Kansas Engineer - Fall 2021

KANSAS ENGINEER THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

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SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

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FALL 2021

Celebrating 50 Years of Engineering Diversity & Women’s Programs Hear from the voices that shaped the origins of the program, guided it over the years and will lead the bright future ahead.

SUTLEY SEEKS TO BUILD COMMUNITY IN NEW ROLE

AT-HOME COVID-19 TEST DEVELOPED AT KU

ENGINEERING STUDENTS REIMAGINE BUMPER SCOOTER

CONTENTS

Fall 2021, Volume 45, Number 1

A KU TRADITION SINCE 1914

DEPARTMENTS RESEARCH NEWS 5 Sutley Named Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging 7 At-Home COVID-19 Test Developed at KU Moves Toward Production 9 KU Engineering Partners with Kansas Community to Test Energy-Efficient Materials 10 KU Research Aims to Help People With Cognitive Impairments Use Automated Driving Systems 12 KU Awarded Grant to Study Transportation Needs for Underrepresented Youth in KC Metro 14 Researchers Will Develop Green Technology to Recycle Refrigerants That Drive Climate Change 16 KU Working to Advance Gas Separation with Green Materials 18 Study: Constructed Wetlands Offer Best Protection for Agricultural Runoff

FEATURES 3 Celebrating 50 Years of Diversity & Women’s Programs 24

Bumper Scooter Redesign Creates Opportunities for Toddler

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Haskell Indian Nations University, KU Engineering Partner to Develop ‘Center for Justice’

STUDENT NEWS 26 ‘DeepRacer’ Competition Sharpens Programming, Coding Skills 27 KU Engineering Achieves Record Highs in Degrees Awarded 28 Engineering Student Earns Prestigious Astronaut Scholarship

Arvin Agah ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Mario Medina ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING

Elaina Sutley ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESARCH

Candan Tamerler EDITOR AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR

Cody Howard codyh@ku.edu COPY EDITOR

Susie Fagan DESIGN AND LAYOUT

Chris Millspaugh Design Kansas Engineer is published annually by the University of Kansas School of Engineering and is distributed to 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

30 Student Achievements

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.

20 Blunt Named Finalist for A.F. Harvey Engineering Research Prize 21 KU Engineering Professors Wins Prestigious Fellowship for Bridge Lifespan Research 22 Farokhi Receives National Recognition for Career Achievement 23 Faculty Achievements DIVERSITY 33 KU Leading Program to Bring Teachers into Research Labs, Design Education to Draw Diverse Scholars to Engineering 35 KU Bioengineering Program Awarded Grant to Expand Opportunities for Underrepresented Students ALUMNI NEWS 36 Alumni Profiles 37 KU Engineering Launches Career Accelerator Lecture Series 38 Gift to KU Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering Honors Professor 39 Recent Graduate Advisory Board Aims to Strengthen Relationships with Alumni FUNDRAISING FALL 2021

DEAN OF ENGINEERING

29 Civil Engineering Master’s Student Lands Prestigious Fellowship

FACULTY NEWS

Cover: KU Engineering is celebrating 50 years of its Diversity & Women’s Programs throughout 2021.

The cover features a collection of memories from the program over the years.

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41 Donor and Industry Recognition

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.

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university’s programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Director of the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).

engr.ku.edu

FROM THE DEAN

Dean of Engineering Arvin Agah

Celebrating Legislative and Diversity Milestones

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would like to extend a hearty “Rock Chalk!” to each of you on behalf the KU School of Engineering community.

As you will see on the pages that follow, we have much to celebrate as a new academic year gets under way and students return to campus in a more traditional, yet flexible, learning environment.

I would like to share with you details of a major initiative approved by the Kansas Legislature that will produce longlasting benefits for engineering schools in Kansas and the engineering industry in the state and beyond. During the 2021 session, state lawmakers approved a 10-year extension of the University Engineering Initiative Act (UEIA). The first act passed in 2011 and was due to expire next year. The UEIA provided $3.5 million each year to KU Engineering and engineering schools at Kansas State and Wichita State with the initial goal of increasing the total number of engineering graduates produced in the state. The three schools surpassed the initial goal of 1,367 graduates in 2018, and combined to graduate nearly 1,700 students in 2020.

On the heels of the success of the initial legislation, we worked with our engineering colleagues in the state extend the act for another 10 years. This extension offers critical financial support to ensure engineering schools in Kansas can meet the workforce demands of industry and it will provide a shot of adrenaline to the state and regional economy.

Beyond the major accomplishment at the state capitol in 2021, this year is marked by another milestone that differentiates KU Engineering on the national stage.

Engineering Diversity & Women’s Programs turn 50 this year. Established in 1971, KU Engineering boasts one of

the oldest programs in the country designed to support underrepresented engineering students. We hosted a virtual celebration in April and are planning an in-person gathering this fall. In August, we welcomed a new Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging. Elaina Sutley, who serves as an associate professor of KU’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, will lead the program. She takes over for Professor Andrew Williams, who had served in that position since 2017. He became Dean of Engineering at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, earlier this year.

As you will see throughout this issue of Kansas Engineer, our students, faculty, and staff continue to demonstrate why KU is a leader in engineering research and education, and the collective success and accomplishments of our alumni in numerous fields are a constant source of pride.

As always, we remain grateful to our donors and alumni, who continue to provide remarkable support for our students and faculty through scholarships, professorships and other support that benefits the School of Engineering. We truly appreciate all you do for KU Engineering.

Rock Chalk!

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

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Photo by Cody Howard

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CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF ENGINEERING DIVERSITY & WOMEN’S PROGRAMS VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON EVENTS AND A SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN ARE AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS COMMEMORATING THE ANNIVERSARY.

by Joel Mathis

2021

in the U.S. Navy, said in a 2012 interview. “We didn’t know how to do it, but we knew we needed to actively recruit. We had tremendous support from the School of Engineering, so we set about raising funds to start the program.”

At the time there were few such organizations on American college campuses. In 1977, SCoRMEBE was named one of the four best minority engineering programs in the country by the National Research Council’s committee on Minorities in Engineering.

“KU certainly had the first one in the country conceived and initiated by students,” Floyd Preston, professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, said in 2012.

File Photo

is a landmark year for a groundbreaking program at the KU School of Engineering. Engineering Diversity and Women’s programs celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. To commemorate the anniversary, the School hosted virtual and in-person events, and launched a scholarship fundraising campaign throughout the year.

The anniversary means “there’s been a lot of positive change, we’ve seen our numbers grow,” said Elaina Sutley, the School of Engineering’s newly appointed Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging. “We’ve been able to retain more women, more diverse students, but importantly, there’s more work to be done in this space.”

That sentiment was echoed earlier in 2021 by Sutley’s predecessor, Andrew Williams, who served as Engineering Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion from 2017 until his appointment as the Dean of Engineering at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, in June. “We want to celebrate the fact that we’ve been doing this since 1971, and it’s been an award-winning program ever since,” said Williams.

The organization began in 1971 as SCoRMEBE, the Student Council for Recruiting, Motivating and Educating Black Engineers, started by African American engineering students at KU: William Nunnery, Gene Kendall and Ralph Temple. Soon after, William Hogan was appointed as the school’s first assistant dean of minority affairs.

“We figured we’d try to establish a program to get more young engineers on campus,” Kendall, a retired rear admiral

Ronald Moore, who received his degree in electrical engineering in the late 1980s, works at a computer at the School of Engineering in this file photo.

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File photo

Over the years, the original program expanded to include an array of groups. In 1987, the School of Engineering established a student chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. In 1990, the office established a student chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society and took on a larger role with the KU chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. In 1995, the program changed its name to Diversity Programs for the School of Engineering, to reflect its wider mandate.

Much of that expansion took place under the leadership of Florence Boldridge, who ran the program between 1983 and 2017.

“It’s important for students to get a sense of belonging,” Boldridge said in 2016. “When they are a part of an organization like this one, they get that feeling that ‘this is here just for me.’ In addition, we know it’s important that they realize they are valued and that they have a place in the School of Engineering.”

Boldridge was also recognized as the Minority Engineering Program Director of the Year by the National Society of Black Engineers in 2011.

In 2017, Williams — who earned his undergraduate and doctorate degrees at KU and was introduced to KU during his high school days through SCoRMEBE’s summer early entry program — became Associate Dean. Early in his tenure he reimagined and rebranded the program with a new name: IHAWKe, which stands for Indigenous, Hispanic, African American and Women KU engineers.

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 KU Engineering, Science, and Technology (KUEST) program, created summer acclimation opportunities for new students before they start class, 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.

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Faculty, students, alumni and distinguished guests were among those who attended the virtual celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Engineering Diversity & Women’s programs in April 2021.

Williams also developed the Summer Bridge Program for recent high school graduates planning to attend KU. The eight-week program provides an opportunity for these students to take pre-calculus before arriving in the fall. In addition, students gain skills necessary to succeed in a rigorous engineering curriculum, begin to learn the engineering design process, join a cohort of peers and receive engineering faculty support. All costs are covered by the School of Engineering and private donors.

Williams organized “IHAWKe-athons,” competitions that give students in the program a chance to showcase their skills in devising solutions to engineering challenges while providing networking opportunities. Judges for the competition typically are representatives from major engineering firms in the Midwest region.

“I thought it was a very empowering event for minority students, to see that their creativity is as valued and welcomed as other people,” said Darene Essa, an Overland Park undergraduate student in mechanical engineering, after a 2019 event. “We were able to talk to industry reps and make connections, and that was very empowering, too.”

As a result of these comprehensive efforts, in 2019 KU was one of 29 institutions across the country to receive an exemplar bronze rating — the highest available classification during the review period — from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) in its Diversity Recognition Program as one of the “nation’s leaders in inclusive excellence.”

Now it’s up to Sutley to carry the program forward.

“It means I get to build on a strong foundation — a 50-year deep foundation,” she said. “It also tells me there’s a lot of alumni who must really care about this space. I need to find them and get them involved, if they’re not already.”

RESEARCH NEWS

Photo by Cody Howard

Elaina Sutley was named Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging in July.

Sutley Seeks to ‘Build Community’ in New Role as Engineering Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

by Joel Mathis

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laina Sutley’s engineering career has long been about more than simply designing and building things that make the world work. She has always been interested in how the stuff that gets built affects people — and particularly people from marginalized communities.

So it makes sense, then, that after serving six years at the University of Kansas — most recently as associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering — Sutley has been named Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging for the School of Engineering. She replaces Andrew Williams, who was recently appointed dean

of engineering at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.

“My research has always been focused on how engineered structures differentially impact people from underserved communities,” she said. “I worked with Andrew Williams a decent amount in this role — it’s a space I’m passionate about.

When this position became open, it felt like an opportunity to take what I’ve been doing as a researcher and try to make a difference in the school.”

Sutley takes on leadership as KU Engineering’s Diversity & Women’s Programs celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2021.

“KU Engineering has a strong tradition of supporting

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RESEARCH NEWS

underrepresented students, and we are thrilled to have Professor Sutley guide this program going forward,” said Arvin Agah, Dean of Engineering. “Beyond her notable research success and outstanding teaching performance, Professor Sutley is an empathetic and thoughtful leader who will work to ensure students have every opportunity to succeed.”

Sutley earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Alabama and her doctorate in civil engineering from Colorado State. She joined KU in 2015 and conducts research on structures with an emphasis on disaster resilience and recovery. She earned a prestigious NSF CAREER Award in 2019 for her work examining the role different types of organizations play in helping a community withstand disaster. Her findings on the effects of damage from an E-F4 tornado that struck near Lawrence in 2019 were recently featured on the show “Weathered,” available on PBS Terra.

At the time she received the CAREER award, Sutley said she had one group topmost in mind in her research: “The people who are most socially vulnerable are the most impacted by these events.” That work required Sutley to meld engineering and sociology — “two disciplines that don’t really know each other,” she said. “So I’m really grateful to build this space in the literature and knowledge base.”

It’s that background that will inform her new role as associate dean, particularly after a momentous year that nationally included a pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement and violence against Asian Americans — events that greatly affected her program’s constituency.

“That creates necessity for this office to welcome students, to continue that momentum and let them know those moments were seen by us, the students are seen by us,” Sutley said, “and we’re going to create an inclusive environment where everybody belongs.”

In pursuit of that goal, Sutley plans to do a lot of listening during her early days on the job.

“I definitely want to learn from the people across the School and create a vision from that informed position,” she said. “Part of creating a community is not me doing this job all by myself in isolation, but reaching out and working with partners across the School.”

Sutley acknowledged that the still-lingering pandemic will make those efforts more difficult. “The pandemic creates a huge challenge in approaching the new part of this title, the belonging,” she said.

She added: “I think this is a critically important moment and a critically important space that I’m excited to pursue and to build community with our students, faculty, staff and alumni.”

“MY RESEARCH HAS ALWAYS BEEN FOCUSED ON HOW ENGINEERED STRUCTURES DIFFERENTIALLY IMPACT PEOPLE FROM UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES …WHEN THIS POSITION BECAME OPEN, IT FELT LIKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING AS A RESEARCHER AND TRY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE SCHOOL.”

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RESEARCH NEWS

©2021 University of Kansas/Meg Kumin

Lab-on-a-chip technology being developed in Foundation Distinguished Professor Steven Soper’s laboratory seeks to create a reliable, rapid, inexpensive home COVID-19 test.

At-Home COVID-19 Test Developed at KU Moves Toward Production

by Joel Mathis

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ith the United States facing another surge of COVID-19 due to the Delta variant, an at-home test for the virus developed by researchers at the University of Kansas is moving toward commercial production. The aim is to launch the product in early 2022.

“They’re building the handheld instrument right now,” said Steven Soper, a Foundation Distinguished Professor with appointments in the School of Engineering in the Mechanical Engineering Department and Department of Chemistry.

“Following our successful proof-of-concept testing as a result of funding from the NIH, it will go into production and marketed by BioFluidica.”

Soper’s team, which includes a half-dozen graduate students in bioengineering and chemistry, has been working

on the project since early June 2020. They have been repurposing “lab on a chip” technology he had previously developed to give doctors simple tools to more easily and quickly diagnose conditions ranging from stroke to a variety of cancers so that it could be used to select SARS-CoV-2 virus particles directly from saliva samples and count them one at a time. At-home users would put saliva on the test chip, then use a hand-held electronic reader — about the size of an iPhone — to analyze the results. The whole process would take around 15 minutes.

Soper’s group — including his private company, BioFluidica — is working with an undisclosed company that has experience in large-scale medical manufacturing to produce the chip consumables and the handheld units. Users KANSAS ENGINEER | 7

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©2021 University of Kansas/Meg Kumin ©2021 University of Kansas/Meg Kumin

“We’re making sure we’re ready to handle any variant that may be generated and that may pop up in the United States,” said Steven Soper, Foundation Distinguished Professor, who’s working to create a rapid, at-home COVID-19 test based on lab-on-a-chip technology developed in his lab.

would be able to buy a test for about $10 and the reader, which can be reused many times over, for about $50. The project will also require emergency use authorization from the FDA. Documentation for this handheld will be submitted to the FDA in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The emergence of the Delta variant means testing will continue to be needed for the foreseeable future, Soper said.

His team is already working on adapting the test to detect Delta and other changes to the virus.

“We’re making sure we’re ready to handle any variant that may be generated and that may pop up in the United States,” he said. “Not everyone’s getting vaccinated. There’s always going to be a population that won’t be vaccinated. What happens is, if they get infected, that means the virus can change — and they can reinfect people, even people who have been vaccinated.”

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Soper said the new device could eventually be used to quickly diagnose other illnesses, including influenza and other viruses, as well as bacterial infections. But COVID-19 is the most pressing issue at the moment.

“This is always a moving target with COVID-19,” he said.

“Everyone needs to be careful.”

Soper earned his doctorate in bioanalytical chemistry from KU in 1989 and returned to the university as a faculty member in 2016. He brought along his company, BioFluidica, which previously created products to help doctors test for various types of cancers, including breast, colon and prostate cancer. Funding to develop the COVID-19 test comes from the National Institutes of Health RADx Program.

RESEARCH NEWS

KU Engineering Partners with Kansas Community to Test Energy-Efficient Materials

by Joel Mathis

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he KU School of Engineering is partnering with a southcentral Kansas community on a federal pilot project to test energyefficient materials in public sector buildings — an experiment that could reduce the kinds of extreme-weather rolling blackouts seen across the state this winter.

