2007-volume-17-issue-2 by Auburn University College of Engineering

AUBURN Spring 2007 Volume 17

Issue 1

engineering

Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Contents

From the dean

Auburn Engineering

Building of an Auburn Engineer

Spring 2007 Volume 17, Issue 1

Auburn’s dynamoelectric generator

Into the lab

New name for Aerospace: Davis Hall

Leading the way in bioenergy

Wireless leaders converge on Auburn to meet, discuss new technologies

Dwight Wiggins: Part of the team

Office of the Dean Larry Benefield, dean Nels Madsen, associate dean for assessment Joe Morgan, associate dean for academics Ralph Zee, associate dean for research Office of Engineering Communications and Marketing Auburn University 108 Ramsay Hall Auburn, AL 36849 334.844.2308 334.844.0176 fax Jim Killian, editor Contributors Sara Borchik Cheryl Cobb Beth Smith Laura Steele Katie Yester Office of Engineering Development Auburn University 107 Ramsay Hall Auburn, AL 36849 334.844.2736 334.844.5904 fax Rob Wellbaum, director Dan Bush, associate director Veronica Chesnut, associate director Ron Evans, associate director Dara Kloss Hosey, associate director Experience Auburn Engineering magazine online at www.eng.auburn.edu/magazine Read the inaugural issue of our Annual Report at www.eng.auburn.edu/ar06 Auburn Engineering is published twice yearly by the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. Please send news items, suggestions and comments to editor@eng.auburn.edu. www.eng.auburn.edu

Minority engineering program celebrates 10 Years of success 22 TIGERs camp scheduled June and July

Five minutes with John Watson

Alums discover new way of giving

Bill Ward – ensuring Auburn Engineering’s future

Engineering Hall of Fame

Cupola report

Inside front cover: Artist’s rendition of the Sen. Richard C. and Dr. Annette N. Shelby Center for Engineering Technology at night, in a view adjacent to the Jim and Betty Carroll Commons Back cover: View of the Shelby Center in construction, again from a vantage that encompasses the commons ©2007 Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Auburn University

Larry Benefield, Dean College of Engineering

This is the year

From the dean

This is the year that will define the future of Auburn Engineering as no other

year has.

In the short history across from this page it will become obvious to even the most casual reader that when the need arises, our alums have stepped forward to deal with the situation. Again and again, the men and women of Auburn Engineering realized that it was their efforts that would bring the college to new levels of achievement. So it is now. When we entered our current development campaign, we had a well-defined roadmap and the willingness to work hard to bring Auburn Engineering to the next level. Our alums have responded, and we’ve profiled a number of you in these pages – leaders who have raised the bar in giving some of the largest gifts that we have ever received. At the same time, we have included in this issue our annual Cupola Report of named donors at all levels. All are important.

The Building of an Auburn Engineer “From the earliest days of engineering education, instructional laboratories h a v e b e e n a n e s s e n t i a l p a r t o f u n d e rg r a d u a t e a n d g r a d u a t e p r o g r a m s .”

The development of engineering education at Auburn University has from the beginning paralleled the development of technology in our society. As this technolFeisel and Rosa, 2005: The Role of the Laborator y in ogy has evolved and grown in complexity, so has the Undergraduate Engineering Education discipline of engineering. But from the earliest days, one thing has remained constant – the need for facilities that provide students with the hands-on experience necessary to solve the challenges that lay ahead. Auburn engineers have long been recognized for their firm grasp of the basics, as well as for their ability to solve real-world problems. These traits are firmly grounded in a decision made in the late 1800s, at the urging of President William Broun, to change the name of the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical Institute to Alabama Polytechnic Institute and to begin offering classes in the sciences as well as in the liberal arts.

We may never again see in our lifetimes the tremendous increase in the quality of our facilities that the construction of the new Sen. Richard C. and Dr. Annette N. Shelby Center for Engineering Technology will bring. As a result of the promise that these facilities hold, and with the recent renovations of Ross Hall and Wilmore Labs, we are attracting our best faculty ever. And it’s bringing in our best students ever – in part through scholarships you have funded. This is the year. Please become a part of it through contributions of your time, your resources, and your gifts to Auburn Engineering.

Pre-scientific revolution: The prehistory of modern engineering features ancient master builders and Renaissance engineers such as Leonardo da Vinci

Second industrial revolution: In the century before World War II, chemical, electrical, and other science- based engineering branches developed electricity, telecommunications, cars, airplanes, and mass production

Alumni aid post war expansion While the advent of World War I disrupted progress, it affirmed the decision by Broun to broaden the focus of the institution. “It is not so much a war of manpower as of brain power, of science, of chemistry, of mathematics, of electricity, of gas engines, of airplanes, of every invention that the mind of man conceived in regard to natural sources and machinery for their application.” (Dimensions, winter 1978)

A place to call home

“The college has aimed to turn out not mere artisans, but leaders and managers of industr y.” O.D. Smith 1901

Broun’s decision also led to Auburn’s first period of plant and equipment expansion designed to “undergird the instruction of the sciences,” establishing the institution as the first college in the South to have a manual training laboratory and a first-class biological laboratory. When the Broun administration ended in 1902, degree offerings had expanded to include civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, as well as pharmacy, chemistry and metallurgy. Enrollment had risen by 400 percent. Following Broun’s lead, President Thach helped ensure that API remained at “the forefront of scientific institutions, equipping it for teaching the sciences and their application to the economic need of the South.” Renovations and equipment upgrades designed to address the new degree offerings eventually culminated in the construction of the first phase of old Broun Engineering Hall – providing the flourishing engineering program with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment “fitted with steam heat, electric light and a full system of water works, as well as the most modern apparatus, machinery and appliances.” An addition, completed in 1910, tripled the space for engineering and helped to accommodate new areas of study such as chemical engineering.

The war also accelerated technological change. By the time the dust had settled and the nation’s economy had stabilized, API found itself with serious educational challenges including a record enrollment, an aging physical plant and “new developments in the sciences,” eventually leading to program expansions in mechanical, civil and electrical engineering, as well as the fledgling disciplines of aeronautical, textile and industrial engineering. Guided by President Spright Dowell, API emerged from these turbulent waters with a reorganized administrative system, strengthened coursework and, thanks to the generosity of some dedicated alumni and friends, a number of important new facilities in critical areas of engineering – the L-Building (1923), Ramsay Hall (1925), and Ross Hall (1930). Alumni also played a role in securing financing for the Textile Engineering building. Unfortunately, this period of progress came to a sudden halt with the stock market crash of 1929 and subsequent depression. API emerged $1.2 million in debt, with an unpaid and unhappy faculty and staff and insufficient facilities to handle a fast-growing student population. At the urging of President L.N. Duncan, API alumni and friends again stepped forward, this time to generate the political support needed to restore financial stability and allow the institution to take advantage of the numerous opportunities for federal aid available through the wide variety of New Deal programs. While student housing and core instruction need took precedence, some engineering facilities and equipment were upgraded to respond to advances in the discipline.

Industrial revolution: From the eighteenth through early nineteenth century, civil and mechanical engineers changed from practical artists to scientific professionals

Maintaining historic excellence

Postwar growth World War II proved beyond all doubt the soundness of the land-grant college concept. During this period, engineering educated more than 38,000 students through the Army Specialized Training and the Engineering Science, Management and War Training Programs. The hastily constructed shop buildings, designed as temporary structures, helped meet the need for wartime instructional space. When it was over, API again faced a long list of challenges. Students came in the thousands where before there had been hundreds, causing a crisis in housing and in the classroom. Like the war before it, this one had also driven advances in technology and API’s engineering facilities again had to play catch up – especially in the area of laboratory space. This time it was the state that came to the rescue with the construction in 1949 of Wilmore Laboratories and upgrades of existing facilities, providing space for research and instruction for the more than 1,600 engineering students. But these efforts were not enough. In 1957, the “grinding pressures of enrollment growth, competition for faculty, and equipment needs” resulted in the loss of accreditation for the Departments of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. This loss galvanized the API engineering community. Within months, alumni responded and launched the Engineering Emergency Fund, ultimately doubling their goal of $250,000 for a new electrical engineering facility. Thanks to these efforts, Dunstan Hall was constructed, some existing facilities and equipment were upgraded, and in 1961 accreditation reestablished.

“Auburn must find w a y s and means to teach t h e s e new principles to th e e n d that the people of o u r s t a t e and nation may ben e f i t from their applicatio n s .” Ralph B. Draughon, 1954

With the backdrop of the social unrest of the ’60s and ’70s and the coming of the information age, Auburn engineering’s research programs and undergraduate and graduate enrollment grew but with no increase in faculty or facility enhancements. Soon, engineering was again at a crossroads. A 1979 study ranked Auburn’s engineering facilities at the bottom of all institutions in the Southeast in the number of square footage available per student and faculty, and in 1981 an ABET review made it clear that accreditation was at risk. Again faculty, staff and alumni mobilized, issuing a priorities and planning report that stated “nothing less than the doubling of laboratory and support space must be anticipated if the School of Engineering is to survive, hold its faculty, educate its students and maintain its historic excellence.” Under the leadership of President Hanley Funderburk, a long-range revitalization program for the College of Engineering was outlined with support coming from alumni and friends. In 1983 the well loved but structurally deficient old Broun Hall was demolished, and a new electrical engineering building, Broun Hall, was dedicated. “The construction and occupation of new Broun Hall ushered in a quantum leap in the quality of our teaching and research, because it permitted us to concentrate an operation, scattered in parts of five buildings, in one modern up-to-date wired facility,” explains Dave Irwin, department head for electrical and computer engineering. Unfortunately plans for a second major engineering building to replace the aged and quickly constructed L and shop buildings stalled for lack of funds. Instead, parts of Ross Hall, L-Building and Wilmore Labs received limited renovations, and in 1986, thanks to a $5 million gift from alumnus John Harbert, a new civil engineering building was dedicated. Despite strong growth in engineering enrollment, perennially tight budgets and facility needs in other parts of the campus delayed progress on a new aerospace engineering building until 1992. “The new building opened the door for the development of a robust undergraduate program and a much stronger graduate program,” says John Cochran, head of the department. However, other fast-growing and rapidly evolving disciplines, such as materials engineering and computer science and software engineering, had to make do with yet another round of renovations to the well-used shop buildings.

Information revolution: As engineering science matured after the war, microelectronics, computers and telecommunications jointly produced information technology

proactive if we are to survive and thrive. The vision we have outlined for the future of our college follows this course.” That vision rests firmly on a series of key facility enhancements. The positive impacts of the first two, the recently completed top-to-bottom renovations of Ross Hall and Wilmore Labs, are already being felt by faculty and students. However, Benefield explains that the construction of the new Shelby Center – with its cutting-edge classrooms and laboratories, and a design to foster cross disciplinary discourse – is the cornerstone on which the college’s future will rest. ”Dunstan, the L-Building and the Shop buildings have served us well, but there is only so much you can and should do with aging buildings,” he says. “Funderburk recognized this back in 1983.” Thanks to the efforts of Alabama’s senior senator, Richard Shelby, $65 million in federal funds were secured for the project, which along with revenue bonds covered all but $15 million of the new center – enough to enable the construction of Phase I. However, before construction of Phase II can begin, the college must raise $15 million in private support.

