Kansas Engineer - Fall 2020

KANSAS ENGINEER THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

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SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

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FALL 2020

Elevating KU Engineering Through Unprecedented Times KU researchers take a creative and aggressive approach to fighting COVID-19

FIVE ADDITIONAL FACULTY EARN NSF AWARDS FOR EARLY CAREER SUCCESS

STUDENT COMPETES INTERNATIONALLY TO ‘SOLVE GRAND CHALLENGES’

CROCHETING STUDENT BECOMES VIRAL SENSATION

CONTENTS

Fall 2020, Volume 44, Number 1

A KU TRADITION SINCE 1914

Illustration by Brenden Hensley

KANSAS ENGINEER DEAN OF ENGINEERING

Arvin Agah

DEPARTMENTS FACULTY NEWS 9 Five KU Researchers Earn Career Awards from the National Science Foundation 11 New Associate Dean, Department Chairs Selected 12 O’Reilly Honored with 2019 H.O.P.E. Award for Teaching

COVID-19 RESPONSE 3 Researchers Trace COVID-19 in Wastewater to Provide Early Warning of Virus Spread 4

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KU Engineering Produces Personal Protective Equipment to Aid Health Care Workers KU Engineering Alumnus Helps Develop App to Assist with Responsibly Reopening Campus Securing the Internet for the Digitally Homeless in a Pandemic

FEATURES 16 Crocheting Engineering Student Becomes Viral Sensation 24

Engineering Students Design Adaptation to Help Kayaker Who Uses Wheelchair

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Aerospace Grad Launches Successful Standup Comedy Career In His Native Mongolia

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

Andrew Williams ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESARCH

Candan Tamerler EDITOR AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR

Cody Howard codyh@ku.edu

14 Faculty Achievements

COPY EDITOR

STUDENT NEWS 18 Aerospace Engineers Claim Top Honors at International Design Competition 19 ‘Hackathon’ Earns National Ranking 20 KU Student Works to Solve Challenges at International Engineering Competition 21 KU Engineers Without Borders Assists Two Bolivian Villages 22 Student Achievements RESEARCH NEWS 26 Engineering Lands $3M Interdisciplinary Grant from National Science Foundation 27 Research Center Planned to Protect the Internet of Things More Effectively 28 Aerospace Engineering Unveils Satellite Design and Development Lab 29 Firm Aims To Cheaply Produce Hydrogen for Consumers Via ‘Water Splitting’ Breakthrough 31 New Technology Could ‘Transform’

Hydraulic Fracturing ALUMNI NEWS

38 Orth Stresses Mentoring, Positivity at Tiberti Lecture 39 Scholarship Created to Honor Late

Professor, Support Study of Power Systems FUNDRAISING 41 Donor and Industry Recognition FALL 2020

Mario Medina

13 Engineering Professor Appointed To President’s Science Advisory Board

36 Ross McKinney Honored with Endowed Professorship

Cover Illustration by Brenden Hensley

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Susie Fagan DESIGN AND LAYOUT

Chris Millspaugh Design Kansas Engineer is published semiannually by the University of Kansas School of Engineering and is distributed to more than 20,000 engineering and computer science alumni and friends.

Kansas Engineer is not published at state expense.

To unsubscribe from Kansas Engineer, please send an email to records@ku.edu We welcome your comments. Our mailing address is the University of Kansas School of Engineering, Eaton Hall, 1520 W. 15th Street, Room 1, Lawrence, KS 66045-7608. Call us at (785) 864-3881 or send email to codyh@ku.edu.

The mission of the University of Kansas School of Engineering is to provide its students with the highest quality educational experience possible, to generate and apply knowledge through research, development, and scholarly activity, and to serve society, the state and the engineering profession.

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engr.ku.edu

FROM THE DEAN

Dean of Engineering Arvin Agah

Elevating KU Engineering Through Unprecedented Times

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reetings from the University of Kansas School of Engineering. I hope you are staying safe and healthy.

There is no doubt that for each of us, COVID-19 has upended our way of life, while creating challenges and hardships around the globe. Although the KU Engineering community has been physically distant for most of 2020, we strive to stay socially connected.

KU Engineering faculty, staff and administrative teams deserve immense credit for their tenacity, creativity, flexibility and dedication in rising to the challenges posed by the coronavirus. We have developed new systems and in many cases reimagined the ways in which we can best fulfill our core objectives of educating students, conducting worldclass research and recruiting top students into the Jayhawk Engineering family.

As you will see on the pages that follow — through the rapid and robust response from researchers at the School of Engineering — we are rising to the challenges of these uncertain times. Professor Belinda Sturm is working with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to analyze wastewater samples from more than a dozen communities throughout the state as an early warning system of community spread of the coronavirus. Faculty across all departments rallied to quickly produce personal protective equipment to assist medical professionals in their fight against COVID-19.

Assistant research professor and Google Earth co-creator Brian McClendon developed a health-verification app to assist in safely reopening KU’s campus.

Beyond the persistent and significant challenges posed by coronavirus, we continue to elevate KU Engineering through excellent research and outstanding teaching that garner worldwide attention.

Five additional professors received National Science Foundation CAREER awards, which support junior STEM faculty members to establish a lifetime of leadership in their respective fields. Since the start of 2019, nine engineering faculty have received these highly prestigious, half-milliondollar awards.

KU Engineering IHAWKe (Indigenous, Hispanic, African American, Women KU Engineering) Diversity & Women’s Program was named one of the “nation’s leaders in inclusive excellence” in 2019 by the American Society for Engineering Education and was one of 29 institutions across the country to receive an “exemplar” bronze designation, which is the highest possible level.

Our alumni and donors continue to show amazing support by providing a crucial lifeline in extremely challenging budgetary times for the university. As always, we are grateful for your support. We also appreciate the efforts our alumni are leading to honor faculty members through named scholarships and professorships.

This is certainly a challenging time for each of us. I am proud of how the KU Engineering community has rallied to address COVID-19 while I look forward to guiding the School through this while continuing to elevate our stature as a world-class institution.

Rock Chalk!

Arvin Agah, Ph.D. Dean of Engineering University of Kansas

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KU Program Tracing COVID-19 in Kansas Wastewater Treatment Plants Provides Communities with Early Warning Virus Spread

by Joel Mathis Illustrations Brenden Hensley

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he University of Kansas School of Engineering and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have expanded a project to detect COVID-19 virus in the wastewater systems of local communities across the state.

The original project launched this spring looked for evidence of the virus in a dozen Kansas communities. This summer, that roster expanded to 18 communities, including some in western Kansas. KU has also partnered with the City of Lawrence to test that city’s wastewater weekly.

“The idea is we can’t test everybody in our community,” said Belinda Sturm, associate vice chancellor for research and professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, “but we can test the catchment to see if COVID is present in our community, if it’s increasing or decreasing.”

In late April, Sturm began collecting samples from wastewater plants — ranging from big urban plants to small-town lagoon systems from across the state — using a test that looks for signs of the virus’ RNA. Studies from the Netherlands and Massachusetts suggest that such analyses can help local officials understand if the virus is present in their community — and if so, how widespread any outbreak might be.

The results so far: The wastewater sampling technique appears able to give Kansas researchers a one-week heads up that the coronavirus is surging in a community, before the case numbers and hospitalizations begin to officially rise.

“It’s a way for us to make sure the community is aware of the prevalence of COVID in the community,” Sturm said.

“So that we are not responding after the spike, but preparing before the spike.”

But researchers and public health officials are still figuring out the best way to make use of the information, she added. “Right now, the data is so new we have to get to the point where we know how to use it and have confidence in it.”

The preliminary results have been encouraging enough to warrant Belinda Sturm expanding the effort to other communities. The City of Lawrence plans to use the information to be ready for any increased demand on medical personnel, equipment and other health resources.

“The wastewater study is a great example of how our community is collaborating and using every tool in our toolbox to plan and prepare for fighting coronavirus,” said Sonia Jordan, Director of Informatics for Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health. “This study will help us make informed decisions moving forward, including related to staffing, bandwidth and surge capacity.”

Sturm began the project after KDHE reached out to her.

“I’ve worked with Professor Sturm on a lot of things — I knew she was on the cutting edge on a lot of issues regarding wastewater,” said Tom Stiles, who directs the Bureau of Water for KDHE. “She jumped right on in.”

One technical challenge, Sturm and Stiles said, is determining how sensitive the test is. Can it detect just a

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Photo by Cody Howard

few cases in a large urban wastewater system? Can it give an accurate sense of how widespread an outbreak is in the community?

“We don’t want false negatives, and we don’t want false positives,” Sturm said. “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Sturm wanted to emphasize that observing viral RNA in wastewater does not imply that the wastewater is infectious.

According to the Centers for Disease Control website, researchers do not know whether this virus can cause disease if a person is exposed to untreated wastewater or sewage systems. There is no evidence to date that this has occurred.

KU and KDHE are sharing their results with other researchers nationwide in order to help develop best practices for detecting and fighting the virus. That should benefit the state of Kansas, Sturm and Stiles said.

“This is part of a wide initiative across the world,” Sturm said. “Across the U.S. there are a lot of folks like me who are doing this, and we’re talking together. A lot of academics are exchanging knowledge right now, in real time — we usually wait to publish. From a science perspective, it’s really cool to see our scientific infrastructure respond to this crisis.”

Professor Belinda Sturm analyzes a sample from a Kansas wastewater treatment plant to help detect the presence of COVID-19.

RESEARCH NEWS

KU School of Engineering Produces Personal Protective Equipment to Aid Health Care Workers

by Joel Mathis Submitted Photo

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hen the coronavirus pandemic led to the abrupt shutdown of in-person courses in the spring of 2020, KU Engineering faculty, staff and graduate students quickly transitioned to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 by devoting skills and resources to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical professionals.

Faculty, graduate students and staff in chemical and petroleum engineering and mechanical engineering produced face shields and the headbands that hold them in place. Faculty in aerospace engineering designed a new, lightweight polycarbonate face shield that is more comfortable and easier to clean.

“The School of Engineering continues the challenging work of adapting to circumstances and serving our community,” said Candan Tamerler, associate dean for research at the School of Engineering. “I am proud of our resilience, resourcefulness and generosity. It’s a powerful reminder of who we are.”

Bryce Stottlemire, graduate student in chemical and petroleum engineering, displays a face shield he designed and fabricated in Professor Mei He and Professor Cory Berkland’s labs.

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KU Engineering Alumnus and Google Earth Co-Creator Helps Develop App to Assist with Responsibly Reopening Campus

by Joel Mathis

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Photo by Nathan Fortner

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fter a successful pilot project, the University of Kansas reopened to students, faculty and staff this fall by requiring them to use a mobile health app to check for symptoms of COVID-19 before allowing them entrance to campus buildings.

The app was created by CVKey Project, a nonprofit initiative co-founded by former Google vice president Brian McClendon, a KU alum and a research professor in the School of Engineering. KU was the first community to test the CVKey app, but project officials are in talks to provide the service to other universities and organizations.

“The goal was how we can build tools that will allow the world to reopen responsibly,” McClendon said. “That’s our focus.”

CVKey app users can conduct a self-assessment of their COVID-19 health status at home and then generate a QR code to verify their access to campus buildings — and to know that others have done the same.

By using the app, individuals do not have to disclose personal health information. The self-assessment and health-related information are strictly confined to the user’s mobile device. No personal health data is shared or stored outside the mobile device. The only information the QR code provides when scanned is a simple yes or no indication of whether a person’s health assessment meets the criteria to enter the building that day. The app cannot be used for other functions, such as location tracking or contact tracing.

In addition to providing a safeguard for users of campus buildings, the app can provide an early warning to individuals that they may have symptoms of the coronavirus. CVKey’s symptom checker is updated regularly according to the CDC’s most recent guidelines and the advice of the project’s Council of Experts.

“That is the plan — that the app will guide people who have symptoms or exposure to follow up with Watkins Health Services, follow up with testing, follow up with a doctor to find out what’s going on,” McClendon said.

The app was tested in six KU campus buildings over the summer, allowing researchers to access their labs.

McClendon said that more than 500 scans were performed each day during the pilot project. At first, app users presented their QR codes to a staffer at the building entrance — but staffers were replaced at the beginning of the fall semester with iPad kiosks that were used in nearly all academic buildings.

CVKey is designed to overcome a key challenge to the adoption of similar health-tracking applications: fears about privacy. Efforts in Utah and North Dakota to use GPSenabled contact tracing apps have failed because of such concerns. McClendon testified about the issue in July before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee. “The biggest one was fear that either ‘big gov’ or ‘big tech’ was tracking anyone who installed it,” he told the committee.

With CVKey, he said, “We built the app entirely focused on privacy.” This application specification details the privacy architecture that underpins the app suite that CVKey Project developed with input from outside experts.

“We’ve done a lot of work to design a system that does not leak data or allow people to be tracked,” McClendon said. “We think that’s going to be important to marketers and consumers.”

KU administrators will also be able to use CVKey to more consistently communicate and manage COVID-19 protocols and update them as conditions evolve. “People who are going to one of these places can know what the policies

are before they go there,” McClendon said.

As vice president at Google, McClendon led the teams that built Google Earth, Google Maps, Local Search, Streetview and other tools used by billions of people worldwide. As cofounder of CVKey Project, he has pulled together a team of experts in public health, Brian McClendon technology and privacy to help communities around the world reopen responsibly. The team is also making the app’s source code available to other developers to examine or download, upon request.

The CVKey Project Council of Experts includes Kathleen Sebelius, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and former Kansas governor; Allen Greiner, professor and vice chair of family medicine at KU Medical Center and the Medical Officer for the Kansas City, Kansas, Wyandotte County Unified Government Health Department; and Perry Alexander, KU AT&T Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and director of the KU Information and Telecommunication Technology Center.

McClendon believes the smart use of technology can help KU manage the challenges of continuing its mission during the pandemic. “If we don’t do all we can do,” he said, “we’ll always be in a cycle of wave and close, wave and close.”

KU Research into Online Security for Public Internet Users Expands to Examine Effects of COVID-19

by Joel Mathis

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niversity of Kansas researchers studying what they call “digital homelessness” have received an additional grant to examine how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting Americans who don’t have easy access to the internet.

Before the pandemic, people without their own devices or internet access often used local libraries to obtain those services, but many of those locations have been closed or greatly reduced their access during quarantine lockdowns.

“The folks we’re focused on don’t have a ‘digital home,’” said Bill Staples, principal investigator on the project, professor emeritus of sociology and director of the Surveillance Studies Research Center. “That is, their computing lives are resource-limited, transient, less private, and more vulnerable to digital threats than those who own computers and access the Web through broadband at their residences. When libraries closed, they were locked out of a digital life most of us take for granted.”

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“THESE PEOPLE ARE DIGITALLY MARGINALIZED, SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED IN A SOCIETY IN WHICH INTERNET HAS BECOME A NEEDED UTILITY.”

Staples and his colleagues want to find out how — and if — people experiencing digital homelessness are coping.

“There’s anecdotal information about libraries pumping Wi-Fi out into the parking lots,” he said.

“Some libraries are helping, but we need to take a systematic look at what is going on.”

The research team is led by Staples, Perry Alexander, AT&T Foundation Distinguished Bill Staples Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and director of the Information and Telecommunication Technology Center; and Drew Davidson, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science.

These KU scholars had already been awarded a new grant from the National Science Foundation titled, “Safeguarding and Enhancing the Experience of Public Internet Users,” Perry Alexander funded through NSF’s Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace program. The two-year, $516,000 grant will support research about how people who use public internet resources — like libraries — navigate the internet and what security threats they face.

NSF has now awarded the team an additional Rapid Response Research grant of $200,000 to look at how the pandemic has affected such users.

Drew Davidson “We’re trying to get a before, during and after snapshot” of how the issue has evolved with the onset of the pandemic, Staples said.

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As much as 30% of the American population lacks adequate broadband access at home. Researchers say this digital divide results from — and contributes to — widening economic inequality.

“I think this is an understudied population, and as such is a population that hasn’t been fully considered in the computing landscape,” said Davidson. “There’s an assumption as our lives move online that everybody can keep up, and that’s not the case. It’s important because the need is so great.”

“These people are digitally marginalized, socially and economically disadvantaged in a society in which internet has become a needed utility,” Staples added. “They cannot simply ‘work from home’ or e-learn new skills, nor can their children shift to ‘distance learning’ as millions have been asked to do. It’s like trying to get by without electricity in your house. It makes their lives that much more difficult and challenging.”

The new study will have three points of data collection.

Users at the Lawrence Public Library — which has restored limited access to its computer lab — will be surveyed and some interviewed about their experiences. The researchers will also send an online survey to a representative sample of library directors across the United States to collect information on library policies and practices during the pandemic. Finally, team members will compile related stories from news sources across the country to capture what journalists have found out about was has been happening in their communities.

The team’s ultimate goal is to offer new tools to public internet users when they access the Internet, including development of a device the team calls PUPS — public user privacy and security. The device is an isolated, portable, virtual computing environment on a USB stick, designed to provide a “digital home” to users, giving them a functional, seamless computing experience from one session and device to the next. There may be non-technical solutions available, as well, as researchers examine the contours of the issue more closely from both an engineering and a sociological perspective.

“I’m really happy we have this multi-disciplinary team,” Davidson said. “I think there’s a lot of good that can be done.”

Information about and results from the project can be found at https://ittc.ku.edu/padlock/dh/.

FACULTY NEWS

Five KU Researchers Earn Career Awards from the National Science Foundation

by Joel Mathis

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ive assistant professors from the KU School of Engineering each received a prestigious grant designed to help early-career faculty members in STEM disciplines establish a lifetime of leadership in their respective fields.

The National Science Foundation CAREER grants were awarded to Esam El-Araby, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science; Gibum Kwon, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; Xianglin Li, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; Huixuan Wu, assistant professor of aerospace engineering; and Cuncong Zhong, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science. Two faculty members from KU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Chris Rogan and Emily Witt, also received the awards.