The effort in Wellington is one of seven projects nationwide selected by the U.S. Department of Energy as proving grounds for energy-efficient technologies. The Kansas project will test passive thermal energy storage, via phase change materials (PCMs), in roof and ceiling tiles in six public sector buildings in the community, aiming for a 20% or greater reduction in space cooling, heating and electric demand.

Mario Medina, associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering and associate dean for engineering academic affairs, said KU Engineering has spent more than 20 years researching PCMs. Where traditional insulation acts as a barrier against extreme temperatures, PCMs shift between solid and liquid states to store heat before slowly releasing that energy — much like an ice cube holds cold water and then slowly melts. That makes it easier to keep buildings warm in the winter and cool in the summer without relying so much on space heating and air conditioning systems.

“If you want to achieve the same results with existing insulation, which is usually fiberglass or cellulose, you would have to double or triple the thickness of the wall. That would

require space and would be extremely costly,” Medina said. The new PCMs being used in this project are encapsulated in ceiling tiles, which are about a quarter-inch thick.

PCMs also reduce the amount of demand placed on the electrical grid during extreme heat or cold, Medina said. During the hottest or coldest days, the demand for electricity can become so overwhelming that electric utilities have to impose rolling blackouts — of the kind seen in California during the summer of 2020, or the cold-weather version that occurred in Kansas during the February 2021 cold snap — to keep the system from collapsing.

“During summers, most air conditioners peak around the hottest time of the day, which is about 2:30 to 4:30 in the afternoon,” he said.

“At that point in time, the electrical utility companies are also providing the electricity that they normally provide for lighting, for plugs, for equipment — but on top of that, in the summer, they are providing that excess amount of electricity for these air conditioners.”

PCMs should alleviate that problem by storing heat until later in the day, when it is cooler and active demand on the electrical grid has declined. That would be good for both homes and businesses, Medina said, to keep their electric bills down but also to avoid losing power.

“It’s not good for a state’s economy to have these brownouts or blackouts,” he said.

KU’s partners include the City of Wellington Municipal Utility, Sumner

County, Overland Park-based energy solutions company Decent Energy, Inc., PlaNet Productions, Inc. and Insolcorp LLC, a North Carolina firm that developed and manufactures the Templok PCM Tile being used in the test project. KU will receive $142,500 from the Department of Energy Award to deploy sensors, establish a baseline, develop suitable building energy models and run simulations to evaluate the PCMs’ performance throughout the three year project.

The project “further illustrates that rural communities have a voice and play an important role in the growing clean energy economy,” said Stacy Davis, executive director of the Sumner County Economic Development Commission.

Medina said KU will benefit from the testing and validation, energy modeling and measurement and verification experience it gives the graduate and undergraduate students working with him on the project.

And the university benefits from its partnerships with Wellington and Sumner County to translate that research into real-world results that can benefit them, the state of Kansas and the world beyond.

“The primary mission of the university is to educate,” he said. “But our mission doesn’t end there. We need to be part of the community.”

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Team Will Develop Tech to Help People With Cognitive Impairments Use Automated Driving Systems

by Brendan Lynch

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research team based at the KU School of Engineering is one of 10 semifinalists in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Inclusive Design Challenge, which seeks to make self-driving cars accessible to people with disabilities. The team won a $300,000 prize and will spend 18 months refining highly automated driving systems designed for people with cognitive disabilities.

The technology could usher in a new era of independence and mobility for people living with mild cognitive impairment and mild-to-moderate dementia. According to the researchers, about 16 million people in the U.S. living with cognitive disabilities can’t drive due to deficits in speed-of-processing, memory, attention, judgment and visuospatial skills.

“These are vehicles that would drive by themselves,” said project leader Alexandra Kondyli, associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering at KU. “At the highest level of automation there’s no steering wheel.

We’re looking into how we can help those people identify the vehicle, access the vehicle, provide their information and where they want to go, and how they can interface with a vehicle that drives by itself.”

Kondyli said the technology her team develops for people with cognitive impairments only would be implemented when vehicles achieve levels 4 and 5 of automation, considered “high” or “full” automation because the vehicle is capable of performing all the driving. Indeed, drivers would act more like passengers, unable to take control of the vehicle.

The KU researcher estimated it could be a decade before such vehicles were on the road and thought the specialized technology someday could be offered as an accessibility package on mass-produced vehicles by automakers.

“It could be another option, like leather seats,” Kondyli said.

The project will depend on input from representatives from the automotive industry as well as participants living with cognitive impairments and mild-to-moderate dementia recruited from the KU Medical Center.

“We’re going to have people with cognitive disabilities in our advisory board and also in our focus-group sessions,” Kondyli said. “We really wanted to design having them in

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Alexandra Kondyli

mind, and we need their input on what the design has to be in order for them to use it.”

The researchers at KU are collaborating with a team at the University of Florida and KU Medical Center. At the end of 18 months, the group will bring a prototype vehicle integrating new accessibility technology to Washington, D.C., to be evaluated alongside technology from other groups such as those at Carnegie Mellon and Purdue universities and autonomous driving companies, such as Waymo. The firstplace team will win $1 million.

While much of the group’s work will involve developing software systems, these innovations will be integrated into a prototype vehicle at the Hill Engineering Research and Development Center, where students will have the opportunity to participate in the work.

The software will help travelers select destinations, plan routes, identify the vehicle and get to the vehicle. Further, the team intends to monitor the state of the traveler and provide help and information in case of a breakdown or fender bender. For instance, part of the research will involve developing a “playbook” that helps to ensure the well-being of the vehicle occupant.

RESEARCH NEWS

Photo: iStock

A research team based at the KU School of Engineering is one of 10 semifinalists in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Inclusive Design Challenge, which seeks to make self-driving cars accessible to people with disabilities.

“The traveler is going to input all their information in a secure mobile app about where they want to go, along with some personal information and also their caregiver’s information,” Kondyli said. “The playbook is going to help pick the right intervention to address an emergency situation that is identified by the monitoring system. It is basically a way for us to choose the right response that the vehicle will give to the driver, once we identify their state. So, if the driver is sleepy, the playbook will pick customizable interventions we need to provide to the driver to make them more alert.

That is something that we need to test with participants to see what they prefer to have in the car.”

The final prototype will combine software, data processing and cloud computing that interacts with vehicle sensors, the traveler’s mobile secure app and a secure network layer for

secured data transmission.

Kondyli said she expected the advances in automated driving, developed to enhance accessibility for people with cognitive impairments, would eventually benefit all drivers.

“Our goal is to create a system that not only people with cognitive disabilities can use, but also other people can benefit from as well,” she said. “We’re looking at this more in terms of the universal design and how science is for everyone to be able to use more effectively.”

The research team based at KU’s main campus includes Christopher Depcik, Andrew Davidson and Lyndsie Koon; at the KU Medical Center personnel include Abiodun Akinwuntan, Hannes Devos and Shelley Bhattacharya; at the University of Florida, the team includes Sanaz Motamedi, Eakta Jain, Xilei Zhao, Wayne Giang and Boyi Hu.

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KU Awarded Grant to Study Transportation Needs for Underrepresented Youth in KC Metro

by Joel Mathis

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U received a federal planning grant for a project aimed at helping Kansas City leaders figure out how to connect underserved teens to out-of-school activities and opportunities.

Alexandra Kondyli, associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, is leading the team that received the $50,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. She said out-of-school time (OST) activities such as internships, jobs and other learning or training experiences can help young people shape their identities as well as prepare for their future academic and professional careers. But in sprawling, low-density metro areas like Kansas City, the physical disconnect between residential areas and OST opportunities — combined with unreliable and inefficient transportation services — creates two fundamentally different experiences: Youth from affluent homes and school districts, who are disproportionately white, have greater access than youth from lower-income homes and schools, who are disproportionately Black and Latinx.

“You can see there’s a divide, where wealthier kids from high-income households do have that ability to access these opportunities and then eventually have higher success getting accepted to college,” Kondyli said.

Transportation planning can be part of the solution to that problem.

“Underrepresented students usually don’t know where these opportunities are — and if they know, they don’t know how to get there,” she said.

The grant, awarded in January, is part of the first phase of the National Science Foundation’s Civic Innovation Challenge. The agency selected 52 teams across the United States to establish community-based research partnerships that identify local challenges and propose solutions that can potentially be scaled up to the regional and national levels.

Those teams — including KU’s — are being given until May to refine their proposals, after which NSF will choose which among them will receive $1 million grants to proceed to a one-year pilot implementation.

Under the initial KU proposal, Kondyli’s team would do preliminary research into which transportation modes — including the bus system, ride-hailing services and more — best help Kansas City youth connect to OST opportunities, and will question how the overall transportation system can be redesigned to ensure the social benefits and system efficiency. The team would conduct focus groups and workshops with students and parents affiliated with the schools in underserved neighborhoods of Wyandotte County, Kansas, and Jackson County, Missouri, to identify acceptable transportation options and potential incentives for encouraging their use.

“Our goal is just to bring the community together, identify the solutions and find the mechanisms to implement and sustain these solutions for the students to use,” Kondyli said.

KU’s partners in the project include community organizations such as the Kansas City Public Library, Wyandotte County Economic Council, Wyandotte County

“I THINK IN THE LONG, LONG TERM WE’LL SEE THAT THE KIDS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO A GOOD SELECTION OF OUT-OF-SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES TO ATTEND, AND THAT WILL HELP THEM IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL LIVES.”

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©2021 University of Kansas

Alexandra Kondyli, center, is leading the team that received a $50,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to help Kansas City leaders figure out how to connect underserved teens to out-of-school activities and opportunities.

Health Department, KC Social Innovation Center, LeanLab, and ThrYve; regional transit organizations such as MidAmerica Regional Council, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County-Kansas City, Kansas; and public-private partnerships including Cityfi, Keystone Innovation District and Kansas City Digital Drive.

KU’s team includes Andrew Davidson, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science; Huazhen Fang, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Lisa Koch, associate director for research, partnership and innovation with the KU Transportation Center; Bradley

Lane, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs & Administration; Joel Mendez, assistant professor of urban planning and public affairs; and Jomella Watson-Thompson, associate professor of applied behavioral science.

“The whole goal of this project is to make a sustained effort and not something that will run for a year and then disappear,” Kondyli said. “I think in the long, long term we’ll see that the kids will have access to a good selection of outof-school opportunities to attend, and that will help them in their professional lives. We could potentially see how these students will be able to get more opportunities down the road just by helping them access these opportunities now.”

KANSAS ENGINEER | 13

RESEARCH NEWS

Researchers Will Develop Green Technology to Recycle Refrigerants That Drive Climate Change

by Brendan Lynch

R

efrigerants inside the air conditioner that cools your house or apartment are extremely powerful greenhouse gases. Used widely in domestic and commercial cooling systems, commonplace refrigerants called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) such as R-410A have a global-warming potential roughly 2,000 times greater than the carbon dioxide emitted from vehicle tailpipes.

Recent legislation restricts using some HFC refrigerants in particular applications and mandates their eventual phaseout, but with millions of tons of HFCs used today around the world, how can they be disposed of without harming the environment? Venting or incinerating them would be wasteful and could accelerate climate change.

Now, Project EARTH (Environmentally Applied Research Toward Hydrofluorocarbons), a new research project headquartered at the KU School of Engineering, will develop technology to separate and recycle HFC refrigerant mixtures.

Supported by a four-year, $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Project EARTH collaboration comprises four universities — KU, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Rutgers — along with several private corporations, Oak Ridge and Brookhaven national laboratories, and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST).

“We’re going to look at how to separate hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant mixtures so the low-global-warming potential (GWP) components can be reused and the high-GWP components converted into new products that are safe for the environment,” said Mark Shiflett, Foundation Distinguished Professor in KU’s Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, who is leading Project EARTH. “In your house, these would be the refrigerants in your air conditioner such as R-410A,” he said. “It’s actually a mixture of two components — one of the components has a relatively high global-warming potential called HFC-125, and the other one, called HFC-32, does not. However, they are very difficult to separate because they form what is called an azeotropic mixture. Today, that refrigerant would have to be incinerated to dispose of it, and our goal is to be able to separate those two refrigerants back into their pure components and be able to reuse HFC-32 in new low-GWP products, and the other, HFC-125, we are working on converting it into a lower global warming potential product that is safer for the environment.”

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Mark Shiflett

According to the researchers working on Project EARTH, the U.S. market alone for recycling refrigerants is valued at more than $1 billion. Furthermore, reducing the release of high-GWP refrigerants into the Earth’s atmosphere is equivalent to eliminating 175 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, or the yearly emissions from 50 million cars.

The crux of Project EARTH will focus on high-fidelity experiments, advanced computer simulations and rigorous analysis to synthesize and test a new type of fluid called an “ionic liquid” that could be used to separate, recycle and convert hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants into safe products.

Much of the experimental work will take place in Shiflett’s lab at KU, where the NSF award will support equipment and materials costs, as well as support the training and education of a new generation of engineering students.

“About $590,000 is coming to KU, and the rest is split between the other three universities,” Shiflett said. “Doing these experiments requires chemicals, analytical instruments and specialized research equipment. This grant will support eight graduate students, and two of those are at KU. Each institution is going to be supporting graduate students, and the grant will also support several undergraduate researchers.

RESEARCH NEWS

At each institution, we’ll have three or four undergraduate researchers. In the end, it could end up training 20 to 30 undergraduate researchers over the four years.”

The industry partners in the effort are Chemours, Iolitec, Hiden Isochema and the Wonderful Company. Eventually, the researchers hope to provide a distributed chemical manufacturing process for more than 100 EPA-certified recyclers in the U.S. In many ways, Project EARTH brings the KU researcher full-circle. Shiflett helped to develop hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants in the 1980s when he was a young engineer at DuPont after earlier generation chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants were linked to the depletion of the Earth’s ozone layer.

“In 1987, the Montreal Protocol was created to phase out CFC refrigerants and has now been signed by 197 countries,” he said. “One of my first jobs was to work on developing new refrigerants that could replace CFCs, and the ultimate solution that we came up with were HFCs and HFC refrigerant mixtures. We eliminated the chlorine in the molecule, and that solved the problem related to ozone depletion. The HFCs have been used worldwide and are excellent refrigerants, but now in 2020 the concern is about global warming, and these HFCs will be phased out.

That’s where Project EARTH originates to solve the next environmental challenge with refrigerants.”

Courtesy Sergei Akulich via Pexels.com

Refrigerants inside the air conditioner that cools your house or apartment are extremely powerful greenhouse gases, but a new project based at the KU School of Engineering could change that.

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RESEARCH NEWS

KU Joins Industry Partners to Advance Gas Separation with Green Materials First Created for Soda Bottles

by Brendan Lynch

A

$1 million, 18-month collaboration between the KU School of Engineering and the RAPID Manufacturing Institute for Process Intensification launched in 2017 by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers will develop technology to separate gas using renewable, high-performance furanic-based polymers that were originally developed for replacing PET-based soda bottles.

The research is supported by a $384,927 grant from the Department of Energy and includes collaborations with DuPont, Hills Inc. and Air Products.

The investigation at KU, dubbed “Project H22020,” could result in membranes that reduce capital costs by a factor of 10 and increase hydrogen recovery by 20% while reducing both waste and the cost of separation by 20%. Such a breakthrough would be a boon to companies that refine oil and produce hydrogen fuel cells, replacing gas-separation technology used today made from materials developed in the 1970s and 1980s.

“These are furanic-based polymer membranes — it’s a new material that the DuPont Company is commercializing,” said Mark Shiflett, Foundation Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, who is leading the work. “Think of it as a new plastic. The ultimate reason that they’re making it is as a replacement for PET, the plastic that’s used to produce most beverage bottles. So, when you buy a two-liter Coke or liter of water, the bottle is made out of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) that ultimately comes from petroleum. These furanic-based polymers will replace PET to manufacture what are basically green water and soda bottles. These furanic-based polymers don’t come from petroleum but natural starting materials like fructose.”

The KU researcher said furanic polymers are an ideal material to use for industrial gas separation because they’re largely impermeable to larger gas molecules.