A vision for the future The turn of the century was marked by a significant increase in the speed of technological change and the importance of cross disciplinary research to the health of a comprehensive educational institution. “Auburn Engineering, for much of its existence, has grown by reacting to crises,” says Larry Benefield, dean of the College of Engineering. “As an institution, we are skilled at doing much with little, and at coming in just under the wire. “However, in today’s increasingly competitive world, marked by speed-of-light technological change, we must become

Join the ranks There are many ways for alumni, friends and the corporate community to invest in the future of Auburn Engineering with a gift to the new Sen. Richard C. and Dr. Annette N. Shelby Center for Engineering Technology through a naming opportunity for a classroom, laboratory or meeting space in the complex. Log on to www.eng.auburn.edu/naming to learn more or contact the Engineering Office of Development at 334.844.1265. Join the ranks of alumni and friends who will help to define the future of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the students who will pass through its doors.

“The nation with the b e s t engineering talent is i n possession of the cor e ingredient of compara t i v e economic and industr i a l advantage.” Richard Morrow, past chairman NAE

“Throughout our history, alumni have always stepped up when needed,” says Benefield. “I believe we are at a critical point in our evolution as an institution. The changes that Broun put in motion at the dawn of the 20th century set the stage for the evolution of Auburn for the next century, serving the state well as it transitioned from an agricultural economy to a manufacturing one. I believe that the vision we have outlined will ready this college and state for the next 100.”

The next revolution: The cooperation and convergence of traditional intellectual disciplines, such as biology, math, biochemistry, genetics, engineering, information processing and physics, in the development of new technology

auburn’s

dynamoelectric g e n e r a t o r engineering faculty parking lot. It was hard for me to imagine that this cumbersome and rusted old thing was once the sole source of electricity to Auburn University and the city of Auburn – and an unusual bit of history. The generator was first installed inside the basement of Langdon Hall in 1886. Though not very powerful by modern standards, the 240 volts it generated with steam and coal was enough to light up the town, from Ag Hill on down to the end of College Street. In order to save money and energy, it was turned off promptly at 11 o’clock as residents and students headed off to bed. The generator’s operator was typically a student, and it was his job to switch the power off and then back on for 15 seconds at 10:45 each night as a warning that the lights would soon be out. This arrangement was rarely disrupted except for one night in 1915 when several engineering students played a college prank. A group asked student operator R.D. Spann to pause longer than usual when he gave his warning switch. That night at 10:45, he flipped the switch off just as the students had requested. In one minute of darkness, those same students were able to steal every banana from the late night produce stand near Toomer’s Corner.

It is hard to believe that an important part of Auburn’s

history has been quietly rusting away behind Broun Hall, unnoticed for almost 22 years. To the average student, it looks like a broken piece of junk left over from a building renovation or an unsuccessful experiment. Even faculty that walk by may have no idea of its storied history – of the innovation, the heritage and even the tragedy that surrounds this ugly hunk of metal, wires, coils and bolts. Early one Tuesday morning I sat in Dr. Jim Lowry’s office in Broun Hall admiring his curious collection of old doorknobs, antique instruments and slide rules. I was on the hunt for little known facts about Auburn’s oldest buildings – ghost stories maybe, mysteries and legendary pranks pulled by engineering students. Along the way our conversation turned to the five horsepower Weston dynamoelectric generator that was parked in the grass next to electrical

The generator in the basement of Langdon Hall

Spann was not fired for his part in the fruit heist and he continued to operate the generator nightly, though he was never again dawdled on his warning flicker. R.D.’s involvement with the generator did not end after his graduation, either. He stayed in Auburn and eventually became the department head for electrical engineering.

surged through this now dilapidated machine. In the early 1900’s, tragedy struck when a man was electrocuted and killed by the power generated from Langdon Hall. At that time, it was traditional to mark a dynamo with a notch each time someone was killed by its electrical current. Fortunately, Auburn’s generator only has one such notch. Now, 100 years later it still serves as a small but meaningful reminder of the potential danger of electricity. In 1923, after 37 years of service to the Auburn community the generator was retired. It was moved from Langdon to the electrical labs where it served as a teaching tool for countless engineering students. It came to its present parking lot resting place in 1985, when the lab building was torn down to make way for the construction of Broun Hall. I have passed by the generator a few times since my visit with Dr. Lowry and each time my eyes are drawn over to the parking lot. I find myself reflecting on its notch and its history with a twinge of sadness. Unlike the famous civil war lathe, which sits proudly among the azaleas next to Samford Hall, the generator has been all but forgotten. Dr. Lowry says he would like to see the old dynamo restored and moved to a prominent location on campus to commemorate its important place in the Auburn community. Until then it sits quietly in its parking lot in a bed of weeds . . . as busy students hurry by to their next class, their next tomorrow. This story was contributed by Laura Steele, a senior who worked for Auburn Engineering’s Office of Communications and Marketing for the 2006-07 academic year as an editorial assistant on a wide variety of assignments. A May graduate, she is now working in Charlotte, N.C., in public relations.

On close inspection you can see a small notch filed into the eyebolt at the very top of the iron frame. It is a reminder of the power and danger that once

Into the lab Spotlight on Industrial and Systems

Ever had a long and overwhelming to-do list and wondered where you should start? In a National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored project, “Sequencing Human Tasks: A New Paradigm for Scheduling Research,” Emmett Lodree, Jerry Davis and Robert Bulfin, faculty members in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, are taking the initial steps towards developing a scientific theory for scheduling activities in a way that optimizes productivity and maintains acceptable stress levels. “We thought it would be useful to explore the effects of task-assignments, task-sequences and break schedules after observing intense order picking activities in warehouse environments,” says Lodree. “We hope that our work can make the picking process more efficient for companies, while making the progression easier on employees.” The study focuses on physically demanding tasks carried out by human order pickers in a warehouse environment and involves collecting data from a large scale distribution center. These methods will allow the research team to mathematically model the physical stress associated with various tasks. This data will in turn be incorporated into mathematical programming and simulation models that will generate ergonomic and performance optimizing order picking sequences, while determining the optimal number, timing and duration of rest breaks. The NSF project brings together operations research and management sciences (ORMS) and human factors engineering (HFE), two sub-disciplines of industrial engineering that have historically had a minimal relationship. The project demonstrates the usefulness of ORMS techniques with respect to complementing existing HFE methods for addressing complex problems in human performance and safety. The project also identifies a new domain for exploring the application of ORMS methods, and positions Auburn University as a leader in the ORMS/HFE interface. “This particular project is designed to improve human performance and comfort in warehouse environments,” Lodree says. “We hope to secure additional funding from other government agencies or private sector firms that will allow us to better schedule tasks and assign breaks in other demanding environments such as military operations and exercise physiology, and to establish a platform for alleviating the disconnect between the mathematical science of ORMS and the behavioral science of HFE.” 12

Aerospace Wake structure, gas flow in materials

ing a GIS-based decision support system that helps producers, vendors and potential energy users match their energy needs with the most economical feedstock sources.

u Chris

Civil

Roy and his group have recently completed a research project supported by the Department of Energy to investigate the structure of the turbulent wake developed behind tractor-trailers.

u Roy

is also collaborating with Bruce Tatarchuk of Auburn’s Department of Chemical Engineering to study gas flow through microfibrous materials. By em- Simulation of an unsteady turbulent truck wake bedding small, catalytic particles in a matrix of microfibers with diameters on the order of a few microns, enhanced chemical reactivity by up to a factor of five has been achieved. Computational fluid dynamics simulations are being used to provide insight into the fundamental mechanisms behind the increased chemical reactivity and will ultimately be used to design new, more efficient materials.

Biosystems Reducing our dependence on foreign oil

u Reducing dependence on foreign oil is the motivation behind several biosystems engineering research thrusts. Oladiran Fasina has been leading efforts to characterize the physical and thermodynamic properties of various biomass energy feedstocks. His research also has evaluated different bioprocessing methods that improve the economic efficiency of using biomass feedstocks for energy sources. Fasina was recently awarded a leadership citation by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) for international standards on terminology for biomass. A new standard titled “ANSI/ASABE S593 Terminology and Definitions for Biomass Production, Harvesting and Collection, Storage, Processing, Conversion and Utilization” is jointly published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

u A multidisciplinary team of engineers and agricultural scientists is tackling the old problem of how to best handle all of the poultry litter produced in Alabama. John Fulton, Puneet Srivastava and Fasina serve as the engineering team members that are perfecting new processing techniques for packaging the litter into a compact, easy-to-handle form so it can be efficiently used as a bioenergy feedstock. They are also develop-

Improving performance of concrete structures Anton K. Schindler has been involved with research to improve the long-term performance of massive concrete members. The research team is composed of Schindler and Jason Meadows of Auburn University in collaboration with researchers at the University of Texas at Austin. This project was recently named one of six top research innovations and findings by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The top projects are chosen based upon their estimated benefit to TxDOT and the state of Texas. Such benefits could include number of lives saved, increased efficiency, monetary savings or other factors. The end product of the project is a computer program designed to improve the construction process and durability of concrete entitled ConcreteWorks. Given user-defined conditions, ConcreteWorks estimates the heat generation and strength development in mass concrete, as well as the likelihood of cracking at the shortening Defect in a massive of concrete’s lifespan. ConcreteWorks concrete column is currently in use on a trial basis in TxDOT’s Fort Worth district as well as by California and Kansas’ departments of transportation.

Chemical Identifying processing routes in polygeneration Researchers in the Department of Chemical Engineering are applying novel process systems engineering methods to develop a flexible optimization framework capable of identifying the most profitable set of products and processing routes in polygeneration facilities such as biorefineries, thus helping guide further research towards the technologies showing the highest potential. This project was an integral part of a successful NSF CAREER proposal submitted by Mario Eden. In addition, a graduate student working on this project was recently awarded the prestigious EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship, awarded to only 100 students nationwide each year.

The southeastern United States has abundant resources that can help alleviate the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. The integrated biorefinery, which uses renewable feedstocks such as wood and municipal waste, has the opportunity to provide a self-dependent, sustainable alternative for the production of chemicals, polymers, fiber composites, pharmaceuticals, energy, liquid fuels and hydrogen. Depending on market prices and trends, the optimum allocation of resources and production capacity can switch between the different products. With such a wide range of processing steps and possible products, identification of the optimum process structure can not be done based on heuristics or rules of thumb. There is a critical need for an in-depth understanding of the effects of changes in economic, social, political and environmental conditions on the structure and design of such facilities.

Computer S c i e n c e a n d S o f t w a r e Developing simulations for UAV teams Simulation can be a useful tool for comparing alternative system configurations with direct experimentation when the physical system is too costly and the underlying mathematical model too complex to facilitate a solution. However, in order for a simulation study to be meaningful, uncertainty regarding the nature of the underlying model must be dealt with. Levent Yilmaz is currently working with multisimulation, a simulation process that allows exploration of the problem state space through the creation of dynamically updating models, is one method for overcoming such uncertainty. This research is focused on examining the use of multisimulation supported by a genetic algorithm to accelerate the exploration of the problem state space and thus provide a broad analysis of alternative system configurations. This technique allows both a reasoned approach to comparing alternative systems and a real-time method for resolving inconsistencies between the model and a dynamically changing system. It involves the creation of a population of systems that evolve over time. The quality of a proposed system is determined by how well it responds to a given set of conditions within the model. New generations of system configurations are then created using information from previously successful systems. Furthermore, each competing system configuration is subjected to a simulation model that may be dynamically updated as new observations from the physical system emerge.

