ENGINEERING WINTER 2011
Without Limits
Celebrating
40 years of Engineering Innovation
ENGINEERING AGENDA It’s a very exciting time for us as we celebrate the School of Engineering’s 40th anniversary! As we look back on our first 40 years, we take great pride in the tradition of success that has helped us grow into a school with a strong identity. • Engineering at UAB is about the brightest, most talented researchers in their fields bringing new basic science discoveries and new applied technologies to fruition. • Engineering at UAB is about smart, driven students from across the city, state, and world learning together and taking advantage of a multitude of opportunities for real-world educational experiences. • Engineering at UAB is about collaboration: projects that are bringing engineers together with medical professionals, business leaders, and fellow scientists from other disciplines, in order to push the envelope and discover new, innovative solutions for the challenges our world faces. • Most importantly, Engineering at UAB is about you. Whether you are a prospective student, parent, alumnus, prospective faculty, friend, or someone just wanting to learn more, this school of engineering seeks to provide you with the opportunities you need to meet your goals. The UAB School of Engineering has been on an upward trajectory since its inception. My mission is to continue the momentum with dynamic learning opportunities in engineering education, innovative research initiatives, and renewed community engagement that will lead us into the future. We have come far in our first 40 years, and I am confident that the years ahead will lead to even greater accomplishments. I want you to be a part of the UAB breakthroughs that happen at the School of Engineering. My hope is that you will join us as we move forward.
Melinda Lalor, Ph.D. Interim Dean, School of Engineering
1 UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011
PAGE 3
Without Limits Celebrating 40 Years of Engineering Innovation
CONTENTS Features Electric Avenue: ECE Chair Carving a New Niche......................................... 9 Calling Leonardo: New Program Combines Art and Engineering................. 10
PAGE 10
A Driving Force: Center Has Big Economic Development Potential........... 11
Departments Faculty Briefs.................................................................... 12 Student Spotlight.............................................................. 13 Alumni Profile................................................................... 16 Development.................................................................... 17
PAGE 15 PAGE 11
UAB Engineering is published by the UAB School of Engineering in collaboration with the Office of Public Relations and Marketing. Executive Editors: Matt Windsor, Victoria Allen • Managing Editor: Grant Martin • Writers: Victoria Allen, Caperton Gillett, Grant Martin • Executive Art Director: Ron Gamble • Art Director: Jessica Huffstutler • Photography: Steve Wood • UAB Engineering Editorial Board: Melinda Lalor, Ph.D., Interim Dean; Zoe Dwyer, Ph.D., Director of Freshman Services; Victoria Allen, Director of Development and External Relations; Beth Briggs, Alumni Relations Officer; Tina Bryant, Administrative Support
UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011 2
Without Limits 1936
establishes the Birmingham Extension Center. Students are
Birmingham is a city built
And by the time UAB was created
allowed to complete two years
on engineering.
in 1969, the single industry that
of engineering coursework in Birmingham.
1962
Ground is broken for construction of the engineering building on 8th Avenue South.
1964
Celebrating 40 Years of Engineering Innovation
The University of Alabama
When the steel industry first
had dominated the city’s early his-
showed an interest in the iron depos-
tory was in decline, giving way to a
its beneath Red Mountain, no city
more diverse marketplace in need of
existed. There was no housing, no
locally trained professionals.
mines or roads—in short, no infra-
The School of Engineering (SOE)
structure to support the massive
received accreditation in 1971 and
operations to come.
over the ensuing 40 years has been
In a few short years, businesses
at the heart of a changing city. UAB
The first engineering classes
were established, tunnels dug and
graduates can be found in leader-
are held in the new engineering
railways laid, and the Magic City was
ship positions in virtually every
building adjacent to the medical
mapped, built, and settled.
Birmingham industry, from the his-
center.
Many decades would pass before
toric metals and material engineering
a four-year engineering program
interests to health care, utilities, and
would be established in Birmingham.
construction, to name a few.
3 UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011
1967
Joseph Appleton becomes director of the Division of Engineering.
1970
Ralph H. Aldridge Jr. receives the first engineering degree from UAB.
