s gift has been a long time in the making. Plans to name a chair in honor of his father were drawn up in the early ’80s and were far enough along that an official plaque had been made before they were put on hold indefinitely.

“The great oil boom ended, and we had this terrible economic bust in Oklahoma and Texas,” Rooney said.

“Everybody was trying to survive, and there was no serious thought about trying to fund the chair.”

So when the OSU Foundation reached out last year about revisiting the gift, Rooney only had one condition: the gift had to be finalized before President Burns Hargis officially retired.

“Burns and I have been friends for many years,” Rooney said. “I’m thankful for the leadership he brought to OSU and all the great things he’s done for OSU.”

Established in 2021, the L.F. Rooney Jr. Endowed Chair in Construction Engineering Technology will benefit faculty within the program.

“Having a named chair can help recruit and retain excellent faculty.” said Dr. Heather Yates, professor and program coordinator for the renamed Francis and Kathleen Rooney Construction Engineering Technology Program.

Rooney said he hopes his gift will help amplify the program’s mission and elevate its prominence within the construction industry.

“Specifically, I hope it helps OSU recruit students,” he said. “When you have a named program like that, sometimes people say it gives it stability.

And anything we can do to help OSU develop this program and get more students is good for us and good for all our competitors in Oklahoma.”

Having a named program is prestigious and will certainly set OSU apart, Yates said.

“There are not a lot of named programs in this field, and having a named program really elevates the level of our program,” she said. “It really means a lot that Mr. Rooney has enough faith in our program and the product that we are producing to put his name on it.”

As a leader in the construction industry, Rooney said he believes there’s no better place than OSU for someone looking to get their start.

“I would say if they’re interested in construction and construction engineering, there’s no place better in the United States they could go for their education,” he said. “If they aim high and do well in a curriculum like OSU’s, they’re going to have opportunities to develop a career with some of the best companies in the industry, including Manhattan Construction Company.” ■

The Francis and Kathleen Rooney Construction Engineering Technology Program will be named in recognition of their gift.

O S U C E AT 23

WHERE THE PAST On March 3, the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology held a topping-off ceremony for Engineering South (ES).

longtime home for the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), and will be the new home for the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

The transformation of CEAT’s infrastructure will be nearly complete with the renovation of this historic building.

The first floor will provide a campus front door to CEAT Recruiting, Scholarships, Career Services and Special Programs. It will also host the new Zink Leadership Center and classroom space. ECE will occupy the second floor and some spaces in the basement and fourth floor.

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering will occupy the third floor and space on the fourth floor.

This 83-year-old building’s initial construction was partially funded by former President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal Public Works Project Plan. It is being rebuilt to continue to meet the ever-changing needs of our students and faculty so that we can expand the enrollment of the college and meet the needs of the State of Oklahoma.

With the continued help of our generous donors, Engineering South’s interior is being redesigned to propel the Georgian building into the 21st century. This will include the addition of the Zink Center for Competitive Innovation and the state-of the-art Chickasaw STEM Auditorium where the final beam was placed.

Since 1939, ES has provided CEAT a high-profile location in the heart of campus adjacent to Edmon Low Library and legacy walk. This historic structure has been the

Much of the basic ES renovation, but not all, will be financed by OSU. The university will provide a renovation to bring the facility up to basic standards. CEAT will be responsible for financing upgrades to ensure the building represents the innovation and aspirations of CEAT and our constituents. Upgrades to the public first floor will be financed by CEAT, while ECE and MAE will be providing funding for their department-focused spaces with a goal to create a strong ECE and MAE community; encourage and support our teaching and research missions; brand ECE and MAE as leaders in high-tech innovation; and attract the brightest students and faculty. Three million

BECOMES THE FUTURE

Engineering South renovations – another year closer to completion dollars in additional funds is needed to complete the first, second and third floor renovations.

In addition to the student-centric space on the first floor and new ECE and MAE administrative space on the second and third floors, the fourth floor provides an exciting opportunity for CEAT innovation and growth including an open design studio for collaborative senior design, a Design and Innovation Laboratory and Seminar Room for laboratory intensive courses, additional office space for teaching and research assistants, and gathering and study spaces for ECE and MAE students and student organizations. This additional cost for fourth floor renovations is estimated at $2.5 million.

Contributions for all of these visionary spaces are needed and there will be naming opportunities with your gift or pledge. Donor walls will be provided to recognize significant gifts. We invite you to contact our foundation associate, Bryce Killingsworth, whose contact info can be found to the right.

The building has played an important role in the life of the college and is embedded in the hearts of our CEAT alumni.

HOW TO GIVE • • • •

Go to ceat.okstate.edu Click the button Complete the secure, online form Include instructions regarding use of your gift in the “comments” field

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

BRYCE KILLINGSWORTH

Director of Development bkillingsworth@osugiving.com 405.385.5623

A DECADE OF

TRANSFORMATIONAL G rowth

CEAT has undergone a 21st century change in the past 10 years

26 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

The rise of AI, data centers, cyber security, mRNA vaccines, EV, social media, unmanned aircraft, sustainable energy, climate change and COVID-19 have changed our lives

in the past decade. These challenges have accelerated the need for engineering, technology and innovative architecture. The faculty and graduates of Oklahoma State University’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology are at the very heart of these challenges.

In 2012, CEAT welcomed a new dean, Dr. Paul Tikalsky. He brought with him a persevering attitude and work ethic, along with grand ideas of what CEAT could and should become during his tenure.

STORY JEFF HOPPER | PHOTOS KRISTI WHEELER, CEAT MARKETING, PHIL SHOCKLEY AND GARY LAWSON

“Without the contributions and leadership from the university, our donors and our college leadership, none of this would’ve been possible.”

Dr. Paul Tikalsky

“Where we were then, to where we are now, could we have predicted it? I don’t think so,” Tikalsky said. “Without the contributions and leadership from the university, our donors and our college leadership, none of this would’ve been possible.”

The “this” he refers to has been a decade of highs and lows, challenges and triumphs. If you asked anyone associated with CEAT what the last 10 years has been like, the answers would surely consist of highlights of changes in leadership, faculty, students and infrastructure, as well as a transformational forecast for the future of CEAT and those lucky enough to be affiliated with it.

LEADERS FOR THE FUTURE

When CEAT students returned for the 2022 fall semester, they found the leadership of the college looked different than it did in the spring, let alone 10 years ago.

For the first time in CEAT history, the departmental leadership is nearly 50% female and along with the executive leadership, consists of the most diverse group of leaders the college has ever had.

The executive committee now looks slightly different. Randy Seitsinger has

retired after over 20 years of leadership in CEAT. Dr. Sunderesh Heragu took a step up from his role as the head of the School of Industrial Engineering and Management and is the new associate dean of Academic Affairs.

Also, Carisa Ramming is settling into her new role on the executive committee as the assistant dean of Engagement and Inclusion — a role she assumed in the middle of 2021 after serving as a faculty member in the School of Architecture since 2009. Her role as chief inclusion officer will allow the executive committee to have one of its own members constantly investigating, developing and implementing programs to help all CEAT students feel welcome and have a successful academic and personal experience while at CEAT. CEAT also welcomed new department heads for several of its schools this fall. Dr. Heather Fahlenkamp assumed the role as head of the School of Chemical Engineering (CHE), as Dr. Geir Hareland, the former head of CHE, now leads energy research at the new Hamm Institute for American Energy at OSU. Fahlenkamp has been a faculty member in CHE since 2006 and has also recently served as the graduate program director for the school.

ABOVE: Neal McCaleb (left) and CEAT Dean Paul Tiklasky (right) participate in the beam signing at the topping out ceremony of the Zink Leadership Center and classroom space. BELOW: The challenges students are tasked with solving are very different and more advanced than 10 years ago, i.e. this group of students preparing to launch a jet-propelled RC airplane off of a rail system they designed and built.

O S U C E AT 27

“Leading isn’t easy. It takes time to develop those that want to lead. Our leaders face one of the toughest roles in the university setting. The task of balancing what is best for your faculty members, your students and your college can be a daunting one, but one that our team is well-equipped to handle and ready to face with a steadfast commitment to our goals.”

Dr. Paul Tikalsky, dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology With Heragu’s move to the CEAT executive team, a new head of the School of Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) took over this fall.

Dr. Camille DeYong returned to OSU and CEAT to head IEM after serving as a faculty member for over 20 years before her retirement.

Lastly, as Dr. Dan Fisher assumes his new role as the director of the soonto-be-constructed Zink Center for Competitive Innovation, the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) has a new leader as Dr. Sandip Harimkar stepped into the role after serving as a faculty member since 2009.

While the leadership of CEAT looks different, the goal will be the same: to provide students a worldclass education and rich personal experiences that will allow them to solve the problems of tomorrow.

“Leading isn’t easy,” Tikalsky said. “It takes time to develop those that want to lead. Our leaders face one of the toughest roles in the university setting.

The task of balancing what is best for your faculty members, your students and your college can be a daunting one, but one that our team is well-equipped to handle and ready to face with a steadfast commitment to our goals.”

A DIVERSE AND GROWING FACULTY

Faculty members, like Dr. Brian Elbing, have access to state-of-the-art lab equipment throughout CEAT allowing for research that continues to propel technology forward into the future.

28 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

The faculty of CEAT has certainly seen members come and go over the last 10 years, which isn’t unexpected or unique, however the benefits of that change cannot be overlooked.

Firstly, the growth in faculty numbers has been substantial, seeing an increase from 166 faculty members in 2016 to 182 faculty members in 2020

and growing. Sixteen additional faculty positions over a four-year period is not an unperceivable change. This number will surely continue to grow with the additional funding provided by the state legislature to address the overwhelming need for more engineers in every field of study. Institutions will undoubtedly see an increased need for high-quality faculty members to handle the desired increase in engineering students in the coming years.

The diversity of those faculty members has also changed during Tikalsky’s tenure. What was once a field dominated by Caucasian males has seen a noticeable and beneficial change in the demographics of its members. In 2012, there were barely over 10 female faculty members in CEAT. As of 2020, there are now more than 30. There has also been a marked increase in the ethnic diversity of CEAT faculty members. The current members are easily the most diverse group of faculty CEAT has ever seen, which provides students a richer and more wellrounded educational experience.

The change in faculty has also brought new approaches to teaching and new ways of engaging students in the engineering challenges that face the world today.

“We have amazing faculty members,” Tikalsky said. “They want to be engaged with the students and be involved with them outside of the classroom, whether through extra help with coursework, mentoring students engaged in extra-curricular projects, providing academic advice, or simply learning more students’ career goals and life aspirations.”

While the faculty of CEAT is saddled with the task of developing the engineers of tomorrow, many of these faculty members are also on the cutting edge of research in their respective fields.

New battery technologies, unmanned system applications and sustainable HVAC technologies are just a few of the numerous fields directly impacted by the research being done by faculty members at CEAT. Researchers completed more than $26.6 million in extramurally funded research over the last year, an unprecedented amount for CEAT.

FUTURE ENGINEERS SOLVING WORLD’S PROBLEMS

A CEAT student in the fall of 2022 undoubtedly looks different than their predecessors in 2012. They are more intelligent on average, due to increased enrollment requirements, more technologically adept and ready to face the challenges of the world.

ABOVE: CEAT Dean Paul Tikalsky cuts the ribbon at the grand opening of ENDEAVOR, a 72,000 square foot lab building opened in 2018.

BELOW: Two students work on their interdisciplinary senior design project, an autonomous stage wagon for the theatre department, inside one of the numerous, state-of-the-art lab spaces inside the ENDEAVOR lab building.

O S U C E AT 29

30 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

“We have amazing faculty members.

They want to be engaged with the students and be involved with them outside of the classroom, whether through extra help with coursework, mentoring students engaged in extra-curricular projects, providing academic advice, or simply learning more students’ career goals and life aspirations.”

Dr. Paul Tikalsky

TOP: CEAT Dean Paul Tikalsky speaks at the grand opening of EXCELSIOR, the home of OSU’s Unmanned Systems Research Institute, in 2019.