Electrical and Computer

Mechanical

Processes in electronics manufacturing

Enhancing detection of welding defects

u Under the direction of Wayne Johnson, researchers in the

Faults in welding can lead to loss of life and equipment. To identify and analyze problems in welds, an Auburn mechanical engineering graduate student researcher interned in Bangalore, India with the John F. Welch Technology Centre, General Electric’s $80 million state-of-the-art hub for technology, research and innovation where scienA radioscopic image tists, researchers and engineers work of an aluminum wheel with counterparts worldwide.

Laboratory for Electronics Assembly and Packaging (LEAP) in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are investigating materials and processes for the manufacturing of electronics and the resulting reliability of electronic products. An example is lead-free electronics assembly. Since July 2006, the European Union has banned the use of lead in the assembly of most electronic products. The concern is the increasing quantity of consumer electronics (cell phones, computers, PDAs, etc.) going into landfills and the resulting potential for lead contamination. Researchers in LEAP are examining the manufacturing processes and the reliability of lead-free electronics. Recent reliability testing has shown that the drop test performance of lead-free electronics degrades rapidly with high temperature aging. Everyone who owns a cell phone has performed drop testing. The high temperature aging accelerates the aging mechanisms that occur at normal use temperatures, allowing testing to be done in a reasonable length of time. While the decrease in drop test performance does not decrease Students test materials in Wayne significantly over the lifetime Johnson’s lab of a cell phone (2-3 years), it is very significant for a portable military product which may remain in service for 10-20 years. Other long term reliability implications of the switch to lead-free electronics for military systems are under way.

u Researchers

at the Alabama Micro/Nano Science and Technology Center (AMNSTC), led by Charles Ellis, director of the microfabrication lab, have developed a technique for fabricating a planar patch-clamp structure. This structure can be easily interfaced to a standard patch-clamp amplifier “HeadStage”. It will provide a new tool for cell physiologists, allowing them to characterize cells and cell membranes without expensive microscopes and manipuators. The planar patch-clamp also reduces the level of expertise required to successfully clamp a cell or bi-layer. AMNSTC has collaborated with researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine who have successfully used this structure to investigate the ion-gating mechanisms in artificial phospholipid bilayers.

shows an example of a flaw that could lead to The student developed an algorithm disaster to detect welding defects such as lack of penetration, lack of fusion and scattered porosity and tested it on digital radiographic images provided by GE. The main challenges were to detect these faint defects in the presence of weld ripples. The success rate of this algorithm is more than 90 percent. Work will continue at Auburn under the guidance of mechanical engineering faculty, and GE scientists will continue to work with Auburn on the project.

Polymer and Fiber Improving performance of SMPs and protective clothing

u Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are smart materials capable of remembering their original shape after they are deformed. Maria Auad’s team is improving the performance of shape memory polyurethanes by reinforcing them with nanocellulose crystals. These materials have enabled the creation of novel medical devices such as smart sutures and biological microelectromechanical systems, and have potential applications for obtaining objects that must be manipulated in inaccessible locations, such as complex machinery and microsystem assemblies. In recent years, studies have reported on SMPs, but they often fail to mention their major drawback: SMPs present a low stiffness, which results in a small recovery force under constraint compared to alternative active materials, such as metals and ceramics. Auad’s group demonstrates that the incorporation of low concentrations of cellulose nanocrystals produces stiffer yet highly deformable composites, comparable the unfilled polymer. In addition to enhancing the recovery force, the biocompatibility of the material is retained, since cellulose fibers are biodegradable.

University, along with NovaComp, a SBIR company, are working together to design and manufacture efficient chemical protective materials and garments based on the active protection and selective permeability of multilayered fabrics and microporous membranes. Chemical protective materials Physical and chemical imbased on the multilayered fabrics mobilization of chemical and microporous membranes toxins and subsequent deactivation are achieved by attaching receptor molecules to the fiber and microporous membrane surfaces. This new material will allow first responders to work within hazardous chemical spills for prolonged times without fear of contamination.

Wireless Addressing wireless multimedia communications

u Prathima

Agrawal, Samuel Ginn distinguished professor and director of the Wireless Engineering Research and Education Center (WEREC), and her research team have embarked on a project to efficiently design, analyze and implement wireless sensor networks that effectively utilize UWB communication technology. UWB communications represent an emerging technology promising very high data rates, in-built localization features and low power consumption. This is a joint research project between Auburn and University of Maryland Baltimore campus and is funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

u Wireless

multimedia communications are important not only for commercial applications, but also for mission critical and homeland security applications. Research funded by WEREC directly addresses this important problem area by leveraging recent advances in video coding (in particular, multiple description coding), multi-path routing and system optimization techniques. The project shows that the proposed applicationcentric cross-layer approach is highly effective in addressing the challenge of multimedia service provisioning over multi-hop wireless networks.

u Scientists from the Departments of Polymer and Fiber Engineering and Chemistry at Auburn University and Clemson

Davis Hall story for spring magazine

A straight A student through grade school and high school, Davis found the curriculum at Auburn difficult and demanding, even though he made the dean’s list several times during his academic career on the plains.

Davis is known to the industry’s technical insiders as a pioneer in the design, testing and launch of large rockets. In the corporate boardroom he was known as an engineer who could take programs and job sites that had major problems and turn them around.

“When I was in the Air Force I went through a demanding sequence of four tech schools and taught air traffic control,” Davis notes. “When I got my early out to attend Auburn, things got tougher. This experience prepared me for my career more than anything else. I realized that what I learned at Auburn was discipline.” Apollo third stage team

New Name for Aerospace: D a v i s The Aerospace Engineering Building, which anchors the

northwest corner of Samford Park in the historic district of the Auburn campus, has a new name – the Charles E. Davis Aerospace Engineering Hall. Officially renamed at the April 27 meeting of the university’s board of trustees, it honors 1959 engineering graduate Charles E. (Buddy) Davis. “Renaming the aerospace building as Davis Hall pays homage not only to Buddy, but to his family as well,” notes Larry Benefield, dean of engineering. “His wife Charlotte has been a key to Buddy’s success over the years, and his oldest son, Steve, is a 1988 aerospace engineering graduate from Auburn. Brian, the couple’s middle son, and Neil, the youngest, are both West Point graduates.” Davis Hall was built as a multi-use building to house the Department of Aerospace Engineering. It includes classrooms, laboratories and graduate student and faculty offices. Bounded by Harbert, Samford and Hargis Hall, it was designed to blend with Auburn’s historic architecture while offering state-of-theart facilities. Auburn on the GI Bill “I attended Auburn on the GI Bill, and received a wonderful education” Davis states. “My life was profoundly benefited by Auburn University, and my desire today is to make available the same educational opportunities I was given. “I am thrilled to be a member of the Auburn family and want to

Hall

make a gift to this generation of students, as well as those who will follow. That’s the ultimate investment.” Davis graduated from Auburn with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, but spent his career in the aerospace industry, and more closely identifies with aerospace from a career point of view. “I was so fortunate to graduate in engineering and become part of America’s endeavor to put a man on the moon. I’ve had an exciting career – I can’t imagine many others who have enjoyed what they have done as much.” Launching at Vandenberg Davis began his career with a field assignment at Vandenberg Air Force Base, where he spent a year launching Thor ICBM rockets. His work in advanced design led to a 1961 proposal for the Apollo spacecraft, as well as a method for assembling and moving the Apollo rocket to the launch pad.

Davis joined Douglas Aircraft Company – later known as McDonnell Douglas – in Santa Monica, and was transferred to Sacramento along with the Apollo third stage team and the block house control panels that he had designed. He was chosen to man the firing control panel and manually fired the S4B stage 100 times.

“Renaming the aerospace building as Davis Hall pays homage not only t o B u d d y, b u t t o h i s family as well”

At Auburn he is known for his commitment to the College of Engineering. His leadership gift of $4 million through a trust will benefit generations of Auburn students to come. Ceremonies planned for June 23 will commemorate the renaming of the building, a significant university event that Davis plans to make a memorable affair for family and friends. Charlotte’s connection

“Auburn is a very special place, and we love to be on campus,” Davis observes. “There is always a tremendous amount of — Larr y Benefield, Dean work going on there, whether it involves faculty, staff or students. It is my hope that this gift will move Following these firings the operation was moved to Tullahoma, Auburn Engineering programs forward, particularly as it relates Tenn. The third stage, with the Rocketdyne J-2 engines, was to academic rankings.” installed in the world’s largest altitude chamber to test its inspace restart capability. Charlotte Davis, who met Buddy at Douglas in California, mirrors his active lifestyle, and has been his most vocal supporter “It was exciting to manually fire the large rocket engine, cut it through the years. A native of New Jersey who grew up on the off and reduce the data after each firing,” Davis recalls. “Includ- west coast, she too feels a connection to Auburn. ing the launches at Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral and the static firings at Sacramento and Tullahoma, I was a team “Once you experience Auburn you can’t help but love it,” she member for more than 600 static firings and launches, which relates. “I’ve developed a great fondness for the College of may be a record.” Engineering as well, and a great respect for the faculty. It’s a wonderful feeling to give something significant back to the After 12 years on the Apollo program from its earliest days school that gave Buddy an opportunity to excel. That’s what we through the Apollo 16 launch, Davis was assigned to the Delta want to give back – a renewed sense of excellence.” missile, a rocket derived from the Thor that he worked on years before. Delta’s long shadow

These facilities are still in use – the massive Vertical Assembly Building and the crawler that now transport the space shuttle to launch. He also wrote the checkout procedure for the incredibly complex Apollo, a project he joined from its inception. “I kept copies of these proposals with my signature on each,” Davis points out. “It’s my connection to the space program, and some of the best times in my life. I believe that it was an optimum time for America’s space program, with new boundaries broken on a daily basis.”

He points with pride to this work horse, which has launched more than 70 percent of the commercial satellites to date – a rate of one a month for 43 years. Davis also worked on the Harpoon missile, the KC-10 aerial refueling tanker and the mast-mounted sight (MMS) which has visual, laser and infrared sensing for Scout helicopters. A young Buddy Davis at control panel

This March, the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering hosted

Leading

the way in

Bioenergy

Steve Taylor, left; Above: switchgrass is one of the major resources currently being investigated by Auburn researchers for its energy uses.

