Kansas Engineering - Fall 2023

KANSAS ENGINEER THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

FALL 2023

Cracking the Code for Better Building Design

KU Engineering Professor Surveys Earthquake Damage in Turkey in Search of Solutions to Improve Structural Stability

RESEARCHER LANDS $5M GRANT TO IMPROVE 5G WIRELESS NETWORK

THREE EARLY-CAREER FACULTY RECOGNIZED FOR PROMISING RESEARCH

GILLILAND, GRIMM, MULINAZZI WIN 2023 DESA AWARDS

Contents

Fall 2023, Volume 47, Number 1

FEATURE 2

A Visit to Turkey to Survey Earthquake Damage

A KU tradition since 1914

DEPARTMENTS FACULTY NEWS 5

Researcher Lands $5M Grant to Improve 5G Wireless Networks

7

Kalantari Wins International Research Award

8

Tamerler Honored by Functional Materials Division of the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society

9

Wastewater Intensification Research Earns Strum $100K Award

10

Three Early-Career Faculty Recognized for Promising Research

12

CReSIS Radar System Seeks to Close ‘Data Gaps’

14

Technological Innovation Leads to Stronger Dams, Levees

15

Report Examines How Hillsides Drive Floods and Landslides

17

Shiflett Earns Research Achievement Award

18

Blunt Named Editor of New Journal Focused on Radar

19

Virtual Reality Therapy System Provides Real-Time Brain Data

20

Faculty Achievements

STUDENT NEWS 21

Student Team Wins KC Fed Code-A-Thon

22

Aerospace Students Continue Excellence in Competitions

23

Bus Bench Prototype for City of Lawrence Developed by Self Fellows

24

Student Receives Award to Study Abroad in South Korea

24

Student Achievements

ALUMNI NEWS 25

Gilliland, Grimm, Mulinazzi Win 2023 DESA Awards

27

Tolaney and Son Donate $100,000 for Scholarship

28

Thomopulos Recognized by Ellis Island Honors Society

30

Memorial Dedicated to Contributions of Madison ‘Al’ and Lila Self

31

$750K Donation Expands Operations at Construction Safety Center

32

Alumni Profiles

FUNDRAISING 35

Cover: Rémy Lequesne, associate professor of civil, environmental & architectural engineering, dons an N95 mask in front of a 13-story apartment building in Antakya, Turkey, that collapsed during the Feb. 6 earthquake.

Photo Courtesy Rémy Lequesne

FALL 2023

Donor and Industry Recognition

KANSAS ENGINEER DEAN OF ENGINEERING Arvin Agah INTERIM ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Steven Schrock ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING Elaina Sutley ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESEARCH Suzanne Shontz 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.

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FROM THE DEAN

Dean of Engineering Arvin Agah

A Celebration — and a Farewell Greetings and a hearty “Rock Chalk!” from Mount Oread.

KU Engineering has much to celebrate this year, and I am proud to share the successes of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni on the pages that follow.

It was a stellar year for our faculty. Collectively, KU Engineering research expenditures topped $20.5 million this year, up 29% from five years ago. We also have numerous individual awards and recognitions for faculty at all stages of their careers that help raise the national stature of the School of Engineering.

In the classroom and in competitions, KU students continue to excel — and this year, they are doing so in record numbers. The start of the fall 2023 semester brought a record student enrollment. KU Engineering had 3,330 students enrolled, an 8% increase from 2022. This includes a record 792 first-time freshmen, which accounts for 15% of KU’s total freshman enrollment.

This milestone would not be possible without the diligence and dedication of our faculty and staff. This achievement is a reflection of sustained effort and outstanding performance from the entire KU Engineering community in recruiting, educating and graduating students.

Meanwhile, our alumni remain crucial to our success.

Their steadfast support provides countless benefits to our students, faculty and staff. Whether it is through mentoring, scholarships, professorships, or numerous other ways, the School of Engineering remains grateful for all your support.

On a personal note, the close of 2023 will bring a new chapter for me and for the School of Engineering. After five years as Dean of Engineering, and more than a decade of leadership in the Engineering Dean’s Office, I am stepping down at the end of my term, which ends in December. I plan to return to my role as a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

We have certainly accomplished much together over the past five years and have many achievements of which to be proud. We have: • Reached all-time record number of enrollments, degrees awarded and percentage of incoming students from underrepresented groups • Adapted admirably to successfully navigate a global pandemic • Managed the numerous challenges of budget reductions • Hired the first women to serve as department chairs in Engineering’s 127-year history — three are in this role as of fall 2023 • Promoted 40 faculty (24 to associate professor, 14 to full professor and two to distinguished professor) • Elevated our efforts on industry partnerships and produced a significant number of issued patents and new invention disclosures • Renewed the University Engineering Initiative Act, providing KU Engineering $3.3 million a year over the next 10 years Thanks to the leadership and guidance of the Deans who preceded me, I inherited a strong, thriving School. The next Dean will inherit a splendid leadership team of chairs and associate deans. The next Dean will have the honor of leading an outstanding group of dedicated staff and faculty and will serve talented students who go into the world and do amazing things.

With sincere gratitude, Arvin Agah, Ph.D. Dean of Engineering

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KU Professor Surveys Earthquake Damage for Answers on How to Improve Structural Stability

by Mark Fagan

W

hen Rémy Lequesne worked his steel-toed boots over the pervasive rubble of apartment buildings, schools, hospitals and dozens of other structures damaged and destroyed by a massive earthquake in early February in Turkey, he faced the real-life devastation already known by so many: more than 50,000 dead, more than 1.5 million left homeless, more than $100 billion in damage.

But as the associate professor of civil, environmental & architectural engineering moved from town to town looking for reasons so many concrete buildings failed — beyond the obvious, immense power of the 7.8-magnitude quake — Lequesne collected clues from among the collapsed floors, twists of exposed steel and cracks that had split hardened combinations of rock, cement and water.

Now the answers he’s uncovered will be put to work revising building codes that could help reduce the damage inflicted by future movements of the Earth’s crust.

“We can make a difference,” said Lequesne, who specializes in how reinforced concrete performs under extreme loads. “We can do better.

We can and have to do better, with design, to help avoid collapses, and I think there are things we can do.”

Lequesne, the Stanley T. and

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Courtesy Rémy Lequesne

Lequesne

Members of ACI Committee 133 (aka “Disaster Reconnaissance”) and collaborators examine a collapsed apartment building that had been under construction when the quake hit in in Antakya, Turkey. Lessons learned from the destruction could lead to stronger standards for new construction in building codes in the U.S. and abroad.

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that collapsed in Turkey — while built to existing code — would have stood stronger and been safer had they been more stiff, likely by having more concrete walls within their interiors.

“It’s a progressive, continuous process,” he said. “But we can do better.”

The team’s report is expected to be finished in late 2023, and its findings will be shared during presentations at industry conferences. Lequesne also plans to build lessons from his surveying experiences into his classes, to help the next generation of engineers understand what’s at stake — and strive for advancements that can make a difference.

“If I can connect what we’re learning in class with the human impacts of the decisions we make, that makes it relevant,” he said. “You can see it: What engineers do is important. It’s important work.”

“You can see it: What engineers do is important. It’s important work.”

Courtesy Rémy Lequesne

Phyllis W. Rolfe Chair’s Council Associate Professor at KU’s School of Engineering, surveyed damage from the Feb. 6 quake as part of a team financed by the American Concrete Institute (ACI). Experts from the United States, Mexico and New Zealand joined faculty, practicing engineers and university students from Turkey to survey and learn from the damage.

With 30,000 members in 120 countries, ACI works to develop consensus-based standards and technical resources that serve as the foundation for concrete-specific sections of building codes in the United States and abroad. The organization also conducts programs for certification, training and education.

Lequesne is confident that the team’s work will result in solid recommendations for updating building codes. Many of the structures

Courtesy Rémy Lequesne

Lacking stiff enough support, a concrete building’s nonstructural elements — doors, windows and more — are particularly susceptible to failure. Limiting such damage is a key to improving building safety, Lequesne said.

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Rebar couldn’t prevent failure of a concrete column of an 11-story apartment building in Antakya, Turkey.

FACULTY NEWS

Project Will Harden 5G Wireless Communication Networks For Military Use with $5 Million from National Science Foundation

by Brendan Lynch A new push to strengthen security of 5G wireless communications networks for use by the U.S. armed forces will be centered at the University of Kansas.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $5 million, Phase 2 Convergence Accelerator Track G grant to a research and development team based at KU. The project is led by principal investigator Taejoon Kim, KU associate professor of electrical engineering & computer science, under the aim of giving U.S. military personnel a secure way to share situational awareness via the same high-performance consumer 5G networks that cover the nation.

Today, however, these networks are vulnerable to adversaries and distrusted by the U.S. military, in part because they weren’t designed for many adversarial settings and electronic warfare scenarios common in military hardened networks. Additionally, much of the hardware behind 5G is manufactured overseas.

“5G’s significance is recognized by everyone,” Kim said. “It’s pivotal in rapid dissemination of information across the globe. It serves as the fundamental backbone for virtually every business operation. One of the primary forces enabling new applications is the synergy between research, standardization in 3GPP and equipment manufacturing. New research leads to intellectual property,

which is then incorporated into future standards, and then new base station and user equipment products.

Nevertheless, over the past decade or so, U.S. leadership in the wireless industry has encountered some setbacks. There is no longer a major U.S.-headquartered base-station manufacturer. Under 3GPP standards, essential intellectual property is dominated by vendors and countries directly competing with the U.S.” To enable secure military use of foreign-made 5G infrastructure, Kim will lead a team dubbed “Zero Trust X (ZTX)” to perform fundamental research to develop an end-to-end security solution for reliable 5G use.

“Traditionally, security is implied within network boundaries, similar to traditional boundary-based security models,” Kim said. “Once you cross this boundary, the assumption is that you’re secure — this concept follows a trusted paradigm, with users providing credentials. ‘Zero Trust,’ however, differs significantly because even after access is granted, trust remains minimal. Every operation is continuously monitored for potential threats. For instance, when connecting to a network, constant threat detection and mitigation is in place, responding to detected threats promptly, ensuring comprehensive security down to the millisecond.”

The Zero Trust solution conceived by the ZTX team has two main parts: the Zero Trust software, which offers end-

Kim

to-end security, and a communication infrastructure.

“The communication infrastructure comprises various components and pathways, such as a wireless network connecting a soldier to a base station in a foreign country, followed by routing through a core network and, finally, transmission to a command center, perhaps located in Washington, D.C.,” Kim said.

To safeguard this network, the KU researcher said the ZTX team would consider a 5G network infrastructure, such as the consumer network that spans the U.S., as a “black box.”

“We aim to add an additional layer of security to any data sent by user equipment through the 5G network,”

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FACULTY NEWS

he said. “This extra layer could include duty-specific encryption, near-realtime threat detection and protection against location-based attacks. In a hostile environment, adversaries can exploit location information that are now available in any 5G network for harmful purposes. To address this, we seek to obfuscate device locations using advanced spatial coding techniques.”

Another critical aspect is making data traffic appear mundane to potential adversaries, Kim said.

“By disguising duty traffic as ordinary 5G traffic, we reduce the likelihood of suspicion,” he said. “The goal is to prevent adversaries from recognizing any suspicious packets or patterns in the data. Our approach is rooted in maintaining security without raising suspicions.”

The ZTX investigators said their work will result in a suite of software called a “Zero Trust Chain” that won’t require modifications to public 5G/O-

RAN networks. The final step will be to carry out testing in a laboratory-scale integrated 5G/O-RAN testbed and on other available testbeds, with the intent of bringing the software to market.

Because the product will be useful for private-sector entities using 5G as well, the ZTX software family will be commercialized by a startup associated with the collaboration, also to be called ZTX. Currently, the startup is considering space at KU Innovation Park, Kim said. The startup company is meant to sustain the research efforts beyond the life of the Phase 2 grant.

The collaboration and the new company will also create training opportunities for KU students as well as new jobs in Lawrence and other communities. Project manager David Tamez, communication specialist at Institute for Information Science (I2S) of KU, will play a key role in overseeing these projects, Kim said.

“We regularly bring students,

including postgraduate students, into our team, along with web developers and engineers,” Kim said. “Our engineering team is diverse, including professionals with industry experience and those with academic backgrounds.

We’re collaborate closely with this team to execute project goals effectively.”

The ZTX team will involve researchers Sang Kim with Iowa State University; Vuk Marojevic with Mississippi State University; Syed Rafiul Hussain with Pennsylvania State University; David Love, Sonia Fahmy and Chris Brinton with Purdue University; Remi Chou with University of Texas at Arlington; and Hyuck Kwon with Wichita State University. These institutions will be joined by personnel from defense contractor Chris Vander Valk with Raytheon and Khanh Pham with the Air Force Research Laboratory.

“We aim to add an additional layer of security to any data sent by user equipment through the 5G network.”

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FACULTY NEWS

Petroleum Engineering Professor Wins International Breakthrough Research of the Year Award in 2022

by Joel Mathis A KU researcher has been honored with one of the energy industry’s most prestigious awards.

Masoud Kalantari, associate professor of chemical & petroleum engineering at KU, leads a group — which includes UCLA, MicroSilicon Inc. and EOG Resources Inc. — that is developing a system to make hydraulic fracturing more efficient for energy producers.

The project was honored in late 2022 with the Breakthrough Research of the Year award at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC), sponsored by the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

The award is a “significant achievement,” Kalantari said. “It gives me and my team a great feeling in terms of being highly recognized in the international domain in presence of top oil and gas companies’ CEOs and energy ministers.”

“I am exceptionally proud of Dr. Kalantari and his team for being recognized for Breakthrough Research of the Year at the 2022 ADIPEC Awards,” said Susan Williams, chair of the Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering at KU. The research will have a significant impact on the economics and sustainability of the oil and gas industry, she said, and the partnership with UCLA, MicroSilicon and EOG Resources “provides an exceptional educational experience for our students at the University of Kansas.”

Hydraulic fracturing has been in widespread use for more than a decade to capture hard-to-reach oil in tricky geological formations, but it is an inefficient process: Energy companies rely on mostly indirect diagnostic methods to figure out where the fracks go and to map the fractures they’ve created to capture the most oil and gas at the smallest cost.

Kalantari’s $3.49 million project funded by the Department of Energy has been underway since 2019. It involves developing and field-testing wireless, battery-less, fine-size (as small as 250 micrometers, equal to 100 proppant size) smart microchip sensors coupled with a physics-informed, AI-based, iGeo-sensing platform that enables real-time, cost-efficient, continuous, high-resolution and “direct” fracture diagnostics.

The new technology will give engineers a better picture of complex subsurface fracture geometry, which means companies won’t have to drill so many unnecessary wells. That will help them minimize the environmental footprint and maximize profits to help achieve their net carbon zero goals.