BOTTOM: Students examine the payload instrument cluster that will be suspended below a balloon as part of a project tasked with eventually using those balloons to monitor the atmosphere on Venus.

LEFT: Dr. Hitesh Vora works with students on a project inside the ENDEAVOR lab building.

Despite the aforementioned increase in enrollment requirements, CEAT has increased its annual enrollment numbers by approximately 500 students, on average per year, from 2011 to 2022. Not only is CEAT seeing more students admitted and enrolled, but they are higher quality students due to required test scores and other programs put in place to make sure each student is ready for the rigors of coursework required for an engineering student.

Also, the concerted effort by leadership and faculty to ensure each student is ready for CEAT has increased retention rates, up over 6% to 90.4% from 2016 to 2019. The graduation rate has also seen an increase of nearly 12% from 2016 to 2020. While the demand for engineers continues to increase, Tikalsky and his leadership team are determined to not allow the quality of CEAT student graduates to suffer.

The increase in enrollment can be attributed to many factors, quite possibly the most important being an increase in the amount, both in quantity and dollar amount, of scholarships available to students. Last year, CEAT provided $3.4 million in scholarships to students, including matching scholarship partnerships of $50,000 and $25,000 with the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering and the Oklahoma Energy Resource Board, respectively.

The constantly increasing demand for engineers has also challenged CEAT to place an even greater emphasis on

recruiting than it already has. However, a recently awarded $5 million DOD grant focused on that very thing, increasing STEM education for K-12 students and faculty members across the state, has given CEAT a plethora of additional resources to achieve the goal of widening the STEM pipeline of students.

“We’re trying to find the talent in every town, large and small, in Oklahoma and beyond,” Tikalsky said.

“We need to grab that talent, no matter its circumstances, and give it the ability to innovate and change the world.”

This fall, CEAT saw its largest enrollment numbers in female students, as well as several other underrepresented groups. It’s a sign that more and more students are beginning to recognize STEM career fields and the important role they play in today’s society.

The changes don’t stop once students get on campus, either.

During Tikalsky’s tenure, there has been an intentional increase in the support programs and resources for undergraduate students in CEAT. The expansion of four-year scholarships in the CEAT Scholar program to 270 students has given CEAT a chance to award more of the best and brightest with paid global educational experience, community service and cultural experiences.

CEAT has also partnered with OSU Housing and Residential Life to develop the Parker Hall Living Learning

O S U C E AT 31

“There will be lots of obstacles and challenges telling you to stop, but as soon as you do, you’ve failed.

Some things work and some things don’t.

Recognize the things that work and discard those that don’t, just keep moving forward.”

Dr. Paul Tikalsky

Finally, a paradigm shift in the approach to coursework and group projects has provided more “real world” experience and opportunities for CEAT students. The idea of transdisciplinary design was implemented by Tikalsky and CEAT administration to break the silos of each discipline and allow students from across the college to work alongside one another toward common goals.

This ideology has given rise to senior design projects that truly challenge students with real-world problems often sponsored and supported by industry partners. The symbiotic relationship between the college and its partners has paid dividends for both parties.

A GROWING FOOTPRINT

Program. This has turned a normal dormitory living experience into a true community of CEAT underclassmen with free tutoring, social programming, mental health support programs and access to eight PEATEs — upperclassmen available to provide assistance and advice for any problem, inside or outside the classroom.

CEAT leadership has also made it a priority to increase its diversity, equity and inclusion services and programs.

The increase in DEI efforts has created a foundation for everyone in CEAT to feel comfortable and included, which allows for the best possible educational experience for all.

CEAT Summer Bridge is another program that has seen overwhelming success with the students involved.

Summer Bridge is a three-week program dedicated to assisting incoming freshmen with acclimating to college life and continuing to build their math and science skills. It also affords these students the opportunity to network with their peers, CEAT faculty and staff and CEAT administrators.

“Summer Bridge has become a transformational program, especially for first generation and underrepresented students, as well as those from smaller high schools,” Tikalsky said.

32 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

Lastly but probably most noticeably, the college has undergone transformational growth and change in infrastructure over the last 10 years.

CEAT has opened new lab spaces, such as ENDEAVOR, EXCELSIOR and the Bert Cooper Lab, as well as renovated some of its existing infrastructure to match its peers and bring the educational and office spaces into the 21st century.

The ENDEAVOR lab is an innovative, one-of-a-kind undergraduate lab and makerspace that opened in the fall of 2018. The 72,000 square foot building is the centerpiece of an expansion of instruction beyond the classroom as a means to increase undergraduate laboratory and exploratory time for transdisciplinary, hands-on, industryaligned learning.

“ENDEAVOR has proven to not be just a building, but a paradigm shift for CEAT,” Tikalsky said. “It has enabled us to promote a transdisciplinary design model, enhance the undergraduate research program and truly allowed our students to shape their own future.”

EXCELSIOR has given a home to the Unmanned Systems Research Institute, which is dedicated to the expansion and implementation of unmanned technologies as an answer to some of the world’s most difficult and paramount challenges.

The North Campus Lab complex continues to grow and provides CEAT students and faculty access to cuttingedge technology and instruments used by some of the biggest companies and industry partners in the world.

The renovation of Engineering North has provided a state-of-the-art home to several of the schools within CEAT. The learning areas and community and office spaces have provided a place for each school to encourage engagement between students and faculty.

The ongoing renovation of the Engineering South building is the last large piece in the current growth plan of CEAT. Once finished, the building will provide a home to electrical and computer engineering as well as MAE. The building will house the Zink Center for Competitive Innovation and the Chickasaw STEM Auditorium, which will both play a role in the growing shift toward transdisciplinary instruction and design.

The renovation is estimated to be complete in July 2023.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD

The next chapter for CEAT looks decidedly different than it did 10 years ago, each chapter building upon the last. The last decade has not been without its share of trials, tribulations and struggles. However, Tikalsky has always used the motto of “keep moving forward” no matter what.

“There will be lots of obstacles and challenges telling you to stop, but as soon as you do, you’ve failed,” Tikalsky said. “Some things work and some things don’t. Recognize the things that work and discard those that don’t, just keep moving forward.”

The personal impact of the last decade is not unnoticed by Tikalsky.

“When you choose to be a department head or a dean, you choose to create the opportunity for success for others,” Tikalsky said. “I miss being in the classroom, conducting research and the personal interactions with students.

However, I made a choice years ago that recognized my effectiveness at providing the opportunity for others

to be successful, then maybe that’s the best way I can make an impact for the institution. Giving students and faculty the opportunity to teach at an amazing institution is a huge reward for me.”

The changes in leadership; the growth of faculty; the increased quality of students; the expansion and enhancement of infrastructure; the support of donors and industry partners; they have all played invaluable roles

in the success and impact of CEAT students, faculty and staff.

“We’ve been very successful over the last 10 years,” Tikalsky said. “I’m lucky to be surrounded by amazing people that look at our mission and say ‘What can we do next?’” ■

From left: Dr. Camille DeYong, Dean Chuck Bunting, Dr. James Smay, Dr. Young Chang, Dean Raman Singh, Dean Ed Kirtley, Professor Suzanne Bilbeisi, Dean Sunderesh Heragu, Dean Paul Tikalsky, Dr. Heather Fahlenkamp, Dean Carisa Ramming, Dr. Norb Delatte, Dr. Jeffrey Young, Dr. Mari Chinn and Dr. Sandip Harimkar.

O S U C E AT 33

A FRAMEWORK

FOR FUTURE

Engineers DOD awards CEAT $6M for STEM programs

Oklahoma State University’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology has been awarded the

largest university grant in the National Defense Education Program from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

The $6 million grant, which will be administered over the next four years by the DOD, is for the development and implementation of additional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education programs for schools with economically disadvantaged or underrepresented students The goal is to create a pathway for successful careers in engineering and innovation.

At a special announcement ceremony in November 2021 at the Hamm Institute for American Energy in Oklahoma City, OSU President Kayse Shrum welcomed Rep. Frank Lucas, Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Sean McDaniel, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex Director Wade Wolfe, as well as representatives for Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford and Rep. Stephanie Bice.

Dr. Shrum said it was fitting to make the announcement on National STEM Day.

34 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

“As the former secretary of science and innovation, I know the value of a strong STEM workforce to the state of Oklahoma,” she said. “As I served, I had the opportunity to go around and visit with many CEOs and I heard repeatedly that the most important thing they are looking for when expanding their businesses or relocating is a qualified workforce. … Having a qualified STEM workforce means early engagement with our young students.

“This announcement is an example of the commitment Oklahoma State University has to STEM education. As we move forward, we are committed to developing a multidisciplinary, collaborative center that can serve the needs of the state, developing a robust pipeline for students entering STEM careers. I am very excited about [this grant], because it provides an opportunity for early engagement and introduces engineering and other STEM fields to students in middle school as well as high school. Students at Millwood, Mid-Del and Oklahoma City Public Schools, and students across the state in other school districts, will have the opportunity to experience this grant and the opportunity to have mentorship. I personally, as a firstgeneration college student who also

entered into a STEM career, appreciate the value of teaching young students the joy of discovery through science, technology, engineering and math.”

Lucas echoed Dr. Shrum’s excitement.

“If you look at the near future and long future, whoever leads in science and technology sets the rules of the road for decades to come in this world. We want that road to begin in Oklahoma. We want it to begin with these wonderfully bright young men and women,” Lucas said, gesturing toward a group of students from ASTEC Charter Schools who attended the event and did some hands-on STEM learning.

Inhofe could not attend, but celebrated the grant announcement via video.

“I was glad, but not surprised, to hear that the DOD officially announced Oklahoma State University is a recipient of the National Defense Education Programs grant,” Inhofe said. “This $6 million will go a long way to prepare Oklahoma students to serve in the thousands of engineer and STEMtrained technician roles that maintain military readiness and innovate solutions against future threats.

“If you know me, you know how important Oklahoma’s military is to

STORY MACK BURKE | PHOTOS KRISTI WHEELER

our country and I am proud to see Oklahoma State prioritizing the future generation of our nation’s force.”

Dr. McDaniel also expressed excitement about the grant and what it will mean for advancing STEM education in Oklahoma.

“On behalf of my two colleagues — Dr. Rick Cobb from Mid-Del and Dr. Cecilia Robinson-Woods from Millwood — I just can’t tell you how excited we are about the opportunity to be at this event,” McDaniel said. “We work most of our adult lives trying to figure out how we can develop kids who are STEM ready when they leave us. So we are looking for partners all of the time. “... We can’t do anything by ourselves. It takes linking arms, not just in something like STEM, but interest in our kids and this is that messaging that we want your kids to be successful. We appreciate this opportunity more than I can say. It will allow our kids to do some things that they otherwise probably could not do.”

OSU is one of only seven universities across the nation to receive funding from the DOD for the purpose of educating the next generation of STEM workforce employees and creating a relationship with defense industry partners who can leverage the knowledge gained by those students as a means to support their national initiatives.

Together, these universities and nonprofit organizations will receive a total of $43 million over three- or fouryear periods, depending on the award.

OSU and Harvard University each received the largest university grants in the program at $6 million each.

Awardees, consisting of a local education agency, institutions of higher education, and nonprofits, are focused on activities related to STEM. The award aims to engage students and educators through STEM education, outreach and workforce initiatives from early childhood through postsecondary education.

Dr. Paul Tikalsky, dean of CEAT, said the programs will prepare thousands of students for engineering career pathways and opportunities to earn scholarships to pursue engineering careers at OSU.

“If you look at the near future and long future, whoever leads in science and technology sets the rules of the road for decades to come in this world. We want that road to begin in Oklahoma.”

Rep. Frank Lucas

The funding will serve as a hub for CEAT’s STEM education initiatives within the greater Oklahoma City area, as well as across the state to provide an environment for students and educators to meet the rising demand for future engineering graduates.

“I am very excited to propel our STEM initiatives and as an end result, produce more engineers for the state of Oklahoma and our nation,” Tikalsky said.

