CAPSTON
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FEATURES INSPIRED TO LEAD
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Alumnus named president of natural gas utilities in Alabama and Mississippi
BUILDING A WARRIOR
One family continues 90-year UA engineering tradition
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Noteworthy News and Research
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Young alumnus competes on American Ninja Warrior
THE ROOTS RUN DEEP
SURVEYING THE COLLEGE BY THE NUMBERS CAPSTONE CURRENTS
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Stats from the College of Engineering
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Events from Around the College
ALUMNI DYNAMICS
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IN MEMORY
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END USER
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Editor’s Note: The content in this magazine was written and sent to the designer before the novel coronavirus pandemic halted campus operations. We have chosen to share this piece with you as it was originally intended. Please make sure to pick up the Fall 2020 edition of the Capstone Engineer to read how COVID-19 has impacted the faculty, staff, students and alumni of The University of Alabama College of Engineering. We hope you, your family and loved ones are doing well in these unprecedented times.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
The University of Alabama College of Engineering alumni and friends are such an important component to what we do at the Capstone. It’s family. Years of tradition can be found everywhere you turn at UA. From the buildings to the people, connections are made through the spirit of the school that span generations. Family histories have their foundation in this campus. Robert R. Fuller’s family has a strong grounding in engineering starting from his time at UA in the 1920s all the way to today. His son, granddaughter and greatgranddaughter have all graduated from the College of Engineering. It’s inspiring to see a family so dedicated to the school they love with a similar passion for innovating the world around them.
work to mentor our students, as Casey Suchocki found when he auditioned for NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior.” His professors supported his dream by tutoring him and allowing him to create his own obstacle course as a class project. This encouragement contributed to Suchocki’s success on the show for several seasons. As a product of the UA College of Engineering, you are all ambassadors of our program by sharing with the world how you were built by Alabama. We’ve seen so many of our former students go on to do incredible things throughout their careers and have made us proud. Many of you also give back with your time, energy and talents to our current students who are working to become the engineers and computer scientists of tomorrow.
Some of our alumni find grounding at UA through transformative friendships with their peers. Joe Hampton has created a network of college friends who are forever connected by their time at UA. This group of people strive to build each other up and push the boundaries to become the best they can be in their profession. This is exemplified in Hampton’s career trajectory.
As a family, we’re always connected no matter the distance or time between us. We’d be honored to see you on campus soon.
Others find support through our faculty. Many of the professors at UA put in extra
Dr. Charles L. Karr Dean
Thank you for all that you do.
CAPSTONE ENGINEERING SOCIETY 205-348-2452 Howard Allen Faulkner, Chair, Board of Directors • Charles L. Karr, Ph.D., Dean, College of Engineering • Liz Moore, Manager, Capstone Engineering Society and Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement • Alana Norris, Editor • Brooklyn Pfanstiel and Alana Norris, Writers • Issue No. 59 • Capstone Engineer is published in the spring and fall by the Capstone Engineering Society • Joshua Clayton, Designer • Alana Norris, Proofreader • Mary Kathryn Carpenter, Bryan Hester, Zach Riggins, Matthew Wood, Photography • Address correspondence to the editor: The University of Alabama, Capstone Engineering Society, College of Engineering, Box 870200, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0200 • Visit the College of Engineering website at www.eng.ua.edu • The University of Alabama is an equal-opportunity educational institution/employer. MC9459
NOTEWORTHY NEWS AND RESEARCH FROM UA ENGINEERING
Dr. Edward Sazonov, right, and Delwar Hossain, a UA doctoral student, are shown in a UA lab.
Want to Shed a Few Pounds? Researchers Test New Technology to Help The National Institutes of Health has awarded a consortium of university researchers, led by The University of Alabama, a $2.5 million grant to further evaluate a wearable device designed to change eating behaviors. Developed in a UA lab, the patent-pending system uses a tiny camera to photograph food and sensors that measure how quickly it’s eaten. The grant, via the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, enables the researchers to test the device in a clinical trial over four years. An initial round of funding was awarded this fall.
development within Sazonov’s UA campus lab of a device he calls the Automatic Ingestion Monitor, or AIM. Clipped to prescription or nonprescription eyeglasses, the AIM includes a tiny, highdefinition still camera aligned with the wearer’s gaze. Sensors that accurately detect food intake trigger the camera to record what was eaten and to measure when, how much and how fast the wearer eats. During the clinical trial, the device’s built-in computer will communicate with the wearer’s smartphone and, when necessary, trigger the
Dr. Edward Sazonov, a UA professor of electrical and computer engineering who is leading the project, said he wants to determine if a device that adapts to individual eating habits can change eating behavior to maintain long-term weight loss. Researchers at Brown University, Boston University, and the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus are involved in the project. The high-tech effort centers on the
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Clipped to eyeglasses, this prototype of the ingestion monitor includes a tiny camera to photograph food and sensors that measure how quickly it’s eaten.
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phone to send carefully designed messages suggesting modifications to the wearer’s eating behaviors.
collaborative projects in the broad area of additive manufacturing and its potential application with inspace manufacturing.
Work by other researchers has shown that tracking what you eat by hand is one of the most powerful strategies for weight control, but it can be burdensome, tedious and error-prone.
In-space manufacturing includes making the materials needed for the mission using components brought from Earth or gathered from the moon or Mars. It could include additive manufacturing processes like 3D printing with plastics, electronics or metals along with the capabilities to design and characterize the materials.
Electronic fitness trackers have proven popular, so for those open to wearing a high-tech method to help in modifying their behaviors, the device could prove effective. Additional UA researchers on the project are Drs. Chris Crawford and Jason Parton.
The Office for Research and Economic Development leads the UA partnership that initially involves the colleges of Engineering and Arts and Sciences, as well as the Culverhouse College of Business. The University will enhance its core curriculum in areas of advanced and in-space manufacturing and foster new collaborations to further this emerging technology. Areas of emphasis include value proposition, modeling, analysis and simulation, data analytics, robotics, rendezvous and capture, navigation, advanced materials, on-site resource utilization, additive manufacturing, advanced manufacturing processes, digital design, and manufacturing and construction. Both UA and NASA share an intent to expand commercialization of technology and bolster workforce development with the agreement.
Jody Singer, left, director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and UA President Stuart R. Bell signed an agreement Nov. 6 on the UA campus.
NASA, UA Strengthen Relationship for Work on In-Space Manufacturing An agreement between The University of Alabama and NASA will enhance inventive research assisting space exploration and strengthening education of tomorrow’s aerospace workforce. UA President Stuart R. Bell and Jody Singer, director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, signed a memorandum of understanding Nov. 6 that builds on significant and ongoing
UA Part of Tornado Research Project in Alabama Students at The University of Alabama will observe nearby volunteer households to record how people react to severe weather events. The students will be trained as part of tornado research across the Southeast that is sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Severe Storms Laboratory. The goal of the broader study, called Vortex SE 2019, is to gain an in-depth understanding of vulnerabilities communities face when taking action during severe weather events. Dr. Laura Myers, director and senior research scientist of UA’s Center for Advanced Public Safety, who is
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NOTEWORTHY NEWS AND RESEARCH FROM UA ENGINEERING
leading the project at the University, said there is no research on how people react when they first become aware of severe weather. CAPS will hire and train UA students to conduct interviews and conduct observations of Tuscaloosa volunteer households before, during and after severe weather events during the fall and spring severe weather season. The researchers will contact participants as forecast of severe weather become available. For example, if a 10-day outlook highlights possible severe weather, researchers will communicate with participants to see if they are aware, Myers said. Communication will continue as forecasts evolve. The day of the event, researchers will embed with the household to observe the hours leading to the event. The study aims to capture differences in risk perception among people forecast to encounter severe weather and capture when weather alerts spur people to prepare, if at all, Myers said. The study will control each household for factors such as knowledge of how to prepare for severe weather, past experience with severe weather and the tools used to receive weather alerts. The information will be reported to NOAA and Vortex-SE programs to share the data with weather professionals to improve distribution and communication of tornado warnings as well as publication of findings in academic journals and books.