“This recognition forecasts great promise for these KU faculty who represent the future of their fields and are already making discoveries and innovations that will help us understand and change our world for the better,” said Simon Atkinson, vice chancellor for research. “They join 49 previous CAREER award winners across the Lawrence campus — a number that speaks to the sustained strength of KU’s research community.”

The five-year awards are designed to support “earlycareer faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization,” according to NSF. Dean of Engineering Arvin Agah said the awards serve as a source of pride for the university.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for these faculty members and shows the potential for their research to benefit society,” Agah said. “It positions them as role models for other early-career faculty and sets them on a course to be leaders throughout their academic careers. This type of recognition elevates the stature of KU Engineering and is a great example of the world-class research and teaching conducted at the University of Kansas.”

The NSF first issued CAREER awards in 1995. Since then, 56 faculty members on KU’s Lawrence campus have received the grants: 21 in the School of Engineering, two in the School of Pharmacy and 33 in schools and departments across the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

A LOOK AT THE FIVE 2020 RECIPIENTS FROM ENGINEERING AND THEIR RESEARCH ESAM EL-ARABY

Esam El-Araby

El-Araby joined the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science in 2015. He was awarded $550,351 from the NSF for his work in trying to make supercomputers more accessible to the scientists, engineers, mathematicians and other researchers who need to harness their data-processing power.

His work involves “very large machines” that possess “extreme heterogeneity.” They feature multiple types of processors — CPUs, FPGAs, GPUs and more — cooperating to tackle complex problems. Such machines are used in quantum simulations, high-energy physics, oil tracking, weather forecasts and even disease modeling.

“Collaboratively they can do a better job than a system just made up of CPUs, just made up of FPGAs, just made up of GPUs, made up of just one type of computing technology,” El-Araby said.

Programming these machines is also a complex job, however. El-Araby’s aim is to make it easier for users to ignore those “under the hood” complexities so they can simply and quickly write applications that help them pursue their research and solve problems.

“We’re trying to hide these details from the nonspecialists,” he said. Otherwise, “this is a huge challenge that could limit our national ability and international competitiveness to build and efficiently use these large and heterogeneous machines.”

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FACULTY NEWS GIBUM KWON

Gibum Kwon

Kwon, who joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2016, was awarded $549,996 by NSF. His research involves investigating and establishing new technology to enable the separation of miscible liquid mixtures by selective sorption. Separation of miscible liquids is a critical step for a wide range of practical processes that include wastewater remediation, biofuel production, water purification and removal of contaminants from groundwater.

Current methods of liquid separation, such as distillation and pervaporation, are often limited by consuming great amounts of energy, Kwon said. The technology he seeks “is like a sponge — if you can imagine a sponge that absorbs lots of water but at the same time repels other liquids, like oil.”

“Such absorbents will surpass the technologies currently utilized in a variety of applications including environmental, biomedical and pharmaceutical engineering,” Kwon said in his submission to the NSF. “Thus, the outcomes of this research also have the potential to advance national health and prosperity.”

The grant will fund more than research: Kwon also plans to develop a STEM course module for students with special needs in collaboration with KU’s Department of Special Education.

XIANGLIN LI

Xianglin Li

Li joined the mechanical engineering department in 2014. He received an award of $500,000 for research into new battery storage technologies. “Everybody is looking for better batteries,” he said. “We’re tired of charging the cellphone every day. If we can develop batteries with higher capacity, maybe we can charge it once a week.”

The current generation of cutting-edge lithium-ion batteries “is reaching its theoretical energy density limit,” Li wrote in his submission to the NSF, but “other technologies such as lithium-air battery, fuel cells and supercapacitors have great potential as the next-generation energy storage and energy conversion technologies.”

The problem with current lithium-air batteries, he said, is that they can store a lot of power but they can’t transmit it at very high rates — his research will use advanced imaging and computational techniques to investigate how to improve that performance.

The results should be environmentally friendly, Li said, among other benefits. “A smaller battery is typically cheaper,” he said. “If the battery that can drive the car for 300 miles is reduced to one-tenth the size, it will be much cheaper.”

HUIXUAN WU

Huixuan Wu

Wu, who joined the Department of Aerospace Engineering in 2015, was awarded $500,000 to peek into the often opaque heart of “complex particulate flows” to understand the internal mechanics of fluid matter in motion.

Observers can see what’s happening on the surface of a muddy, dirty river, Wu said, but there are many important things happening beneath the surface and unavailable to the naked eye.

“If you want to imagine the motion of a muddy, dirty river, you have to see through it,” he said.

Wu plans to develop a magnetic-based measure of liquid motion so scientists don’t have to rely on visuals to understand how they work.

“From a scientific point of view, there are a lot of motions in the universe that people have been able to study only because they see them,” Wu said. His research, he said, could lead to technologies that help scientists better predict everything from landslides to the flow of oceans.

“This can tell you how a landslide occurs — if you understand that, you can prevent disasters,” he said. “One day, when we collect a sufficient amount of data, we should be able to develop a better predicting system.”

CUNCONG ZHONG

Cuncong Zhong

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Cuncong Zhong, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, came to KU in 2016. The NSF awarded him $722,398 for his efforts to develop new techniques to research and analyze microbes.

“We’re interested in studying microbes. They form communities — they form like a social network — they do not exist alone,” Zhong said. “We study them together as a community by studying the sequences of their DNA. Nowadays we don’t have very good technology to separate the microbes and study their individual DNAs. We study a mixture of DNAs. That causes a lot of challenges for the analysis.”

He added: “So what we’re trying to do is facilitate this process. It’s computationally intensive. We’re trying to build new algorithms, new methods, to speed up the analysis and make it more accurate.”

That work, Zhong said, should have a wide range of applications — facilitating everything from the diagnosis of bacterial diseases to environmental monitoring of the ocean, soil and biomass.

Zhong had previously applied for an NSF grant and missed out. He said he was aided in this year’s successful effort by a university-sponsored writing workshop. “I got a lot of support,” he said.

FACULTY NEWS

Engineering Selects New Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Department Chairs

by Cody Howard

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ario Medina, associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, was named associate dean for academic affairs (ADAA) for the University of Kansas School of Engineering, effective July 1. The ADAA leads the school’s academic affairs at the undergraduate and graduate levels and plays a critical role in promoting and maintaining the academic excellence of the school.

“Professor Medina brings an excellent track record in the areas of recruitment, retention, curriculum development, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion to the School,” said Dean of Engineering Arvin Agah. “With a history of distinguished service, outstanding teaching and world-class research, he is an ideal choice to oversee the critical responsibilities of this position.”

Lisa Friis, professor of mechanical engineering, and Susan Williams, professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, also assumed the role of chair of their respective departments on July 1. They are the first women to serve as department chair in the 127-year history of the KU School of Engineering.

Mario Medina Mario Medina joined the KU Architectural Engineering Department in 1998.

When architectural engineering merged with the Mario Medina Department of Civil

and Environmental Engineering in 2001, Medina moved to the School of Engineering. His research focuses on developing energy-efficient building components, with specialization in building enclosures. He is internationally known in the field of phase change materials integration into building components.

Professor Medina received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University in 1992. He has been the associate chair for undergraduate programs in CEAE since 2014. He is the recipient of the Henry E. Gould Award for Teaching (2019) and the Bellows Scholar Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching and Service (2006 and 2019).

Lisa Friis Lisa Friis earned a B.S. degree in biomedical engineering and an M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Lisa Friis Iowa, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Wichita State University. From 1987 to 2001, she was a research scientist at the Orthopedic Research Institute in Wichita. She joined the KU Mechanical Engineering Department in 2001.

At KU, Friis helped develop the product design and development track in the KU Bioengineering Graduate program and has served as its co-director since 2007. She has

received several teaching awards, including the KU Outstanding Woman Educator Award in 2007 and a Kemper Fellowship in 2006. Friis has received several National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research awards, and has licensed technologies that are currently commercialized.

Susan Williams Susan Williams has been at KU since 1999. Her research is centered on converting biomass to fuels and higher value products. She Susan Williams holds a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Oklahoma. She has served as the KU faculty athletics representative since 2013.

Professor Williams is the director of the KU Biodiesel Initiative and co-founder of the Kansas Biodiesel Consortium. She has held the John E. and Winifred E. Sharp Teaching Professorship, and received several awards for teaching and service, including the Mortar Board Outstanding Educator Award, Gould Award for Distinguished Service in Undergraduate Advising, and the Steeples Service to Kansans Award.

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FACULTY NEWS

2020 Senior Class Honors Matt O’Reilly with 2019 H.O.P.E. Award for Teaching

by KU News Service

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Photo courtesy KU Athletics

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he KU 2020 senior class honored Matt O’Reilly, associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering, with the 2019 H.O.P.E. Award — to Honor an Outstanding Progressive Educator.

The H.O.P.E. Award is given annually through the Board of Class Officers and is the only honor given to a faculty member by the senior class. O’Reilly was announced as the 2019 winner during the Oct. 5 football game against Oklahoma.

O’Reilly teaches civil engineering courses in the School of Engineering. “Dr. Matt” is described as an exemplary professor and a “genuinely good person” whose open-door office hours policy includes dropping whatever he’s doing to give a student his full attention.

In a nomination letter, a student described how O’Reilly drove to campus on a Saturday to explain a topic “because, as he put it, it was better expressed in person.”

Since 2011, O’Reilly has been a faculty member at KU, where he researches corrosion, durability of materials and bond strength of reinforcing steel. He advises students on the university’s concrete canoe team and Engineers Without Borders.

“I’m incredibly honored to receive the H.O.P.E. Award,” O’Reilly said. “To have the students I’ve worked with come together and say that they appreciate what I do to this extent has left me awestruck and speechless.

I’m grateful to all of them and am happy to continue teaching at KU.” O’Reilly is a KU alumnus, having earned a master’s degree and doctorate in civil engineering from the School of Engineering.

Associate Professor of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Matt O’Reilly was recognized with the 2019 H.O.P.E. Award during a break in the action of the October 5, 2019, KU football game.

“TO HAVE THE STUDENTS I’VE WORKED WITH COME TOGETHER AND SAY THAT THEY APPRECIATE WHAT I DO TO THIS EXTENT HAS LEFT ME AWESTRUCK AND SPEECHLESS.”

FACULTY NEWS

KU Professor Appointed to President’s Science Advisory Board

by Joe Monaco

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KU Engineering professor was appointed in November 2019 by the president of the United States to serve on a national science and technology advisory board.

Shannon Blunt, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, was named to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) by President Donald Trump.

PCAST is a presidential-level advisory council of science and technology leaders from the private sector and academia who provide advice about science, technology and innovation on topics critical to national security, the economy and health.

“I am deeply honored by the opportunity to serve this country in the furtherance of science and technology,” Blunt said.

PCAST includes 16 members in addition to the chair of the council. The inaugural meeting took place in November 2019.

“Professor Blunt is a globally renowned researcher whose work benefits society in meaningful ways, and he is a terrific choice for this important advisory position,” said Arvin Agah, dean of the KU School of Engineering. “Professor Blunt’s appointment to this council serves to further elevate the research profile at the University of Kansas and the School of Engineering, and is a reminder that KU is home to some of the world’s top scholars. We are proud of Professor Blunt and look forward to his contributions to this council and the nation.”

In addition to his role as a professor, Blunt serves as director of the university’s Kansas Applied Research Lab and the Radar Systems Lab. He is recognized internationally for his expertise in radar and remote sensing, with specific research interests including adaptive signal processing for radar and communications, array processing, interference cancellation, waveform diversity and design for physical systems, and spectrum engineering.

Blunt is chair of the Radar Systems Panel of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and serves on the Board of Governors for the IEEE Aerospace and Electronics Society. Previously, Blunt spent three years in the Radar Division of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Blunt has made major contributions to radar technology via his publication of more than 150 articles and 11 book chapters, two books, his 16 patents/patents-pending, and his receipt of the Fred Nathanson Memorial Radar Award and IEEE Fellowship for contributions to radar waveform diversity and design.

Shannon Blunt

PCAST OVERVIEW According to the White House press release, PCAST is a presidential-level advisory council of the nation’s science and technology leaders from the private sector and academic communities who provide advice about science, technology and innovation on topics critical to the nation’s security and economy, and the health and welfare of the American people. Among other areas, the council provides policy recommendations on strengthening U.S. leadership in science and technology, building the workforce of the future, and supporting foundational research and development across the country.

PCAST was launched by executive order in 2001, formalizing a process that had been in place through many previous administrations to advise the president on matters involving science, technology, education and innovation policy. The council provides the president with scientific and technical information to inform public policy relating to the U.S. economy, the U.S. worker, national and homeland security and other topics. The council includes distinguished individuals from sectors outside the federal government and represents diverse perspectives and expertise in science, technology, education and innovation.

The council is chaired by Kelvin K. Droegemeier, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Other members of the council include: Catherine Bessant, chief technology officer, Bank of America Shannon Blunt, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, University of Kansas H. Fisk Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer, S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. Dario Gil, director of research, IBM Research Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, Professor of Engineering at The Ohio State University Sharon Hrynkow, senior vice president for medical affairs, Cyclo Therapeutics A.N. Sreeram, vice president and chief technology officer, Dow Chemical Shane Wall, chief technology officer and global head of HP Labs, HP Inc.K. Birgitta Whaley, director of quantum information and computation center, University of California, Berkeley

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FACULTY NEWS

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS Seven engineering faculty members were awarded promotion and tenure in 2019-2020.

Faculty promoted to full professor James Stiles, electrical engineering and computer science Faculty promoted to associate professor with tenure Juan Bravo Suárez, chemical and petroleum engineering Masoud Darabi, civil, environmental and architectural engineering

Huazhen Fang, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, received faculty fellowship from the Army Research Lab. Ken Fischer, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the bioengineering program, was appointed a KU Senior Administrative Fellow in 2019.

David Griffin, chemical and petroleum engineering undergraduate laboratory director, was selected as the 2020 recipient of the Bob & Kathie Taylor Excellence in Teaching Award.

Huazhen Fang, mechanical engineering Alexandra Kondyli, civil, environmental and architectural engineering Brian Lines, civil, environmental and architectural engineering Guanghui Wang, civil, environmental and architectural engineering

Perry Alexander, distinguished professor of electrical engineering and computer science, won the Irvin E. Younberg Award in Applied Sciences, a Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Award.

Jie Han, professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, and Bob Parsons, professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, received the Sweet 16 Research Award from the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials for a project on design and load rate of buried culverts and pipes. Han also won the Robert M. Koerner Award from the Geosynthetic Materials Association and was nominated to the GeoInstitute Board of Governors.

Admin Husic, assistant professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, was selected as an NSF National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Early Career Scholar.

Christopher Allen, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and Blake Bryant, professor of practice in electrical engineering and computer science, finished in the top five in a Department of Defense hackathon in June 2020.

Shawn Keshmiri, professor of aerospace engineering, was one of nine KU faculty members awarded funding from KU’s Center for Undergraduate Research to enhance research opportunities for more students through new classroom initiatives promoting best practices, sharing learning models and refining the focus of their classes.

Alan Allgeier, associate professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, received a two-year, $110,000 grant from the American Chemical Society and a one-year, $43,000 grant from the Kansas Corn Commission.

Alexandra Kondyli, associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, received the Greek Diaspora Fellowship to work with the National Technical University of Athens.

Dave Darwin, distinguished professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, was named an “Icon of Education” by Ingram’s Magazine in March 2020.

Carlton Leuschen, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, was named director of KU’s Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) in February 2020.

Chris Depcik, professor of mechanical engineering, was named a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Jian Li, associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, was named a Rising Star in Civil and Structural Engineering by the Zweig Group.

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FACULTY NEWS

Karen Nordheden, associate professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, received a prestigious Chancellors Club Teaching Professorship in 2019, which recognizes outstanding KU educators for their dedication to excellence.

Elaina Sutley, assistant professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, was recognized with an Early-Career Research Fellowship from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in 2019. She also received a $367,889 award from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in renewed funding for the Center for Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning.

Bob Parsons, professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, received a prestigious Chancellors Club Teaching Professorship in 2019, which recognizes outstanding KU educators for their dedication to excellence.

Candan Tamerler, associate dean for engineering research and professor of mechanical engineering, will serve a four-year term as a member of the Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering Study Section, Center for Scientific Review.

Steve Randtke, professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, was inducted as a Fellow by the Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professors. He was also elected vice president of the American Water Works Association.

Andrew Williams, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, was selected to the Association for Computing Machinery’s Education Advisory Committee.

Mark Shiflett, Foundation Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, was awarded a $577,391 RAPID Manufacturing Institute grant from the Department of Energy.

Photo by Cody Howard

Suzanne Shontz, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, is principal investigator on a $251,147 grant from the Army Research Office for a project titled “Graphics Processing Unit Infrastructure for Massively Parallel Computing Research.”

Susan Williams, professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, received the Del Shankel Teaching Excellence Award from KU Athletics.

KU’s 2019 David Shulenburger Award for Innovation & Advocacy in Scholarly Communication was awarded posthumously to James Sterbenz, professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science.

Sterbenz passed away in February 2019.

Belinda Sturm, a professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, was one of three KU faculty members selected as an associate vice chancellor for KU’s Office of Research. She also was co-author on a paper that received the Water Environment Research 2019 Best Paper Award.

NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick, seated, prepares to take the Jayhawk Motorsports Formula car for a spin on KU’s West Campus during a visit in October 2019.

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CROCHETING ENGINEERING STUDENT BECOMES VIRAL SENSATION

by Joel Mathis

16 | FALL 2019

Image Courtesy: ESPN

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ntil the fall of 2019, Hailey Solomon had never been to a college football game. And the game she did attend?

She only stuck around for a quarter or so.

That was all it took to make her a viral sensation.