1971
Prophetic Opposition As far back as the 1940s, efforts were made to provide a four-year engineering training program in Birmingham. And while an annual crop of locally trained engineers would provide an obvious and immediate benefit to the steel industry,
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) grants the first accred-
according to UAB history professor Tenant McWilliams’s book, New Lights in the Valley, U.S. Steel, by far the city’s largest employer, did not support the initiative. Presumably,
itation to the bachelor’s in engineering programs offered at UAB.
an influx of trained engineers would make the area more attractive to other industries—and create a diversified workforce that would compete with the steel industry for labor. Today, the School of Engineering stands as justification for those fears: UAB’s engineering graduates account for large portions of the workforce in a wide variety of industries. In addition, students and alumni alike continue to introduce start-up companies to the marketplace, continuing a long tradition of entrepreneurial successes that fit the nature of UAB itself.
Engineering students and faculty engage in a wide variety of research interests that break down conventional boundaries and create interdisciplinary partnerships that elevate research capabilities to unprecedented levels. It is with great pride, therefore, that the UAB School of Engineering looks back at its first 40 years of existence as the foundation for a
the city was losing out on signifi-
new appointees to the UA board,
future without limits.
cant growth opportunities because
such as Winton “Red” Blount and
of the lack of locally trained engi-
Ehney Camp. With Rose keenly
neers. Those arguments found an
aware of the importance of the UA
audience in University of Alabama
Extension Center in Birmingham,
Planting Seeds In the late 1950s, Birmingham’s civic leaders began complaining that
(UA) President Frank Rose and continued on next page UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011 4
1971
Engineering is named one of the first four schools in UAB’s new University College. he urged John Morton and James
rooms and laboratories all over the
448 students enroll in the
Cudworth—the UA deans of con-
city until a brand-new engineering
fall term at the School of
tinuing education and engineering,
building was opened in 1964 on
Engineering.
respectively—to cooperate in every
8th Avenue South between 19th
way possible with the university’s
and 20th Streets. A year later, a
The school’s first gradu-
Birmingham personnel and civic
master’s program was added, and
ate degree is awarded
leaders to ensure the creation of a
the groundwork for what would
to Carlton Merlin Berg.
four-year program in the city.
one day become the UAB School of
Joseph Appleton is
ed under the direction of corporate
named dean.
1978
In 1963, that program was start-
Engineering was laid. “When you talk about the
engineer Joseph Appleton. With no
40-year anniversary of the School of
space available for his new program,
Engineering, you have to recognize
James H. Woodward
Appleton arranged
that an engineering program
Jr. is named second
for classes to be
was created many years
dean of the School of
held in conference
before that,” says Appleton,
Engineering.
1979
The school establishes four departments— biomedical, civil, electrical, and mechanical/materials—and begins offering discipline-specific baccalaureate programs.
1979 1982
The only master’s degree-granting BME program in the state of Alabama is established. Construction begins on the BEC after completing the school’s first major fundraising campaign.
1983
The school’s first Ph.D. degree is awarded to
1984
Jay Goldman becomes the school’s third dean.
1984
David A. Conner becomes the first engineer-
Linda Lucas.
ing professor to receive UAB’s Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence in Teaching.
5 UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011
who would be named dean when
Baswell became the first woman to
the school was established in 1971.
earn a baccalaureate degree a year
“The school would never have been
later. While the diplomas officially
established if not for the efforts of
were granted by the University of
several individuals who raised the
Alabama, many of the early gradu-
money and lobbied to provide engi-
ates would become key figures
neering training in Birmingham.”
in the future of UAB, with Barry
Birmingham native John Duncan,
Andrews, Ph.D. (currently the chair
1988
With a substantial gift from
a transfer student from Tuscaloosa,
of the Department of Materials
was the first to earn a degree from
Science and Engineering), and Ray
the BellSouth Foundation,
the fledgling program in 1963.
Watts, M.D. (currently the dean of
the first chair in the School of
Fellow Birmingham native Jerry
the UAB School of Medicine), both
Engineering is established and
Abbott received the first master’s
receiving engineering degrees during
named the Wallace R. Bunn
degree in 1967, and Imogene
that period.
Chair in Telecommunications in continued on next page
honor of Chief Executive Officer of BellSouth Corporation, Wallace R. Bunn.