“Take like a soda bottle — the beverages in them are carbonated, and all the water and the sugar and flavorings are under pressure, carbonated with carbon dioxide,” Shiflett said. “You want a plastic that carbon dioxide doesn’t permeate through. Otherwise, all your soda bottles would be

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flat when you open them. And you don’t want oxygen to go in, because that can cause problems with taste and oxidation.

You bottle the soda and stick it on a shelf someplace in the warehouse and then ultimately it gets delivered to a store, and a customer picks it up and, later on, they drink it. Well, that can be a pretty long time period — it could be months to possibly years between the time it was manufactured and the time you actually drank it. So, those plastics have to be really good in terms of keeping the CO2 in and keeping the O2 out.

These new furanic polymers that DuPont is commercializing are natural based, which everybody wants. And they’re excellent at keeping the CO2 from leaking out and the O2 from going in.”

However, Shiflett said furanic-based membranes are in a sweet spot because they could allow smaller gas molecules to pass through, making them suitable for industrial-scale gas separation.

“We’re interested in studying them because we think that smaller molecules like hydrogen potentially can go through the plastic,” he said. “That allows you to make membranes out of them. One way hydrogen (H2) is made, you can end up with CO and CO2 as impurities. Then you have to purify that H2 — so we think that these new polymers will allow the H2 to go through them, but it won’t allow other gases like CO2, CO and methane (CH4). These polymers are going to be an excellent way of purifying H2 for a lot of different industries, especially in the refining industry for making cleaner burning fuels, for hydrogen fuel cells and for making electricity.”

Shiflett’s lab at KU conducts experiments with furanicbased membranes as a proof-of-concept in coordination with industry leaders in the polymers, polymer processing and gas separation technologies.

“DuPont is donating the membranes to us,” Shiflett said.

“Then, Hills is a company that takes the polymer and spins it into hollow fibers to be used in membrane modules for doing gas separations. Air Products is one of the world leaders in gas separations. They’ll help us with assessing whether the gas separations that we’re studying in our lab are good

RESEARCH NEWS

Courtesy Hills Inc.

A cross-section of a membrane module that contains hollow fibers for separating gases. Work at KU could produce furan-based fibers to separate gases in industrial applications that would be greener, more effective and more profitable.

enough to be used commercially, because that’s what they do for customers like NASA.” Work in Shiflett’s lab focuses on polymer selection, hollowfiber development, material characterization and membrane testing for mixed hydrogen streams — for example, hydrogen and carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and hydrogen and nitrogen.

If the research at KU under the grant produces a successful method to separate gases with furanic-based membranes, Shiflett said his lab then would work with its industry partners to bring the technology to the marketplace.

According to BCC Research Market Forecasting Group, the gas separation market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9% in the coming decade.

From the time KU is awarded the grant, “we have 18 months to prove the concept works,” Shiflett said. “Once the lab work is complete, we will work with Hills and Air Products to pilot and ultimately commercialize the new furanic-based membranes.”

“THESE POLYMERS ARE GOING TO BE AN EXCELLENT WAY OF PURIFYING H2 FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES, ESPECIALLY IN THE REFINING INDUSTRY FOR MAKING CLEANER BURNING FUELS, FOR HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS AND FOR MAKING ELECTRICITY.”

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RESEARCH NEWS

Photo by Amy Hansen

View through cattails in wetlands in the Le Sueur River Basin in southern Minnesota.

Study Shows Constructed Wetlands Are Best Protection for Agricultural Runoff into Waterways

by Brendan Lynch

A

paper from a lead author based at the the KU School of Engineering finds wetlands constructed along waterways are the most cost-effective way to reduce nitrate and sediment loads in large streams and rivers. Rather than focusing on individual farms, the research suggests conservation efforts using wetlands should be implemented at the watershed scale.

The paper, published in the summer of 2021 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, relied on computer modeling to examine the Le Sueur River Basin in southern Minnesota, a watershed subject to runoff from intense agricultural production of corn and soybeans — crops characteristic of the entire Upper Midwest region.

“Excessive nitrate or sediment affect local fish populations,

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the amount of money we have to spend to treat drinking water, and there’s a downstream effect also,” said lead author Amy Hansen, assistant professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering at KU. “Our rivers integrate what’s happening across the landscape, so that location that you love to go and fish or swim — whether that continues to be a great place to fish or swim has a lot to do with the choices that people are making further upstream. Excess pollution goes to a water body downstream like a reservoir or the ocean and causes algal blooms or hypoxic or ‘dead zones.’ The dead zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico is directly correlated with nitrate that comes from the Mississippi River Basin.”

The research team compared potential watershed approaches to improving water quality, such as cutting runoff

RESEARCH NEWS

from farms and adding wetlands, then gauged the economic costs of each.

Because most methods rely on voluntary participation by individual farms and are implemented by a patchwork of different agencies, the researchers found they’re less effective.

“Currently, there’s individual management or conservation practices, and those include cover crop, high-precision fertilizer Amy Hansen application, reduced tillage, constructed wetlands and ravine tip management. Those are some of the different practices we considered,” Hansen said. “But management of non-point sources is voluntary in the U.S. through incentive programs, and the scale these conservation practices are often considered at is the individual farmer when a coordinated approach is much more effective. In a way, it’s like a recycling program where you’re saying, ‘Anyone recycling one thing is better than no one recycling.’ This is true, some recycling is better than no recycling, but a coordinated approach will save money and be more effective.”

Hansen and her co-authors found constructed wetlands are the most effective of these practices, especially if the size and location are evaluated at the scale of a watershed — an

entire region that drains into a common waterway. The KU researcher said wetlands do two things well: They slow down water as it heads toward streams and rivers and contain vegetation and microbes that can process nutrients used as fertilizer on crops.

“Microbes and plants within wetlands are actually removing the nitrate from the water,” Hansen said. “With sediment, on the other hand, what the fluvial wetlands are doing is holding water back during these high flows — and by holding that water back you’re getting lower peak stream flows, which is reducing the amount of near channel sediment that’s being transported downstream.”

While Hansen’s research expertise is in water quality, her co-authors from the University of Minnesota, the University of California-Irvine and other institutions across the United States brought multidisciplinary perspectives to the challenge of improving agricultural water quality. The collaboration was supported by an award from the National Science Foundation.

“This work would not have been possible without the diverse expertise and perspective of the team composed of hydrologists, ecologists, geomorphologists, biogeochemists, social scientists and environmental economists,” said Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, the lead principal investigator on the project from the University of California-Irvine. “The sustained NSF support allowed us to take a fresh view of the problem and take the time needed to collect extensive field data, build new models and engage with stakeholders. We hope that our results will affect policy and management as the clock ticks to meet the water quality targets of the state.”

Photo by Amy Hansen

Developed about 15 years ago, this constructed wetland in the Le Sueur River Basin, named Maple Wetland, is a fluvial wetland on a tributary to the Maple River.

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FACULTY NEWS

Engineering Professor Named One of Five Finalists for the A.F. Harvey Engineering Research Prize

by Joel Mathis

A

KU School of Engineering professor has been shortlisted for one of the most prestigious international prizes in the profession.

Shannon Blunt, Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, is one of five finalists for the A.F. Harvey Engineering Research Prize.

The £350,000 prize (approximately $480,000 in U.S. dollars) is awarded annually by the Institute of Engineering and Technology to support further research led by the recipient. The prize fund is awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement in engineering research on a three-year rotation among the fields of medical, microwave/radar, or laser/optoelectronic engineering.

Blunt’s area of expertise, microwave/ radar engineering, is this year’s highlighted research area.

The winner of the A.F. Harvey Prize will be announced in December 2021.

“Professor Blunt has been a leader in his field of research throughout his career, and the KU Engineering community is extremely proud of this recognition,” said Dean of Engineering Arvin Agah. “This type of accomplishment demonstrates that KU Engineering is an elite research institution with some of the top minds in the world addressing important and significant research challenges.”

Blunt joined the KU faculty in 2005, after three years working as a radar engineer in the Radar Division of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. He serves as director of the university’s Kansas Applied Research Lab and the Radar Systems Lab, and earned national recognition during that 20 | FALL 2021

time: He was named in 2019 to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. He said he believed the A.F. Harvey honor is based on his body of work in radar research.

“It’s really a great honor, particularly considering the people who have won this before,” said Blunt. “It highlights the great work we’re doing, particularly in the field of radar. My area is really at the intersection of radar signal processing — which tends to be a theoretical borderline to applied math — and RF (radio frequency) systems engineering. We’ve had a number of experimental first-of-theirkind-demonstrations of capabilities.”

During the 21st century, the digital revolution transformed the telecommunications industry — turning phones into powerful computers that fit in your pocket. “We’re seeing a similar effect in radar,” Blunt said. New radar applications are being developed for unmanned aerial vehicles, selfdriving cars and medical imaging, as well as personal technology products like Google Soli, which is developing wearable technology that will operate by sensing the user’s motions and gestures.

“It’s this digital revolution that’s driving that — 10, 20 years ago it wouldn’t have been possible,” Blunt said. “The realm of the possible is changing.”

Blunt last year also participated in a study sponsored by the White House, Pentagon and Federal Communications Commission to determine whether radar and 5G telecommunications can share the same portion of the radio frequency spectrum — the result of

which will be an upcoming spectrum auction.

One result of Blunt’s work at KU: “We’ve sort of made the intersection Shannon Blunt of 23rd and Iowa famous.” His team often goes up to the top of Nichols Hall and points a radar testbed — transmitting about the same power as a cell phone in an empty band — at the intersection to conduct “moving target” experiments.

“That intersection, and the cars driving through it, have shown up in a whole bunch of papers,” he said.

The research has “very heavy student involvement,” Blunt said. “It’s really enabling our students to succeed. A lot of our students are getting really good offers both in industry and national laboratories. There aren’t that many schools that do radar anymore. When you do it and do it well, that supply/ demand curve works in their favor.”

Blunt was previously chair of the Radar Systems Panel of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and served 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 170 articles and 11 book chapters, two books, his 17 patents/patents-pending, and his receipt of the Fred Nathanson Memorial Radar Award and IEEE Fellowship for contributions to radar waveform diversity and design.

FACULTY NEWS

KU Engineering Professor Wins Prestigious Fellowship for Bridge Lifespan Research

by Joel Mathis

A

KU School of Engineering professor has received a prestigious national fellowship award for his research into new techniques to build steel decks for highway bridges.

William Collins, an associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering, is the recipient of the 2021 Milek Fellowship award, from the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).

“I’m very excited,” said Collins. “In terms of research, this award is the highest honor in the steel construction industry. In terms of prestige in my field, it’s a pretty big deal.”

“It’s a prestigious achievement recognizing that he’s promising young university faculty and a rising star,” said Candan Tamerler, associate dean for research. “It’s great recognition.”

Most highway bridges have decks — the part that cars and trucks actually drive on — made of concrete, which is relatively cheap. A few large bridges, like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, have steel decks because they’re so long that engineers opt to use steel, which is a lighter material but often much more expensive.

But “all concrete eventually cracks.

That’s the nature of the material,” Collins said. That means a concrete deck must be repaired or replaced multiple times during the lifespan of a highway bridge. “Over the lifetime it can get expensive,” he said.

Collins’ research focuses on making it cheaper to build steel decks for

William Collins

short- and medium-span bridges. The goal, he said, is to develop techniques to make prefabricated modular steel pieces, light enough to ship easily on the back of a tractor-trailer instead of being constructed in place. The end product would still be more expensive than concrete initially but could be cheaper over the multi-decade lifespan of the bridge because it would need replacing less often.

“Maybe this can’t compete on cost on Day One, but 20, 30, 50 years down the road, when you’ve had to replace the concrete deck multiple times, this is potentially a competitive option,” Collins said.

And that could save taxpayers money in the long run, Collins said.

“I care about the thousands of small bridges around the country that we’re spending money for maintenance and upkeep. We are spending money

that we don’t necessarily need to, and those resources could be reallocated for other important infrastructure needs,” he said.

Collins said he plans to use KU’s structural testing lab in his research: Fabricators will build full-sized deck panels using his techniques, then he and his students will test those panels to characterize strength and performance. “We have awesome lab facilities here at KU,” he said. “One of the best parts of this job is building big stuff and breaking it.”

Collins said he had aimed at winning the Milek Fellowship as one of his career goals. “I finally accomplished that, so it’s pretty cool,” he said. In addition to the money, the national recognition should help his work: “It’s already opened the door to some potential collaborations; people want to work with me because of this project.”

Each year, AISC selects a promising non-tenured university faculty member as the AISC Milek Fellow. The award was renamed after William A. Milek Jr., former AISC Vice President of Engineering and Research, to recognize his invaluable contributions to AISC and the structural steel industry as a whole.

KANSAS ENGINEER | 21

FACULTY NEWS

Aerospace Engineering Emeritus Professor Receives National Recognition for Career Achievement

by Joel Mathis

A

longtime KU professor has been honored with an award to recognize his careerlong achievements in aerospace engineering education.

Saeed Farokhi, professor emeritus of aerospace engineering, is the 2021 recipient of the J. Leland Atwood Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the American Society for Engineering Education. The honor is bestowed annually upon an aerospace engineering educator in recognition of outstanding contributions to the profession.

“Dr. Farokhi has been a distinguished and exemplary member of our engineering family,” said Rick Hale, chair of KU’s aerospace engineering program.

“It’s a humbling experience — it is an honor for the institution I serve, and all the colleagues and friends who contributed to it,” said Farokhi, who officially retired from KU in December 2019. “It’s a collective award, it’s not just personal. One doesn’t work in a silo — we all contribute to each other, team teaching and learning from each other.”

Farokhi started his KU career in May 1984 after a stint in the private sector as a design and development engineer for Brown, Boveri & Company in Switzerland. During his time at KU, Farokhi served as director of Flight Research Laboratory for five years, acting chair of the department in the fall of 1991, director of the graduate division for the College of Liberal Arts

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& Sciences and associate dean for the graduate school, before returning to teaching in 2012 as the John E. and Winifred Sharp Teaching Professor in the School of Engineering. He has been elected a fellow of The Royal Aeronautical Society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, as well as an associate fellow of the AIAA. He also served as president of Sigma Gamma Tau, an honor society for aerospace engineering.

He was also recognized repeatedly for his work in the classroom. He was a recipient of the Annual Celebration of Teaching Award, voted upon by graduate student representatives, in 2007, as well as the Henry E. Gould Award for Distinguished Service to Undergraduate Engineering education in 1997.

“Students maintain a deep respect and affection for Saeed, and for good reason,” Hale wrote in the nomination letter. “His undergraduate and graduate students are well-placed in industry, academia and government service, and I have never met one of his former students who do not rave about the educational foundation they received from Dr. Farokhi.”

Farokhi also advised a number of teams that won awards in AIAA’s annual student propulsion design competition, chaired or co-chaired more than 150 theses and dissertations, and mentored dozens of undergraduate research projects.

“He sets a very high bar for performance, he leads by example, and he offers availability above and beyond

expectations to mentor students to reach their full potential,” Hale wrote.

Farokhi was grateful for the latest recognition.

“It means Saeed Farokhi everything,” he said.

“KU gave me an opportunity to pursue my passion in research, my passion in teaching. KU offered me fantastic students who were as eager — sometimes more eager — to learn as myself. And KU gave me the opportunity to work with some of the best talent, as far as colleagues are concerned.”

Farokhi has remained busy in retirement — continuing to work on research and filing new patents; updating his book, “Aircraft Propulsion,” which is used as a textbook in many aerospace engineering classes; and co-chairing the dissertations of two Ph.D. students. He is “keeping busy with my academic love of life.”

“It’s a big part of my life, a big part of my heart,” he said. “I love KU.” The Atwood Award, endowed

by Rockwell Collins, consists of an honorarium and a certificate presented by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) at its summer conference. He will also be recognized at an awards ceremony at the 2022 AIAA SciTech Forum, January 3-7, 2022, in San Diego.

FACULTY NEWS

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS Twelve KU Engineering faculty were awarded promotion and tenure for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Faculty promoted to senior scientist Fernando Rodriguez-Morales, Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets

Faculty promoted to full professor Prajna Dhar, chemical and petroleum engineering Mario Medina, civil, environmental and architectural engineering

A research paper on cybersecurity authored by Alexandru Bardas, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, was selected for presentation at the prestigious Oakland 2021 conference.