ADIPEC is the world’s largest and most influential annual gathering of the energy industry. More than 160,000 people from 164 countries gathered in Abu Dhabi for the conference.

Kalantari’s project was chosen as a finalist — out of more than 1,000 entries for the 10 award categories — by a jury of experts that included executives

and professionals from major energy companies, academics and members of other energy industry organizations.

The awards jury included the ministers of energy and petroleum from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as the CEOs of several oil companies such as Occidental and Baker Hughes.

Among the attendees at the award ceremony was Linda Zarda Cook, a KU engineering alumna who now serves as CEO of Harbour Energy, a Londonbased oil and gas company.

“I was so happily surprised to see KU nominated for the first award presented that evening and then to be announced as the winner,” Cook said.

“It made me very proud — and I was so pleased to be able to congratulate the recipient after he left the stage and share in his moment.”

Kalantari

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FACULTY NEWS

KU Engineering Professor, Research Leadership Team Member Wins Research Award

by Mark Fagan A professor of engineering and a member of the senior research leadership team at KU was honored in early 2023 for leading research that fuses biology, materials science and engineering into repairing tissue functions, addressing dental and oral diseases and restoring oral health as well as developing sustainable and renewable biobased products for multiple sectors.

Candan Tamerler is the 2023 winner of the Distinguished Scientist/Engineer Award, presented by the Functional Materials Division of the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, the leading organization for more than 12,000 member scientists and engineers working in industry, academia and government around the world.

“I’m deeply honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award,” Tamerler said. “I am grateful to the award committee, my colleagues and especially for my research team and students.”

Tamerler, the Charles E. & Mary Jane Spahr Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering Program at KU, was cited for her outstanding contributions to the field, particularly in integrating biological mechanisms into the design of multifunctional hybrid materials that mimic nature.

Her research focuses on the engineered peptides and protein systems as an integral component of functional materials and devices addressing medical technologies 8 | FALL 2023

and bioeconomy. Her team’s notable works include strategies developed for prevention of oral diseases, restoration of oral health and for designing sustainable and renewable products derived from biobased resources or designed as protein or enzyme mimics for multiple sectors.

Using data mining, bioinformatics and — recently — machine learning tools combined with function relationships, Tamerler’s team has designed a number of multifunctional biomaterial interfaces and surfaces and built biohybrid materials. Her work has led to biomaterials ranging from biomimetic tooth repair to antimicrobial peptides combating infection, to photopolymerizable peptide-polymer hybrids as next generation adhesives, as well as selfassembled biobased catalyst systems and sensing modalities.

“Dr. Tamerler has accumulated an exemplary record of scholarship,” said Kalpana Katti, a distinguished professor and science lead of Center for Cellular Biointerfaces in Science and Engineering at North Dakota State University, in nominating Tamerler for the award. Katti describes the work as “along the lines of mimicking nature at the molecular scale,” designing peptides as “molecular synthesizers and assemblers in molecular building blocks,” then integrating them into structures with engineered characteristics that provide robust uses in both technology and medicine.

Tamerler

Tamerler joined the faculty at the University of Washington and led research there before coming to KU in 2013. Tamerler now serves as associate vice chancellor for research at KU, after having served three years as the School of Engineering’s associate dean for research.

“I am grateful to the award committee, my colleagues and especially for my research team and students.”

FACULTY NEWS

KU Engineering Professor Wins $100K Award to Research Wastewater Intensification

by Cody Howard KU Marketing Communications

Belinda Sturm, left, works with students in her research lab in Learned Hall. She was awarded the 2022 Paul L. Busch Award to research wastewater intensification.

A prestigious award from the Water Research Foundation will provide the opportunity for a KU School of Engineering professor to research a breakthrough approach to improving water quality.

Belinda Sturm, professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, won the 2022 Paul L. Busch Award. With this $100,000 research prize, Sturm will assess how the physical, chemical and biological properties of aerobic granular sludge impact the removal of pathogens and microplastics from wastewater.

Sturm’s research could allow municipal wastewater treatment plants to double their capacity without the

need for expanding or adding new treatment equipment.

“The greatest achievement in water quality research is obtained when knowledge is put into practice to create a safer environment,” Sturm said. “This award will enable me to explore a new research application in collaboration with utility partners.”

Wastewater from residences, businesses and other properties carries materials such as carbon, nutrients, pathogens and microplastics to water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs).

While WRRFs have processes in place to remove contaminants, there is a need for more research into increasing capacity, ensuring efficiency and

understanding the broader applications of existing treatment technologies.

Partnering with the city of Lawrence as well as Metro Water Recovery in Denver, Sturm will assess the removal of pathogens from wastewater due to grazing by the protozoa in biofilms, as well as the sorption of microplastics onto aerobic granular sludge (AGS) granules.

This research will “explore the fundamental properties of AGS while demonstrating full-scale and practical improvements for water quality,” Sturm said. This research has the potential to significantly enhance wastewater treatment and further the science related to biofilms.

In addition to her work at KU, Sturm serves as director of the Kansas National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF-EPSCoR) and chair of the Water Environment Federation’s Municipal Design Symposium.

For 22 years, the WRF Endowment for Innovation in Applied Water Quality Research has supported the Paul L. Busch Award, providing more than $2 million in funding to researchers who are making major breakthroughs in water quality science.

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FACULTY NEWS

Three Early-Career Faculty Recognized for Promising Research

by Mark Fagan Assistant Professors Mohammad Alian and Justin Hutchison were awarded NSF Early Career Development Awards. Assistant Professor Cheng Huang won an Air Force Office of Scientific Research’s Young Investigator Research Program Award.

MOHAMMAD ALIAN Mohammad Alian, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, received a five-year, $533,000 NSF Early Career Development (CAREER) award for his work on what is known as a Near-Memory Datacenter Network. The research is aimed at rethinking the internal networking of data centers — work to reduce latency, cut power consumption and accelerate speeds, all by maximizing the capacities of computing hardware.

The plan is to create inter-chip optical interconnections that deliver data directly from top-of-rack switch ports to processor chips and memory units by following a single instruction.

No longer needed would be the comparatively stifling combination of multilayered software stacks, complex network protocol processes, frequent data movements and ongoing device management common in current datacenters.

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The potential network architecture would be transformative, able to deliver remote memory access at faster than 500 nanoseconds more than 99.9% of the time, all while using 100 times less communication energy.

And in a data-driven world where bandwidth requirements for data centers double every 12 or 15 months, finding efficiency is critical.

“Thanks to the advancement in CMOS technology scaling, also known as Moore’s Law, we can build chips that are amazingly fast in processing the data — but if we cannot feed enough data to these chips, they are useless,” Alian said. “This award will enable us to re-architect the datacenter network, from the application down to the hardware layer, to deliver data between the extremely fast processing elements at speeds close to hardware limits.”

Alian

FACULTY NEWS

JUSTIN HUTCHISON Justin Hutchison, assistant professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, received a five-year, $560,000 CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation for his research into microbes that can break up chemicals in soil and groundwater.

His research focuses on microorganisms that can break down emerging contaminants. While current research methods rely on culturing microorganisms — and only 5% of such microorganisms in a soil sample can even be cultured — Hutchison is working to broaden the field by examining the proteins of all such microorganisms directly, in the soil itself.

The issue is immense. According to the American Water Works Association, threats to drinking water posed by emerging contaminants could prompt $370 billion in system

upgrades — all to treat pollutants that include some so toxic that the EPA issues health advisories for concentrations as low as 0.004 parts per trillion.

Hutchison wants to address this growing threat. By incorporating the same approach used to advance disease-targeting abilities of pharmaceuticals, he aims to identify particular enzymes that can degrade such chemical pollutants into harmless byproducts.

“This grant is an acknowledgment that biological processes play a vital role in protecting our drinking water supply and that alternatives to our current research methods are needed to advance research in this area,” Hutchison said. “It will play an important role in training the next generation of undergraduate and graduate students to advance

sustainable solutions to protect and treat our drinking water.”

CAREER awards are considered among the NSF’s most prestigious, given to about 500 early-career faculty each year with the potential to serve as academic role models in both research and education. NSF expects recipients’ activities to build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.

Hutchison

CHENG HUANG Cheng Huang, assistant professor of aerospace engineering, recieved a three-year, $450,000 grant from the U.S. Air Force for his work using data-science techniques to understand and model combustion physics and to help improve combustion devices’ performance and safety.

Huang received the award through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research’s Young Investigator Research Program. The program, known as YIP, supports early-career engineers and scientists who show “exceptional ability and promise” as they conduct basic research in science and engineering.

Huang’s research — “Generalizable Data-Driven Modeling Framework for Understanding and Modeling Turbulent Combustion” — involves energy, combustion and non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Huang and his team

use data and models to help boost the accuracy of combustion simulations for everything from traditional liquid rocket engines that launch satellites into space to scramjets that move hypersonic projectiles at more than five times the speed of sound.

The advanced modeling also can assist development of future propulsion systems such as rotating detonation engines, a promising alternative to traditional combustion.

The grant is helping Huang’s years of work get even further off the ground.

“This award allows me and my team to leverage the novel techniques originated from data sciences to inform accurate computational models to describe turbulent combustion physics at conditions that cannot easily be assessed and significantly improves our understanding of these challenging physics,” he said.

Such innovative thinking aligns with the mission of the YIP, considered among the most prestigious research awards that new faculty members can receive. Huang is among 58 scientists and engineers from 44 research institutions and businesses in 22 states to win a YIP award this year.

Huang

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FACULTY NEWS

Researchers at CReSIS Build Radar System to Extend Range of Ice Surveys and Close ‘Data Gaps’

by Brendan Lynch Researchers at KU’s Center for Remote Sensing and Integrated Systems received almost $1 million from the National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation program to design and build an adaptable radar system for long-range unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

With the new radar, scientists at CReSIS, the KU School of Engineering and other researchers will be able to gather more complete data on ice-sheet thickness in some of the most remote expanses of Antarctica and Greenland.

The new system also could improve ice-discharge estimates and make it easier to routinely monitor snow cover on sea ice.

“This builds off what we already do at CReSIS with our sounding radars,” said lead researcher Emily Arnold, associate professor of aerospace engineering at KU. “The unique thing about the radar

system we’re going to develop is it’s reconfigurable. It will have a common digital back end but a swappable RF front end. This radar will be able to operate over a much wider range of frequencies. Instead of having to design and develop three discrete systems, we can just design this one. Then, we could do a variety of missions looking at different parameters.”

The radar eventually could be deployed to a range of mediumsized UAS platforms from various manufacturers. But Arnold and her collaborators first will partner with Hollywood, Maryland-based Platform Aerospace. They plan to adapt the radar to the Vanilla UAS — a system ruggedized for cold weather that could greatly extend the range of research flights operated by scientists at CReSIS and other collaborations.

“We’re designing it to be platform-

U.S. Navy photo by Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Michael Schutt

Emily Arnold of the University of Kansas will adapt a new configurable radar to the Vanilla UAS — a system ruggedized for cold weather that could greatly extend the range of research flights operated by scientists at CReSIS and other collaborations.

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agnostic, meaning ideally you could put it on any small UAV platform,” said Arnold, who earned a recent CAREER award to integrate miniaturized radars onto a small UAS helicopter. “But this vehicle from Platform Aerospace has set several endurance records. By partnering with them on this grant, our plan is to integrate our system into the Vanilla UAS. One thing you can’t really standardize is the antennas. You have the radar system — the electronics that generate the signal — but then you need something to emit that energy.

That’s where the antenna comes in, but those tend to be more customized based on hard points available on the aircraft. So, we’re designing custom antennas for the Vanilla aircraft to support these operations.”

Most design and fabrication work on the new system will happen inhouse at KU, according to Arnold. Six other senior KU faculty associated with CReSIS will join the project, along with collaborators at Michigan State University and experts from private industry.

“The electronics will be fabricated over at Nichols Hall on West Campus,” Arnold said. “The antenna and pods are going to be made out of composite materials, so we’ll be able to fabricate those in our aerospace Composite Material Lab.”

FACULTY NEWS

Next, the KU researchers will team up with Platform Aerospace to integrate the radar into the Vanilla UAS and begin test flights of the systems at the firm’s proving grounds.

“They’ll be responsible for operating the vehicle while we operate the radar,” Arnold said. “For our initial flight test, we usually just fly over the ocean because the ocean provides a nice specular target to calibrate our systems — we’ll most likely fly over the ocean on the East Coast at one of Platform’s facilities.”

After assessing the new radar system’s operational readiness, the specialized UAS would take to the skies over Antarctica.

“For an initial field deployment, we’ll probably deploy out of McMurdo Station in Antarctica, which is the primary American base — they have established flight fields, and this is a well-controlled environment to deploy the vehicle from,” Arnold said. “But also under this grant we could spin off a lot of international collaborations, working with people from different countries who work from bases all over Antarctica. If we’re collaborating with them, we could operate from almost anyplace that has an appropriate runway for us across the continent. There are some international collaborators that we’re starting to talk to with about this — and we’d like to

expand to more remote deployments.”

KU personnel working on the grant include Richard Hale, chair and Spahr Professor of Aerospace Engineering and associate director of CReSIS; Carl Leuschen, professor of electrical engineering & computer science and director of CReSIS; Fernando Rodriguez-Morales, senior research scientist at CReSIS; John Paden, associate scientist and deputy director at CReSIS; and Leigh Stearns, professor of geology. Other collaborators are John Papapolymerou of Michigan State University and Anthony Jones of Platform Aerospace.

Courtesy Arnold, et al.

Possible coverage maps for two-day missions with the Vanilla UAS across the (a) Antarctic (b) Arctic.

The Antarctic missions assume a maximum range of 1,600 kilometers to the science target and a gridded survey of 1,400 kilometers of the target. Arctic missions assume out-and-back missions.

Courtesy Arnold, et al.

Echogram of six crevasses in the Arctic Peninsula’s Wordie ice shelf in the Antarctic. Using the proposed radar flying on a UAV in grid patterns, similar echograms could be used to characterize the width and depth of crevasses in the remotest parts of Antarctica.

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FACULTY NEWS

KU Researchers Strengthen American Dams, Levees with Technological Innovation

by Brendan Lynch

Courtesy Caroline Bennett

View of the KU West Campus Structural Testing Facility.

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“Specifically, we’re targeting sliding at lift joints, restraining rocking between crest block and dam body during seismic loading, and damage on concrete spillways of dams. Our goal is to extend the usable lives of existing concrete dam infrastructure, which was mostly built in the 1930s and 1940s.”

These New Deal-era dams and levees aren’t just showing their age; several have experienced catastrophic failures in recent years due to disrepair.

