Engineering Magzine Spring 2023

AUBURN ENGINEER

SAMUEL

STRIKE A POSE

Members of the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council, including past chairs Maury Gaston, Kenneth Kelly, Nicole Faulk, Walt Woltosz and current chair Brad Christopher, recently presented President Chris Roberts with a portrait in honor of his time served as dean of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. The portrait will hang in the Shelby Center alongside the other portraits of past deans.

Celebrating 100 years of women in Auburn Engineering

Maria Whitson became the first female AU Engineering grad in 1923

Auburn University launches Applied Research Institute

The endeavor is located in the new Huntsville research campus

Renowned distiller seeks out the Taylor family “treedition”

Former interim dean’s family farm proves big for Irish whiskey maker

Rocketry Association brings smiles to kids with rocket art

Aerospace engineering students partner with Children’s of Alabama

CDCR Office connects students with co-ops, internships and jobs

Nearly 100% of students with co-ops or internships are employed at graduation

ON THE COVER /// “A VERY FINE SPORT”

Maria Whitson broke down barriers when she became the first female Auburn Engineering graduate 100 years ago. Now, Auburn alumnae are shattering glass ceilings across the world. See story on page 22

It’s My Job: Allyson McKinney ’16

SoloPulse CEO named as one of Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30

SPRING 2023 /// Volume 33, Issue 1

INTERIM DEAN

Steven E. Taylor

EDITOR AND DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

Austin Phillips

CONTRIBUTORS

Gracie Barranco

Bethany Deuel

Jeremy Henderson

Kyle Lubinsky

Joe McAdory

Cassie Montgomery

Carla Nelson

ART DIRECTOR/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Danny Doyle

Greg Key

WEB MANAGER/CONTRIBUTOR

Tyler Patterson

Wilson Reeves

VIDEOGRAPHY/PHOTOGRAPHY

Marcus Kluttz

John Sluis

Visit Auburn Engineer online at eng.auburn.edu/magazine for videos, photos, podcasts and more. You may also submit news items, suggestions or comments by clicking the Contact Us tab.

Auburn Engineer is published twice yearly by the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

Engineering Communications and Marketing

c/o Editor

1210D Shelby Center Auburn, AL 36849 334-844-2444

© 2023 Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Auburn University

Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year, and my time serving as interim dean of Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering has come to an end. Dr. Mario Eden has been named as the college’s 14th dean, and we are all thrilled to have him lead the college into the future. I would like to thank President Chris Roberts and Provost Vini Nathan for their confidence in me to lead the college through this transition, and I am forever grateful to the students, faculty, staff and alumni who pushed forward to keep our momentum on the upward trajectory.

As Dr. Roberts announced in May, I have accepted the position as Auburn University’s senior vice president for research and economic development and will begin that appointment June 1. I am beyond excited to serve Auburn in this new capacity, and cannot wait to work with Dr. Eden as we move to double our research efforts into the future.

This past year — the college’s 150th anniversary at Auburn — as interim dean of the college has been one of the most rewarding, and challenging, of my tenure here. When I took on this role, I knew it was only for a limited time, but I knew I could affect change. Drs. Larry Benefield and Roberts built a phenomenal foundation on which we still stand, and I am proud of the efforts undertaken this year to continue to propel us forward. Just this year, we opened the doors to the Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus in Huntsville that will foster meaningful relationships for decades to come, while collaborating with our some of our most critical partners to find solutions to keep our nation safe for the next 150 years. We received approval from the Board of Trustees to build a Gulf Coast Engineering Research Station in Orange Beach, and recently installed a new 7T clinical MRI scanner — the first of its kind in this part of the country — that will allow us to conduct groundbreaking research and partner with local hospitals and clinics in ways we never have before.

Our undergraduate program continues to be ranked among the best public engineering institutions in the nation, while our graduate program ranks third in the SEC and has climbed 10 spots in the U.S. News and World Report rankings in the past four years. For those off campus, our Online and Continuing Education program ranks No. 16 among all colleges. All three programs remain the top ranked engineering programs in the state.

Auburn is an amazing place. This institution and community that my wife, Martha, and I have called home for more than 34 years is much more than a place where our careers flourished — it’s where we raised our children, it’s where we laid our roots and it’s where we poured our hearts and souls into making this state, this nation and this world a better place for generations to come. While the end of this chapter of my life may be bittersweet, I am so thankful for the rewarding experiences and lasting friendships forged over this past year. I remain dedicated to serving Auburn and the Ginn College of Engineering that we all love.

War Eagle!

Steven E. Taylor

EDEN NAMED DEAN OF COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Following a national search, Mario Eden, the Joe T. and Billie Carole McMillan Professor and chair of Auburn University’s Department of Chemical Engineering, has been named as the 14th dean of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, according to an announcement by Provost Vini Nathan.

Eden was selected following an extensive interview and public process that included a diverse pool of nearly 60 applicants from some of the nation’s most premier and highly ranked engineering institutions. He began serving in this new role effective May 15.

“The quality of applicants and applications we received from across the country is testimony to the stature of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering,” Nathan said. “After carefully reviewing feedback from the search committee, faculty, staff, students, alumni and AU leadership, it was apparent that Dr. Eden is the person we need leading the College of Engineering forward. I am confident that, through his leadership, he will help elevate the college to become one of the preeminent engineering institutions in the country.”

Eden succeeds Steve Taylor, who was named as interim dean in April 2022 when then-Dean Chris Roberts was named as Auburn University’s 21st president. Taylor has accepted the role as Auburn’s senior vice president for research and economic development, and will begin that appointment June 1.

“Dr. Taylor is a consummate professional, and Auburn is indebted to him for his thoughtful leadership, dedication and commitment during this interim period,” Nathan said.

Eden served as chair and professor of the Department of Chemical Engineering since 2012, as an associate professor from 2008-12 and as an assistant professor from 2004-08. From 2014-16, he also served a term as acting director of the Alabama Center for Paper and Bioresource Engineering. As the chemical engineering department chair, Eden led the department to its highest U.S. News & World Report Graduate Program ranking ever; increased undergraduate enrollment to record numbers with incoming freshmen with ACT scores of 30 or higher for 11 years in a row; successfully added 17 tenure-track faculty members and two fulltime lecturers during the past 10 years, including the department achieving the highest percentage of female full professors among

any chemical engineering department in the country; increased philanthropic support of the program by millions of dollars; and successfully led the department through the national accreditation process in 2016 and 2022.

Eden earned master’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from the Technical University of Denmark in 1999 and 2003, respectively. His expertise and research interests center on process systems engineering and computer-aided process engineering; process simulation, design, integration and optimization; and product and molecular synthesis/design. Eden has established a strong record of scholarly productivity and academic achievement, including more than 165 refereed publications and nearly 450 invited talks and conference presentations. He has secured more than $29 million in extramural grants and contracts as principal investigator (PI) or co-PI from a wide range of federal and industrial sources.

“Serving Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering has been one of the greatest blessings of my life,” Eden said. “I am so thankful for the chemical engineering department faculty, staff, students and alumni for the past decade, and I am humbled at this opportunity to take Auburn Engineering to the next level. This is truly a group effort, and together we can achieve even greater things because we believe in Auburn, and love it.”

Mario Eden

Auburn Engineering moves up in U.S. News online graduate program rankings

The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering came in at No. 16 in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Online Engineering Graduate Programs 2023 rankings, climbing one spot from the past year. This is the seventhconsecutive year that engineering’s online program has ranked in the Top 25.

In the specialty rankings, Auburn’s online civil and environmental (No. 3), industrial and systems (No. 8) and engineering management (No. 15) programs all improved from 2022. Mechanical held its No. 11 spot, and electrical and computer engineering ranked No. 13. Auburn’s online computer science and software engineering program came in at No. 23.

Specialty rankings are based on responses to the peer assessment survey administered to high-ranking academic officials at engineering colleges with online programs.

For online programs for veterans, Auburn Engineering ranked No. 11 for the second year in a row.

“High-quality online education options are critical today in ensuring that we continue to equip engineers with the skills and competencies to thrive in the 21st century workforce,” said Steve Taylor, former interim dean of engineering. “It’s rewarding to see the hard work of our faculty and staff to deliver an online experience that equals or exceeds the traditional classroom curriculum be recognized by our peers.”

Brodbeck named Director of Engineering Research Operations

To reflect his growing and evolving role in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Christian Brodbeck, who has served the college as a research engineer since 2006, was recently named director of engineering research operations.

“In essence, I have been working in engineering research operations for the past couple years,” Brodbeck said. “Now that this is an official role, my plan is to work closely with departments within the college to ensure that our facilities are set up to best suit their research needs.”

Former Interim Dean of Engineering Steve Taylor describes Brodbeck as an engineering jack of all trades.

“Christian has really gone above and beyond to ensure that the college’s

Beckingham named director of Auburn’s Center for Polymers and Advanced Composites

Chemical Engineering Associate Professor Bryan Beckingham has been named the new director of the Center for Polymers and Advanced Composites (CPAC) at Auburn University. Beckingham assumed the role on Jan. 1.

“The Center for Polymers and Advanced Composites has a rich history and proven track record of bringing together talented researchers and students from across the globe to make new strides in the areas of polymers and advanced composites research,” said Steve Taylor, former interim dean. “I am excited to see the center continue to grow and innovate as Dr. Beckingham builds upon the foundation laid by CPAC’s previous leadership.”

research efforts and initiatives are outfitted with the tools and resources necessary for keeping Auburn as one of the premiere engineering programs in America,” Taylor said. “As a research engineer, he has very broad and deep expertise in many different technical areas. His outstanding work ethic is immediately obvious to everyone he encounters, but that’s just Christian. He’s gone the extra mile for years. It’s high time his title matches that degree of dedication.”

In his role as CPAC director, Beckingham will serve as the primary point of contact to focus the college’s efforts in the fields of polymers and advanced composites. CPAC’s mission is to bring together industry and university researchers in collaboration to generate, facilitate and exchange fundamental and applied knowledge on topics of high relevance to the polymer and composites industries.

Christian Brodbeck

Bryan Beckingham

Listen to our podcast with Christian Brodbeck at eng.auburn.edu/ginning

Professor in wireless engineering named editor-inchief at top-tier IEEE journal

Shiwen Mao, director of the Wireless Engineering Research and Education Center at Auburn University, was named editor-in-chief of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking (TCCN), a top-tier publication of the IEEE focusing on spectrum and machine learning.

“It is a tremendous honor, but more importantly, it is a big commitment,” said Mao, professor and Earle C. Williams Eminent Scholar Chair. “This appointment provides me with the opportunity to bring even more recognition to Auburn University, the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the work we do here in wireless engineering.”

Mao previously served as a TCCN associate editor, area editor of the IEEE Internet of Things Journal, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering, IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society and ACM GetMobile, a steering committee member of IEEE Transactions on Multimedia and chair of IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering. He was also recently elected chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Cognitive Networks and serves on IEEE Communications Society’s Board of Governors.

“It’s very important for faculty members to participate in international activities, such as journals like this and conference organization, and to take leadership roles within the research community,” he added.

Tauritz appointed as university’s first director of national laboratory relationships

Daniel Tauritz, associate professor of computer science and software engineering, and interim director/chief cyber artificial intelligence strategist of the Auburn Cyber Research Center since 2020, has been appointed as the university’s director for national laboratory relationships (DNLR).

Tauritz’s appointment to the newly created position went into effect Jan. 1.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) operates most U.S. national laboratories, including the National Nuclear Security Administration laboratories and Office of Science laboratories, one of the largest scientific research systems in the world. As director, Tauritz will serve as the primary point-of-contact with the DOE complex, focusing on growing long-term, sustained relationships through personal outreach and facilitating engagement and collaborative opportunities for faculty and students.

“My vision for this position is to strategically build comprehensive, university-wide relationships with select national laboratories, from collaborative research to educational partnerships and student hiring pipelines,” Tauritz said. “I’m going to work hard to bring Auburn University’s relationships with the DOE complex to the next level.”

Yarnold named director of Auburn University’s Advanced Structural Engineering Laboratory

On Jan. 1, Matt Yarnold, associate professor of structural engineering, took charge of Auburn University’s Advanced Structural Engineering Laboratory (ASEL) as director.

Everything ASEL has to offer is a big reason Yarnold took the job.

Yarnold received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering from Lehigh University. Since earning his civil engineering doctorate from Drexel University in 2013, he has been an assistant professor of civil engineering at Tennessee Technological University and, most recently, Texas A&M University.

Both schools have great civil engineering research facilities, Yarnold said. They just don’t have ASEL.

“It was instantly clear that Auburn had invested significantly in structural and geotechnical engineering research. This facility puts Auburn in the country’s top tier of related research facilities,” Yarnold said.

Daniel Tauritz, center

Matt Yarnold

Shiwen Mao

Listen to our podcasts with Daniel Tauritz (above center) and Matt Yarnold (above right) at eng.auburn.edu/ginning

Mechanical engineering professor earns NSF CAREER Award for low-temperature plasma research

Mitigating the environmental impact of meeting the world’s rapidly increasing transportation energy demands is a problem. The National Science Foundation (NSF) thinks Nick Tsolas may have a solution.

The assistant professor of mechanical engineering received a $518,000 NSF CAREER Award to investigate lowtemperature plasma-assisted combustion of oxygenated fuels as a potential alternative to achieving a cleaner and sustainable future for the transportation sector.

“The overall objective of this project is to examine how we can leverage unique chemical and physical properties of lowtemperature plasmas (LTP) to improve the energy extraction and efficiency of renewable fuels with potentially less environmental harm,” Tsolas said. “I believe we are at a very critical junction between trying to curb our climate change issues while trying to figure out how to satisfy our ever-increasing energy needs. This debate

Chemical engineering junior named Miss Auburn

Nick Tsolas

can often be marred by political, economic and social arguments, and rightfully so, but more importantly, it is absolutely imperative that we make decisions based on factual, evidence-based science.”

Although the application of the project was meant to address energy issues in the transportation sector, Tsolas expects that fundamental outcomes from his research can also be adopted to support other LTP-based applications, such as micro-propulsion for CubeSats, pollution remediation and valorizing carbon dioxide to manufacture value-added fuels and electro-fuels.

“I am extremely grateful to my peers in the field and the program manager for reviewing the proposal favorably and recognizing its potential,” Tsolas said. “Receiving this award is immensely humbling.”

DoD awards Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Manufacturing Systems $8.9M for smart manufacturing

The Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Manufacturing Systems (ICAMS) at Auburn University was established in 2020 to help small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) bridge the digital divide that threatens to render 85% of the American industrial base obsolete over the next decade.

The center will use a significant portion of its latest and largest award from the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Office of Industrial Policy’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, $8.9 million, to leverage its research and outreach efforts promoting advanced manufacturing in small and medium manufacturing operations in the defense industrial base.

Chemical engineering junior Kate Preston was named the new Miss Auburn, in an announcement made from the Student Government Association (SGA) Elections Council. Preston was elected with 3,097 votes, or more than 31% of the votes cast in the SGA election. She will serve as Miss Auburn until the next elections are held in February 2024.

“I am overjoyed at this opportunity to get to serve and love Auburn in the best way that I know possible. I am extremely thankful for all of the people who put in so much time and effort into preparing for campaign week, and the time after,” Preston said. “In the next year I am eager to get to serve Auburn through my platform of unifying different people on Auburn’s campus that have different interests and passions, as well as unifying different Auburn generations in efforts to better prepare students for life after Auburn.”

“We have to provide SMMs a better understanding of the processes behind new guidelines and best practices necessary to engage in secure work for the DOD,” said principle investigator Greg Purdy, assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. “With this grant, we can equip them with the tools necessary to produce parts in a classified manufacturing environment.”

Kate Preston

Listen to our podcasts with and Kate Preston at eng.auburn.edu/ginning

Akond Rahman

Professor in CSSE earns two NSF grants to research software security weaknesses

Akond Rahman, assistant professor in computer science and software engineering, was awarded two National Science Foundation awards as lead principal investigator totaling $332,000 in grant funding.

His projects, “Authentic Learning Modules for DevOps Security Education” and “Enhanced Security Static Analysis for Detecting Insecure Configuration Scripts,” not only focus on the development of techniques and tools that will automatically detect security weaknesses in configuration scripts, but will educate students — future professionals — on the consequences of security weaknesses commonplace in development and operations (DevOps) software and how to mitigate them.

“DevOps is the state-of-the-art process to develop software,” Rahman said. “If there are unmitigated security weaknesses in DevOps artifacts, that will create largescale consequences now and in the future. As a firm believer of equipping students with practical knowledge, I have focused my academic efforts to learn about security weaknesses in DevOps artifacts.”

CEE professor leads NSF project aimed at renewable energy education

A collaborative $139,375 National Science Foundation project led by Lauren Beckingham, W. Allen and Martha Reed Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Karen McNeal, Molette Endowed Professor of geosciences in the College of Sciences and Mathematics; and Tuskegee University mechanical engineering Professor John Solomon, aims to grow a much-needed workforce for renewable energy industries.

“The project seeks to draw a link between engineering undergraduate students’ environmental knowledge, attitudes, willingness and preparedness to join targeted renewable energy industries and institutions,” Beckingham said.

Engineering faculty affiliated with the project at both Auburn and Tuskegee have developed course activities for students to increase sustainability and renewable energy awareness, as well as to educate students on careers in the renewable energy field. Those efforts include new hands-on renewable energy laboratories allowing students first-hand experience with solar panels and wind turbines in order to examine factors which increase energy production.

Auburn University Transportation Research Institute shines at 2023 TRB Meeting

Auburn University’s leading and broad transportation research, education and technology transfer portfolio was once again front and center at the 102nd annual Transportation Research Board (TRB) Meeting held in January in Washington, D.C.

The TRB Meeting, the largest and most prominent transportation conference in the country, is an annual destination for the nation’s top transportation professionals. This year, noted attendees included Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board; U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; and U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm.

“TRB draws transportation researchers and practitioners from every discipline and from around the world to discuss the industry’s most pressing issues. Auburn University Transportation Research Institute faculty and staff have an important and impactful role as evidenced by the fact that this year they participated in more than 45 presentations,” said AUTRI Director Larry Rilett.

Listen to our podcasts with Lauren Beckingham (above center) and Larry Rilett (above right) at eng.auburn.edu/ginning

Auburn hosts 66th annual Alabama Transportation Conference

In February, approximately 1,000 federal and state highway personnel, road building contractors, general contractors, heavy construction contractors, utility contractors, county engineers, consulting engineers, construction material vendors, researchers, professional society representatives and university faculty members converged on Montgomery to share advances in transportation planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance, same as they have for the past 66 years.

Thanks, once again, to Auburn.

Highlights of the two-day annual Alabama Transportation Conference

Chemical engineering professor receives ADECA funding for MRI agent research

Gov. Kay Ivey awarded $1.3 million to stimulate new research and development at three Alabama universities and university systems, with Auburn University receiving more than $180,000. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants.

Auburn University received $184,773 from the fund to conduct research to develop an MRI agent that is optimized for the imaging of cardiovascular disease.

The principal investigator on the project is Allan David, acting associate dean for

included a keynote address by recently appointed Federal Highway Administration administrator Shailen Bhatt, who spoke on how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law can help the Alabama transportation system. The second keynote address was by John Driscoll, director and CEO of the Alabama Port, who spoke on the innovative infrastructure projects currently underway across Alabama including expansion of the Port of Alabama and the development of inland ports in Montgomery and Birmingham. Gov. Kay Ivey hosted a luncheon on the first day of the conference

during which she provided her vision for Alabama’s transportation system.

The impressive group of speakers included five faculty researchers from the Auburn University Transportation Research Institute (AUTRI).

“It’s pretty well-known that if you work in the transportation, highway, construction, design and any associated industries in the state of Alabama, this conference is a must-attend event,” said AUTRI Director Larry Rilett. “Last year’s conference was my first to attend, and I can safely say that very few states have a transportation conference this comprehensive and impactful. The fact that we have been able to successfully host this for 66 years speaks to the leading role Auburn has established in transportation research and outreach.”

on iron-based contrast agent, made of magnetic nanoparticles, that are attractive for biomedical applications because they are safer and provide enhanced images on MRI scans.

research and the John W. Brown Associate Professor of chemical engineering.

Currently, contrast agents that are based on the element gadolinium are used during MRI scans to improve detection of disease. These gadolinium-based agents, which can be toxic if retained in the body, are designed to be flushed out of the body quickly. David and the co-principal investigators on the project are working

“We are working on an iron-based particle that would clear quickly, like gadolinium,” David said. “In my research group, we delve into methods to take a heterogeneous formulation and make it more homogeneous, so we get better control of the properties of these particles.”

Shailen Bhatt, Federal Highway Administrator

Allan David

Spring awards recognize outstanding students, faculty, staff and alumni

The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering hosted its annual spring awards ceremony in April, which recognizes students, faculty, staff and alumni who have shown outstanding leadership and devotion.

“The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering is sought after by many exceptional students and faculty from all over the nation and from around the world,” said Steve Taylor, former interim dean of engineering. “This outstanding success and reputation would not be possible without the devoted students, faculty, staff and alumni who make up the college. We are very proud to showcase their achievements.”

Below are the 2023 award recipients:

Frank Vandegrift Co-op Award

•Jared Jones

Electrical Engineering

Birdsong Study Abroad Scholarships

• Justus Smith

Biosystems Engineering

• Ben Steber

Civil and Environmental Engineering

• Eduardo Szperling

Mechanical Engineering

• Virginia Keith

Biosystems Engineering

J. Alley Fellowship

• Matthew Garnett

Chemical Engineering

Auburn Alumni Engineering Council

Award for Most Outstanding Engineering Student Organizations

• Auburn Robotics Club

• Engineers Without Borders

• American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Student Organization or Group

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Experience Award

• oSTEM (Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) at Auburn

Outstanding Student Awards

• William James Koury

Aerospace Engineering

• Rickman Edgar Williams IV

Biosystems Engineering

• Peter Abraham

Chemical Engineering

• Bess Murrah

Civil and Environmental Engineering

• Seth Andrew Maddox

Computer Engineering

• Saksham Goel

Computer Science

• Nick Rush

Electrical Engineering

• Drew Nardone

Industrial and Systems Engineering

• Jeb Buchner

Materials Engineering

• Noah Kim

Mechanical Engineering

• Ken Zou

Software Engineering

Samuel Ginn Outstanding Student

Award

• Noah Kim

Mechanical Engineering

Jeff and Linda Stone Leadership Awards

• Alex Lawing

Industrial and Systems Engineering

• Wesley Lowman

Computer Science and Software Engineering

• Matthew Garnett

Chemical Engineering

Award

• Roy Hartfield

Aerospace Engineering

• William “Bill” Collins

Aerospace Engineering

Outstanding Faculty Awards

• Blake Melnick

Aerospace Engineering

• Brendan Higgins

Biosystems Engineering

• Steve Duke

Chemical Engineering

• Molly Hughes

Civil and Environmental Engineering

• Rodrigo Sardinas

Computer Science and Software Engineering

• Hunter Burch

Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Gregory Purdy

Industrial and Systems Engineering

• Dong-Joo (Daniel) Kim

Materials Engineering

• Sushil H. Bhavnani

Mechanical Engineering

Fred H. Pumphrey Teaching Award

• Molly Hughes

Civil and Environmental Engineering

William F. Walker Teaching Awards for Excellence

Superior:

• Xiao Qin

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Mark A. Spencer Creative Mentorship

Merit:

• Mark Hoffman

Mechanical Engineering

• Blake Melnick

Aerospace Engineering

Auburn Alumni Engineering Council

Research Awards for Excellence:

Senior Award:

• Joseph Majdalani

Aerospace Engineering

• Shuai Shao

Mechanical Engineering

Junior Award:

• Masoud Mahjouri-Samani

Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Panagiotis Mistriotis

Chemical Engineering

Mechanical engineering professor wins Avram BarCohen Memorial Medal

Pradeep Lall, the MacFarlane Endowed Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, is the inaugural winner of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Avram Bar-Cohen Memorial Medal. The honor was conferred at the 2022 ASME InterPACK Conference held in Garden Grove, Calif. The InterPACK is a flagship conference of the ASME Electronics and Photonic Packaging Division (EPPD) and focuses on electronics packaging and heterogeneous integration.