Aaron Scurto, chemical and petroleum engineering Suzanne Shontz, electrical engineering and computer science Xinmai Yang, mechanical engineering Faculty promoted to associate professor with tenure William Collins, civil, environmental and architectural engineering Xianglin Li, mechanical engineering Xiaoli “Laura” Li, chemical and petroleum engineering Joshua Roundy, civil, environmental and architectural engineering

Jie Han, professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, co-authored a paper voted best paper published in The Journal of Geotextiles and Geomembranes in 2019.

Bala Subramaniam, distinguished professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, was appointed to the National Academy of Sciences study group on the U.S. Chemical Economy and was elected President of the Great Plains Catalysis Society.

David Griffin, lab professor in chemical and petroleum engineering, received the 2020 Bob and Kathie Taylor Excellence in Teaching Award, which recognizes nontenure track faculty.

Elaina Sutley, civil, environmental and architectural engineering Huixuan Wu, aerospace engineering Photo by Cody Howard

KANSAS ENGINEER | 23

Photo by Max Jiang

KU Engineering Students Reimagine Bumper Scooter to Create New Opportunities for Toddler with Disabilities

by Joel Mathis

T

he first two years of life have been challenging for Amira Payne and her family. The Topeka toddler has severe scoliosis and a condition known as Smith-Magenis syndrome, which has delayed her development and left her with low muscle tone, making it difficult to stand and walk.

So when a group of KU engineering students spent their senior year in 2020– 2021 designing and building renovations to a toddler bumper car with special features to help Amira move around on her own, her mother was overwhelmed.

“All the emotions,” Peggy Payne said in May 2021, after the students presented the new device to Amira. “Excited for her, that she literally gets to zoom through everything now. Sad that she has to go through all these steps, but also so happy that she has all these people that are rooting for her.”

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Photo by Max Jiang

Amira Payne test-drives a bumper scooter specially designed for her by KU mechanical engineering students. The project was developed through the BREAK program, which gives students the opportunity to create customized design services to individuals with disabilities as part of their senior-year capstone experience.

She added: “It really is life-changing, for her and for us.”

It made a big impact, as well, on the engineering students who worked on the project.

“As mechanical engineering students, you’re often solving or dealing with inanimate objects — we’re just punching numbers into a calculator. That can create some disconnect from reality,” said Mike Park, a graduating senior from Wichita who helped lead the project. “Seeing Amira in real life and her current device changed our perspective on the project. It gave us the revelation that our work will impact this girl’s life.”

The journey to creating Amira’s new bumper car started in October 2020, when KU was connected to the Payne family through TARC, a Shawnee County nonprofit agency that provides services to children with intellectual disabilities.

The agency responded to an email call for suggested projects from Ken Fischer, bioengineering program director, professor of mechanical engineering, and the director of KU’s Biomechanical and Rehabilitation Engineering Advancement in Kansas (BREAK) program.

BREAK gives engineering students the opportunity, as part of their senior-year capstone project, to create customized design services to individuals with disabilities.

“It seemed like the perfect marrying of our mission and their mission as a school, to create a situation that legitimately will change Amira’s life,” said Alisha Delgado, a speech-language pathologist for the infant-toddler program at TARC. Park was part of a four-person team that worked on Amira’s project. They were faced with one unusual challenge — pandemic precautions limited the direct visits they could conduct with Amira and her family. “They were having to overcome some of those remote difficulties,” Fischer said.

In the end, the students took an off-the-shelf motorized toddler bumper car — the kind that can be bought easily at any Walmart, or from Amazon — and then went to work rebuilding it, installing a new car seat and head support, as well as padding for her feet. They replaced the hollow plastic

wheels with rubber wheels for durability. To make it like a power wheelchair, they installed one multidirectional joystick to operate the vehicle — it originally came with two sticks that independently operated motors at each wheel.

“We improved every aspect of this device to make it more durable, safer and better able to fit her needs,” Park said.

“They’ve been amazing at asking super-deep thoughtful questions, and are always responding with ‘How can we make this better for Amira?’” Delgado said of the engineering students.

The resulting creation was a hit with Amira, who received her new device in May. “I think today, what we saw was nothing but joy in her face,” said Delgado, who called the moment “one of the highlights of my career.” The bumper car, she said, will help Amira’s development — not just in moving around, but also cognitively, since she’ll have more freedom to explore and engage the world around her.

Fischer hopes the project will influence the careers of the students who worked on it.

“I think that this program in general — especially these highly successful projects where they know and see they have an impact — helps them see how they can use their engineering degree to help others,” Fischer said. “I’m hopeful these students will continue to use them to help people with needs like this.”

BREAK originated in 2012 with funding from the National Science Foundation. That funding expired in 2018, but the program has been sustained by KU since then. Fischer is seeking new outside funding to continue the effort.

“It’s the School of Engineering that’s allowing us to continue these projects,” Fischer said. “Engineering is investing in Kansas and in Kansans, but also in giving our students real world experiences that have an impact.”

It certainly has made an impact on Amira and her family.

“Something happens with Amira and she shows us that she’s not going to allow her syndrome to write her story,” said Peggy Payne. “She’s going to overcome it and she’s going to be her own person. She is very sassy and lets us know.”

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STUDENT NEWS

‘DeepRacer’ Competition Sharpens Programming, Coding Skills

by Joel Mathis

26 | FALL 2021

Photos by Cody Howard

C

omputer science students at KU extensively tested their skills throughout the spring 2021 semester with a series of races using self-driving model cars developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The students in Andrew Williams’ Introduction to Artificial Intelligence class spent the semester programming their cars and virtually testing the results using AWS’ DeepRacer, a cloud-based 3D racing simulator. For the races in the last few weeks of the spring semester, though, students built a real track in the atrium of the School of Engineering’s LEEP2 building, and tested their artificial intelligence programs using 1/18th-scale race cars.

“It’s a method for us to teach deep reinforcement learning — an artificial intelligence technique that allows cars to learn to drive by themselves, using their video cameras and other sensors they have,” said Williams, who at the time was a professor of electrical engineering and computer science.

He has since moved on to serve as Dean of Engineering at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.

In artificial intelligence, “reinforcement learning” uses reward functions — essentially, points for achieving a task — to help a machine to learn. In the case of the DeepRacer cars, students deploy code, then the car receives points for staying on the track, or for completing a lap quickly. The car responds to those points and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

“I’ve seen my car drive off the track a thousand times at this point,” Nelson said. “But as the car learns, it gets better and better.”

KU students aren’t just racing against each other. Using the 3D simulator, programmers from around the world compete in AWS’ monthly DeepRacer time trials. The top 10% of finishers in those races can advance to the company’s “Pro Division,” where qualifiers have an opportunity to compete for the AWS DeepRacer League Championship Cup, a live event that will be held in Las Vegas in December 2021.

“Every single person on my team has qualified for the pro division,” Nelson said.

Williams said the DeepRacer program gives students hands-on experience they can use when they enter the job market.

“It’s interesting, different and fun, so I think they’re more engaged,” he said. “The other thing I look at — you have companies like Tesla, Google and Amazon working on cars and trucks that can drive by themselves. This is real practical experience they can put on their resumes.”

AWS DeepRacer vehicles provide computer science students with hands-on experience in programming and artificial intelligence.

STUDENT NEWS

KU Engineering Achieves Record Highs in Doctoral/Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded

by Cody Howard

T

he 2019–2020 academic year was record-setting on two important fronts for the KU School of Engineering. The School achieved alltime highs in the number of doctoral and bachelor’s degrees awarded in the past academic year — which includes graduates from Summer 2019, Fall 2019 and Spring 2020.

With 48 doctoral and 536 bachelor’s degrees awarded in the past academic year, it caps a decade of remarkable growth for KU Engineering. In the

2009–2010 academic year, the School awarded 22 doctoral degrees and 304 bachelor’s degrees. This marks a 118% increase in doctoral degrees awarded and a 76% increase in bachelor’s degrees awarded. Enrollment over the same period grew from 1,751 undergraduate students to 2,545, and from 189 doctoral students to 212.

Dean of Engineering Arvin Agah said the accomplishment is the result of the dedication of faculty and staff to excellence in educating students.

“Our undergraduate and graduate recruitment teams do an excellent job bringing in top-quality students. Our academic staff provides top-notch support to guide students successfully through their time at KU Engineering.

Our faculty ensure that KU graduates engineers who have the skills necessary to make the world a better place,” Agah said. “When combining all these elements, the result is a record-breaking academic year.”

Photo by Max Jiang

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STUDENT NEWS

KU Aerospace Engineering Student Earns Prestigious Astronaut Scholarship

by Andy Hyland

K

U aerospace engineering senior Julian Moreno is one of two KU students to earn a prestigious scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation for the 20212022 academic year. Moreno and KU chemistry major Jonah Stiel will each receive an award of up to $15,000.

The foundation’s Astronaut Scholarship was founded in 1984 by the six surviving members of the seven astronauts who were part of the Mercury program as a means to encourage students to pursue scientific endeavors. Astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs have also joined the foundation.

Moreno holds a NASA Undergraduate Fellowship through the Kansas Space Grant Consortium and conducts research with the KU Flight Research Lab with Shawn Keshmiri, professor of aerospace engineering. He said he intends to go on to graduate school and continue his work on the guidance, navigation, control and dynamics of unmanned aerial systems.

He said while the financial award was helpful, he particularly looked forward to the networking opportunities the scholarship provided.

“I’m looking forward to getting involved with the other scholars,” he said. “I’m ready … to meet everyone and get a chance to talk with them and

see what they’ve done.”

Moreno is the husband of Eriyonna Moreno and the father of Mya Moreno.

He is a five-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a graduate of Lee’s Summit Senior High School.

This year, the foundation awarded 60 scholarships to students from 44 different universities across the nation.

Astronaut Scholarships are awarded to students in their junior and senior year of college studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics with the intent to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their final degree.

KU AEROSPACE ENGINEERING STUDENTS EARN ACCLAIM IN INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION

by Joel Mathis Three student teams from the KU Aerospace Engineering Department won prestigious design awards from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in fall 2020, adding to KU’s rich history of recognition in AIAA competition.

Students in the program have won more first-, second- and third-place aerospace design awards in the competition than any other university in the world. “This is fantastic,” said Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, a professor of aerospace engineering who advised the winning teams. “First of all, it’s visibility — we’re visible on the international stage. But it’s also the mark of an extremely high level of quality our program maintains.”

The 2020 honorees won awards in competitions for graduate students.

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HERE’S A LOOK AT THE THREE AWARD-WINNING KU STUDENT TEAMS: Team Road Runner won second place in the missile design competition. The teams were challenged to design a supersonic aerial target drone capable of representing a variety of supersonic airborne cruise missile threats — a tool to aid the U.S. military in its training exercises. Historically, similar missiles have required booster rockets for ground launch; Team Road Runner proposed using a railbased launch system instead. The team was led by Max Johnson, and included Jacob Gorman, Justin Matt, Steven Meis, Andrew Mills and Nathan Sunnarborg.

Team FREEDOM (Fast Response Enemy Emulating Defense Operations Missile) took third place in the same category. The proposed design featured a two-stage missile to be launched from the trailer of a truck. Team members are Nicholas Stefan, who served as leader, as well as Mehdi Pedari, Jacquelyn Rech, Kylie Crawford and Kyle Herda.

Team Super Aerial Bros won third place in the aircraft design competition.

Competitors were tasked with designing a general aviation training aircraft to train the next generation of airline pilots. Team members are Grant Godfrey, Brio Ratzlaff, Francisco Caceres, Thomas Kennedy and Tyler Schwallie.

STUDENT NEWS

KU Civil Engineering Master’s Student Lands Prestigious Fellowship

by Joel Mathis

A

KU School of Engineering graduate student has been granted a prestigious federal fellowship to help make bridges on the nation’s highways safer for travelers.

Jordan Nutter, a master’s student in civil engineering from Prosper, Texas, was awarded the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship by the Federal Highway Administration in 2020. The fellowship includes a $35,000 research grant.

“The Eisenhower Fellowship is probably the most prestigious fellowship opportunity out there for students who are studying in transportation-related fields,” said Caroline Bennett, professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering. “It’s super competitive and a really high honor.”

“It’s really exciting,” Nutter said.

Under the fellowship, Nutter researches how to make the nation’s highway bridges safer by making it easier for engineers to assess when Photo submitted by Jordan Nutter

structures are in danger of damage or outright failure from “constraintinduced fractures” — cracks that can form in a structure when materials are not able to freely deform.

“Steel bridges can experience failed connections due to the inability of a portion of a girder to yield, which basically means it cannot bend or move under loading, causing that portion to become constrained,” Nutter said.

“This constraint can then cause a sudden fracture — and it means you can’t reliably predict the failure.

I’m researching a way to design a connection in which you can accurately predict (and prevent) its failure mode, to help reduce the potential of sudden cracking. This will help engineers design bridges to avoid constraintinduced fracture.”

The fellowship “enables Jordan to work on a project that she might not otherwise have the opportunity to do,” Bennett said. “It puts her in contact with folks at the Federal Highway Administration. So she’ll have a really good professional network formation there. And it will set her up to be a leader in transportation structures as she moves forward.”

The project is in addition to the research Nutter is undertaking for her master’s degree, and is part of her Ph.D. studies. Her master’s research involves developing methods to reduce vibration concerns and extend the usable lifespan of cantilevered highway signs — structures that overhang highways, often swaying under wind loading. Cantilever sign structure failures have been

reported by several state departments of transportations, which is the motivation for Nutter’s research.

Nutter plans to get her Ph.D. after finishing her master’s degree and said she has benefitted from the connections and education she has received at KU. “I’ve learned a lot since being here,” Nutter said. “I think the instructors at KU have a lot of knowledge to share with us, which helped me determine what sector of structural engineering I want to go in. My research has then helped me delve into my interests even further.”

The fellowship suggests Nutter has a bright future, Bennett said.

“I think it’s a fabulous opportunity.

It’s a really prestigious honor for her and for the KU School of Engineering,” Bennett said. “The research that she’s doing on constraint-induced fracture is going to be highly visible and the industry will have a lot of interest in it.

So it’s a great opportunity all around.”

The Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program awards fellowships to students pursuing degrees in transportationrelated disciplines. Awards are meritbased and generally result in 150-200 grants annually.

Jordan Nutter

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STUDENT NEWS

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS Seven engineering students were selected in 20202021 for $1,000 Undergraduate Research Awards for work on mentored research and creative projects.

They are: Katie Donnelly, in biomedical engineering; Amanda Hertel, in chemical and petroleum engineering; Alyssa Morrell, in biomedical engineering; Nathan Ohl, in chemical and petroleum engineering; Peyton Panovich, in mechanical engineering; Mary Sevart, in chemical and petroleum engineering; and Erin Sturd, in chemical and petroleum engineering.

Megan Catlett, an undergraduate student in architectural engineering, was awarded a $5,000 AISC Education Foundation Scholarship for $5,000.

Apurva Rai, a 2021 graduate in computer science and mathematics, was awarded an Undergraduate Research Award from the Department of Mathematics.

Brandon Ravenscroft, a doctoral student in electrical engineering and computer science, was awarded the 2020 Premium Award for Best Paper in IET Radar, Sonar & Navigation.

Nicholas Reding, a doctoral student in civil, environmental and architectural engineering, received a $10,000 award from the Koerner Family Foundation.

Gita Regmi, an undergraduate student in mechanical engineering, was named a 2021 University Global Scholar.

Myra Dotzel, a 2021 graduate in computer science and mathematics, was nominated for the Winston Churchill Scholarship.

Toni Englund, a 2021 graduate in architectural engineering, who is a member of the KU women’s cross country/track and field team, was recognized with the Big 12 Conference’s highest academic honor — the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award.

Stef Green, a master’s student in chemical and petroleum engineering, earned honorable mention in the BioKansas competition category of the 2021 Capitol Graduate Research Summit.

Megan Hamilton, a doctoral student in bioengineering, earned second place and the People’s Choice award in KU’s Three Minute Thesis Competition.

Greta Olsen, an undergraduate student in chemical and petroleum engineering, who is a member of the KU swimming and diving team, was recognized with the Big 12 Conference’s highest academic honor — the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award.