In 2005, New Orleans’ levees were breached with disastrous results during Hurricane Katrina, while levees in South Carolina were breached during Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

A year later, relentless rain caused the Oroville Dam in California to fail.

One recent assessment concluded the nation’s dams and levees need $93.6 billion in upgrades.

Before repairs are made, dams and levees must be assessed for repairs.

KU researchers are developing new approaches for dam and levee damage-detection, which traditionally required people dangling from ropes.

Their approach will rely on artificial intelligence, according to co-primary investigator Jian Li, Francis M. Thomas Chair’s Council Associate Professor of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering at KU, who will lead much of that work.

“My main role is focused on using deep learning and computer vision to autonomously identify the location and severity of dam damage, such as concrete cracking and spalling, for which FRP repair is needed,” Li said.

Courtesy Caroline Bennett

A team of researchers from the KU School of Engineering has partnered with U.S. federal agencies in a push to strengthen American dams and levees nationwide using fiber-reinforced polymers, sensors, artificial intelligence and drones.

The $7.7 million, five-year project is a partnership between KU, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Work at KU is headed by Caroline Bennett, Dean R. and Florence W. Frisbie Associate Chair of Graduate Studies, Glenn L. Parker Faculty Fellow and professor of civil, environmental & architectural engineering.

“The project focuses on developing repairs and retrofits for the inventory of concrete dams in the U.S., with an emphasis on efficient damage detection,” Bennett said. “In addition to repair methods, we’ll be using fiberreinforced polymer materials, or FRPs, to address damage.

Personnel from the University of Kansas and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discuss collection of drone-based data pre-flight at the Tuttle Creek Spillway Structure in Manhattan.

“Once the repair is done, these locations are no longer inspectable. Therefore, we’ll also develop self-sensing FRP repairs to enable continued monitoring of the repaired regions to ensure longterm safety. By leveraging emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, computer vision and advanced sensing, our research will greatly enhance timely repair, retrofit and maintenance of the nation’s large inventory of concrete dams.”

According to Bennett, the goal of the work at KU is to boost American transportation and commerce, as well as safeguard nearby communities.

“We’re not really building new dams anymore, so it has become critical to maintain our existing inventory of dams from both a safety perspective, for drinking water, as well as navigability of our waterways. It’s very important to the safe functioning of our infrastructure, from a life-safety standpoint, but also from an economic and transportation standpoint,” Bennett said.

FACULTY NEWS

Report Shows Tectonics to be Main Driver Of Hillslope ‘Connectivity’

by Brendan Lynch The study incorporated data from sources like digital-elevation models created by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Global Earthquake Model, the North American Land Data Assimilation System, the Global Landslide Catalog and the Dartmouth Flood Observatory database.

In seeking to determine what factors most influenced connectivity, Husic, along with co-author and recent KU graduate Alexander Michalek, now at the University of Iowa, report “the dominance of tectonic drivers, like river steepness and seismic activity, over climatic drivers, like precipitation and aridity, in controlling the strength of connectivity for the entire continental United States.”

The researchers found that high connectivity zones are associated with increased propensity for landslides, whereas low connectivity zones promote wetland development.

Husic

Further, the researchers worked with water-science advocacy organization CUAHSI to produce a new open-access digital tool for researchers and the public, called the “Index of Connectivity Mapper.”

“We created these structural connectivity maps for every 10-meterby-10-meter square grid for the entire Courtesy Admin Husic

Chances are good that most people reading this are situated on a hillslope, as hillslopes cover some 90% of the Earth’s landmass.

Hillslopes are critical landscape features that move water from ridges down to valleys, transport sediments and nutrients, and link terrestrial ecosystems with aquatic ones — facets of a hillslope’s “connectivity.”

A new large-scale analysis of hillslope connectivity at the continental scale created at KU was published in 2022 in Geophysical Research Letters. The study gives new understanding of mechanisms that determine how effectively hillslopes drive floods and landslides, as well as promote the presence of wetlands. “‘Connectivity’ describes the likelihood that a part of the landscape is linked to a river,” said lead author Admin Husic, Harold A. and Donna R. Phelps Chair’s Council Assistant Professor of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering at KU. “If you know a certain component of the landscape is highly connected to a river network — well then, that part of the landscape could contribute a lot of water as well as other contaminants to the network. In a way, you can identify some source areas you might want to target for management.

“More basically, ‘connectivity’ describes the movement of water — what compartments of a landscape are efficient at moving water as runoff. Some hillslopes readily convey this runoff quickly. Other hillslopes aren’t,” he said.

Full U.S. Map image: Spatial distribution and correlations of Index of Connectivity with the occurrence of hydrologic extremes and benefits, including landslides, floods and wetlands.

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FACULTY NEWS

United States,” Husic said. “This required use of supercomputers here at KU, because we did this calculation for about 75 billion locations in the United States.”

Rather than “hoard” the data, the researchers wanted the map, which covers the continental United States, to be freely available to researchers, conservationists, policymakers and students.

“These maps can assist scientists and land managers in their respective domains. An ecologist may want to understand how hillslopes contribute water and nutrients to a river and how that impacts the aquatic ecosystem,”

Husic said. “The index of connectivity is a tool that can be used for that purpose. On the other hand, an agricultural land manager may be interested in finding hotspots of soil erosion or deposition, which is also made possible through investigation of our structural connectivity maps.”

While the new study of structural connectivity compares hillslope responses to historical climate conditions rather than those projected to occur due to human-driven climate change, this insight will provide a better grasp to predicting how an area may respond to more intense weather events predicted in coming decades.

“If we can understand how hillslopes respond to rainfall inputs, we will be better able to predict potential future responses,” he said.

“Here in the Midwest, as climate changes, we anticipate similar amounts of total rainfall, but the rainfall will come down during a shorter timeframe, making events more intense. Looking forward into the future, an important consideration is how the increased intensity of events shifts the amount of rainfall that is absorbed by hillslopes versus how much is transmitted to rivers.”

Courtesy Admin Husic

Conceptual diagram of Index of Connectivity calculation, which utilizes weighted upstream and downstream components.

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FACULTY NEWS

Engineering Professor Receives Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Award

by Vince Munoz Mark Shiflett, Foundation Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering and Director of the Institute for Sustainable Engineering, was one of four faculty members at two Kansas universities to receive the Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Awards, the state higher education system’s most prestigious recognition for scholarly excellence.

Shiflett’s research involves developing environmentally safe chemical processes and products that are sustainable. Shiflett researches separation methods for recycling refrigerants with high global warming potential. Preventing the release of these refrigerants into the atmosphere through recycling has the potential to eliminate 175 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 50 million cars.

His research group is also developing methods for removal of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water, processes for recycling critical metals used in lithium-ion batteries and techniques for storing vaccines without the need for refrigeration. He has received more than $10 million in external funding in the past six years while at KU. Shiflett earned a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware.

OTHER HONOREES: Donna Ginther, Roy A. Roberts and Regents Distinguished Professor of Economics, KU Timothy Musch, University Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology (College of Health and Human Sciences) and Physiology (College of Veterinary Medicine), Kansas State University Uwe Thumm, University Distinguished Professor of Physics, Kansas State University The awards are named for former leaders of KU Endowment who helped recruit Higuchi to KU.

Shiflett

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FACULTY NEWS

KU Engineering Professor Named Editor of New International Academic Journal Focused on Radar

by Joel Mathis

Blunt

Shannon Blunt, Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, was named the first editor of IEEE Transactions on Radar Systems, an online journal launched in early 2023 and published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

“This journal is going to create a sort of one-stop shop for all things radar research related,” Blunt said.

Blunt, who joined KU in 2005, brings a wealth of experience to the task. In addition to his work at KU, he has

served on the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology (PCAST) and as chair for multiple IEEE Radar Conferences. Most recently he served as a senior editor on radar systems for another journal from the same organization, IEEE Transactions on Aerospace & Electronic Systems.

He said the new journal is needed because “the radar community is very large, both in terms of people and geography.”

“It’s global, but it’s also kind of somewhat disconnected,” he said.

“And so some of us had been talking for a while about the fact there needed to be an actual journal that became the focal point.”

Research on radar used to be focused almost exclusively on defense and aviation applications, but in recent decades, it has sprawled to include weather, cars, medical uses and wearable technology.

“There’s all kinds of emerging applications that keep showing up,” Blunt said.

Some researchers are focused on theoretical ideas regarding radar, while others are looking to bring research into the real world. Blunt said the new journal should be a place where ideas from all those disparate parts of the field can be exchanged: It will focus on submissions involving theoretical, experimental and applicationsoriented research.

“I think if we do our job well, we’ll reconnect all these different parts of the community,” Blunt said, “because again, often there’s very little interaction, but yet we’re all kind of working on similar problems to a degree.”

Blunt said he hopes the journal becomes a focal point for the far-flung radar research community.

“Despite the fact that all that stuff is on the internet, it’s almost to the point where there’s so much on there you can’t really separate things out. It’s too distributed,” he said. By bringing everybody together, “I think that will cause basically the rate of advance to accelerate.”

“This journal is going to create a sort of one-stop shop for all things radar research related.”

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FACULTY NEWS

KU Team Develops Virtual Reality Therapy System That Aids Clients, Therapists with Real-Time Brain Data

by Mike Krings engineering. Friis introduced him to Barbara Kerr, Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Counseling Psychology.

Kerr had trained psychologists throughout her career and has used both virtual reality and EEG brain biofeedback in working with creative students and clients. The Virtual Therapy System originated from their discussions and was developed over the next few years as the team studied the technology and how it could be applied in psychological contexts.

“We really wanted to meet the needs of people who would use this. Much of that was from Dr. Kerr’s experience, but I also called a lot of therapists around Kansas to get their input and shadowed counselors doing what they do,” Tacca said. “We thought it was a cool idea, but we wanted it to be more than that. We wanted it to be useful and meaningful.”

The team recognized the need for a virtual setting conducive to therapy and discussing mental health, and current virtual therapy sometimes can come up short on providing that sense of security. The system also had to provide a “therapeutic alliance,” or way to build a trusting, meaningful relationship between the therapist and client.

The system features a choice of three virtual environments: a forest, log cabin or a simulation of Sigmund Freud’s office. The forest features settings of nature such as trees, waterfalls, ponds and even nature sounds, while the cabin features a fireplace and windows with scenic “outdoor” imagery. The

Courtesy Chris Tacca

Clients seeking therapy need to feel comfortable in an environment that is conducive to examining mental health and with a counselor they can trust.

Meeting those needs can be challenging in a remote therapy environment.

A KU research team with ties to KU’s bioengineering program has developed a virtual therapy system that addresses many of the issues of remote counseling while also providing therapists with real-time data on brain activity.

The EEG-enabled Virtual Therapy System has received a provisional patent and is being refined for wide market use. The system can take users to several virtual settings in which they meet with a counselor in the form of a virtual reality wizard, Mother Earth figure or other avatars. And recent clinical trials show that users have believed the virtual settings address many of the problems of remote counseling.

The system originated from a personal experience of Christopher Tacca, a recent doctoral graduate of KU. Just as he was starting his studies, a tragedy occurred.

“I remember celebrating graduation with my family and friends and being nervous about coming to Kansas and the Midwest,” Tacca said. “About a week later, one of my friends took his life. I didn’t how to process it, but I felt like I wanted to do something that could help someone like him.”

A bioengineering student and Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellow, Tacca was working with adviser Elizabeth Friis, professor of mechanical

The Earth Mother avatar is shown in the forest setting of the EEG-enable Virtual Therapy System.

office features large furniture, framed credentials and bookshelves.

“One of the things that makes it restorative and comfortable is if people have control over the environment,” Tacca said. “So people can say, ‘I want to sit by this tree or pond.’ Nature is a place that’s very restorative, and people go there all the time. Here, people can also control sound elements like hearing a nearby waterfall.”

Tacca has presented his findings at the Virtual Reality and Healthcare Global Symposium and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Conference on Virtual Reality + 3D User Interfaces, and the studies are forthcoming in peer-reviewed journals as well.

The research team continues to refine the Virtual Therapy System. In the meantime, it has already proven effective in helping both clients and counselors in new ways.

“We always say the problem with virtual reality (VR) is you can’t see emotion,” Kerr said. “But our system makes that visible and solves a major problem of VR and allows deeper context for counselors to help clients.”

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FACULTY NEWS

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS Six engineering faculty members were awarded promotion and tenure in 2023.

Faculty promoted to professor with tenure: • Reza Barati, chemical and petroleum engineering • Fengjun Li, electrical engineering and computer science Faculty promoted to associate professor with tenure: • Alex Bardas, electrical engineering and computer science • Taejoon Kim, electrical engineering and computer science • Gibum Kwon, mechanical engineering • Cuncong Zhong, electrical engineering and computer science Ken Fischer, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the KU Bioengineering Program, was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering.

Victor S. Frost, distinguished professor of electrical engineering and computer science, received the 2021 ASEE Midwest Section Conference first-place best paper award.

Andrés LePage, professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, and Remy Lequesne, associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, were awarded the American Concrete Institute’s Mete A. Sozen Award for Excellence in Structural Research for a paper they co-authored.

Anil Misra, professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Cody Howard

A virtual reality exhibit was among the dozens of displays that drew hundreds of K-8 students to the engineering complex in February 2023 for Engineering Expo.

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STUDENT NEWS

Students Craft ‘Simulearn’ App to Win KC Fed Code-A-Thon Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Home Assistant all make it easy for users to turn on lights, track grocery lists, automate climate controls and handle other relatively mindless home tasks that take up time and attention.

Now, a group of KU Engineering students has written an app to help anyone learn the actual computing language that could one day help people program their own devices.

And they did it all in 30 hours.

The five students, all from the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, created the app as part of the 2023 Kansas City Fed Code-A-Thon, organized by the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. The team finished first among 18 teams from regional colleges who competed over two days to achieve a common goal: help someone learn code and use it in their everyday life.

KU’s team, called N.A.R.C.S. — a name comprising the first letter of the first name of team members Nikhil Raja, Abir Haque, Rahul Amatapu, Chase Burkdoll and Shad Ahmed — created an app to help people learn the Python computer programming language using smart home devices.

All five teammates already had struggled enough in their EECS classes — “trying to figure out how conditional statements and for-loops worked,” Haque said — so they were grateful that the announced-on-site theme would allow them to turn the challenge into an opportunity to build upon their collective passion for home automation technologies.

Cody Howard

by Mark Fagan

The winning team from left to right: Abir Haque; Chase Burkdoll; Nikhil Raja; Erik Perrins, chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Shad Ahmed and Rahul Amatapu.

“We were also all friends walking into the competition,” Haque said. “We saw this as a great opportunity to learn about new technologies while hanging out as well.”