Biosystems engineering researchers lead $2M project to produce hydrogen from blended feedstock

Auburn University researchers are leading a $2 million Department of Energy grant that aims to produce hydrogen from blended feedstock, such as legacy waste coal, forest residues and municipal solid waste.

“The benefits of converting waste coal, biomass and food waste are twofold,” said Sushil Adhikari, professor of biosystems engineering and principal investigator for

Staff Champion for the Student Experience

• Karen Clark

Mechanical Engineering

• Jenny Sconyers

Engineering Administration

Outstanding Staff Award

• Katie Hardy

Engineering Administration

• Jessica Taylor

Engineering Administration

Outstanding Alumni Awards

• Samantha A. Magill

Aerospace Engineering

• Marc Ivey

Biosystems Engineering

• Hudson Pope

Chemical Engineering

• David Stejskal

Civil and Environmental Engineering

• Peter Baljet

Computer Science and Software

Engineering

• Brad Cothran

Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Beth Monroe

Industrial and Systems Engineering

• Robert Carter

Materials Engineering

• Martin Stap

Mechanical Engineering

• Erica Walsh

Polymer and Fiber Engineering

The Medal recognizes contributions to academic, research and industrial communities in the broad field of heat transfer and related electronics, photonics, mechanics and packaging phenomena.

The award is given to a nominee with seminal contributions to electronics

packaging. The ASME wrote that Lall was selected “for long-lasting impact on state-of-art related to harsh environment electronic manufacturing and reliability, as well as significant contributions to reliability physics of fine pitch electronics in the development of electronics capable of sustaining operations of high temperatures and very high-g loads.”

Sushil Adhikari

the proposal. “First, it will help us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from hydrogen production. Second, it will help to solve food waste problems.”

Auburn’s co-principal investigator for the project is Oladiran Fasina, department

Listen to our podcasts with Pradeep Lall and Sushil Adhikari (below) at eng.auburn.edu/ginning

head and alumni professor for the Department of Biosystems Engineering.

The primary objectives of the project — titled “Hydrogen Production from Modular CO2 Assisted Oxy-Blown Gasification of Waste” — are to understand how biomass, waste coal and food waste will flow into the gasifier; how biomass, coal and food waste composition will impact the gas composition and quality; and to understand the cost of hydrogen production from biomass, coal and food waste blends.

Pradeep Lall, right

Professor in CSSE uses afterschool program to introduce children to AI

Hand-held robots rolled toward the light, toward the darkness, left, right and straight — whatever they were programmed to do. The programmers? Schoolchildren.

Almost 20 children gather for an hour at Anh Nguyen’s K-6 AI Club and learn developmental approaches to computing, programming, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). Nguyen, an assistant

CSSE faculty, students develop children’s computer, music skills in harmonious mix

Students in Auburn University’s Computer Science and Arts for All program developed computer science skills and learned the fundamentals of music in a special fiveSaturday program.

professor in computer science and software engineering, provides students with new AI challenges each week, including coding a robot to navigate a maze, roll toward points of light, or even train AIs to recognize your objects and owner’s faces.

“If you want to build a pipeline for engineering, you have to start at an early age,” said Daniela Marghitu, director of Auburn’s Education and Assistive Technology Laboratory and professor in computer science and software engineering. “Young children’s brains are like sponges. They are so eager to learn, and these children are having fun doing it.”

“We use programming, robots and artificial intelligence to motivate them and inspire them into building a mindset for critical thinking,” Nguyen said. “Programming robots through AI is part of fascinating technologies that are vehicles for them to eventually build actual, larger and more useful machines in the future using these engineering, critical-thinking mindsets.”

The initiative, which began in fall 2022, is part of Nguyen’s 2022 National Science Foundation CAREER Award.

Associate professor in aerospace engineering happy to play role in DART’s smashing success

NASA crashed a 1,345-pound spacecraft into the moon of a small asteroid (Dimorphous) on Sept. 26, 2002, with intention of changing its orbit by several minutes to develop a future planetary defense strategy. The result? A success. Masatoshi Hirabayashi, associate professor in aerospace engineering and part of the NASA-supported scientific team led by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, co-authored three papers detailing results of the first Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) after scientists spent months analyzing its impact.

“This is a thrilling and important result

because DART’s impact was originally expected to have a smaller change. It is very promising that kinetic deflection capability can be very efficient in terms of planetary defense,” Hirabayashi said. “I am honored to have been a critical part of NASA/DART and I’m very happy to represent Auburn on this international project. To know that Auburn is involved in the first full-scale planetary defense mission that leads and expands world efforts to deflect asteroids and comets in the future is very special to me.”

Listen to our podcasts with Anh Nguyen (top) and Masatoshi Hirabayashi (below) at eng.auburn.edu/ginning

Annual E-Day Open House welcomes 3,500 visitors to campus

Few events throughout the academic year can attract the number of future engineers to Auburn like E-Day, Auburn Engineering’s annual open house. This year’s event, held on Feb. 23, was no exception with more than 3,500 attendees.

“Every year, we come together as a college to put on an informative, interactive and fun open house experience for future engineers and every year, interest continues to grow,” said Sydney Riley, administrator for K-12 outreach in the college’s Office of Recruitment, Outreach and Scholarship.

“Registration for this year’s E-Day filled up even earlier than we had anticipated. We once again got to share with so many all about Auburn Engineering and what makes us the best student-centered engineering educational experience in the country. The recruitment, outreach and scholarship office, all our academic departments and the whole college comes together and plays a role in inspiring future Auburn Engineers at this fantastic event.”

Research team from CSSE, COSAM and agriculture win USDA Coleridge Challenge

After winning the first and second rounds of the Coleridge Initiative Food for Thought Challenge, a team of Auburn University faculty members and students from the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, the College of Agriculture and the College of Sciences and Mathematics, completed the sweep in December and won the third and final round.

The team of Shubra Kanti “Santu” Karmaker, assistant professor in computer science and software engineering, and his doctoral students Naman Bansal and Alex Knipper, in collaboration with Jingyi Zheng, assistant professor in COSAM’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and Wenying Li, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, earned $30,000 for

Seventh- through 12th-grade students, some who attended in school groups and others who attended with their families, had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with current students and faculty, experience interactive exhibits sponsored by each academic program offered by the college, and to visit classrooms and laboratories.

These curated experiences were designed to offer visitors the chance to envision themselves on campus as undergraduate engineering students.

New this year was the ability for attendees to create an individualized E-Day schedule at registration, an improvement made possible by the team at the Auburn Engineering Makerspace, including Makerspace Manager Garon Griffiths and Maker Assistant Matthew Clegg.

Professors earn NASA EPSCoR grant to research impact of microgravity on self-folding polymer sheets

Self-folding polymer sheets may enable lightweight mechanical actuators used to open and close antennas, deploy solar arrays or unfurl solar sails in space. However, this poses many questions on the behavior of these smart materials in space environments. For example, how does microgravity impact the self-folding dynamics of shape memory polymer sheets?

This is the question Russell Mailen and Davide Guzzetti, assistant professors in aerospace engineering, are determined to answer in their recently awarded NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Suborbital study, “Activation of Self-Folding Origami in Microgravity Environment.”

EPSCoR grants enable recipients to conduct research aimed at developing long-term, competitive capabilities in aerospace, according to NASA.

winning the final round ($50,000 in total, combining all three rounds).

The challenge, in association with the Department of Agriculture, asked teams of data scientists to use language processing and machine learning to link food and nutrition databases on a large scale.

“Competitions such as these provide students with outstanding experiential learning opportunities and challenge them to determine which training model is best for a variety of machine learning tasks,” Karmaker said.

“Receiving this NASA EPSCoR grant reflects years of hard work and a continuous and growing collaboration between myself and Dr. Guzzetti,” Mailen said. “The EPSCoR grant represents an investment in the research capabilities of Auburn University and our laboratories. In addition, the grant provides us an opportunity to advance the field of shape memory polymer actuators for deployment of space structures.”

From left, Wenying Li, Shubra Kanti Karmaker, Alex Knipper and Jingyi Zheng

Russell Mailen, left, and Davide Guzzetti

Aerospace researchers awarded for visual analysis at international conference

Four researchers in aerospace engineering — graduate students Lokesh Silwal, Daniel Stubbs and Abbishek Gururaj, and postdoctoral fellow Vikas Bhargav — coupled their scientific findings with creative visual skills to earn awards at the Australasian Fluid Mechanics Society conference in December in Sydney, Australia.

Their entry, “Cratering dynamics on the lunar surface,” shows that plumes generated by landing craft on the moon could interact with craters on the moon’s surface – potentially destabilizing the craft.

“Communicating complex and high impact findings from a research project is very challenging,” said Vrishank Raghav, associate professor in aerospace engineering. “Such video and/or photo competitions provide one an avenue to hone these skills. In addition, it allows the students and researchers to take a step back and think about the big picture and develop creative and artistic ways to communicate their scientific findings to the public.”

Aerospace professors play key role in designing, testing prototype aircraft

Imon Chakraborty and Ehsan Taheri, assistant professors in aerospace engineering, are combining their collective expertise to help Transcend Air Corporation develop its Vy400 highspeed vertical takeoff and landing aircraft concept.

Powered by a fuel-burning turboshaft engine, the Vy400 is expected to carry up to five passengers for commercial or private flights at a cruising speed of 405 mph with sustained hover capability.

Chakraborty’s Vehicle Systems, Dynamics and Design Lab and Taheri’s Aero-Astro Computational and Experimental Lab will collaborate with Transcend Air in using a one-fifth scale model of the Vy400 to test and validate the flight control system architecture and fly-by-wire flight control laws through a series of bench tests followed by outdoor flight tests.

The team’s goal is to use these subscale tests to significantly de-risk the development of the full-scale vehicle.

Graduate student in aerospace given AIAA’s Zarem Award for Distiguished Achievement in Aeronautics

Rudy Al Ahmar, a graduate student in aerospace engineering, recently received the 2022 Abe M. Zarem Award for Distinguished Achievement in Aeronautics. The award, presented by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), recognizes one graduate student in aeronautics and one in astronautics from all seven regions of the AIAA who have demonstrated outstanding scholarship in their fields. He was presented with the Zarem Medallion at the AIAA SciTech ’23 Forum in January in National Harbor, Maryland.

Al Ahmar, whose research focuses on thermo-fluid analysis, specifically internal and wall-bounded flows as well as external aerodynamics, was given the award based on his novel reconstruction of the classical cylinder-in-crossflow problem. His paper was voted as the best aeronautics paper of all student conference papers worldwide.

“It is a great privilege to be selected to receive such a reputable award,” Al Ahmar said.

Rudy Al Ahmar, right

From left, Abbishek Gururaj, Lokesh Silwal, Daniel Stubbs and Vikas Bhargav Imon Chakraborty, left, and Ehsan Taheri

GOING BACK TO SCHOOL has never been easier or more convenient.

Engineering part of $28 million grant to meet rural challenges

Auburn University is one of three universities sharing a $28 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to establish an Institute for Rural Partnership to research the causes and conditions of challenges facing rural areas.

Auburn University’s project is an interdisciplinary effort involving the College of Agriculture, the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security and the Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Manufacturing Systems.

“This project will allow researchers from agriculture to leverage the manufacturing and cybersecurity expertise in engineering to advance some of Alabama’s most important agricultural and natural resources sectors,” said Paul Patterson, dean of Auburn’s College of Agriculture and director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station.

“This is a great opportunity for the two founding colleges at Auburn University (agriculture and engineering) to deepen their collaborative work to advance Alabama’s economy. In addition, faculty members in Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology will be investigating alternative enterprises that offer potential for additional growth for the agricultural sector and rural Alabama.”

Mechanical engineering professor wins multiple grants for AM sustainability and extreme environment electronics

Pradeep Lall, the MacFarlane Endowed Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of Auburn University’s NSF-CAVE3 Electronics Research Center (CAVE3), led teams to two winning grants under Project Call 7 despite stiff competition in the project call of the NextFlex National Manufacturing Institute.

One winning project for $900,000 with 1:1 cost-share titled “Sustainable Additively Printed Electronics through Water-Solvent Inks-FHE RepairabilityLow Temperature Processing” focuses on developing additively printed electronics manufacturing methods for enabling processes with environmentally friendly water-based inks.

The Auburn University-led team includes MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions and global manufacturing company Jabil as sub-contractors.

“Environmental, social and geographical factors have gained increased prominence in the design of next-generation electronics systems,” Lall explained. “One needs to take a life-cycle approach beginning with design, manufacturing and usage to really make an impact.”

Professor in aerospace engineering wins third Zarem Educator Award

In his 10th year at Auburn University, Joe Majdalani, the Hugh and Loeda Francis chair of excellence and professor of aerospace engineering, received the prestigious Abe M. Zarem Educator Award for an unprecedented third time.

Presented by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) at the recent SciTech ’23 Forum in National Harbor, Maryland, the award is given to only two faculty members, one in astronautics and another in aeronautics, who have demonstrated a substantial degree of effectiveness at guiding students toward excellence.

“Being the best student-centered engineering experience in America starts inside the classroom,” said Steve Taylor, former Auburn University Samuel Ginn College of Engineering interim dean. “We are honored to have the AIAA recognize Dr. Majdalani for his work with our students in preparing them for the future.”

ONLINE

Joe Majdalani, center

Pradeep Lall, center

Graduate student in aerospace engineering wins 2023 Breakwell Award

Keziban Saloglu, a doctoral candidate in aerospace engineering, was awarded the 2023 Breakwell Student Paper Award, a prestigious student prize in astrodynamics. Saloglu, in her second year at Auburn, was presented the award at the Space Flight Mechanics Meeting in January in Austin, Texas, hosted by the American Astronautical Society and cohosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Saloglu’s award-winning paper, “Existence of Infinitely Many Optimal Equal-∆v (Delta-V) Trajectories in Two-Body Dynamics,” shares a breakthrough method for spacecraft impulsive trajectory optimization.

Saloglu said Auburn Engineering’s aerospace program played a key role in developing her research skills.

“I had never before worked on optimal control problems or trajectory optimization at such a fundamental level,” she said. “Most of what I learned in these areas happened at Auburn. I was able to take classes like Optimal Control of Aerospace Vehicles and Advanced Trajectory Optimization and apply what I learned to my research.”

Two students in aerospace engineering selected to DoD SMART cohort

Two students in aerospace engineering, doctoral candidate Cody Shelton and junior Megan Hayes, were among two of 10 scholars nationwide chosen for the 2023 Summer Department of Defense Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (DoD SMART) International Internship Cohort. Through this program, they will conduct advanced research at the von Karman Institute (VKI) for Fluid Dynamics in Sint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium.

VKI is a non-profit international educational and scientific organization for fluid dynamics.

“Working at VKI will help me prepare for my career, as well as let me apply what I am learning at Auburn to real-world scenarios,” Hayes said.

“This internship provides me, and other SMART scholars, the opportunity to spend the summer at an internationally renowned institute, working alongside scientists and engineers conducting aeronautics and aerospace, environmental and applied fluid dynamics, turbomachinery and propulsion and more,” said Shelton. “Ultimately, this exposure will enable me to better understand scientific cooperation between the U.S. and Europe in an emerging technology field.”

Listen to our podcast with Jeffrey LaMondia at eng.auburn.edu/ginning

AUTRI wins national CUTC 2022 Technology Transfer Leadership Award

The Auburn University Transportation Research Institute (AUTRI) was awarded the Council of University Transportation Center‘s (CUTC) 2022 Technology Transfer Leadership Award at the CUTC Annual Awards Banquet held in January in Washington D.C. in conjunction with the 102nd Annual Transportation Research Board (TRB) Meeting. On hand to accept the award were Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Jeffrey LaMondia and AUTRI Director Larry Rilett. The CUTC Technology Transfer Leadership Award recognizes outstanding leadership in designing and delivering technology transfer programs.

The winning AUTRI T2 program was a true collaboration. Led by LaMondia, the team included graduate students Fernando Cordero and Corinne Arcenal, as well Sondra Parmer, Ruth Brock and Mitch Carter from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES).

Their work was done as part of a fiveyear, $5 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The focus was on 13 Alabama counties with some of the highest obesity rates in the country. The project centered on using transportation to improve active travel in these communities and encourage a healthier lifestyle.

“We developed a multi-step program that is implemented in the communities. It takes a lot of our complex engineering tools and processes and simplifies them so that folks who work in the community can start advocating for these improvements,” LaMondia said.

Ehsan Taheri, left, assistant professor in aerospace engineering, and Keziban Saloglu

From left, Jeffrey LaMondia, Ruth Brock, Sondra Parmer and Mitch Carter Cody Shelton, left, and Megan Hayes

Auburn Engineering hosts Future City regional finals for middle school competitors

Making the world a better place is an admirable goal and one that sixth, seventh and eighth-grade student teams from across Alabama and Tennessee aimed to achieve as they competed in the Future City regional finals held on the Auburn Engineering campus in January at the Brown-Kopel Center.

The theme of this year’s competition was “The Climate Change Challenge” and the student teams were tasked with researching ways for their future cities to adapt and mitigate the effects of weather and environmental shifts.

A team from Hampton Cove Middle School in Huntsville was awarded first prize trophies, a check for $300 and a trip to the Future City Competition international finals in Washington, D.C. in February during Engineers Week for their design of their future city, “Ankurville.”

Central School of Huntsville and Curry Ingram Academy of Brentwood, Tennessee, were awarded second and third place, respectively.

An additional 14 special awards sponsored by engineering professional societies, which included prizes of commemorative plaques and checks for $150, were awarded in categories such as “Most Innovative & Sustainable Use of Water Systems” and “Best Use of Sustainable Infrastructure.”

Graduate student in CSSE selected to attend CRA-WP women’s conference

Through her research, Prashamsa Pandey aims to introduce fundamental principles of computer science while integrating robotics and music into the rapidly growing field of technology, especially to children. Not only is she exploring new methods to reach this young audience through research, but she shared ideas and identify new ones with like-minded scholars.

Pandey, a fourth semester graduate student in computer science and software engineering, attended the prestigious Computing Research Association (CRA)Widening Participating (WP) Graduate Cohort for Women, held in April in San Francisco.

There, attendees interacted with roughly 20 senior female computing-related researchers and professionals, who shared pertinent information on graduate school survival skills and personal insights.

Biosystems senior wins Engineer Together design competition

The top two prize winners of the second annual Engineer Together design competition, hosted March 15 by the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee, were recognized in front of a crowd of students, faculty and staff as part of the inaugural Engineer Together Day.

Camille Coulter, a biosystems engineering senior, took home the top prize of $300 sponsored by International Paper, and a large collegiate rug sponsored by Milliken & Co. Her design will be adopted by the Inclusion and Diversity Committee for use on select promotional items and the Engineer Together webpage for the year.

Second prize in the design contest was awarded to Ashton Stroud, a sophomore in computer science and software engineering. Stroud was awarded $100 from International Paper and a mediumsized collegiate rug from Milliken & Co.

Ashton Stroud, left and Camille Coulter Prashamsa Pandey

Associate professor in ECE elected co-chair at two laser application conferences

Masoud Mahjouri-Samani, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Auburn University Laser-Assisted Science and Engineering lab, will co-chair two prestigious laser application conferences.

He will co-chair the International Society for Optics and Photonics Nanoscale and Quantum Materials Conference at Photonics West in San Francisco, as well as the International Conference on Laser Ablation in Crete, Greece.

“It was a great honor to be chosen by the conferences’ advisory boards when they were searching for a recognized U.S. representative in the field to co-chair these conferences,” said Mahjouri-Samani, who is also the elected secretary of the user executive committee at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Center for Nanophase Materials Science. “This is a great opportunity to represent Auburn University and further enhance the college’s visibility on an international level.”

Occupational safety education and research programs renewed

The Center for Occupational Safety, Ergonomics and Injury Prevention, part of the Auburn University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, recently had two education and research training programs renewed for five years by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

The programs are part of the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety, a collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The

Recruiting trip to national laboratory leaves lasting impression on students

Nine students — six from Auburn Engineering and three from the College of Sciences and Mathematics — toured one of the world’s largest three-dimensional particle accelerators, got an up-close view of the world’s most powerful magnet and even controlled robots.

More importantly, they were interviewed for potential internship and career opportunities.

An eye-opening visit to the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in December, provided an introduction into an expanding scientific world with a better understanding of what working in a national laboratory might resemble.

grants supporting the programs bring approximately $2 million to Auburn. NIOSH and Auburn University have a history dating to the early 1970s, but the history of the Auburn University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering safety and ergonomics program goes back to the late 1960s.

“Since I had never been to a national laboratory before, I had no idea what to expect,” said Lyndsey Rice, a junior in computer science and software engineering from Chattanooga, Tennessee. “LANL surprised me in that it’s filled with an attitude of curiosity, a desire to learn and try never-done methods, as well as a feeling of collaboration that extends between all experience levels of employees. This culture was exciting to experience, especially when the current researchers that met with us in informal interviews seemed genuinely interested in hearing about our education and interests, and how we could find a place in the lab.”

HAPPENINGS ONLINE

Masoud Mahjouri-Samani

Occupational safety and research program leadership team

Students at the Los Alamos National Laboratory

Multidisciplinary research team works with Toyota to explore creative safety devices

Two Auburn Engineering professors, Russell Mailen, assistant professor in aerospace engineering, and Chad Rose, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, are partnering with Toyota Research Institute North America to develop a potential solution that might trim emergency reaction time and save lives.

The goal of their project, “Conducting Polymers as Non-Woven Fabric Sensors to Enable Novel User Interfaces,” is to create smart, flexible human interfaces with embedded sensors capable of measuring key information from the wearer or operator and using the signals to adapt their environment. In other words, wearable technology capable of capturing a motorist’s tension in real-time and delivering this information to the automobile so it reacts accordingly to the environment.

“The proposed research seeks to significantly improve the human-machine interface of these next-generation

devices through the integration of conformal and unobtrusive force, surface electromyography and electrodermal activity sensors,” said Mailen, the project’s principal investigator. “These nextgeneration devices will be poised to overcome fundamental challenges that exist at the physical and neural interfaces between humans and machines. A machine which can detect both gross control inputs – a turned steering wheel, a button or voice command – will be able to better respond to the human as well as the environment. Tighter coupling between the human and the machine will enable faster, higher resolution communication from the human’s advanced sensors and highly refined internal models, meaning the eyes, ears and experience currently not available to smart devices such as exoskeletons, prosthetics and vehicles.”

Aerospace engineering research team wins Solid Rockets best paper

Two aerospace engineering professors, Roy Hartfield and Joe Majdalani, along with doctoral candidate Griffin DiMaggio and alumnus Vivek Ahuja, were awarded the 2022 Solid Rockets Best Paper award at the SciTech ’23 forum, held in January in National Harbor, Maryland, and sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. A record 2,700 papers were presented.