As Alabama’s land-grant institution, it’s Auburn’s duty to ad-

dress and research new uses for the natural resources that are abundant in the state. Steve Taylor, head of the Department of Biosystems Engineering, is making the College of Engineering an important part of this mission. Taylor has been selected to lead the newly established AU Bioenergy and Bioproducts Center which capitalizes on the university’s research expertise in forestry, engineering and agriculture. The creation of the center positions Auburn as a national leader in converting natural resources into fuels and other products. The center’s mission is to seek bioenergy and bioproduct breakthroughs at all levels, from the farm and forests through the manufacturing processes to delivery at the pump. The program is dedicated to the creation and promotion of traditional and innovative natural resource products and services, and to sustainable practices for the benefit of communities today and for the well-being of generations to come. “The possibilities are wide open, and I’m looking forward to the successes that are sure to come from this initiative,” said Taylor. In January, Auburn University President Ed Richardson also appointed Taylor to lead Auburn’s Alternative Energy Committee.

“This initiative is important on a national scale as we look for ways to reduce dependence on foreign oil and create new industries,” Richardson says. “Under Dr. Taylor’s leadership, the committee will identify and develop alternative energy technologies and prepare them for commercialization in the marketplace.” Taylor assumed the committee’s leadership role from former co-chairs Ralph Zee and Graeme Lockaby. Zee was named acting vice president for AU research in December, and Lockaby, associate dean and professor of forestry and wildlife sciences, has taken on additional responsibilities with water resource issues. To show the university’s support for the program, Richardson committed $3 million toward the alternative energy effort for fiscal year 2007.

the third Vodafone Fellows Initiative Symposium — Wireless Without Borders — bringing together more than 200 faculty and students from the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Auburn University, as well as wireless industry executives, to discuss the status of wireless technology and to share their latest research findings. It also provided Auburn faculty with a chance to showcase the nation’s only undergraduate program in wireless engineering.

The conference featured seven speakers, two of whom were from Auburn University. David Bevly, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, discussed his work with GPS in unmanned ground vehicles, while Charles Ellis, manager of Auburn’s microelectronics lab, spoke on a project to provide wireless internet and voice over IP (VoIP) service for a remote orphanage in Honduras. Speakers also included Samuel Ginn, retired chairman of Vodafone AirTouch and Sloan Fellow at Stanford University’s School of Business; Anil Kripalani, senior vice president of global technology affairs for Qualcomm; Ali Niknejad, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Berkeley; and Peters Suh, president of Vodafone Americas Inc. and Vodafone Ventures Ltd.

Wireless leaders converge on Auburn to meet, discuss new technologies

The series of symposiums is part of an initiative launched in 2003 by the Vodafone-US Foundation to provide support for academics in the advancement of wireless technology. The three institutions shared $12 million in grants providing support for undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships, curriculum and research development, and interscholastic seminars, web casts and symposiums. The Auburn symposium was the third in a series designed to bring together Vodafone-US Foundation Fellows with international academic and industry professionals to share knowledge and create a community of scholars dedicated to the advancement of wireless technology. The event was hosted by Berkeley in 2005 and the University of Illinois in 2006.

Participants also had an opportunity to learn about the many ways that wireless technologies are being utilized for transportation research at the College of Engineering’s National Center for Asphalt Technology test track, highlighting Auburn University’s cutting-edge research efforts. “The impact of the Vodafone Fellows Initiative at our institution has been significant,” explained Dean Benefield. “The same can be said for the program at our two partner institutions. We are all grateful for Vodafone’s generosity.”

“The strength of our committee lies in the diversity of its members and the talent and expertise each brings to the table,” Taylor said. “We’ve taken a systems approach in our effort to make alternative energy both efficient and cost competitive. I am excited about the challenge before us.” For more information on the AU alternative energy initiative, visit www.auburn.edu/alternative-energy.

The mobile wireless network at the National Center for Asphalt Technology’s 1.7-mile test track in nearby Opelika was featured in a presentation at the Vodafone conference , as well as the facility’s self-forming, adaptive mesh network. The overlapping mobile cells (represented in color) provide connectivity for the track’s test trucks, including data transpor t of engine manag ement components such as fuel economy and tracking information such as GPS coordination.

Dwight Wiggins

part of the team “I owe it to Auburn, to faculty like Capt. B.P. Ward, who taught me steam turbine design, and to Prof. Scarborough, who knew how to size pumps and pipes, and how to impart that knowledge,” Wiggins recalls. “In a sense, they were old school, and in another, they were the kind of faculty who taught you how to hit the ground running. Dr. Vestal, as department head, was a visionary who made sure we also had a strong theoretical underpinning.” When he returned for his master’s degree, Wiggins recalls working on the top floor of Ross Hall, where there were some faculty offices and room for graduate students and lab space. He built a wind tunnel and test modeled in support of his fluid dynamics thesis. “My wife, Sally, who is also a ’62 graduate in education, would help me collect and compile data late into the night and on weekends,” Wiggins adds. “She’s been so many things to me and always supportive, from our first days together in Auburn, and every day through today.”

Wiggins at the wheel of this year’s Formula SAE racer in Detroit

Dwight Wiggins remembers how it was back in the day.

The ’62 mechanical engineering graduate, who returned for a master’s in 1967, recalls working on his senior project in Wilmore Labs. “It was a small lab, and hot,” he points out. “I was using propane burners to model heat patterns around the skirt of a fiveengine Saturn V configuration, and I believe the data made it up to Huntsville where one of our professors was consulting. “It was the kind of project that blended the practical to the theoretical, the academic to the application . . . in a way that points to the Auburn engineer as someone who can go into

industry and make contributions within the first few months of moving into a job.” Wiggins has spent four decades in the petroleum industry, first at Exxon, and then at Tosco Corporation, where he began as president of Bayway Refining, moving on to the corporate executive vice presidency before his retirement in 2001. Wiggins, who developed a reputation in the industry as a turnaround expert, helped grow Tosco to a daily refining capacity of 1.3 million barrels, employing 5,000 workers with $500 million in annual capital expenditures.

Wiggins already has his eyes on Phase II, where his gift of $1.25 million will fund the Dwight and Sally Wiggins Student Projects Laboratory, a 10,000 square foot facility on the first floor of the planned mechanical engineering building that will house the college’s student competition teams. Among these it will house student teams for Baja SAE and Formula SAE, for which he has a personal affinity. “The competitive teams at Auburn have become a developmental driving force that enable students to blend their academic knowledge with practical experience . . . to turn a design into a practical, complex undertaking that involves engineering fundamentals, teamwork, project management, budget and communications skills,” says Wiggins. “In the case of the Formula SAE competition, I have been able to see what I consider the real end product – wonderful students such as Gilbert Fournelle, now at Ford Motor Company, Charlie Ping at Honda Racing, and Jim Ray, who has moved from Harley-Davidson to Big Dog Motorcycles, a boutique manufacturer that brought him on as their first test engineer.”

Since his days as a student, Ross and Wilmore have both undergone major renovations, where the buildings were completely gutted. Both have been recast as thoroughly modern, flexible Wiggins sees the Shelby Center for EnPictured with wife Sally at his 2006 induction facilities that include offices and labs, gineering Technology as a cornerstone into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame and in Ross, the McMillan auditorium, for Auburn Engineering’s future. a state-of-the-art teaching facility that combines the latest in audiovisual and computer support. “It takes world-class facilities to bring the best faculty to the Auburn campus, and it’s the faculty who bring the best and Phase I of the Shelby Center for Engineering Technology will brightest students to campus,” he explains. “The Shelby Center continue the dramatic reinvention of Auburn Engineering’s is a key in achieving the college’s vision to move up to the facilities with the construction of three buildings that will house highest level in the national rankings of engineering schools. computer science and software engineering, industrial and Our facilities represent the building blocks for our dreams and systems engineering, labs, classrooms, and space for enour goals.” gineering student services, the AT&T minority engineering program and engineering administration.

While scores of young people may say they want to be engineers when they grow up, many middle and high school students have no idea what it actually means to work the field of engineering. Doing its part to make choosing an educational and career path a little easier, the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering will be hosting the fourth annual Teams and Individuals Guided by Engineering Resources (TIGERs) camp, a resident summer camp designed to expose students in grades seven through ten to the world of engineering.

Students involved with AT&TMEP pose for a photo at the anniversary event.

Minority engineering program celebrates 10 years of success This spring, the AT&T Minority Engineering Program

(AT&TMEP) celebrated its 10th anniversary with a Saturday night of dinner and dancing at the Auburn-Opelika Marriott at Grand National.

“The gala was a great success,“ said program director Shirley Scott-Harris. “It was wonderful to see our students, alumni and sponsors getting to know each other better on a personal level while celebrating this momentous event.”

More than 125 invitees attended the gala. After dinner and a keynote speech by David W. Scobey Jr., president and CEO of AT&T Southeast, guests were treated to music by Souled Out!, one of Montgomery’s most recognizable soul bands. “The tenth anniversary banquet went very well,” said Joseph Moore, a senior in aerospace engineering and a participant in AT&TMEP. ”It was good to see some of the people who were my mentors when I was a freshman. It was an opportunity to show them that the program is still a success.”

In support of its mission to recruit and retain minority engineering students, AT&TMEP works in partnership with business, industry and engineering professionals to ensure that minority students are successful in their undergraduate studies and are effectively prepared to enter graduate school or the work force.

“We had a great time at last year’s TIGERs camp,” says Bonnie Wilson, recruiter for the college. “There was interest in expanding the camp to include ninth and tenth graders, and I’m excited about what this year’s camp will bring.” The camp for rising seventh and eighth graders will be held July 7-13, while the ninth and tenth grade camp will be June 24-29. Participants will have the chance to take part in a number of hands-on experiences in several of the college’s engineering departments. Activities will include workshops, tours and lectures guided by engineers and engineering students.

TIGERs Camps scheduled for June and July

Scott-Harris notes that this year’s anniversary has been a particularly exciting and productive one for the program. Ninetyfive freshmen enrolled in AT&TMEP this fall — the highest number of new students since the program’s inception. Highlights of the past year include the formation of an AT&TMEP Advisory Council that will provide input into ways to improve program operations, address new initiatives and proposals, and engage alumni in student recruitment and fundraising. AT&TMEP began in 1997 with funding from Texas Instruments and its retired executive vice president, Auburn electrical engineering alumnus William F. (Hank) Hayes ’65. In 2001, Bellsouth, with has since become part of AT&T, provided the financial assistance that made it possible for the program to experience steady growth in the areas of student recruitment and program expansions. “The AT&T Minority Engineering Program has played a major role in the academic success of the college’s underrepresented students,” says Larry Benefield, dean of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. “The graduation numbers continue to provide positive proof that structured learning environments outside the classroom that incorporate proactive mentoring and tutoring can make a significant difference in student retention.”

“Studies have shown that middle and high school students don’t necessarily know what an engineering career entails,” Wilson said. “It’s fun to watch the students participate in the hands-on activities and see them realize that a future in engineering could be a perfect fit for their interests.”

Participants in last year’s TIGERs Camp learn about filtering color from Kool-Aid in a chemical engineering lab.

Registration is limited. For more information on pricing, housing and meals, contact Kathy Kyle with the Outreach Program Office at 334.844.3115 or kylekat@auburn.edu or visit our website at www.eng.auburn.edu/tigers.

Five minutes with John Watson “Five minutes with . . .” is a new feature that will take a snapshot of some of our distinguished alums, faculty, staff and students. Readers who want to suggest personalities who deserves a spotlight — or whom they are curious about — are encouraged to nominate candidates via email at editor@eng.auburn.edu. John Watson, our inaugural subject, is a Dothan resident who is known for his leadership throughout the wiregrass region as well as Auburn’s university community. What do you do?