Last month’s competition started on a Friday night. Before they’d gone to sleep they’d brainstormed ideas, identified the app’s requirements and designed the solution. They spent Saturday developing and testing the app.

Using TypeScript, React and Git to craft the source code, N.A.R.C.S. members had generated an app — dubbed Simulearn — that delivered a working prototype.

Teams were judged in five categories: innovation, UX/polish, functionality, impact/potential and presentation.

Experience in the KU School of Engineering, Haque said, certainly prepped the N.A.R.C.S. members for success.

“Every class we have taken so far — whether it be Software

Engineering, Discrete Structures or a non-EECS class like Linear Algebra — places a great deal of emphasis on developing strong problem-solvers and team players,” said Haque, a student research assistant for the Institute for Information Sciences and an undergraduate research fellow.

“In addition, KU does a great job at combining theory with application.

These traits are extremely important.”

The KC Fed conducts the annual Code-A-Thon to encourage and inspire college students studying computer science and engineering. Nearly half of all KC Fed employees are information technology professionals.

“We look forward to competing next year,” Haque said. “Seeing that we are still sophomores, we hope to compete in similar competitions to broaden our skills and just have fun.”

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STUDENT NEWS

Aerospace Engineering Students Continue Excellence in National Design Competitions

by Joel Mathis

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Submitted illustration

A team of KU aerospace engineers took second place in 2022 in a prestigious international aerospace competition, continuing KU’s long history of success at the event.

The students won recognition from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) for their design of an unmanned hypersonic spy plane, which they named the “Hyperhawk” system. Ron BarrettGonzalez, professor of aerospace engineering, said the award is the 41st that KU students have received in AIAA competition over the last decade.

“Our department is not exactly like the basketball team, but if you keep posting win after win after win, eventually people take notice,” he said.

The KU team was led by graduate student Nathan Wolf, of Olathe, who was previously part of a third-place team in the AIAA’s 2021 competition.

“It’s an honor to have won two of these design competitions,” Wolf said.

“Although our aerospace engineering department is relatively small, we have a rich history of competing in these competitions with much larger universities and coming out on top.”

Other members of the team were KU students Isaac Beech, of Lenexa; Justin Clough, of Leawood; Garin McKenna, of Overland Park; Gerell Miller, of Goodland; Zach Rhodes, of Lawrence; and Jack Schneider, of Kansas City, Missouri.

Barrett-Gonzalez said AIAA judges were particularly impressed that the student team incorporated an

Design of an unmanned hypersonic spy plane, which KU Engineering students named the “Hyperhawk” system.

analysis of how laws and international treaties regarding both endo- and exo-atmospheric flight affect the Hyperhawk’s proposed mission parameters.

“We have very good contacts at the KU School of Business and the KU School of Law,” he said, “and we had a great understanding of the legal issues at hand and the business case that could be made.”

Barrett-Gonzalez said KU students learn not just how to design vehicles during AIAA competitions, but also how to work within a team context — a necessary skill as they move forward in their careers.

“It’s one thing to be able to do something computationally or analytically as an engineer,” he said.

“It’s another thing to get along with people and to work together toward a common goal and actually wind up making a functioning vehicle. The practical skills of teamwork were well solidified in the group.”

STUDENT NEWS

Self Fellows Design Bus Bench Prototype for City of Lawrence

by Joel Mathis affairs, provided by neighborhood residents on their own initiative.

So when transit officials were approached by Nagarajan, they were ready to standardize the process a bit — looking to ensure the benches are sturdy, easy to build and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The SELF students produced a design that can be duplicated by those neighborhoods and private individuals, and they built a bench as proof of concept.

“Their criteria was very clear,” Nagarajan said of city transit officials.

“They did not want us to build 180 bus benches across the Lawrence community.

They wanted us to help them find the IKEA way of doing these benches.”

City officials said they were pleased with the final product.

“Not only did they build us a really functional, sturdy bench, they also documented the steps it takes to build that bench,” said Felice Lavergne, a transit planner for the city. “That really helps those groups build benches that we know will work for us, and they can be as creative as they want with paints or different touches like that. It’s really a huge win for everyone.”

The SELF Program was established was established in 2007 as the result of a contribution to the KU Endowment Association from Madison “Al” and Lila Self. The Selfs’ intention for the program is to identify and develop students who have a passion for engineering and possess a “fire in the belly” mentality.

Submitted Photo

KU engineering students have designed and built a prototype of a new bench for bus stops in the city of Lawrence.

The project was part of a revamped leadership program for undergraduates in the School of Engineering, designed to give students hands-on design and project management experience on realworld projects.

Community leadership is especially emphasized during students’ sophomore year in the Self Engineering Leadership Fellows (SELF) Program.

In the past, students utilized their entrepreneurial skills to raise funds for local nonprofit agencies.

However, in 2021-22, SELF Program Coordinator Gowri Nagarajan helped pivot the project to instead engage the Fellows in unique training in project management. In addition to serving a local agency’s needs, SELF fellows use their community service project as an opportunity to hone their engineering and design expertise.

“It’s always been a focus to develop leadership, to develop entrepreneurial and business skills,” said Paige Salas, a civil engineering major from Kansas City, Kansas, who led the bench design team. “With this academic term, I think we’ve been able to put that into practice while helping others.”

The city of Lawrence has provided transit service to its residents for two decades. But its bus stops have been no-frills affairs — often a simple sign next to the street with no other accommodations provided. The benches that do exist are often ad hoc

Self Fellows completed this prototype bus bench for the City of Lawrence.

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Submitted Photo

STUDENT NEWS

KU Engineering Student Receives Prestigious Boren Award Moon

by Angela Perryman A civil engineering major from Overland Park was awarded a David L. Boren Scholarship for $25,000 to study at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, in 2023.

Anthony Moon will complete courses in Korean language, East Asian languages and cultures, and civil engineering during his time abroad.

The David L. Boren Scholarships are sponsored by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), a component of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office.

NSEP is a federal initiative designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills.

Boren awards provide U.S. undergraduate students with resources and encouragement to acquire language skills and experience in countries critical to the future security and stability of the United States. In exchange for funding, Boren award recipients agree to work in the federal government for a period of at least one year.

Moon has chosen to study in South Korea to further his academic studies and build his knowledge and understanding of the Korean language and culture. As a member of KU Naval ROTC, Moon took part in Project Global Office, an intensive language training program designed to support future military officers in

the development of the linguistic and cross-cultural communication skills necessary for effective leadership across all branches of service.

During his year abroad at Yonsei University, Moon will continue to build his language capacities and immerse himself fully in Korean life.

Additionally, as an individual of Korean descent, Moon hopes to learn more about himself, his heritage and how he can best support diplomatic relations between the U.S. and South Korea as a future naval officer.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS Engineering students Trong Minh Vu, Amelia Richardson and Jenna Schatz were on a team that took first place in the National Society of Professional Engineering’s national Milton Lunch Ethics Contest. Bob Lyon, professor of practice in civil, environmental and architectural engineering, served as the team’s advisor.

Miracle Emenuga, a chemical engineering major with a minor in biomedical engineering, was recognized by the university with the 2022 Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership (ExCEL) Award. The award is based on criteria including leadership, communication skills and involvement at KU.

Kalin Baca, doctoral student in chemical engineering, earned second place in KU’s fall 2022 Three Minute Thesis competition for her presentation, “Recycling Refrigerants to Reduce Global Warming.” Baca also received a research award from the Office of Graduate Studies for a presentation at the Capitol Graduate Research Summit in Topeka in March.

Amanda Hertel, a 2022 chemical engineering graduate, received the 1897 Fellowship from the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi. The prestigious $35,000 fellowship recognizes the top-scoring applicant in a STEM discipline.

Kalin Baca and Abby Harders, doctoral students in chemical and petroleum engineering, placed third and won a $20,000 award in the EnergyTech University Prize competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Rylie Parr, a chemical engineering major minoring in biomedical engineering, was nominated for the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship, which recognizes students who demonstrate leadership, public service and commitment in the fields of tribal public policy, Native health care or the environment.

ALUMNI NEWS

Three Honored with Distinguished Engineering Service Award

by Cody Howard Two alumni and a longtime engineering faculty member from the KU School of Engineering were honored in May 2023 with the school’s highest award.

Sam Gilliland, Greg Grimm and Tom Mulinazzi received the Distinguished Engineering Service Award (DESA).

The award goes to individuals who have maintained close association with the school and have made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and to society.

“Each of this year’s winners exemplify the spirit of this award and exhibit qualities that are hallmarks of a KU School Engineering graduate — leadership, ingenuity and

service,” said Arvin Agah, dean of KU Engineering. “We are honored to have these individuals as part of the Jayhawk engineering community.”

The School of Engineering Advisory Board has given the Distinguished Engineering Service Award annually since 1980.

The award is made on the basis of an individual’s contribution to the public good, governmental service or the educational system, or contributions to the theories and practices of engineering, research and development in new fields of engineering or direction of an organization that has made exceptional contributions in design, production and development.

ABOUT THE HONOREES 2023 WINNERS SAM GILLILAND Sam Gilliland played a critical role in universally changing the nature of booking travel, making the process more efficient and cost-effective.

As CEO of Sabre Holdings, he pioneered the travel industry’s entry into online booking for corporate travel and launched first-generation products that became industry standards. His engineering roots and passion for solving problems with innovative solutions resulted in several significant achievements and substantial industrywide technological advancements throughout his career.

Gilliland earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from KU in 1985 and later earned a master’s in business administration from the University of Texas-Dallas. Over the course of his nearly 40-year career, he has worked across multiple industries

and engineering disciplines — all of which leverage software technology.

He worked in aerospace and defense, travel and tourism, equity and fixed income investment, private equity, and IT and enterprise service management.

In each industry, Gilliland served in roles as varied as engineer, head of marketing and sales, chief operating officer, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board.

He started in 1988 at Sabre, where he held various senior management roles in sales, marketing and business units, including CEO of Travelocity.com, before being named president and CEO of Sabre in 2003.

In that role, he managed a worldwide enterprise consisting of nearly 10,000 employees and billions in revenue and bolstered his reputation as an innovator and strong, energetic leader.

He worked across the industry to get acceptance on the use of self-booking technology and the business models that would enable it to become the standard for how corporate workforces plan and book their travel today.

Under his leadership, Travelocity transformed from a U.S.-centric airline ticketing website to a global, multiproduct travel marketplace, one of the most recognized brands in the travel industry.

Gilliland

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ALUMNI NEWS

GREG GRIMM As director of global manufacturing partner management at Google, Greg Grimm leads a commercial and operations team that manufactures thousands of high-performance computer and storage servers and network switches every week to keep up with growing demand in the company’s data centers around the world.

Grimm earned his degree in electrical engineering from KU in 1985 and later earned a master’s in business administration from the University of Denver. From his days at KU through his current role with Google, Grimm has exhibited an entrepreneurial spirit grounded in excellent technical skills with a tenacious approach to addressing challenges large and small.

His expertise in areas of data center technologies, global electronics, logistics supply chains and

manufacturing partner management have helped Grimm emerge as a thought leader in realizing data center hardware and supply chain solutions.

His contributions have enabled many Fortune 100 original equipment manufacturers, such as Cisco, to realize rapid growth, reduce costs via outsourcing and build resiliency in their supply chains in support of their strategies.

At Google, Grimm’s global manufacturing knowledge, leadership and expertise provide significant daily contributions that ensure the company’s services — such as Search, Maps, Photo, Gmail, YouTube and many other free applications — continue to function smoothly with required capacity. These services are critical to and enhance the lives of billions of people every day. Grimm has also played a key role

in the critical, large-scale deployment of machine learning infrastructure at Google as AI takes a dramatic increase in corporate and public consumption and aims to disrupt many technologies and services.

TOM MULINAZZI Through innumerable professional and service activities, Tom Mulinazzi has earned a reputation as the KU School of Engineering’s unofficial goodwill ambassador.

Since arriving at KU in 1979 as a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering, Mulinazzi has a track record of unbroken service to the department, the engineering school, the university and the state of Kansas.

One of his most prominent roles within the School of Engineering was associate dean of engineering — a title he held on a part-time basis from 1987 to 1990, then full-time from 1992 to 2001.

As associate dean, he worked on the admission and dismissal of undergraduate students. Colleagues

said he was always sympathetic, helpful and fair to students experiencing academic and personal issues. He spent extensive time and effort to help struggling engineering students successfully complete their degrees.

He also took a serious and steadfast approach to certify each student’s graduation status. Several years after his retirement, he continued to volunteer his time and expertise to advise students in the department.

Among KU Engineering faculty, Mulinazzi has a decades-long track record as one of the school’s greatest recruiters. He was always happy to meet with prospective students, often accompanied by their parents. During those visits, he would get acquainted with the student and provide guidance

well-suited to their talents and interests.

Mulinazzi relished opportunities to interact with Kansans. He traveled across Kansas to make presentations to local residents in 68 counties and more than 85 municipalities. He frequently discussed the importance of appropriate, clear and easily understood traffic signage, critical for highway safety. His dedication ensured signage met legal standards and helped the public travel safely.

Grimm

Mulinazzi

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ALUMNI NEWS

KU Engineering Alumnus Murli Tolaney and Son Donate $100,000 for Environmental Engineering Scholarship

by Mark Fagan landed after leaving India, moving to Canada to be with his sister, and sending applications to 10 schools with hopes for resuming his engineering education.

Enrolling at KU with “no money,” he said, Murli Tolaney landed a 20-hoursa-week job in the Environmental Engineering Lab — doing homework while experiments “cooked” in the evening — on the way to earning a bachelor’s in civil engineering. After working two years in Kansas City, he went on to earn a full scholarship and a master’s in environmental engineering.

Now the Tolaney Family Scholarship is going strong, too. It is given each year to a promising master’s or

doctoral student who, like Murli Tolaney, could use a boost on the way to making a big difference.

“Without people helping me, I probably wouldn’t have gotten a degree even — forget about becoming CEO or chairman,” he said. “And, frankly, very little would have happened for my family. I’m so grateful, so thankful. I owe a lot to KU, no question, and this is a way of giving back.”

“We are grateful to the Tolaney family for their support over the years.

This gift helps to raise the national stature of KU Engineering and truly benefits our students,” said Dean of Engineering Arvin Agah.

Submitted photo

KU Engineering alumnus Murli Tolaney donated $50,000 to strengthen the Tolaney Family Scholarship he established 15 years ago. His ongoing goal: help KU environmental engineering students follow in his academic and professional footsteps, a career that included building MWH Global into an international powerhouse for water projects.

His son, Neil Tolaney, also donated $50,000 — even though he’s never obtained a KU degree or enrolled in a class on Mount Oread.

