Capstone Engineer - Spring 2004

C A P S TO N E SPRING 2004

EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Engineer

STUDENT ENGINEERING Projects Building . . .

. . . provides unique learning experiences.

C O N T E N T S

CAPSTONE Engineering Society

COVER STORY: Student Engineering Projects Building Provides Unique Learning Experiences . . . . . . . . . 2 An SAE formula race car and a concrete canoe are just a few of the projects that students are working on now.

Student Research Impacts Many . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 From the IE design clinic to ChE labs, UA engineering students are involved in numerous research projects.

CES Recognizes Longtime Members . . . . . . . . . 16

1-800-333-8156 Rodney W. Summerford, PE Mobile, Ala. National Chair, Board of Directors Cheryl Altemara Director, Capstone Engineering Society Timothy J. Greene Dean, College of Engineering Karen Meshad Baldwin Director of Advancement Mary Wymer Editor

Thanks to members for 15+ years of support

Anna Fowler Assistant Editor C A P S TO N E

Engineer

News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Surveying the College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Alumni Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 In Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Issue No. 29 Capstone Engineer is published in the spring and fall by the Capstone Engineering Society.

Address correspondence to the editor: The University of Alabama, Capstone Engineering Society, College of Engineering, Box 870200, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487-0200.

Roderick Guillen Designer Christine Dietsch Proofreader Alice Wilson, Rickey Yanaura, Mary Wymer, Debbie Sims Photographers Visit the College of Engineering website at www.eng.ua.edu

The University of Alabama is an equal-opportunity educational institution/employer.

MC6791

DEAN’S Message

O

ur College of Engineering graduates have long been known for their excellent hands-on skills. They are known for their ability to analyze a problem, design workable costeffective solutions, and then implement those solutions successfully. To maintain this excellent tradition and to give our students additional hands-on experiences outside the classroom, the College of Engineering has just completed the construction of the Student Engineering Projects Building.

The Student Engineering Projects Building is a 6,000-square-foot Butler building situated behind and between two of the wings of Hardaway Hall. The building is unique in that it will not house classes or research. This building is dedicated solely to student engineering projects. These projects are varied, having included in the last several years the ASCE concrete canoe, ASCE steel bridge, SAE formula race car, SAE Mini-Baja vehicle, and ASME design competition.

The building does house a machine shop, welding room, concrete mixing room and paint area, as well as bays for five or more projects to be worked on concurrently.

We believe that with this new facility we will expand the number of student engineering projects, giving our students additional hands-on experiences. The building was funded completely by private gifts. Our thanks to Arthur and Estelle Taylor, BE&K Inc., Brasfield & Gorrie LLC, Addison Products Co., and S. T. Bunn Construction Co. Inc., who came together to make this a reality.

Beyond the Student Engineering Projects Building, I think you will see in this issue multiple examples of how our students not only are learning in the classroom but are learning by doing. They are working side-by-side with outstanding faculty members in their research laboratories as well as in design clinics. They graduate not only being able to say that they can do, but also that they have created exciting designs that are real and meaningful projects.

If you or your company would like to assist in supporting one of our design teams’ student projects, please contact one of our department heads, Karen Baldwin or me, and let’s discuss how you can assist our students in getting the hands-on experience that makes them so valuable to employers upon graduation.

Timothy J. Greene Dean, College of Engineering

STUDENT ENGINEERING Projects Building. . .

or many years, engineering students built projects wherever they could—in hallways, in crowded lab space, in storage areas, even in a boiler room. From assembling a Mini Baja vehicle to pouring concrete for a canoe, the students persevered and completed projects in the not-so-best conditions imaginable.

F

On Sept. 5, all that changed—the College of Engineering held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication for its new Student Engineering Projects Building.

The new Student Engineering Projects Building, located behind Hardaway Hall, is the only building on the UA campus that will be used strictly for engineering-student projects—no research will be done nor classes held in it. It is the only building used in this manner in the state and only the third building like it in the Southeast, said Dr. Timothy J. Greene, dean of the College of Engineering.

“The new Student Engineering Projects Building provides our students with more hands-on learning experiences and enables a more well-rounded education from theory to application,” explained Greene.

“One of our goals is to provide the best facilities for our students and this new building has all of the materials needed to build top-notch engineering projects.”

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The new Student Engineering Projects Building has already been a learning tool for many UA engineering students. Mechanical engineering students helped with the air conditioning and heating design; civil engineering students helped with the foundation and the structural design; and electrical engineering students helped with the electrical system design.

“Working on the air conditioning and heating design was one of the most valuable learning experiences I had as an undergraduate,” explained Barbara Hattemer, a mechanical engineering graduate student who worked on the building as an undergraduate. “It provided me with hands-on work, something that is very important in preparing me for a professional career.”