The paper, “Solid Rocket Motor Internal Ballistics with a Surface-Vorticity Solver,” introduces an innovative and robust computational approach that is capable of translating panel codes, which have been traditionally developed for the purpose of predicting the external aerodynamic performance of air vehicles, to the internal flow field characteristics of solid rocket motors.

Junior 1 of 3 selected nationally for 2023 Women in Motorsports initiative

Raegen Moody, a junior in mechanical engineering was one of three chosen for the 2023 Women in Motorsports (powered by PNC Bank) initiative with Chip Ganassi Racing. This isn’t just any internship with just any NTT IndyCar Series team. A powerhouse in open-wheel motorsports, Ganassi Racing fields cars used by defending Indianapolis 500 champion Marcus Ericsson, six-time series champion and 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon, 2021 series champion Alex Palou, and twotime Indianapolis 500 Takuma Sato, among others.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to learn from team members within this organization,” said Moody, a Cedartown, Georgia, native. “I can’t wait to learn from the other women coming into this program with me and from the incredible women mentors at Ganassi Racing. I grew up playing competitive sports. This is a chance to combine my engineering skills with that competitive spirit as part of a team.”

“This study shows that an enhanced panel code can resolve internal rocket flow fields with a striking level of fidelity and with such a degree of computational efficiency to make it valuable in the conceptual and preliminary design of rocket motors,” said Majdalani, the Hugh and Loeda Francis Chair of Excellence. “In this process, the vortex paneling approach embodied within FlightStream is refined using boundary conditions appropriate for solid rocket rotational flows. The simulation results are then compared to existing analytical solutions for simple chamber configurations exhibiting small taper and uniform headwall injection.”

Chad Rose, left, and Russell Mailen

Raegen Moody

From left, Roy Hartfield, Vivek Ahuja, Griffin DiMaggio and Joe Majdalani

Listen to our podcast with Chad Rose at eng.auburn.edu/ginning

100

YEARS of WOMEN in ENGINEERING

In May 1923, Maria Whitson made history as the first female to graduate from the College of Engineering at Auburn University. One hundred years later, Auburn Engineering alumnae are still shattering glass ceilings.

Women were first admitted to Auburn, then Alabama Polytechnic Institute, in 1892 at the recommendation of President William Leroy Broun.

“While the demand for women’s college education in Alabama is not great, the supply must precede and create the demand, hence the initiative must be taken by those in authority,” he told the board of trustees. “Co-education is not recommended, but in a limited way it is deemed advisable to recommend that the privilege be given young women, who may be qualified, to enjoy the advantages of instruction here presented.”

And with that, the board adopted a resolution admitting women, becoming the first school in the state to do so.

Spanning the next 30 years, more than 50 women graduated from Auburn. The majority of these were the daughters of Auburn faculty and administrators. These women were only technically allowed to enroll as juniors and were required to live off-campus with a host family, as on-campus residences were not ‘suitable.’

Early 20th Century

When Maria Whitson, a native of Talladega, became the first woman to enroll in engineering, she was applauded by her male classmates in the Glomerata for being “a very fine sport.” Whitson graduated with high honors in electrical engineering and went on

to work at Alabama Power, though she also received offers from General Electric and Westinghouse.

Due to World War II, female enrollment at Auburn increased to nearly 50% in the 1940s as women rose to replace men in the workplace. Some women pursued engineering courses in hopes of being an asset in the war efforts, including Vesta Stovall, ’46 aeronautical engineering.

“Most girls seem to be afraid of engineering courses, but I believe that they can make good if they try,” Stovall said at the time.

Even so, fewer than 15 women studied engineering that year.

Late 20th Century

The mid-1970s brought a noticeable increase of women in engineering, with enrollment rising from around 1% to nearly 11% in the span of just four years. Melissa Herkt, ’77 civil engineering, saw women in engineering becoming more acceptable.

“My recollection is of being treated as just another student. I think my work experience as the first female co-op student at Alabama Power had already prepared me well for the ‘man’s world’ of engineering,” she said.

Susan Story, former CEO of American Water, came to Auburn

Women were first admitted to Auburn in 1892. Maria Whitson, right, became the first woman to graduate in engineering in 1923.

in the late 1970s. Though she remembers very few women in engineering at the time, she found many opportunities for success. After a hugely successful career, Story sees there is still room for growth for women in engineering.

“It is a uniquely critical time for women, who have these teaming strengths, to be part of these amazing opportunities,” said Story, ’81 industrial engineering.

In the 1980s, female enrollment in engineering saw a sudden rise to a record 20% before steadily dropping to an average of 16%. Beverly Banister remembers the struggles she faced as a minority in the engineering program.

“To be both a female and African-American student in a male dominated engineering curriculum was challenging,” said Banister, ’83 chemical engineering. “On several occasions, I found myself questioning whether I had made the right decision.”

Nicole Faulk, ’96 mechanical engineering, didn’t see many students who looked like her in her engineering classes.

But she embraced the collaborative nature of the engineering curriculum and chose to surround herself with great partners.

“If I could go back, I would encourage myself, especially as a woman, not be to be afraid — but to know that women are an essential piece of success in the workplace. Auburn provided this groundwork for me to have the courage to take risks, to speak up and have a voice even when I am the only woman in the room,” Faulk said.

21st Century

When Emily Traylor, ’10 wireless engineering, arrived at Auburn in 2006, she found a support system within

Many of the first female students were the daughters of Auburn faculty.

Susan Story, above, delivers address at the Spring 2018 graduation.

engineering, though female enrollment had still not yet surpassed 20%.

“There weren’t as many females in engineering during my time at Auburn, especially within the department of computer science and software engineering. In many of my major classes, I was the only female. Identifying organizations who prioritized diversity and representation was very important for me. Looking back on my time as an engineering student, I never felt alone,” Traylor said.

Traylor has since served on the Wireless Engineering Advisory Board and the Young Alumni Council, among other areas of involvement. She believes her time at Auburn prepared her well for the professional world of engineering.

“In my first engineering job and most of my jobs thereafter, I have worked mostly with men,” she said. “However, I have always felt that I have ‘had a seat at the table’ given my Auburn education and the preparation it provided me. As a woman, I bring a different perspective to our projects and ideas. At each of my jobs, I believe this perspective has been valued and respected.”

In 2012, a group of engineering alumnae wanted to do more for women in engineering at Auburn. With women still making up only 16% of engineering students, and the university-wide average at 50%, they wondered if more support could help.

“Female engineering graduates came to Dean Larry Benefield and said, ‘Auburn can do better and we want to help,’” said Margaret Arnold, senior director for engineering development who was one of the first staffers to lead the 100+ Women Strong program. “They

came up with the idea to get 100 women involved, and that evolved into 100+ Women Strong. Today, we have grown to more than 260 members and 19 corporate sponsors.”

100+ Women Strong is an annual giving program for alumni and friends of Auburn Engineering to give back through scholarships, corporate networking, mentoring, special events and more.

Through partnering with other on-campus organizations, 100+ Women Strong is able to pursue its mission to recruit, retain and reward women in engineering at Auburn.

Starting as early as the sixth grade, students are exposed to engineering at Auburn through recruitment mailers and special events. Teresa Carden, the program administrator for 100+ Women Strong, believes that one of the most impactful ways to get young girls interested in engineering is to provide them examples of successful women in engineering.

“The motto of the program is, ‘if they can see you, they can be you,’” Carden said. “The engagement that we have from our alumni and friends that believe in the mission of growing women in STEM and in Auburn Engineering is so important.”

Once female students arrive to the College of Engineering, 100+ Women Strong works hard alongside the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) to provide special tutoring and networking opportunities. Isabelle Cochran is a senior in software engineering and serves as the president of SWE. She remembers the nerves she experienced coming to Auburn University’s campus as a minority in engineering.

100+ Women Strong members at the organization’s annual meeting.

“One of my greatest challenges has been having the strength to know that I belong. Being a woman in engineering can sometimes feel out-of-place, as we are a minority,” she said. “Not only has the organization given me lifelong friendships, but it has also empowered me to become a leader within the college and form mentorships with younger students. Attending SWE company visits, I have been introduced to more than 100 individuals in the workforce with the desire to hire women in engineering.”

And Beyond

Herkt, Faulk, Story, Banister and Traylor have all used their unique experiences to support current and future women in engineering through 100+ Women Strong.

“As female engineers, it is so important for us to be available, be visible, to support and to encourage other females, and men, on their journeys,” Faulk said. “We have to share our stories so that they know the challenges we faced, how we dealt with them and how we persevered.”

Since 2013, female enrollment in engineering has grown to 24%. Carden believes there is more to be done.

“The ultimate goal is to see the needle move,” she said. “I think it is to continue to engage female students from a recruitment level. The mission itself, ‘to recruit retain and reward women in engineering,’ is going to continue to be the goal. We want to help achieve the goal of the College of Engineering to be the best student-centered experience in America and we believe, through 100+ Women Strong, we can achieve that.”

Arnold agrees.

“I want there to be so many female faculty in engineering that it doesn’t take the extra support of alumni for the female students to see themselves in the world of engineering. I want the norm to be for us to see just as many women in engineering as we do men,” Arnold said.

Thankfully, Auburn has countless alumni and friends who are also committed to moving that needle.

Select excerpts from this story were taken from Across Three Centuries: A History of Women and Women in Engineering at Auburn University by Art Slotkin. To receive your copy, please contact Teresa Carden at tkc0014@auburn.edu to join 100+ Women Strong.

100+ Women Strong at the organization’s annual New Student Welcome Event.

THE INSTITUTE

Launched in 2022 as the latest extension of Auburn University’s land-grant mission of service, the Auburn University Applied Research Institute is set to take Huntsville by storm.

Google “Huntsville” and “Tech Hub” and you get 21,300 results. Some are on sites you’ve never heard of. Plenty are on those you have. CNBC. Business Insider. The Atlantic.

The CBS article — a Top 10 list — is titled “America’s fastestgrowing tech cities aren’t on the coasts.” Baltimore’s at No. 10, Jackson’s No. 9, Nashville’s No. 8. And it goes on like that all the way down the line — Salt Lake City, Orlando, Kansas City. And then there’s No. 1 — Huntsville.

That story was published six years ago. And Huntsville’s status as a major staging ground for the science and engineering solutions that will help America stay America, the world’s principal player in aerospace, in defense, in cyber, even in biotech, has only grown.

In other words, in the U.S., Huntsville is where the action is. Which is why, now, it’s where Auburn is, like never before.

“Huntsville is trying to meet the needs of the country,” said Steve Taylor, former interim dean of engineering. “And Auburn is going to help meet the needs of Huntsville. That’s the idea behind the Auburn University Applied Research Institute (AUARI).”

That idea was conceived in early 2021 during talks on expanding Auburn’s long-term Rocket City research strategy and cemented

with the purchase and October 2022 grand-opening of the 9-acre, Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus located within minutes of Redstone Arsenal’s Gate 9 entrance. The Institute would serve as a state-of-the-art, multi-million-dollar collaboration engine, conference center and 40,000 square foot research space leveraging the entire Auburn University enterprise, not just the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

“In 2010, our college launched the Huntsville Research Center (HRC) which really championed the Auburn Engineering brand in Huntsville, just on a slightly smaller scale,” Taylor said. “That was an incredible investment that paid off with some really powerful, really impactful partnerships. But over the past few years, it became obvious that we needed to scale up. So, we’re using the dividends from the HRC to double-down on our commitment to extend Auburn’s next-generation resources to the defense, space, biotech and law enforcement agencies and companies in Huntsville, and at Redstone, that are trying to solve serious problems. We think our approach to applied research can help them do that.”

Brock Birdsong, AUARI’s director of research, agreed.

“Applied research is where the rubber meets the road,” Birdsong said. “You’re taking new knowledge generated from research and applying it not to theoretical problems — you’re taking on pressing

The Auburn University Applied Research Institute operates within the Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus only minutes from the Gate 9 entrance to Redstone Arsenal, a 38,000-acre federal research, development, test and engineering center housing NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the Army’s missile, aviation and missile defense programs.

problems in need of real, immediate solutions. You’re getting your hands dirty. That’s how real innovation is born.”

In his new role, Birdsong, a principal research engineer for the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering since 2017, is using his 30 years’ experience as an Army engineer — plus his well-respected defense industry acumen — to mobilize the institute’s Military Robotics/AI Laboratory. The lab will use an applied focus on integrating robotic capabilities in support of Army modernization and serve as a testbed for integration of multiple robotic platforms in multiple environments.

Other labs include the Space Manufacturing Laboratory, with focus areas including on-demand fabrication, structural printing, equipment repair, and recycling and reuse, as well as the Applied Cybernetics Laboratory focused on critical infrastructure, cybersecurity, food and agriculture industries, and public transportation.

Last, but if its most recent acquisition is any indication, no way near the least, there’s the Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) Lab allowing for investigations into the unique properties and constraints of additive manufacturing while aiming to optimize production designs. To those ends, it will house one of only 14 Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) machines in the country, and the first in Alabama. Donated by manufacturer Cincinnatti Inc., the massive BAAM can literally 3D print a car.

“I told you — when we say we’re thinking big up here, we’re thinking big,” Birdsong said with a smile. “That’s what our students deserve, and that’s what our country needs — big ideas and the brains to turn them into reality. Providing the next generation of Auburn Engineers everything we can to ensure that they have the necessary skills and resources to tackle the technological challenges our Huntsville partners are working on 24 hours a day. We’re going to be able to produce great students that can address some serious American workforce gaps because we’re investing in the tools to do it. There will be incredible research conducted in the institute. But it isn’t going to be done in a vacuum. It’s going to be integrated into the college’s mission of providing the best student-centered engineering experience in America.”

The BAAM printer, Taylor said, is a perfect example.

“Our students are going to be able to use and experiment and learn great things from that platform. And there will be industry experts teaching them,” he said.

Donovan Johnson, previously a mechanical engineer for Raytheon Missiles & Defense, one of the world’s largest aerospace and defense manufacturers, was recently hired to head the DfAM Lab.

“That’s a huge machine and it’s going to have a huge payoff,” Taylor said. “It’s an educational experience that other people

don’t offer. Providing our students the opportunities and access to conduct applied research that can immediately solve problems and actually matters, while also offering companies and agencies access to our students, is just going to grow that already wide pipeline between our engineering graduates and Huntsville employers.

“It’s just like that sign over there says.”

Taylor points in the direction of a digital billboard not far from the campus that, for several years, has advertised several of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s marquee initiatives. But an ad appearing at the start of each semester reads:

“6,218 Auburn Engineers started class today — how many will you need?”

“That’s a fun slogan that we use,” he said. “But at the same time, we’re being serious. Auburn engineers are in high demand. In Huntsville, that demand is getting higher every year. The AUARI is already facilitating collaborations and contracts between our faculty and Huntsville government and industry leaders in our strategic research areas because Huntsville wants our expertise. But they don’t just want our research — they want our graduates.”

Birdsong agreed.

“We want more of Huntsville and Huntsville wants more Auburn,” Birdsong said. “The next time you see a story or something in the news about all of the reasons why Huntsville is the Silicon Valley of the South, we want the Auburn University Applied Research Institute to get a line or two.”

But Birdsong says the billboard advertisement announcing the AUARI may have put it best.

“I was driving to the Arsenal last year and I looked up and saw two words,” Birdsong said. “‘More Eagle.’ I thought ‘Exactly.’”

FAMILY TREEDITION

The Elk Cave Farm has been in the Taylor family for six generations, and the roots they’ve planted are now being shared with the world — one sip at a time.

GRAVEL SWITCH, KENTUCKY

N 37°33.476’

W 85°5.1406’

Near the tiny unincorporated area of Gravel Switch, Kentucky, sits a 1,300-acre collection of forest land called the Elk Cave Farm. And there’s something special about the trees in those forests.

These highly productive hardwood forests have deep, deep roots that go back six generations for the family of Steve Taylor, former interim dean of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering who has now assumed the role of Auburn’s senior vice president for research and economic development.

In 1959, Steve’s parents, Clifton and Barbara Taylor, began piecing together parcels of land that some of their ancestors had farmed for nearly 100 years. Clifton and Barbara viewed this as an investment for their family’s future. It only made sense.

Both Clifton and Barbara’s professional careers were dedicated to educating agricultural and forestry producers and families through various positions in the cooperative extension systems at the University of Kentucky and the University of Florida.

Clifton was recognized as Kentucky’s Tree Farmer of the Year in 2017, and then went on to be recognized as one of four regional winners at the national level in 2022 as Regional Tree Farmers of the Year.

It was no surprise to Clifton and Barbara, then, when their son, Steve, decided to pursue a career in research, teaching and outreach that was focused on engineering applied to the forest products industry.

The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“There is a quite that several of our Auburn Engineering family know, and I have come to understand how it connects to my family, as well as connecting to so many in our dedicated alumni and friends,” said Steve. “It says, ‘The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.’ My brother, Scott, and I grew up in a family that planted trees. We knew that not many other kids got to plant trees in their spare time during those chilly winter months in Kentucky, but I’m confident that we didn’t really appreciate how blessed we were.”

From their earliest days, the Taylor boys were privileged to watch their father and mother work hard to leave a legacy for them, even though they didn’t fully understand what their parents already knew — they would not get to see the full fruits of their labor.

For more than 50 years, their farm was certified as part of the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), with an accompanying

Former engineering interim dean Steve Taylor (above, top right) and his family have owned the Elk Cave Farm for generations, with his father, Clifton (right), earning the farm an American Tree Farm System certification in 1970.

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) stamp of approval.

“It recognizes that a landowner is doing things the right way, that they’re managing their forests properly, not just for sustainable timber production but for wildlife, water quality and recreational uses, as well,” Steve said. “It also was a validation of the hard work my mom and dad put in.”

About 10 years ago, Elk Cave Farm became one of the first privately owned tree farms in the state of Kentucky to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This global standard also ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits.

A “Spirit” That is Not Afraid

Not long after the Taylors received the FSC certification, Clifton received a call unlike any other he had received.

Irish Distillers, which is one of Ireland’s producers of some of the world’s most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys, including Jamesons, Middleton’s and Redbreast, had adopted a new commitment to sustainability across all of its business operations. With the U.S. bourbon industry booming in recent years, many producers have been concerned with the sustainability and long-term supply of white oak timber that is used to produce the barrels or casks that are a critical element in the maturation of the spirits. Some visionary leaders with Irish Distillers decided that they needed to find certified sustainable sources of white oak in the U.S. that could help them meet their corporate sustainability goals.

After researching U.S. farms that were FSC and PEFC certified, a representative from the company reached out to the University of Kentucky and was quickly directed to what could be the solution to the problem.

The Taylors, through many years of working with their consulting forester and collaborators at the University of Kentucky, had been experiencing success in regenerating white oak forests.

“Our friends at Irish Distillers quickly saw our family connection to the land, that this is not just some company that’s going out and cutting timber,” Steve said. “We are a family that’s in this for the long haul, a multigenerational operation, and I know they understood our commitment to sustainability.”

Planting Trees

In 2022, Redbreast Kentucky Oak Edition was released to the American market during a product launch event in New York City attended by industry writers, social media influencers and more. The whiskey is described as “triple distilled in copper

pot stills and matured in American Bourbon barrels and Spanish Oloroso Sherry butts, then finished for a minimum of four months in hand selected, air-dried American Oak from the Taylor family Elk Cave Farm in Kentucky. The sweet notes of vanilla and elevated wood spice give you an unmistakable taste of Southern hospitality.”

Much like his father, Steve knows that some of the trees cut from their family farm today will contain spirits that won’t be consumed until well after he is long gone.

Much like his father, he is planting trees.

“In the last few years, our family has been able to experience some very exciting things in the regeneration of white oak — thanks in large part to our forestry professional friends, but also founded on a commitment from our dad and mom,” Steve said. “That commitment to forest management and finding ways to regenerate white oak truly epitomizes that famous quote. These oak regeneration activities may take anywhere from 70 to 100 years to come to fruition, so beyond my mom and dad, even my brother and I and possibly our children will not get to see the final fruits of our labor.

“My dad knew that it was his mission to plant those trees so that others — hopefully his children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren — would see those mature trees and literally sit in

their shade someday and know that our family did that for us,” he added.

The Auburn Engineering Family Connection

For Steve, planting trees means even more when he thinks about his experiences in the Ginn College of Engineering.

“I have heard that this quote has been used by one of our noteworthy engineering benefactors, Rosemary Brown, when she talks about the importance of philanthropy in the success of our college,” Steve said. “I have been blessed in my roles as department head, associate dean and, most recently, as interim dean to see how our donors are making choices to fund scholarships, professorships, funds for excellence and state-ofthe-art facilities such as the Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center. I realize, that in many cases, our donors won’t be able to see the full realization of their investment since it may occur many years in the future. I hope that they can see what I see — their gifts of time, talent and treasure are noble, and they will have meaning to so many Auburn Engineering students, staff and faculty into the future.”

These gifts will allow countless generations of the Auburn Engineering family to sit in that glorious shade under a tree that was planted many years ago.

Elk Cave Farm consists of more than 1,300 acres, piecing together parcels of land that some of the Taylor family had farmed for nearly 100 years.

The ART of Rocketry

AURA members paint vision ‘For Brighter Futures’ during visit to Children’s of Alabama

It didn’t resemble other rockets.

Instead, it was much better.

Adorned with water-colored tigers, astronauts, palm trees and sun bursts painted along the 11-foot-6-inch projectile’s fuselage and wings, the Auburn University Rocketry Association’s (AURA) entry into the NASA University Student Launch Initiative (USLI) competition April 12-17 in Huntsville, featured a handful of special artists.

A team of young patients — with guidance from select AURA members decked out in traditional “game day” Hawaiian shirts — spent the afternoon of Feb. 13 at Children’s of Alabama decorating the high-powered rocket with a special collection of personalities, imagination and style.

“I wish I could shrink myself and go inside the rocket,” said Cole Murphy, a 7-year-old ‘Children’s of Alabama Miracle Kid’ who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was 3 and completed his treatment at the downtown Birmingham hospital in May 2022. “I’d like to be an astronaut and go into space because they have maps. But I might get lost in space, so that would be scary.”

In alignment with the hospital’s “For Brighter Futures” campaign, AURA President Preet Shah, a senior in aerospace engineering, beamed about teaming with Children’s of Alabama, where they can make a small difference.

“Outreach projects such as this give us the opportunity to be kids again,” Shah said. “As we go through engineering studies, there can be a lot of pressure and we sometimes forget how to enjoy ourselves with the little things in life. Here, interacting with and watching these kids makes us happy. Though many of these children have suffered, and the parents have suffered with them, we are confident that with the team and staff at Children’s of Alabama, they have brighter futures.”

Children’s of Alabama, a private, non-profit facility, is the only freestanding medical center in Alabama dedicated to treatment and care of children. Located in the heart of downtown Birmingham, Children’s of Alabama had more than 694,161 patient visits and 16,074 patient admissions in 2022.

Charlie Ann Shepherd, coordinator of Community Development at Children’s, watched as AURA team members gathered paint for the kids and shared, some one-on-one, with patients how the rocket works.

Auburn University Rocketry Association members spent the afternoon of Feb. 13 with Children’s of Alabama patients, helping them decorate their rocket’s fuselage and share stories of rocketry and space.

“Look at these kids. They are having so much fun,” Shepherd said at the event. “When I think of them getting to be a part of something that’s going to fly for Auburn University and the rocketry association, they get the opportunity to tell the story of Children’s Hospital as it soars into the sky. That’s exciting for our children and for the students here working with them.”