Dr. Mukesh Kumar
Researchers Develop Tool to Diagnose Dying Forests Predicting if droughts and heat waves will kill forests is difficult, but new work involving an engineering researcher at The University of Alabama could help spot problems early to mitigate risks and possibly help restore forests. Using data gathered from publicly available satellite and aerial imagery, researchers found they can detect whether forests are approaching the tipping point of their abilities to bounce back from climateinduced stress. The findings were published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Dr. Mukesh Kumar, co-author on the paper and UA associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, joined UA in fall 2018 to teach and research hydrology and water resources. He said this research’s main development was an early warning signal that identifies trees on the verge of death because of weather conditions. Droughts and heat-waves, oftentimes stemming from climate changes, are killing off forests worldwide. It has proven difficult to predict whether forests are dying, as wrangling the complexity of a natural system into a computer model is challenging.
Meteorologist Jake Reed, left, and social scientist Dr. Laura Myers are leading a project to understand how people respond and prepare for severe weather events.
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The researchers determined a slower than normal recovery of plant life during its growing season is a precursor to impending mortality. Using imagery from forests in California, the team tested this theory, finding the data, when fed into a model, could
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provide an early warning signal before forests began losing its greenness, about half a year to 19 months before they passed the point of no return.
sure how they behave, contributing to considerable uncertainty in predictions of future sea levels. The Alabama work aims to provide clarification.
The early warning signal, or EWS, could monitor forests in real time during a drought, Kumar said, adding the advanced notice would give forest mangers more time to choose a course of action.
Engineering researchers at UA developed a unique radar to provide an accurate image of what occurs at the base of the ice. The radar is the first of its kind, advancing the use of a type of radar known as ultra-wideband surface-based radar for scanning the interior of ice.
Researchers will next test the EWS in forests worldwide where climate-induced mortality has been observed, and more work is needed to improve the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the plants that allow for detection of the EWS.
UA Researchers Continue Groundbreaking Work in Greenland For the second consecutive year, a team of researchers from The University of Alabama traveled to the Arctic Circle to help unveil ancient climate history and provide perspectives on improving climate models.
Dr. Siva Prasad Gogineni, Cudworth Professor of Engineering and director of the UA Remote Sensing Center, is lead UA engineering researcher on the project and is an internationally recognized expert in the field of remote sensing. A UA team went in 2018 and 2019. The most recent field team was Dr. Stephen Yan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering; Dr. Sevgi Zubeyde Gurbuz, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Dr. Charles O’Neill, research engineer.
The researchers from the Remote Sensing Center in the UA College of Engineering were on the ice in northern Greenland as part of an international project to study the North East Greenland Ice Stream. They spent part of the summer conducting radar measurements and testing new radars to map the ice sheet’s bed and ice layers. It is uncertain how much glaciers and ice sheets will influence rising seas because scientists are not quite
Dr. Stephen Yan was part of a crew of UA researchers who worked in Greenland this summer (Photo courtesy of Dr. Charles O’Neill).
A radar developed by UA researchers is towed across an ice sheet in Greenland to provide data about what is below (Photo courtesy of Dr. Charles O’Neill).
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NOTEWORTHY NEWS AND RESEARCH FROM UA ENGINEERING
Dr. Adam Hauser, left, discusses chemical sensors developed in his lab with, from left, Smriti Ranjit, graduate student in material sciences, and Michael Bartz, an undergraduate student in physics and math.
Two UA Technologies Part of National Start-Up Program Two innovative projects at The University of Alabama are part of a national program aimed to help take technology from the lab to the market. They are part of last summer’s cohort in the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps, or I-Corps. The program provides NSF-funded researchers entrepreneurial education, mentoring and funding to accelerate innovation to attract third-party funding. One project aims to replace superconducting materials in current applications such as quantum
computers and MRI machines with materials coated with superconducting materials. Developed in the lab of Dr. Qiang Huang, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, the technology is a less expensive way to fabricate the superconducting material that performs better and at higher temperatures. Will Sides, a doctoral student in Huang’s lab who serves as the entrepreneurial lead for the I-CORPS team, said it is a better way to make the materials and integrate it into circuitry. Sides, originally from Houston, Texas, graduated from UA with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 2015. The other project from UA could provide a less expensive and easier way for the military and first responders to detect dangerous, airborne chemicals. Dr. Adam Hauser, assistant professor of physics, is developing chemical sensors that weigh significantly less and are much less expensive than current chemical sensors. The technology uses electrical signals to find the frequency emitted by the subatomic particles in chemical gasses.
Will Sides, a graduate student in chemical engineering, is part of a research team investigating superconducting material.
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The sensors are roughly the size of a quarter. They could be placed on drones or woven into clothing. For instance, they could alert soldiers of toxic chemicals before entering an area, or first responders could detect the spread of dangerous chemicals at the site of industrial accidents. Chemical sensors worn by soldiers now weigh up to 25 pounds. The sensors developed by Hauser’s lab currently weigh less than 2 grams. Along with Hauser, the I-CORPS team includes student Zachary Holdbrooks and Michael Bartz as co-entrepreneurial leads. Holdbrooks, from Attalla, Alabama, is studying electrical and computer engineering while Bartz, studying physics and math, is from Fort Wayne, Indiana. UA’s NSF I-CORP site director is Dr. Robert Morgan, professor of marketing in the Culverhouse College of Business and director of the STEM Path to the MBA Program.
With a four-year, $1.75 million grant from the National Science Foundation, UA researchers will examine how a transition from rain-fed farming to irrigation-fed farming in the Deep South could impact harvests and water use, providing crucial data to policymakers considering initiatives to encourage irrigation. Although it may be an expensive transition for an existing farm, irrigation can ease farms through droughts and yield greater harvests, even in normal years, with great economic benefits. The study will look at the Mobile River Basin, the 44,600 square miles that drain into Mobile Bay that includes central Alabama and portions of eastern Mississippi and northwest Georgia. The research team will examine how the linked resources of food, water and energy within the basin would be impacted through a transition to irrigation farming. Through computer modeling, the team will study how various levels of irrigation, from continuing the current course to a significant shift to irrigation, will affect agriculture productivity, energy production, water supply and waterway navigation. Researchers will also work with 60 farmers within the basin to evaluate the openness to transitioning. It will also evaluate the influence of climatological, sociological and economic factors on farmer’s receptiveness to transitioning to irrigation. Dr. Hamid Moradkhani, the Alton N. Scott Endowed Professor of Engineering and director of UA’s Center for Complex Hydrosystems Research, is the lead principal investigator.
Dr. Hamid Moradkhani
UA to Lead Study on Irrigation-Fed Farming Impacts in Deep South Unique research led by The University of Alabama will study whether more irrigation-fed farms in the Deep South could lead to a more robust agriculture industry, possibly becoming an even greater economic engine.
Along with Moradkhani, civil, construction and environmental engineering researchers from UA include Dr. Mukesh Kumar, associate professor; Dr. Hamed Moftakhari, assistant professor; and Dr. Glenn Tootle, associate professor. Also, Dr. Nicholas R. Magliocca, UA assistant professor of geography, is involved with the project. Dr. Denis Nadolnyak, an Auburn University professor of agricultural economics and rural sociology, is also a part of the research team. The grant comes from the NSF program Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems.
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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
TOTAL ENROLLMENT
GENDER COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATE ONLY
38,103 5,964
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
5,453
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATE
511
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING GRADUATE
BY THE PROGRAM
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING 16% OF UA’S STUDENT POPULATION
ETHNICITY ASIAN
2%
BLACK OR AFRICAN-AMERICAN
7%
HISPANIC OR LATINO/LATINA
4%
INTERNATIONAL
3%
OTHER/UNDESIGNATED
14%
WHITE
70%
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9%
AEROSPACE ENGINEERING
2%
ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING
15%
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
11%
CIVIL ENGINEERING
2% 1%
CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING
12%
COMPUTER SCIENCE
11%
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
2%
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
31%
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
1%
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS ENGINEERING
3%
UNDESIGNATED
COMPUTER ENGINEERING
306 NATIONAL MERIT FINALIST ENROLLED IN THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING FOR THE 2019-2020 ACADEMIC YEAR.
$650,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED BY THE CAPSTONE ENGINEERING SOCIETY BETWEEN 2006-2019.