Adrian Romero, an undergraduate student in chemical and petroleum engineering, won the university’s Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership (ExCEL) award, which recognizes leadership, effective communication skills, involvement at KU and academic scholarship.

Rhianna Roth, an undergraduate student in chemical and petroleum engineering, was selected to present work at the state’s 2021 Undergraduate Research Days.

Mary Sevart, an undergraduate student in chemical engineering, was nominated for the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

Marah Shulda, an undergraduate student in civil engineering, was named a 2021 University Global Scholar.

Anna Trofimoff, a 2021 graduate in chemical and petroleum engineering, was selected to present work at the state’s 2021 Undergraduate Research Days.

Ankit Vertma, a doctoral student in chemical and petroleum engineering, earned first place in the 2021 Capitol Graduate Research Summit.

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Photo by Max Jiang

Haskell Indian Nations University, KU Engineering Partner to Develop ‘Center for Justice’ on Haskell Campus

by Joel Mathis

O

fficials at Haskell Indian Nations University are partnering with KU engineering students to develop a justice center on the Haskell campus.

The Hiawatha Center for Justice is the brainchild of Dan Wildcat, a longtime Haskell professor. The project is to redevelop historic Hiawatha Hall — an 1898 stone building on the campus that has fallen into disuse and disrepair after being shuttered in 2005 — into an interdisciplinary center for work on systemic justice issues.

Members of IHAWKe (which stands for Indigenous, Hispanic, African-American KU engineers) — KU’s association of underrepresented and women engineers — held an “IHAWKe-athon” in October 2020 to generate ideas on how to

rehabilitate the building and best use it for its new mission.

Wildcat first came up with the idea for the center in the summer of 2020, as the nation was convulsed

by Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“As people took to the streets and watching the demonstrations and everything, I was really moved and I kept thinking — there’s got to be some way that our school as an institution of higher education — and really the de facto national tribal college — could play a role in education and helping to heal some of the wounds we have in this society,” he said.

At the same time, Wildcat had been a champion to find a new use for Hiawatha Hall on Haskell’s campus

KANSAS ENGINEER | 31

Photo by Max Jiang

The 123-year-old Hiawatha Hall, center, on the campus of Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, will be the home of the new Haskell Center for Justice. KU Engineering students are assisting in reimagining the possibilities for the space.

in Lawrence. “It’s just been in horrible, horrible condition,” he said.

“It is clear the time has come for Hiawatha Hall to undergo a major physical renovation and a spiritual rejuvenation befitting its namesake,” Wildcat wrote in an article for Media Voices Quarterly.

He contacted Andrew Williams, who at the time served as as Engineering Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, to discuss the concept. “Andrew just immediately seized on the idea,” Wildcat said. Williams — who has since become Dean of Engineering at The Citadel — proposed having IHAWKe students take a look at the matter.

“I decided that the theme of our hackathon in 2020 would be hacking for justice and equity,” said Williams in early 2021. “We have every year, at least once a year, and they’re focused on helping our students see how they can use engineering to change the world.”

The October 2020 IHAWKe-a-thon was held virtually, due to the pandemic. Engineering students worked with Wildcat, as well as other faculty and students at Haskell, as they developed their proposals — competing for scholarship prizes made possible with donations from Black & Veatch and HNTB. “We can all really benefit from learning from each other and learning from different backgrounds, because we all come from a different community,” said Samuel Riding In, a student in the American Indian Studies department at Haskell who served as a consultant on the project. “I really benefited from being a participant because it let me speak more on these small, minute details of my own identity that I haven’t really explored in that way.”

“This (collaboration with Haskell) shows students that want to further themselves in STEM can build a group of people they can count on once they come to KU to further themselves,” added Bahozhoni White, a 2021 graduate in electrical engineering from KU. The students faced several questions as they worked on the project. “(Hiawatha Hall) was built for a different purpose, so how could it be restructured or rebuilt so that it can facilitate collaboration for racial equity forums, interaction through

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virtual and augmented reality, and other educational displays?” Williams said.

Wildcat said he was impressed by the students’ proposals to renovate the hall, as well as ideas to use virtual reality elements to bring Haskell’s history — and that of the Indigenous Peoples it serves — alive.

“I was really amazed at the ideas they had. They had ideas I had not thought about,” he said. “They had some great ideas about some interactive virtual kiosks where people who came in the front could get information and really get engaged and knowledgeable about the history of the First Peoples of this land. I thought that was really a wonderful idea.”

Implementing the proposals will take money — Wildcat estimated Haskell will need to raise up to $20 million to make the project happen. In the meantime, he plans to get the Center for Justice up and running with virtual conferences and online programming.

The partnership with IHAWKe students is a good fit with the new center’s ideals, he said.

“I think engineering, architecture and design are critical.

Too many people tend to think about justice only in terms of a set of values or virtues or laws and policies,” Wildcat said. “But justice also has to do very much with how we live, where we live. And I cannot think of any better area than architecture, design and engineering to literally build a real improvement in justice in our society.”

Haskell Indian Nations University is a federally funded tribal university located in Lawrence for members of federally recognized Indigenous tribes and incorporated Alaska Native villages in the United States. Hiawatha Hall is named for the Onondaga man who sought out the Peacemaker (Mohawk) to help co-found the Iroquois Confederacy.

The KU Engineering Diversity & Women’s Program was founded to address the needs of historically underrepresented students. IHAWKe is an academic support program that seeks to recruit, retain and graduate innovative, team-oriented engineers who change the world, connect with others and conquer their classes. This is done through advising, peer mentoring, tutoring and various engaging engineering activities for students.

DIVERSITY

KU Leading Program to Bring Teachers into Research Labs, Design Education to Draw Diverse Scholars to Engineering

by Mike Krings

I

mproved recruitment of women, racial and ethnic minorities to engineering and the sciences has long been a goal in the field. Now, a multidisciplinary team of education and engineering researchers at the KU will work with middle school teachers to encourage potential scholars at a younger age.

KU has secured a three-year, $586,645 grant from the National Science Foundation to establish the Research Experience for Teachers: IDEA-BioE. The project will pair six middle school math and science teachers from the Topeka Public Schools and six pre-service science teachers from KU’s STEMTeach program with researchers in the School of Engineering.

In addition to learning from the latest in bioengineering and engineering design research, the teachers will develop education modules that expose students to the sciences and include psychological aspects that research has shown to attract individuals to a career field. The work will include educational interventions that address gender stereotyping, self-efficacy and relevant occupational values that often stand in the way of women and other underrepresented students from joining or remaining in the profession.

Prajna Dhar, professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, is principal investigator of the project and will partner with Meagan Patterson, co-principal investigator and professor of educational psychology, and Douglas Huffman, professor of curriculum and teaching.

Dhar said she’s long wanted to help improve diversity in the engineering field but was especially moved to do so in 2020 after experiencing the isolation of the pandemic and witnessing the year’s protests and reckoning with racial justice.

“I wanted to do something, and clearly in education we can make a difference. We have very low representation of people of color and women in our field,” Dhar said. “The very next day after feeling isolated and upset, I saw the NSF had an RET request for proposals for this area. I have worked to present engineering concepts to a broader audience before, but I do not have expertise in educational psychology.

So, I reached out to Meagan to initiate a collaboration

that would go beyond just showcasing engineering, by integrating the knowledge from educational psychology and STEM curriculum design with research experience in bioengineering labs. The goal was to allow targeted interventions and lesson design that address the barriers often faced in increasing diversity in engineering.”

Patterson specializes in educational psychology, and Huffman specializes in science and engineering education.

Together with Dhar, they will help teachers create engineering modules based on their research experiences.

“We know from research that women and people of color often state that they want to help people in their careers, and you absolutely can do that through engineering,” Patterson said. “We’re going to help teachers talk with their students and provide them engaging, hands-on experiences about engineering in ways that show the possibilities there are in bioengineering and engineering design.”

The working and pre-service teachers will be matched with KU researchers working in a variety of bioengineering topics such as aging, women’s health, vaccine stabilization and related areas. The experiences will help teachers explore the intersections between engineering and various fields of sciences and how to share those experiences with students while addressing common stereotypes.

“What is unique here is the integration of psychology, bioengineering, and science and engineering education.

We will help build and review the education modules the teachers design to ensure all those components are there and show the possibilities of engineering,” Dhar said.

The first cohort of teachers will arrive on KU campus to join research labs in summer 2022. The partnership with Topeka Public Schools is appropriate, researchers noted, as the district was at the heart of the historic Brown v. Board of Education case that ruled state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality.

The project will help develop a pipeline of underrepresented students to enter the field of engineering.

Beginning teachers in the STEMTeach program will take the engineering models they create into their own classrooms

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DIVERSITY

Prajna Dhar

Meagan Patterson

and schools they join across the country. Project leaders also hope it can serve as a pilot to guide how to integrate bioengineering into the middle schools.

New knowledge and modules generated through the project will also be shared through publications, including engineering education and educational psychology journals.

Participants will also disseminate new knowledge through KU’s Virtual Learning Network, which connects pre-service teachers with KU faculty, master teachers in the field, school administrators and educators.

“We have a mix of experienced, first-year teachers, principals and educators of all types collaborating in our Virtual Learning Network,” Huffman said. “We hope to share what people are doing in the classroom and engineering lab. The network is a great place to share resources, ask and answer questions, and help teachers,

Douglas Huffman

researchers and students share their experiences.”

While researchers know not every student will pursue a career in engineering, engaging teachers in authentic engineering experiences can help to provide more engineering opportunities to middle school students. Doing so while also addressing common misperceptions, hurdles and biases will potentially help bring new voices to the field while giving students options they might not otherwise consider.

“I am always looking to connect, and I think sometimes we forget to showcase how engineering is a very teamdriven field,” Dhar said. “With this program we’ll be able to show the connections you can make and how that can appeal to students from broad cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and give them a chance to make a difference.”

“WHAT IS UNIQUE HERE IS THE INTEGRATION OF PSYCHOLOGY, BIOENGINEERING, AND SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION. WE WILL HELP BUILD AND REVIEW THE EDUCATION MODULES THE TEACHERS DESIGN TO ENSURE ALL THOSE COMPONENTS ARE THERE AND SHOW THE POSSIBILITIES OF ENGINEERING.” 34 | FALL 2021

DIVERSITY

KU Bioengineering Program Awarded Grant to Expand Opportunities for Underrepresented Students

by Joel Mathis create camaraderie and a culture that’s inclusive, you can create opportunities,” Johnson said.

Robinson said she uses her portion of the fellowship grant to pair up female graduate students in bioengineering, as well as the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department, with female faculty mentors. Other efforts will include monthly brownbag lunches featuring female faculty, as well as gatherings focused on how to negotiate in employment situations and managing “impostor syndrome.” ”One thing I missed as a graduate student was having candid conversations with a number of female faculty,” Robinson said. “I personally think this is one of the neat things about being in an academic environment — you have the freedom, flexibility and privilege to promote the people coming up behind you in an environment that everyone deserves, but that isn’t always there.”

Johnson agreed.

“I think we have a lot of improvement we can work on for culture, for areas in academia to be more inclusive, and to build camaraderie,” she said. “I’ve been really lucky to work with Professor Robinson. I think it’s really encouraging to see where I could take my career, to see what she’s done. By seeing yourself in somebody else’s shoes, it encourages you to pursue career paths where women are underrepresented.”

Johnson, who did her undergraduate work at Bucknell University in

Submitted photo

K

U graduate student Pamela Johnson, along with her mentor Jennifer Robinson, assistant professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, earned a prestigious Gilliam Fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) in fall 2020.

The award of $50,000 is renewable for up to three years and supports promising graduate students from diverse backgrounds who work in teams with their individual advisers to build inclusive training environments.

The Fellows’ mentors also participate in professional development activities aimed at increasing the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds in the sciences.

Johnson and Robinson said they will use the fellowship to create programming in the School of Engineering to help guide women graduate students as they aim for academic and other high-level positions in the profession.

“This is a fellowship that mainly supports the graduate student, as far as stipend and tuition, with a major focus on increasing diversity and inclusion in the sciences,” said Robinson.

“I thought this was a great way to collaborate and network with scientists around the country and learn about their research, but also to increase diversity efforts at KU,” added Johnson.

Johnson pointed to a recent study that shows women are less likely to drop out of doctoral STEM programs if they are joined by other female students in their cohort. “When you

Pamela Johnson, left, and assistant professor Jennifer Robinson were awarded a $50,000 grant to expand opportunities for underrepresented students.

Pennsylvania, conducts research at KU on “tissue scaffolding” — examining how to treat osteoarthritis in women by creating materials that help the body repair damaged and aging tissue by replacing estrogen that is lost with age. Scientists believe this may reduce the effects of the condition.

She is considering an academic career as a faculty member at a research institution where she would continue her work with biomaterials.

Johnson said she was thankful to KU faculty and officials supporting her application for the fellowship, including Engineering Dean Arvin Agah; Audrey Lamb, director of graduate training in chemical biology; and Carl Lejeuz, former interim provost. Robinson said Johnson had earned the fellowship, serving as a graduate student senator and winning awards during her time at KU. “This,” Robinson said, “is how we want to support the next generation of female engineers.”

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ALUMNI NEWS

ALUMNI PROFILES SOMMER AMUNDSEN-HUFFMASTER Hometown: Blaine, Minnesota Education: B.S. from Hope College, Dance and Mechanical Engineering, 2007; Ph.D. from KU, Bioengineering, Biomechanics and Neural Engineering, 2014 Current Occupation: Assistant Professor of Research in the Neurology Department, University of Minnesota Daily responsibilities of your job?

Writing grants and papers, managing a biomechanics and neurophysiology lab while running 10+ different studies, analyzing data and overseeing the data analysis performed by lab group members, and mentoring students on research projects. I am part of a lab that is researching the neuropathophysiology behind Parkinson’s disease motor symptoms. To do this, we measure the quantitative (biomechanical) motor symptoms associated with both disease progression and deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatments in human volunteers. We then correlate these behaviors to neural signals, MR imaging, and/or the modeling of neuronal pathways activated by DBS. Sommer Amundsen-Huffmaster

Biggest challenges of your job?

Prioritizing the long-term tasks of analysis and writing over the shorter-term projects that each of my students is doing.

How did KU Engineering best prepare you for your job?

I greatly appreciate the courses I took on grant writing, teaching and mentoring, and all the experience I gained doing Matlab coding! Also, I was grateful to have research experience in both biomechanical analyses of Parkinson’s disease and neural stimulation, as my postdoc position studying deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease was a wonderful nexus between the work and influence of my two Ph.D. co-advisors (Dr. Carl Luchies and Dr. Paul Cheney at KUMC).

Advice for current students?

Be brave! Ask questions, even if you have to ask what questions you should be asking. Also, take a break. Graduate students, especially, tend to forget that they are allowed to (and should!) have lives outside the lab. An important part of any education is what you can learn from forming strong relationships with other people, learning to help each other as you go through life together. Look up from the bench and computer sometimes to find that life exists outside the lab.

Favorite memories of KU Engineering and Lawrence?

What struck me about KU, from the day I visited, was how much all of the professors I interacted with really cared about their students’ well-being, both scientifically/academically, and more importantly, holistically. That’s something I strive to bring to my own mentoring. I also appreciated how many life-long friends I made during my time at KU. I met my husband at KU and we love to visit Lawrence when we can! I especially miss drinking coffee and studying at Signs of Life on Mass Street!

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ALUMNI NEWS

Submitted photo

KATIE BAUGUESS Hometown: Valley Center, Kansas Education: Chemical Engineering, Class of 2018 Current Occupation: Crude Process Engineer at ExxonMobil Refinery, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Daily responsibilities of your job?

Troubleshooting daily and long-term operations through field work and data review, working with operations and other engineering disciplines to optimize production Biggest challenges of your job?

Finding creative ways to get information that is not measured/readily available — it requires a lot of troubleshooting and getting creative.

Katie Bauguess

How did KU Engineering best prepare you for your job?

KU Engineering both built up my chemical engineering technical skills and networking skills. I’m able to apply my own engineering foundation and couple it with knowledge gained from working with other engineering disciplines and operators!

Advice for current students?

Prioritizing mental health is important during college and post-college. Make sure to take time for yourself to spend with people you love and hobbies you enjoy! Take time after college to figure out what you enjoy doing outside of work is important to transitioning to post-college life.

Favorite memories of KU Engineering and Lawrence?