Student engineering projects that are in the works in the new building include an ASCE concrete canoe, a Society of Automotive Engineers formula race car, an SAE Mini Baja vehicle, and an ASCE steel bridge.

provides unique learning experiences.

“These projects provide real-world experience to engineering students, which is an education no one can get in the classroom,” said Matt Moody, a senior mechanical engineering student and team leader for the SAE formula race car. “This new building allows us to focus on building the best car while not having to worry about the space we are occupying.”

Features of the 6,000-square-foot building include three garage-door entrances, a paint area, a concrete mixing area and a machine shop that is supervised by mechanicians for safety.

Donors who helped make this project a reality for UA students include Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Taylor Jr., BE&K Inc., Brasfield & Gorrie, S. T. Bunn Construction Co. Inc. and Addison Products Co.

Far left: Students analyze the 2001 SAE formula car as they begin the design process for building the 2004 model.

Above and right: Civil engineering students work on a 20-foot-long canoe frame for their entry in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ annual concrete canoe competition.

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Student Research

IMPACTS MANY

By Anna Fowler The light bulb, telephone and assembly line are all inventions that took long hours of research to become successful creations. Many UA engineering students take part in research projects that develop more productive businesses, produce more site-specific medicines, construct more environmentally friendly and cost-efficient vehicles as well as develop safer airport-runway regulations. Even if the students do not make millions of dollars for their research findings, their research could lead to milliondollar discoveries, and more importantly, they will gain the experience to attain careers in engineering.

IE DESIGN CLINIC IMPROVES LOCAL BUSINESSES Taught to industrial engineering majors, Systems Design I and Systems Design II classes give students the opportunity to conduct projects for companies and organizations to make them operate more efficiently. The classes are conducted within the industrial engineering design clinic that works with local businesses to improve productivity and quality in production and service systems.

Dr. Robert Batson, director of the industrial engineering design clinic and professor of industrial engineering at the University, said the projects not only benefit the businesses but the students also. “The students gain the experience they need to be successful in the workplace because oral and written communication skills are emphasized. It is up to them to recommend to the client the best ways to improve material, people or information flows,” Batson said.

The Systems Design I class recently conducted individual projects for Houser Hall’s computer lab. They worked with the College’s information technology and engineering services department to develop a list of design constraints, needs and wants for the lab. The staff specified the tables and chairs to be used in the lab to provide a more open and modern look. In addition, updated PCs will be installed after room renovations are completed in Summer 2004.

Each student designed two or three layouts that balanced the desire for maximizing the number of workstations with other criteria, such as minimizing distractions and walking distance to printers. The students presented the layouts and assessments, and the information technology and engineering services department will study the written reports and select the best layout to implement next summer.

“This project gave the students an opportunity to upgrade a College lab they had used as freshmen,” Batson said.

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Brian Blalock (left), Tom Turner (right), Dan Mitchell and Nathan Vaughn (not pictured) prepare a presentation for the Hanna Steel Corp.’s Gadsden plant project.

In the Spring 2003 Semester, the System Design II class worked with the Hanna Steel Corp. headquarters in Fairfield, Ala., where they invented a quote generation system that enables sales personnel to automatically generate quotes for customers, whether or not that particular size and shape of tubing has ever been produced before. Another team worked on optimal allocation of production among three tube plants. A third team worked with the Hanna Steel Corp.’s Gadsden plant to computerize metrics for operation efficiency of key equipment.

Another group in the spring class worked with Zoe’s Kitchen restaurant in Birmingham, for which they drew a layout of the restaurant and used computer simulation to conduct a customer waiting time and flow analysis. The team was able to tell how many tables and counter seats the

restaurant could provide and what the waiting and dining time would be for customers based on the arrival patterns, the number of registers open, and the number of cooks.

The IE design clinic continues to conduct projects with companies and organizations to make them more efficient, including University Parking Services, the College’s Office of Engineering Student Services and UPS’s Alabama District.

CHE STUDENT RESEARCHES MAGNETICALLY CONTROLLED DRUG-DELIVERY SYSTEMS Brad McKinney, a senior majoring in chemical engineering, researched magnetically controlled drug-delivery systems this past year and presented his findings in a poster competition at the National AIChE meeting in Indianapolis. His poster was titled “Magnetic Controlled Release Using Aqueous CoFe Dispersions in Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels,” which won third place in the competition.

McKinney, a native of Oneonta, Ala., worked with chemical engineering professors Drs. Chris Brazel and Duane Johnson to create a poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel that was able to hold the drug, magnetic dispersion and plasticizer that allowed the polymer to be flexible. The research proved that the magnetic dispersion stayed in the polymer during the testing phase of the product. Drug release was triggered using an oscillating magnetic field to force open pores in the polymer allowing the drug to diffuse.