Dr. Jovette Dew, director of the K-12 STEM program at OSU, said this grant will allow the university to elevate its STEM initiatives and inspire more young people to pursue STEM careers.

“Some of these initiatives include increasing our summer camps, partnering with community leaders for after-school programs, increasing our teacher training programs, partnering with our industry leaders and mentoring with engineering professionals and teachers,” Dew said.

“We want to make sure that students can see themselves in STEM careers when they grow up. We want them to know that good jobs are right here in Oklahoma and in our own backyard.”

Wolfe said that’s good news for Oklahoma’s STEM industries.

“So at Tinker Air Force Base, we have 10,500 employees that work at the installation,” Wolfe said. “Many of them are civilians and we repair airplanes that are 50- and 60-years old. We need a healthy balance of career tech employees, as well as STEM employees.

We need aircraft mechanics, jet engine mechanics, NDI mechanics, welders, pipe fitters, but we also need chemical engineers, mechanical engineers, software engineers, chemists to keep our machine running.

“This is a monumental and tremendous occasion that we get to promote STEM education in the state of Oklahoma.” ■

Students from Mid-Del and other Oklahoma City public schools do hands-on STEM learning at the Hamm Institute for American Energy in Oklahoma City.

O S U C E AT 35

INVESTING IN

OKLAHOMA’S Future

State legislature allocates $12.6M to stimulate growth in STEM

36 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education are committed

to developing the next generation of engineers in the state.

Engineering is vital to Oklahoma’s success, with more than 64,000 engineering and engineering management jobs spread across its 77 counties. It is a field that is producing billions of dollars a year.

Because of its importance, the regents have decided to invest in the future of engineering in Oklahoma with a $12.6 million allocation of funding to be divided among the state’s colleges and universities for FY2022.

Oklahoma State University was the driving force behind the 2020 Engineering Initiative proposal with the University of Oklahoma.

In the proposal, Dr. Paul Tikalsky — dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology — stressed the importance of engineering to the state and how a significant investment could expand the state’s research capability, ability to recruit and retain students as well as develop more engineers to meet Oklahoma’s growing demand for aerospace, computer, biomedical and energy engineers.

“OSU will work with the other state colleges to develop pre-engineering programs and K-12 STEM programs that introduce Oklahoma’s talented young people to challenging jobs that change the world. These are challenges of their lifetime, and it will take their diversity

STORY KRISTI WHEELER | PHOTOS PHIL SHOCKLEY AND GARY LAWSON

“I am excited to see the investments being made by Oklahoma in engineering degrees and research capacity.”

Jaime McAlpine, president Chermac Energy Corp.

of thought and values to solve them,” Tikalsky said.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Oklahoma will continue to generate a demand for more than 3,000 new engineers a year through 2028 as the industry continues to grow.

Those jobs offer stability and high pay, which without the regents’ investment, could have gone to engineers from other states but now can stay in Oklahoma.

The Engineering Initiative will help develop students through K-12 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs, putting them on a path to go to college and hone their talents at the state’s universities.

Overall, OSU will receive $5 million in FY2022 from the regents with the University of Oklahoma also receiving $5 million. The remaining $2.6 million will support pre-engineering and engineering programs at other Oklahoma colleges and universities.

“We thank Gov. Stitt and the legislature for state support enabling the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to fund several crucial initiatives, including expansion of engineering and other STEM-related programs at our public colleges and universities,” said Chancellor Emeritus Glen D. Johnson. “Our higher education system remains committed to investing in programs that increase student recruitment, retention and graduation rates in engineering and STEM fields to

The Engineering Initiative will aid in funding CEAT’s programs like mechanical and aerospace engineering, which has projects like the Venus weather balloon.

address Oklahoma’s evolving business and industry needs.”

The investment puts Oklahoma in line with other states that have realized the need for engineering funding.

Oklahoma’s Engineering Initiative accelerates the initiatives developed by other states that have seen both engineering degrees and state GDPs increase dramatically. Oklahoma is now on the same level as Texas and Utah.

Energy companies in Oklahoma are applauding the regents’ decision, saying the investment will be a boon for their engineering departments for years to come.

“I am excited to see the investments being made by Oklahoma in engineering degrees and research capacity,” said Jaime McAlpine, president of Chermac Energy Corp., a renewable energy developer and oil and gas engineering firm in Edmond.

“This increased funding is a starting block for homegrown talent that can

accelerate Oklahoma in research and product development in aerospace and sustainable energy. What future engineers from OSU and other schools in the state can achieve utilizing this additional funding should be substantial.”

According to the proposal, the U.S. will need about 413,000 new engineers every year for the next decade.

Energy companies will continue to hire engineers for a plethora of jobs in a rapidly growing field.

“It’s great to see Oklahoma supporting our universities in working together to advance our students and ultimately our state’s economy,” said Rick Muncrief, president and CEO of Devon Energy. “We need to continue encouraging top talent development in the state, and the Engineering Initiative will foster the kind of creativity and innovation we need across energy, aerospace, biomedical and other industries.” ■

O S U C E AT 37

-

Committed to Excellence

The people are the heartbeat of Fire Protection Publications

Throughout the year, FPP editors travel to photo shoots across the country to gather content for IFSTA and FPP manuals.

F

orty-three men gathered in 1933 at the Central Fire Station in Stillwater to develop a firefighter training curriculum for the state. Little did they know, they were building the foundation for what has become the world’s leading publisher of firefighter training materials.

Fire Protection Publications (FPP) — an extension unit in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at Oklahoma State University — is now also the headquarters of the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA).

FPP and IFSTA owe a lot to the early leaders of the program. Fred Heisler attended that first meeting in 1933 and later developed a course of study for firefighter training that guided the development of the first texts — the Redbooks. In 1955, Everett Hudiburg took Heisler’s place as editor and maintained the continuity of the programs. Emeritus Director Harold

38 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

Mace can be credited for much of IFSTA and FPP’s growth during his tenure from 1969 to 1992. Under Mace, IFSTA formalized its organizational status and initiated an executive board to oversee its operations.

FPP and the IFSTA Executive Board work hand in hand to develop IFSTA manuals and training materials that are now known worldwide. Today, about 80 full-time, part-time and student employees contribute to FPP’s operation.

In short, FPP and IFSTA exist to meet the training needs of volunteer and career firefighters and fire personnel from entry level to leadership, according to FPP managing editor Colby Cagle.

“The biggest difference between IFSTA and FPP manuals is that IFSTA books go through a validation process,” Cagle said. “Subject matter experts are selected to serve on those validation committees, so IFSTA products are written by firefighters, for firefighters.”

It’s not uncommon for the IFSTA Delegate Selection Committee to sort through upwards of 100 candidate applications to fill a 20-person validation committee. They must keep in mind the need to select diverse committee members — considering region, ethnicity, career focus, length of service and other factors — to ensure the widest representation of voices is available.

Each year, in January and July, the FPP staff hosts the annual IFSTA Winter Meeting and IFSTA Validation Conference, respectively. These conferences are where a large portion of the work between the validation committee members and FPP staff members takes place. The International Fire Service Journal of Leadership and Management Research Symposium is held in conjunction with the IFSTA Validation Conference.

“Between the IFSTA conferences and research symposium, we’re able to

STORY PEYTON HALEY | PHOTOS FIRE PROTECTION PUBLICATIONS

keep up with issues, trends and research topics that are coming forward,” Cagle said. “By hosting these events, we’re able to collect that knowledge firsthand.”

From the first Redbook published in 1933 to the current 1,400+ page Essentials of Fire Fighting, 7th Edition, the goal of IFSTA manuals has always been to meet the training and accreditation needs of individuals and ensure the content is current and applicable to industry standards and trends.

FPP titles do not go through the same validation process, but are written by credible authors to address more specific needs of firefighters and other first responders than the scope of IFSTA manuals may allow.

“The best thing about my job is the reconnection to my fire service brothers and sisters that comes with attending the IFSTA conferences,” said Jeff Fortney, FPP senior editor. “I’ve been out of the field since 1986, but being in rooms with these current industry leaders … I’m updating my knowledge, learning new things and then I get to make sure those things make it into our manuals.”

A former firefighter himself, one of Fortney’s first projects with FPP was reshooting the black-and-white photos in color for the Essentials of Fire Fighting, 4th Edition. Fortney is currently the lead editor on the Essentials of Fire Fighting, 8th Edition, scheduled for release in 2024.

“We involve the people who live this stuff,” he said. “If there’s a procedure in a manual that isn’t used in the field anymore, we are able to remove it to stay as relevant and up-to-date as possible.”

Fortney recalls a “great expansion” of the FPP staff’s capabilities throughout his career. Along with a shift from black-and-white to full color manuals and from overhead projectors to Zoom meetings, those expansions include the implementation of ResourceOne (R1), IFSTA-FPP’s learning management system (LMS), and development of electronic learning products.

The first courses on ResourceOne launched in 2012. According to eProducts project manager Sarah Axtell, R1 exists to meet the needs of both learners and instructors while

maintaining a high-quality educational environment.

“ResourceOne isn’t a one-size-fitsall LMS,” Axtell said. “One of the things that makes it a unique resource is the capability for instructors to customize the courses to fit not only our content, but to incorporate their own as well.

When used to their full potential, the customization capabilities create this transactional learning opportunity for R1 instructors and students, which gives them a higher return on their time investment.”

The goal for R1 and IFSTA-FPP eProducts is to provide intentional interactions with digital content. In an increasingly digital world, the FPP staff have kept innovation at the forefront of their minds when considering product development — the IFSTA eProducts are directly tied to the validated manual materials, so if a print textbook isn’t the preferred method of learning for a student, they have the option to use the eBook or supplement their studying with a companion app.

“No matter where they are, we’re just trying to create accessible learning opportunities for students using IFSTA and FPP products for their training,” Axtell said. “In the past, our department has been instructor-focused, and we’re seeing the need to shift, to identify the needs of two separate audiences: our instructors and our individual learners.”

At the core of it all, the staff at FPP are truly the heartbeat of the organization. They don’t come to work every day in anticipation of seeing their name printed in a manual. They come to work for the opportunity to make a difference in the fire service industry.

“IFSTA is a big deal,” said Clint Clausing, FPP editorial manager. “You don’t necessarily see that by being in the office every day, but as soon as you get out with the firefighters, at our conference or on a photoshoot, you start to see how important our work is to the fire service and to the world.

“We do it all with about 80 people.

We’re this wonderfully well-kept secret that is inspiring to be a part of.” ■

More than 296 tons of IFSTA-FPP training materials were shipped in 2021.

O S U C E AT 39

-

A Celebration of Storied History

CLGT director, LTAP program manager look at past of both programs as they approach milestone anniversaries

In addition to lecture style courses, the LTAP program strives to meet the needs of its customers by providing technical training. In this photo, LTAP instructors provide a hands-on course about how to properly install a culvert on a county road in Perry, Oklahoma, to county employees.

T

his year, the Center for Local Government Technology (CLGT) celebrates 50 years of devoted service to Oklahoma citizens.

CLGT offers high quality educational programs, training, technical assistance and customized services to groups who specialize in serving the public. Programs offered through the center include the Assessor Training Accreditation Program (ATAP), the County Computer Assistance Program (CCAP), the Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal Program (CAMA) and the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP).

40 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

LTAP was one of the first programs established through the center and one of the first four centers in the United States. The LTAP program manages the Transportation Research Internship Program (TRIP) and the Oklahoma Pilot Escort Certification Program, as well as many other transportation related classes. LTAP will be celebrating 40 years of service this year.

To truly get an appreciation for how much of an impact CLGT and its LTAP program have on Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology (CEAT) reflects on the history of how the center came to be and what these programs offer.

CLGT: HELPING SMALL TOWNS The year was 1972, and the School of Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) was undergoing some changes.

“I was a professor in industrial engineering and we had a new department head. The dean wanted the School of Industrial Engineering and Management to bring in more outside research dollars,” Dr. Jim Shamblin said in a 2002 video interview.