Diagnosed with spina bifida in utero, 6-year-old Logan McCool spent the first 30 days of her life inside Children’s neonatal intensive care unit. Countless hours and years of physical therapy later, she is learning to walk in custom orthotics, plays with friends at school and dreams of becoming a veterinarian.

“Today was super special! I had a lot of fun at the paint party,” said the 2022 Local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Champion.

“I painted a rocket ship on the rocket ship, and that’s pretty funny. But hey, I just have to go with it,” McCool said with a laugh. “I painted the rocket ship green and yellow on the wings, and orange on the fire which makes it go into the sky.”

Brian Thurow, the W. Allen and Martha Reed Professor and chair of aerospace engineering, said AURA team members are “truly emblematic of the ideals Auburn Engineering strives to embody.”

“I am extremely proud of the entire AURA team and their participation in this project with Children’s of Alabama,” he said. “As stated in the Auburn Creed, ‘I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.’ This is just as true for our engineering students as it is for any other students on campus. In addition to their noteworthy technical achievements, AURA has a long history of integrating outreach into their club activities.”

Part of Auburn University’s nationally ranked Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, AURA works to manage and connect students with all aspects of rocketry, including design, propulsion, payload, mission analysis and return to earth. Members gain significant hands-on experience, not only in launch vehicle design, but with NASA technical standards, documentation, budget and briefings, all of which are invaluable to a career in the aerospace industry. Through a variety of launch competitions, aerospace companies can acquire a fresh perspective with innovative ideas and research from student teams, which is imperative for America’s endeavors in deep space missions.

“Not everyone will wind up building rockets beyond college, but the teamwork that goes into it is an important aspect of our learning experience,” said Ignacio

Patients at Children’s of Alabama used water color paints to decorate the Auburn Rocketry Association’s fuselage with tigers, rainbows, palm trees, flowers and an astronaut for the team’s rocket used in the NASA-USLI competition in Huntsville April 12-17.

Castro, a senior in aerospace engineering and AURA’s chief engineer. “Professors, they come up to us and say, ‘This is what you’re going to encounter when you’re going to work on a team for a large company.’ We run into problems all the time that need to be resolved and we resolve them ourselves. There are many long nights in the lab, which can be somewhat stressful. But at the end of the day, we get the job done.

“Our team makes for great engineers. They have that real life, hands-on experience that employers want. You can show them something tangible. ‘Hey, look what I’m building. This is what I’ve been working on.’”

Shah said the team learns technical skills in the classrooms, but it has the opportunity to explore what they’ve learned even deeper by building and testing the rockets.

“You gain that insight into what you’re going to learn in class sometimes before you take the class,” he added.

At the NASA USLI competition, teams were assigned weeks of design proposals, interviews and inspection/milestone checks were highlighted by a day of competition that required teams to launch rockets between 4,000 and 6,000 feet.

Official results, based mainly on the design proposals, will not be released until June.

Prior to USLI, AURA – and 13 teams from peer institutions – were challenged March 24-26 at the Argonia (Kansas) Cup to launch a rocket 9,000 feet then drop a golf ball as close to a pre-determined target as possible. In other words, a 5-iron approach shot from the stratosphere.

How close did they come? Only one-fifth of a mile — closest to the pin.

The rocket painted by patients at Children’s of Alabama flew in excess of 4,000 feet at the NASA-USLI competition April 12-17 in Huntsville.

“Argonia was one of our biggest learning experiences to this day,” Shah said. “We were one of only five teams to successfully ignite both stages. We had some issues, but our performances at USLI and Argonia are a validation for all of the hard work and hours we put into our program. The rocket we brought to NASA USLI in Huntsville was special. We might not have won the overall event, but those children are the real champions.”

Castro considered his afternoon at Children’s of Alabama, “by far the most fulfilling thing I’ve done in the four years that I’ve been part of this team.”

“Some of the kids we were collaborating with want to be engineers down the line,” Castro said. “I can’t think of a better way to get them even more inspired and see something exciting. You never know, some of these kids might be next-generation engineers.

“It’s always a special feeling knowing that something you worked on for hours, particularly in a team environment, soars into the sky and completes the tasks you designed it to complete. It’s even more rewarding knowing part of our creation is carrying special handiwork. I hope this is the beginning of a long-lasting partnership between AURA and Children’s of Alabama,” he added.

Lucy Boney, the 2023 Children’s Miracle Network Hospital local champion for Children’s of Alabama, proudly painted a familiar face on the fuselage.

THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE

Nearly 90% of Auburn Engineering graduates gain positive career outcomes within six months after graduation and that number jumps past 90% for students who completed an internship or co-op rotation. These statistics wouldn’t exist if not for the hard work and encouragement of the Auburn Engineering Office of Career Development and Corporate Relations (CDCR).

Located within the Brown-Kopel Center, the Office of Career Development and Corporate Relations (CDCR) offers students a wealth of career-related preparation services, not just in their final approach to graduation but from the moment they enter campus.

“We hear so many students as we work with them over time say, ‘I wish I had accessed the CDCR earlier,’” said Jessica Bowers, manager for career development content and strategy. “We spend a good deal of time with parents at Camp War Eagle while students are registering for courses. We know parents and family members are often the sounding boards in their students’ ears over the course of their education. Something we try to reinforce to them is that if their student will come in the door — they don’t even have to specifically know their question — but if they will come see us, we’ll get the conversation started with them about where to begin and how to approach things step-by-step.”

Since the office opened in 2018, establishing the College of Engineering’s own career office distinct from the university’s Office of Career Discovery and Success, CDCR has become an essential stop for students on their paths to graduation and finding purposeful careers. With four distinct branches — career coaching and programs; career development content and strategy; corporate relations; and cooperative education and internships — the CDCR team brings a collaborative approach to its work where each segment of the office informs the others, leading to the successful model at work today.

“We don’t just want our students to have a job when they graduate, we want them to have the best job,” said Apryl Mullins, assistant

director for corporate relations. “We want them to be excited and empowered when they graduate about their career or their graduate program. We want them to feel like they were supported and cared for while they were here, and we want them to be positioned to have their best life when they graduate.”

Designing Engineering Careers

All Auburn Engineering students are training to become designers of some sort, whether that’s designing physical buildings and roads, or digital systems and processes. Why not train them to design their future careers, too?

“As they’re training to become engineers, they’re training to become designers. We describe the career design process in four parts: design, build, prototype and launch,” Bowers said. “It’s really intended to convey that this is a process and not something that happens overnight, but also to convey that it’s not linear — it’s not necessarily A+B=C when it comes to designing a career.”

Through the career design process, Bowers encourages students to think outside the box and explore all options available to them.

“They have the agency and ability to really explore what they want their career to be and build their way there,” she said.

Last year, Bowers and her team launched an outreach effort to connect with faculty to make in-class career development presentations available as an integrated part of the normal class curriculum.

Established in 2018, the CDCR team assists students in many areas including career fair prep, mock interviews, job searching and salary negotiations.

“In spring 2022 we piloted for the first time the ability for faculty and staff who teach a course to submit a class presentation request,” Bowers said. “We received more than 45 requests in that first semester. In doing so, we reached more than 3,400 students inside classrooms where we delivered a presentation on a career development topic customized for students in the course.”

Such interactive presentations covered career development topics including how to approach career interests and planning from a design perspective. Other skills covered in class presentations included how to build a personal brand, using virtual tools and platforms such as LinkedIn, how to network and build connections with potential employers, and key networking rules such as how to request meetings with professional contacts or after an interview.

“I think this is a really important time in their careers where they need guidance beyond subject matter knowledge,” said Davide Guzzetti, assistant professor of aerospace engineering who hosted CDCR presenters in his Space Mission Design class in the spring of 2022.

For Bowers, incorporating career development topics in the classrooms signals to students the importance of considering these skills as part of their overall engineering education.

“The reason I see this as particularly meaningful is because the institution signals to students what is important, what is a priority,

based on the content and materials integrated in the academic experience” she said. “When we integrate career development topics in the classroom, it signals to students that it matters and that there is a significance to spending time on it. It helps students prioritize it so they are prepared to seek full-time jobs by the time they need to conduct a job search in fall of their senior year.”

Building Students’ Confidence

Before a student is ready to apply for a position or attend a career fair, much preparation work is done with the help of a career coach like Marissa Miller.

As the assistant director of career coaching and programs, Miller interacts with students on a daily basis, assessing where the student is in their career design process and offering tools to help the student grow their confidence and become a stronger candidate.

“Within a career coaching session, we focus predominantly on working one-on-one with students and being able to cover a variety of resources and strategies for how to think about designing that future career path, what are resources that are available for students and provide insight on effective ways to navigate provided resources,” Miller explained. “A lot of times with career services and career coaching, it’s a found resource and it’s one that we hope to uncover early and often for students.”

The office offers a wide variety of career coaching services, including career fair prep, resume and cover letter assistance, interview prep and mock interviews, as well as job and internship searching. Once an offer is received, career coaches are also on hand to navigate the particulars of job, co-op and internship offers and salary negotiations.

“We are here to be able to help build confidence and help students really think about how to articulate what they’re looking for and how to make a confident decision moving forward, whether that’s for an experiential learning experience or for a full-time job postgraduation,” Miller said.

Gaining Real-World Experience

For Jesus Barragan, a sophomore in electrical and computer engineering, seeking out services such as professional resume preparation and application reviews helped him secure a cooperative education position with Southern Company.

“My first week at Auburn University as a student, I went into BrownKopel so that I could find the co-op office and started looking into that process and the requirements for a co-op,” Barragan said.

“The CDCR office was having an event just outside their office that same day. I was able to meet the recruiter and some employees of Southern Company as they were tabling at the event.”

Some may call it luck but to Barragan, it was fate. That initial conversation with Southern Company got his foot in the door and eventually helped him land a position as a protection and control field service engineer co-op student.

“Co-ops and internships are very important in making students marketable when they graduate for full-time engineering positions,” said Edie Irvin, assistant director for cooperative education and internships. “It takes the average college student between six and 18 months to get a job upon graduation. Co-op and internships let students put that job search in their collegiate career versus waiting until after graduation to start the search.”

Auburn University has a long history of cooperative education dating back to 1937.

The university’s co-op office joined CDCR in 2021 to be closer to the majority of the students it serves — more than 90% of all Auburn students who complete a co-op position are pursing engineering degrees. And employers can’t get enough.

“Employers are coming to us seeking out students for co-op positions and internships — the manufacturing industry especially,” Irvin said. “They can take a student through a deep dive into the company. I believe that’s why employers are coming to us. Number one, the quality of engineering students that Auburn puts out. But

How do Auburn engineers gain experience?

Internship

Co-op Research

86% of students experienced positive career outcomes within six months of graduation

92% positive outcome rate for students who completed an internship and/or co-op

also, because we do have a program, we’ve been around since 1937. We can offer employers the structure they need to continue to hire those students.”

For Barragan, the value of the experience has been immeasurable.

“As a first-generation college student and the first engineer in my family, I figured the co-op program would be a great first step into understanding the industry side of engineering prior to graduation,” he said. “I hear from new alumni across engineering fields that they are not satisfied with their new positions right out of college mainly because they did not fully understand the role they were getting into. That is where the co-op program really blossoms as you get real-world experience in a role for a short term to really understand if that role or company is something that would interest you after graduation.”

It Comes Back to the Auburn Creed

“It’s a very exciting time for students to be able to graduate within engineering. The job market is there for them, but then I think the preparation that our career development staff does in helping students figure out what industry they want to be in, what they want to do, the direction they want to take in addition to just being prepared to present themselves and articulate their experiences to employers, I think that’s made a huge difference,” Mullins said.

Similar to the signing day celebrations for future college or professional athletes, SignENG Day is an opportunity for Auburn Engineering students such as Adia Foster (above) to share where they will intern, co-op or work full-time, complete with a celebratory photo.

Employers have taken note and the demand for Auburn Engineering students has never been stronger.

“The hiring of our students and the feedback we receive from employers is that our students are very, very well prepared,” Mullins said. “What our faculty are doing to prepare our students, technically, is very strong, but then I also think that our students have a practical piece to them — they know how to work. I really think it’s the Auburn Creed that sets our students apart from students at other schools of engineering.”

Mandy Ledkins, human resources manager for International Paper, agrees.

“As a lead recruiter at Auburn for International Paper, we enjoy interacting with such talented students in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering,” Ledkins said. “It is crucial to our recruiting efforts around diversity that we continue to meet with all students on campus. Auburn students are well prepared and ready to join the workforce and have the ability to contribute immediately to the success of the company.”

Ledkins emphasized the tailored approach that the CDCR staff bring to their interactions with employers, working to make sure each company has the best experience on campus as possible to maximize their potential future employee pool.

“Apryl and her team strategize on ways each employer can be successful and align students with companies they know they will be successful joining,” Ledkins said. “This approach gives employers the ability to share with interested students the opportunities they have within their organization and that are good fits for companies.”

This customer service-based approach just makes sense to the CDCR team and it’s only one of the reasons why Auburn engineers enjoy such a high employment rate within six months of graduation.

“Students are having success and building a network through their interactions with our office,” Irvin said. “I think we’re helping them understand that the world is a lot bigger than Auburn, Alabama.”

IT’S MY JOB

BY JOE MCADORY

ALLYSON MCKINNEY ’16 Electrical and Computer Engineering SoloPulse CEO and Founder

As CEO of an exciting radar-based system, tell us what SoloPulse is and what it does…

SoloPulse develops proprietary signal processing software which enables radar to perform at its truest, physics defined, potential. Practically, this enables existing radar hardware to produce point cloud resolution radar images at all ranges with a single sensor. SoloPulse plans to begin by partnering with cutting edge automotive innovators to scale them from advanced driver assistance systems to autonomy via our software platform.

How did you become involved in this product’s development?

During graduate school I worked at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). There, Dr. Christopher F. Barnes, an associate professor in electrical and computer engineering, came to a lunch-and-learn to talk about a revolutionary radar technique he had developed. I was so struck by the potential of the technique, I asked my GTRI mentor how I could help develop this technology. He encouraged me to apply for an Independent Research and Development grant, which allows junior level engineers to grow. This was the jumping off point for me in developing SoloPulse technology.

Was this idea possibly sparked at Auburn?

SoloPulse technology was developed at Georgia Tech. However, my experience at Auburn provided me with foundational knowledge that the wave theory is consistent in both radar and optics. This was critical for me as SoloPulse is rooted in wave theory. Because I spent most of my undergraduate time at Auburn exploring different fields, it wasn’t until my final semester that I found the technical focus that I love — radar. Having only one semester of radar made me want to go back to graduate school to learn more.

Any fresh, new ideas on the horizon?

Within the next two years at SoloPulse, we plan to prove our software solution allows radar — currently deployed on automotive vehicles — to experience a 10 times performance improvement. This will be proved out on data collected from an autonomous vehicle track in Atlanta. The world has been waiting for autonomous vehicles for a long time. We at SoloPulse believe our solution just might be the missing piece.

Which engineering-related student organizations were you involved in at Auburn?

I was a Cupola. Cupola was one of the most formative organizations for me. Being a Cupola taught me to be a leader and how to be well-spoken, which is not always something people teach as a priority for engineers. Also, being a Cupola allowed me

to meet some amazing Auburn alums — providing inspiration for me that one day I can be as successful as them.

How did your Auburn electrical engineering education best prepare you not only for advancing your academic career via grad school, but to create a company?

Auburn’s electrical engineering program gave me a broad understanding of the world of engineering. I was able to explore multiple focuses inside electrical engineering, which gave me a strong fundamental base to connect different parts of the engineering discipline. One professor who had a great impact on my understanding that different disciplines are all connected was Dr. Stuart Wentworth (associate professor in chemical engineering). He shared with us that his undergrad degree was in chemical engineering, but his doctoral work was technically in electrical engineering. The idea that engineers don’t have to stay in one lane was extremely fundamental in my professional growth.

You were named as a Forbes Under 30 lister. What does this honor mean to you personally and professionally?

Being an under 30 Forbes lister has been one of the most humbling and exciting experiences of my life. To be recognized amongst such amazing people is an honor in and of itself. Personally, this award feels all-encompassing. I have put in a lot of work on my technical and business development while taking some big risks. This award makes the blood, sweat and tears all worth it. It also has made me incredibly thankful for my family and community for all their support in getting here.

Regarding SoloPulse, the Forbes honor validates our trajectory and has opened so many doors for us from investors to potential collaborators.

Engineering and entrepreneurship often go together. Why do you believe this is true?

Engineering and entrepreneurship absolutely go hand in hand. Entrepreneurship is about seeing people have a problem/pain point and creating the solution. Engineering is about finding, solving and preventing problems. I think the greatest thing an engineer that wants to be an entrepreneur can do is learn about customer discovery. If enough people say they have a problem and you believe you have the solution, you have a product and maybe even a business!

Be the Creed

BY JEREMY HENDERSON

AFRAH KHAN Graduate Student Civil and Environmental Engineering

There’s a test in reinforced concrete this afternoon. It won’t be easy. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. Because challenges, says Afrah Khan, are opportunities. And that’s what she loves about Auburn — the opportunities. The opportunity to teach in different subjects, the opportunities to do research in world-class facilities.

“The new structures lab is amazing,” she said. “I’m getting my master’s in construction engineering but I’m taking supplemental classes in structural engineering because I want to challenge myself, and the opportunities Auburn provides for that are so impressive” — even more impressive than the former LSU soccer standout may have realized.

This morning, she went online and found a doctoral student in

Turkey studying the same things — tensile stress, portlandite, all that stuff. She sent him some questions. He sent her a question, too.

“Oh, wow — you go to Auburn?”

“I guess it’s not really that shocking,” Khan said. “Auburn has a well-respected civil engineering program. Still, here’s a guy in Turkey impressed that I go to Auburn.”

After graduation, Khan wants to start her own construction company. Modular homes, she says — that’s the future.

“Modular homes let you add on, take away, and constantly change your house with what suits the progression of your life,” she said. “That’s the trend I want to focus on.”

Listen to our podcast with Afrah Khan at eng.auburn.edu/ginning

She just has to pass that test first.

I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men.

BY CASSIE MONTGOMERY

JEFF FERGUS Associate Dean

Undergraduate Studies and Program Assessment

Jeff Fergus has always put students first, whether that’s the graduate students working under his advisement or underserved engineering student populations. In his current role as associate dean for undergraduate studies and program assessment, that sentiment takes on a much larger meaning. It encompasses the entire undergraduate student body in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

“I would hope students would say I had their best interests in mind and that I was there to try to help them progress in their studies, graduate and be successful,” he said when asked how his former students would describe him. “I think we need to think of what’s best for the student first, and I would hope that’s what they thought I was trying to do.”

Throughout his more than 30 years on The Plains, Fergus’s passion for helping underserved engineering students, including underrepresented minorities, women and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, has continued to grow.

“There’s the social justice side where I’ve tried to work to create opportunities for those who didn’t have them and then there’s a business case for diversity. It’s not just about doing the right thing, but it’s about doing things right. In the context of engineering education, it’s about preparing our students to be able to work with people who are different from them and design solutions for people that are not like them,” he said. “This is what we need to do to prepare our students to be successful, wellrounded engineers.”

I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.

BY AUSTIN PHILLIPS

KELLEY TERRY Director, Research Program Development and Grants Engineering Business Office

Since 2017, the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering has more than tripled its annual new research awards and grants per year to more than $76 million.

And Kelley Terry has played a vital role in making that happen.

Terry, director of research program development and grants, joined the college in 2017 after serving 17 years with the College of Agriculture, from which she graduated in agriculture business and economics in 1995.

The timing of Terry’s arrival to the College of Engineering and the upward trajectory of the college’s research trajectory is no coincidence.

In her role, Terry provides direction for daily sponsored programs operations in the college, coordinates educational programs related to sponsored programs efforts by faculty and staff and manages proposal reviews for the engineering administration, the Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus in Huntsville and the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security. In addition, she ensures the college is up to date and compliant with all state and federal regulations.

While she loves many aspects of her job, it’s working with faculty members and assisting in their successes that brings her the most joy. And although she treasures the moments when faculty receive multi-million-dollar grants or awards, it’s those first grants that are worth it the most.

“Helping junior faculty with their first proposal, helping them land their first grant and knowing I contributed to their success is why we love our jobs here in the college,” Terry said. “That’s a milestone in their career, and we hope it is just the first of many.”

I believe in my Country, because it is a land of freedom, and because it is my own home, and that I can best serve that country by doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my God.

BY BETHANY DEUEL

METRICK HOUSER, ’93 Chemical Engineering Director of Global Sourcing North America/Europe, Sylvamo

“The pride of being an Auburn engineer is awesome,” said Metrick Houser, ’93 chemical engineering.

Houser serves as the director of global sourcing North America/ Europe at Sylvamo in Memphis, Tennessee. His focus on pulp and paper while earning his undergraduate degree, as well as his master’s degree in business administration he earned from Auburn in 2001, help him lead all aspects of global sourcing from manufacturing raw materials to supply chain.

As a young alumnus, Houser quickly became involved with the university, thanks to help from Dennis Weatherby. As the inaugural director of the Center for Inclusive Engineering

Excellence (then the Minority Engineering Program), Weatherby encouraged Houser to stay involved through visiting campus to speak to student groups along with getting involved in the Alumni Engineering Council.

“He and I worked together a lot. I could see his passion for what he was doing, and I thought ‘hey, if he’s that passionate about it, I can be equally as passionate about it,’” Houser said.

Today, Houser is involved on campus as a Board Member of the Alumni Association, Auburn Alumni Engineering Council and the Department of Chemical Engineering Alumni Council with hopes to be an example to current Auburn Engineering students, especially African American students with a similar background.

“I hope to show a path to students so they can see themselves down the road getting an opportunity to excel in their career and enjoy their life to the fullest. I think Auburn absolutely provides its alumni with that ability to be what they want to be in life.”

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.

FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS

million contract from Radiance Technologies Inc. This effort will study different positioning, navigation and timing methods for space and cyberspace.

Brendon Allen, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, received a $472,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for the project “Safe Lyapunov-Based Deep Neural Network Adaptive Control of a Rehabilitative Upper Extremity Hybrid Exoskeleton.” Chad Rose, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Jaimie Roper, associate professor of kinesiology, are collaborators on this project.

Imon Chakraborty, assistant professor of aerospace engineering, was elected Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Manufacturing Technology Group for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for 2022-23. In 2022, Harris gave an invited presentation to the Defense Manufacturing Conference General Session and served on the Advanced Manufacturing Enterprise Session Planning Committee for the Defense Manufacturing Conference.

Majid Beidaghi, associate professor of materials engineering, was recognized as a Rising Star of Science by Research.com. He is ranked 137 out of 644 researchers worldwide.

Jeff Fergus, associate dean for undergraduate studies and program assessment and professor of materials engineering, visited the University of Indonesia as a Fulbright Specialist to support curriculum development related to outcomebased approaches and the incorporation of experiential learning in mechanical engineering and other engineering disciplines.

David Bevly, the Bill and Lana McNair Distinguished Professor of mechanical engineering, received a $1.4

Gregory Harris was named chair of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. He was also made the SME Member Council Chair for 2023 and was appointed to the Intelligent

Roy Hartfield, Walt and Virginia Woltosz Professor in aerospace engineering, was selected to receive the 2023 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aerodynamics Award. This award is presented for meritorious achievement in the field of applied aerodynamics, recognizing notable contributions in the development, application and evaluation of aerodynamic concepts and methods and is sponsored by the AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Technical Committee.