CE STUDENTS GRADE ALABAMA RUNWAYS Landing an airplane can be risky, but even more so if the runway itself is dangerous. Fortunately, four civil and environmental engineering students conducted research to examine topographic deficiencies near Alabama airport runways that may compromise safety, future licensing and Federal Aviation Administration funding for runway pavement.

The project included the study of 82 Alabama general-use airports, from which the students produced a survey data sheet that may be posted on the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) Aviation Bureau licensing database. The students then determined if a runway area needs renovating under the revised weighted licensing procedures for Alabama’s general-use airports.

Dr. Charles Haynes, professor of civil engineering, said the research project would greatly benefit the state’s airport runways. “We hope to implement topographic requirements in the inspection and licensing process for airports in Alabama to make them safer for our aircraft,” said Haynes. “Far too many of our general-use airports contain approach and departure obstructions.”

The project relates to previous research conducted by the University Transportation Center for Alabama. The students generated a final report, including code for the ALDOT Aviation Bureau Web-based inspection/licensing software.

“The magnets will hopefully one day be used to concentrate all drug release to a specific area of the body; say, to target a cancer tumor,” McKinney said.

The study also showed that the drug delivery device made using a waterbased magnetic dispersion would not be harmful to the human body. By raising the pH on the poly-acrylic acid magnetic dispersion to 13, the dispersion stayed in a single phase for hours. This allowed enough time for a polymer to form with consistently dispersed magnetic particles. “The magnetic polymer contained no ingredients harmful to the human body,” McKinney said, “but there is still much research to be done.”

EMSYL GRADUATE STUDENTS WORK TO IMPROVE A CHEVROLET TRUCK UA electrical engineering graduate students in the Electro-Mechanical Systems Laboratory (EMSyL) are working to produce an environmentfriendly, electric-vehicle technology testbed that is based on a Chevrolet S10 truck.

The vehicle is propelled by a custom induction motor and power-electronic drive assembly. The vehicle is fully instrumented so that new and novel control methods and vehicular hardware can be developed, tested and evaluated. It is also well suited for development of hybrid electric-vehicle architectures, including but not limited to, fuel-cell power plants.

Dr. Tim Haskew, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, is the director of the project and said it is a complementary effort to the fuel-cell research taking place on UA’s campus. “We want to use the testbed to integrate the electro-mechanical systems research into the ongoing research in the advancement of vehicle technology as well as help protect our environment and save money,” said Haskew.

Brad McKinney works on a research project investigating magnetically controlled drug-delivery systems in one of the ChE labs.

CAPSTONE Engineer

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Engineers have school spirit!

Show your pride in the College of Engineering with top-quality apparel and gifts.

Choose from polo shirts, coffee mugs, baseball caps and more.

Profit generated from the sale of these items contributes to the Capstone Engineering Society, which provides scholarship funds to UA’s College of Engineering.

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Call

1-800-333-8156.

Come by

174 H. M. Comer.

Click

www.eng.ua.edu.

College of Engineering Box 870200 Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487-0200 1-800-333-8156 (205) 348-2452 www.eng.ua.edu

N E W S

SWE NATIONAL CONFERENCE HELD IN BIRMINGHAM

Capstone Engineering Society Board, Fall 2003 CAPSTONE ENGINEERING SOCIETY ADDS NEW BOARD MEMBERS The Capstone Engineering Society nominated and elected six new board members during the fall board meeting. The new members will serve twoyear terms and assist with Capstone Engineering Society membership, student recruitment for the College and general promotion of the College and the University.

The Capstone Engineering Society sponsored a reception for UA alumni and students at the recent SWE National Conference.

The new board members are Vance Ballard, B.S.M.E. ’00, M.B.A. ’03, Member-at-Large Vance Ballard lives in Birmingham and works for United States Steel Corp. While in school at the Capstone, Ballard was president of the ACEs (Ambassadors for the College of Engineering).

Selina Lee, B.S.E.E. ’90, Member-at-Large Selina Lee lives in Pell City and works for Alabama Power Co. as assistant to the senior vice president of power delivery.

Bradley Newman, B.S.I.E. ’91, M.S.I.E. ’99, Region V Chair Brad Newman lives in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and is the plant manager for Collins & Aikman in Nashville.

Jonathan Noland, B.S.M.E. ’92, Region I Chair Jon Noland lives in Birmingham and is manager of field sales for American Cast Iron Pipe Co. Jon has been very active in coordinating the Greater Birmingham-Area CES Golf Tournament for the past two years.

Nathan Reamey, B.S.I.E. ’01, M.B.A. ’03, Member-at-Large Nathan Reamey lives in Birmingham and works for Vulcan Painters Inc. as the ISO and continuing improvement coordinator. During Reamey’s years at the Capstone, he received the Marvin A. Griffin Engineering Scholarship and was an ACE.