And you bought it, or bought into it?

I am chairman of Smith’s, Inc., of Dothan. We do commercial and industrial heating, ventilation and air conditioning. I am also chairman of Engineering Systems, a design build construction company. I’ve also diversified into leasing and real estate over the years.

Three of us bought 47 percent of it in 1966, and the rest of it in 1970 . . . I was actually president of the company when I was 26. In the ’80s I began to diversify, moving into some manufacturing operations, from latex gloves to baker’s yeast to pelletized fuels.

How did you get to Dothan?

That involves some very different businesses, doesn’t it?

I was working for the Corps of Engineers in 1961 . . . and I was home, laying in bed I think, reading the want ads in the Huntsville Times. I saw one for a mechanical engineer in Dothan, which was close to Newton, where I grew up in Dale County. I interviewed on the following Saturday with Jim Smith, who offered me the job. How did it differ from the job you were in? I was working 40 hours a week for $175 with good benefits. Mr. Smith offered me $125 for what turned out to be 100 hours a week, with one week of vacation a year. I loved it. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. I told Mr. Smith that I wanted to learn everything I could about the business, then go in business for myself. He wanted to sell the business in a few years so it was a positive instead of a negative in his hiring me.

I have found out over the years that it’s the people that matter, not the process. If you can get the right kind of people, they will take care of the process for you. I’ve got to say that one thing that disturbs me now is the inability to find engineers with some fire in their belly. I don’t know why that is – I felt I had it when I graduated. How would you characterize your school days at Auburn? Solid geometry is the first thing that comes to mind. By the second week of that class I didn’t know what the instructor was talking about – I needed some remedial work there and in other places too. After remediation . . . from then on, I did well. Even though I was in the co-op program, I graduated in

12 quarters over a total of five years. I needed the co-op job for the money, but once I got into it, I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I feel I was blessed to have worked my way through school. Did you have a favorite professor . . . or a really bad course? Well, you know, the first two years were really tough. I liked professor [John] Scarborough in mechanical. I also had some really good graduate teaching assistants, even though I don’t remember their names now. I had a course, easy for me, an elective in engineering economics that I’ve used my whole life. I had another class that had one test, the final, that made up the whole grade. My toughest course was music appreciation.

Was your focus always on engineering? I decided on engineering in the ninth grade because a friend’s uncle was an engineer . . . so I just got it in my mind. When I graduated we had problems at Auburn – we were unaccredited, so I really had to prove myself as an engineer, to prove that I was just as smart as the graduates from other schools, who were giving me a hard time. I thought the engineering

school was really good, but they had problems with facilities, with how the faculty were treated . . . that’s long been addressed, of course. Resources are always a challenge, which is something you’ve addressed as well, haven’t you? I have supported Auburn for a long time now, and have been active with athletics. When the current campaign came up I added $1 million to my giving, to support student scholarships. I believe in our students, in making opportunities available to them – and I’d been waiting to make this gift for some time when I was approached. Auburn took what I was when I was a student, and brought me to a higher level – I want others to have this opportunity as well. What’s next? I don’t know. I’m not old enough for golf yet, and I don’t plan to retire. I’m doing what I like to do at work. I think that’s the secret to happiness. Finding out what you like to do, then doing it well.

Alums discover new way of giving G

iving back to Auburn Engineering has long been a driving force for many of our alumni. Their philanthropy enables them to see the fruits of their own education as they ensure the future for those who follow them. They give because they understand the value of private support, and equally important, they continue to find a variety of ways to demonstrate their belief in Auburn Engineering’s potential. In 2006, and again in 2007, Auburn Engineering alums have taken advantage of a two-year provision that allows people age 70½ or older to gift up to $100,000 per year from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) directly to a qualified charity. Thanks to the Pension Protection Act of 2006, donors can now make charitable donations from an IRA without the tax obligations once incurred. This bill, in effect until December 31, 2007, offers donors a way to make a gift while they are living and witness the benefits of their generosity. “Friends of Auburn Engineering are always looking for ways to support the college and our vision,” says Rob Wellbaum, director of engineering development. “The IRA provision is a new and unique way to benefit both the donor and the college. It allows donors tax benefits while providing the flexibility to meet their personal charitable giving goals.”

Key points to the new bill include: u Individuals must be 70½ and older by December 31, 2007 u Gifts cannot total more than $100,000 u Gifts must be made on or before December 31, 2007 u Funds must be transferred directly from an IRA or rollover IRA u The recipient must be a qualifying charitable organization While there is no charitable income tax deduction for the IRA rollover, the distribution is not included in the individual’s taxable income, thus simplifying the donor’s tax return and saving taxes. “Even with the required minimum distribution, many people are not able to reduce the value of their IRA without significant income and estate taxes,” says George Willock, director of planned giving at Auburn. “This is a tremendous opportunity for those who have large IRAs.” Distributions may not be used to fund charitable remainder trusts or charitable gift annuities; and state tax treatments may vary. Seek the advice of your tax and/or legal counsel before deciding on a course of action. For more information, contact the Office of Engineering Development at 334.844.2736 or visit plannedgiving@auburn.edu.

Bill Ward –

E n s u r i n g Au bu r n E n g i n e e r i ng’s future W

illiam J. Ward (Bill) is a native of Auburn and a 1955 mechanical engineering graduate who is eager to see Auburn Engineering reach its goals, in particular, its vision to become one of the nation’s top engineering programs. As a result, Ward, a retired regional manager of GE’s Southwest Power Systems Sales, has pledged $250,000 for the College of Engineering’s new Sen. Richard C. and Dr. Annette N. Shelby Center for Engineering Technology. This gift will be used to name the student gallery in the new mechanical engineering building. What is notable about Ward’s gift is the man- Bill and Martha Ward with Aubie at Bill’s 50th Golden Eagles Reunion in 2005. ner in which he made it. After hearing about the new Pension Protection Act, Ward realized the value of this own with engineers from any other university. My degree has provision for his own investment strategy. “This law provided an served me well and I am pleased that mechanical engineering excellent opportunity for me to support the College of Engiis a central part of the new engineering complex,” said Ward. neering with my required minimum In completing his IRA distribution, Ward “To become a premier engineering distribution,” said explains that the process of making an IRA program, the colleg e has to have the Ward. “I was able distribution directly to a qualified charity is facilities and faculty to g et there . I to cover the RMD simple. “I would absolutely encourage people want Auburn to achieve this goal . . .” requirement plus to consider this giving option. I also encouran additional IRA age people to check with their employer or contribution tax free while fulfilling my Keystone pledge and former employer to see if they would consider a matching gift,” contributing to the new engineering complex.” he said. “This is a great way to decrease future estate taxes tax free and support a charitable organization at the same Ward’s pledge will be fulfilled by the IRA rollover distribution, time. The time to do this is now.” as well as a matching gift from the GE Foundation. “I designated a large portion of my distribution for the Shelby Center Ward has been a significant contributor to the College of Engibecause it is the college’s top priority right now. To become neering, is a member of the Keystone Society, the Engineering a premier engineering program, the college has to have the Eagles Society and a key volunteer for the Dallas Ft. Worth facilities and faculty to get there. I want Auburn to achieve this “It Begins at Auburn” campaign. He retired from GE in 1996 goal, and the center is a major part of the plan,” explains Ward. after 41 years of service and lives in Dallas and Panama City Beach. He and his late wife Martha have one son Joe, ’89, a “During my career with GE, I always felt that my Auburn daughter-in-law Camille, ’89, and three grandchildren. heritage and education enabled me to compete and hold my

% % 2) . ) Distinguished graduates bring recognition '

to Auburn at Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame 3 4!4 % / & !,!"!-!

Three Auburn Engineering graduates and a company led by an Auburn engineer were honored by the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame during ceremonies held this year in Birmingham.

Julian Davidson is the founder and head of Davidson Technologies in Huntsville, which he started in 1996, after a distinguished career with the federal government that included an appointment as the first director of the Advanced Ballistic Missile Defense Agency. A 1950 Auburn graduate with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Davidson has also held leading roles with Burroughs Corporation and Booz Allen Hamilton. Davidson and his wife of 25 years, Dorothy, are involved in numerous civic organizations, including the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Children’s Advocacy Center and the Huntsville city symphony and art museum.

/ & &!

Cullman native Earl Foust, a 1971 Auburn graduate in mechanical engineering, is known for his dedication to innovation. As president of Valmont Newark, America’s largest provider of spun concrete, tubular steel and hybrid poles used in electrical transmission, distribution and substation systems, Foust has led the company to become a key alliance supplier to the majority of utilities in the U.S., including Southern Company and the Tennessee Valley Authority. An avid supporter of engineering education and advancement, he has served in various roles for the Birmingham Engineering Council, the Alabama Society of Professional Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers. Foust and his wife, Nan, live in Vestavia Hills. Foust was nominated to the hall of fame by UAB, where he holds a graduate degree.

Raymond Loyd is the founding chairman of Derby Fabricating, a leading die-cutter of nonmetallic materials for automotive and consumer appliance clients. He also spent 15 years with General Electric, where he led the development of the Carry Cool, the first room air conditioner to sell profitably for under $100. A 1961 graduate in mechanical engineering, Loyd is also a partner in Purcell Staffing, a global temporary staffing firm; Flair Molded Plastics, an injection molder for the automotive and appliance industries; and Global Link Logistics, which offers freight logistics and warehouse services. Long-time supporters of Auburn, Loyd and his wife Eleanor currently reside in Louisville, Ky. Brasfield & Gorrie was inducted in the corporate category. With 21 specialized divisions and more than 3,000 employees, the company is one of the largest privately held contracting firms in the nation with almost $2 billion in new construction set for this year. Miller Gorrie, right, purchased the company in 1964, seven years after graduating from Auburn. The firm now has offices in Birmingham, Atlanta, Orlando, Raleigh, Nashville and Jacksonville. Many Auburn engineers have chosen Brasfield and Gorrie to be their career home, including the company’s chief operating officer, Jeff Stone, a 1979 civil engineering graduate and former chair of the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council. G.W. Jones & Sons Consulting Engineers was also cited in the corporate category. This Huntsville-based firm is headed by Mark Yokley, a 1985 graduate in civil engineering, who serves as president, and Ray Jones, a 1957 graduate in agricultural science, who is chairman of the board. Founded in 1886, the company has been a major force in Madison County and north Alabama and provides engineering services on a wide variety of projects.

The 2007

Cupola report A Recognition of the 2006 Contributors of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Keystone Society Engineering Eagles Society Annual Gift Scholarships Endowments Planned Gifts Corporations and Foundations

“It is because of what I learned at Auburn that I have been able to succeed financially, and when I retire I will devote a lot of my time to help the institution. I am giving back to Auburn so that others can learn as I have and are able to take advantage of the many important opportunities it offers.” The college’s Keystone Society consists of alumni and friends who recognize the importance of private support in our ongoing success. These members have risen to the challenge of moving the college boldly into the future by making the highest commitment to annual giving — $50,000 or more — to the college’s unrestricted fund over a five-year period. These gifts enable Auburn Engineering to take advantage of emerging educational opportunities.