Shamblin began looking at what IEM could do to provide themselves a research niche that would make them competitive with larger schools.

“One of the things that we looked at was applying engineering technology

STORY DAKOTA KEITH | PHOTOS DAKOTA KEITH, KRISTI WHEELER AND PROVIDED

Dr. Jim Shamblin, a former professor in the School of Industrial Engineering and Management, began CLGT when looking for ways that the IEM department could provide themselves a competitive research niche.

(

Gary Snyder, the current director of CLGT, is passionate about the center and the programs it offers that assist city, county, state and tribal workers.

“We are passionate about what we do. No two days are the same, and every day is a new day. We could have a county assessor call the office and say, ‘Can you come down and help me, my system is broken?’

And we are going to send someone to help.”

)

GARY SNYDER, CLGT DIRECTOR

to small towns and local governments,” Shamblin said. “We worked with our department head, Dr. [Joe] Mize, to put together a proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF).”

The goal of the proposal was to see if Shamblin could take engineering research and training expertise out to Oklahomans. He had a vision of mimicking the university’s agricultural

cooperative extension program, said Gary Snyder, the current director of CLGT. Shamblin was successful in obtaining the grant, and after the conclusion of the grant he was able to successfully partner with the Oklahoma governor’s office to secure the program’s future.

CLGT’s main mission is to assist county officers and employees; tribal

governments and members; municipal officers and employees; state agencies; and professional associations with whatever training or technical support they may need to continue to successfully serve Oklahomans.

The first program established under CLGT was the County Training Program, now called the County Government Training Program.

O S U C E AT 41

Some courses, like the LTAP course pictured, are taught by faculty from the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. Here, Dr. Heather Yates, professor and program coordinator for the Construction Engineering Technology program at OSU, is seen teaching a course.

Scott Warren, CLGT’s former IT supervisor, developed the computerized Assessment Administration program to generate assessments and tax rolls with a personal computer, Snyder said.

“This CAMA project generated a number to represent the fair market value for properties,” Snyder said.

“The computerized Assessment Administration program and the CAMA software needed to be compatible with each other and Scott was instrumental in making that happen.”

In 2019, 30 years after the initial CAMA software was released, former Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed the CAMA Bill, which provided permanent funding for CLGT to continue supporting ATAP, as well as to secure an updated CAMA software system so that county assessors could continue to appropriately and accurately appraise property.

“About 80 to 85 percent of the tax dollars that individuals pay goes to support common education, including career techs, so it is important that property assessments across the state are equitable.” Snyder said. “Part of the CAMA Bill allowed us to secure the new LandMark GSI software that county assessors use, as well as to train and support assessors in using the software so that assessments across the state are fair and appropriate.”

Currently, 71 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties are using the updated CAMA software and are utilizing the support and training from CLGT that come with it.

focuses on training for county assessors, deputies and board of equalization members.

County assessors in Oklahoma are required to go through the ATAP program, and will be removed from office if they don’t complete the requirements of the training.

Legislation was passed in 1988 to computerize assessor offices with mapping standards, mapping hardware and mapping license software, called CAMA. That was when CLGT began developing the CAMA program team.

“Prior to CAMA, the county assessment roll was handwritten in huge, and I mean huge, books,” Snyder said.

LTAP: THE ROAD SHOW Another influential program, LTAP, also calls CLGT home. In 1980, Shamblin gave a presentation to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), asking them to consider using some of the technical support that CLGT could offer for counties and towns.

“County commissioners were the most logical to work with, since they had road building problems and it would be easier for us to visit with them about what might be able to be done,” Shamblin said. “I got a quote from a county commissioner that said, ‘If I received all of the information [about how to fix a road], I’d need an engineer

There are many free training courses offered by CLGT that instructors host in the state, but some of their courses are hosted at the newly renovated Morgan Building in Stillwater.

The purpose of the program was to aid elected county government officers and their staff in learning how to perform their mandated duties more effectively, efficiently and with greater knowledge and awareness.

The program offered certification and accreditation courses for county commissioners, county clerks, court clerks, county sheriffs, county treasurers and county assessors. CLGT housed the entirety of the County Training Program until 2006 when the programs were split between OSU Extension and CLGT, with CLGT maintaining the Assessor Training and Accreditation Program (ATAP), which

42 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

to read it.’ So, we emphasized that part of the role of our job was to interpret the problems of the local government and the technology that they had available and put it in terms they could use.”

John Hopkins, one of the future directors of Oklahoma’s Rural Technical Assistance program (RTAP), created a handbook on road maintenance and repair for county commissioners. When Shamblin presented the synopsis of the program to FHWA, they decided to start a series of 10 different centers based on the presented program. In 1984, FHWA established Oklahoma’s RTAP program within CLGT. It was one of the first four RTAP programs in existence.

RTAP has become LTAP, but the program’s mission remains to provide extension programs and services to those responsible for the construction and maintenance of transportation systems at the local level in Oklahoma.

Their vision is to enable county, municipal and tribal governments to provide a better quality of life for the individuals that they serve.

Oklahoma’s LTAP is funded partially by the FHWA and partially by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and offers free training courses to individuals working in the transportation field.

“The idea behind LTAP is to train transportation workers or those in the transportation field in everything from how to fill a pothole, to operating heavy machinery, and utilizing machinery to fight wildfires, to incident command in an incident where an individual working for the county and a first responder are both involved,” said Kim Johnson, LTAP program manager.

FHWA has four areas of expertise that LTAP focuses on training for, including organizational excellence, workforce development, safety and infrastructure.

A program highlight for LTAP is the Oklahoma Pilot Escort Program. LTAP is the only entity certified in the state and the only certified training class in the state that the Department of Public Safety recognizes for Pilot Escort certification. The course focuses on individuals who drive the vehicles that

escort heavy trucks that typically haul wide loads.

While the Pilot Escort Program is one of the few classes in LTAP that course participants must pay to attend, the program is so strong that the certification is recognized in eight different states.

“Pilot Escort Program participants come from all over to take this course, and it is very exciting for our certification program to be recognized in so many different states,” Johnson said.

LTAP oversees the Roads Scholar Program, which is an educational certification series consisting of eight courses and 112 hours of instruction and laboratory experience, offered to county, municipal and tribal government elected officials and their employees.

The courses cover the technical aspects of planning, maintaining and constructing roads and bridges at the local and tribal government level.

LTAP houses the Transportation Research Internship Program that places students from transportation related degree fields, many being from CEAT, in paid summer internships with local government agencies responsible for the construction, maintenance, design and planning of transportation systems.

A GRAND ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Shamblin passed away in 2010, but his vision for CGLT and the programs it houses has continued to grow.

Thousands of Oklahomans benefit from CLGT and its programs, from the economic impact in terms of money saved through training received to make government operations more efficient, to lives saved through the safety training programs offered.

This year, CLGT and LTAP plan to host a celebration event in honor of their 50th and 40th year in service, respectively.

“We are passionate about what we do,” Snyder said. “No two days are the same, and every day is a new day. We could have a county assessor call the office and say, ‘Can you come down and help me, my system is broken?’ And we are going to send someone to help.

ADDITIONAL LTAP FACTS: Provider of training courses on the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices Book, which is the guidebook that defines the standards used by roadway departments to install and maintain traffic control devices.

An LTAP staff member serves as the Oklahoma Public Works Association secretary and is responsible for putting on the association’s annual conference.

LTAP provides an EntryLevel Driver Training (ELDT) Train the Trainers course, which provides qualified staff from cities and counties a way to train fellow staff members seeking to obtain their Commercial Drivers License.

For more information about the courses provided at CLGT for those in public service, please visit clgt.okstate. edu .

Additionally, it’s a big deal for the FHWA to support the LTAP program all these years because they see the need for training at the local and state level for transportation related issues.

“These anniversaries are exciting. Dr. Shamblin’s vision has come to pass.” ■

O S U C E AT 43

-

Effects of War Institutes join forces to battle ongoing issue

USRI and IGEHM are partnering to battle the ongoing issue of detection, identification and removal of unexploded ordnance and other remnants of war.

T

housands of people are killed or injured by unexploded ordnance every year.

The Unmanned Systems Research Institute (USRI) in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology has partnered with the Oklahoma State University Institute for Global Explosive Hazard Mitigation (IGEHM) to combat this problem.

IGEHM is based on the OSU Center for Health Sciences campus in Tulsa, and offered its expertise in unmanned systems to help solve the global issue of detecting and disposing of unexploded ordnance.

44 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

IGEHM, which was formed in June 2021, aims to become a world leader in land mine mitigation, detection of unexploded ordnance and post-conflict trauma support. Its goal is to become a hub for expertise and knowledge both in the United States and beyond.

“As former EODs or bomb technicians, we all feel like this is our mission, our calling and a way to give back,” said Dr. John Frucci, director of IGEHM. “Innocent civilians and bomb disposal operators are impacted daily by remnants of war. We want to help fix that.”

The act of bomb detection and disposal is a tedious and expensive endeavor. The development of technology to expedite and improve this dangerous mission has, until recently, been a slow process.

“At the current rate of detection and disposal, it could take 1,000 years to clear all unexploded ordnance and remnants of war,” Frucci said. “That’s why we’ve developed partnerships with leaders and experts, like USRI, to help develop new technology to make this faster and safer for the operators in the field.”

STORY JEFF HOPPER | PHOTOS PROVIDED

(

“As former EODs or bomb technicians, we all feel like this is our mission, our calling and a way to give back. Innocent civilians and bomb disposal operators are impacted daily by remnants of war. We want to help fix that.”

)

DR. JOHN FRUCCI, DIRECTOR OF IGEHM

Dr. Jamey Jacob, the director of USRI, hopes that his teams’ expertise in unmanned systems can help develop detection, mapping and disposal technologies that will increase the safety and efficiency for operators around the world.

“We are able to adapt sensor technologies and vehicle configurations that we are very familiar with to this new area of focus without much need for new hardware development,” Jacob said.

The use of typical visual sensors, along with infrared and LIDAR technology will be extremely beneficial to creating a well-rounded view of an area, thus making it easier to detect, investigate and dispose of any anomalies or discovered ordnance.

Numerous regions around the globe are faced with the dangers of remnants of war and unexploded ordnance — none more prevalent and ongoing than the conflict in Ukraine.

IGEHM and its partners are providing technical knowledge and other support to operators in the region facing unique detection, investigation and disposal situations created by the conflict.

“We’re doing what we can, within strict guidelines, to help in any way we can, for both our personnel and others directly impacted by the conflict,” Frucci said.

IGEHM hopes that partnerships, like the one with USRI, will help build a knowledge and information catalog that can be accessed by anyone around the world that needs help with detecting, identifying and disposing of any ordnance they may come across.

“This partnership exemplifies our land-grant and Tier 1 missions,” Jacob said. “This project, more so than any other project we’ve worked on, really embodies the spirit of doing good with drones.” ■

Countless areas around the world are still searching for answers when identifying and removing unexploded ordnance left from times of conflict.

This partnership hopes to not only aid in the identification and removal of unexploded ordnance, but also provide an accessible knowledge base which will expedite the process in the future.

O S U C E AT 45

-

The Full-Circle Experience

Tubbs’ journey as a CEAT student to an annual recruiter

C

olton Tubbs is back to where it all began.

From a College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology freshman entering the Summer Bridge program to returning annually as a recruiter, Tubbs has seen it all.

Tubbs graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in mathematics. He currently holds a position as an optimization engineer at Phillips 66 in Selmer, Tennessee, and is married to Payton Tubbs, who graduated from CEAT with a civil engineering degree in 2020.

They are both continuing their education at OSU by working toward their MBAs through the Spears School of Business online program.

“I ultimately chose the degree because the discipline was interesting and I expected that it would open up a variety of career opportunities for me in the future,” Tubbs said. “I knew it would help open doors to a great job.”

The alumnus was born and raised in Hartshorne, Oklahoma. He grew up with three brothers and is a first-generation college student.