“Kansas was the foundation for my father’s career and, in many ways, the foundation for our family,” said Neil Tolaney, who is a general partner in the venture capital industry in the Bay Area. “It’s only appropriate that my wife, Neetu, and I convey a small token of our appreciation with a gift that may allow those same possibilities for that next generation of students who come to Kansas and the great things they can accomplish.”

The combined gift adds to the $100,000 Murli Tolaney donated in 2008 upon his retirement as chairman of MWH Global. It’s the firm where he’d started 35 years earlier, working his way up to CEO from 1992 to 2001, when he led the firm through 13 acquisitions and grew revenue from $200 million to $1 billion.

From 2001 to 2009, Murli served as chair of MWH. And to hear him tell it, none of it would have happened without the School of Engineering. It’s where he

A KU Engineering alumni event earlier in 2023 in California drew, from left, Neil Tolaney, KU Engineering Dean Arvin Agah and Murli Tolaney.

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ALUMNI NEWS

KU Engineering Alumnus Awarded Medal of Honor from Ellis Island Honors Society

by Joel Mathis

When Gregs Thomopulos came to the University of Kansas from Nigeria in 1962, his biggest worry was not wasting the opportunity.

“Coming from abroad, I was very focused on having gotten to this university. I didn’t want to blow it,” he said.

He easily exceeded that hope.

Thomopulos graduated from the School of Engineering with a degree in civil engineering in three years, then went on to a distinguished career that saw him become the CEO and chairman of the Stanley Consultants, a major international engineering, environmental and construction services firm headquartered in Iowa.

For all his accomplishments as an immigrant to the United States, Thomopulos was honored in 2022 with the Medal of Honor from the Ellis Island Honors Society. The organization honors the contributions made by immigrants and their descendants throughout American history. The 2022 honorees also included former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell and numerous others. Previous winners include leaders in politics, business and other fields.

“Obviously, I was very surprised,” Thomopulos said. “I feel so humbled, because I don’t consider myself in the assembly of some of the recipients in the past.”

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In the early 1960s, a number of African nations had recently won their independence from colonial European powers. The U.S. Department of State established a scholarship program, the African Scholarship Program of American Universities (ASPAU), in collaboration with U.S. universities and African governments, to bring promising students from Nigeria and other African countries to receive a free education.

The program was “what every student in Nigeria aspired to,” Thomopulos said. “Growing up abroad — I’m talking about the ’60s and ’70s — the educational system beyond secondary school was not as good as those overseas.”

So, many students sought to study abroad, he said. “Unless you came from very wealthy parents, you couldn’t afford to go.”

He applied for the ASPAU scholarship, took a required exam, then joined finalists who traveled to the city of Lagos to be interviewed by U.S. officials.

“I was lucky to be one of 96 recipients from Nigeria in 1962,” he said, “and actually one of six students from my high school.”

But there was one catch. “You don’t get to choose which university you apply to,” Thomopulos said. “I did not choose KU. We didn’t have the option of choosing which universities.”

Still, he said, “I was happy to be admitted to KU. That was a pretty big highlight in my life.”

Lawrence in the early 1960s was a new experience for the young civil engineering student from Africa.

“It was cold in the Midwest,” he said, and there were few other Africans on campus. Still, Thomopulos’ time at the university was enhanced by the fact that some faculty members from KU Engineering — including John McNown, who served as the school dean when Thomopulos arrived on campus — had been to Nigeria.

Thomopulos blazed through the program, finishing his undergraduate degree in three years with offers to continue his studies from several prominent graduate schools, including a fellowship from the University of Illinois and a teaching assistantship from the University of California-Berkeley.

He went to UC-Berkeley, where he earned a master’s degree in structural engineering and structural mechanics.

“The education I got in the School of Engineering was excellent,” Thomopulos said. “It was very contributory to my success.”

Prior to graduate school, Thomopulos went to work for Stanley Consultants as a summer intern in Muscatine, Iowa. He returned to the company for a permanent position after graduate school and worked for 18 months before being transferred to

ALUMNI NEWS

The honors continue to come his way.

The Ellis Island award was conferred in recognition of Thomopulos’ support for higher education and individuals with disabilities, as well as his work to advance sustainable infrastructure.

KU helped make all of that possible, Thomopulos said. When his daughters were deciding where to go to college, he gave them a piece of advice: “You don’t have to go to an Ivy League school. A good public university will give you good education and grounding.”

“Most people would say if you put your mind to it, if you have a goal for what you want to be and work toward it, you will eventually succeed,” he said.

“My experience at KU was excellent.”

Submitted photo

the Nigeria office, then to Liberia as the company’s regional manager for West Africa.

Eventually, he was transferred back to the company’s headquarters in Iowa and elevated to lead its international division before becoming CEO in 1987.

He held that job for 20 years, then was chairman of the board for 10 more years. He is now chairman emeritus of Stanley Consultants.

Thomopulos earned several honors along the way, including the Distinguished Engineering Service Award from KU in 2002 and the OPAL Award for Management from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2010. He was inducted into the National Academy of Construction in 2017 for his distinguished contributions to the industry. He was elected president of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers in 2010 and chairman of the American Council of Engineering Companies in 2013.

He maintained close ties to the university, serving on both the School of Engineering’s Advisory Board and the KU Endowment Board of Trustees.

In 2009, Thomopulos and his wife, Mettie, gave $300,000 to establish a scholarship for promising engineering students who show financial need.

And in 2016, he delivered the School of Engineering’s annual J.A. Tiberti Family Lecture.

Thomopulos

“I was happy to be admitted to KU. That was a pretty big highlight in my life.”

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ALUMNI NEWS

KU Engineering Dedicates Memorial Highlighting Contributions of Madison ‘Al’ and Lila Self

by Cody Howard

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Al Self graduated from KU in 1943 with a degree in chemical engineering.

He was a successful businessman and a recipient of the school’s Distinguished Engineering Service Award in 2000. The Selfs, both native Kansans, met at KU.

Al and Lila each passed away in 2013. Their total lifetime giving to KU totals more than $108 million.

Cody Howard

A memorial commemorating the life and legacy of two of the largest benefactors to the University of Kansas was unveiled in a ceremony in fall 2022 at the KU School of Engineering.

The memorial honors Madison “Al” and Lila Self. In 2007, the couple established the Self Engineering Leadership Fellows Program (SELF), which seeks to identify and develop students who have a passion for leadership, business and engineering and possess a “fire in the belly” mentality.

Prior to the SELF Program at the engineering school, the Selfs established the Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship in 1989 to support exceptional doctoral students in business, economics, engineering and mathematics and the biological, biomedical, pharmaceutical, bioinformatic and physical sciences.

“Fellows involved in the programs established by the Selfs distinguish themselves as leaders during their time at KU and after graduation,” said Corey Behrens, director of the SELF Program.

“It is fitting this memorial was made possible by the vision and generosity of alumni Fellows.”

The memorial includes photographs and biographical information about the Selfs, as well as details about the programs they established at KU.

Corey Behrens, Self Engineering Leadership Fellows director, worked with a group of Self Program alumni to create and install a memorial honoring Al and Lila Self. The memorial stands in the engineering courtyard near Eaton Hall, Learned Hall and Spahr Library.

ALUMNI NEWS

$750K Donation to Expand Operations at KU Engineering’s National Center for Construction Safety

by Joel Mathis An anonymous donor made a 10-year pledge to help fund ongoing operations at the Craig and Diane Martin National Center for Construction Safety at the University of Kansas School of Engineering.

The $75,000-a-year donation “will be primarily used to hire researchers, to support research and to conduct construction safety studies,” said Chien-Ho Ko, the center’s director and a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering. The money will also be used for organizing activities such as construction safety symposia and conferences.

The new pledge comes on top of the $3.5 million donation that Craig and Diane Martin made in 2018 to establish and endow the center.

Craig Martin said he hopes the new donation attracts even more support to the center.

“There is ample opportunity to do things that could help impact both injuries and fatalities in the industry,” he said, noting that there are roughly 1,000 fatalities at U.S. construction sites every year and more than 100,000 fatalities globally. “Construction is one of the most dangerous jobs you could do.”

Making the industry safer, Craig Martin said, is about building the right culture.

“To have a safety program that works, you have to have a culture where the employees at all levels understand that caring for one another and watching out for one’s self, one’s family and one’s co-workers’ safety is fundamental.”

Center leaders acknowledge that undergraduates will be ultimately responsible for instilling a safety culture in their future workplaces. One way to start, Ko said, is by building safety credentialing into engineering education.

“If we would like to push a construction safety culture at the undergraduate level, one way is to bundle the safety courses with a safety certificate. We believe that is more attractive to students,” Ko said.

“That way we can guarantee that students who have this certificate have undergone related training about construction safety, including the academic and practical knowledge they need to enter the industry.”

Ko

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ALUMNI NEWS

ALUMNI PROFILES Submitted photo

DAVID MENAGER

Menager

Hometown: Topeka, Kansas Degree(s) Obtained: B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Computer Science Year(s) of Degree(s): 2015, 2018, 2021 Current Occupation/Company: AI Scientist at Parallax Advanced Research Current City: Fort Worth, Texas

Daily responsibilities of your job?

Parallax Advanced Research is a nonprofit research organization that conducts basic and applied research in artificial intelligence (AI), focusing on problems where humans and AI systems need to work together to solve problems. On a day-to-day basis, there are really about three broad categories of tasks that I do: working on customer-funded research; furthering my personal research agenda; and business development. The customers we serve face a wide range of problems and challenges, so I work every day to create AI solutions that meet their needs and allow them to achieve their specific goals. I also spend a large amount of time working on raising my own profile as a researcher.

This involves directing my research to address current problems in the field, engaging others to foster interest in my work, writing papers to academic journals, attending conferences and mentoring interns. Lastly, because we are a non profit institution, I participate in and lead efforts to bring more business to the company by writing research proposals that fulfill potential customers’ needs.

Biggest challenges of your job?

The biggest challenges I face at work are related to written and oral communication. This may sound unintuitive to some because the technical material I deal with is challenging, but communicating to others why my research is important to society or why my approach to solve a problem deserves funding is one of the most important parts of my job. This means that becoming a good writer and speaker are top priorities for me. So, I am constantly trying to grow and expand my skills in this area, which is challenging.

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How did KU Engineering best prepare you for your job?

KU Engineering is a really great place to be and it provided me with many opportunities that prepared me to be where I am today. The list of these is too long to write down in full, but I will mention a few things.

First, it goes without saying that the education and training I received at KU is world class. My bachelor’s degree gave me the technical background I needed in computer science, and during graduate school, my advisors — Arvin Agah and Dongkyu Choi — and my mentors supported me and guided my research.

Importantly, they leveraged their network to connect me to internships and other professional opportunities which further improved my knowledge and skill. Next, I was fortunate to receive both the Self Engineering Leadership Fellowship and the Self Graduate Fellowship. Both of these programs focused on making me a well-rounded individual who possesses mastery of technical content, but also has strong communication skills, business acumen and leadership qualities. Lastly, I greatly benefitted from participating in our campus chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. I participated in this student organization all four years of my undergraduate tenure. I made great friends there and we supported each other through study halls, mentoring, networking events and comradery.

In my third year, I was elected president and had the opportunity to lead the group and we ended up winning the National Small Chapter of the Year Award.

Advice for current students?

Think about your life five years from now and imagine what you want it to be like. Then, realize that the life you live five years from now is the result of the actions and decisions you make today. So, work hard, persevere and focus on your studies now. That way, in the future you can have the life you want.

Favorite memories of KU Engineering and Lawrence?

I really enjoyed being part of the National Society of Black Engineers. One of my favorite study spots was Java Break, and my favorite restaurant was Ramen Bowls. I also got to be one of the people standing behind President Obama when he came to KU to give a speech in January 2015!

ALUMNI NEWS

Submitted photo

DAVE MINNICK

Minnick

Hometown: Sterling, Illinois Degree(s) Obtained: B.S., Chemistry, Creighton University Ph.D., Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, KU Year(s) of Degree(s): 2010, 2016 Current Occupation/ Company: Global Manufacturing R&D Leader – DuPont Delrin Current City: Marietta, Ohio

Daily responsibilities of your job?

My current role has two dimensions to it: leader and contributor. In many ways I think it’s best to lead from within, and in my current role that is very much required. As a leader, I’m responsible for setting the strategic priorities and overseeing the execution of projects in our manufacturing R&D pipeline. In this capacity, I lead a small team of researchers and our objective is to develop new technologies to improve Delrin’s manufacturing assets. Typically, this involves reducing Delrin’s cost of manufacture by improving raw material and energy efficiency as well as increasing production capacity. This work also has a sustainability element to it as well and our group is consistently developing ways to reduce Delrin’s environmental impact.

Biggest challenges of your job?

On the technical side, one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is developing solutions that are economically viable. I’ve learned that while most manufacturing R&D concepts are technically feasible, designing them to additionally overcome economic hurdles can be tough.

In this regard, I’ve learned that when it comes to plant improvement projects, simple is always better because complexity adds cost and that can kill a project.

On the management side, the biggest challenge in my current role is managing turnover. In the past several years we’ve had one technology fellow (highest technical level in DuPont) retire, and I’m preparing to have another senior colleague retire in the next several years. I’ve learned that knowledge and experience is difficult to replace, which highlights the importance of investing in people.

How did KU Engineering best prepare you for your job?

My experience at KU was phenomenal. I came to KU with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry looking for a new career direction, one which combined chemistry and economics at scale, and left as a Ph.D. chemical engineer who had found his passion. Along the way I gained a strong technical foundation in the principles of chemical engineering which I routinely use today to support my process R&D work. Additionally, through the Self Graduate Fellowship, I also acquired soft skills in leadership and communication which are central to my role as a R&D leader. The teaching and mentorship provided by the faculty and staff at KU provided the foundation which I use daily in my career.

Advice for current students?

While this advice is intended for the doctoral students, it can be applicable to everyone. First, work hard every day. Navigating four to five years of graduate school can feel like a never-ending journey. By working hard every day, you will progressively get one step closer to the finish line, and it will come. Never take the incremental progress for granted!

Remember that graduate school is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Enjoy the late-night studying, friendships, intellectual conversations, conferences, athletic events and schedule flexibility. The next phase of life will be even better, but you will always look back fondly on your time at KU. Favorite memories of KU Engineering and Lawrence?

I have so many great memories from my time at KU. One of the best was playing in the Lawrence Parks and Recreation softball league. At that time, we had a KU Engineering team which graduate students, and even a few faculty members, played on. It was a great time. Hopefully this legacy lives on. If not, I highly recommend someone restarts it! Other than that, I really miss watching games in Allen Fieldhouse and Memorial Stadium, getting dinner at the Burger Stand, and an occasional trip to KC. I jokingly tell my wife I had such a good time that if we ever hit the lottery, I just might go back and do it again!

