5 minute read
Be the Creed
Be the Creed BE THE CREED // STUDENT I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.
BY JEREMY HENDERSON
JAIME SCHUSSLER
Stormwater management can be a dirty job. Jaime Schussler, doctoral student in civil and environmental engineering, feels like she was born to do it.
“I grew up in West Virginia and my parents would always take us backpacking, no matter what the weather was,” Schussler said. “I’ve just always felt a strong connection to water, particularly stormwater.”
No wonder Auburn feels like home.
“One of the main reasons I came to Auburn is for the one-of-a-kind resources, specifically the Construction Stormwater Studio at Auburn’s Stormwater Research Facility,” Schussler said. “There’s really no other facility like this in the country.”
The Stormwater Research Facility (formerly the Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility) is dedicated to producing innovative and practical solutions for stormwater management. The facility features several rainfall simulators, channelized and sheet flow apparatuses and two large-scale sediment basins that allow controlled evaluations of various water treatments and configurations employed to mitigate construction site pollution and soil displacement.
“I really enjoy the extension and outreach aspects of what we do,” Schussler said.
“Auburn allows me to bridge the gap between maybe higher-level research and field practicality, to implement this research in the real world and put theory into practice to help our nation and the world,” she added.
I believe in education,
which gives me the knowledge to work wisely
and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully.
BY JOE MCADORY
JAKITA THOMAS
Jakita Thomas’ mother, Cora Owensby, once dreamed her daughter stood before a full classroom as a college professor.
“I remember thinking how strange that sounded because I had no interest in that career path,” said Thomas, the Philpott-WestPoint Stevens Distinguished Associate Professor in computer science and software engineering.
“I was set on being a pediatrician,” she added.
That changed after completing her first year at Spelman College. Blood, needles and bodily fluids made her squeamish. The sound of crying children didn’t help, either. Computers, however, don’t bleed or cry, and Thomas found a new passion. Not only is she a recognized researcher and endowed professor in the field, but she’s a leading advocate for Black women in computing.
Turns out, Thomas’ mother’s dream was spot-on.
In addition to her time in the classroom, Thomas received a grant to study “Experiencing the Matrix of Power Dynamics for Undergraduate and Graduate Black Women in Computing to Understand their Intersectional Experiences,” at Georgia Tech’s Constellations Center for Equity in Computing.
“The academy is awash in inequities,” she said. “As we engage in research, it has revealed that Black girls and women are contending with this matrix in many different types of contexts beginning with their first experiences with computing in classrooms across the country. This must be transformed if we expect computing to be truly equal.”
I believe that this is a practical world
and that I can count only on what I earn.
Therefore, I believe in work, hard work.
BY JOE MCADORY
ROB KULICK
Academic Advisor Aerospace Engineering
Rob Kulick has advised students remotely. He’s advised students face-to-face. He’s even been known to send emails before dawn.
Aerospace engineering’s academic advisor guides more than 550 undergraduate students through curricula, keeps them in line with graduation schedules, desired grades, tutoring and even keeps a box of tissue on his Davis Hall desk, just in case.
“I’ve always enjoyed being engaged with people and making an impact in their lives,” said Kulick, whose previous work in admissions at Auburn University ultimately led the Basking Ridge, New Jersey, native to student advising — a job he accepted in 2009. “I’m very much a compassionate, people person. The relationship I have with students is parental, to a regard. But I also try to be respectful to what they’re going through. I tell them, ‘I’m here to help you, but I’m not going to do it for you. I’m going to show you how you can help yourself.’”
What should undergraduate aerospace engineering students expect from an advising session with Kulick?
“They should have a good understanding of expectations for the next semester in terms of registration, advising, what courses they need to take,” Kulick said. “Any questions that they might have will be answered and their needs have been met.
“When a student feels better, that’s a success. If a student comes to me and says, ‘I just got this great job,’ that’s a success. If a student comes to me in tears and they’re not crying when they leave, that’s a success too,” he added.
I believe in honesty and truthfulness,
without which I cannot win the respect
and confidence of my fellow men.
BY LAUREN WINTON
SUSAN STORY ’81
Industrial Engineering President and CEO, American Water (retired)
“To create a great company culture, everything comes back to the issue of respect for every single person,” said Susan Story, ’81 industrial engineering and former president and CEO of American Water, the largest water utility in the United States.
At the time Story was CEO and president of American Water, she was one among only 23 women serving as CEOs of S&P 500 companies.
She said her education was a big catalyst for her success.
Story was the keynote speaker in 2018 at Auburn University’s spring graduation. In her address, she wanted students to take away one point from that story: “Others don’t decide your future. You do.”
“I have lived the American Dream,” Story said. “When I graduated from Auburn, I wanted to truly make a difference in the world. My goal through my career was to show that companies can be financially successful while also fully respecting and engaging employees, taking care of our environment and making communities stronger because our companies are there.
“Because I was willing to work hard and get a great education at Auburn Engineering, I had life opportunities that I never could have imagined,” she added.
Story hopes her own journey from Auburn University makes one thing clear: students have the power to harness their abilities, to reach their greatest potential and decide their own futures in engineering or wherever their careers may take them.