Solomon, a senior in civil engineering from Oswego, was caught by ABC’s cameras during a rain delay during the KU-Oklahoma game. She sat alone, crocheting. Video of her unexpected cameo quickly rocketed around the internet, journalists tracked her down and she was featured within days on the websites of national publications like People Magazine and The Athletic.

“Not all heroes wear capes,” a Minneapolis radio station declared on Twitter.

After the hubbub started to die down, Solomon was amused by the attention — and trying to keep it all in perspective.

“I don’t know if I’d call it fame, but it’s a popular story right now,” she said.

Solomon, in fact, was at the game for purely academic reasons. Matt O’Reilly, an associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, was being honored by KU’s senior class with the 2019 H.O.P.E. Award, which honors an “outstanding progressive educator.” Solomon — who has worked with O’Reilly as an advisee student and research lab employee — nominated him for the award and was on hand to see him receive it.

“I didn’t have any interest in the game,” she said. “I just wanted to support Doctor Matt. They caught me.”

Solomon said O’Reilly encouraged her soon after she arrived at KU and quickly became overwhelmed by the demands of the engineering program.

ESPN’s tweet of Hailey Solomon knitting in the stands during the October 5, 2019, KU football game led to brief internet stardom for the civil engineering senior.

“You can absolutely be successful in engineering because engineering, like everything, is so much more than it appears,” he told her. “It’s not just math and science; It’s writing, communication, teamwork, design and so much more. You can’t judge yourself based on what you’re not, otherwise you’ll never accomplish anything. You have to make decisions based on what you’re good at and get help with the rest.”

Solomon wrote of that moment in her award nomination.

“This advice has stuck with me,” she said, “and I know it will continue to impact me for the rest of my life.”

After the game, she added: “You can go in any time during the day and he’ll drop what he’s doing to help you. He treats everyone around him with genuine kindness and genuine concern. I’m really thankful for that.”

O’Reilly was honored during the game and Solomon headed home soon after he was recognized. That’s when she found out that she was becoming Internet Famous.

“When I got home, and my sister texted me: ‘Hailey is this you?’” Solomon said. “She sent me an article. Everything blew up from there.”

Twitter users might have been amused, but crochet is an important part of Solomon’s life. She is a co-founder of KU’s Warm the World, a club that teaches attendees to knit and crochet and then donates all the handcrafted items to the homeless. When the cameras found her, she said, “I was making a potholder for my lab coordinator.”

Solomon said she expected her moment of viral fame to pass quickly.

“I’m really grateful if a 30-second video of me crocheting brings people joy, but I still have my life to live and work to do,” she said. “I can’t let it change my perspective.”

But there probably aren’t many football games in her future.

“Nothing about this experience has changed my ability to understand football,” she said. “I’ll keep crocheting, but not at a football game.”

Photo by Cody Howard

Hailey Solomon, left, knits with other members KU’s Warm the World club. Solomon co-founded the club to knit and crochet items like scarves and mittens to help the homeless through winter months.

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STUDENT NEWS

Aerospace Engineers Claim Top Honors at International Design Competition

by Joel Mathis

U

niversity of Kansas aerospace engineering students won three awards at an aerospace design competition held by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), extending a long run of KU excellence at AIAA events.

Nathan Simon and Jacob Rogers took second and third places, respectively, in the undergraduate individual aircraft competition, while a KU team led by Jacksen Goyer took third place in the graduate team engine design event.

The awards were announced in September 2019.

“The effort our students put into these design competitions is extraordinary, as is the systems engineering insight they gain in such a short time frame,” said Rick Hale, chair of the Aerospace Engineering Department at KU. “It is truly validating when industry experts consistently agree that the product of our student scholarship ranks among the best in the world in these design competitions.”

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE WINNERS Students in the undergraduate aircraft design competition were challenged to build a drone aircraft capable of surveying 100 miles of power lines in a single day. Nathan Simon, a native of Chanhassen, Minnesota, who graduated in spring 2019, turned to nature for inspiration, dubbing his design “the Pteslasaur,” a lightweight craft with wings made of a flexible membrane that resembles a pterosaur, an extinct flying reptile. The craft was designed to be folded and stored in the 18 | FALL 2020

back of a standard pickup truck for easy transportation between work sites.

“My approach with this was definitely a unique design,” Simon said.

“The ability to use the membrane on the wing for flight was biologically proven millions of years ago,” Simon wrote in his design report. “There is also current research looking into using the membrane for the wing structure, so this concept can be used in place of the traditional airfoil wing structure used in most aircraft. Transportation of the aircraft and mission supplies will be using the Ford F-150, so the purpose of the membrane wing is to reduce the packing volume of the aircraft.”

Simon is now pursuing a master’s degree at Georgia Tech.

Jacob Rogers, a Lawrence native and recent graduate, also tried something unusual in his drone design: Two fuselages — one with an engine and a propeller, the other with a sensor pod to do the line surveying.

“It was kind of a unique design.

I felt like for that competition there were a lot of cookie-cutter-type planes, and I wanted to cut free from that,” he said. “I think that’s what made it stand out enough to get selected at least for third place.”

Jacksen Goyer, meanwhile, led a six-person team of students to design a new hybrid — part electric and part gaspowered — engine for a long-endurance search-and-rescue drone capable of loitering for more than 20 hours at a time. The team designed their entry with high-temperature materials and coatings in order to let the engine run at higher-than-normal temperatures, helping drive down the weight and fuel consumption of the engine.

“One of the harder parts of the problem was weight,” said Goyer, a Kansas City, Kan., student now pursuing his master’s degree at KU. “They wanted to make it as light as possible, as small as possible and as fuel efficient as possible. It was a challenge, an impossible design task.”

Not entirely impossible — the KU team took third place in the event.

Other members of the team were Tim Aiken, Anthony Bendure, Blake Hartwell, Ryan Niday, Jameson Poth and Charles Richmond.

The students involved in the winning teams said they learned new lessons about the craft of engineering while preparing for the competition.

“It definitely showed you how much — areas where you have to make compromises is a big part of that,” Rogers said. “You can spend as much time as you have in any one part of it, but you have to know where to make the sacrifices and put your energy so you can make the best product you can.”

Simon said backing from KU faculty was helpful during the process.

“Having professors be interested in our projects really helped,” he said.

“It gives a chance to do more learning beyond our coursework. That really set me up to apply that knowledge into a unique design.”

The aerospace engineering program at KU started winning AIAA awards in 1969. Today, KU students have claimed more first, second and third place aerospace design awards than any other university in the world — and nearly three dozen such awards just since 2012.

STUDENT NEWS

KU Engineering ‘Hackathon’ Earns National Ranking

by Joel Mathis “First and foremost, it’s important for students at the university because it gives students the opportunity to learn outside the classroom setting,” Luo said. “It’s a great way for students to network with companies and faculty.

It’s also mutually beneficial for the university, because it gives us exposure to talented students in the area as well as companies that are interested in hiring KU students.”

HackKU’s hackathon in 2019 allowed time for technical workshops.

Prizes for event winners included an Oculus Go virtual reality headset and a GoPro Drone.

“We had a really strong showing from KU and a bunch of other universities. We had about 230 participants from KU and universities throughout the Midwest. That number was a lot higher than we were anticipating,” Luo said. “That really helped our ranking.”

He added that the event was a learning experience for the student organizers.

“In terms of planning, I’d say leadership is the number one thing everyone on the board took from planning the event,” he said. “Not only did the participants get a lot out of the hackathon, but so did the people who planned it.”

HackKU hosted another successful hackathon in February 2020.

©2020 University of Kansas/Meg Kumin

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U put on one of the nation’s top “hackathons” during the 2018-19 school year, a national organization has announced.

Major League Hacking, which provides resources to hackathons and ranks them, placed KU 25th among all North American schools for the hackathon it staged in 2019.

The university’s ranking was aided by a stellar attendance score, which incorporates the attendance at KU’s hackathon as well as the number of KU students who attend other MLH-recognized hackathons. KU’s attendance score ranked 13th among the North American schools.

“I think they were happy with our performance,” said Harrison Luo, a recent graduate in computer science who served as the 2018-2019 Chair of HackKU, which sponsored the 2019 event. “This is our first real breakout year.”

Hackathons have been described as “invention marathons.”

Teams of students — high school, undergraduate or graduate — gather in one spot for several days to apply their coding and other technical skills to create ideas for apps, websites, robots and more. Major League Hacking is the umbrella organization for the events and oversees more than 200 hackathons a year. The event also allows students to collaborate with area tech companies that sponsor the event and help provide prizes for the hackathon winners.

Students problem-solve during a session in LEEP2 at the 2020 KU hackathon. The university recently received a top 25 ranking for the quality of its hackathon in 2019.

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STUDENT NEWS

KU Student Works to Solve Challenges at International Engineering Competition

by Joel Mathis

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fter attending the Global Grand Challenges Summit in London in fall 2019 during his senior year, KU Engineering student Gyasi Talib knows one thing: He can go toeto-toe with some of the top students in the world and hold his own.

“There were Ivy League schools there, students from top schools in London and China, and I was able to compete,” said Talib, a recent graduate in architectural engineering, after returning from the gathering.

“He kind of put KU on the map,” added Andrew Williams, KU’s associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion and the Charles E. and Mary Jane Spahr Professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, who also attended the summit in September 2019.

The Global Grand Challenges Summit was jointly hosted by the U.S., U.K. and Chinese academies of engineering. The event brings Photo submitted by Andrew Williams

together more than 900 of the world’s top engineers to brainstorm and present ideas to help solve the “Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st century,” a list of 14 goals created in 2008 to improve life on the planet. Among those goals: create better medicines, improve urban infrastructure, prevent nuclear terror and create methods to capture and store excess carbon dioxide to stem and reverse climate change.

A “Student Co-Lab” was held in the days leading up to the summit, in which multinational teams of engineering students were given less than two days to come up with a product and a business plan to address one of those 14 challenges.

Presentations were limited to four minutes, followed by a three-minute Q&A with judges.

Talib was on a team that placed in the top four out of 50 participating in the competition — 300 students in all — resulting in a chance to present their ideas to engineers at the main summit.

“It was pretty intense,” said Williams, who mentored a separate team. “They didn’t have much time to do it. They did it within 36 hours. So I basically coached a team of students to come up with an idea, Gyasi Talib, right, 2020 architectural engineering graduate, a prototype, a solution and Andrew Williams, associate dean for diversity, equity and and business plan.” inclusion, traveled to London in fall 2019 to participate in the Global Grand Challenges Summit. Talib was on a team that placed in the top four at the competition.

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“Our product was an app. It is a competitive tool that gives incentives for people to recycle,” said Talib. The app’s ability to track recycling would make it easier for big companies — particularly coffee companies like Starbucks — to connect their supply lines to sustainable sources, he said, and would also reward individuals who do the recycling.

The judges were impressed with the product, Talib said, but also his team’s plan to market it to the public. “I think, after speaking with everybody there, going into an entrepreneurial trade is something I’m suited for,” Talib said.

“That’s something I didn’t realize until this event.”

Williams said Talib has been an active participant in programs offered by iHAWKE, the School of Engineering’s diversity program, that give students a chance to compete and create ideas to help communities that need assistance. Those offerings helped prepare Talib for the international competition.

“The IHAWKe-a-thons gave me experience in leadership and public speaking, which helped in London,” Talib said.

“Not only did he understand the process, but he had really good people interaction and leadership characteristics,” Williams said. “He definitely contributed to the winning presentation. It shows we have very talented, very diverse students from the University of Kansas School of Engineering.”

STUDENT NEWS

KU Engineers Without Borders Assists Two Bolivian Villages

by Joel Mathis Submitted photo

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team of KU Engineering students went to Bolivia in summer 2019 to build clean bathroom facilities for two villages.

Nine students and two mentors in KU’s Engineers Without Borders chapter visited the villages of Azacilo and Colani in August 2019. The two communities are about a five-minute walk from each other, located high in the Andes Mountains at more than 12,000 feet.

Students built solar-heated showers in Azacilo; in Colani, they built an “eco-latrine.”

“Our goal was to fulfill their need for bathrooms and to keep pollution out of the streams and waterlines,” said Allyson Steinmetz, a senior in mechanical engineering from Shawnee who served as president of the service club for the 2019-20 school year.

KU’s Engineers Without Borders club has been visiting Azacilo for more than a decade. Early projects helped bring running water to the remote village — during the last two years, however, students have built nine of the solar-heated showers. The system involves building a water tank on a home’s bathroom roof; the water is then gravity-fed through PVC lines into the shower.

“The only other option is putting a bucket on top of a roof, which would be their way to shower,” Steinmetz said.

“We came up with a design to provide hot water the cheapest and most efficient way we could.”

Steinmetz said the villagers will be able to construct their own showers going forward. “We’ll be able to hand them the materials and the design,” she said, “and they have the complete capability to build anything.”

Members of KU’s Engineers Without Borders group traveled to Bolivia in August 2019 to build clean bathroom facilities for two remote villages.

Over in Colani, students built their second eco-latrine in two years. The latrines are built out of cinderblocks and bricks, and they include both a solar shower component and a composting section underneath to handle waste.

Steinmetz said she enjoyed her time with the village residents as part of the projects.

“They are so appreciative and so welcoming to us when we get there,” she said. “They provide us with a place to sleep and food to eat. They take good care of everything we make, and they appreciate us and never fail to show us that.”

She said students also learned to better handle engineering challenges on the spot.

“When you’re in the communities and come across a problem like a leaky showerhead, you have to think through the problem and come to a conclusion like, ‘Oh, there’s minerals in the water and that is the reason for clogging of

the shower head,’” she said. “The onsite decision-making is a pretty good skill to have.”

The students were accompanied to Bolivia by Corey Behrens, program director for the Self Engineering Leadership Fellows Program, and Stephen Collins, a member of the Kansas City chapter of Engineers Without Borders. The KU chapter of Engineers Without Borders was formed in 2008, and participates in service projects both internationally and in the United States.

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STUDENT NEWS

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS Bailey Banach, a Ph.D. student in bioengineering, won first place in KU’s Three Minute Thesis competition for her presentation titled “The World’s Smallest Game of Chess: Engineering Antibody Proteins.”

Bioengineering Ph.D. student Aparna Chakravarti received a one-year, $20,000 fellowship from the American Association of University Women.

Architectural engineering major Toni Englund was named a University Scholar and received a $1,500 scholarship from KU.

Darene Essa, a junior in mechanical engineering, was one of 15 KU students selected to the university’s Global Scholars Program, which recognizes students for their demonstrated interest in global and international studies and potential for high academic achievement and leadership.

Brittany Kracht, a recent graduate in civil engineering, received a $1,000 scholarship from the Kansas Chapter of the American Public Works Association.

Hao Liu, a Ph.D. student in geotechnical engineering, received a $5,000 fellowship from the Geosynthetics Institute for his research proposal “Internal Reinforcement of Abutment Backfill to Mitigate Bumps at the End of Integral Bridges.”

2020 environmental science master’s degree graduate Chelsea Linvill received the J. Lloyd Barron Award.

Charles Mohr, a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering, took second place in the Student Paper Competition at the 2019 IEEE Radar Conference.

Civil engineering major Grace Ewell was named a University Scholar and received a $1,500 scholarship from KU.

Abby Percich, an undergraduate student who works in a lab in civil, environmental and architectural engineering, won the KU 2020 Student Employee of the Year Award.

Erika Ibarra, a recent graduate in electrical engineering and computer science, received a $2,000 scholarship from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) Power and Energy Society Scholarship Plus Initiative.

Sal Rahmani, doctoral student in aerospace engineering, received honors during the 17th annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit in Topeka for the project “Reduction of Supersonic Jet Noise by Modifying the Nozzle Exit Geometry.”

Pamela Johnson, graduate student in chemical and petroleum engineering, was selected as an American Chemical Society Chemical Abstracts Service Future Leader.

2020 environmental engineering master’s degree graduate Stacy Tinner received the Bruce W. Long Scholarship.

Electrical engineering and computer science graduate student Christian C. Jones won second place in the 2020 IEEE International Radar Conference Student Paper Competition. Jones’ paper was also a top five finalist for the Best Paper Award at the 2019 IEEE Radar Conference in Toulon, France.

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Swarnagowri Vaidyanathan, a doctoral student in bioengineering, received honors during the 17th annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit in Topeka for the project “Development of Nanofluidic Device for Detecting Cancer.”

STUDENT NEWS

Karen Vazquez, a senior in civil, environmental and architectural engineering, was awarded a $34,000 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Engineering students Chenhui Liu, Dawson Rooney and Jarrett Zeliff are among the six KU students selected to be on the inaugural varsity Jayhawk Esports team.

Students from KU earned honors in two competitions at the ASCE Geo-Institute National Student Competition in February in Minneapolis. A team formed by civil engineering Ph.D. student Sarah Morton Rupert and visiting students Chen Chen and Fengjuan Tao won first place in the GeoVideo competition. Tanya Walkenbach won the GeoShirt award for the second straight year.

Submitted Photo

A team of KU Engineering students qualified for nationals after winning a regional “traffic bowl” competition in June 2019.

“This was a huge win for all of us,” Nikhila Gunda, third from left, holding trophy, said after KU won the Midwestern District Traffic Bowl, sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Engineers. KU previously won the regional competition in 2009, 2011 and 2014. The regional win qualified KU for ITE’s grand championship, where eight other regional champions — including one from Canada — also participated. The University of Texas-Austin was named grand champion.

KANSAS ENGINEER | 23

Photos ©2020 University of Kansas/Andrew Lee

Engineering Students Design Adaptation to Help Kayaker Who Uses Wheelchair

by Joel Mathis

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here are few things that David Hosch loves more than getting in his kayak and getting out on the water. But getting his kayak to the water hasn’t always been easy for the 36-year-old Olathe man.