Before starting his college career, he attended CEAT Scholars Interview Day and was a part of the first incoming freshman class that attended the Summer Bridge program in 2015.

The Summer Bridge is a three-week curriculum on campus that prepares incoming freshmen who are planning on attending CEAT. Students participate in coursework, orientation seminars and engineering design projects.

“Summer Bridge was great because I really didn’t understand how the university worked,” Tubbs said. “I got to understand simple things like how the campus was laid out and how the classes function. Beyond this, it helped me see what engineers do in a career and confirmed for me that the program was a good fit.”

Tubbs found the Summer Bridge helpful in his transition into campus and CEAT. The program helped him establish relationships that he carried into his college experience.

“It gave us a built-in community,” he said. “It also put me on a good footing to succeed, not only

46 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

STORY BAILEY SISK | PHOTOS COURTESY COLTON TUBBS AND GARY LAWSON

as a first-generation college student, but just as a clueless freshman, which I was.”

Lance Millis, Tubbs’ former advisor in CEAT Student Council, was first impressed by Tubbs at the Summer Bridge program. He said Tubbs has always been and continues to be constant, steady, outstanding and a leader.

“For him to have come to OSU and excelled like he has, and to become one of our top graduates, it’s just a reminder that the best and brightest don’t always come from where you would expect,” Millis said. “I think he’s a lesson to anyone from a small town, that there is no limit to how far you can go and what you can achieve.”

Throughout his undergraduate career, Tubbs gained experience in research and as a leader on campus. He put his knowledge and perseverance to good use as a research assistant for the Building and Environmental Technology Research Group; a recruitment specialist; an academic tutor in fundamental and engineering science courses; and a Wentz Research Scholar.

“I got to do a fair amount of research on a volunteer basis and on a grant basis after my junior year,” Tubbs said. “Research is often something that gets overlooked with the stress of classes. The research opportunities enriched my educational experience and helped me apply the class concepts in a real-world setting.”

Tubbs has taken his experience from CEAT and applied it to his current profession at Phillips 66 in many ways. His position works specifically in the lubricants division, which is a part of the marketing and specialties business unit.

His responsibilities are focused on improving processes across the facilities’ warehouse, logistics, production and scheduling operations.

He works to improve supply reliability, optimize production and reduce costs while maintaining focus on operating safely each day.

“As an optimization engineer, I get to acquire a variety of experiences,” Tubbs said. “I have the opportunity to work with teams in the warehouse, on the production lines, and across each and every other aspect of the lubricant facility. I’ve been in this role for just a couple of months; previously working in a sales-focused role based in Houston, Texas, and I’m part of a rotation program for earlycareer hires.”

CEAT has assisted Tubbs in applying engineering and problem-solving principles in his career. He believes his engineering degree opened doors for him while he was searching for a job and it has helped him become more effective in his career performance.

“Day-to-day, I use information like optimization and some of the programming that we learned in engineering,” Tubbs said. “I still use similar

“I really recommend becoming a part of an organization that’s degree specific and doing something that’s campuswide. … Find something that lets you meet people, and lets you get away from the nerves and see and build some cross-campus relationships.”

COLTON TUBBS

Tubbs was selected as an OSU Senior of Significance in 2018.

modeling and analysis tools, Excel and other programs. CEAT gave me just a general understanding of how the equipment works at any industrial facility. If it’s a heat exchanger or an engine, the concepts are helpful to understand even if I may not be the individual directly operating the equipment. Those concepts learned from CEAT enable daily performance in my career.”

Tubbs has had a long-standing relationship with CEAT and shows his confidence in the program by using it as a resource to find OSU graduates to fill positions and acquire internships at his company. He hopes all CEAT students will take advantage of the many resources available to them to help them succeed.

“I really recommend becoming a part of an organization that’s degree specific and doing something that’s campuswide,” Tubbs said.

“Whether that’s Into the Streets, CEAT Student Council or any other campus organization. Find something that lets you meet people, and lets you get away from the nerves and see and build some cross-campus relationships.” ■

O S U C E AT 47

-

Cause for Celebration

Glenns mark graduation milestone with gift for School of Architecture

The Glenn Prize for the School of Architecture will support an annual competition among student designers.

P

atrick and Briar Glenn have built their success on a foundation provided by the Oklahoma State University School of Architecture.

The Dallas couple recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of Patrick’s graduation from the program with a $25,000 gift to establish the Glenn Prize for the School of Architecture.

“I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for all the professors in the School of Architecture,” Patrick said.

48 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

“It really had a profound impact on my life, my work ethic and how I approach things. And so in a way, it was a big thank you to the School of Architecture.”

The endowed fund will provide prize money for an annual competition within the school in which students design educational facilities — a nod to the couple’s work as the owners of Glenn | Partners, a firm dedicated to designing innovative and forwardthinking educational facilities.

“With the Glenns, we were able to imagine a path for their legacy that would simultaneously highlight their career focus in the design of educational facilities while providing students more appreciation of this important area of practice,” said Suzanne Bilbeisi, head of the OSU School of Architecture. “The Glenn Prize will annually recognize and reward excellent student design work of this project type.”

Patrick said the balance of design theory and technical training offered

STORY CHELSEA DINTERMAN | PHOTOS PHIL SHOCKLEY AND PARSACLE PHOTO

within the OSU School of Architecture sets it apart from other programs.

“I think OSU is really a perfect balance between those two philosophies,” Patrick said. “They’re definitely rooted in design theory and critical thinking and those important guiding principles, but they also teach students how to think practically and pragmatically about design, making sure it’s affordable and buildable. I think that’s one reason why I’ve been successful in my career and why other Oklahoma State graduates are successful. They come out of school with this blended, balanced level of knowledge and experience.”

The Glenns have committed to an additional annual gift to bolster its impact on students.

“While the new endowment grows, we felt the earnings available to award weren’t impactful enough for a student,” Patrick said. “So that’s why we’re enhancing it every year. As long as we’re doing well and we’re growing financially, we’ll always be able to enhance the gift with year-end additional contributions just to make it a little bit more impactful and more meaningful for the students.”

While students will see the most direct impact, the Glenns hope their gift will help enhance the school as a whole.

“We are doing it so that the professors and the program are able to offer things to the students that were not offered in the past,” Patrick said. “It’s really about enhancing the program and trying to support the mission that Suzanne and her team are trying to accomplish.”

To further impact the School of Architecture, Patrick and Briar have made plans for a future estate gift.

In addition, the couple plans to give another gift to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Briar’s graduation from the program. In the meantime, they feel honored to give back to the program that built them.

“We’re going to enjoy life and enjoy retirement when that time comes,” Patrick said. “We’ve worked extremely hard, partnered with some amazing and talented colleagues, and made a lot of sacrifices along the way to have achieved the amount of success we’ve seen. Sharing in our rewards and giving back to our roots was the right thing to

do. We both have wonderful memories of Stillwater and all the professors who helped build that program and continue to guide students today. I can truly say that we would not be the people we are today without that experience.”

Patrick and Briar are excited to support the school with their gifts.

“I feel honored to have something at the school that has my name on it,”

Patrick said. “That program, those years, those professors, that town and that university had such an influence and tremendous impact on me.

“So if we’re able to give back and even have my name as a part of the OSU School of Architecture legacy, it just means a lot to me. So to have something that will live on beyond my lifetime is truly special.” ■

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of graduating from Oklahoma State University, Patrick Glenn and his wife, Briar, donated $25,000 to OSU’s School of Architecture.

O S U C E AT 49

CEAT by the Numbers 35

STEM camps offered in 9 different cities with over 1,400 students enrolled across OK in summer 2022

100K

Over individuals served by CEAT’s 7 extension units across the nation

84 & 45

50 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

Hispanic

Native American freshmen students enrolled in fall 2022

Over

$28M

in awards received for research

840

undergraduate degrees granted for 2021-2022

133

graduate degrees granted for 2021-2022

Over

3,549

students enrolled for the fall 2022 semester.

158

new female freshmen students enrolled in fall 2022

O S U C E AT 51

2021 Hall of Fame CO L L EG E O F EN G I N EER I N G , A RC H IT EC T U R E A N D T EC H N O LO GY

CHRISTINE ALTENDORF Dr. Christine Altendorf grew up in Oklahoma City, enrolled at Oklahoma State University in the fall of 1981 and graduated with her Bachelor of Science in agricultural engineering in 1985, along with a Master of Science in the same subject in 1987.

After her master’s degree, Altendorf started a full-time staff position with the School of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) as a research engineer and decided to pursue her doctoral degree on the side.

After receiving her doctorate in 1993, Altendorf realized she had a passion for applied engineering and started her federal government career in the Hydrology and Hydraulics Branch of the Tulsa District Corps of Engineers in April 1994. She became a professional engineer in civil engineering that same year.

Altendorf currently serves as the chief of engineering and construction for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in Washington, D.C. In this role, she oversees a workforce of more than 9,000 engineers and technicians along with a portfolio of civil and military projects totaling over $60 billion. She interacts extensively with top leaders within the Department of Defense and other government agencies as well as those working in the private sector of engineering and construction. She makes regular appearances on Capitol Hill and communicates frequently with various professional and advocacy groups. She has worked for the Army for over 27 years, 21 of which were with the Corps.

Altendorf became a member of the prestigious Senior Executive Service (SES) in 2009. The SES focuses on executive leadership; these individuals serve just below presidential appointees and represent a key link between political appointees and civil service employees. Only about 0.35% of the federal workforce achieves SES status.

52 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

At about the same time she assumed her current position, Altendorf was recognized with the Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Award.

This is the highest annual award for career SES members and recognizes “sustained extraordinary accomplishment.”

Her career has some truly remarkable signature accomplishments that merit additional mention.

The Folsom Dam project, which she inherited when she was new to the Sacramento District, had significant constructability and cost issues with pressure from Congress and headquarters to solve the problem. She worked with the Bureau of Reclamation, USACE and Congress to turn the project around and get the $1 billion Folsom Joint Federal Project authorized and constructed.

She led Task Force Restore Iraqi Oil (TF-RIO) in 2004, working to get oil flowing from northern Iraq to the south to allow for economic stability and nation building for the country. In 2011, she led the Joint Program Integration Office in Kabul, Afghanistan, focused on building electrical grid systems, roadways, dams and infrastructure for the Afghan Army and police.

Because of her program management and communication skills, she was asked to be the first director of the Army’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Program, which was outside of her normal realm of assignments.

“Being an engineer allows you so many opportunities — and that is the true value of the degree,” Altendorf said. “You can choose to stay in design or construction engineering or research — where you turn ideas into practical solutions. You can move to management and focus on inspiring and leading people, projects and programs.

“But the basis of all of this is that through our engineering degrees, we were taught to think, assume, imagine and ultimately solve hard problems and create an innovative future.”

LELAND BLANK Dr. Leland Blank graduated from Oklahoma State University with his Master of Science in 1968 and his doctoral degree in 1970. Since leaving the School of Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) at OSU, Blank has built a stellar career spanning multiple universities around the globe.

Some of Blank’s biggest accomplishments include being a leader in international higher education development and co-author of two current and leading engineering textbooks in engineering economy. Both textbooks are published

by McGraw Hill, with the first textbook on its eighth edition, and the second textbook on its third edition. He has served as the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) president, as well as interim provost, chief academic officer and dean of engineering at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. He was also the principal investigator (PI) or co-PI of multiple educational and research projects. Blank was a distinguished military graduate from ROTC and a recipient of the Army commendation medal.

Blank has also received the Frank and Lillian Gilbreth award in 2018, a pinnacle in IISE. The Gilbreth award is the highest and most esteemed honor in the field of industrial engineering, which recognizes those who have distinguished themselves through contributions to the welfare of mankind in the field. He was awarded the IISE Wellington Award for long-term contributions to the field of engineering economy, as well.

Blank has provided leadership at several levels at Texas A&M University, where he was department head, assistant dean and assistant provost for continuous improvement. Within the Texas A&M

University system, his leadership includes several directorships and the key role of assistant deputy chancellor for planning. His industrial experience includes employment with Southwestern Bell Telephone, Public Service Board of San Antonio and General Telephone Company (now Verizon).