8,266
TOTAL HONORS COLLEGE STUDENTS
2,347 TOTAL COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING STUDENTS IN THE HONORS COLLEGE
UA 26.9 COE 29.8 AVERAGE ACT OF FIRST-TIME UNDERGRADUATES FOR FALL 2019
2,451 UNDERGRADUATES ON MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS, FOR THE 2019-2020 ACADEMIC YEAR
$67,834 AVERAGE ANNUAL STARTING SALARY FOR REPORTING AUGUST 2018 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING GRADUATES. WITH A RANGE OF
$48,000-$101,000.
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EVENTS FROM AROUND THE COLLEGE
Aerospace engineering doctoral student Chris Simpson, center, solved the high-value problem first and was offered a job at Lockheed Martin.
UA Engineering Students Succeed at Lockheed Martin Challenge Three University of Alabama engineering students opened Lockheed Martin’s Space Challenge Box by correctly solving a high-value problem and unlocking a future of opportunities with the company. Lockheed Martin visited UA’s campus in September to recruit the brightest minds in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, through the Space Challenge Box. Three problems were offered to students each day of Lockheed Martin’s visit, while a high-value problem was available for the duration of the event.
During the three-day event, 96 percent of the 1,086 UA students who participated in the Space Box Challenge were engineering students. More than 120 UA students were able to solve at least one problem. In addition to the Space Box Challenge, Lockheed Martin also hosted an open house during their visit. Eighty-five UA students were extended employment opportunities during this event. Of those 85 offers, 78 full-time and internship position invitations went to engineering students because of their strong academic achievements and accomplishments during Lockheed Martin’s visit.
Colin Adreon, a senior electrical engineering major, Jacob Grimaldi, a senior aerospace engineering major, and Chris Simpson, an aerospace engineering doctoral candidate, were all able to solve the high-value problem during this event. Simpson was the first participant to solve the problem and was issued an on-the-spot job offer from Lockheed Martin. In the eight other campus visits Lockheed Martin organized before coming to UA, only seven students were able to solve the high-value equation.
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Lockheed Martin’s Space Challenge Box was in UA’s Ferguson Student Center for three days.
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About 1,000 prospective students attended E-Day 2019 on Oct. 3.
UA Engineering Hosts Annual E-Day E-Day, an annual open house for prospective students, was held on campus Oct. 3. Albert Gabberty, an electrical engineering junior from Long Island, New York, said E-Day turns the College of Engineering inside out for people to explore. E-Day introduces attendees to what is possible as a UA engineering student by giving tours of faculty labs and introducing them to student organizations. The students, educators and families that attended the annual event were able to speak with UA representatives and current engineering students. They also were provided with information on admissions and the seven academic departments in the College of Engineering. Jane Gillette, a senior aerospace engineering student from Clayton, Missouri, said the event is unique because those who attend get the opportunity to see areas of campus not typically shown on regular tours. Gabberty and Gillette are the vice presidents of events for the Ambassadors of the College of Engineering, also known as ACEs, and were tasked with planning E-Day.
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EVENTS FROM AROUND THE COLLEGE
Gabrielle McKay, Ivy Fulford, Aquon McDyess and Kirsten Robinson were all selected to the Alabama LSAMP Summer Bridge program at UA.
Alabama LSAMP Bridge Students Get a College Head Start
cohort. Applications, test scores, financial aid, STEM involvement and future goals are the factors evaluated in the selection process.
A program at The University of Alabama is helping new college students get a head start with the goal of seeing them succeed throughout their academic careers and beyond. The Alabama Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, or LSAMP, Summer Bridge program supports underrepresented minority students during the summer before their freshman year of college. The recent high school graduates, who will study science, technology, engineering, math, or STEM disciplines at UA, take two courses during the second summer session. Amy Bickel, co-campus director for LSAMP, plans the five-week Summer Bridge program. Each week she brought the students together to learn tips on how to be successful students. The program had its largest application pool ever this year, she said, with less than 20 percent of applicants being chosen for the 2019
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Hunter Brooks, a computer science major from Columbus, Mississippi, applied for the program because she wanted to take advantage of having conversations with current students, faculty and staff before the fall semester got into full swing. She has gotten more out of the program than she anticipated through lessons on study skills and time management. She said this program is important because it helps students transition into college life. Brooks knows STEM college courses can be tough, and she said getting to start with two classes during the summer has made the changeover smoother. Ivy Fulford, a mechanical engineering major from Tuscaloosa, thought this program was a great opportunity to get hours completed toward her degree. She took a math and an English course and learned the layout of campus before the fall semester began. Fulford also started building relationships with fellow Summer Bridge students.
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Having a support system is another significant aspect of the program. Bickel said the students really build bonds because they live together, take similar courses and also study together. In addition to the growing sense of community, they also connect to the University. Bickel believes this head start sets students up to be more successful once they graduate. She said students who have been part of this program have participated in summer research opportunities and have accepted internships and jobs with major companies. She attributes this to the network of UA faculty and staff supporting these students. Members of previous cohorts also have the opportunity to meet with the new program participants and give them advice. Each month Bickel continues to meet with the LSAMP scholarship students to take what they learned over the summer and relate it to where they are in their educational path. She connects the students with resources they need to succeed including conferences, research and career development. All summer bridge participants who successfully completed the program and met its requirements were able to apply for the Alabama
LSAMP Scholars Scholarship, which provides renewable funding to students throughout their time at UA. The Summer Bridge program began at UA in 2011. UA is the lead institution for the state’s LSAMP program, which is funded by a National Science Foundation grant. Dr. Viola Acoff, UA College of Engineering associate dean of undergraduate and graduate programs, is the director of the state program.
Twelve Alabama LSAMP Summer Bridge students met each week during UA’s second summer session to learn student success tips.
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Cognitive Neuroscientist Leading the Alabama Life Research Institute After a national search, a noteworthy researcher in cognitive neuroscience now leads the Alabama Life Research Institute as executive director. Dr. Sharlene D. Newman is working to provide a coherent vision for collaborative life research that embraces the full range of disciplines represented at The University of Alabama. She began her tenure at UA on Oct. 1, and holds a joint academic appointment in the departments of psychology and electrical and computer engineering. ALRI was established two years ago to serve as a focal point for interdisciplinary bio-psychosocial research that seeks to investigate the human condition at all levels, from the molecular to the environmental. ALRI facilitates collaboration across campus with other institutions, government agencies, community-based organization and the health care and biotechnology industries. A native of Abbeville, Alabama, Newman comes to UA after more than 14 years at
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Indiana University where she was a Class of 1948 Herman B. Wells Endowed Professor in psychological and brain sciences as well as associate vice provost for undergraduate education. Newman’s research focuses on understanding human brain functions using magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI. Her work examines language processing, executive function and problem solving, substance addictions, psychopathology and MRI methodology. Among the first scientists to use neuroimaging to study complex language function, Newman is a founding member of the IU Imaging Research Facility and later served as its director. Newman earned her master’s and doctorate in biomedical engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham after finishing her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Vanderbilt University. After graduating from UAB in 1999, she was a postdoctoral associate and adjunct assistant professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University until 2004. She joined IU that year as an assistant professor, becoming associate professor in 2011 and a full professor in 2017. She was tapped as an associate vice provost in 2016.
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DR. DAVID CORDES professor of computer science, retired in September 2019 after 31 years at The University of Alabama. His research interests focused primarily on software systems, including distributed and networked systems as well as componentbased development. Cordes earned his bachelor’s degree in 1982 from the University of Arkansas, master’s degree in 1984 from Purdue University and his doctorate in 1988 from Louisiana State University, each in computer science. He began his career at UA in 1988. He served as department head for computer science from 1997 to 2018 and was the director of the College’s Freshman Engineering Program from 2007 to 2018. Cordes was honored with the College’s T. Morris Hackney Faculty Leadership Award in 2003 and served as national chair of the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET in 2013-2014. He is a Fellow of the Computer Sciences Accreditation Board.
DR. JAY LINDLY professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, retired December 2019, after more than 32 years of service to The University of Alabama. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1976 from the University of Kansas, master’s degree in 1977 from Kansas State University and his doctorate in 1987 from Purdue University, each in civil engineering. In addition to his teaching duties, Lindly was the director of the University Transportation Center for Alabama, a transportation research center established by the UA Board of Trustees in 1999 with the theme of Management and Safety of Transportation Systems. Lindly’s research projects included studying the use of seat belts in school buses, relative reflective properties of different types of highway edge lines, health of the intercity bus system in Alabama and the deterioration level of pavements.