1990
The School of Engineering receives a generous gift to help support equipment enhancement from The Kresge Foundation.
1992
The Department of Civil Engineering establishes the school’s first Advisory Board.
1996
Steve Szygenda becomes the
1997
The school acquires and
school’s fourth dean.
renovates the Office for the Advancement of Developing Industries Building and renames it the Hugo and Margaret Hoehn Engineering Building.
1997
BioHorizons®, a dental implant company located in Birmingham, emerges from the research of BME faculty member Martha Bidez and her students. BioHorizons sells implants and other products worldwide.
UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011 6
Legacy of Leadership Naming Appleton as the founding dean undoubtedly helped with the transition from program to school, but Appleton provided UAB with much more than that. In 1978, he
1999
2001
stepped down as dean but stayed Neelaksh “Neel” Varshney,
on as a faculty member. Over a
a senior electrical engineering
30-year career in Birmingham,
major from Madison, Alabama,
Appleton was appointed to numer-
is the first UAB student chosen
ous committees within the univer-
as a Rhodes Scholar.
sity, and he helped establish the
Linda C. Lucas, Ph.D., is named the school’s fifth dean.
School of Engineering as an important contributor to the university’s success in a variety of disciplines. Jim Woodward, Ph.D., who had
2001
The bachelor’s degree program
previously served as assistant vice
in biomedical engineering is established. The program is the only accredited BME program in the state.
2007
Student Steven Williams and other materials engineering
2002
students design and build the
Mike and Gillian Goodrich cre-
iron Blaze dragon that now sits
ate the T. Michael and Gillian
outside of the BEC Building.
Goodrich Endowed Chair of Engineering Leadership by contributing the largest individual gift in the history of the UAB School of Engineering.
2007
The UAB School of Engineering partners with the Misr University for Science and Technology (MUST) in Cairo, Egypt, to develop the
2006
A new School of Engineering Design Laboratory is developed for student design projects.
school’s first international academic program for faculty and students to travel abroad. The program is designed to focus on construction
2006
The Shelby Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building opens, increasing UAB’s research space by 25 percent.
engineering management, with particular emphasis on the emerging fields of sustainability and green building construction.
7 UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011
2008
Blazer BEST Hub is formed. BEST Robotics is an organization whose mission is to engage middle and
president, was named dean of the
sonnel into the Hoehn Building, insti-
high school students through par-
school in 1978. Under his direction,
tuted the first executive master’s
ticipation in a competitive robotics
the school established four sepa-
program, and established a develop-
competition.
rate degree-granting departments:
ment office for the school.
biomedical, civil, electrical, and mechanical/materials. Additionally, in
became the fifth dean. Over
1979, the school would offer the first
the next decade, she oversaw
master’s level biomedical engineering
the construction of the Shelby
program in the state.
Building for Biomedical Research
Woodward would go on to hold
2008
In 2001, Linda Lucas, Ph.D.,
service mission trip to Peru.
2008
as well as other new state-ofthe-art laboratories, such as the
UAB, including senior vice president
Materials Processing and Application
of academic affairs. He is credited
Development Center (see page 11).
with many of the efforts to move
Lucas also helped usher in 21st-
the university toward a more tradi-
century education by offering a
tional campus experience through
variety of online options for long-
the creation of green space and on-
distance students, including a new
campus dormitories.
master’s of engineering program
was in dire need of a new, modern-
Engineers Without Borders is established and embarks on its
several leadership positions within
By the early 1980s, the school
The UAB student chapter of
To honor Mr. William F. Edmonds, BE&K makes a gift to establish and support the William F. Edmonds Interactive Learning Center in the School of Engineering.