Blank is also the author of over 100 publications — textbooks, journal articles, conference proceedings and keynote papers. His professional focus has been engineering economics, statistics, decision support, strategic planning and managing complex systems. Though the number of his publications is noteworthy, it is not the volume of Blank’s work that makes him an exceptional contributor to Industrial and Systems Engineering, but rather his impact. Blank has always been forward thinking and his publications reflect his ability to challenge the status quo and move the finish line.

Blank continues to serve professionally through his membership on the Board of Trustees of St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, where he received his bachelor’s degree. Additionally, he is a board member and treasurer of The Cowboy Academy of the IEM department at OSU. Blank advised current and future CEAT students to use all the resources they can while they are in school.

“Become involved in some sort of mentoring program through your academic department or an organization in which you are a member or officer,” he said. “Listening to and asking questions of several professionals currently in practice, who received an education and degree similar to your own, can be very useful as you decide on dimensions regarding your own career path.”

PREVIOUS HALL OF FAME RECIPIENTS 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964

Laurence L. Dresser Gerald W. McCullough Richard K. Lane Thomas M. Lumly Jr. Guy H. James Francis J. Wilson Morrison B. Cunningham Lloyd E. Elkins Don McBride B. Harris Bateman William W. Caudill

1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975

Myron A. Wright Edwin G. Malzahn Eugene L. Miller David G. Murray Melvin A. Ellsworth Veldo H. Brewer Ralph M. Ball Richard O. Newman David B. Benham Carl G. Herrington James J. Kelly

1975 1976 1976 1976 1977 1978 1979 1979 1979 1980 1981

Gus L. Maciula Donald E. Adams James C. Phelps Fred H. Ramseur Jr. John S. Zink Sidney E. Scisson John L. Hatheway Eason H. Leonard Nicholas B. Mavris John B. Jones Jr. William J. Collins Jr.

1982 1982 1983 1983 1984 1984 1985 1986 1986 1987 1987

Floyd M. Bartlett Holmes H. McClure Bill N. Lacy George H. Lawrence Edward C. Joullian III Glenn E. Penisten Frank A. McPherson James E. Barnes Martin E. Fate Jr. Raymond A. Porter James D. Cobb

O S U C E AT 53

CARRIE JOHNSON Carrie Johnson graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering as well as her Master of Architectural Engineering degree in 1988.

She now serves as a principal of Wallace Design Collective — formerly Wallace Engineering Structural Consultants, Inc. — a national structural engineering, civil engineering and landscape architecture firm headquartered in Tulsa with offices in Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Denver and Atlanta.

She is a licensed engineer in 43 states. Johnson currently serves as the chair of the Board of Directors for Wallace Design Collective.

Johnson is a past president of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA), a nonprofit organization formed to constantly improve the standard level of practice of the structural engineering profession. She has also served on a number of NCSEA committees. In 2016, Johnson was given the NCSEA Service Award.

This award is presented to an individual who has worked for the betterment of the organization to a degree that is beyond the norm of volunteerism.

It is given to someone who has made a clear and indisputable contribution to the organization and to the profession.

Johnson is an active member of the Oklahoma Structural Engineers Association (OSEA), served as president of OSEA in 2001 and 2009, and was the OSEA delegate to NCSEA for six years. She has also served numerous times as a juror for the OSU School of Architecture’s senior design projects; as an advisor for the School of Civil Engineering’s

1988 1988 1989 1989 1991 1991 1991 1992 1992 1992 1993

Choong-Shik Cho Robert M. Penn Wilfred P. Schmoe Neal A. McCaleb Jim E. Shamas J. Tinsley Oden David J. Tippeconnic W. Wayne Allen Robert M. Lawrence Wolter J. Fabrycky Jack P. Holman

54 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

1993 1993 1994 1994 1995 1995 1995 1996 1996 1996 1997

Keith E. Bailey Kenneth J. Richards Kerry S. Havner Donald R. Lehman Ted E. Davis D. Ray Booker Charles L. Hardt R. Gerald Bennett Marvin M. Johnson Jerry D. Homes H. E. Cobb Jr.

1997 1997 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 2000 2000 2000 2000

senior level steel course; and has been a mentor for high school students interested in engineering programs housed in OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology.

Johnson served as president of the Board of Directors of the Applied Technology Council (ATC) in 2019, a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to develop and promote state-of-the-art, user-friendly engineering resources and applications for use in mitigating the effects of natural and other hazards to the built environment. ATC’s publications on disaster recovery and assessment are used throughout the world. She also serves as chair of ATC’s strategic planning committee and is still on the board of directors today.

Johnson’s project work is concentrated in the retail industry where she has been instrumental in the development of multi-sited building prototypes.

She has automated many in-house operational and administrative functions and, more importantly, has developed proprietary software programs to automate repetitive structural engineering tasks for clients’ building programs. She has led the company’s efforts to create the best experience possible for their clients and employees, called “One Wallace.” This has been a multi-year effort to provide training tools for employees, consistency between offices, and drawing and engineering standards.

“My most vivid memories are of long nights in the architecture building,” Johnson said as she reflected on her time at OSU. “I am privileged to work with many of the people I met at OSU and a lot of our clients are people who we all met during our time in college.”

J. N. Reddy Donald L. Wickens Ronald D. Wickens John E. Hershey Ronald L. Calsing John C. Mihm Heinz W. Schmitt Jim W. Bruza Sherman E. Smith Thomas W. Wallace Charles O. Heller

2001 2001 2001 2002 2002 2002 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004

B. N. Murali Duane Wilson Robert Braswell Donald W. Vanlandingham Frank W. Chitwood H. Edward Roberts Jim B. Surjaatmadja James R. Holland Jr. Kent E. Patterson J. D. “Denny” Carreker Jr. Steven D. Hofener

MATT PERRY Dr. Matt Perry is an Oklahoma State University alumnus with three degrees in electrical engineering. He last graduated from OSU with his doctorate in 1991, where he focused on signal processing, system theory and mathematics.

Perry has over 35 years of industry and academic experience, spanning three different areas: defense, semiconductors, and hyperscale hardware and software systems. He is currently the general manager of silicon and hardware systems for Microsoft’s Azure Hardware Division, where he is developing next generation data center silicon/hardware solutions with emphasis on artificial intelligence, computation and intelligent edge.

Perry has had an impact on many dimensions of the field. He was an accomplished researcher and published papers in signal processing, both working as an engineer and as an educator. Those skills served him well as he became an engineering product leader at Motorola, developing and shipping video conferencing chipsets.

When he moved to Advanced Micro Devices in 1995, he supplemented his combination of engineering and research skills with a move into corporate strategy. Perry managed AMD’s strategy with respect to Intel along with their technical and intellectual property strategies.

After AMD, Perry moved into a business entrepreneur role, serving as the CEO of three different startup companies (Transmeta, RPO and Montalvo). Transmeta had been a darling of Silicon Valley with their ambition of revolutionizing microprocessor architecture, but the competition proved too challenging, causing them to fall on hard times. Perry was brought in to chart a new course, which he did by shifting Transmeta to an IP licensing company. That move proved successful

2004 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2007

David Kyle Eddie M. Jones Neal E. Jones James Brooks Cummins Gordon E. Eubanks Jr. Behrokh Khoshnevis Sanjiv Sidhu James L. Vining Jack B. ReVelle Gary A. Pope Rand Elliott

2007 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009

Michael Damore Leslie Priebe Ronald L. Hoffman Donald D. Humphreys Samir A. Lawrence Ronnie Morgan Charles Kridler Meemong Lee A. Joe Mitchell Jr. Sridhar Mitta Richard Weidner

2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012

and Transmeta was able to license large portions of their portfolio for nine figures of revenue.

At RPO, he led successful technology development and financing rounds. He then led Montalvo to be one of the only companies successfully developing x86 microprocessors outside of Intel and AMD, and successfully sold the company to Sun Microsystems.

After the Sun Microsystems acquisition, Perry moved into the role of corporate executive, overseeing strategic partnerships, IP licensing and strategic plans for multiple server designs. In 2014, he moved to Microsoft, where he took on an even broader role, overseeing hardware partnerships and hardware-software codesign for the Windows business.

Perry commends his professors and the OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology’s staff for providing him with the support he needed to graduate with his undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees at OSU. “One of my proudest moments at OSU is when I completed my doctoral defense,” Perry said. “I will never forget standing in front of my major professor, Dr. Rao Yarlagadda, as he extended his hand to shake and said, ‘Congratulations Dr. Perry, you have passed,’ after years of work and research. I would not have been able to do it without the help of the Cowboy family.”

Perry reflected on his time at OSU, giving advice to current students.

“One of the most important lessons I learned from OSU is to branch out and try things outside of your comfort zone,” he said. “Without doing this, it is more challenging to grow and become the person you want to be. You may find a new passion or hobby, but going outside of your comfort zone and learning new things will open doors that you never knew were available.”

Ray O. Johnson Jerry Banks Juan Carlos Calderon Jeffrey Fisher Lakshmaiah Ponnala Enos Stover Paul Liao Wilson Shoffner Calvin Vogt Jerry Winchester Cassie Mitchell

2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014

Kenneth E. Case Harvey B. Manbeck Rixio Medina Robert Schaefer Rick Webb Debbie Adams Alan Brunacini Harold Courson Decker Dawson Johann Demmel Jeff Hume

O S U C E AT 55

STAN STEPHENSON Stan Stephenson graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2003 with a Master of Science in engineering and technology management (ETM). He is a registered professional engineer and certified reliability engineer. Stephenson has been with Halliburton since 1979 and is now a chief technical advisor for the company.

Stephenson immediately leveraged his ETM education at OSU to win the 2003 CEO for a Day Competition with a written entry on how to make Halliburton a better, stronger, more profitable company. Following this, he developed a reliability program modeled after the U.S. Army’s Ultra-Reliability Program. He managed this program for several years before taking a role to optimize both the capital efficiency and operating efficiency of Halliburton’s production enhancement surface equipment.

Stephenson has 64 patented inventions, which vary drastically from one application to another.

One invention uses artificial neural networks and genetic algorithms to maximize regional oil production. This production prediction and optimization system was highlighted in the Advanced Well Construction Technology Flagship in the 2000 Halliburton Annual report. The technology was awarded the Hart’s Oil and Gas World magazine’s Best New Technology for the Mid-Continent Area.

Stephenson was also one of a small team that brought Halliburton’s automated stimulation fleet into a reality in the 1980s. A few years later, the fleet became the first in the industry to be controlled remotely through satellite connection.

Stephenson did not limit himself to mechanical, electromechanical, software/firmware or

2014 2014 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2017 2017 2017

David Timberlake Janet Weiss Jack Corgan Shrikant Joshi Ed Stokes Rao Surampalli Mark Brewer Ann Oglesby Legand Burge Jr. Jack Goertz John Klopp

56 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

2017 2017 2018 2018 2018 2019 2019 2019 2019 2020 2020

Gary Ridley Eric Woodroof Ali Fazel Brian C. Price Edward L. Shreve Jim Hasenbeck Rick Muncrief Charles Reimer Lyndon Taylor Mark Sutton Tom Britton

2020 2020 2021 2021 2021 2021 2021

reliability systems. In the area of chemical mixing, he identified and modeled the time, temperature and mechanical shear dependency of guar hydration. This was critical to the functioning of Halliburton’s gelling systems.

Stephenson’s expertise has been recognized by both his peers and management within Halliburton. He was voted by his peers as a senior member of the technical staff and was selected by management as one of the charter members of the Strategic Competitive Intelligence Network.

He currently reviews about 8,000 patents a year for opportunities or threats to Halliburton’s technologies.

Stephenson’s latest activities involve the creation of methods to accurately predict equipment life and operating costs. He created equivalency-based models that contain lifecycle performances of all primary components of the equipment, enabling a very complicated reliability analysis system currently in use in Halliburton. His methods allow Halliburton to maximize the use of their complex high horsepower systems while minimizing failure costs. His depth of knowledge of this technology and other technologies make him the “go-to” individual in the company and in the industry. He has been an invited speaker and consultant on many of the technologies he developed.