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with Dr. Murat Yuksel, an associate professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Central Florida. Researchers from around the world presented more than 800 papers to the IEEE PES General Meeting. Ucer, Kisacikoglu and Yuksel’s paper, “Analysis of a Decentralized AIMD-based (Additive Increase and Multiplicative Decrease) Charging Control,” was recognized as one of four Prize Paper Awards.
Emin Ucer and Dr. Can Kisacikoglu, electrical and computer engineering, research electric vehicles and electric grid integration in a lab on campus
Collaborative Paper Earns UA Engineering Student a Conference Award A University of Alabama engineering student and professor’s collaborative research paper was awarded a top honor at a recent technical society conference. Emin Ucer, an electrical and computer engineering doctoral candidate, won a Best Paper Award at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Power and Energy Society General Meeting. The annual meeting of more than 2,900 engineers was held Aug. 4-8, in Atlanta. Ucer conducted his research with Dr. Can Kisacikoglu, UA electrical and computer engineering assistant professor. Ucer and Kisacikoglu research electric vehicles and electric grid integration. This interdisciplinary project involves collaboration
The research is being conducted as part of a $175,000 National Science Foundation grant that was awarded in March 2018. As more consumers make the switch to electric cars, the power grids used to charge the vehicles need to be updated. Ucer and Kisacikoglu’s research involves a computer algorithm that was developed to help the internet survive the increase in the number of users during the 1990s. Drawing a parallel between the problem the internet faced and the problems an increase in electric vehicles poses today, the research project implements the algorithm to strengthen the electric power grid.
ChBE Grad Student Places Second in Three Minute Thesis Competition Fifteen graduate students at The University of Alabama competed for a chance to win scholarships and monetary awards in the finals of this year’s Three Minute Thesis competition. The winners were: • First place: Nathaniel Sturm, biological sciences. Talk title: “Species Detection in the Dark.” • Second place: Meredith Mock, chemical and biological engineering. Talk title: “Harnessing Bacteria to Reduce Caffeine Contamination.” • Third place: Mackenzie Pike, communication studies. Talk title: “The Power of Words: The Impact of Power Language in Corporate Financial Disclosures.”
The collaborative paper was recognized with one of four Prize Paper Awards at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Power and Energy Society General Meeting.
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• Fourth place: Jennifer Fortunato, biological sciences. Talk title: “What Makes You, You?” • People’s Choice Winner: Khadeidra Billingsley, English. Talk title: “Right Writing.”
The scholarships and awards will be used to support the students’ research and conference travel. The competition also serves as a professional development exercise that gives students the opportunity to clarify and crystallize their research ideas and discoveries while honing their presentation and communication skills.
and past winners of the Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award select the winners. The College of Engineering winners were (name, major, title of research effort, mentor): • Timothy Brusuelas, chemical and biological engineering, Electrodeposition of Nickel for Microdevices from Lithium Chloride Water-in-Salt Electrolytes, Dr. Qiang Huang • Sarah Burnash, chemical and biological engineering, Cardiovascular Drift: Menstrual Phase Dependent Fluctuations, Dr. Jonathan Wingo • Holden Clark, electrical engineering, Augmenting a Patch Antenna with a Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm, Dr. Nathan Jeong • Ellis Crabtree, chemical engineering, Computer Simulation of Hybrid Ionic Polyimide and Ionic Liquid Membranes for Industrial Gas Separation, Dr. Heath Turner
Sarah Burnash, left, the H. Pettus Randall Jr. Endowed Scholarship recipient, stands with Dr. Cathy Randall.
Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Awards Recognize Innovation The Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award Program recognizes the best research activity conducted by undergraduate students at The University of Alabama. Of the 31 students recognized, 12 were College of Engineering students. Sarah Burnash, chemical and biological engineering student, received the H. Pettus Randall Jr. Endowed Scholarship for her senior year. The scholarship is awarded to the junior who received the most votes in the Randall Research Scholars Program. In 1997, the Randall Publishing Co. and the H. Pettus Randall III family created the Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award Program in memory of Henry Pettus Randall Jr., a distinguished UA alumnus and creator of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.
• Amber Gomez, chemical engineering, Lewis Acidities of the Actinides Actinide and +II and +III Ion Aqueous Hydrolysis Reactions, Dr. David Dixon • Joline Hartheimer, chemical engineering, Targeting Hyaluronan Interactions for Glioblastoma Stem Cell Therapy, Dr. John Kim • Hayden Martz, physics and electrical engineering, Spin Hall Effect in Thin Film Structures, Dr. Claudia Mewes • James Pezent, aerospace engineering, Innovative Trajectory Design for NASA’s Next-Generation Heliophysics Mission, Dr. Rohan Sood • Morgan Ross, metallurgical and materials engineering, Novel Non-contact Thermal Mechanical Loading of Ultrahigh Temperature Ceramics, Dr. Gregory Thompson • Nicole Sempertegui, chemical engineering, A combined compression molding, heating, and leaching process for fabrication of micro-porous poly (ε-caprolactone) scaffolds, Dr. Shreyas Rao • Lauryn Woodyard, computer engineering, Determination of sEMG Values of Oral-facial and pharyngeal musculature during normal swallowing, Dr. Todd Freeborn • Donna Xia, chemical engineering, Aqueous Hydrolysis Reactions of Actinide +III and +IV Ion: The First Step in Colloid Formation, Dr. David Dixon
Students were nominated by faculty and staff research directors. UA research faculty members
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made a significant impact on the science and technology of composite materials and have a sustained research effort over a number of years. “I was elated when they announced I got it,” Roy said. “This is one of their top awards.” The society typically bestows this honor to one member each year since the award was first given in 1988. Past award recipients are responsible for nominating researchers for the honor. Roy was nominated by Dr. Anthony Waas, a professor at the University of Michigan, who won the award in 2013. Dr. Samit Roy
UA Aerospace Professor Wins 2019 ASC Outstanding Research Award
“I’ve worked extensively in composites for aerospace applications for the past 30 years,” said Roy.
A University of Alabama engineering professor was recognized at a conference for his outstanding research. Dr. Samit Roy, UA’s William D. Jordan Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, received the 2019 Outstanding Research Award in Composites from the American Society for Composites at the 34th Annual Technical Conference in Atlanta. “American Society for Composites is the premier composites society in America. There is nothing that comes close to their stature in the U.S.,” Roy said. The award recognizes his research contributions throughout his 30-year career. The nomination procedures state awardees must be distinguished members of the composites community, have
Dr. Sriram Aaleti
PCI Educator of the Year Awarded to CCE Associate Professor The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute recognized Dr. Sriram Aaleti, associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, with the Educator of the Year Award. The award was presented at the PCI Committee Days and Technical Conference, featuring the National Bridge Conference Awards Luncheon in Rosemont, Illinois.
Dr. Samit Roy received his award at the 34th Annual Technical Conference.
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His teaching experience includes undergraduate and graduate courses in structural engineering related to reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete. Aaleti advises UA’s Big Beam team. The award is intended to recognize early-career contributions to the PCI education mission.
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of Business, the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences, performing important research and application in the cyber area. Among the strengths in this area are software security, data acquisition and security, digital forensics and cyber law enforcement, behavioral cyber research, artificial intelligence, and cyber physical security. Carver will collaboratively develop a coherent vision and mission for UA cyber research through effective leadership that embraces the full range of disciplines represented by cyber research faculty and staff across campus.