Hosch uses a wheelchair, the result of an accident when he was young. “I was injured when I was 6,” he said. “I was riding my bike. I was run over by a delivery truck. It crushed my pelvis, and that did all sorts of damage. The doctors had to amputate my left leg.” His right leg was also badly injured in the accident.

For much of his life, then, the decision to go kayaking has been more complicated than he would like.

“Using a normal kayak is easy for me,” he said. “The harder thing is transporting it. I’d have to climb on top of my van and strap it down up there. Getting it to a lake or a river, getting it from the car to the water, those were the biggest impediments to me being able to kayak on my own.”

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A group of engineering students in their senior capstone project engineered a solution to allow a paraplegic kayaker the ability to kayak independently.

Thanks to a group of KU engineering students, Hosch no longer has to worry about being independent when he wants to get on the water. Those students designed and built a special adaptation to a trailer that lets Hosch load and unload his kayak on his own.

“I can’t express enough how awesome it is,” Hosch said.

The process started in the summer of 2018, when Hosch — searching for a solution to his problem — contacted the School of Engineering. “I cast a line out,” he said. “I didn’t know if anything was going to come of it.”

As it happened, KU had for several years run what it called the “BREAK Program”— the acronym for Biomechanical Rehabilitation Engineering Advancement in Kansas — which had been funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation to provide customized design services to individuals with disabilities and was overseen

by Ken Fischer, director of KU’s Bioengineering Program.

Through that program, a student team that took on the design as part of its capstone project, in which seniors in the School of Engineering are required to participate in a design-build project to complete their degree requirements.

“Those kids took the lead,” Hosch said.

“We started with sitting down and talking with David about what he was looking for, why he wanted this,” said Luke Lindemann, a 2019 graduate in mechanical engineering from Andover who helped lead the team. “At first it wasn’t a kayak trailer — at first it was just about going kayaking on his own without any outside help. He wanted the freedom of going on his own. It was pretty evident that David enjoys the freedom kayaking brings him. We wanted to make this dream of his come true.”

Getting from that hope of freedom to the end product took time. Lindemann’s team visited with Hosch, and spent time watching as he went kayaking.

“We went to the lake a few times and saw his current process,” Lindemann said. Hosch, he said, would have somebody strap the kayak to the top of his van. Once at the lake, Hosch would crawl out the car window, undo the straps holding the kayak, and push the craft to the ground.

After watching Hosch’s process, the KU students brainstormed ideas. They considered several alternatives — including a foldable kayak and a Go Kart-style amphibious kayak — before settling on a trailer as the most efficient answer. “We wanted to do the most cost-efficient,

most time-efficient and most reliable way to get him in the water,” Lindemann said. “Most of the other ideas, we needed a trailer anyway.”

The group found and purchased an aluminum trailer online, then modified it to assist Hosch, adding a winch and a special tie-down system that is easy for Hosch to use.

Now when Hosch goes to the lake, he backs the trailer to the water, slides off the kayak, and is ready to go.

“It’s definitely a learning process. But it works really well,” Hosch said. “I was able to get the kayak out on the water — it worked wonderfully.”

“I wanted to have the chance to wake up on a Saturday morning and say, ‘I think I’m going kayaking today,’” he added, “and now I have the ability to do that.”

For Lindemann and his team — including Austin Young, Janelle Lee and Varun Abraham — the project was a “heartwarming and fun” lesson they’ll be able to take forward into their careers as engineers.

“One of the biggest lessons I learned was that as an engineer, I was overthinking the process,” Lindemann said.

“It helped to communicate with David — the biggest lesson I learned was communication.”

Thomas H. DeAgostino, P.J. and Barbara Adam Associate Professor of the Practice in the School of Engineering, said such projects benefit all the participants — both the students and the people, like Hosch, they help.

“One of the things we try to teach our mechanical engineering students is that the skills you learn, and your knowledge, should benefit humanity,” he said. “A lot of times the things we do like this can be life-altering for the individual.”

The six-year NSF grant that funded the BREAK Project has ended, but DeAgostino and Fischer said university officials have decided to continue the program while searching for a new source of funding. “We took it upon ourselves to do these things,” DeAgostino said. “There are so many benefits all around, it makes sense to continue.”

Hosch, meanwhile, is simply glad to have acquired a bit of additional independence.

“It allows me to do something I’ve wanted to do, but haven’t — under normal circumstances — been able to do. It means the world to me, honestly,” he said. “The team of kids I worked with, they were fantastic. I hope they earned an A.”

KANSAS ENGINEER | 25

RESEARCH NEWS

KU Engineering Lands $3M Interdisciplinary Grant from National Science Foundation

by Joel Mathis

T

he University of Kansas has been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop an innovative new graduate training program that combines the disciplines of chemistry, chemical engineering and computer science.

“It’s a big win for the university,” said Kevin Leonard, an associate professor in the School of Engineering’s Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.

He will lead the new program for KU’s Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC).

Catalysis is the process of altering a chemical reaction — fermenting wine to make vinegar, for example. At more complex levels, catalytic processes are often used in industrial manufacturing.

CEBC’s goal is to develop costcompetitive chemical manufacturing processes that prevent waste and conserve natural resources.

Catalytic research can be a timeconsuming, hit-or-miss affair, Leonard said. The grant — which will be parceled out over five years — is aimed at helping make the process more efficient.

“One of the grand problems with catalysis in general, is it’s very Edisonian,” Leonard said, referring to the inventor Thomas Edison. “You try something and it works, then you try something else to see if it works. What we want to embark on is if we can use artificial intelligence — machine learning — to rationally guide catalysis design.”

The new NSF Research Traineeship program trains graduate students to

26 | FALL 2020

collaborate at the interface between chemistry, chemical engineering, computer science and data science to explore uncharted territories in all of the related disciplines. While students traditionally specialize in one area, this new grant encourages students to work across disciplines, Leonard said.

CEBC will be joined by faculty from the Information and Telecommunications Technology Center in developing the new curriculum, Leonard said.

“It’s going to be the first program at KU that combines these two centers,” he said. “It’s going to offer students a very unique training experience to prepare them for great jobs in the future.”

Leonard said KU hopes to have 50 students go through the new program in coming years — half of whom would be funded directly by the NSF grant. More than 100 students overall will benefit from enhanced classes and seminars developed for the program, as well as through newly created networking events with industry leaders.

“It’s going to allow us to recruit some of the best and brightest students,” Leonard said.

KU has expanded its commitment to — and footprint in — catalysis research in recent years in several ways, including new faculty hires with expertise in this field. In addition, Alan Allgeier, associate professor of chemical engineering, and Bala Subramaniam, Dan F. Servey Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and director of the CEBC,

helped create the Great Plains Catalysis Society, a coalition of industry and academic experts from across the Kevin Leonard region. The new group held its first gathering in Spring 2018.

In 2019, several other key faculty collaborators were awarded a large grant that complements the research in the new NSF grant. Marco Caricato, Ward Thompson and Brian Laird, professors from KU’s Department of Chemistry, won a four-year, $1.6 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop algorithms and software for challenging chemistries.

The result, Leonard said, should vault KU to the forefront of discovery in catalysis research and machine learning.

“This prestigious graduate certificate program distinguishes KU as one of the top places in the country students will go to get these 21st century skills,” Leonard said.

KU was one of 17 institutions across the United States to receive funding under the NSF’s Research Traineeship program. A total of $49 million was awarded to develop and implement graduate education training models in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

RESEARCH NEWS

Research Center Planned to Help Companies Protect the Internet of Things More Effectively

by Brendan Lynch

M

ore and more, the internet connects to devices in our homes, our offices and even to critical infrastructure that supports the American way of life.

Yet, this snowballing interconnectivity of devices and systems — dubbed the “Internet of Things” or “IoT”— suffers from security vulnerabilities that leave people, companies and governments open to cyberattack from bad actors. Some liken the IoT tech frontier to a “Wild West.”

A planning grant from the National Science Foundation awarded in late 2019 enables researchers from KU Engineering to design a multiinstitutional Center for HighAssurance Secure Systems and IoT (CHASSI) that would partner with private firms in the Kansas City area and across the United States to boost security of IoT products and systems ranging from medical devices to energy grids, real-time financial markets and national-defense infrastructure.

“The center would be built around this notion of cybersecurity for highassurance systems and the Internet of Things,” said Michael Branicky, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at KU. “We mean missioncritical items — so we’re not talking about using cryptography to secure cat videos. We’ll be working with people who manufacture things like medical devices, where it’s critical to a company’s business that these be secured. We’ve got five university partners, and KU is the overall lead institution.”

Under the NSF grant, KU’s partners in the CHASSI include the University of Minnesota, Syracuse University, Case Western Reserve University and

Indiana University, each of which brings a distinct set of expertise, potential industry members and regional industrial strengths to the CHASSI partnership.

“These are institutions that we have research relationships with or that have key expertise related to this area,” Branicky said. “Case Western Reserve University has expertise in the manufacturing and energy applications and industrial controls. Indiana University has done a lot in privacy and usability of IoT devices on the consumer side — for instance, they have a lab where they tested a toy bear that has a camera connected to the internet.

You know, parents might want to know if somebody would be seeing where their child is in the house and what they’re doing. Syracuse University has a lot of expertise on certified security by design, where you formally construct proofs of the performance of the systems, and they’ve mainly done this for the military and the government, but they want to branch out to also doing this for companies. And then the University of Minnesota has expertise in the medical device area.”

Branicky’s co-investigators on the planning grant from the KU School of Engineering are Perry Alexander, AT&T Foundation Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and director of the Information and Telecommunication Technology Center; Victor Frost, the Dan F. Servey Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and Bo Luo, professor of electrical engineering and computer science.

At KU, the IoT cybersecurity researchers will leverage strengths in cybersecurity within the School of Engineering. For instance, the NSF CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program; students working toward undergraduate and graduate certificates in cybersecurity; the KU student cybersecurity group, the JayHackers (advised by Luo); and joint cybersecurity exercises of KU students with soldiers from Fort Riley and local high school students. Further, the researchers will tap diversity programs collected under IHAWKe (Indigenous, Hispanic, African-American and Women KU Engineering) to advance diversity and outreach and join with KU’s Women in Computing group to identify student researchers.

Branicky said researchers would conduct a planning workshop and submit a final proposal to NSF in 2020.

Michael Branicky KANSAS ENGINEER | 27

RESEARCH NEWS

KU Engineering Launches New Satellite Design and Development Lab

by Joel Mathis

A

new laboratory that opened in fall 2019 at the KU School of Engineering provides a stateof-the-art environment for aerospace engineering students to design and build launch-worthy satellites.

The Hill Space Systems Laboratory in Learned Hall features a 12-by12-foot clean “white room” where students don protective clothing while they build nano-satellites, which weigh in at just under 10 kilograms, for a planned launch into Earth orbit. A second room in the same lab is stocked with computer equipment so students can design and test their creations.

“We’re hoping to have student satellite launches — microsatellites, nanosatellites — every other year,” said Rick Hale, chair of the Aerospace Engineering Department at KU. KU engineering students have long sought to build and launch their own small satellite into space. In 2006, there were plans to launch a satellite under the CubeSat program, which launches “nano-satellites” from universities and other institutions across the country.

Those plans called for the satellite to be launched from Kazakhstan, aboard a Russian rocket, but that launch failed on the way to orbit.

More recently, a student-led team had an application accepted to participate in NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI), which launches small payloads beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

CubeSats are built in units of 10-by-10by-11 centimeters and contain as many as six units.

The KU satellite is built on a platform provided by Tyvak Nanosatellite Systems, whose chief operating officer, Marco Villa, was the student who led KU’s 2006 launch effort. The satellite contains three units: • An energetic particle detector, provided by Lawrence company Fundamental Technologies, led by an adjunct professor in the Department of Physics.

• A primary cosmic ray detector that will help scientists determine how exposure to cosmic radiation will affect a future manned mission to Mars.

Photo by Cody Howard

Aerospace engineering students at work in the Hill Space Systems Laboratory shortly after it opened in fall 2019. The lab provides new opportunities for students to build and launch their own small satellite into space.

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• An instrument that provides calibration signals from space for a particle detector, located deep within the Antarctic ice, that collects information on ultra-high-energy cosmic rays arriving at Earth, thereby helping physicists understand how galaxies have evolved over the last 1.3 billion years.

The new laboratory is part of an effort at KU to expand its prestigious aerospace program to include more programming for students interested in space exploration. The School of Engineering also hired a new faculty member to aid in the effort.

“About half of incoming students are interested in astronautics and about half are in for aeronautics.

NASA is very good at inspiring the next generation,” Hale said. “Then there is an increase in jobs and opportunities as well. So there has also been an increase on the outgoing side of students who want to work in this space.”

The new laboratory was made possible by a gift from Ron Hill, president of the Hemco Corporation in Independence, Missouri, and his wife, the late Sue Hill, as well as a matching gift from Hemco. The couple also made possible the Hill Engineering Research and Development Center, which opened at KU in 2013.

“They’ve been stalwart supporters of the School of Engineering,” Hale said. “This gift can be transformational for our department.

This enables us to do something that we couldn’t have done before.”

RESEARCH NEWS

With New NSF Grant, Firm Aims to Cheaply Produce Hydrogen For Consumers Via ‘Water Splitting’ Breakthrough

by Brendan Lynch

A

startup firm with roots in the University of Kansas School of Engineering and Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis will leverage a two-year, $750,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation to advance technology that can broaden the popularity and ease of owning cars with hydrogen fuel cells, while also making hydrogen production friendlier to the environment.

Avium LLC, headquartered at KU’s Bioscience & Technology Business Center, is developing a dual element matrix (DEM) water electrolyzer — a ground-breaking device to generate hydrogen from water using electricity at a much lower materials cost. The invention has potential to transform markets for hydrogen in transportation, as well as other markets, including glass manufacturing, power-plant turbine cooling, pharmaceutical

manufacturing and semiconductor processing.

Avium LLC was founded in 2017 by a KU doctoral student in chemical engineering, Joe Barforoush, and his faculty mentor Kevin Leonard, associate professor of chemical and petroleum engineering. They hope to be a leading innovator in the fast-growing $100 billion hydrogen generation industry.

“Joe and I developed new materials to produce hydrogen and oxygen from water using electricity,” Leonard said.

“Right now, in California and some places in Europe and in Japan, you can buy hydrogen-fuel-cell electric vehicles.

Instead of being powered by a battery, they’re powered using hydrogen and a fuel cell. They have a lot of advantages, including faster charge times and a longer range. But one of the disadvantages is that the number of fueling stations is insufficient to support the number of hydrogen

Dicklyon, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

A hydrogen fueling station in Saratoga, California. The station is being supplied by a hydrogen delivery truck, but new technology from Avium LLC could make on-site hydrogen generation possible instead.

cars on the road in California. What we want to do is develop an on-site hydrogen generator for fueling stations for fuel-cell electric vehicles. They can essentially just take water and electricity — which is already available there — and generate hydrogen on demand instead of having a truck in from a chemical plant.”

The new NSF Phase II SBIR grant will enable Avium to build a larger prototype of the DEM water electrolyzer and perform field testing at a working hydrogen station. This new grant builds on work Barforoush and Leonard performed under a prior NSF award.

“We interviewed over 130 people in the hydrogen industry and people who own hydrogen-fuel-cell cars now in California,” Barforoush said. “People talked about shortages — there was actually a shortage while I was there.

I would be at one hydrogen refueling station, and people would say, ‘This is the third station I’ve been to and I’m still not even able to get fuel here.’

There would be huge lines, sometimes with vehicles on the tow-truck beds in line because that’s part of the manufacturer’s deal — free towing if they can’t find fuel.”

Today, over 95% of hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels at chemical plants, and the majority of hydrogen at fuel cell vehicle refueling stations is trucked in from these plants — a fact the duo behind Avium hopes to change.

“Hydrogen is a commodity chemical,” Barforoush said. “The hydrogen refueling stations are at the bottom of the supply chain because they have relatively low demand right now. Chemical plants meet everyone else’s demand before supplying the

KANSAS ENGINEER | 29

RESEARCH NEWS

fueling stations, which are kind of just out of luck if there happens to be a shortage. Cost-effectively producing hydrogen on-site from electricity and water could eliminate the logistical issues of delivered hydrogen while also allowing for greater utilization of renewable electricity.”

The idea of water splitting on-site using an electrolyzer isn’t a new one.

However, current electrolyzers capable of producing hydrogen from water on-site are too costly due to materials required by their design. The dual element matrix pioneered by Avium solves this problem.

“Traditionally, in order to split water into hydrogen and oxygen very expensive metals are required — things like platinum, which is very rare and very expensive,” Leonard said.

“What we’ve been able to do is design a catalyst that works just as well as platinum but uses elements such as iron and nickel and cobalt, which are much more abundant elements. It’s a materials advance that we’ve made and now we’re taking those materials and putting them into a new device. We call it the dual element matrix because it’s a material with a matrix composition.

Iron isn’t as good as platinum, nor is nickel as good as platinum, but if you mix them together in the right proportions, in the right way, they have a synergistic effect on each other. The two metals acting together gives you this improved performance.”

The work to develop the new electrolyzer will take place at the BTBC in KU’s west district, steps from the Leonard Lab in the School of Engineering and the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis.

Indeed, a $130,000 sub-award of the NSF Phase II SBIR grant will go directly to KU. “My lab is part of the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis,” Leonard said. “Our work under this new grant fits perfectly with the strategic mission of the CEBC — we’re implementing a new environmentally friendly process.”

Under the NSF grant, Avium and KU researchers will synthesize the DEM catalysts and fabricate these electrodes on an industrial scale; characterize the relationship between electrode architecture and kinetic and mass-transfer limitations; and identify the electrode architecture,

stack compression and flow rates required to translate the performance of these electrodes to an industrialsized prototype that can be tested in a California station.

Five positions at Avium will be supported through the NSF grant.