The Society of Women Engineers took Alabama by storm in October as nearly 3,000 women engineers and engineering students from across the country attended the SWE 2003 National Conference at the BirminghamJefferson Civic Center.

The major highlight of the conference was a two-day career fair with more than 150 engineering companies looking to recruit students for permanent positions. More than 50 current UA engineering students participated by giving companies a CD with their résumés.

Other activities that took place during the conference included technical and career development presentations on topics such as “Hydrogen-Fueled Transportation” and “Salary Negotiations.” In addition, students participated in design competitions and SWE’s own version of the College Bowl.

The conference concluded with the Student Awards Ceremony at the historic Alabama Theatre. ChevronTexaco presented a scholarship to Ashley Erickson, a junior in mechanical engineering, and the Partnership to Advance Science Engineering and Technology awarded UA mechanical engineering graduate student Heather Hendrix the Outstanding College Student Horizon Award. UA’s SWE student chapter also received third place in the Outstanding Student Section competition in the medium-sized schools category behind Stanford and Arizona State.

Margaret “Ferne” Wlodarski, B.S.M.E. ’81, Alabama District 4 Chair Ferne Wlodarski lives in Huntsville and works for the U.S. Army Missile Command as a general engineer.

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N E W S

BIG THANKS. . . . . . to our recent partners in UA’s College of Engineering family.

We appreciate their support of our students and programs.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers for support of mechanical engineering scholarships W. Donald Bell for continuing support of electrical and computer engineering and computer science scholarships

STUDENTS SAY THANKS With rising tuition costs, some students would not be able to attend the Capstone without the generous support of our alumni and friends who have endowed scholarships. The following are newly endowed scholarships, and the College and our students say, “THANKS!” John and Linda Daniel for an endowed general engineering scholarship Drs. Kenneth and Sharon Harwell for an endowed aerospace engineering and mechanics scholarship The Haskell Co. for an endowed civil engineering scholarship

ChevronTexaco for continuing support of engineering scholarships David and Jackie Courington for continuing support of the chemical engineering fund Earl and Elna Crittenden for continuing support of their endowed scholarship in industrial engineering

James A. and Carolyn McCollum for an endowed chemical engineering scholarship McGiffert & Associates LLC for an endowed civil engineering scholarship The family of Holt Rast for an endowed civil engineering scholarship

Eastman Chemical Co. for continuing support of engineering scholarships Mr. Ed and Dr. Betty Englebert for continuing support of their endowed scholarship in chemical engineering

Mark A. and Chrystine B. Roberts for an endowed mechanical engineering scholarship Margaret Lindsey Smith, in honor of Col. Clifton Lindsey, for an endowed general engineering scholarship

ExxonMobil Corp. for continuing support of engineering scholarships Mildred Ray Hire Fleming for continuing support of her endowed mechanical engineering laboratory Hua-An Liu for continuing support of chemical engineering scholarships Kimberly-Clark Corp. for continuing support of engineering scholarships Leroy McAbee for continuing support of engineering scholarships Mrs. Claire Nichols for continuing support of the endowed industrial engineering scholarship in memory of her husband, Dr. William G. Nichols A. John and Miriam K. Still for continuing support in establishing an endowed scholarship in chemical engineering Dr. Daniel Turner for continuing support of civil engineering scholarships Judge John C. Tyson for establishing an endowed engineering scholarship United States Steel Corp. for continuing support of the Council of Partners in the Multicultural Engineering Program Volkert & Associates for establishing an endowed civil engineering scholarship

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ACES HOST LEADERSHIP DINNER More than 50 engineering student leaders attended a Leadership Dinner on Nov. 11 hosted by the Ambassadors for the College of Engineering (ACEs). Mr. Jim Fehrmann of BE&K Inc. spoke about the difference between managing and leading, after which managerial situations were presented and discussed in small groups. The dinner took place on campus at the President’s Pavilion and was co-sponsored by BE&K and the Capstone Engineering Society.

WWW.ENG.UA.EDU HAS A NEW LOOK! The College has been diligently working on its new Web presence. The new site includes areas for prospective students and alumni and has links to other major areas of the University. Visit the site often to stay updated about the happenings at the College of Engineering.

S U R V E Y I N G

Rob Davis

T H E

C O L L E G E

COE STUDENT SELECTED AS PORTZ SCHOLAR BY NATIONAL COLLEGIATE HONORS COUNCIL

Young Manufacturing Engineer Award. SME presented Guo with the award at the North American Manufacturing Research Conference in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was one of eight academic recipients, and one of 12 overall, in recognition of significant achievements and leadership in manufacturing engineering.