Dr. Jeffrey Carver
Computer Science Professor Tapped to Direct Cyber Initiatives Dr. Jeffrey Carver, professor of computer science, has been named the chair of University of Alabama cyber initiatives. In this new role, Carver is the recognized leader for cyber research at The University of Alabama. He will work closely with the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development to stay on top of emerging opportunities. “To fully take advantage of the opportunities UA has to become a national leader, we need an experienced faculty leader that has demonstrated both the appreciation of UA’s diverse strength in cyber research and the ability to bring faculty together to define these emerging key areas,” said Dr. Russell Mumper, vice president for research and economic development. “We are confident that Dr. Carver is just that faculty leader, and I look forward to working with him as he positions UA on the forefront of cyber research.” Carver will continue his role as professor and graduate programs director in UA’s computer science department. “As chair of the UA cyber initiatives, I look forward to working with members of the entire UA community to identify current pockets of excellence, to encourage new collaborations and to coalesce UA’s cyber presence around pillars of strength that can position us for future success,” Carver said. The University has nearly 100 faculty and staff in several colleges, including the Culverhouse College
He will develop and implement a pilot seed-funding program that promotes research across disciplines on campus while ensuring a stimulating and wellmanaged environment for high-quality research. Externally, Carver will identify opportunities for sponsored projects for cyber research and direct them to the researchers on campus who could take advantage of the funding. Other duties include: • Plan and host outside speakers relevant to cyber research with support from the Office of the Vice President for Research & Economic Development. • Increase the visibility and awareness of cyber research at UA to those both on and off campus. • Develop and maintain processes to regularly update faculty, staff and students about cyber research. • Hold regular meetings and discussion groups with cyber initiative-related faculty and staff to explore opportunities for UA to emerge as a national leader in two to four defined research areas within five years.
In computer science, Carver’s overall research goal is improving the quality and reliability of software through empirical software engineering, which seeks to provide concrete data, observations and evidence to support decision-making. He is primarily concerned with the human aspects of software engineering. Carver joined UA in 2008 and was named a full professor in 2017. Prior to UA, he was a visiting scientist at Carnegie Mellon University, assistant professor at Mississippi State University and a researcher at the University of Maryland. He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Louisiana State University in 1997 and a doctorate in computer science from the University of Maryland in 2003.
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J
oe Hampton’s determination to succeed brought him to The University of Alabama where he learned technical engineering skills and gathered the tools he needed to become an empowered leader.
what he was used to at Stillman, where some of his physics classes only had four students.
Hampton, a 1998 electrical engineering alumnus, was named president of Spire’s Alabama and Mississippi natural gas utilities at the end of last year.
He still remembers walking into an auditorium of 150 students in one of his first courses at UA. Hampton was concerned he wouldn’t be known by his professors and that he wouldn’t be able to connect with his peers.
His 20-year career with Alagasco, now Spire, kept him in Alabama until five years ago when he transferred to Kansas City, Missouri, where he served as vice president of operations for Spire’s western Missouri utility. After graduating from UA, Hampton worked as a systems support engineer at Alagasco. Later he moved into operations leadership. He progressively moved up the ladder with the company while also moving around the state, living and working in cities like Montgomery, Phenix City, Anniston, Selma, Auburn and Birmingham. A Birmingham native, Hampton chose to attend UA because of its proximity to his hometown. Growing up, Hampton had two mentors who were Alabama alumni and also greatly impacted his decision. “They went to law school here, and all they did was talk about how great The University of Alabama was,” Hampton said. Even though he was zoned for another school, Hampton attended A.H. Parker High School because it had a program for students interested in science, math and technology. While planning for the future near the end of his high school career, a visiting speaker convinced him engineering would be the best fit for him. “He had a lot to do with my decision to move into engineering,” Hampton said. “From that point, I just started researching computer engineering and electrical engineering. I fell in love with electrical engineering when I got here to Alabama.” After graduating from Parker, Hampton attended Stillman College where he participated in a dualdegree program. The program allowed him to get a degree in physics from Stillman, and then he could transfer credits to UA to earn his electrical engineering degree. Once he got to UA, he experienced culture shock because the class size was so much larger than
“It was a very close-knit group, very intimate setting,” Hampton said.
“As you could imagine, I felt out of place,” he said. Turns out, he didn’t have anything to worry about. He quickly found his place on campus and formed lasting relationships. “My professors seemed to always be willing to create time when you had questions, one-onone opportunities, and challenging me to put forth my best effort,” he said. Hampton’s engineering classmates at UA still keep in contact. The benefit of having this group of friends in each other’s lives has given all of them several career opportunities they may not have had otherwise. He said they often brainstorm ways to get better and move their industry forward. “All of that was afforded to me by The University of Alabama engineering school,” Hampton said. In addition to developing a network of colleagues during his years in college, he also said the Capstone equipped him with the practical skills he needed to become a leader. “What I believe The University of Alabama did was provide the outlets, the organizations, the support system, that allowed me to develop those soft skills that made it easier for me to transition out of a technical role, like engineering, and into a role of an operations leader,” he said. Now that he is back in his home state, he is ready to get reconnected with his alma mater personally and professionally. Hampton wants to develop a partnership between Spire and the UA College of Engineering. “I like to establish internship and co-op opportunities for our students because they were extremely important for me while I was a student here,” he said. “Hopefully [we can] build a pipeline of engineers that could come to Spire, be great professionals and eventually be the future leaders of our organization.”
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dit: Photo cre er/NBC David Beck
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ontinuing in his quest to become the next American Ninja Warrior, an engineering alumnus of The University of Alabama competed in the nationally televised finals of the strength and endurance contest for the third time this September. Casey Suchocki, a 2017 civil and construction engineering graduate, works full time at The Builders Group, a residential construction company. After work, he heads to the Tuscaloosa home he shares with his wife, Ashley. However, Suchocki’s day does not begin or end there. As a returning competitor for the NBC television show “American Ninja Warrior,” he has to balance a training schedule with his career and family. Several mornings start in the gym at 5:30 a.m. and many nights he is working out until 10 p.m. “If you want to be one of the top people in this sport, you have to train year-round,” Suchocki said. Suchocki, known as “The Bama Ninja,” has been competing on “American Ninja Warrior” since 2015. With motivation from his grandfather, he competed as a walk-on initially, and for the last three seasons, he was selected as a regular contestant. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to compete the past five years on the show to get a chance to shine and show the rest of the country how strong this Tuscaloosa boy is,” Suchocki said. When Suchocki first began competing on “American Ninja Warrior,” he was a junior at UA. With help from his professors in the form of private tutoring and time away from class, Suchocki was able to qualify as a competitor, beginning his run on the show. Dr. Philip Johnson, a retired professor of civil engineering, had Suchocki as a student in 2016. Johnson remembers Suchocki as a quiet student who approached him after lecture one day to ask about building a tower in his backyard to mimic the obstacles he would be competing on for “American Ninja Warrior.”
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“Casey was eager and excited about [competing in ‘American Ninja Warrior’],” Johnson said. “I’ve been following him at a distance ever since and have noticed that he is doing quite well.” Suchocki’s background as an engineering student and his relationships with engineering professors helped him develop his own obstacles for training. He built an entire course with his classmates for a group assignment in Dr. Gary Moynihan’s advanced project management class. “Through photo documentation of the building process, the class was able to see the obstacle course [Suchocki’s group] created,” Moynihan, a professor and associate department head for civil, construction and environmental engineering, said.
compete and succeed in a physical contest like “American Ninja Warrior.” “[Suchocki competing] goes against the stereotype that people have of engineering students,” Moynihan said. “Engineers are a diverse group with wider interests and capabilities than most people imagine.” As an engineer himself, Johnson said he was not surprised to see one of his former students find success in a physical contest like “American Ninja Warrior.” “The personality type that gives you persistence to continue with engineering is pretty similar to the personality that will get you to train every day,” Johnson said. “[Both] require a fair amount of dedication.” While Suchocki does concede that he sacrifices sleep to dedicate time to a rigorous training schedule, he wants UA students to know that the sky is the limit when it comes to their aspirations.
To this day, the backyard of his home is covered with homemade obstacles that he uses to train. “My professors’ advice definitely made my obstacles safer and gave me the ability to train at home, which made an impact on me going as far as I have on the show,” Suchocki said.
“If you’re truly dedicated, you can do anything you want to,” Suchocki said. “Our minds are limitless, and I feel like our bodies are truly limitless, as well.”
Moynihan thinks that some people would be surprised to see an engineering student
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“The personality type that gives you persistence to continue with engineering is pretty similar to the personality that will get you to train every day,” Johnson said. “[Both] require a fair amount of dedication.”