Moreover, Avium’s technology holds potential to boost the regional economy along with the consumer market for hydrogen, creating more jobs in northeast Kansas during the economic downturn triggered by COVID-19.

“This has been great in terms of both the BTBC facilities we have, but also because it enables such close collaboration with KU,” said Leonard.

“Both NSF projects, the Phase I and Phase II, are joint projects between Avium and my lab at KU. So, we have the ability to have both a laboratory and an incubator space for a startup company in close proximity to the university. This has potential for some great economic impact.”

“THIS HAS BEEN GREAT IN TERMS OF BOTH THE BTBC FACILITIES WE HAVE, BUT ALSO BECAUSE IT ENABLES SUCH CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH KU.”

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RESEARCH NEWS

New Technology Could ‘Transform’ Hydraulic Fracturing, Make Unconventional Reservoirs Development More Efficient

by Brendan Lynch

H

ydraulic fracturing, popularly known as “fracking,” has brought about a new era of energy abundance in the United States, slowing American dependence on foreign oil and creating domestic jobs.

KU researchers earned a $3.5 million grant in 2019 from the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy in partnership with the Houston-based E&P company EOG Resources and in collaboration with the University of California-Los Angeles to develop a new Smart MicroChip Proppants technology that could make unconventional reservoir development by hydraulic fracturing more efficient for energy producers.

When water is forced into shale rock to produce networks of cracks for extraction of oil and gas, those cracks are held open with sand or other materials, called “proppants.” Masoud Kalantari, KU assistant professor of chemical and petroleum engineering and director of the Computational Earth Science and Smart Analytics Lab, aims to develop “smart microchip proppants,” or sandgrain-sized microchips to be injected into unconventional reservoirs with traditional proppants to give well operators unprecedented precision in visualizing fracture networks in real-time.

“The impact would be transformational,” Kalantari said.

“During the past 10 years or so, since the shale boom started in the

United States, companies have drilled thousands of unconventional horizontal wells in unconventional reservoirs.

Technically, when we frack, we’re pumping water mixed with sand called ‘proppants’ to keep those fractures open — but we don’t know exactly the geometry and extent of those fractures.

This project offers an innovative and breakthrough technology for improved subsurface fracture characterization, visualization and diagnostics of unconventional reservoirs.”

Kalantari said he envisioned a “closedloop fracture diagnostic and modeling architecture for enhancing fracture design and optimizing well spacing.”

“The innovative element of this battery-less sensor technology includes real-time, cost-efficient, high-resolution and ‘direct’ fracture mapping with varying microchip sizes that match different proppants sizes — as small as 100 mesh size,” Kalantari said.

Kalantari will perform work under the new DOE grant with co-principal investigator Shahin Negahban, KU associate professor of chemical and petroleum engineering.

Kalantari developed the grant proposal in response to a DOE Advanced Technologies for Recovery of Unconventional Oil & Gas Resources funding announcement. He said it represents the largest grant to KU as a lead institution from the Office of Fossil Energy since 2010.

“This has a huge impact on KU’s reputation when we get such a big project,” he said. “It’s going to be a platform for us to go for the next funding opportunity, and we can ask for more for the next project. This is a game-changing project, elevating our prominence.”

Additionally, the new grant will provide for jobs, research opportunities and training for doctoral students and researchers under Kalantari’s supervision.

“This project is part experimental, modeling and also part field execution, so full-time Ph.D. students and researchers will, of course, get practical training and have the chance to work on a novel project that’s not only interest of Department of Energy, but is of interest to almost all major and midsized energy companies in the U.S.,” Kalantari said

Masoud Kalantari

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DIVERSITY

KU Engineering’s Diversity and Women’s Programs Earn National Acclaim

by Joel Mathis

E

fforts to attract and retain an increasingly diverse student population have earned national recognition for the KU School of Engineering.

The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) announced in 2019 that KU is one of 74 institutions across the country to receive a bronze rating as one of the “nation’s leaders in inclusive excellence.” This is ASEE’s first time rating schools through its Diversity Recognition Program.

“For the three years I’ve been here and the team we have, it means our work is paying off,” said Andrew Williams, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion in the School of Engineering. “The support we receive from the dean, our alumni, donors and industry supporters is really starting to show positive results, so we’re happy about that.”

Schools were chosen for bronze status—the highest available classification during the review period—based on their ability to “make significant, measurable progress in increasing the diversity, inclusion, and degree attainment outcomes of their programs,” according to ASEE. KU was one of 28 schools to also receive “exemplar” status, which allows it to seek a silver rating during the next round of reviews.

“It is an honor for KU to receive such high-profile recognition in this inaugural round. We also realize that in order to receive the next level awards, we have more work to do and that all of our faculty, staff and alumni 32 | FALL 2020

will have to grow and be involved,” Williams said.

Other schools that received “exemplar” status included Duke University, Texas A&M University, the University of Southern California, the University of Maryland-College Park, the University of California-Berkeley and Georgia Tech.

“If you look at some of the institutions that are highly recognized in academics, institutions that are known for their outreach efforts, that’s really rewarding to be on the list,” Williams said. “We are recognized for going above and beyond maybe what some others are doing.”

Williams, who arrived at KU in Fall 2017, said the school’s undergraduate enrollment of women and underrepresented minorities had grown by 5.9% and 4.1%, respectively, from 2017 to 2019. The number of minority students seeking a graduate degree in engineering rose from 32 to 40 during the same time.

“From a numbers perspective,” Williams said, “it seems like our efforts are making an impact.”

Williams and his team have overhauled the school’s diversity programs since his arrival at KU. They started with rebranding those programs under a single umbrella, IHAWKe, which stands for Indigenous, Hispanic, African-American and Women KU Engineering.

Since then, IHAWKe has worked to retain current students through mentoring and tutoring programs, begun outreach to low-income and minority students in middle school

and high school through its KUEST program, created summer acclimation opportunities for new students before they start class, organized hackathons to given students hands-on experience with engineering projects and worked to connect existing undergraduate students to summertime research opportunities. IHAWKe has also brought in guest lecturers and created a visiting scholar program that gives students more exposure to top minds in the engineering field.

“We have found that we are impacting the lives of students that did not see themselves as engineers or students at KU,” Williams said in a blog post announcing the ASEE recognition.

IHAWKe is the latest iteration of diversity efforts in the School of Engineering. In 1971, the school established the Student Council for Recruiting, Motivating and Educating Black Engineers, SCoRMEBE. Over the years, those efforts grew to include other minority student organizations under the Office of Diversity and Women’s Programs.

IHAWKe’s constituent groups include the American Indian Science & Engineering Society, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers.

DIVERSITY

Twelve Engineering Students Named Multicultural Scholars

by Michelle Tevis

T

he KU School of Engineering named its first group of undergraduates to the Multicultural Scholars Program in summer 2019.

Twelve students were named to the program, which includes a $1,000 scholarship and expanded opportunities to network with other diverse students on the KU campus. KU has supported its Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP) for more than 25 years — the School of Engineering joined the initiative in 2019 from IHAWKe, the school’s diversity outreach program.

“What’s nice about this program is that the students will get a lot of the benefits of what we do in IHAWKe, but they’ll build relationships with multicultural students across campus,” said Andrew Williams, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion in the School of Engineering.

Williams and Angela Sublett Knight, program coordinator for MSP, IHAWKe and diversity and women’s programs, will serve as co-directors of the Multicultural Scholars Program.

The inaugural group of Multicultural Engineering Scholars were transfer Luis Belmontes, Kayla Castillo, Darene Essa, Matheson A. Heras, Erika Ibarra, Nia Jackson, Leslie Laguna, Gita Regmi, Ty’Quarius Robinson, Erin Sturd, Gyasi S. Talib and Ngan Tran.

The Multicultural Scholars Program at KU supports the recruitment, retention, academic success and career preparation of underrepresented, Pell

IHAWKe Indigenous | Hispanic | African-American | Women | KU | engineering

Grant-eligible and first-generation undergraduate students. The program exists under the direction of the Provost Office for Diversity & Equity.

The program connects students to a small community of others within their respective academic units and to a broader group of students and former students across disciplines that, collectively, provide an active and coherent social and professional network.

The program is open to undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and who are part of underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups, are firstgeneration college students, or who have high financial need as defined by Pell Grant eligibility.

“We’re excited,” Williams said. “It’s another great example of the School of Engineering, the dean and the provost’s office doing something new to help these engineering students that are in these minoritized populations.”

KANSAS ENGINEER | 33

A LAUGHING MATTER? KU AEROSPACE GRAD LAUNCHES SUCCESSFUL STANDUP COMEDY CAREER IN HIS NATIVE MONGOLIA

by Joel Mathis

A

former KU aerospace engineering student has become one of his nation’s leading innovators in an unexpected field: comedy.

Ider-Od Bat-Erdene attended KU from 2006 to 2011.

He returned to his home country of Mongolia to work on Boeing jets for an airline there before shifting his career into entrepreneurship — and, eventually, into telling jokes before audiences.

“Mongolia’s first comedy club was called UB Comedy Club. UB stands for an abbreviation for our city’s name, Ulaanbaatar. It was just one person in that tiny comedy club in the basement,” Bat-Erdene said on a return visit to KU in September 2019.

“I would finish work and go down there and do comedy for 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and then there would be like five to 10 people regularly,” he said. “I would do it three times a week, and then the audience got into larger number — like 20 to 30 people — and then we got four other comedians along the way. And then it became like this full-scale comedy band kind of group.”

Standup comedy is still a relatively new art form in Mongolia, Bat-Erdene said.

“It’s just standard American format,” he said. “It’s basically like direct import of culture to Mongolia. But it works.”

He stumbled onto comedy during his time at KU: Friends encouraged him to participate in a talent show at an international student retreat held in the Colorado mountains.

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“I was the only guy from my country, and all the other countries had prepared dance, singing, like all other forms of talent. And I did not have any of them,” Bat-Erdene said. “And then my friend from Kazakhstan, she gave me this idea: ‘You have some pretty cool anecdotes. Just say something funny.’”

It worked.

“People really liked it and they laughed hard,” he said.

“And these two American students came up to me after my performance and asked me if I knew anything about standup comedy. ‘You should surf the Internet and then watch some videos.’ That’s how I kind of discovered this.”

But he didn’t jump directly into comedy. First he had to finish his aerospace engineering degree — a challenging task.

“Everything we learned — from day one to the fifth year — it made perfect sense in the end,” he said. “Until then, I was kind of in like complete uncertainty.”

He did well enough to get the job as a maintenance engineer on Boeing airliners following graduation. After that, he moved into entrepreneurship, helping co-found CallPro LLC, a Mongolia-based company that focuses on telecom technology and digital advertising.

It is in comedy, though, that he has started to make a name. He recently appeared on a television show, “The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan,” and his Instagram account has more than 344,000 followers. Videos online show him performing — in his native language — to laughing, appreciative crowds.

Photo by Cody Howard

2011 aerospace engineering graduate Ider-Od Bat-Erdene has taken a bit of a different career path than most alumni. He’s launched a successful standup comedy career in his native Mongolia, and is shown here during a 2019 visit to KU.

Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, a professor of aerospace engineering, isn’t surprised that Bat-Erdene has journeyed from engineering to comedy.

“I think most of the general public would agree that comedians are very smart people,” Barrett-Gonzalez said.

“I think it’s natural a smart person could be a natural at aerospace engineering, then turn around and be a good comic. Ider-Od’s communication skills are excellent, so he connects not just with engineers but with the public.”

He added: “We are immensely proud of him.”

Bat-Erdene says he still uses his KU degree — albeit more for his ongoing entrepreneurial efforts in the telecom industry than in comedy.

“That’s the question I get asked a lot. I believe that I still use it,” he said. “You know, most people think that aerospace engineering is about this wing structure or landing gear. But the beauty of aerospace engineering is that all types of technologies, when they are the most expensive, penetrate into aerospace industry first and then they slide into other industries.”

He added: “Now I work in software development and telecom sector. Which involves a lot of server engineering and cloud computing. All this stuff were used in aerospace engineering and then I studied about it at school.”

Bat-Erdene hopes to bring his brand of comedy back to America someday.

“I’m gonna do more in English now,” he said of his routine.

“That’s my dream. If there’s a possibility out there, I would like to perform in America. But it will take time.”

Find Bat-Erdene at @iderodcomedian on Instagram and @iderodbaterdene on Facebook.

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ALUMNI NEWS

Endowed Professorship to Honor Legend in Environmental Engineering

by Joel Mathis

A

longtime KU environmental engineering professor is being honored with an endowed professorship in his name.

The friends and family of Ross McKinney, who developed and directed the university’s environmental engineering program during a tenure that lasted more than three decades (1960–1993), raised the funds to honor McKinney’s career and legacy.

“Professor McKinney is extremely deserving of this recognition. He has left an indelible mark at the KU School of Engineering and in his field. A named professorship in his honor helps elevate the stature of KU Engineering, and I thank the alumni who took the initiative to make this a reality,” said Arvin Agah, dean of engineering. After a recent trip to meet McKinney in North Carolina, Agah remains “deeply impressed by Professor McKinney’s professional and academic accomplishments, as well as his warm and generous nature.”

McKinney came to KU to develop the Environmental Engineering Graduate Program, which grew into an internationally recognized degree program. The program integrated science and engineering — a “multidisciplinary” approach decades before such cross-disciplinary practices were common.

“He is a legend — well-liked, well-loved by his students and many professors on the campus,” said Murli Tolaney, a former student of McKinney who — along with fellow classmate Bob Agnew — led efforts to raise funds for the professorship. “We should have done this many years ago.”

McKinney’s research focused on the biological treatment method for industrial and municipal wastewater known as “activated sludge,” and he helped the profession move from more of a trial-and-error method of sizing wastewater treatment facilities to a method that produced consistent and repeatable optimized results. Those results led international technical journals to name him the “Father of Activated Sludge.”

He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Association for Advancement of Sciences.

“If you had to pick five people as legends in the environmental engineering field, he would be one of them,” said Tolaney, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental and civil engineering at KU. “He invented a lot of things in the environmental engineering field.”

Among students and faculty at KU, he was also known for his humor and mentorship of young engineers. In 1992, he was recognized for his career contributions to KU when he was awarded the Chancellor’s Club Career Teaching Award. In 2016, he received a Distinguished Engineering Service Award, the highest honor bestowed by the engineering school.

“The way he taught his students molded them. Many of his students went on to be environmental directors, CEOs, chief operating officers, all kinds of things,” Tolaney said. “At times, he was tough and opinionated. We would laugh and challenge him, but it was a good way to learn.”

“My dad’s life work was focused on his curiosity to learn new information as it pertained to environmental engineering,” said Margo McKinney-Kane.

“He loved nothing more than encouraging his students to push their boundaries to explore new ideas. He liked applying these ideas to real-world solutions. And it was the

Ross McKinney 36 | FALL 2020

ALUMNI NEWS

“HE IS A LEGEND … WELL-LOVED BY HIS STUDENTS AND MANY PROFESSORS ON THE CAMPUS.”

University of Kansas that provided him the opportunity to carry out his dreams. Our family still feels rooted in Lawrence; we love our Jayhawks.”

The endowed professorship is intended to permanently raise the profile and ensure the long-term stability of the environmental engineering program at KU. The endowment will cover a salary supplement and discretionary funds for a full professor in environmental engineering, and the position’s focus is intended to be on water quality.

McKinney’s family also contributed funds to the endowment.

“My mother always liked to give anonymously, but she said in this case that it was key for others to understand how

important this endowment is for our future. Engineering plays a valuable role in taking care of the environment, and this ensures that KU students will have access to groundbreaking science,” McKinney-Kane said.

Teaching and research professorships are supported by endowed funds established by donors to KU Endowment.

KU Endowment is the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU.

Photo by Cody Howard

Ross McKinney, center, holding statuette, is surrounded by former students at the 2016 Distinguished Engineering Service Award banquet.

KANSAS ENGINEER | 37

ALUMNI NEWS

Orth Stresses Mentoring, Positivity at Tiberti Lecture

by Joel Mathis

B

eing a successful engineer isn’t all that different from being a starting college quarterback, says one KU Engineering alumnus.

“Some of those life lessons I learned — 11 players on the team all run the same play,” Mike Orth told School of Engineering students in October 2019 at the annual J.A. Tiberti Family Lecture. “We all have roles and responsibilities — as you’re a young engineer, understand what your role and responsibility is on your team.”

Orth, an executive vice president and executive managing director for Black & Veatch, played quarterback for KU while he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from KU in 1988 and 1989, respectively.

He was the ninth speaker in the annual Tiberti series. During his speech, “Leaning In: Owning Your Career,”

Orth encouraged students to accept future challenges and opportunities.

“You’re all great students,” Orth said. “You all have a great opportunity in front of you. Continue to work extremely hard in everything you do and great things will happen to you, individually and personally — but not all things go as planned.”

He offered several pieces of advice to students planning their careers, including: Learn to communicate: “You’ve got to be comfortable with getting in front of a crowd and speaking,” he said. “We’re all technologists, we’re very technical communicators. We have to break down conversations so the general public can understand what we’re talking about.

And that’s one of the biggest skill sets that will elevate you through your career as fast as you can.”

Photo by Cody Howard

Mike Orth, KU engineering alumnus and executive vice president and executive managing director for Black & Veatch, addresses students in Spahr Classroom during the 2019 J.A. Tiberti Family Lecture.

38 | FALL 2020

Find a mentor: “Find a mentor within your organization — whether it’s within your employment or whether it’s in your community, your church, or whatever organization you donate your time to — find a mentor that has about five years worth of experience on top of your experience, wherever you are in your life,” Orth said. That person “is to help you through the short-term pitfalls of where your career could go, where it might go and what development opportunities do you need.”

Approach work with an even keel: “As a leader, it’s so important to cast a very positive and upbeat shadow, because you never know who’s looking at you,” he said. “If I have a really tough day and I have a project that is struggling ... I can be very disappointed with the team’s outcome of that, but I can’t let my attitude at that point in time impact the rest of the organization, because no matter where you’re at somebody is looking at you.”