Minga C. (Push) Lagrone Jr. ’51 Industrial Management Owner, Jellico Realty Co.

New Keystone members

“While attending API, I was never asked to give anything back. However, when I met [former dean and president] William Walker, he did a great job of convincing me that each of us should support Auburn. Then Dean Benefield took up the challenge of supporting the College of Engineering in a way no one ever dreamed of. Auburn University has enormous support of its alumni. If each of us will continue to support the college, we will see the emergence of a school without bounds.”

“My family is an Auburn family. My father Doug is a 1953 graduate in mechanical engineering and he instilled in me an appreciation of the profession of engineering and what it can do for the development of our state and region. As a 1973 graduate, also in mechanical engineering, I share this same belief . . . as well as the desire to give back to Auburn to help fully develop the potential of this great institution and its engineering program. Building for tomorrow is why I chose to join the Keystone Engineering Society.” Charles D. McCrary ’73 Mechanical Engineering President and CEO, Alabama Power Co.

William J. (Bill) Cutts ’55 Industrial Management President and CEO, American Tank and Vessel

“Receiving a scholarship coupled with the co-op program was truly a dream come true; being able to supplement my major with chemical engineering courses added versatility to my education. As a senior officer in public corporations — and after founding my own private business — I have found that the engineering skills I acquired at Auburn always put me at the top. A number of years ago we were pleased to start giving Auburn scholarships as a means of paying back this debt. As we celebrate our golden wedding anniversary this year the Keystone was an appropriate gift for us to give to Auburn Engineering. We hope that it expresses to Dean Benefield our confidence in his leadership. And, as our Auburn experience continues, I have to say that the best is yet to come.”

“I joined the Keystone Society because my engineering degree has been instrumental in my having a successful and fulfilling career. I love Auburn and want to see it continue to be the fine university it has always been. My Auburn experience got me started on the right track and my engineering degree opened many doors. I want my contributions to be used in whatever manner the College of Engineering determines they are most needed at any given time. I believe membership in the Keystone Society shows to current and future engineering students the value alumni place on their Auburn Engineering educations and illustrates their lifelong commitment to Auburn. I hope it encourages future alumni to give back to Auburn Engineering when they are in a position to do so.” Olivia Kelley Owen ’77 Civil Engineering Upstream Global IS Manager, ExxonMobil Corp.

Charles E. and Carol Ann Gavin III ’59 Textile Management Chairman, MFG Chemical, Inc.

Keystone Society members

1948 Mr. Sam B. Alison

Dr. Julian Davidson ’50 Electrical Engineering President and CEO Davidson Technologies, Inc.

Mr. Jim McMillan ’61 Chemical Engineering Washington Representative, retired ExxonMobil

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Davis ’59 Electrical Engineering Manager, retired Boeing

Mr. Bill McNair ’68 Electrical Engineering Vice President, Network Operations, retired BellSouth Corporation

Mr. Ralph Godfrey ’64 Electrical Engineering Senior Vice President, retired 3Com Corporation

Mr. Howard Palmes ’60 Electrical Engineering Vice President, Network Operations, retired BellSouth Corporation

Mr. Hank Hayes ’65 Electrical Engineering Executive Vice President, retired Texas Instruments

Mr. Bill Reed ’50 Mechanical Engineering Owner and Chairman System Controls, Inc.

Mr. George Hairston ’67 Industrial Engineering President and CEO Southern Nuclear Operating Company

Mr. and Mrs. Al Smith, Jr. ’47 Mechanical Engineering Partner BrightStar Group, Ltd.

Maj. and Mrs. Jim Hoskins ’81 Electrical Engineering President and CEO Scitor Corporation

Paul Spina, Jr. Electrical Engineering Owner and CEO Spina Enterprises

Mr. Keith King ’58 Civil Engineering President, CEO and Chairman of the Board Volkert & Associates

Mr. Jeff Stone ’79 Civill Engineering COO Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC

Mr. Oliver Kingsley ’66 Engineering Physics President and COO, retired Exelon Corporation

Mr. George Uthlaut ’54 Chemical Engineering Senior Vice President, Operations, retired Enron Oil and Gas Company

Mr. John MacFarlane ’72 Mechanical Engineering Manager, Technology Sales and Licensing ExxonMobil Research and Engineering

Mr. Bill Ward ’55 Mechanical Engineering General Chairman, Utilities Sales, retired General Electric Company

Dr. Mike McCartney ’57 Civil Engineering President McCartney Construction Company, Inc.

Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Wiggins ’62 Mechanical Engineering President, retired Tosco Refining Company

Mr. and Mrs. Joe McMillan ’58 Chemical Engineering President, retired ExxonMobil Coal and Minerals

Mr. and Mrs. Walt Woltosz ’69 Aerospace Engineering Chairman, President and CEO Simulations Plus, Inc.

Mr. Leonard Dean Braswell Mr. Franklin Lee Jones Mr. Seth H. Mitchell Jr. Mr. & Mrs. F. Brooks Moore The Engineering Eagles Society consists of loyal supporters who make gifts of $1,000 or more each year to Auburn Engineering or its academic units. These gifts provide vital resources for creating and enhancing programs in which our faculty and students thrive. With two giving levels, Associate Eagle and Eagle, this society recognizes those whose gifts elevate Auburn Engineering to new heights and help continue our tradition of excellence.

Mr. & Mrs. Dabney Pate Murrill Mr. Richard Davison Quina Dr. Ruel Russell Jr. 1949 Mr. Thomas O. Davidson Mr. Joseph E. Haley

Engineering Eagles Society members

Mr. Elmer Carlton Hill Mr. & Mrs. Richard I. Kearley Jr. Mr. William Franklin Land

1934

1943

Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Lowman

Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Watkins Hutson

Mr. & Mrs. Robert F. Ellis Jr.

Mr. Norman R. McAnnally

Mr. C. Warren Fleming

Mr. John F. Meagher Jr.

1935

Mr. Will M. Gregory

Mr. Lawrence Montgomery Jr.

Mr. William S. Massa Sr.

Mr. Robert Harding Harris

Mr. & Mrs. Raymond T. Roser

Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Hopkins Jr.

Mr. Lewie F. M. Tanner Jr.

1937

Mr. Nimrod W. E. Long

Mr. & Mrs. Harold P. Ward

Dr. Daniel Webster Duncan

Mr. Sabert Oglesby Jr.

Mr. Edward Thomas Williams

Lt. Col. Walter Buel Patton 1938

Mr. & Mrs. James Madison Smith

1950

Mr. Dwain Gregory Luce

Mr. Warren Stephen Sockwell

Mr. Carroll L. Carter

Mr. Leonard H. White Jr.

Dr. & Mrs. Julian Davidson

1939

Mr. Toon R. Ferrell

Col. James H. Boykin

1944

Mrs. Carol Dorrough Hart

Dr. Arthur Wiggins Cooper

Mr. William A. Boone*

Mr. & Mrs. Clarence H. Hornsby Jr.

Mr. William H. Lyons Jr.

Mr. James Hunnicutt

Mr. Wayman E. Vanderford

Mr. John M. McKenzie

1940 Mr. Clarence Fletcher Horn

Mr. William Burch Reed 1946

Mr. Mack Allen Riley

1941

Mr. E. Erskine Hopkins

Mr. Myron Jackson Sasser

Mr. M. Dow Sellers

Mr. Ben M. Radcliff*

Mr. Joseph W. Wilson

Mr. Dean Sessamen 1942

1951

Mr. Robert Bruce Allan

1947

Mr. Arthur C. Daughtry

Mr. William E. Cannady

Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Cater Jr.

Mr. Minga C. LaGrone Jr.

Mr. William Hyatt Harwell

Mr. & Mrs. Walter Wanzel Griffin

Mr. Leonard L. Mitchum Jr.

Mr. John T. Lutz

Lt. Gen. Robert Hails

Mr. Ralph O. Walton Jr.

Mr. James Hugh Nichols

Mr. William R. Hanlein

Dr. Earle Carter Williams

Mr. & Mrs. Henry Frederick Rainey

Mr. Creighton C. Lee

Mr. Robert M. Winter

Mr. Grady Lawrence Smith

Mrs. Margaret P. Luquire Mr. & Mrs. Albert James Smith Jr.

* Deceased

bold indicates new member

1952

Mr. & Mrs. Billy G. Barnes

1959

1962

1966

Mr. Tommy G. Hendrick

Mr. Sylvester W. Brock Jr.

Dr. Dwight S. Bond

Mr. Gerald B. Andrews Sr.

Mr. William Albritton Jr.

Dr. Larry D. Benefield

Mr. Thomas Farrell Higgins

Mr. Harry C. Handlin

Mr. J. Edward Chapman Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. James O’Neal Ballenger

Mr. David N. Brown

Mr. & Mrs. Paul R. Flowers Jr.

Mr. James A. Humphrey

Mr. William R. Haycraft

Mr. William M. Ingram

Mr. & Mrs. Roger J. Campbell

Mr. & Mrs. Wiley Mitchell Cauthen

Mr. David P. Henry Jr.

Mr. W. Blake Jeffcoat

Mr. Carver Gager Kennedy

Mr. Charles Mathias Jager

Mr. Clarence J. Chappell III

Dr. Ralph S. Cunningham

Mr. Oliver D. Kingsley Jr.

Dr. Leon F. McGinnis Jr.

Dr. & Mrs. Raleigh B. Kent Jr.

Dr. & Mrs. James Tracy O’Rourke Jr.

Mr. Harry Arthur Edge Jr.

Mr. Glenn Harold Guthrie

Mr.& Mrs. Jimmy W. McGaha

Mr. George A. Menendez

Lt. Gen. & Mrs. Forrest S. McCartney

Dr. & Mrs. Donald Jacob Spring

Mr. Norman S. Faris Jr.

Dr. & Mrs. Elmer Beseler Harris

Mr. Everett W. Strange Jr.

Mr. Lois Ray Taunton

Mr. Charles E. Gavin III

RADM. Tim McCall Jenkins

1967

Mr. Edgar L. Reynolds

Mr. Edward F. Williams III

Dr. Samuel L. Ginn

Mr. Donald R. Luger

Mr. John H. Cassidy

Mr. John Albert Smyth Jr.

Mr. George H. Godwin Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Jack Taylor Parker

Mr. & Mrs. H. Wendell Ellis

1953 Mr. Walter R. Day Jr.

1957

Mr. & Mrs. John K. Jones

Mr. Thomas Saunders Sr.

Mr. Charles E. Fuller III

1971

Mr. Joseph S. Horsley

Gen. Jimmie V. Adams

Mr. Gerald G. McGlamery Sr.

Mr. & Mrs. Dwight L. Wiggins Jr.

Mr. W. George Hairston III

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph F. Barth III

Mr. Leonard A. Morgan

Mr. John Rudy Bray

Mr. Royce E. Mitchell

Mr. & Mrs. Gary E. Woodham

Mr. Albert E. Hay

Mr. William Scott Brown

Mr. John Albert Taylor

Mr. John W. Brown

Mr. & Mrs. Wynton Rex Overstreet

Mr. James L. Rayburn

Mr. & Mrs. Joe W. Forehand Jr.