By Alana Norris
A
similar thread of DNA links the Fuller family to The University of Alabama College of Engineering. From valuing education to their desire to engineer the future, this family has dedicated their lives to innovating tomorrow. Fuller family patriarch Robert G. Fuller first received a business degree from UA in 1958, but he went on to earn a second bachelor’s in industrial engineering in 1964. A Tuscaloosa native, he wanted to attend UA because his family, including his father, aunt and brother, had all graduated from the University and several of his neighbors were employed at the Capstone. He chose to return to school for his engineering degree for the same reason. “I was supposed to follow in my dad’s footsteps,” Fuller said. His father, Robert R., studied chemical engineering at UA, where he earned his bachelor’s in 1931 and his master’s in 1932. However, the younger Fuller chose a slightly different path. “I didn’t quite make it as a chemical engineer, but I did make it as an industrial engineer,” he said. “I couldn’t stand chemistry lab, especially qualitative analysis.” While he found engineering challenging, Fuller also discovered areas where he excelled. Some of his favorite courses were in materials and minerals. “I guess I should have been a metallurgist,” he said. As a student at UA, Fuller said he learned a lot and enjoyed his professors, many of whom he already knew before the first day of class because he grew up with their children. He has fond memories of playing tennis on clay courts behind Hardaway Hall and swimming in a lake behind H.M. Comer Hall. Fuller’s father worked at Gulf States Paper Corporation in Tuscaloosa. The company has a patent on his work for waste removal from water. While he was still a student, Fuller operated the water
treatment plant where his father’s patent was developed. “It left the plant cleaner than it came in, coal-wise and biologically,” he said. Fuller served in the U.S. Naval Reserve and started his career after graduation as a quality control engineer with Gulf States. “I had to learn computers on my own. They were developed when I was in the Navy,” he said. “I had to write a program for the [IBM] 1401 [computer] we had at Gulf States to take the square root, so I could do statistical analysis on the computer…My dad thought computers were a fad.” Next, Fuller took a position as a quality control supervisor at St. Regis Paper Company in Monticello, Mississippi, and later he moved to a technical supervisor position at a plant in Natchez, Mississippi. He brought his family back to Tuscaloosa in 1978 and began work at Capstone Medical to get the center on a computer system. One of Fuller’s daughters, Vicki Moore, decided to continue her family’s tradition. Though she briefly considered being an athlete at a different university, she knew her heart was truly with Alabama. “I always thought I would go to Alabama, and somehow I was sidetracked by tennis for about a week,” Moore said. During her senior year of high school, she discovered her passion for mathematics while solving problems on a computer for a class project. Because of her family’s history in engineering, Moore was confident she could excel in the College. “My dad was an engineer. So, that’s the school I wanted to go through, and I knew that it was computer science [that I wanted to study],” she said. Her favorite memories at UA center around a core group of computer science students and the professors who challenged and encouraged them. Moore said the group really bonded during their time at the Capstone. “We loved trying to be the first one to get [our work] done,” she said.
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As a student, she worked with the Center for Advanced Public Safety on a project for NASA and even had the opportunity to present the work at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
“It’s tradition,” she said. “[My family] definitely had a big impact on me growing up. I wouldn’t be where I am without them, for sure. They’ve encouraged me and have always supported me.”
Moore said the College equipped her with the skill set she needed for the real world. A December 1989 graduate, she was impressed by the quality and quantity of companies recruiting students at graduation.
On the heels of graduation, Kirkley is choosing her next steps and looking to apply for a couple fellowships and maybe graduate school.
“It was big names that were really coming after you. It was amazing,” Moore said. “I knew the school had a good reputation, and it prepared me to do the job I love. I have a dream job.” For 24 years, she has been with the same company and is able to do her job virtually, mostly working from home. Her favorite aspect of her job is fixing problems and making her clients’ lives easier through code. Lauren Kirkley’s time at UA has been very similar to her aunt’s experience. Kirkley, who is Fuller’s granddaughter and Moore’s niece, also had a love for math that steered her to study computer science. In her major, she found a family of peers that built a solid friendship. “That’s one thing about computer science: everyone is so close because it’s a small group,” said Kirkley, a December 2019 graduate.
Moore has two children who will attend UA in the fall of 2020. One, Marion Mann, will also major in computer science. Kirkley’s mom is Fuller’s older daughter, Cindy Kirkley. She has been an office associate in UA’s civil, construction and environmental engineering department for almost four years. Fuller has two sons. Robert A. graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a degree in management and works at a local bank. Patrick graduated with a dual degree in history and political science as well as a master’s degree in political science from UA and now works as an admissions counselor and recruiter at the UA Graduate School. Lois, Fuller’s wife of nearly 60 years, graduated from UA in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in education.
Her choice to attend UA was simple. She wanted to continue the legacy.
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ITEMS OF INTEREST TO CAPSTONE ENGINEERS & COMPUTER SCIENTISTS
Richard had previously served as the deputy commander, U.S. Strategic Command. Richard was born in Cullman and grew up in Decatur. In addition to his bachelor’s degree from UA, he holds master’s degrees from the Catholic University of America and the Naval War College. He was named a UA Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 2014. Richard was recently named a University of Alabama Legend.
Adm. Charles Richard (Photo credit: U.S. Navy)
Senate Confirms UA Graduate to Lead US Strategic Command The U.S. Senate has confirmed a University of Alabama graduate to head the U.S. Strategic Command. As commander, Navy Adm. Charles Richard, a 1982 UA electrical engineering graduate, serves as the senior commander of unified military forces from all four branches of the military assigned to the command. Located at Offutt Air Force base near Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. Strategic Command is one of 11 unified commands in the Department of Defense, according to its website. Its mission is to deter strategic attack and employ forces, as directed, to guarantee the security of the nation and its allies. Richard has been a Navy officer for more than 37 years serving in multiple capacities. As commander, Submarine Forces, he was the undersea domain lead and was responsible for the submarine force’s strategic vision. As commander, Submarine Force Atlantic, he commanded all Atlantic-based U.S. submarines, their crews and supporting shore activities.
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B.L. Harbert International team member Cameron Wallis, a 2010 UA business graduate, putts under the watch of teammate Milton Davis, a 1981 chemical and biological engineering alumnus, during the 2019 CES Golf Tournament.
19th Annual CES Golf Tournament Raises More Than $53,000 The 19th Annual Capstone Engineering Society Golf Tournament was held Sept. 16, 2019, at Old Overton Country Club in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. Thanks to generous contributions from sponsors and teams, more than $53,000 was raised for the Capstone Engineering Society Scholarship
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Fund. Since 2001, the CES Golf Tournament has raised more than $653,000. “It’s always a good day when you get to have a little fun on the course while supporting engineering student scholarships,” said Liz Moore, CES manager. “Over 160 students have benefitted from the fund. The impact in the lives of our students in invaluable.” A total of 132 players on 33 teams participated in this year’s tournament, and 40 sponsors covered the meal, drinks, putting contest, each hole and three tournament levels to make the event a success. Gaston Large was the tournament chair, and Harry Gabriel served as co-chair. Members of the CES golf committee were Suzanne Chapman, Milton Davis, Greg Floyd, Tony McLain, Rick Nail, Rod Northam, Chris Palmer, Valerie Wade and David Williams.
Tournament Winners: • First Place – Gross: Charlie Vines, Ray Doss, Tim Kirchner, Ned Martin – Vulcan Materials Company • First Place – Net: Zach Burger, Dave Williams, JJ Thomas, Mike Simmons – VIC Systems International • Second Place – Net: Mike Tracy, David Muncher, Jeff Kendrick, Gary Randall– Drummond Co. • Putting Contest Winner: Zach Burger – VIC Systems International • Closest to the Pin: Dennis Porche – Wade Sand and Gravel Co., Inc. • Longest Drive: John Hendrick – Thompson Tractor
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1987
JOBS. PROMOTIONS. AWARDS. RECOGNITION.
JOHN “KEVIN” AKERS BSMinE, has been named president and chief executive officer of Dallas-based Atmos Energy Corporation.
1991
(Photo courtesy of Atmos Energy)
BRAD NEWMAN BSIE, MSIE ’99, plant manager of ZF Chassis Systems in Tuscaloosa, accepted the 2019 Large Manufacturer of the Year Award, presented by the Alabama Technology Network and the Business Council of Alabama.