2009
VisCube opens, providing new opportunities for collaborative research.
with three tracks. In 2011, Lucas was named UAB’s
2009
SOE faculty start Innovative
ized facility, and it launched its first
interim provost, and longtime fac-
major fundraising campaign, result-
ulty member Melinda Lalor, Ph.D.,
win first place in the Alabama
ing in construction of the Business
was named interim dean. But even
LaunchPad competition.
and Engineering Complex.
in a time of transition, the school
In 1984, Jay Goldman became the
moves forward, bringing in new
school’s third dean. During his tenure,
faculty (see page 9) and continuing
the school continued to grow through
to engage in the kind of high-level,
numerous gifts, which helped add
cross-disciplinary research that will
faculty and modernize equipment.
continue the transformation of the
In 1996, Steve Szygenda became the school’s fourth dean. He orches-
Composite Solutions, Inc., and
2010
The School of Engineering opens
2010
UAB spin-off company Endomimetics
the MPAD. (See page 11.)
develops a coating for stents to mimic the lining of blood vessels. The com-
Birmingham area into a research hub
pany was cofounded by UAB cardiolo-
for the 21st century.
gist Brigitta Brott, M.D., and Ho-Wook
trated the move of engineering per-
Jun, Ph.D., an assistant professor in biomedical engineering,
2010
Martha Bidez, Ph.D., starts the Master of Engineering in Advanced Safety Engineering and Management Program. (See page 12.)
2011
Enrollment for the fall term surpasses 1,200 students.
UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011 8
faculty spotlight “This is a very exciting time for
cal center, but not specifically with
electrical and computer engineering,
the Department of Electrical and
because today’s undergraduate stu-
Computer Engineering. In recent
dents have grown up with electron-
months, however, Massoud and his
ics and computers,” Massoud says.
team of researchers have revealed a
“That familiarity will be an advantage
less obvious opportunity for medical
when this generation begins to
collaboration—but one that can be
design future technologies.”
extremely productive. Prior to coming to UAB, Massoud
All Hands on Deck
Electric Avenue Electrical and Computer Engineering Chair Carving New Niche
was on faculty at Rice University,
Massoud has spent his first sev-
where he and his team worked on a
eral months at UAB directing under-
$4 million project for the Department
graduates to take an active role in
of Defense in which they devel-
research. “There is a misconception
oped software that could convert
that undergraduates are here for
analog signals to digital at a much
studying and training while graduate
lower sampling rate than was previ-
students conduct research,” says
ously believed possible. The result
Massoud. “We still want our under-
is a device that is smaller, uses less
graduates to get the highest level of
energy, and can hold 10 times the
training, but we also want them to
amount of data of previous devices.
take a more central role in research.”
“There are many areas where this
To demonstrate this new approach,
could be utilized,” Massoud says.
Massoud leads a tour of a new ECE
“But because of the tremendous
laboratory, where work ranges from
amount of medical expertise and
graduate and postgraduate students
research at UAB, it makes sense to
using state-of-the-art equipment to
concentrate our efforts on medicine.”
work on multimillion dollar projects
Massoud says the opportunities
to undergraduate students designing
for cross-disciplinary research were
Imagine a future where patients
the aforementioned cellphone appli-
a major factor in luring him to UAB.
in remote areas can obtain and
cations that could revolutionize health
In fact, he is already working to
send real-time medical information
care.
establish collaborative research with
instantaneously to doctors via their
By getting undergraduates involved
the School of Medicine, including
cellphones. Imagine the possibili-
in research, Massoud says he hopes
opportunities in neurology, diabetes,
ties for clinical studies when doctors
to raise the visibility of UAB among
cancer treatment, and medical imag-
have access to information from
high school students in order to
ing, among other departments and
patients scattered all over the world.
recruit the brightest minds into elec-
centers on campus.
According to Yehia Massoud, Ph.D.,
trical and computer engineering.
the new chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, that future is just around the corner—
“We want to build on UAB’s reputation as an international health-care
A New Niche The UAB School of Engineering
research leader and use our department’s skills in engineering and com-
and it’s today’s undergraduates who
has a long history of successful
puting to develop novel solutions for
will make it possible.
research collaboration with the medi-
health-care problems,” he says.
9 UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011
engineering instructors will “hide the mathematics behind a curtain” as much as possible, Soni notes. Art faculty, meanwhile, will adapt their methods to “teach aesthetics and creativity to science students, who tend to be very concrete sometimes,” Lowther says. “We’re trying to foster the kind of scholar who has characteristics like da Vinci, who was
Calling
equally at home in the left and right brain.”