Brendan Higgins, associate professor of biosystems engineering, is the principal investigator on a $9.95 million

grant to transform controlled environment agriculture (CEA). This project will reduce the demand for heating and cooling in CEA foodproduction environments, improve the overall efficiency of CEA climate-controlled environments, lower the carbon intensity of resource inputs, and shift consumer and producer behavior surrounding CEA products and practices. Auburn Engineering coPIs include Sushil Adhikari, professor, Department of Biosystems Engineering; David Blersch, associate professor, Department of Biosystems Engineering; Hossein Jahromi, assistant research professor, Department of Biosystems Engineering; and Daniela Marghitu, Department of Computer Science & Software Engineering.

Ali Khosravi, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, is the lead investigator on a $197,550 Alabama Department of Transportation grant to develop a system to detect movements along highways that may indicate failures

like sinkholes or landslides are developing. Jack Montgomery, associate civil and environmental engineering professor, is a collaborator on the project.

from Geeks and Nerds Inc. to study Shifted Carrier Phases for alternative methods of navigation.

PROMOTIONS and TENURE

The following faculty were promoted from associate professor to professor:

Brian Anderson

civil and environmental

Robert Barnes

Shiwen Mao, the Earle C. Williams Eminent Scholar and professor of electrical and computer engineering, was appointed to be the editor-inchief of IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking. Additionally, along with his students, Mao won the Best Journal Paper Award from IEEE Communications Society eHealth Technical Committee. Mao also won the Distinguished Service Award from the IEEE Communications Society eHealth Technical Committee for his exemplary service to eHealth-TC over a sustained period of time.

Jack Montgomery, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, is the principal investigator on a $234,648 grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation to improve methods to characterize bridge sites and identify sites that may be at more risk from earthquakes. Robert Barnes, Brasfield & Gorrie Professor of civil and environmental engineering, is a collaborator.

Yin Sun, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, is serving as editor of IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking, and is also serving as associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering. He will also be a guest editor for the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Information Theory special issue on “The Role of Freshness and Semantic Measures in the Transmission of Information for Next Generation Networks.”

civil and environmental

Gregory Harris

industrial and systems

Peter He

chemical

Jeffrey LaMondia

civil and environmental

Richard Sesek

industrial and systems

Jose Vasconcelos

civil and environmental

The following faculty were promoted from assistant professor to associate professor with tenure:

Xiaowen Gong

electrical and computer

Ujjwal Guin

electrical and computer

Masatoshi Hirabayashi

aerospace

Masoud Mahjouri-Samani

electrical and computer

Frances O’Donnell

civil and environmental

Scott Martin, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, received a $490,000 contract from the Missile Defense Agency. This effort includes assessment feedback loops for layered defense methods. He also received a $427,000 award

Alice Smith, Joe W. Forehand/Accenture

Distinguished Professor of industrial and systems engineering with a joint appointment in computer science and software engineering, was named a Life Fellow of IEEE and an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer for 2023-2025. Smith gave invited seminars at the University of Southern California and Rutgers University. Smith also recently earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Auburn University.

Yi Wang, associate biosystems engineering professor, is the principal investigator on a $300,000 grant from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture titled “Towards a sustainable bioeconomy: Biotransformation of paper mill sludge for value-added chirally pure (R)-1,3butanedoil production.”

Zhihua Jiang, Auburn Pulp and Paper Foundation associate professor of chemical engineering, is the co-PI on the project.

Michael Perez

civil and environmental

Vrishank Raghav

aerospace

David Roueche

civil and environmental

Jorge Rueda-Benavides

civil and environmental

Daniel Silva Izquierdo

industrial and systems

Yin Sun

electrical and computer

The following faculty were awarded tenure:

Eduard Muljadi

electrical and computer

Shuai Shao

mechanical

Mark Yampolskiy

computer science and software

THE AWARD GOES TO...

The State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame inducted five individuals — including two Auburn University alumni — and a corporation during a ceremony in February at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center.

This year’s inductees from the university included Tom Talbot, ’52 mechanical engineering, and Mike Wicks, ’87 mechanical engineering. Dynetics Inc. of Huntsville was inducted into the corporation category.

Tim McCartney, ’80 civil engineering, was also selected for the Class of 2023, but will be inducted at next year’s ceremony due to a scheduling conflict.

Tom Talbot, ’52 / Mechanical Engineering

Tom Talbot graduated from Auburn University in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He then went on to earn a master’s degree from the California Institute of Technology in 1953 and a doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1964, both in mechanical engineering. After earning his degrees, he embarked on a successful engineering career that spanned more than six decades in which he served his country, helped shape future engineers through academia and applied his knowledge in service to the greater mechanical engineering field through private

industry and professional consulting. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1953-56 at Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma, Tennessee, where he applied his expertise as a project engineer for mechanical areas of ram jet addition to the engine test facility. He would remain a member of the Air Force Active Reserve from 1956-85, retiring at the rank of Brigadier General. For his service, Talbot was awarded the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medals.

His distinguished career included experience with U.S. Steel prior to founding three Alabama-based businesses in Thomas Talbot Consulting, American Alloy Products and Vista Engineering Accident Reconstruction. As a professional engineer, Talbot served for more than 30 years on the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, with leadership roles including chairman, vice chairman and secretary. He also made an impact on generations of engineers inside the classroom. He served as assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech, associate professor of materials science and mechanical

This year’s inductees included Mike Wicks (far right) and the late Tom Talbot, who was represented by John J. Cassimus, a lifelong friend, former student and protégé of Talbot; and daughters Grace Talbot Pate, Teresa Talbot and Melanie Talbot Booker.

design at Vanderbilt University and finally as associate professor, professor, director of continuing engineering education and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UAB.

Talbot was a dedicated supporter of Auburn University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, giving generously and serving on its advisory board. For his support, the college named the Thomas F. and Donna K. Talbot Measurements and Instrumentation Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Wiggins Hall in his honor. He was a member of the university’s Foy Society and the college’s Ginn and Eagle Societies.

Mike Wicks, ’87 /

Mechanical Engineering

Mike Wicks earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn University in 1987. That same year, Wicks began work as a mechanical engineer with the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center at Redstone Arsenal. During his career, he contributed significantly to advancing the state of the art in tactical missile design. Key accomplishments include his leading-edge work on the advanced kinetic energy missile system in the 1990s. This Army science and technology development effort focused on cutting edge enhancements for antitank weapons through the use of kinetic energy projectiles. His efforts demonstrated the advantages of kinetic energy projectiles over current state-of-the-art systems employing energetic or shape charge warheads against threat systems with advanced reactive armor.

His significant engineering contributions extended into technology development for self-contained missile launch systems. As the technical lead for the container launched weapon system (CLAW) Program, he matured technology related to efficient packaging of missile subcomponents, characterization of plume launch effects, missile control authority during unique physical parameters such as low speed tip over and first ever self-locating networked communications. The technologies developed under his guidance

transitioned into a formal Army program of record entitled non-line of sight (NLOS) missile system.

In 2001, he co-founded Summit Research Corporation. While serving as its president and CEO, the company grew to more than 100 employees in four years. The business was acquired by Digital Fusion Solutions Inc. in 2005, and he went on to serve as executive vice president of research and engineering, COO and, ultimately, as president in 2008. Digital Fusion Solutions was subsequently acquired by Kratos Defense and Security Solutions in 2008, and he was appointed as vice president and general manager of the Division, successfully expanding the customer base and market penetration of the organization. In 2009, he transitioned to serve as CEO of newly founded i3, a company specializing in advanced hypersonic weapon system design; development and manufacturing; virtual training application development; and implementation of cyber and systems engineering. Under his leadership, i3 grew to nearly 800 employees with an annual revenue of more than $220 million. In 2020, he transitioned to the vice president of Hypersonics Engineering and Accelerated Technologies at Lockheed Martin.

Wicks and his wife, Christine, are recognized in the Huntsville community for their active participation and significant contributions to a wide variety of charitable organizations.

Their personal contributions have been instrumental in establishing the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology as the premier research institute in the state of Alabama.

Their efforts have also significantly expanded the missions and sphere of influence for notable local charitable organizations to include the National Children’s Advocacy Center, Health Establishments at Local Schools, Hunter-Stephenson Animal Rescue and the Village of Promise.

The State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame was chartered by the governor in 1987 to honor those individuals, corporations and projects associated with the state that have brought credit to the engineering profession. Only 200 engineers, 50 projects and 35 firms have been recognized by the hall. These inductees span from border to border, across all industries, and personify the impact engineering has played on the economy, quality of life and standard of living for the people of Alabama. The Hall of Fame is overseen by engineering colleges and schools at Auburn University, Alabama A&M University, the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Tuskegee University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Alabama in Huntsville and the University of South Alabama.

LIFETIME OF SERVICE...

Lifetime Achievement Award recipients for 2023 from the College of Engineering included Charles McCrary, ’73 mechanical engineering; Tom Walter, ’55 engineering physics; and Mike McCartney, ’57 civil engineering. The Young Alumni Award recipient was Rose-Gaëlle Belinga, ’09 software engineering.

Charles McCrary, ’73 / Mechanical Engineering

Charles McCrary graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1973 before earning his juris doctor from the Birmingham School of Law in 1978. Following his freshman year at Auburn in 1970, he joined the Alabama Power Company and, following graduation, worked for the company in various positions in engineering, system planning, fuels and environmental affairs. In 2001, McCrary was named president and CEO of Alabama Power, where he brought his culture of consistently applied best practices to a company responsible for providing electricity to 1.4 million customers in the state of Alabama. Under his leadership, Southern Company Generation became the largest electric producer in the Southeast and the leader in environmental awareness. He retired from Alabama Power in 2014 but continues to serve as independent chair of the Board of Directors for Regions Financial Corporation and as a director of Great Southern Woods Holding.

McCrary has served his hometown of Birmingham, as well as

Auburn University, in innumerable ways. While a student at Auburn, he was a member of Lambda Chi fraternity. He served Auburn as a member of the Board of Trustees from 2004-22 and serves on the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council, the Engineering Strategic Leadership Team, the Engineering Keystone Society and the Engineering Ginn Society. In Birmingham, he serves on the Auburn University President’s Advisory Council Birmingham, or ACBHM, and has served as chairman of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and chairman of the Birmingham Urban Revitalization Partnership. He served on the boards of AmSouth Bancorporation, Children First Foundation, Business Council of Alabama, Children’s Hospital, the Birmingham Museum of Art, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc., Metropolitan Development Board and the State of Alabama Archives and History Foundation.

McCrary was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Alabama Business Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2014, he was awarded the first Lifetime Achievement Award by

Five Auburn graduates, including four engineers, received the highest honor given by the Auburn Alumni Association at Auburn’s 2023 Lifetime Achievement Awards. Pictured are (L-R) John Morris, senior vice president for Auburn Advancement and president, Auburn University Foundation; Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Charles McCrary ’73; John Walter, Dale Walter and Jeff Walter, sons of Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Tom Walter ’55; Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Bobby Lowder ’64; Young Alumni Achievement recipient Rose-Gaëlle Belinga ’09; Tim McCartney ’80, son of Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Mike McCartney ’57 (awarded posthumously); and LuAnne Hart ’80, president, Auburn Alumni Association Board of Directors.

the United Negro College Fund Birmingham for his contribution to educational advancement, minority advocacy and community development. In 2015, the Alabama Power Foundation honored McCrary by founding the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security at Auburn University to advance the research and development of new energy system technologies to improve the reliability and security of the power grid and related civil and industrial infrastructure critical to our nation’s operations. McCrary and his wife, Phyllis, are members of the 1856 Society, the Petrie Society, the Foy Society and are life members of the Auburn Alumni Association.

Tom Walter, ’55 / Engineering Physics

Tom Walter attended Auburn on a U.S. Navy ROTC scholarship and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics. Following graduation, he served in the Navy, initially aboard an Atlantic fleet destroyer and later with the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project. After separating from the military in 1959, Walter worked as a circuit design engineer at Texas Instruments and later as a systems engineer at IBM. In 1962, he was licensed as a professional engineer and joined Electronic Data Systems, or EDS, a startup information service company founded by Ross Perot. During his tenure at EDS, Walter served in numerous managerial capacities, including senior vice president, chief financial officer and as a member of the board of directors.

In 1989, Perot honored Walter with a gift to Auburn to establish the Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management, which also funds an eminent scholar chair in technology management. The Walter Center unites business people, engineers and faculty seeking the best balance of technological and managerial knowhow to win in the global marketplace. A milestone in this area was reached with the inauguration of a joint program between the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the Harbert College of Business, leading to a minor in business-engineering-technology. Most recently, Walter made a gift to the college to expand capabilities of the university’s MRI Center. For his commitment and dedication, the college renamed the center as the Thomas Walter MRI Center in his honor.

Walter served on the Auburn University Foundation Board of Directors for 18 years. He was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2003.

Mike McCartney, ’57 / Civil Engineering

Mike McCartney earned his degree in civil engineering from Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn University), where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Following graduation, he worked with the Florida State Road Department before joining Cone Brothers Contracting Company of Tampa, Florida. In 1962, he returned to Gadsden to join his father, M.H. McCartney, and to operate the family-owned McCartney Construction Company Inc. and Calhoun Asphalt Company Inc. that was in business from 1945-2018.

In 1986, McCartney was instrumental in bringing the National Center for Asphalt Technology, or NCAT, to the Auburn campus and served as a founding board member. McCartney served as a member of the Auburn University Board of Trustees from 1979-93, serving as president pro tem for five years.

He received many honors from Auburn, including an honorary membership in Chi Epsilon Engineering Society, Auburn Engineering Alumni Council’s Distinguished Auburn Engineer Award and Auburn’s highest honor, a Doctor of Science degree (Honoris Causa) in 1994. He was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Alabama Roadbuilders Hall of Fame in 2008.

Rose-Gaëlle Belinga, ’09 / Software Engineering

Rose-Gaëlle Belinga earned her bachelor’s degree in software engineering in 2009 and her master’s in computer science and computer engineering in 2012. Her fascination with technology started at an early age in the library of her hometown of Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. As a young girl, Belinga spent hours reading books about inventors and their creations, which led to her focus on mathematics and physics in high school and inspired her passion to implement technology-based solutions to benefit the wider community.

She moved to the United States to attend Auburn, where she also was a graduate research assistant in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering Intelligent and Interactive Systems Laboratory, as well as an information technology assistant in the College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, which today is the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment. After completing a summer internship in Morgan Stanley’s Prime Brokerage Technology department, Belinga joined the firm’s technology analyst program, TAP, in 2012. She is the vice president in enterprise and technology services, where she focuses on implementing and maintaining the firmwide web and mobile engineering infrastructure for institution users. She also co-chairs the Spatial Computing (AR/VR/MR) group as part of the Global Technology Innovation Program, which connects business leaders and innovators to solve the firm’s business challenges.

Belinga volunteers as a technology educator through the Girls

Who Code summer immersion program, a teaching assistant at underserved high schools throughout New York and an interviewer, scholarship reviewer and tech proposal coach for AnitaB.org, an organization that supports women in technology.

Presented by the Auburn Alumni Association, the Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes recipients for outstanding achievements in their professional lives, personal integrity and stature and service to the university. It was established in 2001 to honor extraordinary accomplishments by members of the Auburn Family. Recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards are selected by a committee of Auburn administrators, trustees, faculty and alumni.

GIVING THE AUBURN EXPERIENCE

After an injury derailed Cullen Bryant’s dream of becoming a naval officer days before reporting to the U.S. Naval Academy, fate redirected him to Auburn University. Auburn has provided the aerospace engineering senior with new avenues to serve his country in the defense industry. “I can’t fly the planes anymore,” he said. “I might as well build them.”

Bryant’s Auburn Experience was made possible through scholarships, including one which was created by 1959 Auburn alumnus Bo Davidson through an estate gift.

As you plan for the future, please consider how an estate gift can change the lives of students like Cullen Bryant. Contact our gift planning specialists to learn how you can create a meaningful and tax-saving gift that will impact Auburn for generations.

Simple ways to create your legacy at Auburn

• Make a gift through your will or living trust

• Designate Auburn as a beneficiary on a bank or retirement account

• Give Auburn a life insurance policy you no longer need

• Make a gift that pays you a fixed or variable income

• Donate appreciated assets and receive a generous tax break

CUPOLA REPORT

GINN SOCIETY

KEYSTONE SOCIETY planned gifts

Annual FUNDS

endowment FUNDS

We have made every attempt to accurately reflect donor information . If you notice a discrepancy, please contact Rachel Jordan in the Office of Advancment at 334-844-2736 or racheljordan@auburn.edu.

For a listing of donors who gave prior to 2022, please see previous spring issues of the Cupola Report at eng.auburn.edu/magazine.

KEYSTONE SOCIETY

The Engineering Keystone Society consists of alumni and friends who recognize the importance of private support to the college’s ongoing success. These members have risen to the challenge of moving the college boldly into the future by making the highest commitment of annual giving – $50,000 or more – to the college’s unrestricted fund over a five-year period. Our sustaining members continue this commitment for more than five years. These gifts allow Auburn Engineering to be nimble in planning and take advantage of emerging educational opportunities.

Mr. Thomas Denny Anspach ’94 & Mrs. Aneda Chandler Anspach ’95

Mr. Michael Patrick Batey ’79 & Mrs. Elizabeth Batey

Ms. Leslee Belluchie ’83 & Mr. Rick Knop

Mr. Felix C. “Kit” Brendle Jr. ’73 & Mrs. Gail Williams Brendle ’76

Mr. James Harrison Carroll Jr. ’54* & Mrs. Betty McNeice Carroll*

Mr. Patrick Thomas Carroll ’87

Mr. Steven Glenn Cates ’85 & Mrs. Lyn Cates

Mr. J. Edward Chapman Jr. ’56*

Mr. Randall Clark Chase ’85 & Mrs. Beth R. Chase

Mr. Shawn Edward Cleary ’82 & Mrs. Anne M. Cleary ’82

Mr. James L. Cooper Jr. ’81 & Mrs. Anna B. Cooper

Mr. Joseph Lamar Cowan ’70 & Mrs. Jo Ann Culpepper Cowan ’69

Mr. Kevin Thomas Cullinan ’09

Mr. William J. Cutts ’55

Dr. Julian Davidson ’50* & Mrs. Dorothy Davidson*

Mr. Michael Arthur DeMaioribus ’76 & Mrs. Leta DeMaioribus

Mr. Joe D. Edge ’70 & Mrs. Jayne W. Edge ’71

Mrs. Linda Ann Figg ’81 & Mr. Richard Drew

Mr. C. Warren Fleming ’43*

Mr. Phillip Alan Forsythe ’81 & Mrs. Margaret Long Forsythe ’81

Mr. Charles Earley Gavin III ’59 & Mrs. Marjorie Frazier-Gavin

Mr. Charles E. Gavin IV ’82* & Mrs. Kimberly Kocian Gavin ’83

Mr. Gary Ross Godfrey ’86 & Mrs. Carol J. Godfrey ’86

Mr. Ralph B. Godfrey ’64 & Mrs. Lynda Godfrey

Mr. Christopher Lynn Golden ’96 & Mrs. Carmen Ingrando Golden

Mr. Glenn Harold Guthrie ’62 & Mrs. Carol Guthrie

Mr. Robert Otto Haack Jr. ’83 & Mrs. Margaret Fuller Haack ’83

Mr. William George Hairston III ’67 & Mrs. Paula Hairston

Mr. William F. Hayes ’65 & Mrs. Patricia Walkden Hayes

Mr. John P. Helmick Jr. ’56 & Mrs. Claudette Helmick

Maj. James M. Hoskins ’81 & Mrs. Bertha T. Hoskins ’80

Mr. John Kenneth Jones ’59 & Mrs. Jo R. Jones

Mr. Byron R. Kelley ’70 & Mrs. Melva B. Kelley

Mr. Lester Killebrew Sr. ’68 & Mrs. Catherine V. Killebrew ’69

Dr. Oliver D. Kingsley Jr. ’66 & Mrs. Vandalyn Kingsley

Mr. Minga Cecil LaGrone Jr. ’51* & Mrs. Novan LaGrone

Mr. Ronald Craig Lipham ’74 & Mrs. Lynda Lipham

Mr. John Andrew MacFarlane ’72 & Mrs. Anne Warren MacFarlane ’73

Mr. Gary Clements Martin ’57

Dr. Michael B. McCartney ’57*

Mr. James D. McMillan ’61 & Mrs. Paula Stapp McMillan ’65

Mr. Joe McMillan ’58 & Mrs. Billie Carole McMillan

Mr. William R. McNair ’68 & Mrs. Lana McNair

Mr. Morris G. Middleton ’61*

Mr. Charles Donald Miller ’80 & Mrs. Lisa Q. Miller

Mr. Joseph Austin Miller ’83 & Mrs. Donna J. Miller ’84

Mr. David R. Motes ’77

Dr. Robert Mark Nelms ’ 80

Mr. David Kenneth Owen ’77 & Mrs. Olivia Kelley Owen ’77

Mr. Howard E. Palmes ’60 & Mrs. Shirley Palmes

Mr. Earl B. Parsons Jr. ’60 & Mrs. Nancy Parsons

Mr. Hal N. Pennington ’59 & Mrs. Peggy Pennington

Mr. Gerald L. Pouncey Jr. Esq. ’82 & Mrs. Bonnie Pouncey

Mr. Richard Davison Quina ’48* & Mrs. Marjorie Quina*

Mr. Thomas Leonard Ray ’69 & Mrs. Barbara Ray

Mr. William Allen Reed ’70 & Mrs. Martha Reimer Reed ’69

Mr. William Burch Reed ’50* & Mrs. Elizabeth Reed*

Mr. Carl A. Register ’63 & Mrs. Joan T. Register

Mr. Edgar L. Reynolds ’70* & Mrs. Peggy Reynolds

Mr. Harry Glen Rice ’77* & Mrs. Gail G. Rice

Mr. Richard Young Roberts ’73 & Mrs. Peggy Frew Roberts ’74

Mr. Charles Philip Saunders ’74

Mr. George M. Sewell ’59* & Mrs. Rita Gillen Sewell

Mr. Albert James Smith Jr. ’47* & Mrs. Julia Collins Smith ’99*

Mr. Douglas W. Smith ’12 & Mrs. Jill Smith

Mr. Zeke Walter L. Smith ’82 & Mrs. Darlene P. Smith

Mr. John Albert Smyth Jr. ’70 & Mrs. Melanie Whatley Smyth ’70

Mr. Paul Joseph Spina Jr. ’63 & Mrs. Bena Ann Spina

Mr. James H. Stewart Jr. ’60 & Mrs. Zula Stewart*

Dr. Linda J. Stone ’79 & Mr. Jeffrey Ira Stone ’79

Mr. Anthony Joseph Topazi ’73*

Mr. George Egbert Uthlaut ’54* & Mrs. Dorothy S. Uthlaut ’54*

Mr. Jeffrey Norman Vahle ’85 & Mrs. Harriet Woodbery Vahle’ 84

Mr. Mark David Vanstrum ’79

Mr. William J. Ward ’55* & Mrs. Rubilyn Wells Ward

Mr. William E. Warnock Jr. ’74 & Mrs. Rebecca C. Warnock

Mr. Leroy L. Wetzel ’59* & Mrs. Nell S. Wetzel

Mr. Dwight L. Wiggins Jr. ’62 & Mrs. Bonnie Wiggins

Dr. Walter Stanley Woltosz ’69 & Mrs. Virginia Woltosz

GINN SOCIETY

Auburn Engineering’s Ginn Society is named for the visionary and philanthropic leadership of Samuel L. Ginn, a 1959 industrial management graduate and the college’s namesake. The Ginn Society acknowledges cumulative giving of $25,000 or more to the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