College of Engineering senior Rob Davis has been selected as one of three 2003 Portz Scholars in the National Collegiate Honors Council’s competition for outstanding undergraduate honors papers—a first for any UA student.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING ANNOUNCES ALTON N. SCOTT PROFESSORSHIP

Davis, a member of the University Honors Program and Computer-Based Honors Program majoring in aerospace engineering, was the principal author of a paper titled “Mass Loss and Blunting During High-Speed Penetration” based on research done at UA with Amanda Neely, a junior in aerospace engineering, and Dr. Stanley Jones, Cudworth Professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics.

Davis was selected to participate in this past summer’s NASA Undergraduate Student Research Program at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, and he received the 2003 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (UA chapter) Outstanding Senior Award.

Davis worked as an undergraduate research assistant for Jones on a project sponsored by the U.S. Air Force, and he is currently working with Drs. Michael Polites and Semih Olcmen, both associate professors of aerospace engineering and mechanics, on a joint project of UA and NASA.

Dr. Richard C. Bradt

The College of Engineering recently announced that Dr. Richard C. Bradt has been appointed as the Alton N. Scott Professor for his excellence in research. Bradt, professor of materials engineering, has been at UA since 1994, and he is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society and the ASM International.

The Alton N. Scott Professorship was established in 2002 from an $8 million endowment from the estate of Alton N. Scott. The bequest is the largest gift ever given to the College of Engineering, and the second largest bequest in the history of the University. The income distributions from this endowment are earmarked for the “promotion, encouragement and funding of research projects.”

IIE STUDENT CHAPTER RECEIVES GOLD AWARD COE CONTINUES RISE IN U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT RANKINGS The College of Engineering has again been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best undergraduate engineering programs in the nation for colleges with doctoral programs. This year COE ranked 84 among all engineering colleges nationwide, up from 88 last year and 98 the year before. This is the third consecutive year the College has been ranked, and the third consecutive year COE has moved up in the rankings. Among public engineering colleges, the College ranks 53 in the nation.

ME PROFESSOR WINS OUTSTANDING MANUFACTURING ENGINEER AWARD

UA’s Institute of Industrial Engineers student chapter received the Gold Award in the 2003 IIE national chapter recognition competition for the third consecutive year. The Gold Award is the highest chapter recognition award from IIE, and recognizes chapter improvements and progress. Only 18 out of more than 150 student chapters worldwide received the award.

The UA chapter was the only chapter in the state to receive the Gold Award.

UA GOLDEN KEY TAKES TOP INTERNATIONAL AWARD The prestigious Key Chapter Award was recently presented to members of the University of Alabama chapter of the Golden Key Honour Society at the society’s international conference in Chicago, Ill. Lynn Hamric, administrative secretary in mechanical engineering, has served as chapter advisor for the past six years. The Golden Key president, Nick Seamon, is in chemical engineering and the treasurer, Blake Stuart, is in mechanical engineering.

Dr. Yuebin Guo, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, received the Society of Manufacturing Engineers 2003 Jiri Tlusty Outstanding

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S U R V E Y I N G

T H E

C O L L E G E

Research News UA RESEARCHER COMBINES RECYCLING AND CONSTRUCTION In the last 10 years, the nation has seen a surge in household recycling. Communities across the country are collecting tons of recycled material every day. This trend led Dr. Andrew Graettinger, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, to develop a new lightweight fill made of recycled plastic bottles.

Traditionally, soil fills the space behind retaining walls, such as those built for interstate highway dividers and sound barriers.

Soil is extremely heavy and exerts a lot of pressure against the retaining wall. Over time, the wall can lean or crack because of the pressure.

The plastic-bottle blocks would be used in replacing soil behind interstate highway retaining walls. The blocks would be covered with some soil and grass for aesthetic purposes.

“The plastic-bottle blocks weigh considerably less than soil,” said Graettinger. “For construction applications, the lighter-weight plastic bottle fill is easier to handle and will save money because the retaining wall does not have to be as strong.”

Drs. Andrew Graettinger (left) and Philip Johnson (center), with the assistance of two students, cut one of the plastic-bottle blocks in half as they prepare to install it on part of a bike trail at Lake Lurleen State Park.

The plastic-bottle blocks are approximately two-feet high by twofeet wide by two-feet deep and contain 150 to 200 plastic bottles.

Urethane foam holds the bottles together in the square block form. The four-square-foot bottle block can withstand up to two tons of weight.

The blocks weigh approximately two pounds per cubic foot compared to soil, which weighs approximately 110 pounds per cubic foot. “This means that five stories of plastic-bottle fill weigh the same as one foot of soil,” explained Graettinger.

The plastic-bottle blocks are covered with landscape fabric.