Leonardo
Both sides of the brain are crucial for making use of emerging 3-D and
New Certificate Program Combines Best of Art and Engineering
interactive technology, says Soni. Recent blockbuster movies have helped transform
It’s a Twenty-first century
3-D from a theme park
program with a 15th-century name,
gimmick to a home the-
but make no mistake: The Leonardo
ater standby in a matter
Art and Engineering Certificate
of a few years. “But
Program is old-school in name only. The program is affectionately known as “Leonardo” to developers Bharat Soni, Ph.D., and Christopher Lowther, because it aims to combine the concrete aspects of engineering (Soni) with the creative aspects of art (Lowther), thereby molding students into the kind of well-rounded Renaissance-minded people implied by the program’s namesake—artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci. UAB faculty already have extensive expertise in designing and building immersive virtual-reality environments, says Soni, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The school’s summer
institute for high-school students has
in engineering, this is something
given faculty experience in teach-
we’ve been doing for some time,”
ing computer-simulation techniques
Soni says. “High-dimensional visu-
to the mathematically disinclined.
alizations and simulations are used
And Lowther’s time-based media
in many different ways, to simulate
class in the Department of Art and
the aerodynamics of jet airplanes, for
Art History, which makes heavy
example, or to model fluid dynamics.
use of 3-D modeling and animation
What are missing are some artistic
software, presented a near-perfect
characteristics.” And that’s where
bridge between the two disciplines.
the artists come in. “We encourage creative thinking and creative solutions in addition to skills in aesthet-
Double Talk
ics,” Lowther says. “We’re changing
The challenge has been building that bridge for students with
paradigms. If you think of yourself
very different thought processes,
as an artist-engineer, you’re going
Soni says. Art students who enter
to start having bigger ideas. And
the program will have to immerse
Leonardo epitomizes that.”
themselves in a very technical and science-based environment, but
“And the name,” Soni says, “is so catchy.”
UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011 10
Features
A Driving Force New Center Turning Heads with Economic Development Potential Unparalleled. One of a kind.
any other university-based metal-cast-
that began with grants to its com-
Unique.
ing lab in the country—or in industrial
posites lab in 2004 to develop new
testing facilities.
materials for use in military missile
A lot of adjectives have been used to describe a new center of excel-
“The metals lab will allow us to
systems and new compounds to cre-
lence at the School of Engineering,
do what very few facilities can do—
ate lighter-weight, more reliable body
but there are only so many words
produce large-scale components
armor for military personnel.
to describe something that offers
and testing in real-world conditions,”
But the potential impact of MPAD
no comparison to existing facilities.
says Barry Andrews, Ph.D., chair of
goes far beyond one project or indus-
The UAB Materials Processing and
the UAB Department of Materials
try. Local leaders see an enormous
Application Development Center
Science and Engineering (MSE).
benefit to local economic develop-
(MPAD) is a 15,000-square-foot facil-
The facility was funded in part by a
ment through the center. Neal Wade,
ity that officials say will be involved
$1 million grant from the U.S. Army
director of the Alabama Development
with development and production of
Research Laboratory. The ARL fund-
Office, says the future of materials
innovative materials on scales so large
ing is an extension of a multiyear
manufacturing in Alabama will be
that they essentially are nonexistent in
research relationship with UAB MSE
shaped by the skilled scholars and
11 UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011
students working in a newly dedicated center of excellence at the School of
“The metals lab will allow us to do what very few facilities can do—produce large-scale components and testing in real world conditions.” —Barry Andrews, Ph.D.
Engineering. “Companies that don’t want to spend extra dol-
composite materials laboratory and
methods for various applications all in
lars in this economic time on research
9,000-square-foot metals labora-
one location.”
and development can now look to
tory, MPAD is the largest academic
UAB to conduct tests and develop
research facility of its kind in the
equipment installation phase, but
new materials,” Wade says. “This
country.
by late fall will begin to discover
center is the real deal. They have an
MPAD’s metals lab is still in its
“Having both composites and
and test new metals and alloys
unparalleled level of intellect here and
metals research under one roof is
for improved, safer vehicle armor,
are operating state-of-the-art equip-
extremely rare,” says Melinda Lalor,
among other projects. The lab will
ment to work in the most advanced
Ph.D., interim dean of the UAB
be capable of pouring 500-pound
areas of composite and metal materi-
School of Engineering. “We will be
test castings, significantly larger
als research.”
able to develop new materials and
than the traditional test samples
new processing technologies and
fashioned at most U.S. universities.