DR. LISA WATSON-MORGAN
2002
BSIE, has been appointed program manager for NASA’s Human Landing System at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. She will oversee development of the lander that will carry the first woman and the next man to the Moon’s surface in 2024.
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JUSTIN LADNER BSMtE, MSMtE ’08, has been named president of Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water.
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2004
KEN TODD
2005
DAVID SUTLEY
BSCE, was recognized by UA’s civil, construction and environmental engineering department with the 2019 Civil Engineering Outstanding Fellows Award for professional achievement and service to the department. Todd is vice president of construction at McAbee Construction in Tuscaloosa.
BSCE, has been hired as a senior project manager at Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm. He joined the firm’s resilience solutions group in Denver, Colorado. In his new role, Sutley is responsible for project management and business development.
2008
(Photo courtesy of Dewberry)
DR. OLIVIA UNDERWOOD BSMtE, MSMtE ’09, was named to Business Journals’ 2019 Influencers: Rising Star list, which spotlights 100 executives nationwide who are having an impact early in their careers on business in cities across the nation. (Photo by Randy Montoya)
SOMETHING WE MISSED? Please send us your professional achievements and recognitions for inclusion in Alumni Notes by visiting eng.ua.edu/alumni/update
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JOHNNY G. ARMSTRONG Johnny G. Armstrong died July 28, 2019, in Lancaster, California. He was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and raised in Tuscaloosa. After high school, Armstrong worked as a summer aide at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. He graduated from The University of Alabama in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering. In 1957, Armstrong became an Air Force lieutenant at the Air Force Flight Test Center headquartered at Edwards Air Force Base in California. He worked on the YB-58A test team and became the first non-rated Air Force officer to fly at Mach 2 in the aircraft. Armstrong left active duty in 1961 and continued working on flight tests at Edwards, where he worked for the majority of his 55-year career. His first assignment as a civilian in 1962 was as a flight planner on the joint U.S. Navy/NASA/U.S. Air Force X-15 flight test program. He also worked on the F-104, lifting bodies such as HL-10, M2-F3, X-24A and X-24B. Armstrong’s career included work on space and hypersonic vehicles such as the X-33, X-34, X-37, X-38/X-40A Future-X, X-43 Hyper-X, and X-51 Waverider. He became the Hypersonics Combined Test Force Chief Engineer in 2004 and retired from the position on February 6, 2012. Armstrong was named a Distinguished Engineering Fellow at The University of Alabama in 1991.
E. GLENN BISHOP SR. Glenn Bishop died July 24, 2019, in Birmingham. Born in Columbia, South Carolina, and raised in Birmingham, he graduated from Ramsay High School in 1958. Bishop then attended The University of Alabama where he was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1964 and a master’s degree in 1966, both in civil engineering. For seven years, Bishop worked at Hudson and Associates. He then founded his own firm, E. Glenn Bishop and Associates, in 1973. The structural and civil engineering firm, now named LBYD, has five offices and more than 100 employees today. Bishop was named a Fellow of the UA civil engineering department, the UA College of Engineering and the American Council of Engineering Companies, and he was selected to the Alabama Construction Hall of Fame and the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. Bishop was a past chairman of the UA College of Engineering Leadership Board and the Council of American Structural Engineers National Guidelines Committee, and he was a past president of the American Consulting Engineers Council of Alabama. Bishop served on the Board of Advisors of the UA civil engineering department and the University of Alabama at Birmingham civil engineering department. He worked on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Concrete Industries Association and the Construction Education Foundation of Alabama. Bishop was an engineering advisor for the state of Alabama’s Board of Registration and a trustee for the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. One of his professional accomplishments was the expansion of The University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium. He was a member of the American Institute of Steel Construction, American Society of Civil Engineers and International Code Council.
THE HONORABLE ALVIN PAUL DUPONT SR. The Honorable Alvin Paul DuPont Sr., of Tuscaloosa, died July 31, 2019, in Canton, Texas. He graduated from The University of Alabama with a degree in civil engineering in 1961. After graduating, DuPont became an employee of the city of Tuscaloosa, working as city engineer and then city planning director. DuPont served five terms as mayor of Tuscaloosa. His final term ended in 2005. He worked on the Holy Spirit Catholic Church’s site selection committee, when the church moved locations, and the building committee, for the design and construction of the structure. In 1995, DuPont was named a UA Distinguished Engineering Fellow.
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LT. COL. NORMAN K. “KEN” DYSON Lt. Col. Ken Dyson died Aug. 15, 2019. Born in Marshall, Texas, he graduated from Texarkana Texas High School in 1956. After graduating from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree, Dyson earned a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from The University of Alabama in 1971. He was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force for 22 years, where he spent five years as a tactical fighter pilot and 15 years as a military test pilot. Dyson flew two tours in Southeast Asia and was on two classified programs, Have Blue and Tacit Blue. After retiring from the Air Force, he joined Rockwell International as an engineering test pilot. Dyson flew the first flight X-31 Post Stall Aircraft and retired as chief test pilot and director of flight test in 1993. He received the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, nine air medals, was named an Engineering Fellow of the Test Pilot School, was inducted into the Lancaster Aerospace Walk of Honor and was included in Aviation Week and Space Technology’s Aerospace Laurels. Dyson was named a UA Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 1993.
CHARLES JACKSON “JACK” GRANADE JR. Charles Jackson “Jack” Granade Jr., of Mobile, died May 16, 2019. Born in Attalla, he was raised in Grove Hill and graduated from Grove Hill High School. Garanade earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in civil engineering from The University of Alabama in 1967 and 1969 respectively. He worked as a professional engineer for both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Thompson Engineering. Granade helped design the RSA Trustmark Building, RSA Battlehouse Tower, Austal USA shipbuilding hangars and the GulfQuest National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico.
EDWIN MILTON HARDIN Edwin Milton Hardin, of Chelsea, died May 8, 2019. Hardin served with an engineer combat battalion in World War II and the Korean conflict. After his service, he earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Alabama in civil engineering in 1956. Hardin first worked for Walter Schoel Engineering, and in 1963, he joined Rust International Corporation. In 1989, he was named vice president-operations at Rust. He also served as president of Rust Engineering of New York, North Carolina and Michigan, and vice president of Pullman Power of Ohio. Hardin retired in 1992. He served as vice chair and chairman of the Alabama State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. He was also active in the Alabama and National Society of Professional Engineers, the American Iron and Steel Engineers, American Society of Military Engineers and the American Society of Engineering Education. Hardin helped form and charter the Birmingham Chapter of the American Society of Certified Engineering Technicians. He founded the Engineering Advisory Council at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and served as its first chairman. In 1988, Hardin was named a UA Distinguished Engineering Fellow. In 1993, he was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.
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JOHN WILEY LEWIS JR. John Wiley Lewis Jr., of Birmingham, died May 25, 2019. A graduate of Ramsay High School, he earned a chemical engineering bachelor’s degree in 1942 from The University of Alabama. He also played the tuba in the Million Dollar Band. Lewis served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy on the USS Norton Sound during World War II. After the war, he received a master’s degree at the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. Lewis and his brother, Jack, owned and operated Dixie Fire Brick Company in Alabama, which later became A.P. Green Refractories. He was named a Distinguished Fellow by the College of Engineering at The University of Alabama in 2002. Lewis served on the board of trustees at First United Methodist Church of Birmingham, where he was a lifelong member.
BUELL VERNON MOORE Buell Vernon Moore died in Birmingham Nov. 8, 2019. Born in Logan, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was accepted into the V-5 Aviation Cadet Training Program. A 1949 mechanical engineering graduate of The University of Alabama, Moore began his career with Chicago Bridge & Iron Company. In 1959, he moved his family to London where he worked in sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and traveled the world. Moore started at CB&I as an engineer and draftsman and eventually became president of the company. He was named a UA Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 1988.