After the fabric was in place, Dr. Graettinger and the team covered it with soil. This switchback on the bike trail is now level and safer.

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Help keep us the

South’s best engineering school join the capstone engineering society today. why join ces?

■ Increase the prestige and value of your engineering or computer science degree.

■ Help us achieve higher rankings through increased alumni participation.

■ Provide much needed financial support for our students and the College.

■ Stay in touch with friends.

■ Receive updates and information about the College.

■ Receive the Capstone Engineer.

■ Receive invitations to pre-football game events.

Call Cheryl Altemara at 1-800-333-8156, e-mail caltemara@coe.eng.ua.edu or visit the website at www.eng.ua.edu.

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E V E N T S

GREATER BIRMINGHAM-AREA CES CHAPTER MEETS AT CAHABA PUMPING STATION Birmingham-area engineers met at the Cahaba Pumping Station on Aug. 27. About 30 alumni attended the event and listened to department updates from Dr. Will Sutton, mechanical engineering’s new department head, and Dr. Ken Fridley, civil engineering’s new department head.

COE ALUMNI ENJOY ELK GATHERING The College of Engineering and ElkCorp of Alabama held an alumni gathering on Sept. 30 at the NorthRiver Yacht Club Captain’s Cabin where guests were treated to hors d’oeuvres and dinner. Approximately 50 COE alumni gathered to enjoy the delicious food and fellowship.

ATLANTA ENGINEERING ALUMS MEET FOR AN EVENING OF FUN AT DAVE & BUSTER’S Atlanta-area UA engineers gathered at Dave & Buster’s on Oct. 15 for an evening of fun, fellowship and networking. In addition to Dean Greene’s update about the College, about 20 guests enjoyed the food and games of the famous restaurant. If you’re interested in attending future events in the Atlanta area, please contact the Capstone Engineering Society at 1-800-333-8156.

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E V E N T S BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK ATTRACTS CES MEMBERS AND FRIENDS Greater Birmingham-area UA engineers and friends toured the new Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds on Oct. 29. The tour included a drive around the course and the extensive motorcycle museum, which is considered the largest in the world.

GREATER BIRMINGHAM-AREA CES CHAPTER ENJOYS TOUR OF MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM Richard Jacobs, B.S.C.E. ’67 (left), and Jon Noland, B.S.M.E. ’92 (center), discuss the museum with the Barber’s event coordinator.

THE COLLEGE HOSTS ABOUT 1,000 STUDENTS DURING E-DAY 2003 The College of Engineering held Engineering Day (E-Day), an open house for junior-high, high-school and community-college students on Oct. 2.

About 1,000 students from schools throughout the state toured labs and viewed exhibits in each of the College’s eight departments. E-Day 2004 will be held on Oct. 7. For registration information, contact Alicia King at (205) 348-2547 or aking@coe.eng.ua.edu.

ALUMNI AND PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS GATHER IN NEW ORLEANS New Orleans area alumni gathered at the home of Sorrell and Nell Lanier on Nov. 21 along with local high-school counselors, students and parents. Representatives from the College included Dean Tim Greene, Alicia King and Cheryl Altemara, who were joined by Rick Funk from UA’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions and special guest Dr. Margaret King, UA’s new vice president for student affairs. The Laniers host an event annually to assist the College with the recruitment of excellent students from the New Orleans area. If you would like a student to receive information about our engineering programs, please contact Alicia King at (205) 348-2547 or call CES at 1-800-333-8156.

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A L U M N I

N O T E S

JOBS/PROMOTIONS/AWARDS 1950

1984

George Hopson, B.S.M.E. ’50, M.S.M.E. ’55, recently lec-

Chuck Karr, B.S.E.E. ’84, M.S.Mh. ’86, Ph.D. ’89, was pro-

tured the mechanical engineering propulsion and classical thermodynamics class at the Capstone. Hopson was named a Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 1992 and recently received NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal, the highest honor NASA confers.

moted to associate professor in UA’s aerospace engineering and mechanics department.

1961

Harold Wright Jr., B.S.Ch.E. ’84, recently lectured classes at UA and Mississippi State University about personal finance. Wright is the Region VIII representative on the Capstone Engineering Society Board of Directors.

Chester C. Carroll, B.S.E.E. ’61, M.S.E.E. ’62, Ph.D. ’65, was recently appointed as the president of the Lyman Ward Military Academy. He is holder emeritus of the E. A. Larry Drummond Eminent Scholar Chair in computer architecture at UA, and he was inducted as a Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 1988.

Dr. Chester C. Carroll Carroll also serves as a member of the College’s Leadership Board.