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T OWA R D

BU I L DI N G

W H AT ’ S

N E X T

STUDENTS ARE OUR PRIORITY Our students are the engineers of the future. Your support will provide additional scholarships for the School of Engineering, allowing us to recruit more students, involve them in research and help them excel in the rigorous programs we offer. Learn more about our efforts and the EVER ONWARD campaign that is helping us build what’s next at

kueveronward.org.

ANNUAL GIFTS

Donor Recognition — Fiscal Year 2023 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, 2022, to June 30, 2023.

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.

Adrienne Zimmerman Adam * P. J. Adam * & Barbara Mills Adam * Judith Boyer Addis & Frank W. Addis, Ph.D. * 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 * Jon B. Ardahl * & Judith K. Ardahl * Larry D. Arnold & Patricia Arnold Jane V. Barber * Maynard Paul Bauleke, Ph.D. * & Virginia Bauleke * Clarence J. Beck * & Hazel M. Beck * Barbara A. Becker & Frank J. Becker * Henry H. Benjes, Sr. * Bob Benz & Janet B. Benz Thomas L. Biggs * & Vicki J. Biggs * Philip S. Book * 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 * Annabel Christy & Joseph A. Christy * Arthur D. Clark * & Lillian French Clark * Frances 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, Ph.D. & Diane Mayer Darwin * Erwin David * Joseph W. Davison * & Leatha Sanford Davison * Alan F. Deaver * CDR Robert C. Dees Henry M. Dodd Jr., Ph.D. & Kathie L. Hiebert-Dodd, Ph.D. Edward R. Downs * & Katheryn Hancock Downs * Marlene J. Dunwoodie & Duane E. Dunwoodie * Cornelia Drake Eaton Robert J. Eaton Christine Ehlig Economides, Ph.D. & Michael J. Economides, Ph.D. *

Alfred Gerald Ferguson * Doris M. Fowler & John P. Fowler II * William E. Franklin * & Marjorie Heard Franklin * Dean R. Frisbie * & Florence W. Frisbie * Walter R. Garrison * & Jayne B. Garrison * Harry T. Gibson & Becky G. Gibson Anne Underhill Gove * Richard M. Haden & Treva Haden * Rolland M. Hamilton * Richard R. Hargrove & Karen A. Hargrove Curtis K. Harshaw & Janice E. Harshaw Roger L. Heckman & Brenda G. Heckman Richard L. Heiny, Ph.D. * & Suzanne N. Heiny * Dorothy M. Hellman & Paul L. Hellman * Nancy L. Helmstadter * 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 Lee A. Hoffman & Barbara R. Hoffman 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 * Margaret McKinney Kane Robert W. Keener & Barbara J. Keener * James E. Kegerreis Charles W. Keller * & Marie T. Keller * Deborah Y. Kipp & Robert A. Kipp * Robert A. Kleist & Barbara L. Kleist * James M. Kring Jr. & Donna M. Kring Doris Flood Ladd & J. Bert Ladd * Harold D. Lamping * & Janice A. Lamping * Donald H. Landauer * & Mae Chetlain Landauer * Luceil Lehnhoff * Silvester C. Leonard * Bernard Levine * Kenneth R. 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 * Paul W. Miller * & Virginia Bassett Miller * Paul H. Mitchell & Nancy Mauree Mitchell * Betty J. Mitscher & Lester A. Mitscher, Ph.D. * Richard K. Moore, Ph.D. * & Wilma S. Moore * Thomas E. Mulinazzi, Ph.D. & Kathryn J. Mulinazzi Mrs. Maria Everett Mullins * Stanley T. Myers & Joan T. Myers Samuel K. Nash, Ph.D. * & Harriet S. Nash * Karim W. Nasser, Ph.D. George E. Nettels Jr. * & Mary Joanne Myers Nettels * Steve H. Nguyen, Ph.D., DDS Michael C. Noland, Ph.D. & 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. * Harold A. Phelps & Donna R. Brady-Phelps John A. Pilla & Mandy E. Pilla Carl O. Pingry III * Mary Ann Powell & Nick Powell Harold P. Reiland Sr. * & Ann Ainsworth Reiland * Leonard M. Rickards * & Pauline M. Rickards * Allyn W. Risley & Jill Bogan Risley John H. Robinson * & Patricia Odell Robinson * John H. Robinson Jr. & Kyle Simmons Robinson Thomas B. Robinson * & Suzanne Robinson * Phyllis W. Rolfe & Stanley T. Rolfe, Ph.D. * Russell T. Rosenquist * David A. Ross & Patricia P. Ross Dave G. Ruf Jr. James M. Secrest * & Betty Gunnels Secrest * Madison A. Self * & Lila M. Self * Dorothy J. Shaad, M.D. * 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 Wayland A. Stephenson, M.D. * & Alice Ann Jones Stephenson * Bert F. Steves * Dorothy F. Steves * Gerald A. Stoltenberg James W. Straight, Ph.D., PE & Roberta Straight * L.G. Suelter & Micki K. Suelter Kurt D. Swaney Robert D. Talty, Ph.D. * & Dorothy W. Talty * Patricia Rozema Taylor * Gregs G. Thomopulos & Mettie L. Thomopulos

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ANNUAL GIFTS 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, Ph.D. Nicole I. Kirkpatrick & COL Kenneth F. Troup, Retired * Frank D. Tsuru & Stephanie K. Tsuru M. Eugene Tunison, Ph.D. & Sheryl A. Tunison Leonel E. Tustison * & Helen L. Tustison * Hobert C. Twiehaus * & Martha Tyson Twiehaus * James L. Tyson * Eli William Ulrich * Harrison D. Underhill * Kyle D. Vann & Barbara A. Vann William C. Walker * & Elaine W. Walker * Daniel R. Wall David M. Wall William E. 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, M.D. * Riley D. Woodson * & Virginia M. Woodson * Sharon Young & E. Eugene Young * DEANS CLUB CHAMPIONS Individuals who have given $50,000 or more P. J. Adam * & Barbara Mills Adam * Larry D. Arnold & Patricia Arnold Philip S. Book * William W. Brown David F. Burgstahler & Leslie L. Burgstahler Christine Ehlig Economides, Ph.D. Roger L. Heckman & Brenda G. Heckman Nancy L. Helmstadter * Ronald E. Hill, PE Elizabeth A. Hoover Elizabeth A. Hoover & Richard H. Hoover * Robert A. Kleist Craig L. Martin & Diane H. Martin Charles E. Spahr * & Mary Jane Bruckmiller Spahr * Robert D. Stottle Sr. * Murli Tolaney & Mona Tolaney Neil Tolaney & Neetu Tolaney Frank D. Tsuru & Stephanie K. Tsuru Thomas K. Washburn & Eileen Washburn DEANS CLUB DIPLOMATS Individuals who have given $25,000 to $49,999 David Darwin, Ph.D. Don G. Daugherty, Ph.D. * & Dorothy A. Daugherty * Saeed Farokhi, Ph.D. & Mariam Farokhi Leslie Wynne Lenser Jill Remsberg McGee & Thomas R. McGee Jr. Steve H. Nguyen, Ph.D., DDS Marvin R. Nuss & Hazel Best Nuss Margaret Moseley Smith Margaret Moseley Smith & Robert H. Smith, Ph.D. * Linda Ellis Sims & Russ Sims Gregs G. Thomopulos & Mettie L. Thomopulos Kyle D. Vann & Barbara A. Vann Dr. Eugene W. Wester

36 | FALL 2023

(DONATIONS FROM JULY 1, 2022, TO JUNE 30, 2023)

DEANS CLUB AMBASSADORS Individuals who have given $10,000 to $24,999 Theodore E. Batchman, Ph.D. Barbara A. Becker James R. Bess Richard W. Bond & Susan Shockley Bond Laurence R. Brown Dr. E. Eugene Carter CDR Robert C. Dees Henry M. Dodd Jr., Ph.D. & Kathie L. Hiebert-Dodd, Ph.D. Bill H. Duncan & Julia Siress Duncan Brian D. Farquharson Marjorie H. Flemming John P. Franklin Jr. Scott D. Freeman & Cassandra Neff Gregory S. Grimm & Karen E. Grimm Curtis K. Harshaw & Janice E. Harshaw Julie Hickman Thomas T. Hirst & Alisa S. Hirst Steven B. Hurt & MaryJane J. Hurt James E. Kegerreis Alan W. Klaassen Kyle A. Mathis & KaRan Mathis Robert J. Matreci Thomas E. Mulinazzi, Ph.D. & Kathryn J. Mulinazzi Paul R. Neidlein & Tina Fowler Neidlein Michael C. Noland, Ph.D. & Karen Dicke Noland Harold A. Phelps & Donna R. Brady-Phelps Dennis M. Purduski * Dave G. Ruf Jr. Jennifer Barber Ruf & Dave G. Ruf III Joyce N. Shinn Bill P. Sterbens & Dana L. Sterbens Gerald A. Stoltenberg Mike Tierney & Kristen Gable Tierney Mark W. Tompkins & Dianne E. Tompkins, Ph.D. Robert E. Willett Christopher P. Winter & Cassondra E. Winter Denise Y. Wolfs Leo W. Zahner III & Margaret Bruggen Zahner DEANS CLUB BENEFACTORS Individuals who have given $5,000 to $9,999 Perry Alexander, Ph.D. & Pamela L. Alexander Virgie L. Alexander & Dudley Alexander Dana K. Anderson Earnest A. Boyns Thomas W. Childers & Dorothy Brown Childers * Linda Zarda Cook & Steven R. Cook Daniel W. Deaver Emmett M. Duncan Jr. * & Joann B. Duncan * Doug Eason & Becky Alexander Eason, Ph.D. Cornelia Drake Eaton Robert J. Eaton Robert W. Eggert, Jr. & Amy H. Eggert Brian A. Falconer & Virginia Lamb Falconer Paul B. Fritsch & Michelle Cozad Fritsch Jeff L. Funk Harry T. Gibson & Becky G. Gibson James O. Gibson & Linda Ryan Gibson Joel D. Hill & Brenda Hill Zachary D. Holland & Melissa L. Holland Pamela T. Horne & Stephen A. Horne Sally L. Jennings * Anthony G. Kempf & Teresa Mulinazzi Kempf Roy M. Knapp, DE & Judith Young Knapp Frank E. Komin & Sharon K. Komin Michael B. Moore, M.D. Daphne Nan Muchnic Thomas Veatch Murray, Jr. & Lisa R. Murray Stanley T. Myers & Joan T. Myers Nick Nicholson Tim A. North & Janell K. North

Garrett E. Pack & Linda Daniel Pack Robert P. Peebler & Susie Mastoris Peebler Jenny Wohletz Pelner & James A. Pelner Michael Peters Paul E. Peters, Ph.D. Linda A. Poyser Jack P. Reid & Jane L. Reid Allyn W. Risley & Jill Bogan Risley Robert L. Skaggs James E. Smith & Dori L. Smith Shawn P. Smith & Maria Avila Smith V. Lee Smith Ryan C. Spangler & Jill Renee Spangler James W. Straight, Ph.D., PE Aruna Subramaniam & Bala Subramaniam, Ph.D. L.G. Suelter & Micki K. Suelter Kurt D. Swaney Allison R. Terry Tito Tiberti Ryan E. Vick & Emily Schulte Vick John E. Virr Lakshmi Narasimha R. Viswanadha Fred S. Williams & Anne Proctor Williams DEANS CLUB PATRONS Individuals who have given $3,000 to $4,999 William E. Benso & Beverly Runkle Benso Bob Benz & Janet B. Benz Andrew S. Flower & Victoria Flower Michael S. Gilliland & Shannon L. Gilliland Jose A. Gutierrez Robert L. Henderson & Judyth B. Henderson Annabelle Hiegel Paul Hunt & Stephanie Hunt Timothy S. Isernhagen & Beth Isernhagen Cherie A. Jones & Michael S. Johnson Richard T. Konn Nathan Markham John R. McDaniel Brandon W. Morel Melissa C. Nabors, DDS & Steven P. Ericson Gregory P. Pasley, Ph.D. & Sonia Martinez Pasley Leonard M. Rickards * & Pauline M. Rickards * David A. Ross & Patricia P. Ross COL Zachary T. Schmidt & Nicole Mehring Schmidt Benjamin L. Schulte Thomas R. Sheahan & Janet S. Sheahan DEANS CLUB DONORS Individuals who have given $1,000 to $2,999 Joel T. Abrahamson, Ph.D. & Dorea Ruggles, Ph.D. Diane J. Adamec Arvin Agah, Ph.D. Robert W. Agnew, Ph.D. & Margaret Rose Agnew Robynn Andracsek Neal H. Ardahl & Elizabeth A. Ardahl Michael E. Arp Terry Ryan Axline David M. Barber & Katherine V. Barber Stuart R. Bell, Ph.D. & Susan T. Bell Casey R. Biggs & Jacklyn M. Biggs, Ph.D. J. Dennis Biggs, M.D. & Sheila Pyle Biggs Douglas L. Blue Jr. Bertram T. Bone Jr. Jimmie R. Bowden & Helen J. Bowden Michael J. Bradley & Susan Fink Bradley Ian M. Bradt & Josh Hollingsworth Beverly B. Brown Minter E. Brown & Constance Tucker Brown * Brian J. Burke & Helen Burke John R. Burke & Laura L. Burke Kelli Deuth Calhoon & Bradley M. Calhoon Jon M. Callen & Kelly Edmiston Callen

* Indicates donor has passed.