Mr. James D. Tatum

Mr. Stanley G. DeShazo

Mr. Albert Miles Redd Jr.

1963

Mr. David C. Sjolund

Mr. & Mrs. Earl Richard Foust

Mr. Vernon W. Gibson Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Wayne Ringer

Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Clark Evans

Mr. William James Smith

Mr. Thomas D. Senkbeil

1954

Mr. M. Miller Gorrie

Mr. Axel Roth

Mr. William G. Goff Jr.

Mr. R. Conner Warren

Mr. David Slovensky

Mr. & Mrs. Fred N. Beason

Mr. Bill M. Guthrie

Mr. & Mrs. Leroy L. Wetzel

Mr. Lamar T. Hawkins

Mr. Russell F. Boren

Mr. T. P. Huddleston Jr.

Mr. J. Frank Travis

Mr. John Steele Henley II

1968

Mr. W Perry Stowe

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas William Caine

Mr. & Mrs. Fred W. Mace

Mr. Thomas W. Lawrence Jr.

Mrs. Marianne Busbee

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Morgan Waters

Mr. James H. Carroll Jr.

Mr. Gary C. Martin

1960

Mr. Charles N. Moody

Mr. Johnnie M. Hamilton

Mr. Joseph D. Weatherford

Mr. Donald E. Dennis

Dr. Michael B. McCartney

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Glenn Avant

Mr. & Mrs. Jerry F. Thomas

Dr. Terry Edwin Lawler

Mr. Lewis H. Eberdt Jr.

Mrs. Joanne Palm McClelland

Dr. William E. Biles

Mr. Wendell W. Whiteside

Mr. James H. McDaniel

1972

Mr. Sibbley P. Gauntt

Mr. Walter F. Morris

Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin F. Carr Jr.

Mr. Allen Coite Rice

Mr. & Mrs. Glen D. Atwell

Dr. & Mrs. James G. Mitchell

Mr. & Mrs. Roy A. Richardson

Mr. & Mrs. Elliott L. Dean Jr.

1964

Mr. Robert G. Vick Jr.

Dr. David Gilbert Burks

Mr. Charles L. Palmer

Mr. Johnnie V. Robertson

Dr. George J. Dezenberg

Mr. Donald Edward Arnett*

Mr. & Mrs. John Michael Weigle

Mr. Daniel M. Bush

Mr. & Mrs. Fred H. Rhinehardt

Mr. & Mrs. James S. Roy

Mr. Edwin W. Evans

Mr. & Mrs. Harry G. Craft Jr.

Mr. Robert H. Wynne Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Joe Mark Chambers Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. George E. Uthlaut

Mr. Cecil C. Spear Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. William B. Millis

Mr. Ralph B. Godfrey

Mr. Michael Larry Tuggle

Mr. Howard E. Palmes

Mr. Thomas R. Johnson Jr.

1969

Mr. Daniel M. Cook

Lt. Col. Ralph C. Wilkinson

Mr. Gordon M. Ross

Mr. Gordon B. Mohler

Mr. Dwight T. Brown

Mr. James A. Dowdy Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. John M. Sikes

Ms. Nancy Whiteside Payne

Mr. & Mrs. Otto Peter Cerny

Mr. & Mrs. Steven Ray Duttry

Mr. James H. Stewart Jr.

Mr. Jerry Franklin Smith

Mr. Ronald M. Dykes

Mr. John W. Gibbs

Mr. Douglas Paul Marshall

Mr. Michael H. Googe

1955 Mr. William J. Cutts

Mr. James Lewis Starr

Mr. & Mrs. Richard I. Chenoweth

Mr. & Mrs. James R. Evans

1958

Dr. James L. Lowry

Mr. William M. Brackney

Mr. James J. Mallett

Mr. & Mrs. Henry M. Burt Jr.

1961

1965

Mr. & Mrs. William K. Newman

Mr. & Mrs. Edwin L. Lewis

Mr. James Burton Odom

Dr. Dwight Carlisle Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Joe A. Akin Jr.

Dr. David B. Bradley

Mr. Robert Lyons Prince

Mr. & Mrs. John A. MacFarlane

Mr. & Mrs. John S. Parke

Mr. & Mrs. James Hugh Corbitt

Mr. Leiland M. Duke Jr.

Mr. & Dr. Larry M. Curtis

Mr. & Mrs. David I. Rach

Mr. Stephen R. Miller

Mr. J. Norman Pease II

Mr. & Mrs. George Edward Gullatt

Dr. J. David Irwin

Mr. William F. Hayes

Mr. William Leon Reynolds

Mr. Warren R. Pollard

Mr. & Mrs. Ray Albert Robinson

Mr. Roger R. Hemminghaus

Mr. & Mrs. George N. Jones

Mr. Jon W. Kilgore

Mr. Marvin Fred Terrell Jr.

Mr. Dewitt Uptagrafft

Mr. Charles E. Sellers

Mr. T. Keith King

Mr. Samuel B. Ligon

Mr. & Mrs. D. L. Merrill Jr.

Mr. Richard Turner Wade

Col. James S. Voss

Mr. Claude W. Swader

Mr. & Mrs. Harry A. Manson

Mr. & Mrs. Raymond E. Loyd

Mr. W. Russell Newton

Mr. & Mrs. Walter S. Woltosz

Mr. Larry Russell White

Mr. John Thomas Walter Jr.

Mr. Benny J. McDaniel

Mr. James D. McMillan

Mr. & Mrs. Steve P. Osburne

Mr. William J. Ward

Mr. & Mrs. Joe T. McMillan

Mr. Alton B. Overstreet

Mr. & Mrs. David Scarborough

1970

Mr. David E. Wingard

Mr. James L. Murrell

Mr. Joel N. Pugh

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas D. Stringfellow

Mr. Malcolm N. Beasley

1973

Mr. & Mrs. James Louis Peeler

Mr. Philip S. Zettler

Mr. J. Ernest Warren

Mr. & Mrs. Stanley E. Bryant

Mr. & Mrs. Felix C. Brendle Jr.

Mr. R. Duke Woodson

1956

Mr. Ellie Ray

Mrs. Veronica Smith Chesnut

Mr. & Mrs. John Wendell Chambliss

Mr. Jack Kelso Allison

Mr. Robert Clyde Smith

Mr. Douglas H. Cooper

Mr. & Mrs. Wendell Harris Duke

Dr. Martin C. Glover

Mr. Gregory Lamar Gibson

Mr. William H. Barlow

Mr. W. Allen Reed

bold indicates new member

Mr. & Mrs. Steven Max Lee

Mr. David R. Motes

1982

1988

1997

Mr. Calvin Cutshaw

Mr. Charles Douglas McCrary

Mr. David Kenneth Owen

Mr. Shawn E. Cleary

Mr. J. Gregory Anderson

Mr. Gilbert Fournelle

Mr. Joseph M. Farley

Mrs. Marsha H. Reardon

Mrs. Olivia Kelley Owen

Mrs. Anne M. Cleary

Mr. James Michael Arnold

Dr. Andrew Palmer Hanson

Mr. Alain Gallet

Mr. Richard Young Roberts

Mr. & Mrs. Frederick A. Pehler Jr.

Mr. Timothy Donald Cook

Mr. Philip G. Fraher

Dr. Jerard Taggart Smith

Dr. Charles H. Goodman

Mr. John Crawford Robertson

Mr. Harry Glen Rice

Mr. Maury D. Gaston

Mr. Patrick Jerome Quirk

Mr. Oliver W. Stuardi

Mr. Douglas B. Tambor

Mr. Donald James Parke

Mr. Lee Wiley Richards

1998

Mr. Willie T. Grant

Lt. Col. Mary F. Riddell

Mr. Richard Quina Sanchez

Mr. Kirk William Jones

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hanley

1989

2000

Mr. Martial A. Honnell

Mr. Michael Harley Crowder

Mr. Benjamin M. Carmichael

Mrs. Sue R. Huddleston

Mr. Marshall Chandler McLeod

Mr. J. Philip E. Jones

Mr. W. Karl Vollberg Mr. James Wade Wesson

1978

Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Patterson Ryan

Mrs. Amy Thomas Dobbs

Mr. Scott Alan Yost

Ms. Brenda A. Hayes*

1974

Mr. Lum M. Loo

Mr. Ray A. Dimit

Mr. Henry W. Poellnitz III

1983

Ms. Ann Rebecca Guthrie

Capt. Michael R. Fosdick

Mr. William W. Rowell

Mr. Russell Lee Carbine

Dr. William Ernst Josephson

Capt. Davis R. Gamble Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Varagona

Mrs. Donna H. Harris

Mrs. Shannon Handegan Lisecki

2002

Ms. Catherine M. Kolar

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Austin Miller

Mr. Jeffrey Carroll Martin

Mr. James Clayton Hamblen III

Mr. George Landegger

Mr. & Mrs. John Paul Raispis

Mr. & Mrs. Clarence T. Milldrum III

Mr. Ronald Craig Lipham Mr. Charles Philip Saunders

1979

Mr. & Mrs. William E. Warnock Jr.

Mr. George G. Ard

Mr. Calder D. Kohlhaas

Mr. & Mrs. Wesley Wilkerson Diehl

1984

Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Steve Hill

Mr. James B. Burrows Jr.

1975

Mr. William A. Lovell Jr.

Mr. Pete L. Anderson

Mr. Mark Eric Ogles

Mr. Jim Killian

Mrs. Camilla Lowry* 2003

Mr. Charles Albert Machemehl Jr.

Mr. Nathan L. Hanks

Dr. Nels Madsen

1990

Ms. Lauren Henderson Tubbs

Dr. Joe M. Morgan

Mr. M. James Gorrie

Mr. Brian Howard Hunt

Mr. Trent Edward Williams

Dr. Bruce R. Paton Jr.

Mrs. Karen Harris Rowell

Mr. Kenneth C. Horne

Mr. Brian Thomas Owens

Dr. Ricky Bradford

Mr. Jeffrey Ira Stone

Mrs. Ann McCamy Johnson

Mr. Robert F. Bynum

Mr. David Carriell Sulkis

Dr. Gerald G. McGlamery Jr.

1991

Mr. Ronald Ugee Harris

Mr. & Mrs. Mark David Vanstrum

Mr. Douglas E. Phillpott

Mr. Ruskin Clegg Green

Mrs. Tracy C. Phillpott

Mr. & Mrs. David Troy Veal

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph S. Johnson Jr.

Mr. Hunter Andrew Payne 2004

Dr. & Mrs. Peter Schwartz

Mr. Charles H. Ping III

Ms. Ruth Smith Mr. & Mrs. Steve Stark

2005

Dr. Charles Eugene Stroud

Ms. Kathleen R. Donovan

Mr. Jon Stryker

Mr. & Mrs. William H. Wilson Jr.