DR. WILLIAM HARRINGTON TRANTER Dr. William Harrington Tranter, of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, died May 5, 2019. Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, his family later moved to Dothan. Tranter earned all three of his degrees — bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate — in electrical engineering from The University of Alabama in 1964, 1965 and 1970 respectively. He served as an assistant and associate dean of engineering from 1980 to 1985 at the University of Missouri-Rolla and was named Schlumberger Professor in 1985. In 1997, Tranter was named the Bradley Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech and was a member of the Mobile and Radio Research Group. From 2009 to 2011, he served as a program director of the National Science Foundation’s Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate. Tranter contributed chapters to a number of books and published more than 75 research journal and conference papers. He also co-authored several undergraduate textbooks in the communications area. Throughout his career, Tranter was active in the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers and was named a Fellow in 1985 and a Life Fellow in 2005. He served as a member of the Board of Governors and Director of Journals of the IEEE Communications Society, was elected vice presidenttechnical activities, and served an 11-year term as the editor-in-chief of the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. He received an IEEE Centennial Medal in 1984, a Millennium Medal in 2000, the Donald McLellan Meritorious Service Award from the IEEE Communications Society in 2000, and the Publications Exemplary Service Award in 2001. In 1988, Tranter was named a UA Distinguished Engineering Fellow.
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SPRING 2020
Friends
We Will Miss
Harry D. Andes Jr., BSME ’43
John L. Lucas, BSCE ’59
James R. Atherton, BSIE ’68
Michael Maggipinto, BSAE ’95
Herbert J. Bosshart, BSCE ’53
William L. Mason, BSMinE(Min.) ’51
Carroll R. Bryan Jr., BSAE ’49
Jack L. McKewen Jr., BSIE ’70
Gregory W. Burns, BSMinE(Pet.) ’95
Hunter B. Morris, BSME ’74
Frank G. Cairns Jr., BSME ’56
Rufus D. Passwater Jr., BSEE ’60
Thomas C. Caldwell, BSMtE ’52
Alfred T. Powell Jr., BSME ’95
Leopold J. Cantafio, BSEE ’52
Robert E. Puckett, BSME ’68
Dr. C. Kendall Clarke, BSMtE ’68
Timothy W. Sciple, BSChE ’66
Frank A. Cooley, BSE ’68
Qasim A. Shahid, BSCS ’05
Jim H. Cooper, BSChE ’63
Joseph M. Shoemaker Jr., BSME ’65
John P. Daniel Sr., BSCE ’58
Timothy E. Simmons, BSCS ’01
Earl F. Dubin, BSChE ’60
Frank L. Tate, BSME ’54
Timothy O. Eddins Sr., BSAE ’57
Walter D. Trippe, BSEE ’58
Jerry A. Farris, BSME ’62
Donald J. Tucker, BSME ’54
Frank D. Ferguson, BSME ’60
Hugh W. Tyler Jr., BSIE ’68
Sidney W. Garrett, BSME ’58
Joseph C. Vance III, BSME ’70
Milton A. Gowins Sr., BSCE ’60
Larry H. Welch, BSCE ’62
John W. Haughton, BSIE ’65
William C. Wilbanks, BSCE ’64
Arthur A. Jones Jr., BSME ’50
Charles J. Woodman, BSME ’49
Robert G. King Jr., BSME ’49
James L. Woodward, BSIE ’59
Ralph R. Kissel, MSE ’67
John E. Yeates Jr., BSAE ’47
DRIVING INNOVATION
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PREMIER SPONSOR
EXECUTIVE SPONSOR
TOURNAMENT SPONSORS
PUTTING CONTEST SPONSOR
MEAL SPONSOR
BEVERAGE SPONSORS
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SPRING 2020
HOLE SPONSORS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! To sponsor the 2020 CES Golf Tournament, contact liz.moore@ua.edu
DRIVING INNOVATION
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THE ENGINE THAT KEEPS THE COLLEGE MOVING
Julie Ember was recently recognized by UA for her work as the director of financial affairs in the College of Engineering.
Julie Ember, College of Engineering director of financial affairs, was one of three UA staff members selected to receive the Vergil Parks McKinley Sr. Employee Award. The award recipients were recognized by University of Alabama President Stuart Bell at the Fall 2019 Campus Assembly. This Capstone Award was established to recognize enterprising employees, who by action or idea, contribute to The University of Alabama’s mission of teaching, research and service. Employees had to be nominated by their immediate supervisor to be eligible for the award. Learn more about Ember in this Q&A.
ensure the continuity of recruiting, onboarding procedures, payroll and annual evaluations. CE: How does your job support the College of Engineering faculty, staff and students? Why is your job important to keeping the College successful?
CE: What do you do in Financial Affairs? Ember: As the director of financial affairs within the College of Engineering, I oversee the finances and human resources for the College. This includes a wide range of responsibilities, including overseeing the spending within the College, ensuring financial and purchasing policies and procedures are followed at the College and departmental levels, and assisting the departmental staff with state funds as well as contracts and grants. For human resources, I am involved from the beginning to the end for faculty and staff including the creation and advertising of positions, interview process to
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Several UA employees received awards at the Fall 2019 Campus Assembly in the Ferguson Center.
SPRING 2020
Ember: My job is to ensure funding to support the mission of teaching, research and service for our undergraduate and graduate programs, including the various offices that support our students. I assist the dean in the process of allocating funds to ensure that we not only cover our routine obligations, but plan ahead for the goals of the College. For endowments and gift funds, this means I follow MOAs to ensure we meet donor expectations while meeting the needs of the College. For contracts and grants, I assist the departments to ensure that we cover our obligations and meet the necessary deliverables expected by the sponsor. CE: How were you selected for the Vergil Parks McKinley Sr. Employee Award? How did it feel to receive this award? Ember: Dr. Vergil Parks McKinley Sr. retired after 25 years of service at the University and was known by his students and peers for his impeccable character. My nomination consisted of multiple letters of support from the administration
within the College, including Drs. John Wiest, Tim Haskew, Ed Back and Steve Daniewicz. I was extremely surprised and honored. CE: What is something you wish people knew about Financial Affairs and/or the UA College of Engineering? Ember: The COE Financial Affairs office is happy to assist faculty, staff and students in any way possible. CE: How long have you worked at UA? What is it like working here? Ember: I have worked at UA for almost 13 and a half years, and I love working at my alma mater. During the three years I have been in the College of Engineering, I have enjoyed working with our extremely dedicated staff, successful faculty and supportive administration. Even though my position does not typically interact directly with students, I enjoy knowing that I am able to make an impact that affects their academic success.
In addition to Ember, Daniel Wood, director of information technology for advancement services, and Bernadette Chavira-Trull, director of the University Supe Store, all won the Virgil Parks McKinley Sr. Employee Award.
DRIVING INNOVATION
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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
One thing that I love about working for the College of Engineering, and with our alumni, is hearing personal stories about the impact the College has made on people’s lives like Mr. Robert G. Fuller and his family. The extraordinary legacy has spanned generations.
load and illness, is involved in numerous service organizations, one of which allows her to give back to the community and be a positive influence for today’s youth.
I am inspired by the countless ways people feel connected to the College and the ways our alumni have worked to advance our mission to graduate top engineers and computer scientists.
We had a record-breaking year of giving. The generosity and support speaks highly of the philanthropic spirit that encompasses our alumni and friends. It is no secret that we simply could not do what we do without you. We continue to aim high as we strive to drive innovation at The University of Alabama College of Engineering.
The Capstone Engineering Society Alumni Endowed Scholarship, made possible by each of you, has continued to positively impact our students. Monica Johnson, a senior double majoring in civil engineering and mathematics, recently shared her appreciation of being a recipient of the scholarship. She has a medical diagnosis with complicated and costly treatments and the financial burden it has placed on her family has been significant. The relief of being a scholarship recipient has been profound. What I love about Monica’s story is that she understands the importance of philanthropy and, despite her heavy course
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There is so much to be excited about within the UA College of Engineering.
As always, we encourage you to get involved with your alma mater. Do not hesitate to reach out, and we will get you connected in a meaningful way. Roll Tide,
Liz Moore Assistant Director for Alumni Engagement Manager, Capstone Engineering Society
SPRING 2020
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID The University of Alabama
Capstone Engineering Society College of Engineering Box 870200 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0200
The
20
th
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C A P STO N E E N G I N E E R I N G S O C I E T Y
GO L F TO U R N A ME N T DETAILS TO COME! VISIT GOLF.ENG.UA.EDU Corporate sponsorship opportunities available! All proceeds support the Capstone Engineering Society Alumni Endowed Scholarship fund.