“Good judgment comes from bad experiences,” Stephenson said when giving advice to CEAT students. “You have the authority to do anything for which you are willing to accept the consequences.

Understand the half-life of your engineering discipline and plan for your continuing education accordingly. Most importantly, follow your passion so you won’t ‘work’ a day in your life.”

Huan Nguyen Steve Searcy Stan Stephenson Matt Perry Christine Altendorf Carrie Johnson Leland Blank

TOP HONORS CEAT seniors recognized with awards Ten College Engineering, Architecture, and Technology students have been selected as Oklahoma State University Seniors of Significance for the 2021-2022 academic year by the OSU Alumni Association. The Seniors of Significance Award recognizes students who have excelled in scholarship, leadership and service to campus and community, and have brought distinction to OSU. Five of them — Alexis Vance, Zachary Hall, Aarushi Singh, Taylor Stoll and Dawson Haworth — were also named 2022 Outstanding Seniors by the OSU Alumni Association. The award recognizes seniors who excel through academic achievement; campus and community activities; academic, athletic or extracurricular honors or awards; scholarships and work ethic during their time at OSU.

Kylie Dowers

Industrial Engineering and Management Edmond, Oklahoma

Carson Elmore

Electrical Engineering Oklahoma City #

Zachary Hall

Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology Arlington, Texas #

Jacob Lewellen

Grace Rykard

Aarushi Singh

Taylor Stoll

Collin Thornton

Alexis Vance

Chemical Engineering Augusta, Kansas

Mechanical Engineering Woodward, Oklahoma

Architecture Edmond, Oklahoma

Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering Duncan, Oklahoma

Dawson Haworth

Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Fairview, Oklahoma #

Computer Engineering Tulsa

Chemical, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Overland Park, Kansas

#STUDENT IS A MEMBER OF THE OSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

O S U C E AT 57

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE & TECHOLOGY

2022 DONORS $500,000+

$25,000-$49,999

Mr. and Mrs. Les Austin Mr. and Mrs. Mike Dossey, CHE Briar Glenn & John Glenn, ARCH Dorotha Phelps & William Phelps, MAE Isabella Reimer & Charles Reimer, ECEN Nancy L. Roberts Kathleen Rooney & Laurence Rooney III Marcia Tuttle Van R. Weathers, MSE Jamie Zink & Darton Zink

Linda D. Bedell Suzanne Bilbeisi & Mohammed Bilbeisi, ARCH Jennie Brown & David Carey Mallory Buckley & Dyne Buckley, ARCH, MAE Laura Bunch & Blaine Bunch, ECEN Renee Conduff & Jerry Conduff Jr., ARCH Deborah J. Dawson Donna Giles & Glen Giles, MAE Carolyn K. Harris Dianne Humes & Chris Humes, MAE Joan M. Hwang Barbara Johnson & William Johnson, ENGR TECH Valda Kreie & Randy Kreie, ARCH Ann Oglesby & Bill Oglesby, CHE Mr. and Mrs. Kent Powers, IEM Gene Smith Jr. & Robin Purdie-Smith Gerald A. Stangl, BAE Lalit K. Sudan, ECEN Carolyn Tobin & Charles Tobin, IEM Neal A. Willison Mary Wooten & Norman Wooten, CIVE

Chickasaw Nation Martin Family Foundation

$100,000-$499,999 Judith Allen Billie Chambers & Frank Chambers Delores Etter & Jerry Etter Jack Graham, CEN Christine Haddican & Timothy Haddican, ENGR TECH Nigel R. Jones Betty J. Krohn Mary Penisten & Glenn Penisten, ECEN Ramachandra Ramakumar & Gokula Ramakumar Jean Richardson & John Richardson, CIVE Jane Sigmon & Michael Sigmon, ECEN Harold L. Smith, MAE Sharon D. Voskuhl & Alan R. Staab, MAE Judy Wear & Steven Wear, ECEN

E

Boeing Company ExxonMobil ONEOK Phillips 66 XTO Energy

$50,000-$99,999 Deborah Adams & Charles Adams, CHE Cecil L. Culver Jr., CHE Myron Hayden & Judith Hayden, CIVE Lorie Herod & Steve Herod Linda Kester & Larry Kester, ARCH Patrice Lundeen & William Lundeen, ARCH Dianna Orr & Ronald Orr, IEM Robert W. Thompson, CIVE Jane Travis & Billy Travis, MAE Doyle E. Young Niagara Bottling LLC

58 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

AISC Education Foundation AT&T Foundation Berry Aviation Inc Chevron Corporation ConocoPhillips I.A. Naman + Associates Inc Kaiser Creek Wind LLC Nabholz Construction Corporation National Fire Protection Association Origin Materials

$10,000-$24,999 Hema Amin & Arvind Amin, MAE James D. Barnette, ECEN Loretta Barrett & Ken Barrett, MAE Bobby C. Blair, CHE Kathy Cowan & Larry Blake, CHE Judy Brown & John Brown, CIVE Lora Buck & Neal Buck, IEM Jo Ann DeVries Lee Ann Dickerson & Mark Dickerson, CHE Kevin Eckhart Brian Eckhart Scot Eckhart Karen Eckhart & Franklin Eckhart, MAE Linda A. Foster Kerry S. Havner, CIVE Dawn Huckaby & Steven Huckaby, MAE R. Logen Logendran & Jayanthi Logendran, IEM

Toni L. Melton Gale Mills & Robin MIlls Christy Myers & Mitchell Myers, IEM James R. Penn, CIVE Mary Pruitt & Donald Pruitt, MAE K. Kamalakar Rao, MAE Nancy Smith & Bruce Smith, CIVE Tangye Stephney & Kevin Stephney, ECEN Lisa Tompkins & Charles Tompkins, CIVE Carol L. White Jeri Williams & James Williams, MAE Kerri Wilson & Gary Wilson, CHE Stacie Wrobbel & Derek Wrobbel, ECEN, IEM American Concrete Pumping Association Halliburton Foundation Inc Texas Instruments

$5,000-$9,999 Ann Atherton & William Atherton, MAE Otto E. Behunin, IEM Johnnie E. Boyle, MAE Kristie Buratti & Tony Buratti, MAE Mabel Caldwell & Paul Caldwell Jr., MAE Clifford Clottey, CIVE Katherine Corbin & Kenneth Corbin, ARCH LouAnn Edwards & Scott Edwards, MAE Jessica Faubert & Phil Faubert Jacque M. Fowler Susan Goertz & Jack Goertz, IEM Nancy Groh & John Groh, MAE Syed Hamid & Zeba Hamid, MAE Rita Heragu & Sundaresh Heragu Diane Hicks & Glen Hicks, MAE Bonnie Kurtz & Bill Kurtz Jr., MAE Jerry P. Lea Jill W. Long, CHE Richard Lowery & Anne Lowery, MAE Charles Greenfield & Thomas Maciula Huan T. Nguyen, ECEN Shirley Pappe & Raymond Pappe, MAE Kerri Powell & David Powell, ARCH Brenda Price & Brian Price, CHE Amy Ratzki & Thomas Ratzki, CIVE Katherine Ryan & Neil Ryan, ENGR TECH Eric A. Sch ss, ENGR TECH Malinda Harris-Silk & William Silk, ARCH Claudia Stokes & Edward Stokes, CIVE Trina Stover & Bradley Stover, CHE Nancy Strecker & Al Strecker, ECEN Sarah Timberlake & David Timberlake, ARCH Sherry White & Ronald White, CIVE R nald R. White, CIVE

ie

o

Judy Woodward & Stanley Woodward, ECEN Joyce Wyers & Patrick Wyers, MAE Mr. and Mrs. William L. Wylie, ECEN Bjong Yeigh & Sandra Yeigh, IEM Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Baker Hughes Foundation Frankfurt Short Bruza & Associates PC OG&E Energy Services Olsson Associates Inc OXY USA Inc Shell Oil Society of American Military Engineers/OKC Post Waldrop Construction Inc White Engineering Associates Inc

$1,000-$4,999 Leah Adams & Gregory Adams, ENGR TECH Amanda Aker & Craig Aker, CHE, ECEN Judy Allen & Gary Allen, ENGR TECH Elsa Antony & Syam Antony, IEM Linda Bacher & Charles Bacher, IEM Kevin D. Bailey Carolyn Bartlett & Michael Bartlett, IEM Marta Baumiller Terrence Beaumariage & Julia Beaumariage, IEM Kenneth J. Bell Frank R. Berry, ENGR TECH Melanie Blakely & Danny Blakely, ENGR TECH Julie Blatt & Anthony Blatt, ARCH, CHE Lauren Bond & Edward Bond Linda L. Booker Suzanne Branch & Dallas Branch, ARCH Flora Brasuell & Wallace Brasuell, ECEN Donna Braun & Clifford Braun, IEM Deborah Britton & Thomas Britton Jr., MAE, IEM Kari Govier-Brown & Gene Brown, ARCH Kristi D. Bumpas, CIVE Darren Burns, CIVE Richard L. Bush, IEM Leslie Campbell & Thomas Campbell, ARCH Kalli Clark-Egan & Sean Egan, CIVE, IEM Diana K. Cobb Linda Cook & William Cook, ECEN Robert K. Cooley, ENGR TECH Teresa L. Cooper Janell Cooper & Kenneth Cooper, MAE Lerri Cooper & Richard Cooper Mr. and Mrs. Jack Corgan Joyce Courtright & Otis Courtright, CIVE Jimmy E. Cox, MAE Cynthia Cullum & Matthew Cullum, MAE

Sharon Damore & Michael Damore, ARCH Julie DeHart & Weston DeHart, ENGR TECH Bobbie DeHart & Cary DeHart, ENGR TECH M. Lynn Delatte & Norbert Delatte Erin Demoss & Christopher DeMoss, ENGR TECH Lindi Douglas & Blaine Douglas, ENGR TECH Elizabeth Dunbar & Bradley Dunbar, ENGR TECH Laura Eudey & David Eudey, MAE Ming Fehrenbach & Gerard Fehrenbach Joseph P. Fehring, CIVE Amy Ferguson & Jeffery Ferguson, MAE Brian O. Fitzsimmons, ARCH J. Stephen Ford & Jane Ford, ARCH Paul Fortin & Jane Fortin, ECEN Sandra Fry & Darrel Fry, MAE Donna Gannaway & Kerry Gannaway, IEM Barney L. Ghiglieri, HE Verna Gilbert & Michael Gilbert, CHE Beverly Gradisar & Garrett Gradisar, ECEN Kimberly Graham & Thomas Graham, CIVE Jeanne Gregory & William Gregory, ENGR TECH Kimberly Griggs & Alan Griggs, MAE Jennifer Gutierrez & Fred Gutierrez, MSE Tamara Haas & Anthony Haas, CIVE Vickie Hall & Joe Hall, CIVE Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Harris, MAE Virginia Hart & James Hart, ARCH Belinda Hasenbeck & James Hasenbeck, ARCH Charles Heller & Susan Heller, CIVE Paula Heller & David Heller, ENGR TECH Marta Henderson & Lee Henderson, IEM, MAE Jack L. Hensley, NGR TECH Nancy Herdman & David Herdman, ENGR TECH Dena Hirshey & Kenneth Hirshey Jr. Dennis F. Hussey, CHE Rebecca Irby & Steven Irby, CEAT Camille Johnston & William Johnston Patricia Jones & Jeffrey Jones, ENGR TECH Teri Jones & Kevin Jones, CHE Barbara Jones & Lucien Jones Seref C. Karacal, IEM Dale Keairns & Yvonne Keairns, CHE Stuart D. Keeton, IEM Jennifer B. Kelley Sharon Kelley & Mark Kelley, MAE Vicki Kiester & Steven Kiester, IEM Roger W. & Joyce Kirk, ENGR TECH