Orth oversees the Americas region of Black & Veatch’s water business, which includes approximately 50 offices. Through its water business, the company helps public and private entities successfully develop, enhance, manage, design and build their water, wastewater and stormwater facilities and infrastructure.

The Tiberti lecture series was begun in 2011 through a generous contribution from members of the Tiberti family to the KU Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering. Topics focus on ethics, ingenuity, entrepreneurship and issues for the education, personal growth and professional development benefit of students.

ALUMNI NEWS

Scholarship Created to Honor Late Professor, Support Study of Power Systems

by Joel Mathis

A

pair of alumni have established a new scholarship to honor a former KU Engineering professor who died in 2014.

Brian and Helen Burke gave a gift in early 2020 to establish the memorial scholarship fund in architectural engineering, named for longtime Professor Tom Glavinich, who served as a full-time faculty member from 1992 until his death. He specialized in teaching power systems analysis.

“We really wanted to do something to honor him, and it just worked out really well,” said Brian Burke, who attended KU from 1987 to 1992, earning his bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering. He is now the director of energy engineering at New York University, overseeing the university’s efforts to make its campus carbon neutral by 2040. His wife, Helen, earned her bachelor’s degree in architecture from KU in 1994 and is now director for M Moser Associates in New York.

Glavinich’s long association with the university began as a student in the 1970s. After earning his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from KU in 1976, Glavinich worked for a number of prominent firms in the Kansas City area, including Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell and Hallmark/Crown Center Redevelopment Co. He also

earned an MBA from KU, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri and a doctorate in engineering from KU in 1990. At KU, he was a H.O.P.E. Award finalist in 2008. He received the Bradley Award for Excellence in Teaching from the School of Architecture, Design and Planning in 1999 and the Gould Award for Distinguished Service To Undergraduate Education from the School of Engineering in 1995.

“I think my first class with him was in fall of 1989,” said Brian Burke. “He wasn’t just teaching out of the book.

He could always give an example from experience that he had encountered.”

Burke added: “I think the strength of the architectural engineering program was that it always combined theory with the real world. Dr. Glavinich was the embodiment of that. He really loved what he did, and that came through.

It’s hard to get students excited about power systems. He did it.”

The Burkes’ gift through KU Endowment creates an endowed scholarship; awards to students will be funded from the interest that accrues on the main fund. The fund will be used to provide scholarships for students majoring in architectural engineering — with a preference for a student interested in the study of power systems — in the Department of

Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering in the School of Engineering at KU. “If anything, we hope this encourages somebody to go into power systems,” Brian Burke said. “But we also want to help students — tuition has increased quite a bit since we were in school, so every little bit helps.”

Along the way, too, they hope to honor Glavinich.

“He made such a difference in my education and my career, so we thought it was fitting to set this up,” Brian Burke said. “There are quite a few students I think would say, ‘Dr. Glavinich made a difference to me and my career.’”

KU Endowment is the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fundmanagement organization for KU.

Tom Glavinich

KANSAS ENGINEER | 39

www.kuendowment.org/your-gift

Fuel the Future “Being part of KU’s small satellite team is an excellent opportunity to be on the cutting edge, which is what every engineer wants.”

Arno Prinsloo KU graduate student and KUbeSat team leader

KU Engineering students are preparing for challenging careers, pioneering new technologies and developing solutions to the world’s problems. What they’re learning today will ensure a better tomorrow for all of us.

Support their learning and research opportunities with a contribution to KU Endowment at kuendowment.org/your-gift.

ANNUAL GIFTS

Donor Recognition — Fiscal Year 2020 The high-quality engineering education that KU provides would not be possible without the generous assistance of its alumni and friends who’ve given to KU Endowment. Thank you to the following individuals and organizations who have supported the KU School of Engineering, its departments and students from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020.

Lifetime Giving Members of the Premier Society have provided distinguished levels of support for the KU School of Engineering year in and year out. We are proud to recognize their friendship and loyalty.

DEANS CLUB PREMIER SOCIETY Donors who through their lifetime of support have contributed $100,000 or more to KU Endowment for the benefit of the University of Kansas School of Engineering.

Paul J. Adam * & Adrienne Zimmerman Adam * Barbara Mills Adam & P. J. Adam * Frank W. Addis, PhD & Judith Boyer Addis Virginia L. Brunette-Allen & James B. Allen * Robert J. Allison Jr. & Carolyn Grother Allison Adaline L. Ames * Rajagopalan Ananthanpillai & Radhika Rajagopalan William B. Anderson * & Ruth Spotts Anderson * Jane V. Barber * & Richard A. Barber * Maynard Paul Bauleke, PhD * & Virginia Bauleke * Clarence J. Beck * & Hazel M. Beck * Barbara A. Becker & Frank J. Becker * Henry H. Benjes, Sr. * & Helen Crosby Benjes * Bob Benz & Janet B. Benz Thomas L. Biggs * & Vicki J. Biggs * John V. Bossi * Michael J. Bradley & Susan Fink Bradley William W. Brown Clara E. Buck * & William Emanuel Buck * Norman L. Carroll * & Virginia Morie Carroll * Dr. E. Eugene Carter Carl C. Chaffee * & Catherine Clark Chaffee * Paul Chang Masakazu Chikira Thomas W. Childers & Dorothy Brown Childers Joseph A. Christy & Annabel Christy Arthur D. Clark * & Lillian French Clark * Frances Constant * & John L. Constant * Linda Zarda Cook & Steven R. Cook Scott Coons & Elizabeth Green Coons William C. Crabb * & Carol L. Crabb * Wesley G. Cramer * & Mrs. Wesley G. Cramer * David Darwin, PhD & Diane Mayer Darwin * Erwin David * & Esther Souget David * Leatha Sanford Davison & Joseph W. Davison * Alan F. Deaver * & Susan Martin Deaver * Edward R. Downs * & Katheryn Hancock Downs * Marlene J. Dunwoodie & Duane E. Dunwoodie * Robert J. Eaton Alfred Gerald Ferguson * John P. Fowler II & Doris M. Fowler William E. Franklin * & Marjorie Heard Franklin * Dean R. Frisbie & Florence W. Frisbie * Jayne B. Garrison & Walter R. Garrison * Harry T. Gibson & Becky G. Gibson Anne Underhill Gove * Richard M. Haden & Treva Haden * Rolland M. Hamilton * & Mary Eva Hamilton * Richard R. Hargrove & Karen A. Hargrove Richard L. Heiny, PhD & Suzanne N. Heiny Dorothy M. Hellman & Paul L. Hellman *

Lester E. Hey * & Anna Kuntz Hey * Joel D. Hill & Brenda Hill Ronald E. Hill, PE & Sue Hill * Dr. Kenneth J. Himmelstein * Thomas T. Hirst & Alisa S. Hirst Forrest E. Hoglund & Sally S. Hoglund James Boyd Holecek * Zachary D. Holland & Melissa L. Holland Elizabeth A. Hoover & Richard H. Hoover * Steven B. Hurt & MaryJane J. Hurt Dean L. Hutchinson * Sally L. Jennings * Arthur St.Clair Johnson * & Helen May Johnson * George R. Jones * & Martha M. Jones * Goldie Field Jones * Robert W. Keener & Barbara J. Keener * James E. Kegerreis Charles W. Keller * & Marie T. Keller * Charles W. Keller * & Sydney Keller * Robert A. Kipp & Deborah Y. Kipp Robert A. Kleist & Barbara L. Kleist * James M. Kring Jr. & Donna M. Kring J. Bert Ladd & Doris Flood Ladd Harold D. Lamping * & Janice A. Lamping * Donald H. Landauer * & Mae Chetlain Landauer * Luceil Lehnhoff * Silvester C. Leonard * Bernard Levine * Kenneth R. Lewis * & Helen E. Lewis * Kenneth R. Lewis * & Patricia J. Lewis * Wilbur V. Lewis * & Martha Compton Lewis * A. Harold Long * & Mrs. A. Harold Long * John W. Lonnberg * & Ethelyn Soper Lonnberg * Robert S. Lukenbill * & Jenny Lukenbill * Bruce A. Lutz, PE & Michelle West Lutz Max Lynn *& Shirley Taylor Lynn* James A. Mandigo * & Helen Jedlicka Mandigo * Craig L. Martin & Diane H. Martin Leon V. Mason * Brian A. McClendon & Beth Ellyn McClendon Ross E. McKinney & Margaret C. McKinney * Konni Roach McMurray & Brian L. McMurray H. Ronald Miller & Sandra K. Miller John J. Miller * & Margaret R. Miller * Paul W. Miller * & Virginia Bassett Miller * Paul H. Mitchell & Nancy Mauree Mitchell * Richard K. Moore, PhD * & Wilma S. Moore * Mrs. Maria Everett Mullins * Karim W. Nasser, PhD George E. Nettels Jr. & Mary Joanne Myers Nettels * Michael C. Noland, PhD & Karen Dicke Noland Marvin R. Nuss & Hazel Best Nuss Michael A. O’Bannon * Patrick R. Oenbring & Brenda Austin Oenbring Garrett E. Pack & Linda Daniel Pack Robert P. Peebler & Susie Mastoris Peebler Ted K. Pendleton & Marlene McGregor Pendleton Edwin R. Phelps Jr. * & Martha Fay HutchisonPhelps *

Harold A. Phelps & Donna R. Brady-Phelps Carl O. Pingry III * Mary Ann Powell & Nick Powell Harold P. Reiland Sr. * & Ann Ainsworth Reiland * Allyn W. Risley & Jill Bogan Risley John H. Robinson * & Patricia Odell Robinson * John H. Robinson Jr. & Kyle Simmons Robinson Thomas B. Robinson * & Suzanne Robinson * Stanley T. Rolfe, PhD & Phyllis W. Rolfe Russell T. Rosenquist * David A. Ross & Patricia P. Ross James M. Secrest * & Betty Gunnels Secrest * Madison A. Self * & Lila M. Self * Dorothy J. Shaad, MD * Presson Scott Shane * & Emily Baker Shane * John C. Shawver & Molly Shawver E. Palmer Shelton * & Margaret J. Shelton * Joyce N. Shinn & Michael G. Shinn * Linda Ellis Sims & Russ Sims James E. Smith, PE, MS & Dori L. Smith Robert L. Smith * & Lucille J. Smith * Charles E. Spahr * & Mary Jane Bruckmiller Spahr * Lynne Gerlach Zoellner Stark & Robert L. Stark Alice Ann Jones Stephenson & Wayland A. Stephenson, MD * Bert F. Steves * & Dorothy F. Steves* Gerald A. Stoltenberg James W. Straight, PhD, PE & Roberta Straight Kurt D. Swaney & Julia K. Swaney Robert D. Talty, PhD * & Dorothy W. Talty * Patricia Rozema Taylor * Gregs G. Thomopulos & Mettie L. Thomopulos Stanley S. Thurber * & Alice V. Thurber * J.A. Tiberti Family Zoltan J. Tober * & Addilee Tober * Murli Tolaney & Mona Tolaney Mark W. Tompkins & Dianne E. Tompkins, PhD Nicole I. Kirkpatrick & COL. Kenneth F. Troup, USAF, RET * Frank D. Tsuru & Stephanie K. Tsuru M. Eugene Tunison, PhD & Sheryl A. Tunison Leonel E. Tustison * & Helen L. Tustison * Hobert C. Twiehaus * & Martha Tyson Twiehaus * James L. Tyson * Eli William Ulrich * Harrison D. Underhill * Kyle D. Vann & Barbara A. Vann W.E. Wall Family Joseph L. Welch & Clare A. Welch C. Keith Willey * Fred S. Williams & Anne Proctor Williams Carl A. Wilson * & Myrtle Lutschg Wilson * Christopher P. Winter & Cassondra E. Winter Carol Jean Witter * Lyle L. Woodfin, MD * Riley D. Woodson * & Virginia M. Woodson * Sharon Young & E. Eugene Young *

KANSAS ENGINEER | 41

ANNUAL GIFTS

(Donations from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020)

DEANS CLUB CHAMPIONS Individuals who have given $50,000 or more

DEANS CLUB BENEFACTORS Individuals who have given $5,000 to $9,999

DEANS CLUB DONORS Individuals who have given $1,000 to $2,999

Rajagopalan Ananthanpillai & Radhika Rajagopalan Dean R. Frisbie Ronald E. Hill, PE Lee A. Hoffman & Barbara R. Hoffman Steven B. Hurt & MaryJane J. Hurt Margo McKinney Kane Robert A. Kleist Ross E. McKinney H. Ronald Miller & Sandra K. Miller Karim W. Nasser, PhD Mark W. Tompkins & Dianne E. Tompkins, PhD Frank D. Tsuru & Stephanie K. Tsuru

Bob Benz & Janet B. Benz Bethannie Fought Canter & Jason A. Canter Thomas W. Childers & Dorothy Brown Childers Michael J. Chun, PhD & Bina M. Chun Robert J. Eaton Robert W. Eggert Jr. & Amy H. Eggert Paul B. Fritsch & Michelle Cozad Fritsch Jeff L. Funk Harry T. Gibson & Becky G. Gibson James O. Gibson & Linda Ryan Gibson Zachary D. Holland & Melissa L. Holland Kelsy Jones Holmes & Jonathon P. Holmes Anthony G. Kempf & Teresa Mulinazzi Kempf Alan W. Klaassen Dennis D. Lane, Ph.D. & Kristine L. Lane Kenneth L. Lawrence & Amanda Brant Lawrence Richard F. Luthy Jr. Michael B. Moore, MD Stanley T. Myers & Joan T. Myers Marvin R. Nuss & Hazel Best Nuss Garrett E. Pack & Linda Daniel Pack Jenny Wohletz Pelner & James A. Pelner William J. Penny & Marlene VanGundy Penny Linda A. Poyser Jack P. Reid & Jane L. Reid Allyn W. Risley & Jill Bogan Risley Thomas R. Sheahan & Janet S. Sheahan Charles W. Sigley James E. Smith, PE, MS & Dori L. Smith Ryan C. Spangler & Jill Renee Spangler Bill P. Sterbens & Dana L. Sterbens James W. Straight, PhD, PE & Roberta Straight L.G. Suelter & Micki K. Suelter Allison R. Terry Tito Tiberti M. Eugene Tunison, PhD & Sheryl A. Tunison William C. Walker Fred S. Williams & Anne Proctor Williams Susan M. Worrel & Richard A. Worrel *

Thomas C. Adamec & Diane J. Adamec Arvin Agah, PhD Perry Alexander, PhD & Pamela L. Alexander Wilhelmus A.J. Anemaat, PhD & MaryJo Anemaat Jon B. Ardahl Charles W. Ball & Susanna Mitchel Ball Charles B. Banks Jr., PhD Theodore E. Batchman, PhD & Nancy Leatherman Batchman Stuart R. Bell, PhD & Susan T. Bell William E. Benso & Beverly Runkle Benso Casey R. Biggs & Jacklyn M. Biggs, PhD J. Dennis Biggs, MD & Sheila Pyle Biggs Bertram T. Bone Jr. Gregory W. Botteron, MD Jimmie R. Bowden & Helen J. Bowden Beverly B. Brown Laurence R. Brown Brian J. Burke & Helen Burke John R. Burke & Laura L. Burke Robert T. Burkes Grant M. Canaday Dennis A. Cantrell Andres E. Carvallo & Angela D. Carvallo Stephen R. Cathey & Vicki E. Cathey Angela M. Chammas & George A. Chammas Andy Chapman & Susan Taylor Jana L. Chester William C. Clawson, PhD & Marnie S. Clawson Kevin L. Colebank & Laura Colebank Harold W. Conner Kenneth F. Conrad & Leslie Sauder Conrad George L. Cooper Warren Corman & Mary Corman Thomas R. Creighton & Annette K. Creighton Steven M. Crowl & Sandi Crowl Colin P. Davidson & Mary D. Davidson Robert L. Dellwig Wesley M. Densmore Kenneth W. Dietz Edward W. Dillingham Andrew F. Dracon Linda Dotson Drake Benjamin J. Ewy, PhD & Monica Curtis Ewy F. Joseph Fischer, PhD & Sharen L. Fischer Alice R. Fitzcharles & David U. Fitzcharles Andrew S. Flower & Victoria Flower Jane E. Fortin & Paul E. Fortin, PhD David P. Fritz, MD & Jamie E. Fritz Brad K. Garlinghouse & Kristen Garlinghouse Scott G. Gelb Philip D. Gibbs & Kathleen G. Gibbs Sharon Christie Gidumal James P. Gillespie & Ruthie B. Gillespie Robert W. Givens & Deborah A. Givens Matthew A. Goering & Vanessa R. Goering Sivaprasad Gogineni, PhD & Suseela K. Gogineni H. Lance Goldberg Deena Goodman & Philip J. Goodman Lawrence L. Gore Carol E. Grantham J. Aaron Grantham, MD & Sheila Dillon Grantham C. Patrick Green, MD Gregory S. Grimm & Karen E. Grimm Charles L. Guthrie Jose A. Gutierrez Richard M. Haden & Treva Haden * Douglas H. Hall & Judith K. Hall Terry A. Hammond, DE & Patricia R. Hammond David L. Hanks, PhD & Christine Wasinger Hanks Jerri Runell Hanus & Daniel J. Hanus

DEANS CLUB DIPLOMATS Individuals who have given $25,000 to $49,999 Roger L. Heckman Steve H. Nguyen, PhD Michael C. Noland, PhD & Karen Dicke Noland Mary Ann Powell & Nick Powell Linda Ellis Sims & Russ Sims Ray B. Stroup Jr. & Pamela Stone Stroup Kyle D. Vann & Barbara A. Vann Christopher P. Winter & Cassondra E. Winter Denise Y. Wolfs DEANS CLUB AMBASSADORS Individuals who have given $10,000 to $24,999 James R. Bess Dr. E. Eugene Carter Linda Zarda Cook & Steven R. Cook Dorothy A. Daugherty CDR Robert C. Dees Henry M. Dodd Jr., PhD & Kathie L. Hiebert-Dodd, PhD Brian A. Falconer & Virginia Lamb Falconer Brian D. Farquharson Marj Flemming John P. Franklin Jr. Teresa J. Gaines Curtis K. Harshaw & Janice E. Harshaw Charles L. Hedrick & Dorothy L. Hedrick Richard L. Heiny, PhD & Suzanne N. Heiny Joel D. Hill & Brenda Hill James E. Kegerreis Katherine M. Kline James M. Kring Jr. & Donna M. Kring Kyle A. Mathis & KaRan Mathis Robert J. Matreci Paul H. Mitchell Alan R. Mulally & Jane Connell Mulally Harold A. Phelps & Donna R. Brady-Phelps Stanley T. Rolfe, PhD & Phyllis W. Rolfe David A. Ross & Patricia P. Ross Dave G. Ruf Jr. Jennifer Barber Ruf & Dave G. Ruf III Jerry M. Smith & V. Lee Smith Trevor R. Thompson, MD & Laura Yamhure Thompson, PhD Lakshmi Narasimha R. Viswanadha Thomas K. Washburn & Eileen Washburn James D. Whiteside David R. Zornes & Cynthia L. Zornes

42 | FALL 2020

DEANS CLUB PATRONS Individuals who have given $3,000 to $4,999 Minter E. Brown & Connie Tucker Brown Marci K. Deuth Huazhen Fang, PhD Gary E. Gould & Elizabeth A. Gould Pat Green & Don W. Green, PhD Annabelle Hiegel Timothy S. Isernhagen & Beth Isernhagen Vicki S. Johnson, PhD Roy M. Knapp, DE & Judith Young Knapp Frank E. Komin & Sharon K. Komin John R. McDaniel George R. Milleret Jr. & Anna J. Milleret Michael P. Mills & Marni L. Mills Gregory P. Pasley, PhD & Sonia Martinez Pasley James L. Patton & Marilyn S. Patton James C. Remsberg & Sandra Garver Remsberg John H. Robinson Jr. & Kyle Simmons Robinson Lucas M. Sander Robert T. Smith, PE Ryan E. Vick & Emily Schulte Vick Wilson G. Weisert Jr. & Marsha E. Weisert Kyle K. Wetzel, PhD Joe Wohletz & Mary Wohletz

* Indicates donor has passed.