For chemical engineering, I really enjoyed working in my last semester CPE lab team and completing research in Dr. Mark Shiflett’s lab. I also miss Free State Brewing and Zen Zero on Mass Street!

KU ENGINEERING LAUNCHES CAREER ACCELERATOR LECTURE SERIES

by Cody Howard To create opportunities for KU Engineering students to learn more about the business side of their profession, the School launched the Career Accelerator Lecture Series in fall 2020.

The series, which was held virtually in the 2020-2021 academic year, featured members of the School of Engineering Advisory Board speaking on topics such as management and leadership, ethics and teamwork.

that are often not part of a regular classroom environment, like leadership, teamwork and communication,” said Robert Parsons, professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering.

The lecture series continued virtually in the fall 2021 semester with a full slate of speakers.

“The KU School of Engineering advisory board was looking for ways to help our students develop professional skills KANSAS ENGINEER | 37

ALUMNI NEWS

Alumnus Honors Professor with Gift to KU Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering

Z

ack Holland didn’t know he wanted to be a petroleum engineer. But an opportunity to study the subject at the University of Kansas on scholarship sent him down that path. Holland’s experience inspired him give back to KU with a $600,000 gift honoring influential professor Don Green in the Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering.

Holland grew up in Sublette, and his father worked as a lease operator in the Hugoton gas field in the southwestern part of the state. Some local industry organizations offered scholarships for students who wanted to study petroleum engineering, and Holland was chosen as a recipient. He decided on KU, the only petroleum engineering program in the state.

“That this started because there happened to be scholarships available says a lot about the power of scholarships and how they can change the trajectory of the choices in your life,” Holland said.

He graduated with distinction from KU in 1996, earning a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering. He began a successful career in the field, which led him from Liberal, Kansas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Oklahoma City, and finally to Denver. He now lives in Englewood, Colorado, with his wife, Melissa, and their three daughters.

Green made a powerful first impression: He taught Holland’s Introduction to Engineering class.

He even managed to make classes like heat transfer interesting, according

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Submitted photo

by Joel Mathis to Holland.

“He was an energetic and engaging teacher,” Holland said. “He does plenty of academic research, but he’s a teacher at heart.”

Green, who retired in 2009 after 45 years of teaching at KU, won KU’s Honor for the Outstanding Progressive Educator (or H.O.P.E.) Award in 1988 and was a finalist seven more times. (H.O.P.E. is the only KU award for teaching excellence bestowed exclusively by students.) He received the School of Engineering Gould Award for Outstanding Teaching five times and in 2001 received the Chancellors Club Teaching Award.

He is also a 2015 recipient the School of Engineering’s Distinguished Engineering Service Award, the highest honor bestowed by the school.

Green said part of his recipe for success as an educator was to treat students with respect, as if they were junior colleagues.

“I always conveyed to them that ‘I am on your side’ and I wanted them to succeed,” Green said. “Having students like Zack succeed both as a student and then later in his chosen career path is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a professor.”

Holland’s gift elevates a fellowship previously established in Green’s name that was initiated and funded mainly by former students. That fellowship is now the Don W. Green Chemical & Petroleum Engineering Professorship. The fund may also be used to support undergraduate

Zack and Melissa Holland donated $600,000 to honor influential professor Don Green in the Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering.

research and teaching fellowships as well as graduate student fellowships.

Susan Williams, the KU chemical and petroleum engineering department chair, is excited about the opportunities the professorship will provide.

“Don Green’s passion for teaching and love for the students is inspirational, and he has been a great mentor and example of what it means to be an educator,” Williams said. “This gift recognizes our faculty’s commitment to teaching and strengthens the department and the School of Engineering. We are tremendously grateful to Zack and Melissa for their support.”

Arvin Agah, dean of the KU School of Engineering, said that Green’s influence will carry forward a legacy of teaching excellence.

“Zack and Melissa’s generosity advances the School of Engineering as a leader in research and teaching. We deeply appreciate all they have done for KU Engineering,” Agah said. “It is extremely fitting that this gift honors such an influential and beloved faculty member as Don Green. He has helped generations of KU Engineering students succeed in the classroom and beyond, and Zack is a prime example of that.”

ALUMNI NEWS

New Engineering Advisory Board Strengthens Relationships with Alumni

by Joel Mathis

T

he KU School of Engineering formed a new advisory board of recent graduates to advise the School’s faculty and staff as they prepare students to enter the engineering field. The group, formally known as the Recent Graduate Advisory Board, is composed of about 35 alumni, most of whom have been out of school for 10 years or fewer.

“KU Engineering has an amazing network of distinguished alumni.

Strengthening connections with our more recent graduates by establishing this board will benefit our current students and broader alumni network,” said Arvin Agah, Dean of KU Engineering. “I look forward to working with our recent graduate advisory board to elevate the stature of KU Engineering on the national level.”

The new board, which consists of alumni representing all engineering departments, as well as several industries and government,

is designed to help KU School of Engineering keep current with the latest developments in engineering.

“I love to stay connected with the university and school, as well as my department. The professors there really crafted the mindset for me of what it is to be a professional aerospace engineer,” said Katie Constant-Coup, an engineer for the Federal Aviation Administration who chairs the new board. “I see this as a way to give back to a school that gave me a fantastic career path.”

Constant-Coup, an Overland Park resident, got her bachelor’s degree from KU in 2014, and her master’s in 2016. She served as the president of KU’s chapter of Sigma Gamma Tau honor society during the 201516 school year, and sees her role as a way of continuing her efforts to build diversity and include more women in the engineering field.

“What our board members really

bring is that perspective of being new in their career, maybe they’ve done one or two career moves since they graduated, but they have a fresher take on what the career field is looking for,” she said. The board “sees what new avenues we can investigate for students as technology and the field evolve over the years.”

That advice should help faculty give their students an edge, “so that students really stand out when they graduate,” Constant-Coup said.

In addition to advising the school on the current state of the engineering profession, members of the board will help recruit students and track their progress toward a degree, maintaining contact throughout their academic careers and beyond.

“We’re very excited to set up this committee,” Constant-Coup said. KU “is the home away from home, as a lot of our members call it, so we want to give back as much as we can.”

Photo by Cody Howard

The Recent Graduate Advisory Board, seen here at its fall 2019 meeting, is designed to help KU School of Engineering keep current with the latest developments in engineering.

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 2021 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, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

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 Sheila J. Brown 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 George L. Cooper * & Ruth Jean Cooper * William C. Crabb * & Carol L. Crabb * Wesley G. Cramer * & Mrs. Wesley G. Cramer * David Darwin, PhD & Diane Mayer Darwin * Erwin David * & Esther Souget David * Joseph W. Davison * & Leatha Sanford Davison * Alan F. Deaver * & Susan Martin Deaver * Edward R. Downs * & Katheryn Hancock Downs * Marlene J. Dunwoodie & Duane E. Dunwoodie * Cornelia Drake Eaton 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 Suzanne N. Heiny & Richard L. Heiny, PhD * 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 * Margo McKinney Kane 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 * Betty J. Mitscher & Lester A. Mitscher, PhD * Richard K. Moore, PhD * & Wilma S. Moore * Thomas E. Mulinazzi, PhD & Kathryn J. Mulinazzi Mrs. Maria Everett Mullins * Stanley T. Myers & Joan T. Myers Karim W. Nasser, PhD George E. Nettels Jr. & Mary Joanne Myers Nettels * Steve H. Nguyen, PhD, DDS

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 Hutchison-Phelps * 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 Dave G. Ruf Jr. Dave G. Ruf Jr. & Mary Chris Toevs Ruf * 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 & 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 * Jelindo A. Tiberti II & Sandee Tiberti Tito Tiberti Zoltan J. Tober * & Addilee Tober * Murli Tolaney & Mona Tolaney Mark W. Tompkins & Dianne E. Tompkins, PhD COL. Kenneth F. Troup, USAF, RET * & Annette Troup * 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 *

KANSAS ENGINEER | 41

ANNUAL GIFTS James L. Tyson * Eli William Ulrich * Harrison D. Underhill * Kyle D. Vann & Barbara A. Vann William C. Walker & Elaine W. Walker * Daniel R. Wall & Yvonne Mathis Wall David M. Wall William E. Wall & Shirley Wall Thomas K. Washburn & Eileen Washburn Joseph L. Welch & Clare A. Welch Joan O. Wertz & H.J. Wertz * 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 * DEANS CLUB CHAMPIONS Individuals who have given $50,000 or more Joyce L. Bengtson * Paul E. Bengtson * & Joyce L. Bengtson * Thomas L. Biggs * William C. Crabb * Ronda Lenser Dillard Dr. Kenneth J. Himmelstein * Zachary D. Holland & Melissa L. Holland Margo McKinney Kane Ross E. McKinney Thomas E. Mulinazzi, PhD & Kathryn J. Mulinazzi Karim W. Nasser, PhD Harold A. Phelps & Donna R. Brady-Phelps William C. Walker Thomas K. Washburn & Eileen Washburn DEANS CLUB DIPLOMATS Individuals who have given $25,000 to $49,999 Thomas D. Bath, PhD & Barbara Blake Bath, PhD George L. Cooper * Roger L. Heckman Carol Sturgeon Moore, MD Steve H. Nguyen, PhD, DDS Dave G. Ruf Jr. Linda Ellis Sims & Russ Sims Lynne Gerlach Zoellner Stark & Robert L. Stark M. Eugene Tunison, PhD & Sheryl A. Tunison Kyle D. Vann & Barbara A. Vann DEANS CLUB AMBASSADORS Individuals who have given $10,000 to $24,999 Theodore E. Batchman, PhD & Nancy Leatherman Batchman * Bob Benz & Janet B. Benz James R. Bess Kenneth F. Conrad & Leslie Sauder Conrad Linda Zarda Cook & Steven R. Cook Peter J. Culver, PE, PhD Dorothy A. Daugherty CDR Robert C. Dees Henry M. Dodd Jr., PhD & Kathie L. Hiebert-Dodd, PhD Brian D. Farquharson Marjorie H. Flemming Curtis K. Harshaw & Janice E. Harshaw Ronald E. Hill, PE Thomas T. Hirst & Alisa S. Hirst James E. Kegerreis James M. Kring Jr. & Donna M. Kring James R. Lewis & Debra E. Lewis

42 | FALL 2021

(Donations from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021)

Timothy C. Liebert Robert J. Matreci Michael C. Noland, PhD & Karen Dicke Noland Dennis M. Purduski * Shawna R. Rogers & Jason L. Rogers Stanley T. Rolfe, PhD & Phyllis W. Rolfe Jerry M. Smith & V. Lee Smith Shawn P. Smith & Maria Avila Smith Ryan C. Spangler & Jill Renee Spangler Ray B. Stroup Jr. & Pamela Stone Stroup L.G. Suelter & Micki K. Suelter Stanley S. Thurber * Mark W. Tompkins & Dianne E. Tompkins, PhD Christopher P. Winter & Cassondra E. Winter DEANS CLUB BENEFACTORS Individuals who have given $5,000 to $9,999 Thomas W. Childers & Dorothy Brown Childers Cornelia Drake Eaton Robert J. Eaton Robert W. Eggert Jr. & Amy H. Eggert Brian A. Falconer & Virginia Lamb Falconer John P. Franklin Jr. Jeff L. Funk Harry T. Gibson & Becky G. Gibson James O. Gibson & Linda Ryan Gibson Marianne Glavinich Gary E. Gould & Elizabeth A. Gould Joel D. Hill & Brenda Hill William G. Howe & Susan Miller Howe Anthony G. Kempf & Teresa Mulinazzi Kempf Narendra J. Khilnani & Renu Khilnani Alan W. Klaassen Frank E. Komin & Sharon K. Komin Kenneth L. Lawrence & Amanda Brant Lawrence Max L. Mardick & Nancy Mc Kinstry Mardick John R. McDaniel Michael B. Moore, MD Stanley T. Myers & Joan T. Myers Marvin R. Nuss & Hazel Best Nuss Garrett E. Pack & Linda Daniel Pack Gregory P. Pasley, PhD & Sonia Martinez Pasley Jenny Wohletz Pelner & James A. Pelner Linda A. Poyser Jack P. Reid & Jane L. Reid James C. Remsberg & Sandra Garver Remsberg Allyn W. Risley & Jill Bogan Risley Clint M. Rogers & Dimity Rogers Charles W. Sigley Robert L. Skaggs James E. Smith & Dori L. Smith Bill P. Sterbens & Dana L. Sterbens James W. Straight, PhD, PE & Roberta Straight * Allison R. Terry Becky VanWyhe Thomas & John C. Thomas Tito Tiberti Mike Tierney & Kristen Gable Tierney Lakshmi Narasimha R. Viswanadha Fred S. Williams & Anne Proctor Williams Denise Y. Wolfs DEANS CLUB PATRONS Individuals who have given $3,000 to $4,999 William E. Benso & Beverly Runkle Benso Sidney L. Black & Carolyn Skinner Black Bertram T. Bone Jr. Jimmie R. Bowden & Helen J. Bowden Beverly B. Brown Alice R. Fitzcharles & David U. Fitzcharles Andrew S. Flower & Victoria Flower Paul B. Fritsch & Michelle Cozad Fritsch Jose A. Gutierrez Robert L. Henderson & Judyth B. Henderson

Annabelle Hiegel Cherie A. Jones & Michael S. Johnson Roy M. Knapp, DE & Judith Young Knapp Nancy E. Lambros George R. Milleret Jr. & Anna J. Milleret Paul E. Peters, PhD Bryan K. Phillips & Alicia Young Phillips Nicholas S. Reding Jocarol Robb COL Zachary T. Schmidt & Nicole Mehring Schmidt Benjamin L. Schulte Robert T. Smith, PE Murli Tolaney & Mona Tolaney Joe Wohletz & Mary Wohletz David R. Zornes & Cynthia L. Zornes DEANS CLUB DONORS Individuals who have given $1,000 to $2,999 Diane J. Adamec Arvin Agah, PhD Robert W. Agnew, PhD & Margaret Rose Agnew Perry Alexander, PhD & Pamela L. Alexander Robynn Andracsek & Michael E. Andracsek Wilhelmus A.J. Anemaat, PhD & MaryJo Anemaat Jon B. Ardahl Charles B. Banks Jr., PhD Stuart R. Bell, PhD & Susan T. Bell Casey R. Biggs & Jacklyn M. Biggs, PhD J. Dennis Biggs, MD & Sheila Pyle Biggs William H. Boyington Michael J. Bradley & Susan Fink Bradley Ian M. Bradt & Josh Hollingsworth Diane M. Brock & Michael R. Brock Laurence R. Brown Minter E. Brown & Connie Tucker Brown Richawn Buford & Phyllis Kelly Buford Brian J. Burke & Helen Burke John R. Burke & Laura L. Burke Robert T. Burkes Bethannie Fought Canter & Jason A. Canter Dennis A. Cantrell Andres E. Carvallo & Angela D. Carvallo Stephen R. Cathey & Vicki E. Cathey Angela M. Chammas & George A. Chammas Andy Chapman & Susan Hayman Taylor Michael J. Chun, PhD & Bina M. Chun William C. Clawson, PhD & Marnie S. Clawson Lisa Coffee-Smith & Sean Smith Kevin L. Colebank & Laura Colebank Harold W. Conner Warren Corman & Mary Corman Steven M. Crowl & Sandi Crowl Colin P. Davidson & Mary D. Davidson Robert L. Dellwig Wesley M. Densmore Duane L. DeWerff Kenneth W. Dietz Carol Shiney DiVilbiss & Robert Cervera Andrew F. Dracon Linda Dotson Drake Bill H. Duncan & Julia Siress Duncan Jason S. Endecott & Virginia Endecott Benjamin J. Ewy, PhD & Monica Curtis Ewy F. Joseph Fischer, PhD & Sharen L. Fischer Jane E. Fortin & Paul E. Fortin, PhD Scott D. Freeman & Cassandra Neff David P. Fritz, MD & Jamie E. Fritz Philip D. Gibbs, Sr., P.E. & 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 Harvey L. Goldberg Deena Goodman & Philip J. Goodman

* Indicates donor has passed.