Ms. Ronda Stryker

Mr. John H. Klingelhoeffer

1980

Mr. Thomas D. Lampkin

Mr. H. Lynn Dell

1985

1993

Mr. William Tom Nabors

Mr. Joseph Lamar Holliday

Mr. Timothy John Dwyer

Mr. & Mrs. John Robert Fleck

Mr. Jack B. Porterfield III

Mrs. Larke Lanier

Mr. Benjamin Edwin Robuck

Lt. Cmde. & Mrs. Jerry Dean Foster

2006

Mr. Mike Synyard

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Thomas Hendrick

Mr. Joshua Dale Jones

Dr. Mrinal Thakur

Mrs. Laura Ledyard McCartney

Mrs. William V. Swan

1976

Mr. John Timothy McCartney

1986

Mr. & Mrs. Erik L. Naumann

Mr. Michael A. DeMaioribus

Mr. Charles Donald Miller

Mr. Scott W. Ayers

Mrs. Deana Smith Seigler

FRIENDS

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Hawley Tuberville

Mr. David E. Dixon

Dr. Robert Mark Nelms

Mr. & Mrs. Gary Ross Godfrey

Mr. Robert W. Wellbaum III

Mr. & Mrs. Ted G. Achorn

Mr. & Mrs. James B. Webb

Mr. Dennis W. Henderson

Mr. G. Nolan Sparks Jr.

Mr. David McCoy Kudlak

Mr. Harold L. Airington

Ms. Mary Beth Weed

Mr. Timmons S. McClanahan

Ms. Denise Dale Wood

Mr. George Lee McGlamery

1994

Mr. James Thomas Alley

Mr. Stephen E. Wilson

Mr. Clinton C. McGraw

Mr. J. Travis Capps Jr.

Mr. Wicky H. Black

Mr. Michael A Wilson Sr.

Mr. Michael McKown

Mrs. Geneva Grandy

Mrs. Mary Lou Tolar

Mr. Wayne B. Nelson III

1981

Mr. Tracey Duane Parish

Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Joel Kramer

Mrs. Shirley A. Bradford

Dr. Ralph Hing-Chung Zee

Mr. Kenneth A. Powell

Mr. James Eugene Ard

Mr. Martin John Stap

Mr. Patrick Joseph Quick

Mr. & Mrs. James S. Bradwell

Ms. Frances Zwenig

Mr. Randy Leon Smith

Mr. Thomas Keith Benton

Mrs. Laura Crowe Turley

Mr. Michael B. Wimberly

Mr. James L. Cooper Jr.

Mr. D. Dale York

Ms. Karen Hayes Mr. Patrick Higginbotham

1977

Mr. James M. Hoskins

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Ray Ingram

Mr. L. David Compton

Mr. & Mrs. David Tarrant Lee

Mr. & Mrs. David Emory Murphy

1996

Mrs. Willie Russell Clark

Mr. & Mrs. C. Houston Elkins Jr.

Mr. Fred F. Newman III

Mr. Glenn Stewart Phillips

Mr. Patrick T. Scarborough

Mrs. Sherry Cooper

Mr. & Mrs. T. Gordy Germany

Mr. Kenneth Abner Smith

Mr. Stuart Chris Shirley

Mr. Scott Philip Sheumaker

Ms. Sandra K. Couch

Mr. Robert D. Hendrix II

Dr. & Mrs. James Michael Stallings

Mr. Harold L. Wilson

Mr. John Raymond Smith

Dr. Malcolm Crocker

Mrs. Melissa Brown Herkt

Mr. Jeffrey Mason Young

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Alan Wilson

Dr. James H. Cross

bold indicates new member

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Mark Buford 1995

Mrs. Mary Caley

1987

Mr. & Mrs. Diaco Aviki

Mr. Richard A. Campbell

Mr. Jeffrey Curtis Harris

Dr. & Mrs. Gerard Albert Davis

Mr. & Mrs. David E. Carnahan Mr. Charles T. Clark

* Deceased

bold indicates new member

Gift Scholarships

Endowments

Corporations and Foundations

Annual gift scholarship funds are given each year and are not maintained by principle or earnings, therefore, the number of scholarships that the college can award annually varies depending on donor contributions. The annual scholarships provided by these gifts help to ensure education opportunities for students within the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

Endowments are gifts that provide Auburn Engineering with perpetual income. The Auburn University Foundation, in accordance with AUF policy, invests the principle of the endowed fund. Only the allocated income from the investment of gifts is used to fund programs and initiatives designated by the donor, thus providing an ever-increasing stream of funding. Endowments are essential for the long-term security and growth of the college.

In support of the pursuit of excellence that has become synonymous with Auburn Engineering, the following contributed $25,000 or more to the college in 2006.

Joe W. Forehand/Accenture Professorship

Alabama Textile Education Foundation

Tim Cook Annual Leadership Scholarship in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Clarence C. Adams Jr. Endowmment

American Cast Iron Pipe Company

Fred & Becky Pehler Endowment

BellSouth Corporation

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Annual Scholarship in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Buckeye Technologies Scholarship Endowment

Buckeye Technologies Inc

Harold & Wynelle Ward Endowment

Carroll Air Systems, Inc.

Gerdau Ameristeel Annual Scholarship in the Department of Civil Engineering

Henry M. Burt Jr. Endowed Presidential Chair

Cellnet Technology, Inc.

Ginn Family Trust Wireless Engineering Annual Scholarship in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

John H. & Gail P. Watson Endowment

Charles D. McCrary Family Legacy

Frank & Lauren Hamner Endowment

ChevronTexaco

John E. and Patti Gipson/Penta Research, Inc. Annual Scholarship in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Lee W. Richards Scholarship Endowment

Comer Foundation

Joseph S. Johnson Jr. Scholarship

ExxonMobil Corporation

William Dwight Bond Endowment

Gerdau Ameristeel

Joseph F. & Gail Barth Endowment

Hoar Construction, Inc.

CSSE Industrial Advisory Board Endowment

International Institute of Acoustics & Vibrations

Nancy B. & Benjamin F. Carr Jr. Endowment

MAK Technologies, Inc.

Kenneth B. & Sarah S. Roy Endowed Scholarship

NAPA Education Foundation, Inc.

Dr. Rex Kelly Rainer Sr. Endowment

Redd Family Foundation, Inc.

Jack M. Chapman Annual Scholarship in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Planned Gifts Planned gifts are pledged today to benefit the college in the future. These gifts take many forms such as bequests, life income plans, charitable gift annuities, IRA distributions and gifts of life insurance. Planned gifts enable donors to manage their investments while providing a bright future for Auburn Engineering. Mr. Gerald B. Andrews Sr. ’59 Mr. Paul C. Box Dr. Dwight Carlisle Jr. ’58 Dr. Samuel L. Ginn ’59 Mr. Joseph S. Horsley ’53 Maj. James M. Hoskins ’81 Mr. James A. Humphrey ’70 Mr. Charles Albert Machemehl Jr. Mr. James Thomas McMichael ’45 Mr. A.J. Ronyak Mr. Joseph A. Saiia ’69 Mr. John M. Sikes ’60 Mr. James H. Stewart Jr. ’60 Mr. George E. Uthlaut ’54

Paving the way Be on the lookout this summer for an opportunity to support the new Shelby Center through the purchase of pavers and bricks that can be engraved with personalized wording. It’s a unique way to honor a friend, graduate, professor, colleague . . . or even yourself. The bricks and pavers will be located in the vicinity of the Carroll Commons in the complex’s central courtyard. Bricks will be offered at various levels of support for a limited time. Watch your mail and our web site www.eng. auburn.edu for more information in the coming months.

Accenture Foundation, Inc. Agilent Technologies, Inc. Alabama Power Foundation, Inc.

James H. Stewart Endowed Fund for Excellence

Shaw Industries

Fred & Juanita Mace Endowment for Scholarship

Telcordia Technologies

Senkbeil Endowed Fund for Excellence

Total System Services, Inc.

Shaw Industries Endowed Scholarship

Siemens VDO Automotive The Ginn Family Foundation Vodafone-US Foundation

Dr. Sandra G. Solaiman Endowment Bill and Lana McNair Fund for Excellence Reynolds Professorship in Electrical and Computer Engineering

and auburn university

You can hear the cheering with every purchase. The new Spirit of Auburn credit card helps increase Auburn’s scholarship fund, sharing the Auburn spirit by benefiting students who most deserve it. So when you use your card, you ultimately help shape the future of Auburn, not to mention the world beyond it. That means you’ll enjoy redeeming all the points you earn for cash back

Joe W. Forehand Jr. Endowment for Scholarship Cellnet Technology, Inc. Annual Scholarship

REWARD YOURSELF

or travel with the card even more. One good turn deserves another.

We have made every attempt to include all donors in the Auburn Engineering family. However, if you are not listed, or are aware of another donor who is not, please contact the Auburn University Office of Engineering Development at 107 Ramsay Hall, Auburn, AL 36849; 334.844.1192 For a listing of donors who gave prior to 2006, please view previous issues of The Cupola Report at www.eng.auburn.edu/cupolareport

For more information about the Spirit of Auburn Card, responsible spending, and to apply visit:

www.auburn.edu/SpiritOfAuburnCard This credit card program is issued and administered by FIA CardServices, N.A. MasterCard is a federally registered service mark of MasterCard International Inc. and is used by the issuer pursuant to license. Platinum Plus is a registered trademark of FIA Card Services, N.A. © 2007 FIA Card Services

Partnering for the Future DyThe nPower etics of Solutions

™

Huntsville high-tech firm Dynetics has made a $225,000 investment in naming a student lounge in the new Sen. Richard C. Shelby and Dr. Annette N. Shelby Center for Engineering Technology that will provide engineering students with a comfortable space to study and socialize. “We hire a significant number of Auburn students and wanted to do something especially for this group,” explains Mike DeMaioribus, senior vice president at Dynetics. “We recognize that the education of students occurs not only in classrooms and laboratories, but also in casual encounters between student and teacher.” Located on the first floor of the $108 million complex, this comfortable gathering area is designed to foster collegiality, providing a place for engineering undergraduate and graduate students to interact with each other and with faculty.

“ We recognize that the education of students occurs not only in classrooms and laboratories, but also in casual encounters between student and teacher.”

Partnerships such as the one between the university and the corporate and foundation community offer tremendous benefit to students, faculty, community, state and society. Cooperative research efforts, and co-op, internship and mentoring programs are just a few more ways that the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the business community work together to advance engineering education. Nationwide, corporate donations account for just over 5 percent of all giving. In 2006, corporate donations accounted for just under 10 percent of the gifts to Auburn Engineering. Corporate partnerships range from support for scholarships, fellowships and professorships, as well as for programs such as the AT&T Minority Engineering Program and the War Eagle Motor Sports program. “Auburn engineering recognizes the importance of strong relationships with our corporate and foundation partners, and focuses on benefits and outcomes that take into consideration the goals and objectives of both the university and the donor,” explains Dan Bush, associate director of development for the college. “These partnerships are an important component of our success.” To learn more about engineering naming opportunities and other ways to support the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering log on to eng.auburn.edu/needs or contact Ron Evans at 334.844.2736 or evansr2@auburn.edu.

The area shaded in blue represents the Dynetics student lounge

Samuel Ginn College of Engineering Auburn University 108 Ramsay Hall Auburn, AL 36849-5330

ENM0706C01

www.auburn.edu

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit #1390 Mobile, AL

Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.