Home to a 6,000-square-foot
Faculty Briefs
within the University of Alabama at
the American Society of Safety
Birmingham.”
Engineers’ Women in Safety
Bidez is an internation-
Martha Warren Bidez, Ph.D., professor and director of the Advanced Safety Engineering and Management graduate track in the School of Engineering, has been named System Safety Society’s Educator of the
Engineering.
ally renowned biomedical
Martha Warren Bidez, Ph.D.
Year for 2011. “Dr. Bidez is being honored for her outstanding achievement in safety education,” says Anthony Burno, operational vice president, System Safety Society. “I am honored to award Dr. Bidez for her development and implementation of the Advanced Safety Engineering and Management graduate program
engineer, entrepreneur,
Robin D. Foley, Ph.D., an associ-
and system-safety consul-
ate professor in the Department of
tant. She has more than 29
Materials Science and Engineering, is
years of experience in seri-
the 2011 recipient of the Ellen Gregg
ous injury investigation, sci-
Ingalls/UAB National Alumni Society
entific research, teaching at
Award. Foley, who joined UAB in
the School of Engineering,
1990, was honored at the Fall Alumni
and technology transfer
Society luncheon on September 23,
within the health-care sector. She
2011, at the Alumni House.
is a National Leadership
The Ellen Gregg
Fellow of the W.K. Kellogg
Ingalls/UAB National
Foundation and a fellow
Alumni Society Award
of the American Institute
for Lifetime Achievement
for Medical and Biological
in Teaching is considered
Engineering.
the highest recognition
Bidez also was named
for faculty presented by
one of the top 100 women in safety engineering by
the university. Robin D. Foley, Ph.D.
UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011 12
student spotlight Cooper Wins CD-adapco’s 2011 Academic Paper Contest SOE graduate David Cooper is
For his win, Cooper received an
the winner of CD-adapco’s 2011
all-expense paid trip to the STAR
Academic Paper Contest. The
American Conference 2011 in Chicago.
paper on his senior design project,
He also had the opportunity to pres-
“Performance of a Proposed Micro-
ent his work to the gathered audience
Aerial Vehicle Design,” explains how
of distinguished industrial simulation
he used a number of STAR-CCM+
experts. Cooper graduated from the
techniques in an applied engineering
School of Engineering in May.
design that otherwise would require completion of the project to test. Cooper says, “My team and I were designing and constructing a micro air vehicle and simulation was the only means available to evaluate critical design parameters, such as the From left, mentor Gary Cheng is joined by team mem-
amount of power required and ideal
bers Tim Whitehead, David Cooper, Rodney May, Simon
wing motion.”
Muriuki, Michael Dale, and mentor Roy Koomullil.
Student Briefs Brian Mareno of Helena, a senior
cants of the four-year programs,” says
The Alabama Society of
in the UAB School of Engineering, is the
Greg Ford, chair of the Bruce Tucker
Professional Engineers has named
recipient of the Bruce Tucker Memorial
Memorial Scholarship Trust. “He has
UAB student Amanda Haglund
Scholarship from the Mississippi Valley
a great GPA and put a lot of effort into
its Student of the Year, extending a
branch of the Associated General
making quality grades in a hard field of
nine-year streak, as UAB students
Contractors of America. The award is
study. He is involved and well-liked by
have won this honor every year since
given annually to undergraduates with
his peers and teachers.”
2002.
outstanding academic achievements
Mareno, 24, is the first UAB student
“Amanda is outstanding and a
and an interest in the construction area
to win this scholarship. He has worked
superb student and we are all proud
of civil engineering.
full-time in the construction industry
that she extends a tradition of excel-
since 2005 and is scheduled to gradu-
lence as the 10th straight UAB stu-
ate in May 2012.
dent to earn the honor of ASPE stu-
“Brian Mareno achieved the highest aggregate score from all the appli-
13 UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011
Open House 2010 High school students from throughout the Birmingham metropolitan area converged on the School of Engineering again last year for the school’s annual Open House event. Open House takes place each fall and has become one of the key opportunities for the school to gain exposure in the local community and give prospective students an up-close
Photos provided by the Birmingham News
look at what student life in the SOE is all about.