ANNUAL GIFTS Lawrence L. Gore James W. Gossett C. Patrick Green, MD Pat L. Green & Don W. Green, PhD Gregory S. Grimm & Karen E. Grimm Charles L. Guthrie & Cheryl Guthrie Douglas H. Hall & Judith K. Hall Terry A. Hammond, DE & Patricia R. Hammond Jerri Runell Hanus & Daniel J. Hanus Karl J. Harding & Cheryl L. Harding Warren B. Harrell Jr. & Pamela Harris Harrell Leaman D. Harris & Judith L. Harris, PhD Doug K. Herbers Kimberly Sedberry Hess & Marc T. Hess Michael R. Hess & Kathleen Gilman Hess John E. Hieber Robert M. Hildenbrand & Brenda T. Hildenbrand Brandon L. Hinton Leon Hogan Carl John Holden Kelsy Jones Holmes & Jonathon P. Holmes Paul Hunt & Stephanie Hunt William J. Hurley & Coleen C. Hurley Emmanuel K. Idun, PhD & Phyllis Afful Idun Timothy S. Isernhagen & Beth Isernhagen LCDR Gary R. Iversen, USN (RET) Thomas L. Jenkins Gerald E. Jenks & Pamela D. Jenks Jeffrey L. Johnson & Sybil Meyer Johnson Jeremy Schley Johnson Leland R. Johnson Jr., PhD Vicki S. Johnson, PhD Thomas E. Jones & Kay L. Jones Robert L. Juett Prabhudeva N. Kavi Jack C. Kemp Stephen E. Kibbee Rashima Jamon Kingsby, PE Ildiko M. Kovach, PhD & Gyula F. Kovach * Gregory C. Krekeler Jr. & Karen Goodyear Krekeler Satish M. Krishnan Kevin D. Lafferty & Jennifer A. Parks-Lafferty Orley L. Lake, PhD Les K. Lampe, DE & Karen Craft Lampe Chuan-Tau Lan & Sumy C. Lan Dennis D. Lane, Ph.D. & Kristine L. Lane Madelyn Brite Larkin Brian G. Larson & Edie Carpenter Larson Renee C. Lawrence Richard M. Lee & Robin Walker-Lee Leo G. LeSage, PhD & Carolyn Bailey LeSage Lance L. Lobban, PhD Carl E. Locke Jr., PhD & Sammie R. Locke Bruce W. Long & Priscilla T. Long VADM Michael K. Loose, USN, Retired & Carol Stejskal Loose Richard F. Luthy Jr. Susan C. Lyman & Kent L. Lyman Max Lynn * Shirley Taylor Lynn * J. Michael Maloney & Cynthia McNown Maloney Nathan Markham Deborah K. Markley Rodney A. May & Teresa A. May Bruce F. McCollom, DE & E. Irene McCollom Annette B. McElhiney & John E. McElhiney, PhD * Timothy A. McFerrin & Cynthia Fraley McFerrin Michael E. Meakins James R. Meitl John L. Meyer, Jr. Philip B. Moran & Vicki Moran Brandon W. Morel Melissa C. Nabors, DDS & Steven P. Ericson Paul R. Neidlein & Tina Fowler Neidlein Patrick R. Oenbring & Brenda Austin Oenbring Michael G. Orth James R. Patterson

David C. Pattison & Marilyn Miller Pattison Strauder C. Patton, IV Bethany Anderson Pearson & James D. Pearson, PharmD Robert P. Peebler & Susie Mastoris Peebler 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 Juliette Box Pierce & Jeffrey A. Pierce, PharmD John W. Pope Floyd W. Preston, PhD * Jarrell J. Priess Connie Estes Puett Jason R. Purdy & Rachel Dinkel Purdy Michael J. Reynolds Leonard M. Rickards * Pauline M. Rickards * Barbara A. Robertson John H. Robinson Jr. & Kyle Simmons Robinson Jennifer Barber Ruf & Dave G. Ruf III Steven E. Rus & Lynn Nugent Rus Andrew Russell Lanny G. Schoeling, DE & Jill A. Schoeling Kurt L. Schueler David A. Seamans, PhD Vicki J. Secrest Keith A. Shetlar & Kathryn Caldwell Shetlar Robert G. Shields & Kathy Shields Charles A. Shoup Raymond J. Shu Curtis W. Slagell & Gayle Slagell Mark D. Smith & Brandi Piper Smith Richard E. Smith & Carol E. Smith Robert H. Smith, PhD & Margaret Moseley Smith Scott M. Smith Deborah L. Smith-Wright, MD James R. Sorem Jr., PhD & Gentra Abbey Sorem Carla Cochran Stallard & G. Scott Stallard Darrell E. Stein, II & Kimberly A. Stein Jay A. Stoker & Sandra Coppaken Stoker Peter A. Stonefield & Anna E. Stonefield 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 Ryan E. Vick & Emily Schulte Vick Marco Villa, DE Lisa Bessinger Voiles & Paul A. Voiles, PE, PTP Joseph B. Wallace III, PE & Barbara J. Wallace Robert D. Warder Cary D. Watson Myrl R. Wear & Carolyn J. Wear David B. Weaver & Laurie A. Weaver Geoffrey R. Wehrman & Mary B. Wehrman Douglas J. Weis Wilson G. Weisert Jr. & Marsha E. Weisert Frank J. Wewers & Helen Wewers G. Paul Willhite & Jewell K. Willhite Andrew B. Williams, PhD & Anitra Williams David D. Wilmoth & Julie D. Wilmoth Gregory A. Young & Nancy B. Quigg-Young Chi-Liang Yu, PhD

DEANS CLUB RISING STARS Gifts of $500 or more from alumni who are 35 or younger Dustin M. Kohrs & Megan Kohrs Nicholas B. Payne Brooke N. Reid Nicole L. Rissky Lauren N. Schumacher, PhD Megan K. Teahan Jesse B. Yang CAMPANILE CLUB Individuals who have given $500 to $999 David M. Barber & Katherine V. Barber Jeffrey M. Bartlett & Sarah Morrisett Bartlett Rita Kosakowski Baslock Jennifer Rudolph Benschoter & Gilbert L. Benschoter, DVM Douglas L. Blue Jr. Grant M. Canaday Sarah Storms Cindrell & Joshua B. Cindrell Clinton R. Collins, MD James A. Compton Thomas H. DeAgostino & Laura L. DeAgostino Christopher D. Depcik, PhD & Jennifer L. Depcik Douglas M. Everhart & Sonja Schonberg Everhart Jerry L. Fife & Marva Hotchkiss-Fife Wayne O. Fink John P. Flores Jr. COL Donald R. Frew, USAF, Retired & Melissa Schneider Frew Victor S. Frost, PhD & Linda Baird Frost Daniel J. Gleason & Cathy L. Gleason Milton L. Gleason & Deborah K. Gleason LtCol Jacob F. Goble, USAF, Retired Frank E. Gordon, DE & Lynda L. Gordon Michael R. Graham Angela Stutte Grant Elizabeth D. Gregory Jennifer L. Gunby Brian J. Hannon David A. Hanson & Jodi L. Hanson David C. Harold Ross G. Holzle & Janis Page Holzle George H. Honnold Zhubo Huang, PhD & Feng Xie LT Lairy A. Johnson, USN, Ret. Christina Mulinazzi Kruse Cheryl A. Lambrecht Patrick A. LeGresley & Jenny Buontempo LeGresley James R. Lemons & Suzanne M. Lemons Paul W. Leupold Billie J. Lindburg Steven M. Long Charles E. Mandolia Thomas H. McCrackin III Bob Miller, PhD Bruce J. Morgan & Lynne M. Morgan Krista Wendt Murphy & Zach Murphy Catherine Ray Nance & Terry J. Nance Joanna M. Newkirk Ronaldo T. Nicholson Donald J. Nistler II & Carol Poulson Nistler Richard E. Pancake Jeff Passmore & Sara Passmore James L. Peterson & Susan McGinley Peterson Robert J. Powell Arno Prinsloo, Sr. Carl B. Reed, PE, DE & Melody A. Miller Reed John F. Remen Curtis W. Rink Wendy Rosploch Robert B. Russell & Janet Russell

KANSAS ENGINEER | 43

ANNUAL GIFTS Louise Morgan Ruszkowski & Robert A. Ruszkowski, Jr. Robert C. Seletsky Douglas B. Smith Jeffrey A. Smith, PhD Norvel L. Smith & Linda Lecture Smith William D. Smith Paulette Spencer, PhD, DDS & Lloyd C. Colberg Sam Sul & Anh-Nguyet T. Nguyen, PhD Candan Tamerler David F. Tarverdi Gregory M. Thiel Douglas E. Ubben Jr. & Megan R. Ubben Gregory J. Van Sickel John E. Virr George L. Ward & Peggy Tilton Ward Alicia Fleming Washeleski Joseph A. Waxse & Marianne C. Waxse Donald D. Williams William E. Witwicki Irvin E. Youngberg Jr., DE & Diane Youngberg Marilyn A. Zerwekh & Robert P. Zerwekh CRIMSON AND BLUE CLUB Individuals who have given $300 to $499 Edward H. Abbott, PE Larry D. Arnold & Patricia Arnold Robert R. Balsbaugh & Nancy W. Balsbaugh * Linda Mae Banta & Andrew Banta, DE * Robert C. Bearse, PhD & Margaret M. Bearse Creg S. Bishop, PhD Earnest A. Boyns David L. Brackey Keith A. Browning & Theresa C. Browning Amanda M. Carter Lee A. Carvell & Brenee R. Carvell Donald L. Coffman & Jane Middleton Coffman Chad Cundiff Thomas F. Edgar, PhD Deborah A. English & Joel A. Crown Muzai Feng, PhD & Cheng Chen Linda D. Ferguson Shannon E. Giles William J. Glick Michael J. Gormish, PhD & Denise Hornsby Gormish James W. Hanke Christina C. Harvick & Jeffrey L. Harvick William E. Hegarty Elizabeth Riedel Hiatt & Thomas S. Hiatt James R. Houx III & Geneva Ewert Houx Tom Jennings Ernest A. Johnston Jr. & Kathy Johnston W. Mark Jordan Fitratullah Khan, PhD Larry B. Morgan, PhD & Deborah L. Morgan Kerri A. Neschleba Philip R. Parker & Dorothy Battle Parker Eric J. Peterson Steven B. Pontious Corbin N. Reagan Patrick G. Regan CAPT Stanley J. Reno, Retired & Marjorie A. Reno Tanner J. Rinke Scott A. Roberts, PhD & Christine Roberts Janette Ruess J. Joachim Saffert Merrill V.A. Scott & Sue Guest Scott Joaquin P. Serrano & Susan M. Figeac Bernadette Smith Donald Sooby, PE Charles E. Stofer, PhD & Suzanne S. Stofer Curtis M. Stubbings Robert A. Stuever, PhD & Lisa M. Stuever

44 | FALL 2021

(Donations from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021)

James T. Taylor, USN, (RET) & Rosa Lea Taylor Dean M. Testa & Karen L. Testa Melanie J.P. Townsend & Nelson C.E. Townsend Dominic M. Varraveto Bruce E. Vaughn Carl R. Von Fange & Linda D. Von Fange Milton O. Wardeh & Carole A. Wardeh Tracy Clinton Warriner Mona K. Wirth & Michael B. Wirth Larry E. Wood Tanya L. Woolley & Bill Woolley George W. Woster Yuan Zhao, PhD 1865 CLUB Individuals who have given $100 to $299 Joel T. Abrahamson, PhD & Dorea Ruggles, PhD R. Tran Alfrey & Barbara Alfrey Gregory L. Allemann Donald R. Allen & M. Jane Allen Bruce E. Alquist Donald P. Amiotte, Navy, Retired Brian Anderson Philip N. Anderson, DE & Patricia M. Anderson, EdD Jean M. Andre Kristine Beaver Angell Elvia Arteaga Shannon Snyder Bachman & Randall K. Bachman Jim Ballard Fred Barhydt William T. Bedwell Laurence E. Benander Michael A. Betzen Philip W. Birk Thomas L. Bishop Cassandra Blakley Jay Blakley Creed E. Blevins Janet Bogart Bruce J. Boggs, Jr. & Phyllis L. Boggs Richard W. Bond & Susan Shockley Bond Frank Bonet, Sr. Frank J. Bonet, Jr. Greggory W. Boyle & Eve Boyle Doug Bradley & Robin Fry Bradley Zack Brady Gary A. Braun & Elizabeth A. Braun Marcus A. Brewer Alison J. Brown Ronald T. Bruce & Barbara Zupan Bruce Stephen W. Burke & Sherrill A. Burke Grant W. Bussard Sean M. Butler & Kristine Blakley Butler Heather N. Callaway & Jeffrey A. Callaway Gerald R. Callejo Theodore J. Cambern Jr., DE & Marcia Alexander Cambern * Dave Campbell John K. Cargo Roger E. Carmichael Laura E. Carpenter Philip E. Ciesielski Earl M. Clark Kenneth M. Clark Thomas D. Clark Terry D. Collins Andrew G. Colombo & Maribeth T. Colombo John Conafay Edwin M. Cooley & Diana D. Cooley John T. Corson William V. Courtright II, PhD Don B. Cunningham & Nancy L. Cunningham Rajib Das Sharma

Luiz A. P. DaSilva, PhD Joseph B. Deneault Robert D. Dennett Michael W. Dent & Judith Riebe Dent Rachelle Depew & James Depew Gary A. Ditty David M. Dixon Douglas M. Dolan & Jennifer C. Dolan Randy Downing & Linda K. Downing David F. Draxler & Mariclare H. Draxler Kris N. Dugan & Dyrk L. Dugan David C. Dwyer, PE & Shirley J. Dwyer Thomas C. Eagle, DE & Martha Eagle Brian R. Eggold LCDR Laurence A. Eichel, USN (RET) & Kathleen L. Hardesty Rosalind Elder Brent L. Engelland & Laura E. Engelland Vicki A. Estes David M. Evans Saeed Farokhi, PhD & Mariam Farokhi Lawrence R. Ferriso * Lawrence R. Ferriso * & Jacqueline A. Ferriso * Kenneth J. Fischer, Ph.D. & Sandra K. Fischer Deborah W. Fisher & Warren J. Fisher Kristopher S. Fisher & Nicole Fisher Norman J. Fisher & Sherrilyn Isaac Fisher, PhD George W. Fletcher & Sarah A. Fletcher, PhD Patricia Stout Flood Randall E. Foster Marie Wagner Franklin William E. Franklin * Joseph R. Franzmathes Jeffrey J. Freese * Adrian K. Fung, PhD Mary Gainer & Jim Gainer Dawn M. Galloway & Matthew A. Galloway Efrain Garcia & Maria F. Garcia Tania Garcia Roger Garvert & Anita Barter Garvert Donna S. Gerren, PhD & Richard Gerren, PhD David F. Glover & Terry L. Glover Kumar Goundan Bill Graham & Nina Graham Jimmie L. Grassi Sr. & Janet L. Grassi Larry Greenbaum Kerrie Crites Greenfelder Diane K. Grimsley & Thomas S. Grimsley Helena Orazem Grinter & Mark J. Grinter William A. Grist & Lisa F. Grist David L. Grose, DE & Marcia L. Grose Dobroslawa Grzymala-Busse & Jerzy W. Grzymala-Busse Joseph J. Gurda Terence D. Hagen Garrett J. Hages Neil C. Hague & Melissa J. Hague, MD James F. Hall Ralph A. Haller Daniel B. Halton Sangyeop Han, PhD Marlin D. Harmony & Nancy M. Harmony Nathan A. Hatcher & Sondra K. Hatcher Douglas L. Hays & Colleen Hays Steven P. Healey & Julie R. Healey Terry W. Heidner & Marilyn L. Griggs-Kozloff Charles C. Hemphill Jr., PE & Penny Pine Hemphill Dwight R. Hiesterman, MD & Roxanne Hiesterman CAPT David Alan Higgins, USN, Retired Mary M. Hildreth & Robert W. Hildreth Gerald L. Hiller & Gloria Jones Hiller Andrew M. Hillin David J. Hoffman Jonathan J. Hoffman Robert C. Holder Stephen E. Holland & Angie Holland

* Indicates donor has passed.