Mr. Robert S. Abrams & Mrs. Marilyn Abrams

Mr. Joseph W. Ackerman ’60

Gen. Jimmie V. Adams ’57 & Mrs. Judy T. Adams

Mr. James T. Adkison Jr. ’71 & Mrs. Dianne Booker Adkison ’71

Mr. Lewis S. Agnew Jr. ’04 & Mrs. Kathryn Rooney Agnew

Mr. Robert S. Aicklen ’73 & Mrs. Patricia P. Aicklen ’74

Mr. Charles S. Aiken Jr. ’73 & Mrs. Catherine C. Aiken

Mr. John Boswell Allen ’66

Ms. Jennifer D. Alley

Ms. Barbara Allison

Mr. J. Gregory Anderson ’88 & Mrs. Kimberly Anderson

Mr. John P. Anderson ’76 & Mrs. Cynthia M. Anderson ’76

Mr. Pete L. Anderson P.E. ’75

Ms. Susan E. Anderson ’90

Mr. Gerald B. Andrews Sr. ’59 & Mrs. Claire S. Andrews ’73

Mr. Thomas Denny Anspach ’94 & Mrs. Nicole Chandler Anspach ’95

Mr. Stephen Tate Armstrong ’96 & Mrs. Kathleen Meadows Armstrong ’96

Dr. Hollis David Arnold ’71 & Mrs. Lisa Olivia Arnold ’87

Mr. Peter Arnold & Mrs. Mary W. Arnold

Mr. Timothy Michael Arnold ’94 & Mrs. Margaret Schlereth Arnold

Lt. Col. Mike Askew ’87 & Mrs. Susan Sumners Askew ’87

Mr. Thomas Glenn Avant ’60 & Mrs. Janis Avant

Mr. Diaco Aviki ’95 & Mrs. Angela Aviki

Ms. Dion Marlene Aviki ’04

Mr. Manucher Azmudeh ’60

Mr. Charles Frederick Bach ’58

Mr. James G. Bagley Jr. ’83 & Mrs. Melissa S. Bagley

Mr. James Arthur Bailey ’97 & Mrs. Maggie Bailey

Mr. Willie J. Ballard & Mrs. Cynthia Ballard

Mr. James O’Neal Ballenger ’59 & Mrs. Bettye Bowman Ballenger ’59

Ms. Beverly Houston Banister ’83

Dr. Jewel B. Barlow ’63 & Dr. Diane Ledbetter Barlow ’63*

Mrs. Wanda Barnes & Mr. Robert Orrville Barnes Sr. ’50*

Mrs. Agnes B. Barrett & Mr. Edward Parr Barrett ’48*

Mr. Joseph F. Barth III ’71 & Mrs. Gail Barth

Mr. Michael Patrick Batey ’79 & Mrs. Elizabeth Batey

Mrs. Janet Marie Beard & Mr. Ralph George Beard Jr. ’71*

Mr. Ben Beasley ’65

Mr. Malcolm Neil Beasley Sr. ’70 & Mrs. Wilma Beasley

Mr. Craig Shipley Beatty ’81 & Mrs. Judy Dickinson Beatty ’83

Mrs. Virginia Hardenbergh Beck ’60 & Mr. Martin L. Beck Jr. ’49*

Ms. Rose-Gaelle Belinga ’09

Mr. Christopher T. Bell ’83 & Mrs. Allison F. Bell

Dr. Larry Benefield ’66 & Mrs. Mary L. Benefield

Mr. Charles William Berry Jr. ’66 & Mrs. Charlene L. Berry

Mr. Morgan Lawton Berry ’01 & Mrs. Laura Paulk Berry ’01

Mr. Jason Alan Beville ’96 & Mrs. Wendy Greene Beville

Mr. Robert E. Bickert ’82 & Mrs. Lisa Bickert

Mr. Robert Lee Bishop Jr. ’79 & Mrs. Sara Ann Bishop

Dr. William Y. Bishop ’68 & Mrs. Rosemarie Bishop*

Dr. Nancy Pugh Bissinger ’73 & Mr. Allan Harry Bissinger ’75*

Mr. Sean Michael Bittner ’16 & Mrs. Allison K. Bittner ’15

Mr. Edward Thomas Blackmon ’93 & Ms. Judy C. Shirley

Mr. Brian E. Blalock ’00 & Mrs. Leah Blalock

Mr. Robert W. Bledsoe ’10

Dr. Richard Boehm & Dr. Denise Blanchard Boehm ’80

Mr. Robert L. Boggan Jr. ’59 & Mrs. Lelia Burwell Boggan ’59

Cmdr. Bobby C. Bolt ’89 & Mrs. Kimberly E. Bolt

Mr. Russell F. Boren Sr. ’54 & Mrs. Hazel Boren*

Mrs. Shirley Frazier Boulware ’91

Mrs. Marilyn L. Box & Mr. Paul C. Box*

Mr. William Robert Boyd ’90 & Mrs. Pamela Owens Boyd ’92

Mrs. Lois Anne Boykin & Mr. Jack W. Boykin ’61*

Mrs. Linda Lou Brackin ’70 & Dr. Brice H. Brackin ’69*

Mr. Robert Joseph Brackin ’80 & Mrs. Roberta Marcantonio

Mrs. Shirley A. Bradford & Mr. Rodney Bradford ’67*

Dr. David B. Bradley ’65

Mr. J. B. Braswell

Mrs. Joanne Braswell & Mr. Leonard Dean Braswell ’48*

Mr. Daniel F. Breeden ’57 & Mrs. Josephine M. Breeden

Mr. Gregory James Breland ’84

Mr. Felix C. Brendle Jr. ’73 & Mrs. Gail Williams Brendle ’76

Mrs. Dorothy Y. Bridges & Mr. William D. Bridges ’60*

Mr. David W. Brooks III ’81 & Mrs. Beverlye Brady Brooks ’82

Mr. W. Charlie Brooks & Mrs. Nancie E. Brooks ’76

Mr. Dan H. Broughton ’63 & Mrs. Sheila Broughton

Mr. Devante C. Brown ’15 & Mrs. Jasmyne K. Brown ’17

Mr. Dwight Truman Brown ’69 & Mrs. Mary Ellen Brown

Mr. Herbert W. Brown Jr. ’67 & Mrs. Marlice Elaine Brown

Mr. John Wilford Brown ’57 & Mrs. Rosemary Kopel Brown ’57

Mr. L. Owen Brown ’64 & Mrs. Brookes Brown

Mr. William Scott Brown ’71

Mr. David C. Brubaker ’71 & Mrs. Theresa Brubaker

Mr. Thomas D. Burson ’58 & Mrs. Frances Wilson Burson ’58

Mrs. Rebecca Burt & Mr. Henry M. Burt Jr. ’58*

Dr. Gisela Buschle-Diller

Mr. Daniel M. Bush ’72

Mr. Harris Donovan Bynum ’58

Mr. Robert Flournoy Bynum ’75 & Mrs. Gretchen Luepke Bynum*

Mr. Patrick L. Byrne ’71

Mr. Robert Howard Campbell ’97 & Mrs. Elizabeth W. Campbell

Mr. Roger J. Campbell ’59 & Mrs. Judith E. Campbell

Mrs. Lois Cannady & Mr. William E. Cannady ’42*

Mr. Samuel Benton Cantey V ’98 & Mrs. Emily A. Cantey

Mr. J. Travis Capps Jr. ’94 & Mr. Lee Anthony

Mr. John Phillip Caraway ’92 & Mrs. Patricia M. Caraway

Mr. James Ronald Carbine ’81

Mr. Russell Lee Carbine ’83 & Mrs. Anna Calhoun Carbine ’83

Mrs. Helen B. Carlisle & Dr. Dwight Lester Carlisle Jr. ’58*

Mr. Benjamin M. Carmichael ’00 & Mrs. Abby Marie Carmichael ’03

Mr. Donald Edward Carmon ’88 & Mrs. Dianna Carmon

Mrs. Nancy Brunson Carr ’63 & Mr. Benjamin F. Carr Jr. ’60*

Mr. Patrick Thomas Carroll ’87

Dr. Tony J. Catanzaro ’84 & Mrs. Tracey H. Catanzaro ’83

Mr. Steven Glenn Cates ’85 & Mrs. Lyn Cates

Mr. Wiley Mitchell Cauthen ’62 & Mrs. Jo Ann Cauthen*

Mrs. Margaret King Cerny ’69 & Mr. Otto Peter Cerny ’69*

Mr. Peter Judson Chamberlin ’81 & Mrs. Genie Chamberlin

Mr. Joe Mark Chambers Jr. ’72 & Mrs. Elizabeth M. Chambers ’76

Mr. John Wendell Chambliss P.E. ’73 & Mrs. Fletcher Hanson Chambliss ’83

Ms. Katherine Leigh Champion ’11

Mr. James M. Chandler III ’84 & Mrs. Valerie Chandler

Mr. Robert Chandler & Ms. Gwendolyn Weddington ’80

Mrs. Lee Chapman & Mr. J. Edward Chapman Jr. ’56*

Mr. Wheeler E. Chapman III ’83 & Mrs. Laurianne Chapman

Mr. Clarance Joseph Chappell III ’59

Mr. Randall Clark Chase ’85 & Mrs. Beth R. Chase

Mr. Pedro Piercie Cherry ’93 & Mrs. Tomeka Crowe Cherry ’97

Mr. Jitender Chopra & Mrs. Jeannie Chopra

Mr. Bradley P. Christopher ’91 & Mrs. Sonya Faust Christopher

Mr. Jing-Yau Chung & Mrs. Alice Chung

Mr. Shawn Edward Cleary ’82 & Mrs. Anne M. Cleary ’82

Dr. Prabhakar Clement ’93 & Mrs. Sabina Wilfred Clement ’92

Mr. Terry James Coggins ’76 & Dr. Jo Anne Hamrick Coggins ’75

Mr. James C. Cole ’50

Dr. Kuan Collins

*deceased

Mr. Eldridge J. Cook Jr. & Mrs. Rhonda Horne Cook ’80*

Mr. Sean C. Cook ’05

Mr. Timothy Donald Cook ’82

Mr. J. Fenimore Cooper Jr. & Mrs. Sherry Cooper*

Mr. James L. Cooper Jr. ’81 & Mrs. Anna B. Cooper

Ms. Lisa Ann Copeland ’85

Mrs. Patricia G. Corbitt & Mr. James Hugh Corbitt ’58*

Dr. Mary F. Cordato

Mr. Bradley William Corson ’83

Mr. Vincent Russell Costanza ’84 & Mrs. Stacey Shehan Costanza ’92

Mr. Samuel S. Coursen Jr. ’73 & Mrs. Denise Coursen

Mr. Joseph Lamar Cowan ’70 & Mrs. Jo Ann Culpepper Cowan ’69

Dr. Cynthia Ann Cox ’77

Ms. Lynn Sinopole Craft ’05

Ms. Trudy Craft-Austin

Mr. Douglas Robert Craig ’90 & Mrs. Alyson B. Craig

Mrs. Barbara Ann Adkins Crane & Mr. Theodore P. Crane Jr. ’58*

Mr. Wayne J. Crews ’60 & Mrs. Louise Crews

Dr. Malcolm J. Crocker & Dr. Ruth Catherine Crocker

Mr. Daniel Crowell & Mrs. Ragan White Crowell ’98

Mr. Kevin Thomas Cullinan ’09

Mrs. Deborah Cunningham & Dr. Ralph S. Cunningham ’62*

Mr. Malcolm A. Cutchins Jr. ’79

Mr. Calvin Cutshaw & Dr. Mary K. Boudreaux

Mr. William J. Cutts ’55

Mr. Oliver Wendell Dallas Jr. ’90 & Mrs. Ruth Chambers Dallas ’88

Mrs. Charlotte Davis & Mr. Charles Edward Davis ’59*

Dr. N. Jan Davis ’77

Brig. Gen. Robert L. Davis ’74 & Mrs. Barbara Baker Davis ’72

Mrs. Jane Day & Mr. Walter R. Day Jr. ’53*

Mr. James Dean ’82

Dr. Harry L. Deffebach Jr. ’63 & Mrs. Mary Deffebach

Mr. Michael Arthur DeMaioribus ’76 & Mrs. Leta DeMaioribus

Mr. Donald Eugene Dennis ’54 & Mrs. Patricia McNaron Dennis*

Mr. Charles Burson DePue III ’97

Mr. James Lamont Dixon ’97 & Mrs. Kidada Cain Dixon ’99

Mr. Joseph G. Dobbs & Mrs. Amy Thomas Dobbs ’78

Mrs. Ercel Friel Donehoo ’63 & Mr. John C. Donehoo ’63*

Mr. Robert Bruce Donnellan ’76 & Mrs. Kay L. Donnellan

Mr. Alan Dorn & Mrs. Carol Hilton Dorn ’84

Mr. William G. Dorriety ’84 & Mrs. Donna Dismukes Dorriety

Mr. Joseph Evans Downey Jr. P.E. ’85 & Mrs. Susan Noland Downey ’90

Mr. Melvin Lee Drake Jr. ’77 & Mrs. Diane Rowan Drake ’77

Mr. Richard Drew & Mrs. Linda Ann Figg ’81

Mrs. Linda D. DuCharme ’86

Mr. Patrick Erby Duke ’99

Mr. Wendell Harris Duke ’73 & Mrs. Margaret H. Duke

Mr. Arthur J. Duncan III ’11

Mr. Timothy John Dwyer ’85

Mr. Ronald M. Dykes ’69 & Mrs. Anne Dykes

Mr. Lewis H. Eberdt Jr. ’54 & Mrs. Annette Bailey Eberdt ’53*

Dr. Mario Richard Eden & Mrs. Leeja Eden

Mr. Joe D. Edge ’70 & Mrs. Jayne W. Edge ’71

Mr. C. Houston Elkins Jr. ’77 & Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Elkins ’77

Mr. Donald B. Ellis ’61 & Mrs. Barbara B. Ellis

Mr. H. Wendell Ellis ’67 & Mrs. Celia Ellis

Mr. Joseph Etheridge & Mrs. Vicky Etheridge

Mr. Adrian Terrigo Evans ’87 & Mrs. Sharlene Reed Evans ’86

Mr. Corey Ryan Evans ’02

Mr. James R. Evans ’55 & Mrs. Janice Evans*

Mr. Jim W. Evans ’67 & Mrs. Marsha P. Evans

Mr. P. Kessler Fabian ’59

Mr. Lawson Fanney & Mrs. Angela Lynn Fanney ’04

Mr. Norman Smith Faris Jr. ’59 & Mrs. Judith Jones Faris ’58*

Ms. Ada Nicole Faulk ’96

Mr. Mark Douglas Feagin ’85 & Mrs. Elan Pardue Feagin ’86

Mr. Steven Scott Fendley ’91

Ms. Ann Marie Ferretti ’75

Mr. William Jackson Fite Sr. ’85 & Mrs. Laura Horton Fite ’86

Mr. Lawrence Walton Fleming ’80 & Mrs. Julia F. Fleming

Mr. William Thomas Flippin ’00 & Mrs. Nicole Hobbs Flippin ’00

Mr. Paul R. Flowers Jr. ’66 & Mrs. Barbara Meeker Flowers ’68

Mr. John N. Floyd Jr. ’85 & Mrs. Amy Jordan Floyd ’86

Mrs. Mamie McNure Flynn & Capt. Gordon L. Flynn ’57*

Ms. Sabrina Foley

Mr. Stanley F. Folker Jr. ’68

Mr. Joe Wallace Forehand Jr. ’71 & Mrs. Gayle D. Forehand ’70

Mr. Phillip Alan Forsythe ’81 & Mrs. Margaret Long Forsythe ’81

Capt. Michael Victor Forte ’82 & Mrs. Shelley Forte

Cmdr. Jerry Dean Foster ’93 & Mrs. Constance S. Foster ’93

Ms. Muriel J. Foster ’00

Mr. Earl Richard Foust ’71 & Mrs. Nan Vinson Foust ’71

Mr. Philip Gordon Fraher ’88 & Mrs. Kimberley W. Fraher ’88

Mr. Thomas M. Frassrand ’76 & Ms. Claudia J. Cola

Mrs. Gwen S. Frazier ’87

Mrs. Gwenn Smith Freeman ’73

Mr. Christian G. Gackstatter ’84

Mr. Jason Matthew Gallaspy ’97 & Mrs. Kelly Doss Gallaspy

CAPT Davis R. Gamble Jr. ’74

Mr. John Palmer Garrett & Mrs. Kathy Horton Garrett

Mr. Thomas Bryan Garrett ’85 & Mrs. Anne Turnbull Garrett

Mr. Maury D. Gaston ’82

Mr. Sibbley Paul Gauntt ’54

Mr. Charles Early Gavin III ’59

Mrs. Kimberly Kocian Gavin ’83 & Mr. Charles Early Gavin IV ’82*

Mrs. Evelyn Geisler

Mr. Zachary John Gentile Jr. ’93

Mr. Mohinder S. Ghuman

Mr. John William Gibbs ’72 & Mrs. Patricia Gibbs

Dr. George Edward Gibson Jr. ’80 & Mrs. Gail Howard Gibson ’90

Mr. Michael V. Ginn

Dr. Samuel L. Ginn ’59 & Mrs. Ann Ginn

Mr. Thomas Peter Glanton ’12 & Mrs. Curry Stevenson Glanton ’12

Mr. Charlie Godfrey & Mrs. Maxine Godfrey

Mr. Gary Ross Godfrey ’86 & Mrs. Carol J. Godfrey ’86

Mr. Ralph B. Godfrey ’64 & Mrs. Lynda Godfrey

Mr. Christopher Lynn Golden ’96 & Mrs. Carmen Ingrando Golden

Mr. Shane Goodwin ’00

Mr. M. James Gorrie II ’84 & Mrs. Alison Mobley Gorrie ’84

Mr. Magnus Miller Gorrie ’57 & Mrs. Frances Greene Gorrie ’59

Dr. Griffin Keith Gothard ’88

Dr. Katina Kodadek Gothard ’97

Mrs. Elizabeth Grant & Mr. Jefferson Lavelle Grant Jr. ’69*

Mr. Stanley L. Graves ’67 & Mrs. Patsy Hyche Graves ’70

Mr. David Martin Gray ’93 & Mrs. Susan Baskin Gray ’92

Mr. Gary Wayne Gray ’69 & Mrs. Jo Evelyn Gray

Mr. Ruskin Clegg Green ’91 & Mrs. Julie Green

Mr. Walter Wanzel Griffin ’47 & Mrs. Mary Jane Griffin*

Mr. Donald W. Griffis ’61 & Mrs. Barbara S. Griffis

Mrs. Linda Vanstrum Griggs ’75 & Mr. Micheal Griggs*

Mr. H. Vince Groome III

Mr. Jean Ronald Guerrier & Mrs. Antoria Arnold Guerrier ’00

Mrs. Erica Moore Guffie ’05

Mr. Mark Allan Gulley ’94 & Mrs. Leah S. Gulley ’93

Mr. Toby Eugene Gurley ’65

Mr. Glenn Harold Guthrie ’62 & Mrs. Carol Guthrie

Mrs. Jean Guthrie & Mr. Billy Guthrie ’57*

Mr. Robert Otto Haack Jr. ’83 & Mrs. Margaret Fuller Haack ’83

Mr. Keith Shellie Hagler ’98

Mr. William George Hairston III ’67 & Mrs. Paula Hairston

Mr. Holbert L. Hale Jr. ’64 & Mrs. Julia H. Hale

Mr. Gary Lee Hallen ’75 & Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Hallen ’75