School Now Offers New Concentrations for Undergraduates Beginning this fall, the School
dent of the year,” says Melinda Lalor,
lege. Plus, the School of Engineering
Ph.D., interim dean of the School of
has a small-school feel because the
of Engineering will be offering
Engineering.
professors are very involved,” says
concentrations in biomaterials,
Haglund. “I love my teachers, and
metallurgy, and polymer matrix
Department of Materials Sciences
my department allows students who
composites within the bachelor of
and Engineering also was named the
want to gain hands-on experience
school’s Outstanding Undergraduate
to experience those opportunities in
science degree in materials engi-
Student Engineer for 2010-11.
real-world situations.”
The Birmingham native from the
Haglund credits her success to her
Linda Lucas, Ph.D., the former dean
neering. In addition, the school will offer concentrations in biomaterials/
environment. “I was home-schooled,
of the School of Engineering and cur-
and my mom chose a lot of AP cours-
rent UAB interim Provost, won this
tissue engineering and biomechan-
es so I was quite ready to start col-
award in 1978.
ics within the bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering. UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011 14
student spotlight UAB Hosts SAE Baja Competition UAB students have long participated in the annual SAE Baja competition, but in April 2011, engineering students were able to host the event for the first time. The School of Engineering, along with the SAE Alabama Section, hosted the competition at the Stony Lonesome OHV Park in Bremen, Alabama. College teams from 59 schools throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico converged on the Cullman County park, where they competed with off-road vehicles they designed and built to survive the severe punishment of rough terrain and water. The UAB team won third place overall, third place in suspension and endurance, and third place in endurance.
Homecoming 2010 Last fall, School of Engineering students got into the spirit of UAB’s Homecoming week in a big way by bringing in several university-wide homecoming awards, including: • 1st Place: Most Creative Float • 1st Place: Most Creative Gurney Passenger • 3rd Place: Building Decoration Additionally, the school won the first ever Blazer Pride Award for the best display of UAB spirit throughout Homecoming Week 2010.
15 UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011
alumni profile Vocal Hero: Meet the Face that Launched Gang Green Jeremiah Haswell is larger than
ebrating UAB’s 64-46
life. He has appeared on T-shirts, bill-
win over Memphis—
boards, newspaper ads, and stadium
when a photographer
scoreboards dozens of feet high.
captured the famous
With a six-inch green wig, Blazer logos on his cheeks, and a mouth
shot of him celebrating the victory.
frozen mid-shout, Haswell’s greentinted visage has been the face of UAB athletics for years. Yet even
Jeremiah Haswell
Going Green Haswell, who says
though the two-time alumnus is a
he was never a basketball fan prior
use,” Haswell says.
regular at Blazer sports events, few
to enrolling at UAB, began attend-
“I didn’t know what
of his fellow fans recognize the icon
ing games as a freshman and was
photo he was talking
in their midst—even if they’re wear-
immediately hooked. When the
about, but I said OK. Then
ing his face on their shirts.
athletic department began promot-
when I got back to school that fall,
ing the idea of a student support
there was a full-page ad in the stu-
captured in a nine-year-old photo-
organization, Haswell was among
dent newspaper with my face on it.”
Haswell’s spirit-filled image, as graph, is the logo of Gang Green, the
the first to join the effort. “We
UAB student organization formed
started out as just a small group of
to support Blazer athletics. Haswell
students,” Haswell says. “I thought
Even without all the attention the
was a founding member of the
Gang Green was a great way to cre-
Gang Green ad generated, Haswell’s
group in 2001 and served as its third
ate some excitement and get more
presence at UAB was never exactly
president in 2003, in between earn-
people involved.”
inconspicuous. He was a freshman
ing bachelor’s and master’s degrees
Haswell’s athletic interests weren’t
Still One of the Gang
orientation leader, a UAB Ambas-
from the School of Engineering. Yet
relegated to life on the sidelines,
sador, a Student Government
his most lasting contribution came,
however. The summer after his soph-
Association representative, a mem-
unbeknownst to him, when he was
omore year, he rode a bicycle across
ber of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, and
just another face in a packed Bartow
the country for the Journey of Hope,
vice-president of UAB Engineers
Arena.