ANNUAL GIFTS

Karl J. Harding & Cheryl L. Harding Warren B. Harrell Jr. & Pamela Harris Harrell Leaman D. Harris & Judith L. Harris, PhD Albert A. Heckes John P. Hennessy Doug K. Herbers Kimberly Sedberry Hess & Marc T. Hess Michael R. Hess & Kathleen Gilman Hess John E. Hieber Leon Hogan & Linda Callahan Hogan James R. Houx III & Geneva Ewert Houx Leasa E. Huffman & Rick Huffman William J. Hurley & Coleen C. Hurley Thomas L. Jenkins & Judith Ahlborn Jenkins * Gerald E. Jenks & Pamela D. Jenks Heather Ardery Johnson & Tyler M. Johnson Jeffrey L. Johnson & Sybil Meyer Johnson Jeremy Schley Johnson Leland R. Johnson Jr., PhD Daniel L. Jones Thomas E. Jones & Kay L. Jones Robert L. Juett Gordon J. Kauffman Prabhudeva N. Kavi Jack C. Kemp Stephen E. Kibbee Rashima Jamon Kingsby, PE Cynthia Kong Richard T. Konn Gregory C. Krekeler Jr. & Karen Goodyear Krekeler Satish Krishnan Kevin D. Lafferty & Jennifer A. Parks-Lafferty Nancy E. Lambros Les K. Lampe, DE & Karen Craft Lampe Chuan-Tau Lan & Sumy C. Lan Madelyn Brite Larkin Brian G. Larson & Edie Carpenter Larson Richard M. Lee & Robin Walker-Lee Patrick A. LeGresley & Jenny Buontempo LeGresley Leo G. LeSage, PhD & Carolyn Bailey LeSage David W. Levy, PhD Billie J. Lindburg Lance L. Lobban, PhD Sammie R. Locke & Carl E. Locke Jr., PhD VADM Michael K. Loose, USN, Retired & Carol Stejskal Loose Nathan Markham Deborah K. Markley Lorraine Darwin Marroulis & Steve Marroulis Craig L. Martin & Diane H. Martin Rodney A. May & Teresa A. May Bruce F. McCollom, DE & E. Irene McCollom John E. McElhiney, PhD & Annette B. McElhiney James R. Meitl John L. Meyer, Jr. Brad R. Moore, PE Philip B. Moran & Vicki Moran Brandon W. Morel Krista Wendt Murphy & Zach Murphy Michael S. Nickel & Lisa Karr Nickel Javed S. Patel & Armena Patel David C. Pattison & Marilyn Miller Pattison Strauder C. Patton, IV Bethany Anderson Pearson & James D. Pearson, PharmD Richard L. Peil & Janice L. Peil Ted K. Pendleton & Marlene McGregor Pendleton Steven G. Pennington, PhD Kent A. Pennybaker & Janet Knollenberg Pennybaker Robert L. Perkins & Arneda K. Perkins Paul E. Peters, PhD James L. Peterson & Susan McGinley Peterson Matthew B. Petty

Juliette Box Pierce & Jeffrey A. Pierce, PharmD John W. Pope Jarrell J. Priess Connie Estes Puett John F. Remen Loy D. Rickman Jr. & Linda Boekhout Rickman Steven E. Rus & Lynn Nugent Rus Richard J. Schmidt, PhD & Patricia Dorge Schmidt LtCol Zachary T. Schmidt & Nicole Mehring Schmidt Lanny G. Schoeling, DE & Jill A. Schoeling Kurt L. Schueler Benjamin L. Schulte Kirsten Hoglund Schutt Stuart A. Scott Vicki J. Secrest Robert G. Shields & Kathy Shields Charles A. Shoup Raymond J. Shu Robert L. Skaggs Curtis W. Slagell, PE & Gayle Slagell Robert H. Smith, PhD & Margaret Moseley Smith Scott M. Smith James R. Sorem Jr., PhD & Gentra Abbey Sorem Carla Cochran Stallard & G. Scott Stallard Darrell E. Stein, II & Kimberly A. Stein Peter A. Stonefield & Anna E. Stonefield Aruna Subramaniam & Bala Subramaniam, PhD Michael T. Swink J. Angelo Tiberti III & Lindsey Fisher Tiberti, PharmD Aaron C. Tobias & Kimberly Tobias Brian T. Torres & Janel D. Torres Gregory S. Towsley & Julie Ann Towsley Robert D. Tregemba & Kelli F. Tregemba Charles F. Twiss John B. Varberg Kenneth J. Vaughn & Marilyn L. Vaughn Lisa Bessinger Voiles & Paul A. Voiles, PE, PTP Joseph B. Wallace III, PE & Barbara J. Wallace Dr. Zhi Jian Wang & Xiaojie Qu George L. Ward & Peggy Ruth Tilton Ward Robert D. Warder Cary D. Watson Myrl R. Wear & Carolyn J. Wear David B. Weaver & Laurie A. Weaver Douglas J. Weis Frank J. Wewers & Helen Wewers Richard M. Wheeler & Phyllis Wood Wheeler Andrew B. Williams, PhD & Anitra Williams Mark Yeskie, PhD & Janice N. Yeskie Gregory A. Young & Nancy B. Quigg-Young Irvin Edward Youngberg Jr., DE & Diane Youngberg Chi-Liang Yu, PhD Leo W. Zahner III & Margaret Bruggen Zahner Guogen Zhang DEANS CLUB RISING STARS Gifts of $500 or more from alumni who are 35 or younger

Theodore L. Bergman, PhD & Patricia S. Bergman Thomas L. Bishop William H. Boyington Diane M. Brock & Michael R. Brock Alison J. Brown Chris F. Burmeister Robert L. Chaney Andrew G. Colombo & Maribeth T. Colombo James A. Compton David L. Dittemore Gere S. diZerega, MD Laurence A. Eichel & Kathleen L. Hardesty Douglas M. Everhart & Sonja Schonberg Everhart Wayne O. Fink BG Michael C. Flowers, USA, Retired & Lesia Tyo Craig L. Garfield, Sr. & Jane H. Garfield Roger Garvert & Anita Barter Garvert Daniel J. Gleason & Cathy L. Gleason Milton L. Gleason & Deborah K. Gleason Frank E. Gordon, DE & Lynda L. Gordon Michael R. Graham Angela Stutte Grant David L. Grose, DE & Marcia L. Grose Erma E. Heisler Ross G. Holzle & Janis Page Holzle G. Herbert Honnold Emmanuel K. Idun, PhD & Phyllis Afful Idun LT Lairy A. Johnson, USN, Ret. Jean Krueger Cheryl A. Lambrecht Ernest W. Leachty James R. Lemons & Suzanne M. Lemons Paul W. Leupold Matthew Lockhart Steven M. Long Gregory J. Mack & Eva M. Mack Charles E. Mandolia Gerald H. May & Linda Antenen May Timothy A. McFerrin & Cynthia Fraley McFerrin Kenneth C. Medearis Bruce J. Morgan & Lynne M. Morgan Catherine Ray Nance & Terry J. Nance Donald J. Nistler II & Carol Poulson Nistler Michael J. Reynolds Wendy Rosploch David A. Seamans, PhD William P. Service Jr. & Twyla McCubbin Service Mark B. Shiflett Jeffrey A. Smith, PhD Paulette Spencer, PhD, DDS & Lloyd C. Colberg John C. Stover & Kathryn McKee Stover Dina L. Stucker Candan Tamerler RADM James T. Taylor, CEC, USN, Retired & Rosa Lea Taylor Peter A. Trump Jeffrey M. Valentino & Jennifer Zammit Valentino Carl R. Von Fange & Linda D. Von Fange Geoffrey R. Wehrman & Mary B. Wehrman Marvin L. Wilken & Carolyn Penny Wilken William E. Witwicki Marilyn A. Zerwekh & Robert P. Zerwekh

Nicholas M. Davis Nicole L. Rissky Jesse B. Yang

CRIMSON AND BLUE CLUB Individuals who have given $300 to $499

CAMPANILE CLUB Individuals who have given $500 to $999 Robynn Andracsek & Michael E. Andracsek John G. Aunins, PhD & Anne H. Aunins Terry Ryan Axline & Robert M. Axline Jr., PhD * Caroline R. Bennett & Aaron T. Bennett

Edward H. Abbott, PE Griffin L. Adams Larry D. Arnold & Patricia Arnold J. Douglas Ashbrook & Marilyn Stone Ashbrook Robert R. Balsbaugh & Nancy W. Balsbaugh Andrew Banta, DE & Linda Mae Banta David M. Barber & Katherine V. Barber Robert C. Bearse, PhD & Margaret M. Bearse

KANSAS ENGINEER | 43

ANNUAL GIFTS

Creg S. Bishop, PhD Earnest A. Boyns David L. Brackey Peter P. Bringmann Keith A. Browning & Theresa C. Browning John D. Bruce, PhD & Sandra S. Bruce Louis C. Burmeister & Rosalyn E. Burmeister Lee A. Carvell & Brenee R. Carvell Jack P. Chappelle & Rebecca S. Chappelle Earl D. Covington David W. Crook Thomas H. DeAgostino & Laura L. DeAgostino Deborah A. English & Joel A. Crown Penny L. Evans William K. Fonger Thomas R. French & Gayle E. French Shannon E. Giles William J. Glick Michael J. Gormish, PhD & Denise Hornsby Gormish Kathy J. Hagen & Tom Kappelmann James W. Hanke Dwight H. Harrison, PhD William E. Hegarty Robert C. Holder Al Jaymand Tom Jennings & Mary Ann Jennings * Eric J. Johnson Ernest A. Johnston Jr. & Kathy Johnston William T. Keehn & Susan K. Keehn Christopher H. Kennedy & Sarah Mahoney Kennedy Kim S. Kimminau, PhD & Leroy J. Kimminau Jeffrey A. Lanaghan Marvin L. Lindsey Robert D. Marshall & Judy Woods Marshall Grant J. Metsker Larry B. Morgan, PhD & Deborah L. Morgan Richard E. Nelson III & Sharon A. Nelson Jason S. Obermeyer Donald G. Orlowski Joseph T. Pericich & Sigrid A. Pericich Steven B. Pontious Corbin N. Reagan Patrick G. Regan Diane Reilly & Joseph Reilly CAPT Stanley J. Reno, Retired & Marjorie A. Reno Helmut T. Riedinger & Teresa A. Riedinger Tanner J. Rinke Scott A. Roberts, PhD & Christine Roberts J. Joachim Saffert Douglas B. Smith Norvel L. Smith & Linda Lecture Smith Robert D. Stottle Sr. Dean M. Testa & Karen L. Testa John R. Transue & Helen Glynn Transue Donald B. Trust, PhD Douglas E. Ubben Jr. & Megan R. Ubben Bruce E. Vaughn E. James Wilson & Phyllis Frick Wilson Steven L. Wiseman & Linda Jo Wiseman Tanya L. Woolley & Bill Woolley 1865 CLUB Individuals who have given $100 to $299 Joel T. Abrahamson, PhD & Dorea Ruggles, PhD Garry A. Ahlgren & Marlene Ahlgren Alexander T. Alejandro Richard R. Alford R. Tran Alfrey & Barbara Alfrey Gregory L. Allemann Donald R. Allen & M. Jane Allen

44 | FALL 2020

(Donations from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020)

CAPT James C. Allen Alan C. Anderson Philios Angelides James Q. Arnold & Cecilia L. Arnold George R. Ashworth Robert H. Babst Jr. & Amy Bender Babst Shannon Snyder Bachman & Randall K. Bachman Jessica L. Baldwin, PA-C Paul Banzet & Barbara Banzet David M. Barbosa & Lori Marshall Barbosa, DNP William A. Barrow Richard D. Barrows Richard S. Beamgard & Cheryl Tongish Beamgard Joyce L. Bengtson Mary S. Birch Creed E. Blevins Bruce F. Bodecker & Margaret Ann Bodecker Bruce J. Boggs, Jr. & Phyllis L. Boggs Richard W. Bond & Susan Shockley Bond James P. Bornholdt Norman L. Bowers Greggory W. Boyle & Eve Boyle Connie L. Bradburn & Darren L. Bradburn Doug Bradley & Robin Fry Bradley Michael J. Bradley & Susan Fink Bradley Elizabeth S. Brewer Marcus A. Brewer Eric W. Brown Broc A. Burke, PhD, MD Christopher L. Burns Michael S. Burtle & Brenda Burtle Gerald R. Callejo COL Harry D. Callicotte, USA, Retired Theodore J. Cambern Jr., DE & Marcia Alexander Cambern Eric E. Canada Laura E. Carpenter Patrick J. Carroll Ervin L. Cash & Fran B. Cash William Chan Frances Christina Philip E. Ciesielski Kenneth M. Clark Thomas D. Clark Donald L. Coffman & Jane Middleton Coffman Terry D. Collins Edwin M. Cooley & Diana D. Cooley William V. Courtright II, PhD Clyde H. Cox Carol A. Coyle Peter J. Culver, PE, PhD Don B. Cunningham & Nancy L. Cunningham Whitney B. Damron & Kathy Damron Rajib Das Sharma Donald J. Davis Jr. & Cynthia Gill Davis Daniel W. Deaver Vickie Pauls Hursh Denning & Donald E. Denning Michael W. Dent & Judith Riebe Dent Dennis D. Depew & Shirley K. Depew Duane L. DeWerff Gerard E. DeZern John B. Dicus & Brenda Roskens Dicus Gene M. Diederich & Kimberly Somes Diederich Steve M. Dillard & Gena Gunn Dillard Gary A. Ditty Douglas M. Dolan & Jennifer C. Dolan Jason L. Draper, P.E. & Jennifer Guernsey Draper David F. Draxler & Mariclare H. Draxler David C. Dwyer, PE & Shirley Jean Dwyer Thomas C. Eagle, DE & Martha Eagle Thomas F. Edgar, PhD Jon M. Edmonds & Janet L. Edmonds Jason S. Endecott & Virginia Endecott Brent L. Engelland & Laura E. Engelland

Shawn A. Engelland & Sandra J. Engelland Shirley J. Ensor Sara I. Espinoza Toro-Salles & Frederic R. Salles, PhD David M. Evans George P. Evans & Joyce Grist Evans Saeed Farokhi, PhD & Mariam Farokhi Jeanne L. Finger, PE Kenneth J. Fischer, Ph.D. & Sandra K. Fischer Kevin E. Flesher & Barbara Ruder Flesher George W. Fletcher & Sarah A. Fletcher, PhD Patricia Stout Flood Gary A. Foote, PhD Jeffrey J. Freese Kelly Galbraith Dawn M. Galloway & Matthew A. Galloway Brian Garfield Julian E. Garfield Philip N. Garito & Lynne H. Garito Lisa Gartner Francis W. Gerlach Kevin J. Gleason & Karen M. Gleason Mark E. Gleason & Donna Mendenhall Gleason Angie L. Gonzalez David A. Gordon James W. Gossett Larry Greenbaum Diane K. Grimsley & Thomas S. Grimsley William A. Grist & Lisa F. Grist Richard H. Grote & Barbara J. Grote Dobroslawa Grzymala-Busse & Jerzy W. Grzymala-Busse Terence D. Hagen Neil C. Hague & Melissa J. Hague, MD James F. Hall Daniel B. Halton John C. Hamilton Frank L. Hankins David A. Hanson & Jodi L. Hanson Marlin D. Harmony & Nancy M. Harmony Randall W. Harrington & Jane L. Harrington Christina C. Harvick & Jeffrey L. Harvick Nathan A. Hatcher & Sondra K. Hatcher Steven P. Healey & Julie R. Healey Terry W. Heidner & Marilyn L. Griggs-Kozloff Arnold Herbert Henderson, USN, Retired Gerald L. Hiller & Gloria Jones Hiller Jonathan J. Hoffman Stephen E. Holland & Angie Holland J. Michael Horner, PE & Katie McGreevey Horner Steven N. Houle Xuandong Hua Deanne D. Hughes Michael P. Humberd & Lisa K. Dickson-Humberd Craig S. Humphrey & Marjorie Lyon Humphrey Michael A. Hurd & Eileen McManus Clyde L. Hutchison Justin Hutchison Joseph A. Huwaldt James R. Iliff II & Linda Scott Iliff Cletus H. Isbell Jeff Jacobs Deonarine D.J. Jaggernauth Michael R. Jantz, PhD James L. Jellison Brandy Smith Johnson David O. Johnson, PhD & Elaine E. Johnson Lee S. Johnson & Janelle Davies Johnson Richard L. Johnson Delbert M. Jones, PhD Robert D. Jordan W. Mark Jordan Richard F. Juarez & Barbara A. Juarez Donald J. Juett

* Indicates donor has passed.