1978

John Ray Jordan, B.S.M.E. ’78, recently became a fulltime classical music announcer for public radio station KEDM 90.3 FM in Monroe, La. 1979

Charles Daley Speer,

Paul W. Lammers, B.S.Ch.E. ’85, recently presented several lectures to chemical engineering classes at the University. He spoke on the difference between the chemicalprocess and pharmaceutical industries and also about résumé writing. Lammers is a member-at-large on the Capstone Engineering Society Board of Directors.

1986

Khairy Abu-Salah, B.S.C.E. ’86, was honored at the 2003 Department of Defense/States/EPA Region 4 Environmental Conference in Atlanta with a Certificate of Excellence for his outstanding leadership, commitment to the environmental program, and for the professional manner in which he worked with military installations in Mississippi.

Larry T. Burns, B.S.M.E. ’86, has received his fourth Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medal for his exceptional service while aboard the ballistic missile submarine USS Georgia. He serves as Navy commander to Submarine Squadron 17 out of Silverdale, Wash.

B.S.Ch.E. ’79, M.S.Ch.E. ’85, was inducted into the Boy Scouts of America’s Order of the Arrow National Honor Society.

Ashok T. Reddy, M.S.Ch.E. ’89, was promoted to program director for best practices and product management lines at IBM Software Group in Cupertino, Calif.

1981

1998

Brian Barr, B.S.C.E. ’81, recently presented a lecture on the role engineers play in construction project delivery Charles Daley Speer to a civil and environmental engineering class at the Capstone. Barr is the Alabama District 1 chair on the Capstone Engineering Society Board of Directors.

1983

Beth N. Gore, B.S.Ch.E. ’83, was chosen to represent District 5 as Teacher of the Year for 2003–04. She was one of eight finalists and was honored at a reception in Montgomery. She teaches chemistry and physics at Choctaw County High School.

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1985

1989

Erin Young Akin, B.S.C.E. ’98, will be pursuing a doctor of veterinary medicine degree at Auburn University. She was accepted into the Class of 2007 at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Andy Bernard, B.S.C.E. ’98, has written a book titled Seven Steps of Pitching, published by Winepress Publishing.

The book is an instructional manual geared to teaching baseball pitching to all age groups.

I N EMILY LATHAM CUDWORTH Emily Latham Cudworth, the widow of James Rowland Cudworth, retired dean of the College of Engineering, died on Sept. 23, 2003. She is survived by two sons, James Rowland Jr. and Allen Latham, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Cudworth established the James R. Cudworth Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund in 1981 to honor the memory of her late husband. The scholarships are given to deserving students majoring in engineering.

The board of trustees also established the James R. Cudworth Memorial Engineering Professorship Fund in 1984 to attract and retain the nation’s most eminent engineers by offering a nationally competitive salary scale.

ELON E. ELLIS Elon E. Ellis died on Sept. 13, 2003, and is survived by his wife, Betty, sons Elon III and John, daughter Barbara Christenson, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Ellis received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1942 and was inducted as a UA Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 1997.

For 26 years, Ellis worked for Timber Structures Inc. in Oregon and helped establish the company as the state’s main producer of laminated structures for buildings across the nation. He was also the owner and CEO of a wholesale distributor of machinery, ID Inc., and he retired in 1986 when he sold this company.

Ellis was a founding member of Golf Enterprises Inc., which brought what became the Portland Open to the Rose City.

He later founded Tournament Golf Inc., which brought the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour to Portland, raising more than $4 million for children’s charities. He was director and officer of the Western Golf Association for more than 30 years.

ROBERT RUSSELL FAYLES JR. R. Russell Fayles Jr. died on Jan. 1, 2003. He spent 46 years in the iron and steel business, establishing a distinguished career in engineering operations and maintenance activities. He served 10 years as the president of Hoeganaes Corp., one of the

M E M O R Y

world’s largest and best-known providers of iron and ferrous alloy powders for the metallurgy industry.

Fayles served on a number of committees, including the American Institute of Iron and Steel refractories committee and general research committee. He also served terms as president of the Metal Powder Producers Association and of the Metal Powder Industry Federation.

Fayles received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University in 1936. He was selected as a Distinguished Engineering Fellow by the College in 1992.

DR. DONALD H. MCLEAN Dr. Donald H. McLean, professor emeritus of civil engineering, died on Sept. 13, 2003. He is survived by three sons, Donald Jr., Russell and Duncan, and nine grandchildren.

McLean was a professor of Dr. Donald H. McLean civil engineering at UA for 36 years and received the distinction of professor emeritus upon his retirement in 1987.

He was one of only five faculty members of the College of Engineering to win the National Alumni Association’s Outstanding Commitment to Teaching award. After serving five years as director and one year as president of the Alabama section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), he received the ASCE Student Chapter Professor of the Year Award in 1985.