ANNUAL GIFTS Grant M. Canaday Bethannie Fought Canter & Jason A. Canter 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, Ph.D. & Bina M. Chun William C. Clawson, Ph.D. & Marnie S. Clawson Kevin L. Colebank & Laura Colebank Kenneth F. Conrad & Leslie Sauder Conrad Warren Corman & Mary Corman Steven M. Crowl & Sandi Crowl Panayotis G.G. Danos Colin P. Davidson & Mary D. Davidson Robert L. Dellwig Wesley M. Densmore Duane L. DeWerff Kenneth W. Dietz Edward W. Dillingham David L. Dittemore Andrew F. Dracon Linda Dotson Drake Cynthia Ebert Benjamin J. Ewy, Ph.D. & Monica Curtis Ewy Jerry L. Fife & Marva Hotchkiss-Fife Alice R. Fitzcharles & David U. Fitzcharles Jane E. Fortin & Paul E. Fortin, Ph.D. David P. Fritz, M.D. & Jamie E. Fritz James K. Fullerton & Sheila D. Harris Clarence T. Gartman Philip D. Gibbs, Jr., P.E. & Jennifer K. Gibbs Philip D. Gibbs, Sr., P.E. & Kathleen G. Gibbs Sharon Christie Gidumal James P. Gillespie & Ruthie B. Gillespie Robert W. Givens & Deborah A. Givens Daniel J. Gleason & Cathy L. Gleason Milton L. Gleason & Deborah K. Gleason Matthew A. Goering & Vanessa R. Goering Harvey L. Goldberg Gary E. Gould & Elizabeth A. Gould Devante R. Green Pat L. Green & Don W. Green, Ph.D. Elizabeth D. Gregory Charles L. Guthrie & Cheryl Guthrie Andrew F. Halaby & Ann Marie Halaby 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 Paul Harding & Jan Harding Leaman D. Harris & Judith L. Harris, Ph.D. Doug K. Herbers Kimberly Sedberry Hess & Marc T. Hess Michael R. Hess & Kathleen Gilman Hess Robert M. Hildenbrand & Brenda T. Hildenbrand Brandon L. Hinton Leon J. Hogan Ross G. Holzle & Janis Page Holzle Jeffrey J. Holzmeister Michael B. Horsley & Marilyn T. Horsley Steven C. Hughes William J. Hurley & Coleen C. Hurley Emmanuel K. Idun, Ph.D. & Phyllis Afful Idun Deonarine D.J. Jaggernauth Thomas L. Jenkins Gerald E. Jenks & Pamela D. Jenks Brandy Smith Johnson Debra L. Johnson Jeffrey L. Johnson & Sybil Meyer Johnson Jeremy Schley Johnson LT Lairy A. Johnson, USN, Ret. Leland R. Johnson Jr., Ph.D. Vicki S. Johnson, Ph.D. Daniel L. Jones Kay L. Jones Robert L. Juett RADM Gene R. Kendall, USN, Retired

Stephen E. Kibbee David A. Kipp & Andrea L. Kipp Kevin R. Klee & Sheila North Klee Gregory C. Krekeler Jr. & Karen Goodyear Krekeler Michael R. Kuss & Cheryl L. Kuss Kevin D. Lafferty Orley L. Lake, Ph.D. Les K. Lampe, DE & Karen Craft Lampe Brian G. Larson & Edie Carpenter Larson Carolyn Bailey LeSage James R. Lewis & Debra E. Lewis Lance L. Lobban, Ph.D. Carl E. Locke Jr., Ph.D. & 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 J. Michael Maloney & Cynthia McNown Maloney Charles E. Mandolia Deborah K. Markley Rodney A. May & Teresa A. May Bruce F. McCollom, DE & E. Irene McCollom Tyler Mckay Bill McLennan & Diane D. McLennan John L. Meyer, Jr. Brad R. Moore, PE Philip B. Moran & Vicki Moran Chad Mosley Krista Wendt Murphy & Zach Murphy Michael S. Nickel & Lisa Karr Nickel David W. Nigg, DE & Marcia Lear Nigg Donald J. Nistler II & Carol Poulson Nistler Michael G. Orth Jeff Passmore & Sara Passmore David C. Pattison & Marilyn Miller Pattison James L. Patton & Marilyn S. Patton Strauder C. Patton, IV Bethany Anderson Pearson & James D. Pearson, PharM.D. Richard L. Peil & Janice L. Peil Ted K. Pendleton & Marlene McGregor Pendleton Steven G. Pennington, Ph.D. Connie Estes Puett Jason R. Purdy & Rachel Dinkel Purdy James E. Quinn & Mary E. Quinn Jessie L. Randtke & Stephen J. Randtke Todd E. Rasmussen, M.D. & Debra Rasmussen Gautham P. Reddy, M.D. & Rebecca Harrington Reddy, M.D. Caleb D. Regan & Gwendolyn Salmon Regan Michael J. Reynolds Loy D. Rickman Jr. & Linda Boekhout Rickman Phyllis W. Rolfe & Stanley T. Rolfe, Ph.D. * Steven E. Rus & Lynn Nugent Rus Lucas M. Sander Lanny G. Schoeling, DE & Jill A. Schoeling Kurt L. Schueler Benjamin J. Shaw Keith A. Shetlar & Kathryn Caldwell Shetlar Charles A. Shoup Raymond J. Shu Curtis W. Slagell & Gayle Slagell Robert T. Smith, PE Scott M. Smith & Kathleen Surber Smith William D. Smith Deborah L. Smith-Wright, M.D. James R. Sorem Jr., Ph.D. & Gentra Abbey Sorem Carla Cochran Stallard & G. Scott Stallard Lynne Gerlach Zoellner Stark & Robert L. Stark Ralph L. Stephenson & Earlene W. Stephenson Jay A. Stoker & Sandra Coppaken Stoker Sheryl K. Stucky & Barry L. Stucky Sam Sul & Anh-Nguyet T. Nguyen, Ph.D. Michael T. Swink David F. Tarverdi The Hon. Holly Hydeman Teeter & Derek T. Teeter

J. Angelo Tiberti III & Lindsey Fisher Tiberti, PharM.D. Aaron C. Tobias & Kimberly Tobias Brian T. Torres & Janel D. Torres Melanie J.P. Townsend & Nelson C.E. Townsend Gregory S. Towsley & Julie Ann Towsley Robert D. Tregemba & Kelli F. Tregemba M. Eugene Tunison, Ph.D. & Sheryl A. Tunison Charles F. Twiss Matthew M. Van Auken & Kimberly C. Van Auken Marco Villa, DE Lisa Bessinger Voiles & Paul A. Voiles, PE, PTP Joseph B. Wallace III, PE & Barbara J. Wallace Dr. Zhi Jian Wang George L. Ward & Peggy Tilton Ward Robert D. Warder Cary D. Watson Myrl R. Wear & Carolyn J. Wear David B. Weaver & Laurie A. Weaver Geoffrey R. Wehrman Wilson G. Weisert Jr. & Marsha E. Weisert Frank J. Wewers & Helen Wewers Michael R. Williams & Susan M. Stagg-Williams, Ph.D. David D. Wilmoth & Julie D. Wilmoth Joe Wohletz & Mary Wohletz Zhongchun Yan & Min Wang Gregory A. Young & Nancy B. Quigg-Young Irvin E. Youngberg Jr., DE & Diane Youngberg CAMPANILE CLUB Individuals who have given $500 to $999 Patricia V. Adams & William C. Adams J. Douglas Ashbrook & Marilyn Stone Ashbrook Linda Mae Banta Rita Kosakowski Baslock Caroline R. Bennett & Aaron T. Bennett Thad M. Bolline & Tamara H. Bolline David L. Brackey Diane M. Brock & Michael R. Brock Alison J. Brown Nicholas L. Burns Joseph G. Caldwell & Michele Waltmann Caldwell Sarah Storms Cindrell & Joshua B. Cindrell Clinton R. Collins, M.D. James A. Compton David W. Crook William W. Elvin & Rachel D. Elvin George P. Evans & Joyce Grist Evans Wayne O. Fink F. Joseph Fischer, Ph.D. & Sharen L. Fischer Kristopher S. Fisher & Nicole Fisher Shannon E. Giles Deena Goodman & Philip J. Goodman Frank E. Gordon, DE & Lynda L. Gordon Gary W. Hamilton II David A. Hanson & Jodi L. Hanson Dan R. Harden & Carolyn E. Harden David C. Harold George H. Honnold Stephen D. Hoskins & Jo Ann Komp Hoskins James R. Houx III & Geneva Ewert Houx Joseph A. Huwaldt LCDR Gary R. Iversen, Retired Christina Mulinazzi Kruse Andrea Legreid Patrick A. LeGresley & Jenny Buontempo LeGresley Paul W. Leupold Timothy A. McFerrin & Cynthia Fraley McFerrin Bob Miller, Ph.D. Bruce J. Morgan & Lynne M. Morgan Catherine Ray Nance & Terry J. Nance Patrick R. Oenbring & Brenda Austin Oenbring Richard E. Pancake

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ANNUAL GIFTS Bozenna J. Pasik-Duncan, Ph.D. & Tyrone Duncan, Ph.D. Eric L. Peters James L. Peterson & Susan McGinley Peterson Christopher J. Raider Michael P. Randall & Angela J. Randall Curtis W. Rink Janette Ruess Louise Morgan Ruszkowski & Robert A. Ruszkowski, Jr. David A. Sagerser Yash Sethi Paul A. Shapiro Mark D. Shaw Janyce A. Smith Jeffrey A. Smith, Ph.D. Norvel L. Smith Laura King Spencer William A. Staggs III & Maxine Mitchell Staggs Robert A. Stuever, Ph.D. & Lisa M. Stuever Candan Tamerler Gregory J. Van Sickel Bruce E. Vaughn Carl R. Von Fange & Linda D. Von Fange Guijun Wang, Ph.D. & Jianying Wang Alicia Fleming Washeleski Donald D. Williams Mona K. Wirth William E. Witwicki Edward Wolcott Tanya L. Woolley & Bill Woolley Gretchen P. Zahn Marilyn A. Zerwekh & Robert P. Zerwekh * David R. Zornes & Cynthia L. Zornes CRIMSON AND BLUE CLUB Individuals who have given $300 to $499 Dean M. Andrisevic Robert C. Bearse, Ph.D. & Margaret M. Bearse Creg S. Bishop, Ph.D. Creed E. Blevins Norman L. Bowers Keith A. Browning & Theresa C. Browning Brian R. Eggold Deborah A. English & Joel A. Crown Penny L. Evans Richard D. Fladung Michael J. Gormish, Ph.D. & Denise Hornsby Gormish William E. Hegarty Al Jaymand Hong Jin, Ph.D. Richard L. Johnson Mary N. Joyce Richard F. Juarez & Barbara A. Juarez Cheryl A. Lambrecht Jeffrey A. Lanaghan Ernest W. Leachty COL William R. Lennard, USAF, Retired Steven M. Long Erin Lewis Mannen, Ph.D. David S. Matos Ricky S. Powell CAPT Stanley J. Reno, Retired & Marjorie A. Reno Natalie A. Richards Tanner J. Rinke J. Joachim Saffert Joaquin P. Serrano & Susan M. Figeac Douglas B. Smith Michael F. Spoor Curtis M. Stubbings & Kelley Soderman Stubbings Larry L. Sukut & Inga Riley Carmack Dean M. Testa & Karen L. Testa Nathan T. Tritsch Dominic M. Varraveto

38 | FALL 2023

(DONATIONS FROM JULY 1, 2022, TO JUNE 30, 2023)

Andrew B. Williams, Ph.D. & Anitra Williams David L. Wood III, Ph.D. George W. Woster Yuan Zhao, Ph.D. 1865 CLUB Individuals who have given $100 to $299 Janice Aaker Nathaniel J. Abeita & Sara Hettenbach Abeita Craig Abella Meghan Abella-Bowen Amer H. Alani & Deborah Brungardt Alani R. Tran Alfrey & Barbara Alfrey Gregory L. Allemann Donald R. Allen & M. Jane Allen Bruce E. Alquist Brian Anderson Severt A. Anderson & Marilyn S. Anderson Adam C. Aufderheide, M.D. Timothy P. Aziere Jr. & Brooke Bennett Aziere James L. Ballard Fred Barhydt Richard D. Barrows Dane Baruzzini Richard S. Beamgard & Cheryl Tongish Beamgard Betty J. Beaver Julie M. Bell & Steed R. Bell Michael L. Bell & Meredith Bayles Bell Laurence E. Benander Nathan Bennett Luis C. Berges Michael A. Betzen Robert A. Bibb & Sally Bibb Bruce J. Boggs, Jr. & Phyllis L. Boggs Greggory W. Boyle & Eve Boyle Ozzy Bravo & Erika L. Bravo Elizabeth S. Brewer Marcus A. Brewer Michael J. A. Brunnquell Stephen W. Burke & Sherrill A. Burke Kelley Lyn Butler & Harlan Butler Gerald R. Callejo COL Harry D. Callicotte, USA, Retired Dennis A. Cantrell Roger E. Carmichael Lee A. Carvell & Brenee R. Carvell Ethan E. Christian Philip E. Ciesielski Kenneth M. Clark Donald L. Coffman & Jane Middleton Coffman Sylvan C. Coles Jonathan W. Collins Terry D. Collins David A. Conrad & Bonnie E. Conrad Paul D. Cook Edwin M. Cooley & Diana Dubrovin Cooley William V. Courtright II, Ph.D. Peter J. Culver, PE, Ph.D. Don B. Cunningham & Nancy L. Cunningham Joy Darrah, M.D. Bruce E. Dauphin Pijush K. Deb & Tejasree Deb Vickie Pauls Hursh Denning & Donald E. Denning Michael W. Dent & Judith Riebe Dent David D. Depew Rachel Derowitsch & Mark Derowitsch Nicole Difidi Edward A. DiGirolamo Andrew Doerflinger Douglas M. Dolan & Jennifer C. Dolan David E. Domann & Elizabeth Domann David F. Draxler & Mariclare H. Draxler David C. Dwyer, PE & Shirley J. Dwyer Jon M. Edmonds & Janet L. Edmonds Mason Ericson

Muzai Feng, Ph.D. & Cheng Chen Corey P. Fenwick Kenneth J. Fischer, Ph.D. & Sandra K. Fischer George W. Fletcher & Sarah A. Fletcher, Ph.D. John Florin Max E. Foote Jr. & Judy C. Foote Dennis J. Forbes & Cathy J. Forbes Marie Wagner Franklin Joseph R. Franzmathes Lisa A. Friis Roger Garvert & Anita Barter Garvert Donna S. Gerren, Ph.D. & Richard Gerren, Ph.D. Valerie R. Gieler & John C. Gieler Duane Goertz E. Laura Golberg James W. Gossett Kira L. Gould & Michael Ebeid Guy L. Green & Aina A. Green Larry Greenbaum John D. Grob Richard H. Grote & Barbara J. Grote Dobroslawa Grzymala-Busse & Jerzy W. Grzymala-Busse Jennifer L. Gunby Mark R. Hafenstine & Julie Studebaker Hafenstine Robert Hafenstine & Connie Hafenstine Jack F. Hagan Terence D. Hagen Ralph A. Haller Daniel B. Halton Kathleen MacNaughton Hance, M.D. & Kirk A. Hance, M.D. James W. Hanke Franklin L. Hankins, Jr. Philip L. Hannon & Sandra J. Hannon Don Hardekopf Kevin J. Harder Marlin D. Harmony & Nancy M. Harmony Carol Harris Christina C. Harvick & Jeffrey L. Harvick Nathan A. Hatcher & Sondra K. Hatcher David L. Hauser CAPT Arnold Herbert Henderson, USN, Retired COL John J. Hernandez & Susan M. Hernandez Douglas E. Hewett & Yvonne G. Hewett Elizabeth Riedel Hiatt & Thomas S. Hiatt CAPT David A. Higgins, USN, Retired Gerald L. Hiller & Gloria Jones Hiller * Donna Hirsch Rodney J. Hofer Carl E. Hoffman Robert C. Holder Stephen E. Holland & Angie Holland Bruce J. Holmes, DE & Connie W. Holmes Kelsy Jones Holmes & Jonathon P. Holmes Steven N. Houle Charles E. Huffman John D. Hughes, M.D. & Linda Hughes Robert A. Hulsey Michael P. Humberd & Lisa K. Dickson-Humberd Craig S. Humphrey & Marjorie Lyon Humphrey Clyde L. Hutchison Justin Hutchison Robert W. Iler David O. Johnson, Ph.D. & Elaine E. Johnson Ernest A. Johnston Jr. & Kathy Johnston Matthew B. Jones W. Mark Jordan Leonard W. Jurden IV & Juliana R. Jurden Christine Kadi James I. Karr Michael W. Karr & Janet Phelps Karr Basil T. Kattula Prabhudeva N. Kavi Richard L. Keefover Kenneth C. Keller Dawn Kernen & Phil Kernen

* Indicates donor has passed.