ANNUAL GIFTS

Danny Kao Basil T. Kattula Brian O. Keefer & Steffanie M. Keefer Berg Keshian Jr. James D. Kessinger Max U. Kismarton & Susan Kismarton Julie Peters Knudtson Stuart A. Knutson & Hazel Z. Knutson Trisha Barney Kocour & David L. Kocour Kalyana C. Koka Mark J. Komen Fan Kong & Loletta Yimman Ho Pamela Roger Laborde Horace C. Lamberton Jr. Jane E. Lamborn Theodore L. Langrehr John E. Lastelic & Joleen Anne Lastelic Kristina Lausch Richard G. Leamon & Yvonne M. Lazear Lawrence M. Lehman COL William R. Lennard, USAF, Retired Dahlia E. Lewis James R. Lewis & Debra E. Lewis Cassandra J. Leyden Jianhua Li, PhD & Cuiping Zhao Mark Lieb Richard S. Lockton, III & Amy J. Lockton James D. Lord Yong-Qing Lu & Yi Chu, PhD John M. Lubert & Paula H. Lubert R. Scott Lundgren Stephen D. Luthye & Melinda A. Luthye Susan C. Lyman & Kent L. Lyman Vern G. Mandondji-Bangole David Mapes Aaron Marshall Alex L. Martin & Annam Manthiram James L. Martin John A. Mascarello & Cheryl A. Mascarello George R. Matocha & Linda Huff Matocha David S. Matos William D. McCaa Jr., PhD Sarah Elizabeth McCandless G. Craig McKinnis & Janice E. McKinnis Derek D. Meier Richard D. Mercer & Helen Zimmerman Mercer Michael K. Mertz Joseph D. Meyer & Alyssa Meyer Bob Miller, PhD Charles A. Miller, PhD & Vicki L. Miller Cynthia L Miller Steve Mitchell Joseph R. Montedoro Richard S. Moon, DE Paul J. Moore & Cynthia Powell Moore Mary Dean Moran James L. Morfeld Raymond J. Mosier Paul M. Mullin David L. Murfin & Janet Lusk Murfin John N. Mutiso Rajesh Nair Manjunath Narayana Sharon Roy Nellis Matthew J. Nelson & Susan L. Nelson Kerri A. Neschleba Kien Q. Nguyen, PhD William R. O’Brien & Kimberly A. O’Brien James E. Oden Joan Knoebber Orth Michael G. Orth Michael N. Palaskas, PhD & Kathleen A. Palaskas Richard E. Pancake Amanda C. Parks

J. Michael Parrish, PE Jonette Penton William C. Peters Jr., PE Brian K. Pheiffer & Dominique Pheiffer Mary F. Poskin & Richard J. Poskin Christopher J. Price Richard D. Prohaska James E. Quinn & Mary E. Quinn Michael P. Randall & Angela J. Randall Steve Randtke & Jessie L. Randtke Nazareno L. Rapagnani, PhD & Phyllis Burch Rapagnani Roger L. Ratzlaff Carl B. Reed, PE, DE & Melody A. Miller Reed Jerry D. Rees & Sallie L. Veenstra, MD Margaret M. Regan Virginia Spong Reid & David L. Reid * David P. Reinfelds Ronald R. Renyer Eric M. Rhoades & Jody M. Rhoades, MD Frank M. Rich Stephen D. Rich & Bennett Cave Rich Charles E. Richmond Martha Proctor Riedl & Joseph F. Riedl Gerald W. Riley Curtis W. Rink Jenifer Sorem Rivera & Robert C. Rivera Heather Roach Carol Helton Roberts Karin K. Roberts, PhD, RN & Steven D. Roberts Thomas H. Roberts & Kimberley H. Roberts Douglas E. Robie, PhD Clinton O. Robinson & Britton Wheeler Robinson Clint M. Rogers & Dimity Rogers Robert F. Rosasco III & Sarah L. Rosasco Judith Kampmeier Rosen Randle L. Ross & Elizabeth C. Ross Joseph P. Roth Jr. & Margaret Carroll Roth CAPT Paul E. Rowe & Deborah J. Meinholdt Daniel J. Rudolph & Cara Rudolph Janette Ruess John K. Ruhl Lynne Bessier Ruhl Larry G. Rusco & Karla J. Rusco Louise Morgan Ruszkowski & Robert A. Ruszkowski, Jr. Anupam Sachdev Mohammad H. Sadraey, PhD David A. Sagerser Max L. Schardein John T. Schwaller & Jennifer Pownall Schwaller Paul Schweizer Nathan M. Schwermann Merrill V. A. Scott & Sue Guest Scott Stephanie A. Scurto & Aaron M. Scurto Robert C. Seletsky Hui Sha Marian Lynne Shank Philip A. Shontz & Niu Niu Su Frank L. Shorney George D. Sloop & Nancy L. Sloop Mark E. Sloop Kevin L. Smith Richard E. Smith & Carol E. Smith Edith L. Snethen & Donald D. Snethen Donald Sooby, PE Don M. Sparlin, PhD & Linda Plake Sparlin Ethel K. Spilker Stephanie M. Spilker Tom Spink Douglas J. Squire & Jennifer C. Squire William A. Staggs III & Maxine Mitchell Staggs Katherin R. Steinbacher & Frank McMahon John T. Stephens & Laekha Stephens

Megan O’Loughlin Stidman & Eric B. Stidman Charles E. Stofer, PhD & Suzanne S. Stofer Brian D. Stubbings Eric D. Stucky, MD & Deborah Ling Stucky Robert A. Stuever, PhD & Lisa M. Stuever Frank T. Swenton Col. Gerald A. Swift LTC Terry G. Tarr & Jean A. Tarr Nancy A. Tate, PhD & Michael B. Tate Keith R. Taylor Megan K. Teahan Leroy E. Tobler David J. Treat Nathan T. Tritsch Daniel Vahidi Esme Jansen Van Rensburg Dominic M. Varraveto Charles F. Vaughan & Kristine A. Vaughan Paul R. Vernon Subramanian Vetrivelayudham Lora Stephanchick Vigil & Christopher Vigil Paul M. Vijgen, DE & Alison Sherwood Vijgen John E. Virr Andrew Voudouris Tracy Clinton Warriner Elizabeth Waugh & J. Scott McCandless James P. Way Lee A. Weltmer Darren V. Weninger W. Joseph Whalen, Jr. & Sharon M. Whalen David J. Wiebe, MD Mary C. Wiedorfer COL Richard A. Willhite, USAF, Retired Mark A. Willis & Hilde Siegmann Willis Martha W. Winston & John A. Winston Robert J. Witham Darrell W. Woelk & Barbara Fowler Woelk Edward Wolcott David L. Wood III, PhD Larry E. Wood Thomas A. Wood Jr. & Tonia L. Wood Mark D. Workman & Joan Van Dyke Workman Gregory Wright & Jeanne Wright Ko Yin Jerome T. Younger & Susan R. Younger Philip T. Zeilinger John A. Zimmerman & Renee A. Zimmerman DONORS Individuals who have given up to $99 Manjish Adhikari Mohsen Aleenejad, PhD John Appling Nicholas S. Artz Mayra S. Ascencio Gary L. Asher Kemal Ataman Stephen J. Bahr & Mary P. Bahr William J. Bahr & Rachelle D. Bahr Deborah S. Barr Mary Jo Barton David G. Beach Kurt A. Beckman Christie Befort, PhD Kendall Belcher Robert A. Bella Sr. & Elizabeth Lunney Bella William J. Benne & Veronica Rose Hellmer Benne * Philip W. Birk John C. Bocox Laura L. Borchert Laura K. Brooks & William M. Brooks, PhD Daniel R. Brown

KANSAS ENGINEER | 45

ANNUAL GIFTS

Jean Macek Buechler Craig A. Buhr & Ellen K. Buhr Alyssa Rollando Burke, PhD Martha Schovee Byers, MD Grace S. Caps Arden E. Carr & Mary Ann Bauer Carr Warren L. Clark CDR James C. Coudeyras Aaron J. Cowdrey Michelle Crouse Jackie Dandurand Charles D. Davidson & Lutie M. Davidson Jennifer K. Deines Robert D. Dennett Michael DeRubeis George J. Dome, DE Mary Dormer & Lon Dormer Randy Downing & Linda K. Downing Hannah A. Duncan Dan W. Durham David L. Durstine James B. Farris & Deanna J. Farris Norman J. Fisher & Sherrilyn Isaac Fisher, PhD Michael S. Fitzcharles Mindee Forman & Graham L. Forman Steven S. Fountain, MD & Marcia H. Fountain Craig Garfield, Jr. Robin Garfield Kristie W. Gladhill Robert M. Godbout, PhD Theodore R. Goldstein & Linda Jill Goldstein Paul F. Gripka & Janet C. Gripka Arjan Gupta Thomas K. Gurss Bryan R. Haack Darren E. Hain Merlin B. Halverson & Judith M. Halverson Nathaniel L. Williams, PhD & Leigh Ann Hartman Scott Hayen & Kelley Hayen Sally L. Heaton Senator William B. Herpin Jr. Maynard M. Herron Robert W. Hickson Dwight R. Hiesterman, MD & Roxanne Hiesterman Madeleine J. Hinkes Denise D. Hodes & Daniel R. Hodes Richard L. Horvath & Meredith L. Horvath Brent A. House & Stephanie K. House David W. Howard & LeAnn Stuewe Howard Charles E. Huffman

46 | FALL 2020

(Donations from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020)

Sharon C. Hunt Feilin Jia, PhD Lee Johnson Robert Eric Johnson Catherine Kane Kerry Y. Kao Richard L. Keefover CAPT James D. Keen, USN, Ret. & Jody M. Keen Kenneth C. Keller Jean Kimminau & Richard J. Kimminau Janice Z. Kinney Max E. Kliewer Kristen M. Kocen Susan D. Koelling John W. Koenig Michael R. Kuchinski & Sasha Roe Kuchinski Jackie Cheng Kulphongpatana & Rabin F. Kulphongpatana Ashley D. Landis & Daniel L. Landis Bernadette J.H. Lawson & Stephen Waite Michael F. Lechtenberg & Patricia A. Lechtenberg Cindy Leyland George Z. Li Haonan Li Robert Y. Li, PhD Timothy C. Liebert Edwin Liu Jon T. Lohmeier & Paula M. Lohmeier Ashleigh MacGillivray Beth Dalene Martens Rick H. Mason Craig R. McKinney Darren P. McSweeney & Sarah Lafferty McSweeney Stephen C. Meredith & Rosalie M. Meredith Thomas E. Mertz Michael G. Miller & Patricia A. Miller Ramon Mitchell Katherine Horner Morrison & Andy Morrison JoAnn Munson & Thomas M. Munson Frank B. Nelson Melissa L. Ness & Larry R. Milhon Thomas A. Park & Donna Lee Park Susan Collins Peach & Donald F. Peach, PE Jill N. Peltzer, PhD Mari-Lynn Poskin Ricky S. Powell Floyd W. Preston, PhD H. Bruce Quantic Robert A. Ramseyer Jr. & Ann Dillon Ramseyer

Leonard R. Raymo Jr. & Virginia M. Raymo Abbie M. Rexroad Natalie A. Richards Charles B. Richardson Warren G. Riekenberg, PE & Carol Lee Riekenberg Norton B. Rixey Jr. Brian A. Rock, PhD, PE & Kristie M. Rock, PE LTC Matthew A. Ross Xinyang Rui Robert J. Runser Thomas L. Ryan & Mary Helen Ryan Kelly Rynaski Joseph D. Sandt, PhD Dan W. Sargent Robert W. Schies & Judy E. Schies Mary E. Schlichting Michael J. Schmidt & Tuija K. Schmidt Aviva Schneider Lillian B. C. Scott Lowell D. Seaton Lori A. Shoppell & Gary D. Shoppell Robert L. Siegele & Paula J. Siegele Alireza Ahmadien Sien & Haleh Sien Hanna S. Sihamaya Gregory E. Smith & Sylvia R. Smith Phyllis Smith Thomas T. Soraoka & Naomi K. Enriquez-Soraoka Rodd D. Staker & Martha D. Staker Robert L. Steele George G. Strella, PE Charlotte Talley David F. Tarverdi Ronald Terjung & Carol Terjung Michael T. Timmerman Su-Gin Tiong Steven Unruh Teresa C. Vangeli, PE Francisco B. Villanueva Matthew M. Vineyard & Erin Layton Vineyard Maria C. Weitkamp Gary L. Welch, PharmD & Sonja Garanson Welch Julia M. Werthmann Michael R. Williams & Susan M. Stagg-Williams, PhD Nancy E. Wright Xinqun Zheng Robert J. Zimmerman & Annette Russell Zimmerman

* Indicates donor has passed.

ANNUAL GIFTS

Industry and Foundation Donors AccuWeather Inc. Affinis Corp.

Alberici Constructors American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. American Society of Civil Engineers American Society of Civil Engineers-Kansas City Section Bailey LLC Balsamiq Studios LLC Bartlett & West, Inc. Blue Peak Investment Corporation Burns & McDonnell Capitol Federal Savings Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP City of Mission Hills Comptek Incorporated DARcorporation Entegrity Energy Partners, LLC Exxon Mobil Corporation Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Inc. Garmin International, Inc. Georgia Gulf Sulfur Corporation Google, Inc. GPW and Associates, LLC

H&R Block, Inc. Halliburton Foundation, Inc. Hayes Drilling, Inc. HNTB Companies Holland Law LLP Honeywell International Corporation Hyland Global Headquarters International Foundation for Telemetering Jack & Jill of America, Inc. James Sorem, LLC Jefferson’s Downtown LLC Kansas Kiwanis Foundation, Inc. Kansas Section American Society of Civil Engineers Kao Family Foundation Kiewit Koch Industries, Inc. KU Alumni Association M.S.P.E. Auxiliary Western Chapter Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs Niantic, Inc. NIC Inc. ONEOK Foundation, Inc. Park Aerospace Corporation Paycom Penny’s Concrete, Inc.

Personalized, Family Dental Care, P.A. Phelps Engineering, Inc. Ripple Labs, Inc. RiskIQ River City Engineering, Inc. Robert W. Keener & Barbara J. Keener Foundation Sean D. Biggs Memorial Foundation Security Benefit Group, Inc. Smith & Loveless, Inc. Society of Manufacturing Engineers SS&C Technologies, Inc. Strategic Value Solutions, Inc. Tactical Blue Space Ventures LLC Tetra Tech, Inc. Textron Aviation The Collin Group, LTD The Glasnapp Foundation The Wonderful Company Trekk Design Group, LLC Turner Construction Company Veterans United Home Loans WEI 7, LLC Westar Energy Foundation Zarco 66 Inc.

Engineering Industry Partners COMPANIES WITH COMMITMENTS OF $250,000 OR MORE:

COMPANIES WITH GIFTS AND COMMITMENTS OF $10,000 OR MORE: Affinis Corp.

Black Hills Energy Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP David E. Ross Construction Company D.L. Smith Electrical Construction Company Evergy, Inc. ExxonMobil Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Inc. Halliburton Foundation, Inc. HNTB Kiewit Niantic, Inc. Phelps Engineering, Inc. Penny’s Concrete, Inc. Smith & Loveless, Inc.

KANSAS ENGINEER | 47

Photo by Cody Howard

A SOCIALLY DISTANCED CELEBRATION As a tribute to the class of 2020, which had its Commencement events canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff and faculty staked more than 500 Jayhawks — one for each 2020 KU Engineering graduate — into the engineering lawn on Commencement Day, Sunday, May 17.

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Send to: Kansas Engineer KU School of Engineering Eaton Hall 1520 W. 15th Street, Room 1 Lawrence, KS 66045-7608 Or email us: codyh@ku.edu To unsubscribe from Kansas Engineer, please send an e-mail to records@ku.edu

Tell my classmates that

48 | FALL 2020

* Indicates donor has passed.

Photo by Cody Howard

PREPARING FOR LIFTOFF A team prepares to launch its water rocket at the annual High School Design Competition in October, 2019.

KANSAS ENGINEER | 49

Eaton Hall 1520 W. 15th Street, Room 1 Lawrence, KS 66045-7608

Photo by Max Jiang

A Fitting Jayhawk Tribute With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of in-person Commencement ceremonies in May 2020, Engineering staff and faculty developed their own tribute for the class of 2020. The group adorned the engineering lawn with lights spelling out 2020 and, on the morning of Commencement, staked more than 500 paper Jayhawks to the lawn — each with the name of an engineering graduate.

Non Profit Org. US Postage PAID Permit #181 Parsons, KS