Mr. James H. Ham III ’66 & Mrs. Kimberly Ham

Mr. J. Robert Hamill P.E. ’70

Mr. David A. Hamilton ’67

Mr. Johnnie Marvin Hamilton ’68 & Mrs. Cathryn Reynolds Hamilton

Ms. Susan Owens Hamilton ’73

Mr. William R. Hanlein ’47 & Mrs. Sue Hanlein* *deceased

Dr. Andrew Palmer Hanson ’93

Mr. Billy L. Harbert Jr. ’88

Mr. John Larry Hardiman ’75 & Mrs. Wanda Hardiman

Mr. George C. Hardison Jr. ’76 & Mrs. Marsha Quenelle Hardison ’76

Mr. Oscar Coursey Harper IV ’89 & Mrs. Patricia Smith Harper ’90

Mrs. Glenda Steele Harris ’61 & Dr. Elmer Beseler Harris ’62*

Mr. Lamar Travis Hawkins ’63 & Mrs. Elaine T. Hawkins ’62

Mr. Lawrence Allen Hawkins ’81 & Mrs. Lisa Hawkins

Mr. Albert E. Hay ’67

Ms. Karen Hayes ’81

Mr. William F. Hayes ’65 & Mrs. Patricia Walkden Hayes

Mr. Cotton Hazelrig & Mrs. Maggie Hazelrig*

Mr. James Hecathorn & Mrs. Barbara Lynn Hecathorn ’83

Mr. Jim Palmer Heilbron ’94 & Mrs. Markell A. Heilbron ’96

Mr. John P. Helmick Jr. ’56

Mr. Roger R. Hemminghaus ’58 & Mrs. Dot Hemminghaus

Dr. Alton Stuart Hendon ’89 & Dr. Gerri Hendon

Mrs. Judy J. Hendrick & Mr. Tommy Glenn Hendrick ’70*

Mr. John Steele Henley II ’63 & Mrs. Geanie Henley

Mr. Thomas A. Hereford Jr. ’74

Ms. Melissa Herkt ’77 & Mr. Robert Herkt*

Dr. Russ Hibbeler

Mr. Patrick D. Higginbotham ’81 & Mrs. Nancy Y. Higginbotham ’80

Mr. Thomas Farrell Higgins ’70 & Mrs. Rita Higgins

Mr. Wilson Price Hightower III ’88 & Mrs. Margaret M. Hightower ’87

Mrs. Carolyn A. Hill & Mr. Elmer Carlton Hill ’49*

Mr. Dennis Steve Hill ’79 & Mrs. Ann Reynolds Hill ’77

Mr. Stats J. Hogeland ’17

Mr. Michael Dale Holmes ’86 & Mrs. Stephanie Jo Holmes

Dr. James Stephan Hood ’84 & Mrs. Kelly T. Hood

Mr. Steven D. Horne ’71 & Mrs. Lynn Jones Horne ’79

Mrs. Shelby J. Horner & Mr. Duke Cameron Horner ’47*

Mrs. Lynn Hornsby & Mr. Clarence H. Hornsby Jr. ’50*

Mrs. Karen Horton & Mr. James M. Horton

Maj. James M. Hoskins ’81 & Mrs. Bertha T. Hoskins ’80

Ms. Barbara Alison Howell ’83

Mrs. Joi Hudgins & Mr. Alan P. Hudgins ’74*

Mr. James A. Humphrey ’70 & Mrs. Michele Alexander Humphrey ’71

Dr. Jacqueline H. Hundley ’74

Ms. Kristin L. Hunnicutt

Ms. Susan H. Hunnicutt ’79

Mr. Brian Howard Hunt ’90 & Dr. Judy Johns Hunt

Mr. Paul A. Hutchinson ’08 & Mrs. Diane Leigh Hutchinson

Mr. Bruce Edward Imsand ’74 & Mrs. Katherine V. Imsand

Mr. Charles Mathias Jager ’56 & Mrs. Rosemary Smith Jager ’57

Mr. William Russell James ’69 & Mrs. Brenda M. Tanner

Mr. Carl Mack Jeffcoat ’60 & Mrs. Ann W. Jeffcoat

Mr. Walter Blakely Jeffcoat ’70 & Mrs. Peggy Bratton Jeffcoat

Mr. Charles William Jenkins ’72

Mr. Michael D. Johns & Mrs. Laurie Johns

Mr. Bobby Joe Johnson ’62

Mr. Charles Travis Johnson ’65

Mr. Darren Keith Johnson ’11 & Mrs. Elizabeth Hammer Johnson ’11

Col. David S. Johnson ’75 & Mrs. Penelope D. Johnson ’74

Mr. J. Sam Johnson Jr. ’75 & Mrs. Patricia Davenport Johnson ’75

Ms. Kathryn L. Johnson ’78

Mr. Larry T. Johnson & Mrs. Ann McCamy Johnson ’84

Dr. Pierce Johnson Jr. ’69 & Mrs. Nancy A. Johnson

Mr. Roger Warren Johnson ’84 & Ms. M. Jane Major ’74

Mr. William D. Johnston & Ms. Ronda Stryker

Mrs. Dolphine D. Jones & Mr. John David Jones ’47*

Mr. John Kenneth Jones ’59 & Mrs. Jo R. Jones

Mr. Joshua Dale Jones ’06 & Mrs. Elizabeth M. Jones

Mr. Keith Allen Jones ’84

Dr. Peter D. Jones & Mrs. Elizabeth Zylla-Jones

Dr. Johnny Lee Junkins ’65 & Mrs. Elouise Junkins

Mr. Daniel Lee Keidel Sr. ’80 & Mrs. Anita Howard Keidel ’80

Mr. Robert R. Keith Jr. ’63 & Mrs. Donna Vanderver Keith ’66

Mr. Byron R. Kelley ’70 & Mrs. Melva B. Kelley

Mr. Kenneth Kelly ’90

Lt. Col. Randolph H. Kelly ’76 & Mrs. Leigh Pinkston Kelly ’77

Gen. Leslie Farr Kenne ’70

Mrs. Martha McQueen Kennedy ’54 & Mr. Carver Gager Kennedy ’52*

Mr. Philip E. Keown ’64 & Mrs. Elizabeth B. Keown

Mr. Michael Timothy Keyser ’15 & Mrs. Kelly Eileen Keyser ’14

Mr. Zach Kezar & Mrs. Laura Clenney Kezar ’08

Mr. Lester Killebrew Sr. ’68 & Mrs. Catherine V. Killebrew ’69

Mr. James L. Killian III & Mrs. Karen Killian

Mr. Graham Criss Killough ’89 & Mrs. Theresa N. Killough

Mr. Thomas Keith King Sr. ’58 & Mrs. Julia King

Mr. Oliver D. Kingsley Jr. ’66 & Mrs. Vandalyn Kingsley

Mr. Christopher R. Kirkland & Mrs. Mary Peery Kirkland ’94

Mrs. Mina Propst Kirkley ’54 & Mr. Terry Allen Kirkley ’57*

Mr. Ryan Kyle Knight ’00 & Mrs. Susan Knight

Mr. Rick Knop & Ms. Leslee Belluchie ’83

Mr. Ashley David Koby ’98 & Mrs. Stephanie C. Koby ’98

Mr. Daniel Todd Konkle ’87 & Mrs. Kathryn Shearer

Mr. Christopher J. Kramer ’94 & Mrs. Mary Horton Kramer ’93

Mr. Richard W. Kretzschmar ’90 & Mrs. Vicki Meredith Kretzschmar ’92

Mr. David McCoy Kudlak ’86 & Ms. Trisha Perkins

Mr. Frederick D. Kuester ’73

Mrs. Novan LaGrone & Mr. Minga Cecil LaGrone Jr. ’51*

Mr. Thomas D. Lampkin ’75 & Mrs. Barbara Blackstock Lampkin ’75

Mrs. Jean Land & Mr. William Franklin Land ’49*

Mr. Judson T. Landers ’71 & Mrs. Betty Ann Landers

Mr. Jeffrey Lee Langhout ’86 & Mrs. Jacquelyn I. Langhout ’86

Mr. Scott Eric Larson Sr. & Mrs. Maria Larson

Mr. Harald F. Lassen ’57 & Mrs. Betty Coston Lassen ’54*

Mr. Homer C. Lavender Jr. ’66

Dr. Terry Edwin Lawler ’68 & Mrs. Patricia E. Lawler

Mr. Charles Richard Lawley ’04 & Mrs. Chelsea Lawley

Mr. Michael Leach & Mrs. Diana Lynne Leach

Mr. Creighton C. Lee ’47 & Mrs. Mary Sue Wright Lee

Mr. John S. Lee ’83 & Mrs. Dorothy Pappas Lee ’80

Ms. Nelda K. Lee ’69

Mr. Steven Max Lee ’73 & Mrs. Margie Lee

Gov. William Byron Lee ’81 & Mrs. Maria Dinenna Lee

Mr. Edwin Lamar Lewis ’72 & Mrs. Becky S. Lewis ’72

Dr. Will L. Liddell Jr. ’59 & Mrs. Ruth Howe Liddell ’70

Ronald Craig Lipham P.E. ’74 & Mrs. Lynda Lipham

Maj. Gen. James Everett Livingston ’62 & Mrs. Sara Craft Livingston

Mr. Stephen Jager Livingston ’10

Mr. Rayford L. Lloyd Jr. ’63 & Mrs. Eugenia Price Lloyd ’63*

Mr. William Buck Locke ’63 & Mrs. Judy P. Locke

Mr. Rodney Lon Long ’76 & Mrs. Judy Long

Mr. Lum M. Loo ’78

Mr. Phillip Michael Love ’93

Ms. Jenny Loveland & Mr. Ralph Edward Wheeler ’79*

Mr. William A. Lovell Jr. ’79 & Mrs. Virginia Goodwin Lovell ’80

Mrs. Sharon M. Luger & Mr. Donald R. Luger ’62*

Mr. Rainer Lukoschek ’85 & Mrs. Jill Prettyman Lukoschek ’85

Mr. Frank Alex Luttrell III ’83 & Mrs. Shelaine Steen Luttrell

Mr. Kenneth R. Luttrell & Mrs. Gloria L. Luttrell

Mr. Fred W. Mace ’57 & Mrs. Juanita Mace

Mr. John Andrew MacFarlane ’72 & Mrs. Anne Warren MacFarlane ’73

Mrs. Hope A. Machemehl & Mr. Charles Albert Machemehl Jr.*

Mr. Ray Anthony Madison ’88 & Mrs. Gloria Madison

Dr. Saeed Maghsoodloo ’62

Mr. Shawn Edward Mahan ’97 & Mrs. Deana Labozetta Mahan ’98

Mrs. Martha Mallett & Mr. James J. Mallett ’55*

Mr. Steven Naylor Malone ’02 & Mrs. Lee Tart Malone

Capt. Robert Allen Malseed ’77 & Mrs. Linda Gayle Malseed

Mr. Harry A. Manson ’58 & Mrs. Linda A. Manson

Mr. Steven John Marcereau ’65 & Mrs. Rebecca Marcereau

Mr. Salvador Michael Marino ’91 & Mrs. Paula M. Marino ’92

Lt. Cmdr. Clifton C. Martin Jr. ’74 & Mrs. Mary Ramey Martin ’74

Mr. Gary Clements Martin ’57 & Mrs. Judi Martin*

Mr. Colton R. Martinez ’15

Mr. James Garrett Martz ’84 & Mrs. Julie Evans Martz

Mr. Cary Lynn Matthews ’90

Mr. Jewell C. Maxwell Jr. ’75 & Mrs. Vivian Irene Maxwell

Mr. Jesse Duane May ’85 & Mrs. Brenda Carol May

Mr. William C. Mayrose ’64 & Mrs. Wendy S. Mayrose

Mr. Patrick Clay Mays ’08

Ms. Forrest Worthy McCartney

Mr. John Timothy McCartney ’80 & Mrs. Laura Ledyard McCartney ’80

Ms. Sheila J. McCartney

Dr. Thurman Dwayne McCay ’68 & Dr. Mary Helen McCay

Ms. Julia M. McClure ’68

Mr. John Blair McCracken ’08 & Mrs. Julie McCracken

Mr. Charles Douglas McCrary ’73 & Mrs. Phyllis McCrary

Mr. James H. McDaniel ’68 & Mrs. Dotty McDaniel

Mr. Albert F. McFadden Jr. ’81 & Mrs. Hope McFadden

Mr. John Donald McFarlan III ’84 & Mrs. Tamra McFarlan

Mr. Jason McFarland ’02 & Mrs. Sara Flurry McFarland ’03

Mr. Jim W. McGaha ’66 & Mrs. Frances McGaha

Mr. George Lee McGlamery ’86 & Mrs. Mary Ann McGlamery

Dr. Gerald G. McGlamery Jr. ’84 & Mrs. Lynette McGlamery

Mr. Paul Alan McIntyre ’92 & Mrs. Amy Fortenberry McIntyre

Mr. Kevin McKeon & Mrs. Carter Michelle McKeon ’11

Mr. James D. McMillan ’61 & Mrs. Paula Stapp McMillan ’65

Mr. Joe McMillan ’58 & Mrs. Billie Carole McMillan

Mr. William R. McNair ’68 & Mrs. Lana McNair

Mr. Charles Phillip McWane ’80 & Mrs. Heather A. McWane

Mr. Jeff T. Meeks ’73

Mr. E. Martin Melton ’62 & Mrs. Gale Melton

Mr. George Aristides Menendez ’70 & Mrs. Elizabeth Oakes Menendez

Mr. D. L. Merrill Jr. ’65 & Mrs. Rebecca Lindsey Merrill

Mr. Peter H. Meyers ’59 & Mrs. Darlene Meyers

Mr. Charles Donald Miller ’80 & Mrs. Lisa Q. Miller

Mr. Joseph Austin Miller ’83 & Mrs. Donna J. Miller ’84

Mr. Stephen R. Miller ’72 & Mrs. Kyle Miller

Mr. J. Kevin Mims ’79 & Mrs. Katherine Maughan Mims ’81

Mr. Thomas R. Mitchell III ’65 & Mrs. Susan L. Mitchell

Mrs. Ila S. Mitchum & Mr. Leonard L. Mitchum Jr. ’51*

Mr. Max A. Mobley ’72 & Mrs. Kathy W. Mobley

Mr. William Lynn Moench Jr. ’76 & Mrs. Pamela Stephans Moench

Mr. Carl A. Monroe ’78 & Mrs. Ellen Monroe

Dr. Larry Scot Monroe ’79 & Ms. Cynthia Coker Green ’79

Mr. Lawrence J. Montgomery III & Mrs. Mary Montgomery

Mr. Charles N. Moody ’63 & Mrs. Jo Moody

Mr. Chris Anthony Moody ’90 & Mrs. Sarah K. Ahn

Mr. Michael Joseph Moody ’84 & Mrs. Jana C. Moody

Mrs. Jane Holley Moon ’73 & Mr. Phillip Franklin Moon ’71*

Mr. F. Brooks Moore ’48 & Mrs. Marian F. Moore ’53*

Mrs. Mary Manson Moore ’83

Mrs. Essie P. Morgan & Mr. Leonard Morgan ’53*

Dr. Joe M. Morgan & Mrs. Rita Morgan

Mr. Larry J. Morgan ’68 & Mrs. Nancy Morgan

Mr. M. John Morgan ’71 & Mrs. Patricia Morgan

Mr. David Allen Morris ’96 & Mrs. Grace B. Morris ’95

Mr. David R. Motes ’77

Mr. Kennith Craig Moushegian ’92 & Mrs. Cindy W. Moushegian ’90*

Mr. Kevin Mullins ’99 & Mrs. Apryl Tarrant Mullins ’97

Mr. Charles G. Munden Jr. ’77 & Mrs. Sandy H. Munden

Mr. David E. Murphy ’87 & Mrs. Kelli Murray Murphy ’86

Mr. Kenneth Howell Murphy ’87 & Mrs. Cindy Kilgo Murphy

Mr. Scott B. Murray ’69 & Mrs. Karen M. Murray

Mr. Herman A. Nebrig Jr. ’73 & Mrs. Janet C. Nebrig

Mr. Michael L. Neighbors ’76 & Mrs. Kathy Flournoy Neighbors ’75

Dr. Robert Mark Nelms ’80

Mr. Wayne B. Nelson III ’76 & Mrs. Cheryl N. Nelson

Mr. Paul Lance New Sr. ’70 & Mrs. Callie New

Mr. Fred F. Newman III ’81

Mr. William K. Newman ’69 & Mrs. Kate M. Newman

Mr. Huan D. Nguyen ’87

Mr. Charles G. Nicely ’72

Mr. Jason Allen Nichols ’98 & Mrs. Lisa Jill Nichols ’97

Mrs. Nicole Wright Nichols ’00

Mr. Jack Dempsey Noah ’59 & Mrs. Marie Crowe Noah

Mr. Darren Glenn Norris ’82 & Mrs. Kimberly H. Norris

Mr. Mark W. Norton ’13

Mr. William B. Norton ’75 & Mrs. Lori D. Norton ’78

Mr. Martin Ogugua Obiozor ’99

Mr. James Burton Odom ’55 & Mrs. June Odom

Mr. Todd Hugh O’Donnell ’92 & Mrs. Kristin Kay O’Donnell

Mr. Mark Eric Ogles ’89

Mrs. Nikki Ogles & Mr. Michael Ray Ogles ’89*

Ms. Christy Stacey Ogletree ’88

Mr. Kenneth J. O’Malley Jr. ’88 & Mrs. Cheryl Jodis O’Malley ’86

Mr. James Mason Orrison ’85 & Mrs. Donna Marie Orrison

Mr. Steve P. Osburne ’65 & Mrs. Bobbie Osburne

Mr. Wynton Rex Overstreet ’59 & Mrs. Charlotte Williams Overstreet ’60

Mr. C. Glenn Owen Jr. ’70 & Mrs. Nancy W. Owen

Mr. David Kenneth Owen ’77 & Mrs. Olivia Kelley Owen ’77

Mr. Timothy Ray Owings ’89 & Mrs. Stephanie Owings

Mr. William S. Pace Jr. ’75 & Mrs. Drunell R. Pace

Mr. Howard E. Palmes ’60 & Mrs. Shirley Palmes

Mr. Donald James Parke ’82

Mr. John S. Parke ’55 & Mrs. Constance Garner Parke ’55

Mr. Clark Parker & Mrs. Cari Jo Parker ’87

Mr. Jerry D. Parker Jr. ’79 & Mrs. Elizabeth Parker

Mr. Robert Allen Parker ’84 & Mrs. Susan Southerland Parker ’84

Mr. Earl B. Parsons Jr. ’60 & Mrs. Nancy Parsons

Mr. Kevin Andrew Partridge ’87 & Mrs. Faye L. Partridge

Mrs. Leslie Russell Pate ’68

Mrs. Nancy Moses Paul ’64 & Mr. Daniel J. Paul Jr. ’64*

Mr. Hunter Andrew Payne & Mrs. Mary Evelyn Payne

Mrs. Lillian M. Peeler & Mr. James Louis Peeler ’58*

Mr. Frederick Allen Pehler Jr. ’77 & Mrs. Rebecca Camp Pehler ’81

Mr. Philip Carroll Pelfrey ’87

Mr. Hal N. Pennington ’59 & Mrs. Peggy Pennington

Mr. Broderick A. Perdue ’95

Mr. Chris J. Peterson ’71 & Mrs. Janice Potts Peterson ’74

Mrs. Kathryn Knox Petit ’91

Col. William Wright Petit ’89

Mr. Douglas E. Phillpott ’84 & Mrs. Tracy C. Phillpott ’84

Dr. Michael S. Pindzola & Dr. Rebekah Hand Pindzola

Mr. Lonnie H. Pope Sr.