ANNUAL GIFTS James D. Kessinger & Peggy Kessinger Kasonia S. Kisangani Kirk A. Kisinger & Connie J. Kisinger Phillip Klassen Stuart A. Knutson & Hazel Z. Knutson Mark J. Komen Pradeep K. Kondamuri, Ph.D. Rebecca J. Kraft, EdD & David C. Kraft, Ph.D. Lawrence C. Kravitz, Ph.D. Sherri Kreps Karen La Fever Mark Landt & Carol L. Landt Gale D. Lantis Brian C. Larkin Bradley C. Larson Richard G. Leamon & Yvonne M. Lazear Jay L. Ledou Randy Lee Jianhua Li, Ph.D. & Cuiping Zhao Xiao Liang Mark E. Lubben & Pamela Lubben John M. Lubert & Paula H. Lubert Stephen D. Luthye & Melinda A. Luthye John G. Martel & Ida Ana Kellerstrauss Martel Alex L. Martin & Annam Manthiram Marian K. Massoth & Vic Robbins William D. McCaa Jr., Ph.D. Daniel W. McCarthy & Janet Gaffney McCarthy Brian A. McClendon & Beth Ellyn McClendon Megan E. McCloskey G. Craig McKinnis & Janice E. McKinnis Cecile M. McNulty Maryann L. Melendrez Cuadros Richard D. Mercer & Helen Zimmerman Mercer Kimberly T. Merritt Leslie D. Meyer & Elizabeth L. Meyer Mark Meyer & Ronda Meyer Steven M. Mikinski & Tamara Coder Mikinski, Ph.D. Charles A. Miller, Ph.D. & Vicki L. Miller Jeffrey C. Miller Jacob Mills David L. Minnick, Ph.D. Paul H. Mitchell Ryan Mohamadi Paul J. Moore & Cynthia Powell Moore Katherine Horner Morrison & Andy Morrison Timothy G. Morrison & Theresa Kaelin Morrison Timothy J. Mueller Michael H. Mulvany Jason M. Murnane Timothy A. Navickas Jeffrey R. Needham & Cristie L. Needham Jeffrey J. Neemann, DE Kristi Neerman Sharon Roy Nellis Matthew J. Nelson & Susan L. Nelson Mark C. Nestel Kien Q. Nguyen, Ph.D. & Mai Q. Bui Miryoussef Norouzian, Ph.D. Don R. Nottberg & Leslie R. Nottberg Cynthia Odabasi & Turan Odabasi Matthew E. O’Reilly, Ph.D. Melvin G. Oster & Karen M. Oster Ann Williams Overman Thomas A. Park & Donna L. Park Elizabeth Parker Jace B. Parkhurst Phyllis Graf Perry Christopher K. Peters & Nicole Anderson Peters Elizabeth M. Peterson Margot Phillips John E. Prim Ann Quinn Darrell C. Railsback Sanjay G. Rao Melody Redburn Virginia Spong Reid

Carol A. Reifschneider, Ph.D. David P. Reinfelds Eric M. Rhoades & Jody M. Rhoades, M.D. Ryan Richard CAPT Wendell C. Ridder, USN Retired & Anne H. Ridder Martha Proctor Riedl & Joseph F. Riedl Warren G. Riekenberg, PE & Carol Lee Riekenberg Gerald W. Riley Jenifer Sorem Rivera & Robert C. Rivera Carol Helton Roberts Karin K. Roberts, Ph.D., RN & Steven D. Roberts Christine A. Robinson & Robert F. Robinson Stacy K. Roderman & Brian L. Roderman LTC Matthew A. Ross Joseph P. Roth Jr. & Margaret Carroll Roth Emily Reimer Royal Janette Crawford Rudkin & Thomas A. Rudkin Daniel J. Rudolph & Cara Rudolph Robert J. Runser Larry G. Rusco & Karla J. Rusco Thomas L. Rutherford Max L. Schardein Jeffrey J. Schippers John T. Schwaller & Jennifer Pownall Schwaller Stephanie A. Scurto & Aaron M. Scurto Robert C. Seletsky Arul S. Sethi Rohin Sethi Michele Anderson Sevart Nathan Shaw Noah C. Shaw Peter Shaw Mark B. Shiflett Philip A. Shontz & Niu Niu Su Frank L. Shorney Pankaj N. Shrestha Erin Slattery George D. Sloop & Nancy L. Sloop Mark E. Sloop Andrew K. Smith & Kelly Shepherd Smith, PharM.D. Gregory E. Smith & Sylvia R. Smith Kevin L. Smith Paulette Spencer, Ph.D., DDS & Lloyd C. Colberg CAPT Tom Spink, USN, Retired Douglas J. Squire & Jennifer C. Squire John S. Starsiak Jr. Katherin R. Steinbacher & Frank McMahon Ron Stitt & Karla Jo Stitt Brian D. Stubbings Eric D. Stucky, M.D. & Deborah Ling Stucky John Studebaker & Kathy Studebaker Belinda Sturm, Ph.D. Martha J. Suess Charlie C. Sun & Mariann C. Sun Afzal S. H. Syed Zachary J. Taylor Becky VanWyhe Thomas & John C. Thomas William R. Thomas & Karine M. Thomas Randall J. Timi & Ann B. Timi, DDS David J. Treat Christina J. Trotter Donald B. Trust, Ph.D. Martha VanderMeulen K. Craig Vaughn & Cynthia L. Vaughn Robert Veninga Paul R. Vernon Subramanian Vetrivelayudham Jack M. Vochatzer, Sr. & Linda K. Vochatzer Travis P. Walter Yueting Wan, Ph.D. Xuhai Wang, Ph.D. Tracy Clinton Warriner Terri Watters Elizabeth Waugh & J. Scott McCandless Darren V. Weninger

Richard E. Werp James C. West, Ph.D. & Jane L. Sittler West Robert E. White Mark A. Widdowson & Beth A. Widdowson COL Richard A. Willhite, USAF Ret. Carolyn Stone Williams Shirley Williams Mark A. Willis & Hilde Siegmann Willis E. James Wilson & Phyllis Frick Wilson Austin M. Wohleb Jerome Wohleb & Janet Wohleb Thomas A. Wood Jr. & Tonia L. Wood Carl W. Woodward Lihua Xing, Ph.D. Jane Yates Tiffany Young Yvette Tak-Ching Yuen & Michael S. James Philip T. Zeilinger Cheng Zhou, Ph.D. Tianrui T. Zhou John A. Zimmerman & Renee A. Zimmerman Robert J. Zimmerman & Annette Russell Zimmerman DONORS Individuals who have given up to $99 Shavonne Abella Manjish Adhikari Paul J. Ahlenius CDR William D. Aldenderfer Cameron L. Arnold Aarthi L. Aruna Gary L. Asher Kemal Ataman Deborah S. Barr David G. Beach William L. Berns Franklin C. Berrier Angelica R. Bielawski Philip W. Birk Kiran Bisarya Karen L. Blanco & Luis F. Blanco Makenna M. Bolen Leland D. Bowen Cameron M. Boydston Gretchen Brewer Daniel R. Brown Monica Brown Craig A. Buhr & Ellen K. Buhr Christopher L. Burns Meredith B. Butler Martha Schovee Byers, M.D. C. Michael Caldwell Karen Calhoun Robert Canny Laura E. Carpenter Rakesh Chandra Young Woo Chang Lisa A. Cheesebrough Thomas D. Clark Warren L. Clark Bailey A. Cook Gregory A. Cooksey, Ph.D. & Catherine Cooksey, Ph.D. Hanna E. Cosgrove Isabelle Cota James C. Coudeyras Natalie J. daCosta Robert D. Dennett Cynthia R. Deschaine Cassie Dietrich Anne Donnelly & John Donnelly Mary Dormer & Lon Dormer Hannah A. Duncan David L. Durstine

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ANNUAL GIFTS Abby D. Ehling Hussam Eljammal Cathy Ellstrom Joseph Emming Michael S. Fitzcharles Benjamin A. Gaeddert & Henri H. Gaeddert Francis W. Gerlach Robert Goertz William A. Grist & Lisa F. Grist Rebecca Gumina Tai-Chuan Gwo & Julie Yuan Jessica L. Haberstock Cynthia Hafenstine Darren E. Hain Merlin B. Halverson & Judith M. Halverson Kylie T. Hance Paul Hargette Nathaniel L. Williams, Ph.D. & Leigh Ann Hartman Amy Heisler Shane Hermanson Maynard M. Herron Charles B. Horner Richard L. Horvath & Meredith L. Horvath James M. Hurd Simon Igielnik, Ph.D. John H. Iverson John V. Jackson Dhanya A. Jayan Sarah J. Johnson Charles J. Kallmeyer Kris Kell Lisa Ray Kindsvater & Scott Kindsvater Karl K. Kresie Mark D. Krutty Alaina Kubo Jackie Cheng Kulphongpatana & Rabin F. Kulphongpatana CAPT Armen H. Kurdian & Lindi Kurdian Brianna Lane Alexandra Self Lawson & Thomas R. Lawson Wai-Cheung Lee Harrison C. Lemke Trenton Lennard Harold T. Leonard & Nina R. Mack-Leonard Deborah A. Levey

(DONATIONS FROM JULY 1, 2022, TO JUNE 30, 2023)

George Z. Li Robert Y. Li, Ph.D. Dion P. Lies Jordan N. Love Yong-Qing Lu & Yi Chu, Ph.D. Samson J. Mah Ronald L. Marquette Colin Marshall John D. Maxey Ramon A. Mayor & Areli Urgelles Mayor Samuel W. Mcmanus Julia Espinoza Mejia Gerald H. Memming & Jo Ann Baird Memming Stephen C. Meredith & Rosalie M. Meredith Thomas E. Mertz Joseph D. Meyer & Alyssa Meyer Candace Milbourn Amy Morasch Virginia A. Morgan Joseph W. Morgison & Ronda K. Morgison Paul M. Mullin Gowri Manohari Nagarajan Lewis R. Nash Frank B. Nelson Kris Norton, PE & Susan Jauernig Norton Jaime A. Oakley Alexander M. O’Neill Susan Collins Peach & Donald F. Peach, PE Ryan J. Pfeifer Tri Pham James W. Phelps Aaron M. Plump Brooke R. Porras Audrey L. Puderbaugh Melissa S. Rhodes Charles B. Richardson Katherine Riedel Drew W. Robinson & Allison Jackson Robinson Brian A. Rock, Ph.D., PE & Kristie M. Rock, PE Scott E. Rose & Lori Maxwell Rose Casey Sanborn Michael J. Schmidt & Tuija K. Schmidt Sandra Schulthess Mary E. Sevart

Robert E. Shaw Sara Shepherd Holly Shorney-Darby, Ph.D. Mark Smith Todd R. Smith Gina Spade & Joseph Mastrosimone Rodd D. Staker & Martha D. Staker Mark E. Stevens Emme Stoy LCDR Daniel L. Stueckemann, Retired & Cathy S. Stueckemann Maria Richardson Tacoa & Francisco Tacoa Samuel P. Tankel Brooke K. Taylor Joanne DiFidi Thompson Marion L. Thornton Su-Gin Tiong David G. Underwood & Luanne Underwood Chad P. Van Buskirk Andrew J. Vance Laura B. VanderMeulen Teresa C. Vangeli, PE Madi Thornton Vannaman & Robbie L. Vannaman Francisco B. Villanueva Lisa M. Castle, Ph.D. & Jeffrey J. Walker Philip W. Westin Cade Wilburn Larry E. Wood Harland V.C. Zamora Scott Zapotocky DEANS CLUB RISING STARS Gifts of $500 or more from alumni who are 35 or younger Colby P. Arnold Alexandra G. Depew Zac C. Lindemann Sarah Elizabeth McCandless Sean A. O’Neill Jesse B. Yang

Industry and Foundation Donors Air Power Consultants, Inc. Alberici Constructors Allen Myers American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. American Institute of Steel Construction American Society of Civil Engineers American Society of Civil Engineers-Kansas City Section Baker Concrete Construction Sean D. Biggs Memorial Foundation Black & Veatch Foundation Black Hills Energy BMWC Constructors Brinkmann Constructors Burns & McDonnell Foundation George Butler Associates, Inc. Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. DRW Foundation JE Dunn Construction Company

40 | FALL 2023

Evergy, Inc. ExxonMobil Foundation Exyte Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Inc. Garmin International, Inc. Garney Companies, Inc. Gilbane Building Company H&R Block, Inc. Halliburton Foundation, Inc. Heartland Energy Group LTD HME, Inc. HNTB Companies Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies Honeywell International Corporation International Foundation for Telemetering Kansas Athletics, Inc. Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission Kansas Section American Society of Civil Engineers Kao Family Foundation Robert W. Keener & Barbara J. Keener Foundation

Kiewit Corporation Koch Industries LKQ Corporation M.S.P.E. Auxiliary Western Chapter McClure Engineering McCownGordon Construction, LLC MixOnSite USA, Inc. The National GEM Consortium Netsmart Technologies Inc. Olsson ONEOK Foundation, Inc. Paycom Phelps Engineering, Inc. Ripple Labs, Inc. River City Engineering, Inc. Smith & Loveless, Inc. Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. TenCate Geosynthetics Americas Terracon Consultants, Inc. Veterans United Home Loans The Wonderful Company

* Indicates donor has passed.

ANNUAL GIFTS Cody Howard

Baby Jay greets the IHAWKe Diversity & Women’s Programs leadership team and ambassadors at the IHAWKe fall welcome in August.

From left: Sophia Jacob, ambassador; Jenna Schmidling, ambassador; Beza Mulugeta, ambassador; Baby Jay; IHAWKe Program Coordinator Palvih Bhana; Lizbeth Martinez, ambassador; Aiden Jimenez, ambassador; and Asssociate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Elaina Sutley.

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