McLean also was a member of Chi Epsilon, the Society of Sigma Xi, and the Canadian Order of the Iron Ring.

Faculty, staff and alumni will remember all of his work, both within and outside the College, and they have made contributions to the Dr. Donald H. McLean Endowed Engineering Scholarship in his honor. If you would like to make a donation in memory of Dr. McLean, please mail it to Karen Baldwin, Director of Advancement, The University of Alabama, College of Engineering, Box 870200, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0200.

Robert Russell Fayles Jr.

CAPSTONE Engineer

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CAPSTONE ENGINEERING SOCIETY Recognizes Longtime Members The Capstone Engineering Society was founded in 1973 as part of The University of Alabama’s Capstone Foundation, and it serves as the alumni support group for the College of Engineering. CES is dedicated to maintaining relationships and resources with UA engineering and computer science alumni to ensure a superior educational experience for UA engineering and computer science students.

The Capstone Engineering Society would like to thank the alumni listed below for their loyal support of the College of Engineering through their membership in CES. Each has been a CES member for the last 15 years or more.

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Mr. J. Steve Biggs

Mr. W. Gene Kerlin Jr.

Mr. Doyle Winston Blair

Mr. Charles Allen Long Jr.

Mr. Calvin B. Blevins Sr.

Mr. Donald Ray Lucas

Mr. Philip H. Bradley

Mr. Jack Whiting MacKay

Mr. Joel Webb Cooper Jr.

Mr. Reese Ewell Mallette Jr.

Mr. John W. Covington III

Dr. R. Wayne Masters

Mr. John Edgar Daniel

Mr. Joseph W. Mathews

Mr. Edward L. Englebert

Mr. Leroy McAbee

Mr. L. Lamar Faulkner

Mr. David Earl McCoy

Mr. Harry M. Gabriel

Mr. Carlos W. McDonald

Dr. Samuel C. Gambrell Jr.

Mr. John William Pamplin

Mr. David Wilds Gilbert

Mr. Alsey C. Parker Jr.

Mr. John Hugh Graham

Mr. Charles M. Rampacek

Mr. Joseph Charles Hedstrom

Mr. Kenneth Edward Riggs

Mr. Charles Wayne Helms

Mr. James Edward Rorex

Mr. Harry Hill Holliman

Mr. Joseph Aubrey Schill

Mr. Raymond M. Hollub

Mr. Charles Allen Sipe Jr.

Mr. Louis Richard Hovater

Mr. Robert Lewis Taylor

Mr. Hansel Richard Hudson

Mr. William N. Thomas

Mr. Frank Jacobs

Mrs. Susanna V. Tomlinson

Mr. James Hodge Johnson Jr.

Mr. Bennett D. Tucker Sr.

THE FOURTH ANNUAL CAPSTONE ENGINEERING SOCIETY GOLF TOURNAMENT

T

he Fourth Annual Capstone Engineering Society Golf Tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, April 13, 2004, at the beautiful Bent Brook Golf Course between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Join Dean Tim Greene and others for a fun tournament sponsored by the Birmingham Chapter of CES. The format for the tournament will be a four-person scramble with a shotgun start. The registration fee of $125 includes greens fee, cart, range balls, beverages, lunch and a tournament golf shirt. Registration starts at 11:00 a.m. and the tournament begins at 1:00 p.m.

You may participate in the following ways: Team Level ($500) • Team of four with all the registration amenities Individual Level ($125) • Single registration Hole Sponsorship ($300) • Recognition on one hole plus recognition at the tournament Thanks to Crest Cadillac of Birmingham, the hole-in-one prize is a two-year lease of a Cadillac Escalade, a 345-horsepower, V8, all-wheel-drive SUV. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Capstone Engineering Society’s efforts to provide engineering and computer science students with a superior educational experience. Our goal is to have 120 players in the 2004 CES Golf Tournament. Please help us achieve this goal.

Sign up today!

If you have any questions about the tournament or sponsorship, please call 1-800-333-8156 or e-mail caltemara@coe.eng.ua.edu to contact CES Director Cheryl Altemara for more information.

COE WILL HOST SUMMER PROGRAM FOR HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS — SITE The College of Engineering will host three Student Introduction to Engineering programs (SITE) during July. SITE is a weeklong residential program for high-school juniors and seniors interested in engineering.

SITE students live in residence halls, tour a plant to see engineers at work, and engage in teaming and communication exercises. At the end of the session, they take part in a design competition.

2004 SITE DATES July 11–16 July 18–23 July 25–30 If you know students who would be interested in attending SITE, contact Alicia King at (205) 348-2547 or aking@coe.eng.ua.edu for registration information.

Capstone Engineering Society College of Engineering Box 870200 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0200

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Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Tuscaloosa, AL Permit 16