Mr. Jack B. Porterfield III ’75 & Mrs. Rebecca Porterfield

Mr. Gerald L. Pouncey Jr. Esq. ’82 & Mrs. Bonnie Pouncey

Mr. William R. Powell ’67 & Mrs. Kathleen Powell

Mr. Robert Lyons Prince ’69

Mr. John David Prunkl ’90 & Mrs. Lisa Christmas Prunkl ’88

Mrs. Rebecca A. Pugh & Mr. Joel N. Pugh ’61*

Mrs. Dorothy Leonard Rainey & Mr. Henry Frederick Rainey ’42*

Mrs. Emilie Rainey & Mr. William L. Rainey ’66*

Mr. Ryan Thomas Ramage & Mrs. Ashley Thompson Ramage ’99

Mr. David Fredrick Rankin & Mrs. Jane Copeland Rankin

Mr. Greg Raper & Mrs. Denise Sandlin Raper ’92

Mr. Debasis Rath ’92

Mr. Thomas Leonard Ray ’69 & Mrs. Barbara Ray

Mr. James Lee Rayburn ’67 & Mrs. Joyce Rayburn

Mr. Albert Miles Redd Jr. ’59 & Mrs. Susan Warburton Redd

Mr. William Allen Reed ’70 & Mrs. Martha Reimer Reed ’69

Mr. Taylor Thomas Reedy ’13 & Mrs. Bonnie Lewis Reedy ’13

Mr. Carl A. Register ’63 & Mrs. Joan T. Register

Mrs. Jean M. Register & Mr. William R. Register ’56*

Ms. Mary Nell Reid ’91

Mr. James O. Rein & Mrs. Joan Rein

Mrs. Peggy Reynolds & Mr. Edgar L. Reynolds ’70*

Mrs. Gail G. Rice & Mr. Harry Glen Rice ’77*

Mr. Lee Wiley Richards ’88

Mr. Christopher James Riley ’02 & Mrs. Darcy Delano Riley

Mr. Kenneth Wayne Ringer ’59 & Dr. Joyce Reynolds Ringer ’59

Mr. Stephen Aubrey Robbins Sr. & Dr. Claudia Isabel Robbins

Mr. Audrey Lee Roberts ’68 & Mrs. Pamela Sketo Roberts ’68

Dr. Chris Roberts & Mrs. Tracy Roberts

Mr. Gary Michael Roberts ’80 & Mrs. Mary Burns Roberts

Mr. Richard Young Roberts ’73 & Mrs. Peggy Frew Roberts ’74

Mr. Jeffery Ryan Robinett ’01 & Mrs. Ashley Nunn Robinett ’01

Mrs. Jimmie A. Robinson & Mr. Ray Albert Robinson ’55*

Mr. Kenneth William Robuck ’81 & Mrs. Cathy Monroe Robuck ’81

Mr. A.J. Ronyak & Mrs. Patricia Ronyak

Mrs. Gloria Rowell & Mr. William J. Rowell ’69*

Mrs. Karen Harris Rowell ’79 & Mr. William W. Rowell ’78*

Mr. Michael Arthur Rowland ’81 & Mrs. Stacy Neuwien Rowland ’82

Mrs. Margaret Roy & Mr. James S. Roy ’57*

Ms. Charlotte Howell Rutherford ’77

Mr. Matthew Ryan & Mrs. Linda Patterson Ryan ’82

Mr. John Michael Sadler ’70 & Mrs. Barbara N. Sadler ’69*

Mr. Joseph A. Saiia ’69 & Mrs. Mary Graves Saiia ’69

Mr. Richard Frank Salanitri ’85 & Mrs. Carolyn Parmer Salanitri ’85

Mr. William A. Samuel ’75

Ms. Regenia Rena Sanders ’95

Mr. Sid Sanders ’62

Mr. Charles Philip Saunders ’74

Mr. Thomas Al Saunders Sr. ’62 & Mrs. Beth Saunders

Dr. Robert A. Savoie & Mrs. Lori Savoie

Mr. Robert Warren Saxon ’86 & Mrs. Jo Angela Freeman Saxon ’72

Mr. C. David Scarborough ’65 & Mrs. Murriel W. Scarborough ’65

Mr. Gary Lee Schatz ’78 & Mrs. Susan Nelson Schatz ’79

Mr. Thomas Milton Schell ’82 & Mrs. Lyna Beech Schell

Mr. Philip M. Schockling ’91 & Mrs. Jami L. Schockling

Dr. Richard T. Scott Jr. & Mrs. Blair M. Scott

Mr. Thomas J. Scott Jr. & Mrs. Betsy S. Scott

Mr. Donald Reuben Searcy ’84 & Mrs. Alice Johnson Searcy ’85

Mr. L. Dupuy Sears

Mr. Tim Self & Mrs. Lori Lynne Self ’90

Ms. Carol Richelle Sellers ’01

Mrs. LaNeil Sellers & Mr. Thomas B. Sellers ’48*

Mr. Thomas D. Senkbeil ’71 & Mrs. Karen Senkbeil

Mrs. Rita Gillen Sewell & Mr. George M. Sewell ’59*

Dr. John Travis Shafer & Mrs. Katherine E. Shafer ’05

Mr. E. Todd Sharley Jr. ’65 & Mrs. Tempie Bagwell Sharley ’63

Mr. Charles Allen Shaw ’86 & Mrs. Kimberly Popham Shaw

Dr. Mark Dewey Shelley II ’93 & Mrs. Elizabeth V. Shelley

Mr. Donald Shepherd ’67 & Mrs. Gail Merkl Shepherd ’67

Dr. Charles Herbert Shivers ’75 & Mrs. Alisa Walker Shivers ’75

Mr. William Dean Shultz ’95 & Mrs. Joy R. Shultz

Mr. John M. Sikes ’60 & Mrs. Sandra Sikes

Dr. R. E. Simpson ’58 & Mrs. Peggy Fanning Simpson

Mrs. Margaret Sizemore

Capt. William E. Skinner ’71 & Mrs. Barbara Jean Skinner

Ms. Janine M. Slick

Mr. Anthony Kenyatta Smith ’01

Mr. Barrett B. Smith ’68

Mrs. Brenda Jenkins Smith ’95

Mr. Brett Keith Smith ’86 & Mrs. Lisa Hunter Smith ’89

Mr. Charles Jack Smith ’71

Mr. David Floyde Smith ’84 & Mrs. Doris Irwin Smith ’83

Mrs. Dorothy Smith & Mr. James Madison Smith ’43*

Mr. Douglas W. Smith ’12 & Mrs. Jill Smith

Mr. Gerald W. Smith ’61 & Mrs. Joyce Carr Smith ’61

Mr. Jerard Taggart Smith ’97 & Mrs. Cindy Smith

Mr. Kenneth Abner Smith ’81 & Mrs. Lyn Smith

Mr. Kenneth L. Smith Jr. ’78

Mr. Randy Leon Smith ’76 & Mrs. Patricia Smith

Mr. Stephen Craig Smith ’86 & Mrs. Jody A. Smith ’88

Mr. Stephen Linwood Smith ’75 & Mrs. Judith R. Smith ’74

Mr. Timothy Scot Smith ’91 & Mrs. Sheila Ransone Smith ’91

Mr. William James Smith ’67 & Mrs. Susan C. Smith ’70

Mr. Zeke Walter L. Smith ’82 & Mrs. Darlene P. Smith

Mr. John Albert Smyth Jr. ’70 & Mrs. Melanie Whatley Smyth ’70

Mr. Brian Charles Sneed ’98 & Mrs. Jenny Sneed

Mr. Danny Gerald Snow ’62 & Mrs. Sharon M. Snow

Mr. Roger L. Sollie ’74 & Mrs. Kathy H. Sollie

Dr. Ryan A. Sothen ’09 & Mrs. Holly Holman Sothen ’03

Mr. Floyd G. Soule ’66 & Mrs. Nancy A. Soule

Mr. Steven Edward Speaks ’87 & Mrs. Julie Pace Speaks ’87

Mr. Mark A. Spencer ’00

Dr. Samia I. Spencer & Dr. William A. Spencer*

Mr. Paul Joseph Spina Jr. ’63 & Mrs. Bena Ann Spina

Mr. Reggie Allen Spivey ’87 & Mrs. Sherri L. Spivey

Mr. Michael George Spoor ’89 & Mrs. Kimberly Berry Spoor ’89

Mr. Kevin Arthur Stacker ’99

Mr. Joseph W. Stanfield Jr. ’67 & Mrs. Nancy Whiteside Payne Stanfield ’64

Mr. James Lewis Starr ’71 & Mrs. Catherine Ballard Starr

Mr. Eugene Grant Steele ’80 & Mrs. Jacqueline Guthrie Steele ’78

Mr. Rodney Chapman Steffens ’73

Ms. Amendi P. Stephens ’01

Mr. James Joseph Stevenson Jr. ’71 & Mrs. Janet Stevenson

Mr. James H. Stewart Jr. ’60 & Mrs. Zula Stewart*

Mr. John Monro Stickney ’64

Mr. Michael Sargent Stokes ’02

Mr. Jeffrey Ira Stone ’79 & Dr. Linda J. Stone ’79

Dr. Joseph Story & Mrs. Susan Nolen Story ’81

Mrs. Charles L. Strickland & Mr. Charles L. Strickland ’68*

Mrs. Jane Platt Stringfellow & Mr. Charles C. Stringfellow ’50*

Mr. Thomas D. Stringfellow ’65 & Mrs. Marianne M. Stringfellow ’65

Ms. Megan K. Stroud ’04

Mr. Jon Stryker

Ms. Pat Stryker

Mr. John William Sublett Jr. ’79

Mrs. Nelda B. Sublett & Mr. John William Sublett ’49*

Mr. David Carriell Sulkis ’79 & Mrs. Kathleen C. Sulkis ’79

Ms. Betty Moore Summerlin

Mrs. Lacy Sweeney & Mr. Robert J. Sweeney Jr. ’48*

Mr. George Harold Talley II ’91 & Mrs. Lisa Hooper Talley

Mrs. Barbara Lynn Taylor ’88

Mr. Robert Taylor & Mrs. Charlene Moy Taylor ’85

Mr. Robertson Winn Taylor ’85 & Mrs. Joyce Taylor

Dr. Sherry Pittman Taylor

Dr. Steven E. Taylor P.E. & Mrs. Martha M. Taylor

Mr. Jordon W. Tench ’10 & Mrs. Meghan O’Dwyer Tench ’08

Dr. Mrinal Thakur

Mr. Jerry Franklin Thomas ’63 & Mrs. Elizabeth R. Thomas

Mr. K-Rob Thomas ’01 & Mrs. Marcia Leatha Thomas ’01

Dr. Jason Bryon Thompson ’93 & Mrs. Tamara Owen Thompson ’97

Mr. Stephen F. Thornton ’63

Mr. David Lloyd Thrasher ’84 & Mrs. Margaret Roberts Thrasher ’83

Dr. Brian Scott Thurow & Mrs. Jennifer Gibson Thurow

Mrs. Joy L. Tomasso ’51 & Mr. Angelo Tomasso Jr. ’49*

Mrs. Patricia Colley Topazi ’73 & Mr. Anthony Joseph Topazi ’73*

Ms. Karen Louise Trapane ’82

Mr. Thomas Lanier Traylor ’10 & Mrs. Emily Wood Traylor ’10

Mr. Daniel Andrew Traynor ’78 & Mrs. Mical A. Traynor ’80

Mr. Darryl Keith Trousdale ’87 & Mrs. Susan D. Trousdale ’92

Mr. Terry DeWayne Troutman ’93 & Mrs. Casey Robinson Troutman ’00

Mr. Bolton W. Tucker ’08 & Mrs. Lindsay Ille Tucker ’09

Mr. Terry Lee Tucker ’98 & Mrs. Christy Collins Tucker ’97

Mrs. Dede D. Tuggle ’60 & Dr. Michael Larry Tuggle Sr. ’57*

Mrs. Laura Crowe Turley ’87

Mr. Dwight J. Turner ’79

Mr. Hugh Ed Turner ’61

Mr. William J. Turner Jr. ’57 & Mrs. Jane Turner ’57

Mr. John W. Turrentine ’69 & Mrs. Jane Hall Turrentine ’68 ’69

Mr. Dewitt Uptagrafft ’72 & Mrs. Joan Uptagrafft

Mr. George Egbert Uthlaut ’54 & Mrs. Dorothy S. Uthlaut ’54*

Mr. Jeffrey Norman Vahle ’85 & Mrs. Harriet Woodbery Vahle ’84

Mr. Mark David Vanstrum ’79

Mr. Michael J. Varagona ’78 & Mrs. Janet W. Varagona ’78

Mr. Gary William Vaughan ’01 & Mrs. Summer E. Vaughan ’01

Dr. Robert L. Vecellio & Mrs. Pauline Vecellio*

*deceased

Mr. John Edward Vick ’62 & Mrs. Faye Vick

Mr. William Carl Voight III ’87 & Mrs. Sandra Ryan Voight

Mr. Walter Karl Vollberg ’73

Col. James S. Voss ’72 & Dr. Suzan Curry Voss ’71

Mr. Ira C. Waddey Jr. ’65 & Mrs. Ann M. Waddey

Mr. James D. Wadsworth ’72 & Mrs. Deborah Wadsworth

Mr. Joe W. Waid Jr. ’70 & Mrs. Ann Haynes Waid ’85

Mrs. Myrna McGuire Walker & Dr. William Fred Walker*

Mr. John Thomas Walter ’55 & Mrs. Jean Hall Walter ’57

Mr. David Charles Wang

Ms. Stephanie Marie Wang

Mrs. Rubilyn Wells Ward & Mr. William J. Ward ’55*

Mr. William E. Warnock Jr. ’74 & Mrs. Rebecca C. Warnock

Mr. Conner Warren ’67 & Mrs. Dorothy Warren ’69

Mr. J. Ernest Warren ’65

Mr. Marvin Key Warren III ’98 & Dr. Lisa Ann Bradshaw Warren ’01

Mr. Robert Morgan Waters ’71 & Mrs. Linda Barnes Waters ’70

Mr. John Holman Watson ’60 & Mrs. Gail Pearson Watson

Mr. Joseph D. Weatherford ’71 & Mrs. Kathy Weatherford

Dr. Glenn D. Weathers ’65 & Mrs. Katherine Weathers

Mr. Russell L. Weaver ’62

Mr. Erich Jarvis Weishaupt ’97

Mr. Robert W. Wellbaum III ’93 & Mrs. Christine J. Wellbaum ’93

Mr. James Wade Wesson ’73

Mr. Gary L. West ’74 & Mrs. Kathy Ashcraft West ’76

CORPORATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS

AATCC Foundation Inc.

ABB Power T&D Company Inc.

ABB Process Automation Inc.

Accenture Foundation Inc.

Acordis Cellulosic Fibers Inc.

ACPA, Southeast Chapter

Acustar Inc.

Adobe Systems Inc.

ADTRAN Inc.

Advantest America Inc.

Aegis Technologies Group Inc.

Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc.

Agilent Technologies Inc.

AGRI Inc.

Airbus Americas Inc.

Alabama Concrete Industries Assoc.

Alabama Gas Corporation

Alabama Highway Department

Alabama Power Company

Alabama River Pulp Company

Alabama Textile Education Foundation

Alabama Textile Operating Exec.

Albany International Corp.

Allison Engine Company

Altera Corporation

AM/NS Calvert

Amazon

AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Co.

American Concrete Pavement Assc. Alabama Division

American Fine Wire

American Tank & Vessel Inc.

Americold White Consolidated Industries Inc.

Amoco Fabrics Company

Anderson Electric/Square D Company

Applied MicroStructures Inc.

ASHRAE Inc.

AstenJohnson Inc.

AT&T Bell Laboratories

AT&T Foundation

Dr. Randy Clark West ’87 & Mrs. Ronda Vaughn West ’85

Mrs. Nell S. Wetzel & Mr. Leroy L. Wetzel ’59*

Mr. Lawrence Whatley Jr. ’85 & Mrs. Ywonna H. Whatley ’85

Mr. Stuart Warren Whatley Jr. ’84 & Mrs. Catherine C. Whatley ’85

Mr. William H. Whitaker Jr. ’55 & Mrs. Margaret R. Whitaker ’56

Mr. David Oliver Whitman ’82 & Mrs. Susan F. Whitman

Mr. Dwight L. Wiggins Jr. ’62

Mr. Garris David Wilcox ’95 & Mrs. Kimberly Wilcox

Lt. Col. Ralph C. Wilkinson ’57

Mr. Richard D. Williams III ’51 & Mrs. Mary V. Samford Williams*

Mrs. Sue Williams & Mr. Edward F. Williams III ’56*

Mr. Trent Edward Williams ’03

Mr. George Edmond Williamson II ’67 & Mrs. Carol F. Williamson

Mr. Clyde E. Wills Jr. ’68 & Mrs. Sue H. Wills

Mr. Brock McLaren Wilson ’09 & Mrs. Laura DeMaioribus Wilson ’09

Mr. Charles A. Wilson ’96 & Mrs. Elizabeth Boles Wilson ’97

Mrs. Patti Wilson & Mr. Donald G. Wilson ’58*

Dr. Walter Stanley Woltosz ’69 & Mrs. Virginia Woltosz

Mr. William B. M. Womack ’75 & Mrs. Ellen Womack

Mr. Norman E. Wood ’72 & Mrs. Victoria Barney Wood

Mr. Terrell Higdon Yon III ’83

Mr. Duane Dale York ’76 & Mrs. Happy Smith York ’78

Dr. Gretchen Michele Yost ’87

Mr. Brandon Devaghn Young ’10

Mr. Philip S. Zettler ’61 & Mrs. Betty Zettler

ATC

AU Chemical Engineering Alumni Council

AU Engineering Student Council

Auburn Alumni Engineering Council

Auburn Research & Development Institute

Auburn Research & Technology Foundation

Austin Maint & Construction Inc.

Bashinsky Foundation

BellSouth Corporation

Blacklidge Emulsions Inc.

Blount Foundation Inc.

Boehringer Ingelheim

Boeing Company

Boeing McDonnell Foundation

Boise Cascade Corporation

Boise Paper Holdings LLC

Bowater Inc.

Bowater Newsprint

BP Foundation Inc.

BP/Amoco Foundation Inc.

Brasfield & Gorrie LLC

Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama

Brendle Sprinkler Company

Briggs & Stratton Corporation Foundation Inc.

Brown & Root USA

Buckeye Florida LP

Buckeye Technologies Inc.

Buckman Laboratories Inc.

Callaway Chemical Company

Carrier Corporation

Carroll Air Systems Inc.

Caterpillar Corporate

Cellnet Technology Inc.

CH2M Hill Foundation

ChemTreat

Chevron Oil Company

Ciba Specialty Chemicals Foundation Inc.

Cincinnati Inc. c/o Rakesh Kumar

Cisco

Coach COMM LLC

Coca-Cola Foundation

Coherent Inc.

Collazo Enterprises Inc.

COLSA Corporation

Comer Foundation

Continental Automotive Systems US Inc.

Cotton Inc.

Cranston Print Works Company

Davidson Technologies Inc.

Dazix Company

Denso North America Foundation

Dixon Foundation

Dow Chemical USA

Dunn-French Foundation

Dynetics Inc.

E I DuPont De Nemours & Company

Eastman Chemical Company

Eastman Kodak Company

Eaton Corporation

ECC International Inc.

EnergySolutions Foundation

Engent Inc.

Epic Games Inc.

Equifax

Evergreen Packaging

Exelon Corporation

Exxon Mobil Foundation

FEKO EM Software & Systems (USA) Inc.

Florida Power & Light Company

Fluor Foundation

Foundry Educational Foundation

Friends of Auburn Pulp and Paper

Gachon University, Energy Materials Lab

Gayco Inc.

GE Global Research

Gene Haas Foundation

General Atomic Company

General Electric Company

CUPOLA REPORT

Georgia Pacific

GIS Inc.

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

Graphic Packaging International Inc.

Grede Holdings LLC

Griffon Aerospace

Halliburton Education Foundation

Harbert International Inc.

Harris Foundation

Hazelhurst Foundation

Henkel Corporation

Henson and Kirkland Charitable Foundation

Hercules Inc.

Hess Foundation Inc.

Hewlett Packard

Hexagon Safety and Infrastructure

Highland Industries Inc.

HK Porter Co. Inc.

Hoar Construction LLC

Home Builders Association of Alabama

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama

Honeywell International Inc.

Honeywell Technology Solutions Inc.

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama LLC

IBM Corporation

Imerys

Industrial Oils Unlimited

Industrial Science & Technology Network Inc.

Institute for STEM Ed & Research Inc. Journal of STEM Education

Integrated Surface Technologies

Intel Corporation

Intermap Technologies Inc.

International Business Machines Corp.

International Institute of Acoustics & Vibration

International Paper

Intradiem

Jackson Paper Manufacturing Co.

James P. Raymond Jr. Foundation

Jim Cooper Construction Co. Inc.

Johnson Bros. Corporation, a Southland Company

Johnson Controls Foundation

Johnston Textiles Inc.

KBR

Keimyung University

Kemet Electronics Corporation

Kemira Chemicals Inc.

Kimberly-Clark

Korea Institute of Industrial Technology

Korean Institute of Construction Technology

Kresge Foundation

Larry E. Speaks & Associates Inc.

LBYD Inc.

LEA Consulting

Lincoln Electric Co.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Lockwood Greene

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation

Lynthera Corporation

MacMillan Bloedel Inc.

Macon Cty Greyhound Pk Inc.

MACTEC Inc.

MAK Technologies Inc.

Malcolm Pirnie Inc.

Mando America Corporation

Manufacture Alabama

Martin Calibration Service

MartinFederal Consulting LLC

Material Handling Industry

MaxLinear Inc.

McCarthy Building Companies Inc.

MCM Corporation

Mentor Graphics

Metal Building Manufacturers Assn.

Metso Paper

Mid South Industries Inc.

Milliken Foundation

Minnesota Mining Manufacturing

Motion Controls Inc.

Motion Reality Inc.

Motorola Inc.

Mount Vernon Mills Inc.

Murata of America

Nalco

NAPA Education Foundation Inc.

NaphCare Inc.

National Blood Foundation

National Science Foundation

NCR Corporation

NEC Laboratories America Inc.

Nelson Stud Welding Inc.

Neptune Technology Group Inc.

NLGI

Nokia

Norfolk Southern Corp.

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp.

NRG Energy

NTA Inc.

Oiles America Corporation

OMNX Direct Control-Olin Chlor Alkal DIv

Orex Technologies International

Orolia

Packaging Corporation of America

Parsons Brinckerhoff Group Administration Inc.

Pathway Services Inc.

Perot Foundation

Pignone Textile

Pinson Valley Heat Treating Co. Inc.

PPG Industries Foundation

Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute

Procter & Gamble

Qualcomm Inc.

Qualico Steel Company Inc.

Ray C. Anderson Foundation Inc.

Raytheon Engineers & Constructors

Reiter Corporation Wehadkee Johnston

RES KAIDI

Robins & Morton

Robotic Research OPCO LLC

Rockwell Automation Inc.

Rosemount Analytical Inc.

RSC Chemical Solutions

Russell Corporation

SAE International

Savantage

SCA Tissue North America LLC

Schlumberger Foundation

Scott Bridge Company Inc.

Semiconductor Research Corp.

Shaw Industries Group Inc.

Sicking Safety Systems Inc.

Siemens VDO Automotive

Silicon Integration Initiative

Simulations Plus Inc.

Solenis LLC

South Central Bell

Southern Company Services

Southern Natural Gas Company

Southern Nuclear Operating Co.

Southwire Company

Spire Alabama Inc.

Stauffer Chemical Company

Steel Dynamics Inc.

Stockham Foundation Inc.

Sullivan Long & Hagerty

Sun Microsystems Inc.

Syngenta Crop Protection Inc.

Taiho Kogyo Tribology Research Foundation

TE Connectivity

Tekmatex Inc.

Tektronix Inc.

Telcordia Technologies

Teledyne Continental Motors Inc.

Temple Inland Foundation

Tennessee Valley Authority

Terracon Consultants Inc.

Texas Instruments

Textile Engineering

The Boeing Company

The Electrosynthesis Co. Inc.

The Hargrove Foundation

The J.J. Thomley Legacy Endowment Plan

The Westervelt Company

Thompson Holdings Inc.

Torch Technologies Inc.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Mfg. North America Inc.

Trane Technologies

Tri Star Group

TSYS

Unisys Corporation

United Launch Alliance

United Tech Pratt & Whitney

USX Corporation

Valmet Inc.

Vergil I. Prewett Jr. Educational Foundation

Verizon Foundation

Vinings Industries Inc.

Viscofan U.S.A. Inc.

Vodafone AirTouch

Vodafone Americas Foundation

Volkert Inc.

Von Braun Center for Science & Innovation Inc.

Vulcan Materials Co.

Wardwell Braiding Machine Co.

Wehadkee/American Truetzschler Inc.

Weld Star Technology Inc.

Westpoint Home Inc.

WestRock

Williams Industrial Services Group LLC

Winfield Cotton Mill

WJMM – A&R LLC

Xilinx Inc.

Yates Constructors LLC

Yonsei University

You Might Be For Auburn Foundation

ANNUAL FUNDS

Many Auburn Engineering donors choose to make annual gifts each year in support of students, faculty and ongoing college operations. These funds take the shape of scholarships, fellowships, departmental support and Funds for Excellence. Unlike endowments, these funds are given each year and are not maintained by principal or earnings. We would like to recognize those new annual funds from 2022.

B.L. Harbert International Annual Scholarship

Blaine and Janice Thrasher Annual Scholarship

Charles Wallis Annual Scholarship

Intradiem Annual Scholarship

ENDOWED FUNDS

Jason and Leigh Long Annual Scholarship

John and Jo Jones Center for Inclusive Engineering

Excellence Annual Scholarship

Lt. Col. R. Edward “Ed” Yeilding Annual Scholarship

Pamela B. Baldwin Annual Scholarship

William J. Cutts Annual Scholarship

Endowments are gifts that provide Auburn Engineering perpetual income and are essential for the long-term security and growth of the college. The Auburn University Foundation invests the principal of the endowed fund and the allocated income is used to support programs and initiatives designated by the donor. The following were established in 2022.

Aileen A. Arnold Memorial Creed Endowed Scholarship

Anthony Smith / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Barge Design Solutions Inc. Endowed Scholarship

Bill Jenkins Endowed Scholarship

Capt. Mark Jacobs USN Endowed Scholarship

Charles Burson DePue III / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Charles J. Smith / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship i

Dennis Weatherby Endowed Scholarship

Devante and Jasmyne Brown Endowed Scholarship

Don B. and Barbara B. Ellis / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Dr. Larry Benefield / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Dr. Larry Monroe and Cindy Green Endowed Fund for Excellence

Dr. Will L. Liddell Jr. Endowed Scholarship

Edward Blackmon and Judy Shirley Family Endowed Fund for Excellence

Erica Walsh / Walsh Family Endowed Scholarship

Flippin / Bashinksy Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Gary and Mary Beth Hallen Endowed Scholarship

Grant and Jackie Steele / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Gwendolyn Weddington Endowed Scholarship

Hal N. Pennington and Peggy S. Pennington Endowed Creed Scholarship

Hugh Ed Turner Endowed Scholarship

Ida DeLois Daniel Endowed Scholarship

J.V. & Carrie Barlow Endowed Scholarship

James “Jim” McDaniel Endowed Scholarship

James and Erica Goosby Endowed Scholarship

James Love / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Jeff and Jacquelyn Langhout Endowed Scholarship

Joe and Jo Ann Cowan Endowed Scholarship

John and Elouise Junkins Endowed Scholarship

Julie Dunn Faurot Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Katherine Grace O’Donnell Endowed Scholarship

Lance and Callie New Endowed Scholarship

Lawley Family Endowed Scholarship

Lawrence and Ywonna Whatley Endowed Scholarship

PLANNED GIFTS

Leslee Belluchie and Rick Knop Endowed Fund for Excellence

Louisiana Engineering / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Lt. Col. Ralph C. Wilkinson Endowed Scholarship

Luttrell Family Endowed Scholarship

Major General James E. Livingston, MOH, and Mrs. Sara Livingston Endowed Scholarship

Michael B. McCartney Endowed Chair

Mike and Jana Moody / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Mike Stokes Electrical Engineering Endowed Scholarship

Mike Stokes Endowed Scholarship

Mr. Calvin Cutshaw and Dr. Mary Boudreaux / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

O’Malley Family / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Paul Duff Quenelle Endowed Scholarship

Peter and Mary Arnold Endowed Scholarship

Peter and Mary Arnold Endowed Scholarship

Professor Norman C. Perry/Saeed Maghsoodloo Endowed Fellowship

Randy D. Mathis Endowed Scholarship

Randy DeWayne Young Jr. Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Rick and Jodi Perdue Endowed Scholarship

Robert W. and Jo Angela F. Saxon Endowed Scholarship

Saeed Maghsoodloo ISE Fellowship Endowment

Saeed Maghsoodloo ISE Professorship Endowment

Samuel S. Coursen / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Scott and Maria Larson Endowed Scholarship

Sederic Parker Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Susie Hill Endowed Scholarship

The Dixon Family Endowed Scholarship

The Joe White / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Thomas R. Mitchell Jr. and Thomas R. Mitchell III Endowed Scholarship

Vic Chance / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

William “Bill” Womack P.E. Endowed Scholarship

William J. Rowell Endowed Scholarship

William Kyle Allison Jr. / Bashinsky Ever Auburn Endowed Scholarship

Planned gifts are pledged today to benefit the college in the future. These gifts include bequests, life income plans, charitable gift annuities, and gifts of life insurance. Planned gifts enable donors to manage their investments while leaving a lasting legacy for Auburn Engineering. The following donors established planned gifts in 2022.

Mr. Charles S. Aiken Jr. ’73 & Mrs. Catherine C. Aiken

Mr. Joseph F. Barth III ’71 & Mrs. Gail Barth

Mr. Edward Thomas Blackmon ’93 & Ms. Judy C. Shirley

Mr. Robert Joseph Brackin ’80 & Mrs. Roberta Marcantonio

Mr. Shawn Edward Cleary ’82 & Mrs. Anne M. Cleary ’82

Mrs. Jean Guthrie

Dr. Will L. Liddell Jr. ’59 & Mrs. Ruth Howe Liddell ’70

Dr. Saeed Maghsoodloo ’62

Mr. Shawn Edward Mahan ’97 & Mrs. Deana Labozetta Mahan ’98

Ms. Julia M. McClure ’68

Mr. James H. McDaniel ’68

Mr. Paul Lance New Sr. ’70 & Mrs. Callie New

Mr. William S. Pace Jr. ’75 & Mrs. Drunell R. Pace

Mr. Albert Miles Redd Jr. ’59

Mrs. Karen Harris Rowell ’79

Mr. Floyd G. Soule ’66 & Mrs. Nancy A. Soule

Ms. Megan K. Stroud ’04

Mr. John William Sublett Jr. ’79

Mrs. Nelda B. Sublett

Mrs. Charlene Moy Taylor ’85

Ms. Gwendolyn Weddington ’80

Lt. Col. Ralph C. Wilkinson ’57

Mr. William B. M. Womack ’75 & Mrs. Ellen Womack