C

E

Carolyn Koslow & John Koslow Dale Kunneman & Anita Kunneman Tracy Kyle & David Kyle, IEM Sharon Larson & John Larson, ECEN Carolyn Lawrence & John Lawrence, CHE Heng Hong Lee-Petricek Laura Lehman & Donald Lehman, CHE Megan Lipscomb & Joseph Lipscomb, CHE Bruce Litchfield & Linda Litchfield John Lloyd & Ruth Lloyd Lynn Lunsford & Michael Lunsford, ENGR TECH Mark J. Marston, HE Robin Mass & Duane Mass, ARCH Suzanne Maxwell & Ricky Maxwell, ENGR TECH Cheryl McAlpine & Jaime McAlpine, ENGR TECH Patricia Meek & John Meek, ARCH Mitchell W. Mencacci, ENGR TECH Bernadine Metzinger & Kurt Metzinger, MAE John C. Middleton, CHE Charlotte Muniz-Montgomery & Keith Montgomery, CHE Erika Mulsow & Bradley Mulsow, CHE Nidamaluri S. Nagesh, CIVE Garold Oberlender & Jana Oberlender, CIVE Judith O’Brien & Kevin O’Brien, MAE Diane Offutt & John Offutt, ENGR TECH Phyllis O’Hara & Steven O’Hara, ARCH Billie Oltmanns & Steven Oltmanns, ECEN Megan Owen & Aaron Owen, ENGR TECH Anna Parks & Steven Parks, ARCH Anne Pinc & Gaylon Pinc, CIVE Karen Plummer & Joe Plummer, CHE Gary Pope & Joan Pope, CHE Lee C. Raney, IEM Kathleen Rao & Dhananjaya Rao, IEM Bette Rector & Evans Rector Colleen Riffe & Bryan Riffe, MAE John P. Roads, ENGR TECH Joanna Robben & Edward Robben, ECEN Ryan Roberts & Julie Roberts, ARCH David Robinson Maria Robinson & James Robinson IV Whitney Rose & Craig Rose, ENGR TECH Teresa Ross & Warren Ross Nancy Scialdone & Michael Scialdone Amanda Miller & William Seider, ARCH Mary Shafer-Malicki & Patrick Malicki, CHE Brenda Shumate & Casey Shumate, IEM Mark W. Shutt, ECEN

C

Richard Skinner & Sandra Skinner, CHE Traci Smith & James Smith, ENGR TECH, ECEN Connie Smith & David Smith, MAE Douglas A. Smola, MAE Barbara Snoddy James L. Snyder, CHE Katie Speakes & Jason Speakes, IEM Christine Steichen & Barry Steichen Shawnita Sterett & Shane Sterett, CIVE Ruth Storts & Brian Storts, CHE Jeffrey J. Szcinski II, ECEN Mr. and Mrs. Lyndon C. Taylor, IEM Walter E. Taylor Karen Testa & Joseph Testa, ENGR TECH Sally A. Thomas, CHE Patricia Thomas-Aistrup & David Aistrup, ENGR TECH Julie Tikalsky & Paul Tikalsky David P. Tosetto, ENGR TECH Cherrie Turner & Jim Turner, ARCH Shelly Tyler & Scott Tyler, ENGR TECH Mary Vanlandingham & Donald Vanlandingham, ECEN J. D. Waggoner, MAE Susan Wallace & Thomas Wallace, ARCH Deborah Watson & Cary Watson, ECEN Mee Mong Lee & Richard Weidner, ECEN Barbara West & Barry West, IEM Lawrence Whitman & Heidi Whitman, ENGR TECH, IEM Matthew J. Williams, IEM Marion Williams & Johnnie Williams, IEM Yvonne Williams & Charles Williams, ECEN Nathaniel W. Woody, MAE Andrew J. Woodyard, ENGR TECH Katherine Yancey & Keith Yancey, ARCH Donna Zahl & Robert Zahl, ARCH Zoanne Zapata & Robert Zapata Acme Brick Company/Fort Worth Adolfson & Peterson Construction AGC of Oklahoma AGC of Oklahoma Education Foundation AGCO Corporation AIA Central States Region Inc AIA Oklahoma Alston Construction Andres Construction Services LLC Association of Oklahoma General Contractors Inc Austin Commercial LP B&B Concrete of Kansas Baker Drywall Dallas Ltd Balfour Beatty Construction Bartlett Cocke General Contractors LLC

Bell Helicopter Boldt Company Byrne Construction Services C.R. Crawford Construction Caterpillar Foundation Centennial Contractors Enterprises Inc Conrad Fire Equipment Inc Crossland Construction Company Inc Deloitte Dolese Bros Co FarrWest Environmental Supply Inc Flintco LLC HBA Charitable Foundation HMA Consulting HollyFrontier Corp Ideal Homes of Norman LP Inspection Reports Online International Chemical Company JE Dunn Construction Co Joeris General Contractors Ltd Koch Companies Community Fund L3Harris Technologies Inc Lockheed Martin Manhattan Construction Company McCownGordon Construction Mid-Continental Restoration Co Inc National Association of Pipe Fabricators OK Construction Advancement Foundation Oklahoma City Section Oklahoma Structural Engineers Association PCL Construction Enterprises Rick Scott Construction Inc RJN Foundation Sherwood Construction Company Inc Southern Company Services Inc Southland Holdings SpawGlass Contractors Inc Studs Unlimited LLC Textron Inc University of Tulsa US Stone Industries LLC Walsh Construction

Thank you to all of our generous donors!

O S U C E AT 59

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS! $50

7 ,52 5 3 0 $1,

$50

$1,000 $460

$28,510 $560

$10,860

$150 $47,980

$117,325

$1,450

$215,783

$5,300

$9,778,325 $593,209 $13,910

$7,295

$210,500

$700 $2,577,924 $4,800

$1,520

60 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

50 $10,4

708 $187,

00

$1,310

$13,600

$4,150

64 $4,4

$273,435

0 $295,860

$19,985

$125 $360

63 $34,2 ,260

$36

$500

$59,415 $100 DC $1,650

$18,165

$8,935

$11,345

$600

$14,095

$2,050

0

$62,142

At Oklahoma State University, student success would not be made possible without the generous donations from friends and alumni of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology.

These gifts given for scholarships, facilities, faculty support, research endeavors and all other program needs provide OSU students with a premier education. We are thankful to each and every donor who aids in creating an unmatched education for our students.

O S U C E AT 61

COLLEGE LEADERSHIP

._, --~

I;

~

"l

Chuck Bunting

f .

Paul J. Tikalsky

--

I ~--~ .

- ..

·e

~-

Sunderesh Heragu

Assistant Dean of Engagement and Inclusion, Academic Affairs

Assistant Dean, Engineering Extension

Associate Dean of Engineering, OSU-Tulsa Director, Helmerich Research Center

Associate Dean, Academic Affairs

Associate Dean, Research

College Dean

Raman Singh

Ed Kirtley

Suzanne Bilbeisi, AIA

Dr. Young Chang, P.E., CFPS

Professor and Head Centennial Professor of Architecture School of Architecture

Dr. Norb Delatte, P.E., F.ACI, F.ASCE Professor and Head M.R. Lohmann Endowed Chair Civil and Environmental Engineering

Professor and Head Engineering Technology

Carisa Ramming

I

Dr. Sandip Harimkar

•

Dr. Mari S. Chinn

•;.

I r.-~ ai/.•\.i ..

Dr. Camille DeYong

Professor and Head Anadarko Petroleum Chair Chemical Engineering

Dr. James Smay

Dr. Jeffrey L. Young, P.E., F.IEEE

Professor and Head Materials Sciences and Engineering

Professor and Interim Head Albert H. Nelson Jr. Chair Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Professor and Head Associate Director, Sun Grant ProgramSouth Central Region Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Dr. Heather Fahlenkamp

Professor and Interim Head Donald and Cathey Humphreys Chair Industrial Engineering and Management

~

..

Professor and Head OSURF Endowed Chair of Engineering Electrical and Computer Engineering

62 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

SUPPORTING CEAT

A Message from the Foundation

Jill Johnson

Senior Director of Development, CEAT 405.385.0733 jjohnson@osugiving.com

The OSU Foundation’s mission is to “unite donor passions with university priorities to achieve excellence.”

As a development team who works with Dean Tikalsky and his academic leaders,

Bryce Killingsworth Associate Director of Development, CEAT

405.385.5623 bkillingsworth@osugiving.com

we strive to identify CEAT priorities and unite them with your passions to achieve excellence. Excellence can be defined in a variety of ways and take on a variety of forms. Sometimes excellence is the

Jill Blake

Development Associate 405.385.5156 jblake@osugiving.com

first-generation CEAT student earning their degree, a faculty member making ground-breaking research in the lab, or students gaining hands-on experience while learning to work as a team through

LaRonna Wilbourn

Senior Development Cordinator 405.385.5618 lwilbourn@osugiving.com

their senior design projects. With the current economic challenges facing higher education, private support plays a significant role in allowing the college to truly achieve excellence.

Whatever your passion is for helping us achieve excellence, it is our hope that you, our alumni and friends of this great college, realize the role we play in bridging the aspirations of both parties.

O S U C E AT 63

CEAT STRATEGIC ADVISORY COUNCIL

Debbie Adams Retired — Sr. Vice President of HSE, Projects & Procurement P66 Phillips 66

Larry Bryce

VP of Engineering and Manufacturing Strategies

Gregg Bradshaw Construction Manager

Shay Braun President

Select Milk Producers

Joe D. Hall General Contractors LLC

Michael Carolina

Cara Cowan Watts

OCAST

Tulsa Drilling

Garen Ewbank

Jeff Fisher

Executive Director

CEO

Johnson Controls

Heath DePriest General Manager, Corporate Strategy

President

Ewbank Geo Testing

Phillips 66

Jim Hasenbeck Principal Architect

Studio Architecture

Chief Executive Officer Ascent Resources

Steve Huckaby

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Meritage Midstream

Denay Huddleston

Director, Batteries and Solar Phillips 66

Jeff Hume

Vice Chairman of Strategic Growth Initiatives Continental Resources Inc.

64 I M PAC T 2 0 2 2

Chris Humes

Sr. Vice President TC Energy

Cherie Humphries Vice President

Williams Companies

Mitch Johnson

Neal Jones

AI Technologies

Jones Studio Architects

Bryce Killingsworth

Jaime McAlpine

Ann Oglesby

Chermac Energy Corporation

Phillips 66

OSU Foundation

Bill Remy

Mike Rogers

Mary ShaferMalicki

Carrie Johnson

Chair of the Board & Principal

Vice President

Wallace Architecture

Sr. Director of Development

CEO Emeritus TBM Consulting

President

President

PACCAR Winch Inc

TBM Board and Consultant

President

Retired — VP of Technologies

Board of Directors: McDermott; QEP Resource; Ausenco Wood PLC

Ed Stokes

Paul Tikalsky

Rick Tompkins

Stokes International Consultancy LLC

Oklahoma State University

LateraLift LLC

Patricia Vega

Rick Webb

President

CEO and Founding Partner Quantium New Energy

Dean

CEO

Webb Consulting Group

Partner

Office of the Dean

NON-PROFIT

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

ORGANIZATION

Oklahoma State University

U.S. POSTAGE

201 Advanced Technology Research Center Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078-5013

PAID MADISON, WI PERMIT NO. 2223

Join our Dean’s Club!

C E AT. O K S TAT E . E D U Dean Paul Tikalsky invites you to become a member of the Dean’s Club!

You can join at either the College Club level, the Patron level, or the Benefactor level.

These are distinguished groups whose gifts benefit the Designated Endowment Program Fund or the CEAT Scholars Program Fund, supporting our college’s top priorities and ensuring a bright future for our CEAT students.

Please consider making your gift today by returning the enclosed pledge form or visiting ceat.okstate.edu/giving/ceat-deans-club.html.

On behalf of our OSU community, you have our deepest appreciation for all you do for OSU and CEAT!

GO POK ES!