ANNUAL GIFTS Denise Ray Hopkins John L. Horn Steven N. Houle Craig S. Humphrey & Marjorie Lyon Humphrey Michael A. Hurd & Eileen McManus Don L. Hursh & Jane Sullivan Hursh Alice K. Huss & Daniel A. Huss Justin Hutchison Cletus H. Isbell John H. Iverson Deonarine D.J. Jaggernauth Al Jaymand David O. Johnson, PhD & Elaine E. Johnson Debra L. Johnson Lee S. Johnson & Janelle Davies Johnson Richard L. Johnson Delbert M. Jones, PhD Matthew B. Jones Nicholas R. Jurden James I. Karr Michael W. Karr & Janet Phelps Karr William T. Keehn & Susan K. Keehn Blaise R. Kehr Kenneth C. Keller Debra L. Kelley Berg Keshian Jr. James D. Kessinger & Peggy Kessinger Kirk A. Kisinger & Connie J. Kisinger Julie Peters Knudtson Stuart A. Knutson & Hazel Z. Knutson Rebecca J. Kraft, EdD & David C. Kraft, PhD Lawrence C. Kravitz, PhD Stuart Kroonenberg & Marcy Kroonenberg Korey J. Kruse Jackie Cheng Kulphongpatana & Rabin F. Kulphongpatana Austin R. Kurtti Michael R. Kuss & Cheryl L. Kuss Pamela Roger Laborde Richard G. Leamon & Yvonne M. Lazear Kevin P. Legenza Alan L. Lehman Lawrence M. Lehman Jianhua Li, PhD & Cuiping Zhao Zexia Li Marvin L. Lindsey John M. Lubert & Paula H. Lubert Kenneth Wan-Kay Lui, PE R. Scott Lundgren Alex L. Martin & Annam Manthiram John A. Mascarello & Cheryl A. Mascarello Marian K. Massoth & Vic Robbins George R. Matocha & Linda Huff Matocha David S. Matos William D. McCaa Jr., PhD Sarah Elizabeth McCandless Randall H. McEwen & Kamela McIntosh McEwen Gus R. Meyer & Cheryl H. Meyer Joseph D. Meyer & Alyssa Meyer Ronald A. Meyer Farhad Mighani, PhD Cynthia L Miller Jeffrey C. Miller James R. Minor Susie Minor Paul H. Mitchell Paul J. Moore & Cynthia Powell Moore Mary Dean Moran Katherine Horner Morrison & Andy Morrison Tim Morrison Raymond J. Mosier Michael D. Moss Timothy J. Mueller John N. Mutiso Ray W. Myers & Kim D. Myers Ronald J. Nadvornik & Sally Smith Nadvornik

Shahin Negahban, PhD & Alfiya Negahban Sharon Roy Nellis Matthew J. Nelson & Susan L. Nelson Paul C. Nelson Richard A. New Kenton L. Newport & Stephany J. Newport David W. Nigg, DE & Marcia Lear Nigg Don R. Nottberg & Leslie R. Nottberg CDR Michael J. Nowlan William R. O’Brien & Kimberly A. O’Brien David A. Ogan & Cynthia A. Ogan Ann Williams Overman Chih-Chin Pan, PhD Jace B. Parkhurst LTC Michael R. Peloquin & Karen Ahmadi Phyllis Graf Perry Elizabeth M. Peterson Ryan J. Pfeifer Brian K. Pheiffer & Dominique Pheiffer Chad E. Posladek & Barbara L. Johnson Ricky S. Powell Arno Prinsloo, Jr. Jossie M. Prinsloo Carolyn Dammann Pyle & Terrence F. Pyle James E. Quinn & Mary E. Quinn Michael P. Randall & Angela J. Randall Jessie L. Randtke & Stephen J. Randtke Roger L. Ratzlaff Perry N. Rea Carolyn Rearley Jerry D. Rees & Sallie L. Veenstra, MD Virginia Spong Reid Susan K. Reilly David P. Reinfelds Ronald R. Renyer Eric M. Rhoades & Jody M. Rhoades, MD Frank M. Rich CAPT Wendell C. Ridder, USN Retired & Anne H. Ridder Helmut T. Riedinger & Teresa A. Riedinger Martha Proctor Riedl & Joseph F. Riedl Warren G. Riekenberg, PE & Carol Lee Riekenberg Gerald W. Riley Merlin D. Ring & Beverly A. Ring Jenifer Sorem Rivera & Robert C. Rivera Mateo Robaina Carol Helton Roberts Karin K. Roberts, PhD, RN & Steven D. Roberts Jenny Holm Robinson Chad Rogers & Bobbie Jo Rogers Mark A. Roland & Tammy Roland Robert F. Rosasco III & Sarah L. Rosasco Judith Kampmeier Rosen Kaitlyn Rosploch Randle L. Ross & Elizabeth C. Ross James B. Rudolph & Jacqueline A. Rudolph Larry G. Rusco & Karla J. Rusco Thomas L. Rutherford George W. Ryan III & Carol Willey Ryan Mohammad H. Sadraey, PhD David A. Sagerser Susan Sanjean Sargent & Peter R. Sargent Max L. Schardein Norman W. Scheffner, PhD Criss L. Schulz & Joan Schulz Kirsten Hoglund Schutt John T. Schwaller & Jennifer Pownall Schwaller Steven W. Scott Stephanie A. Scurto & Aaron M. Scurto Brandy Seitz Mark B. Shiflett Dennis A. Shoemaker & Ellen Jenks Shoemaker Philip A. Shontz & Niu Niu Su Frank L. Shorney George D. Sloop & Nancy L. Sloop Mark E. Sloop

Andrew K. Smith & Kelly Shepherd Smith, PharmD Gregory E. Smith & Sylvia R. Smith Kevin L. Smith Rick D. Smith Edith L. Snethen & Donald D. Snethen Tom Spink Michael F. Spoor Douglas J. Squire & Jennifer C. Squire Stephen K. Stearns Katherin R. Steinbacher & Frank McMahon E. Kenneth Stevenson Jr. & Doris Mitchell Stevenson Ron Stitt & Karla Jo Stitt Robert D. Stottle Sr. Yvonne Schenck Stracke * Brian D. Stubbings Eric D. Stucky, MD & Deborah Ling Stucky Patricia Stutz-Tanenbaum & Marc Harris Tanenbaum Xiaomeng Su Larry L. Sukut & Inga Riley Carmack Charlie C. Sun & Mariann C. Sun Frank T. Swenton Col. Gerald A. Swift Peng S. Tan, PhD David J. Treat Nathan T. Tritsch Donald B. Trust, PhD Austin E. Tuggle Steven J. Tyler & Laura Armato Tyler Charles F. Vaughan & Kristine A. Vaughan K. Craig Vaughn & Cynthia L. Vaughn Paul R. Vernon Lora Stephanchick Vigil & Christopher Vigil Hans W. Walther Beiying Wang Elizabeth Waugh & J. Scott McCandless Lee A. Weltmer Darren V. Weninger Emily Barker Wesley Mark A. Widdowson & Beth A. Widdowson David J. Wiebe Mary C. Wiedorfer Victoria R. Wigle COL Richard A. Willhite, USAF (RET) Mark A. Willis & Hilde Siegmann Willis E. James Wilson & Phyllis Frick Wilson Steven L. Wiseman & Linda Jo Wiseman Edward Wolcott David L. Wood III, PhD Thomas A. Wood Jr. & Tonia L. Wood LCDR Hsin-Fu Wu, USN, Retired & Theresa Wu Lihua Xing, PhD Lei Yang, PhD Yi Yang, Ph.D. Edward Yap Tianrui Zhou John A. Zimmerman & Renee A. Zimmerman DONORS Individuals who have given up to $99 Jack M. Abercrombie Paul J. Ahlenius CDR William D. Aldenderfer Mike Anderson Dean M. Andrisevic Michelle J. Anschutz Nicholas S. Artz Gary L. Asher George R. Ashworth Kemal Ataman Alfred O. Awani, DE & Denise DeVoe Awani Deborah S. Barr Richard D. Barrows

KANSAS ENGINEER | 45

ANNUAL GIFTS

Beth Bartelsen Clinton R. Bauer & C. Anne Bauer David G. Beach Michael A. Beers Robert A. Bella Sr. & Elizabeth Lunney Bella Vicki L. Bender & Thomas R. Bender Gerald L. Bennett & Judith A. Bennett Donald J. Berkley & Debbie K. Berkley Franklin C. Berrier Gregory A. Betzen & Barbara Yannone Betzen Kenneth M. Blair & Jodi L. Blair, PhD John C. Bocox Shirley Bontrager Mercedes M. Bosley John V. Bossi * Leland D. Bowen Daniel R. Brown Eldon E. Brown Jean Macek Buechler Craig A. Buhr & Ellen K. Buhr Alyssa Rollando Burke, PhD Martha Schovee Byers, MD Tim Bynum Pedro Cabrero-Vazquez & Analia M. Lenguaza C. Michael Caldwell COL Harry D. Callicotte, USA, Retired Robert Canny James B. Carter & Diane Carter Ravi S. Chamarty Warren L. Clark Scott Coons & Elizabeth Green Coons CDR James C. Coudeyras Natalie J. daCosta R. A. Dawson David E. Decker, EdD & Veronica Decker James L. Deckert & Phyllis E. Deckert Anthony C. Defilippo & Caitlin Lash Defilippo Vickie Pauls Hursh Denning & Donald E. Denning Kedar M. Deshpande, PhD Edward W. Dillingham Kelly Calvert DiVilbiss & Greg A. DiVilbiss Augustus diZerega VI, PhD Johanna M. diZerega Thomas S. diZerega George J. Dome, DE Anne Donnelly Mary Dormer & Lon Dormer Hannah A. Duncan David L. Durstine Rachele Ehmcke Sameh A. Elghzali & Rihab Mousa Maria H. Ernst Alejandra S. Escalera Mendoza Penny L. Evans Michael S. Fitzcharles Robert K. Fredrichs Philip D. Gibbs, Jr., P.E. & Jennifer K. Gibbs Michael P. Ginsberg & Denisse Ginsberg Kristie Werner Gladhill James B. Goodmiller & Kristin Walt Goodmiller Guy L. Green & Aina A. Green Sherry Gering Greenwood & Robert L. Greenwood II Emma Grob-French Richard H. Grote & Barbara J. Grote Rafael Gutierrez

46 | FALL 2021

(Donations from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021)

Bryan R. Haack Matthew J. Hackman Darren E. Hain Merlin B. Halverson & Judith M. Halverson Jocilyn R. Hansen LTC Harry C. Hardy Nathaniel L. Williams, PhD & Leigh Ann Hartman Blake D. Hartwell James P. Hayes Cheryl Ziegler Heck Brian J. Heffernan & Christine Heidrick Heffernan CAPT Arnold Herbert Henderson, USN, Retired Maynard M. Herron Amanda K. Hertel Rebecca L. Hinton Ralph E. Hite, III & Donna E. Hite Amanda L. Hocker & William S. Hocker Lee A. Hoffman & Barbara R. Hoffman Richard L. Horvath & Meredith L. Horvath Dustin Howard Charles E. Huffman Christopher R. Hurd Austin L. Ice Robert W. Iler John V. Jackson Marijoy Jackson Feilin Jia, PhD Brandy Smith Johnson Daniel A. Jones Kerry Y. Kao Richard L. Keefover Imran Khadari Jared S. Klein & Kristi Lundy Klein John W. Koenig Michael L. Kollman Pradeep K. Kondamuri, PhD CAPT Armen H. Kurdian & Lindi Kurdian Samuel A. Lamb Hannah Leiker Jack Lemuz Stacie Lemuz Lars E. Leon & Devonne Dillon Leon Harold T. Leonard & Nina R. Mack-Leonard Jilu Li, PhD Robert Y. Li, PhD James D. Lord Yong-Qing Lu & Yi Chu, PhD Xinyu Luan Ashley Lynch Richard W. Madaus & Regina Johnson Madaus William D. Martin Jonathan D. Matchett & Stephanie M. Matchett Kyle A. Mathis & KaRan Mathis Thomas M. Mccoy Gerald H. Memming & Jo Ann Baird Memming Martin Mendoza Richard D. Mercer & Helen Zimmerman Mercer Stephen C. Meredith & Rosalie M. Meredith Michael G. Miller & Patricia A. Miller Victor C. Moser Frank E. Motley Somnath Mukherjee, DE Paul M. Mullin Mariaelena A. Nabors Frank B. Nelson Madeline E. Noe

Molly S. O’Connor Keaton R. Orr Thomas A. Park & Donna L. Park Achal S. Patel Susan Collins Peach & Donald F. Peach, PE Vo Thien Tri Pham James W. Phelps Ann J. Phillips & Harold E. Phillips Alexandra L. Plunkett Gary L. Pontious Audrey L. Puderbaugh Luella B. Ramsey Gagan Gowda Ravi Kumar Raymond M. RedCorn Antoinette Redmond Jeffrey J. Renz Natalie A. Richards Charles B. Richardson Charles E. Richmond Brian A. Rock, PhD, PE & Kristie M. Rock, PE Jacob W. Rogers Matt Rohr LTC Matthew A. Ross Julie Rossi Emma Russin F. Eugene Salber Joseph D. Sandt, PhD Kathryn M. Schmidt Michael J. Schmidt & Tuija K. Schmidt Thomas C. Schnelle Jacob S. Scott Jian Shen Lori A. Shoppell & Gary D. Shoppell Donna Grace Shrader Alireza Ahmadien Sien & Haleh Sien Milo Goss Sloo, III, MD & Carol Ann Sloo Brendan L. Smith Leslie A. Smith, PhD Todd R. Smith John S. Starsiak Jr. George G. Strella, PE Matthew L. Sugar Cecilia M. Tapia & Rene Tapia Su-Gin Tiong Sara Espinoza Toro & Frederic R. Salles, PhD Henry Treftz Eric J. Valenti Dayana Valenzuela Paul J. Van Benthem Francisco B. Villanueva Dylan M. Wachter Chunyu Wang, PhD & Jiansheng Chen James C. West, PhD & Jane L. Sittler West Dr. Eugene W. Wester Paul E. Whitely James D. Whiteside Wiliam A. Wiseman, Jr. & Joy Wiseman Richard H. Witte James B. Witthaus & Marlene Witthaus Doris T. F. Yap Sidney Zavala Mary B. Zeller Meihua Zhang, PhD Cheng Zhou, PhD Robert J. Zimmerman & Annette Russell Zimmerman

* Indicates donor has passed.

ANNUAL GIFTS

Industry and Foundation Donors Ad Astra Information Systems Alarm.com American Society of Civil EngineersKansas City Section Balsamiq Studios LLC Sean D. Biggs Memorial Foundation Black & Veatch Foundation Black Hills Energy Blue Peak Investment Corporation Burns & McDonnell Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP J. E. Dunn Construction Company Exxon Mobil Corporation Exxon Mobil Foundation Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Inc. Garmin International, Inc. Gartner Law Firm The Glasnapp Foundation Google LLC H&R Block, Inc. Halliburton Foundation, Inc. Hanwha Solutions HEMCO Corporation HNTB Companies

Honeywell International Corporation Kansas Kiwanis Foundation, Inc. Kao Family Foundation Robert W. Keener & Barbara J. Keener Foundation Robert & Barbara Kleist Charitable Trust Koch Industries Matterport M.S.P.E. Auxiliary Western Chapter NBKC Bank NIC Inc. ONEOK Foundation, Inc. Phelps Engineering, Inc. Ripple Labs, Inc. RiskIQ River City Engineering, Inc. Smith & Loveless, Inc. Society of Manufacturing Engineers James Sorem, LLC SS&C Technologies, Inc. Tactical Blue Space Ventures LLC Terracon Foundation Tradebot Systems, Inc. Veterans United Home Loans The Wonderful Company

©2021 University of Kansas

KANSAS ENGINEER | 47

©2021 University of Kansas/Meg Kumin

Lab-on-a-chip technology developed in Foundation Distinguished Professor Steven Soper’s laboratory is being repurposed to create a rapid, inexpensive, at-home COVID-19 test. See the story on page 7.

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48 | FALL 2021

* Indicates donor has passed.

Photo by Jill Hummels

KU Engineering celebrates 50 years of Diversity & Women’s Programs in 2021. In this file photo, Florence Boldridge — who led the program from 1983 to 2017 — displays the Golden Torch Award, which she won after being named Minority Engineering Program Director of the Year by the National Society of Black Engineers in 2011.

KANSAS ENGINEER | 49

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