a national charity dedicated to serving
Without Borders. He received a
“We got dressed up and went all
people with disabilities. Somewhere
bachelor’s degree in mechanical
out for some of the bigger games,”
in the middle of the 64-day, 4,100-
engineering in 2003 and added a
against teams like Cincinnati, Louis-
mile trek, he got a call asking for
master’s in civil engineering in 2008.
ville, and Memphis, says Haswell.
permission to use his image to help
He currently works as a team leader
He was at mid-court on February
publicize Gang Green. “My roommate
for Alabama Power Company and is
22, 2002—covered in body paint and
said they had a photo of me from a
married to a fellow two-time UAB
waving a huge UAB flag while cel-
basketball game that they wanted to
alumnus, Lindsay Greer Haswell.
UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011 16
development 40 Years of Engineering Excellence This fall the School of
in teaching and research, our plan is to work even
Engineering celebrates its 40th
harder. But it’s about more than engineering. It’s
anniversary and is taking time to
also about making a positive impact on people’s
reflect on its many successes. As
lives, our communities, and the world. At the UAB
you have read, the school was an
School of Engineering we are offering our students
important part of UAB’s begin-
a unique, interdisciplinary educational environment
ning and has continued to have an
that provides them with a foundation to become
indelible impact on the university
the leaders of tomorrow. By setting and meeting
and the city of Birmingham. As
ambitious goals, we can ensure that the school
we look back on the past four
remains competitive and continues to attract top
decades, we take great pride in
students and faculty to engineering.
what the school has achieved in
Private support will be crucial to the continued
such a short time. The credit for
growth of the School of Engineering. If you haven’t
these accomplishments must be
already, I sincerely hope that you will consider join-
given largely to the dedication of
ing the ranks of others who have made a commit-
our extraordinary faculty and staff
ment to assist us in providing the best engineering
and to our alumni who so proudly
education possible by contributing to our annual
represent the School of Engineering in their com-
fund, endowment, and scholarships. These funds
munities. We thank you for your continued commit-
will help us recruit and retain the most talented
ment to UAB.
students and faculty and also support the research
As UAB continues to grow and change, so does the School of Engineering. Having seen the larg-
efforts of the school. There are so many ways for alumni, friends, and
est increase in enrollment on campus this fall, the
corporations to make a positive impact at UAB.
school is moving forward with enthusiasm and
Please visit www.uab.edu/supporteng to explore
preparing for busy times ahead. If you have not
our various charitable options or contact me for
had the opportunity to visit UAB or the School of
personal assistance. I am happy to help in any way
Engineering recently, I would encourage you to
and your comments or suggestions are always wel-
rediscover and reconnect with this ever-changing
come.
institution. As an alum myself, it is so exciting to
Thank you for your continued interest in the UAB
see this relatively young university blossoming into
School of Engineering. I look forward to working
the bustling epicenter of Birmingham. Of course
with each of you!
none of this would be possible without the support offered by our alumni and friends. We are so
Victoria E. Allen
grateful for your generosity and recognize that our
Director of Development and External Relations
progress would not be possible without you. To prepare the School of Engineering for the future, and to continue the pursuit of excellence
17 UA B ENGINEERING M AGA ZINE • W IN T ER 2 011
veallen@uab.edu 205.934.8481
UAB School of Engineering Designing a Better Tomorrow
Making a bequest to the UAB School of Engineering is a thoughtful and flexible way to achieve your charitable and financial goals without making an outright gift today. Your bequest to the school may reduce your estate taxes and will give you peace of mind knowing that: • you are making a gift that will provide a legacy of support for professors, students, and programs at the School of Engineering; • you may direct your bequest to a particular purpose, program, or department (the SOE and the Office of Planned Giving will work with you and your advisors to ensure your gift is structured properly); and • you will be invited to join the Torchlighter’s Society, an exclusive group of donors who make lifetime gifts to UAB. If you would like to learn more about making a bequest to the SOE, please contact development director Victoria Allen at (205) 934-8481 or veallen@uab.edu.
Learn more at www.uab.edu/development/areas/academics/engineering.
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